FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

“This isn't how I remember it,” Viina murmured under her breath as they rounded the corner to the eastern markets and slowed to a stop. She had only visited the markets once, but she distinctly remembered there not being strings of warm amber lights networking above the marketplace. Likewise, many of the buildings that formed the perimeter of the open square looked far newer than she remembered, and where there used to be rickety timber stalls, the middle of the courtyard now boasted handsome black steel and timber pavilions for the various vendors to peddle their wares. With the sun setting behind a thick layer of snow-heavy clouds, the marketplace would have already been cast in darkness if it wasn't for the warm glow of the yellow lights that looked permanently strung across the marketplace and the countless coloured Christmas lights that wrapped around what seemed like every available pole and awning. Their glow illuminated the snowflakes as they drifted down onto the many patrons mingling below in a mixture of blues, greens, red and orange specs of colour, making the whole marketplace feel like a magical forest of light.

“And you're sure we are in the right place?” Keekzee asked as he paused beside her, his wing still resting over her back and keeping the scaled dragoness warm. His shaggy black fur and feathered wings were warmer than any blanket and shielded the ‘ness from the falling snow. Now in the heart of the city, the buildings offered protection against the wind, but large flakes still spiralled around and made their way down to street level.

“I think so, Riimack said they were called the eastern markets, and we are on the east side of town… Some of these buildings look kind of familiar,” Viina replied and curled her neck to nod over her shoulder towards four striking towers that rose well above the skyline like needle fingers pointing to the heavens. Each one an engineering marvel of expensive apartments, and also a helpful navigation aid for dragons in the city. With each tower at a different height and profile, it was easy for them to confirm that they were on the east side of town with not much more than a glance in the direction of The Spires.

“It's just… it wasn't this… nice when I came here with Riimack, and nowhere near this busy,” she explained and took a small step to squeeze closer to Keekzee as a pair of dragons went to pass them. The stalls were a hive of activity with countless humans and dragons milling about, searching for last-minute gift ideas for loved ones. Many of the humans wore festive jumpers and the occasional floppy red hat, while some of the dragons had taken the opportunity to wrap tinsel and even the occasional swath of string lights around their harness straps. The noise was a constant roar, however, unlike the many marketplaces they had visited in Europe, there was a distinctive lack of vendors calling out to attract customers. Instead, the merchants appeared to stay confined to their stall and only engage with customers once they had shown an interest in their wares. Combined with the more established stalls, rather than canvas tent-like structures that she remembered littering the marketplace, the entire space felt far more civilized.

After scanning across the marketplace, or as much as she could see from the entrance, Viina concluded that the only aspect that hadn’t changed was the sandstone pavers that made up the ground. Everything looked so different from when she had come here with Riimack, and a wave of uneasiness washed over her. It had been so long, and so much had changed, she began to think that it was more than likely that Reevian could have moved on from her stall here. “I think we are in the right place,” she added, more for her own benefit than Keekzee's.

“By market standards, this is pretty nice. Although I think the string lights kinda mean that people have to leave via the exits rather than just take to the sky,” Keekzee observed and looked back behind them as they walked into the bustling marketplace.

Briefly turning her head to follow his gaze, Viina spotted the four designated areas for dragons to take off and land outside the marketplace boundary. Each one no larger than a large parking spot, but grouped in pairs and marked with bright paint to signify which ones were for landing and taking off. Like many of the cities they had visited, the defined areas served to reduce collisions of winged dragons; however, it was rare to see them segregated for arriving and departing dragons. It was clear, however, that there was a need for such order, as there seemed to be a constant stream of dragons touching down and moving quickly into the marketplace, each with a bright green insulated box strapped to their chest. Each of the boxes sported reflective panels and a familiar logo of the Grubwyrm food delivery service. The dragons all moved with the bored efficiency of someone who had done the same activity a thousand times, touching down in the landing area and immediately striding into the marketplace to fetch food from the vendors, and then returning back to queue up for the departing zones.

Looking around the marketplace, Viina continued to struggle to find any fixtures that she remembered. Reevian had owned a market stall that was nestled under her home on the edge of the marketplace, but as she scanned the boundaries, she could only see a couple of buildings that shared the same design. Even then, they looked as if they had been significantly remodelled, and as she craned her head higher, she noticed that none of them were serving food. A small knot of anxiety began to form in her chest as she whipped her head around and stepped away from Keekzee’s warm embrace to lean back onto only her hind legs and stood tall to lift herself higher. Using her tail to press against the ground and stabilise herself, she ignored the looks from the various patrons and studied each of the perimeter buildings.

“Do they have one of those signs you get in a shopping centre?” Keekzee offered while looking up at her and rolled his wing shoulder as best he could in the bustling market. After walking across almost the entire city with his wing over her, the large limb must have gotten sore, and Viina made a mental note to offer to relax the joint once they returned to their hotel room.

“I don't know, but I think this was a waste of time. Her stall isn't here anymore; I'm pretty sure I'd recognise it if it was.” Viina replied and slumped back down onto her haunches in defeat. “I guess I’ve left it too long,” she added with a note of sadness in her voice.

Without hesitating, the drake stepped up to her other side and extended his other wing over her. “Let's not give up just yet,” Keekzee offered and squeezed her close to his side. “Besides, you know I like a good market,” he added and pressed the tip of his snout against the side of hers.

The gesture sent a flutter of nervousness through Viina's mind, and she couldn't stop herself from flinching. It wasn't that the gesture was unwelcome, nor that she was one to shy away from casual displays of affection. However, while she had felt anonymous in a crowded European marketplace, here felt different. As if it was somewhere special to her last mate, and what Keekzee had done was forbidden. Her subtle recoil wasn't missed by the drake, who looked at her with a patient expression. He might not completely understand her reservations but knew when she needed space. “Sorry, it's just–”

“It's okay,” Keekzee murmured and gave her a small nod of reassurance. However, as he went to retract his wing, Viina shook her head and leaned further into him to have him hold her once more. Flashing her a small smile, the drake renewed his grip and held her close while they continued to walk through the busy marketplace. Viina knew that she was giving the drake mixed signals, and truth be told she wasn't completely sure what she wanted, but as uncomfortable as it might be to be spotted by Reevian being held by someone other than Riimack, deep down Viina knew she needed the reassuring embrace of the drake's warm feathered wing and the feeling of his lush fur at her side.

Padding their way through the wide, yet full lanes that weaved their way through the marketplace, Viina noticed the layout wasn't conducive to being able to leave quickly. Instead, the path weaved its way in constant curves that made it difficult to see what was next or how far they had come. Not that any of the patrons seemed to mind, with the exception of the dragons hustling past with their thermal bags at a polite, brisk pace. Rounding a corner, Viina spotted something that stopped her in her tracks. Standing no taller than the rest of the marketplace stalls, a polished stone obelisk jutted upward from the footpath with a nest of bundled flowers surrounding its base.

Viina's blood ran cold as she looked at the monument. Her feet went numb as they carried her quickly towards it and out from under Keekzee's wing. Her eyes failed to focus as she tried to read the inscription marked on a plaque halfway up the stone, and she moved closer to make out the words. The inscription had been made in a brass rectangle just over a foot wide and had already begun to fade into a dull green colour.

‘This monument is dedicated to the events of Wednesday the 14th of August 2014, where a gas leak caused the destruction of the markets. Thanks to the generous donations from private individuals, the market has been rebuilt and continues to serve the community.’

“Gas leak…” Viina murmured, her heart skipping a beat and her tail lashing behind her in fear. Whipping her head around, she looked towards Keekzee and saw the concern in his eyes. He may not have been close enough to read the sign, however he had recognised the monument for what it was. Every throb of her heart made her head spin as regret and shame built inside her when she realised that she had taken too long. Looking back at the inscription, a small sliver of hope sparked inside her when she noticed the lack of names inscribed on the plaque. The fact that there were no names sent a wave of conflicting thoughts through her mind. Could they be missing because there were too many, and would Reevian be amongst them? Or was there no casualties and maybe Reevian was now working somewhere else. However, whatever hope that train of thought gave her, was quickly smothered by what felt like a heavy blanket of failure. If Reevian wasn’t working at the marketplace anymore, finding her would be infinitely more difficult. Viina had known she lived above the marketplace, and now that knowledge was worthless.

“Good gods, what happened to your wings?” a voice from a vendor in one of the stalls behind her called out. The voice sparked a match and dropped it into the fuels of regret, anger and pain boiling inside the pale dragoness. The simple question caused Viina's lips to instinctively curl back into a snarl and her whole body to spin around on herself to direct her anger at whoever had spoken.

With eyes narrowing to slits, she saw the look of realization in the vendor's eyes. Sitting on his haunches with both forepaws on the counter, the dragon’s frill flattened against his neck and his amber eyes widened in panic. The drake had sounded surprised if not friendly, as if he had known her, but now suddenly shrank back as if understanding he had made a mistake. “What?!” Viina spat, an old anger she thought she had buried rising up in time with her crimson frill.

“My mistake, sorry. I thought you were… sorry,” he quickly backpedaled sheepishly as she prowled towards him. “You reminded me of someone else. Sorry, I meant no offence,” he quickly added while pulling his dark red wings close to his side. Fine gold chains draped between the dragon's twin pale horns clinked as he dipped his head down in a sign of submission.

Breaking eye contact, Viina noticed the crystal ball perched on the vendor's table and the littering of parchment-like posters behind him, each with a symbol of geometric shape to symbolise some sort of long-forgotten mystic art. She had seen the same trinkets in marketplaces all across the world, and inhaled a small breath of air before sighing. A fortune teller, or a scammer, depending on who you asked. Viina was a moment away from turning from the time-waster when she felt the brush of Keekzee's shoulder against her rump as he moved to come beside her.

“You were mistaken?” Keekzee inquired, tilting his head to one side while he looked at the vendor with a firm expression. “Didn’t predict that right, did ya?” he added with a small scoff, calming Viina's temper with a torturous jab of amusement that threatened to make her smile.

However, before the pair could turn to leave, the fortune teller shook his head and offered them a broad, overly welcoming smile. “Oh, but you see, the pretty ‘ness’ wings are like a wound on the weave! I felt them calling out like a beacon of pain!” he explained quickly while composing himself. Sitting upright, the dragon's crimson scales contrasted strikingly with the lavender and lilac-coloured curtains that hung from the edges of his stall, and as he turned his head to direct their attention to his crystal ball, Viina noticed the drake's small fin-like ridge that protruded from his chin. “Please, for my clumsiness, allow me to consult your aura. It is the very least I could do for causing you so much heartache,” he added with a hint of a European accent that Viina couldn't quite place. It sounded almost Polish, but also mixed with something else that made Viina glance towards Keekzee to gauge his reaction. “Who knows, maybe there is good fortune ahead, maybe the weave has an egg for you?” he continued, regaining Viina's attention.

“Sorry, we don't have time for educated guesses,” Viina retorted, but cut herself off as the drake behind the counter nodded towards the inky black crystal ball on his table. Held by a brass three-fingered dragon-like paw, the ball clinked in its holder briefly before it lifted up of its own accord and slowly levitated above the dragon's head.

“Guesses? Oh no, this is real magic,” the fortune teller said with a hint of smugness. “Give me your time, young ‘ness, and I will see what dangers might befall you for the new year. Or perhaps it will be a good year; wouldn't you like to know?” he added, renewing his mystical tone and strange accent.

“Chyba obaj wiemy, że żadna magia nie pozwala przewidzieć przyszłości,” Keekzee said swiftly. He spoke so quickly that Viina only caught fragments of the words. However, what she didn't know, she understood from his tone and looked towards him to see the firm yet polite expression she had seen countless times. It was the look he would give to a merchant trying to overcharge one of his guests, or to ask if the goods being sold were genuine.

“Oh, ah… I'm sorry, I don't actually speak… that,” the drake replied awkwardly, his accent dropping completely and the crystal ball sinking a few inches in the air. Without skipping a beat, the drake flashed them both a toothy smile and bobbed his head. “I apologise, I am just a humble reader of the weave. The only language I know is fate, and even then it is solely my purpose to listen to what it says. But please, a discount for the cute couple. I might help you find what it is you are looking for.”

“A moment ago, you said it was free,” Viina replied firmly, but didn't turn to leave. “And who said I was looking for someone?” she asked inquisitively. She was well aware of con artists being able to read someone's expression to pretend to predict the future or perform some other kind of ruse that liberated money from their mark’s wallet. However, now she was curious as to how the drake knew why she was here. “And if you say the weave or fate told you…” she threatened when he went to open his mouth.

“Oh, that isn't how the weave works, despite what others might tell you. No, I know because everyone is always looking for something or someone. Just that not everyone knows they are looking. You seem to already be on the right path, but perhaps I can help you find your way,” he explained while the crystal ball shifted from above his head and began to slowly drift down to just a few inches above the tabletop. “Now, the one you were looking for. Have they departed? Or are they still a part of the material world?”

In her peripheral vision, Viina saw Keekzee’s neck pull back in a defensive and unbelieving gesture, and when she looked up at him, she met his gaze as he turned to look at her. With an almost indistinguishable widening of his eyes, he made it clear that he shared her skepticism, but a small curious part of her mind stopped her from leaving. “What if I don't know that?” she asked, momentarily causing the fortune teller to frown. “She used to work in these markets, and I'm trying to find her. She used to run a noodle shop, but I haven't been here in years.”

“A noodle shop, you say?” asked the fortune teller with a growing smirk. “And who is this noodle ‘ness to you? A friend of yours? Or do you know her family?” he asked and looked into the crystal ball. To Viina's surprise, the inky blackness shifted and in an instant changed to become almost clear, yet reflective. Viina caught a distorted view of her own reflection in the ball and frowned before refocusing on the crimson drake.

“Aren't you meant to know that?” Viina asked, arrogance creeping into her voice to the level of sounding rude. Not that she overly cared; she would never see this drake again, and it was clear that he was a fraud. “I dated her brother, forget it–”

“Wait, you dated Teeslah?” the fortune teller asked in surprise, his neck coiling back in genuine shock. Viina flinched as the heavy crystal ball landed suddenly on the table with a resonant thud and her eyes snapped to the ball. Before the drake could place a paw on it to stop it from rolling, she saw through the illusion. The drake could clearly do some rudimentary magic and had been levitating the orb with his mind. However, the illusion of the black crystal ball going clear was simply due to the ball being made up of two hemispheres with a mirror splitting the middle and a black backing card to show the darkness. With a twist, the ball could be made to show either half, but having been polished smooth and rotated through magical means, the illusion had indeed been convincing. “I didn't know he swung that way–”

“No, not Teeslah, Riimack!” Viina corrected before shaking her head quickly. “You know Teeslah?” she asked, her frill flicking up to full height and her wing arms lifting under the elastic panels of her harness. If she wasn't able to console Reevian, she might still be able to make amends with Riimack's older brother. The flash of hope surged through her body like wildfire, and she took a step forward without realising.

“Of course I know Teeslah, he comes by every so often if he is working nearby. Reevian's younger brother, right? The cop? Kinda rude?” asked the fortune teller as he used both paws to lift the crystal ball and place it back on its cradle. With practiced ease, he rotated it around swiftly so that it once again appeared dark and mysterious, and then looked back at Viina. “Who is Riimack?”

“Her brother! Reevian has two brothers. Well… had,” Viina explained and glanced back at Keekzee. The furred drake held a look of reserved skepticism, clearly still not yet believing the fortune teller and expecting a ruse of some kind.

“Reevian had two brothers, eh? Well, she kept that quiet, didn’t she?” mused the crimson drake as he leaned back on his haunches and scratched at his collarbone with a claw. “Good egg, that one. Best noodles in town. I was really glad when she became our landlord, way better than those old fuddies that used to run the markets.”

Viina's mind struggled to catch up with what he was saying. Riimack had told her that Reevian had purchased her shop and the apartment above, with a hefty loan of course. From everything he had told her, the ‘ness had been a hard worker and struggled to make ends meet. “Landlord?” Viina asked and looked towards the steel and timber stalls that the drake was set up in.

“Yeah, didn't she tell you? She bought the whole eastern market,” announced the drake with a smug smile. “Didn't get a good deal if you ask me, paid full price even though most of it was in ruins. The place always needed a bit of work, but she could have paid less if she wanted to.” The drake continued before noticing the confusion on the dragoness' snout. “The explosion?” he asked and nodded towards the obelisk behind her. “Gas leak of all things. I don't know if she felt guilty that it was her store that took out the markets or what, but the insurance tried to stiff the old owners. So she came in and bought the place—”

Viina's eyes widened at the knowledge that she hadn't been caught in the fire, and at the hope that she was alive. “Is she okay? The explosion, I mean!”

“As well as she could be. The first blast knocked her around pretty good, practically blew up her flat then and there. But everyone in the market used to store gas cylinders a few units down from her place, and that popped before the firefighters arrived. That did the most damage,” the fortune teller explained before tilting his head to one side. “‘Ol Garry who runs the hotdog stall on the other side of the market swore that it was an insurance job. Hell, I thought so too until she bought the whole place. That ‘ness didn't ask for a dollar of rent as they rebuilt the place and even then, our rent hasn't gone up. We still pay the same rates we used to before the remodel.”

Viina was hearing the words, but failed to process what he was saying. She was no expert in property, but given the location of the marketplace, she thought the land would have been better suited to developing into a block of apartments. However, the idea of Reevian having enough money to pull off such an investment didn't sit right with the dragoness, and she began to wonder if they were indeed talking about the same dragoness. “Reevian, right? Teal coloured ‘ness?” she asked, and when the drake nodded she looked over her shoulder and scanned the marketplace. “So you're saying she owns the market? Like… the whole thing?”

“Yeah, it came as a bit of a surprise to all of us. None of us knew she had that kind of coin, and she wouldn't say how she got her money,” the drake explained before shrugging his wings. “I get that she was frugal, but if you ask me, I think she was one of those millionaire types that acts poor. Either way, good egg.”

Frowning, Viina's mind continued to grapple with the new information. It didn't make any sense. If the ‘ness had been secretly wealthy, then surely Riimack's case would have been fought by the best lawyers around. Riimack had only ever mentioned that it had been an almost empty courtroom with his brother fighting for him to serve in the marines, and Reevian sitting behind him. With a small flick of her head, she pushed aside the thought and refocused on the fortune teller. “Where is she now? I need to find her.”

“Oh, she still has a stall here! If she hasn't finished for the day, that is,” the drake replied, causing Viina's frill to flick up and her head to whip around to look towards the heart of the markets. “She only works during the week and on very occasional weekends,” the fortune teller continued and pointed with a paw towards the east of the markets when Viina looked back at him with a desperate look in her eyes. “If you continue this path for a couple turns, it will be on your right. It's one of the centre stalls. You can't miss it though, your stomach will rumble when you get close—”

“Thank you,” Viina hastily replied, her tail whipping dangerously as she spun around and took off. Without even as much as a nod farewell to the fortune teller, she glanced towards Keekzee, who quickly bounded to her side. She wanted to move quickly, to see Reevian and confirm that what the drake had said was true, but the crowds of last-minute Christmas shoppers were like an incoming tide and slowed them both.

Scanning the stalls left and right before craning her neck up to try and get a glimpse, Viina weaved her way through the crowd while Keekzee fell in behind her. Her frustration built as she had to sidestep a pair of elderly dragons more interested in the hanging lights than standing in a convenient location. So much of what the crimson drake had said didn't make sense. She was sure that Reevian didn't come from money, and purchasing the whole marketplace at once was so out of character for someone so down-to-earth. Yet the fortune teller clearly knew Reevian and her brother Teeslah.

Squeezing between a couple that had drifted slightly apart, Viina skipped forward while murmuring an apology, and when she glanced back to see if she had caused offence, she saw that Keekzee had fallen behind. His larger size and more polite demeanour held him back, but he gave her a reassuring nod and mouthed for her to go on. Returning the gesture with a small dip of her head, she focused forward and began to worm her way through the crowd with a growing sense of excitement and longing. She still had no idea what she would say, but just the simple knowledge that the dragoness was still alive and here spurred her on.

Rounding a bend in the path, Viina scanned the stalls ahead while inadvertently sniffing the air. The air was heavy with the scents of spiced meats, roasted nuts, and other confectioneries from the various vendors. Wracking her mind, she could only just remember what the dragoness' cooking had smelt like. It had simply been too long, and all she could remember was the meal being spicy and phenomenal. She paused momentarily, only to have a winged dragon carrying an insulated bag push past her and move with an assertive gait. Whether it was how he carried himself with his folded wings partially lifted, or the fact that he wore a harness with reflective panels sewn into the straps, the dragon managed to part the crowd with ease, and Viina stole the opportunity to follow in his wake.

Looking over the delivery dragon’s length, Viina continued to search for any signs of the teal dragoness as she hurried through the market. No two stalls were the same, and their merchants were a mix of dragons and humans alike. A few were selling clearly bootlegged movies and other imported goods, while many peddled more locally made works, all intermingled with the occasional food or drink dispensary offering refreshments for the patrons. It was a chaotic mess, yet elegantly designed. Every few yards was a new wave of scents and sights which begged for her to slow down and take in the moment, but the hope of seeing Reevian once more propelled her down the path.

Until…

At first Viina thought that she was seeing someone else. The youthfully resilient teal dragoness she remembered looked different now and instead, a more mature and almost tired-looking dragoness smiled at a customer as they passed a paper bag across the counter. Her scales were still glossy and looked well cared for; however, she looked ever so slightly heavier than Viina remembered. Far from fat, but her curves were more rounded in an almost motherly way. Likewise, her pale ivory horns were clean and smooth, with the addition of a striking silver-coloured band that wrapped one of them. Stumbling to a stop, Viina’s legs felt hollow as she watched the delivery dragon she had been following trot up to the counter.

“I'm here, I'm here, there was a queue to land,” he panted before lifting his wrist-mounted phone and showing the teal dragoness something on its display. Reevian sat back on her haunches and tilted her head with a look of mixed annoyance and amusement before reaching under the counter to produce another large paper bag. It was only then that Viina noticed a letter-sized plastic sign that held a piece of paper reading ‘closed for Christmas’ in black sharpie. After a small exchange of words, the delivery drake took the food from her and slipped it into his delivery bag before dipping his head in apology and leaving. He trotted straight towards Viina, causing her to momentarily lose sight of Reevian, but when she saw her again, the dragoness was busying herself with putting woks and pots away.

Swallowing past the lump forming in her throat, Viina watched from a short distance as Reevian continued to pack away her stall. Her paws felt as if they were part of the floor and refused to move until she consciously lifted them and forced them to cooperate. A pressure in her chest had steadily built over the course of the day, making her feel increasingly tense as she made her way to the markets, but now Viina felt the sensation escalate. Its iron-like grip tightening its coils around her ribs and making breathing difficult. The corners of her vision began to lose focus, as she forced her paws to cooperate and stiffly made her way towards the stall.

With her eyes locked onto the teal dragoness, Viina's breath hitched as she saw Reevian turn around with a wok held in her maw. The fine scales framing her left eye were either discoloured or completely missing, leaving a jagged and faded pink blemish in her otherwise pristine scales. It looked like an old, but still painful, wound and Viina was surprised that she hadn't lost her eye in whatever had caused it. The fortune teller’s words about her being hurt in the explosion resurfaced in her mind, and her lip trembled at the knowledge of her ex’s sister being harmed. The ‘ness was clearly distracted by stacking her utensils and disposing of leftover ingredients when Viina made it to the counter.

Opening her mouth to speak, Viina failed to make more than a hoarse whine and quickly snapped her mouth shut again. Her maw felt as if it was full of sand, so impossibly dry that her tongue felt as if it was sticking to the roof of her mouth and her throat was closing up on itself. Truth be told, she had no idea what she would say to get the dragoness’ attention. A simple hello felt almost too cheerful for the moment; calling her name felt too accusational, and now she simply stood a few feet from the counter, waiting to be seen by the dragoness. In the corner of her eye, Viina saw the dark shape of Keekzee emerge from the crowd and hesitate a short distance away from her. She knew it must be awkward for him; however, his lingering presence helped calm her nerves.

With a crash and a slam of one of the cupboard doors, Reevian recoiled her head up from under the counter and ever so briefly glanced in Viina's direction as she turned around. “Oh, you're back? Okay, okay, okay, I'm almost done. Give me a minute…” she called out and turned her back to Viina to grab a long-handled wooden spoon and submerge it in a stainless steel sink of soapy water. “Did you remember to pick up the gingerbread from Dales?” she asked, causing Viina to frown and sit down on her haunches. Glancing around, she couldn't tell who the dragoness was talking to, as the rest of the market goers were simply walking past the now obviously closed stall.

“Oh! Wine? Please tell me you got the wine,” Reevian continued while aggressively scrubbing a pot that had been lurking in the depths of the sink. The water churned as the dragoness leaned into the tub and worked up to her elbows in hot soapy water while her tail waved from side to side to counterbalance herself. “Neebee?” she added as she extracted the pot and rinsed it out with a wet slosh. When no one replied, the teal dragoness glanced briefly over her shoulder and looked towards Viina before suddenly and sharply whipping her head back to focus on the sink.

As if captured by a camera flash, Reevian’s entire body became rigid and rooted in place. While its sound was lost in the marketplace chaos, the water dripping out of the pot held in her paws was the only sign that the dragoness wasn't frozen in time. Swallowing, Viina tucked her wing-arms close against her body and swept her tail around her paws as she waited for the teal dragoness to make a move. The knot of uneasiness tightened in Viina's chest as she watched the dragoness process the sudden resurfacing of her past. She knew she should have called, or at least written. Showing up on Christmas Eve was hardly kind to the dragoness, and now Viina felt selfish for picking today to seek out the ’ness.

Finally, after what felt like minutes, the dragoness moved again. With a small snatch of her paw, she collected a cloth and began drying the pot she held in her other paw. All while sitting on her haunches, she moved with a stiff, almost robotic movement, as if her body was working on its own rather than consciously drying the pot. She continued to dry the stainless steel pot until well after it was dry, and when she went to place it down on the counter, Viina could see the dragoness' paws tremble. “It's really you, isn't it?” Reevian asked, her voice soft and wavering.

Before Viina could reply, Reevian turned her head around in a sudden jolt, as if ripping off a bandage or like a hunter spotting prey. Upon seeing her, Reevian's eyes became glossy and full of an old pain that made her eye ridges narrow. What followed next was a full range of emotions from the teal dragoness; her nostrils flared as her breath hitched, as if wounded by seeing her. Then came a sudden clenching of her jaw, her pupils contracting to slits and her wings lifting slightly in an almost aggressive display. However, as she turned around and rose to all fours, Viina noticed the weight in each of the dragoness' steps and the quiver in Reevian's lips.

With every step, the dragoness' nostrils flared and her tail lashed behind her. In silence, she made her way out from behind the cover of her counter and continued to focus on Viina with an almost predatory stare. By the time the teal dragoness had come within striking distance, Viina had already accepted the fact that there was a very good chance the dragoness might react passionately and braced herself to be swiped. She had come to accept that Riimack's death wasn't her fault, but understood why Riimack's only sister might feel differently and blame her for the drake's death. Flattening her frill in guilt, Viina remained rooted in place and dipped her snout down as she averted her gaze to the dragoness' paws.

“I… What… Riimy…” Reevian stammered, causing Viina to glance up momentarily to look the dragoness in the eyes. Instead of seeing her pupils as slits as she would expect from someone about to strike, the dragoness’ eyes were glossy pools of loss and anguish. With pupils blown wide and clear tears leaking down her cheeks in thin streams, the sight was like a knife through Viina's chest.

“I– I'm… I, am, so sorry,” Viina croaked, her voice barely above a whisper. Every syllable was a razorblade, and her own eyes lost focus as emotions overwhelmed her. “I should have–” Her words were cut short as Reevian lunged at her. Not with fangs or claws bared, but with an open paw and her pale chest. The air was partially knocked out of her as the dragoness crashed her front against hers and her open forepaw latched around her neck in a frontal hug. Frozen in place, Viina’s voice broke completely as the sister of her lost mate pressed her neck against hers and held her close. It was a hug she could never have been prepared for, a deep, grieving embrace of a ‘ness who had so much taken from her and now clung to her as if she could lose more if she let go.

After multiple false starts at trying to speak, Reevian parted from Viina and sat back on her haunches with more of a fall than a controlled sit. “You're… you're alive!” she exclaimed with the briefest flash of a smile before wiping her eyes with the back of her paw. Upon clearing her vision, the dragoness’ gaze lingered on Viina's missing wings. “Did that happen when–” she tried to speak, but her voice suddenly went hoarse.

“The cra–” Viina said with a tight throat and trembling jaw before inhaling sharply. “The crash,” she corrected herself with more confidence. “I was with him, when it…”

“Gods… Viina,” Reevian replied, her voice becoming a whine. With a shake of her head, she tried to clear her tears and looked towards her as she gasped for breath. “I heard you were with him, but I didn't know if you made it… I… where have you?... Why are you here?...” she added before correcting herself again. “Sorry, I don't know where to start.”

Tilting her head with a pained smile, Viina shrugged the remains of her wings under her harness. “Honestly… neither do I,” Viina croaked, her voice breaking once again as her emotions threatened to break her. With a desperate smile, Viina looked at the teal dragoness and partially relaxed. Just talking to the dragoness felt as if a weight had lifted from her soul. Not completely, but enough that she could breathe more freely. “How have you been?” she asked. It felt stilted to ask, but it was all she could think of in that moment.

“Busy,” Reevian huffed in defeat and looked Viina up and down before glancing to the side. Following her gaze, Viina saw that Keekzee had moved closer toward them but now lingered in an awkward middle ground between being close enough to be a part of the conversation and far enough away to be one of the crowd. “Um... sorry if you are after noodles, we're closed for the year–”

“Oh, he is with me,” Viina replied quickly and shrank back at her choice of words. Clearing her throat, Viina nodded for Keekzee to approach and glanced between the large black drake and Reevian. “Reevian, this is Keekzee. He is my... umm...” Her words drifted off as her mate took his place by her side, but thankfully didn't drape a wing across her. Despite longing for the heartfelt embrace of his feathered wing, it didn't feel right in front of Reevian, and it was clear Keekzee felt the same.

Reevian's eyes flicked between the pair and Viina knew she had put two and two together when her eyes widened briefly before she frowned and then recoiled her neck back. “Oh? I mean– of course, yes, sorry–” she started before shaking her head quickly and then using the back of her paw to wipe her snout. “No, don’t worry, it's normal, I get it– it's been a long time, hasn't it,” she quickly added before sniffing back more tears and flashing them both a polite yet somewhat forced smile. “Keekzee, is it? I’m Reevian. It's a pleasure to meet you,” Reevian continued before clearing her throat and seemed to realise how forced she had sounded. “I’m sorry, I only knew Viina as Riimack's mate. Seeing you now with... it's just a lot–”

“It's fine, I understand,” Keekzee said and waved a paw to dismiss her accidental rudeness. “Viina has told me a lot about your brother and he sounded like a really good drake. I’m sorry for your loss,” he added and dipped his snout in a small respectful bow. His reverent tone and sincere eyes seemed to put Reevian at ease and Viina caught a flicker of a sad smile on the dragoness' snout.

“We weren't exactly sure if we would find you here, to be honest. I kind of thought that you would have moved somewhere else after all this time,” Viina said and glanced around the marketplace, “and then when I heard about the accident, I feared the worst.” Viina added and looked back at the teal dragoness to see her eyes lingering on Keekzee with a newfound warmth. Seeing the expression eased the knot of tension in her chest and she was glad that the dragoness seemed to accept their relationship at some level.

With a small inhale and a nod, Reevian renewed her focus on Viina and relaxed her wings by her sides. “Oh, I would never leave this place. Too many memories, too many friends,” Reevian mused before shrugging her wings. “Although, not living above the stall has its perks. I get to see more of the city as I come to work and truth be told, I kinda felt a bit tethered to the stall before.”

“Where are you living now?” Viina asked and saw the dragoness look past her and toward the city.

“Up in The Spires,” she said and nodded towards the four tallest buildings in the city. “We bought it off a friend, and it was a bit run down, so we got a good deal,” Reevian added modestly when Viina's eyes widened. It was no secret that The Spires contained some of the most luxurious apartments in the city, if not the country, and while not every apartment was as elaborate as the penthouses, even the apartments on the first floor were likely quite expensive.

“The Spires? Really?” Viina asked and noticed Reevian shrink back slightly. “Sorry, I just… I heard that you bought this whole marketplace, and I didn't think it was true,” Viina explained before catching herself sounding almost jealous. “I mean, Riimack didn't tell me you had that sort of money–”

“We didn't,” Reevian interrupted and shook her head. “We never did. Trust me, sometimes it still doesn’t feel real,” she added while tucking her wings up against her sides and glancing around the crowded marketplace. “But that’s a long, rough and painful story. I'm happy to tell you, but not here.” Frowning, Viina shared a brief sideways glance with Keekzee but focused back on Reevian when she leaned forward and extended her neck to more closely look at her. “Gods, you really do look just like him.”

“I’m… sorry?” Viina asked in genuine confusion. For the briefest moment she thought the dragoness meant Riimack, but that made no sense. The dragoness' brother had been silver with royal blue wings, and while his body had sometimes gleamed white in the sun, there was nothing similar between their scales and even less in their proportions.

“Viina, umm… I met someone and well…” her words drifted off as she leaned her neck to one side and looked down Viina's length. In doing so, the silver band around Reevian's horn caught the light. At first it looked like a simple ring of metal to signify mateship, but Viina noticed a more intricate engraving in the band before the teal dragoness pulled her head back and cleared her throat. “This may sound a bit strange, but do you have a brother?” Reevian asked with a quiet sincerity that made Viina's frill twitch and her heart jump a beat.

Her stomach tightened at the question, and her maw parted and closed a few times before finally speaking. “I-I don't know, maybe,” she said and pulled her head back as the dragoness’ eyes widened. “I was from a clutch of two, my folks gave the other up… why?” she asked and coiled her tail even tighter around her paws as the teal dragoness rose up and began to circle her.

Reevian’s eyes were far from idle and swept over her like a tailor judging the measurements for a new harness. Turning her head to keep focus on Reevian, she felt incredibly self-conscious as the older ‘ness studied her. “Why, Reevian? What do you know?” she asked as she whipped her head around to continue to track her. With Keekzee at her side and leaning closer towards her to offer some comfort, the teal dragoness didn't take as long to finish her inspection but came to a halt in front of her once again with a small, warm look in her eyes.

“The other egg, was he given to a farm?” Reevian asked, causing Viina's eye ridges to furrow and her frill to flatten once more.

“They never told me… Reevian, what are you saying?!” Viina asked, her voice raising more than she expected to and before she knew it she was on all fours. “Why did you say a farm?” she added. Confusion and uncertainty tore at her mind as the teal dragoness’ smile grew.

“I’ve met someone who looks just like you. They grew up on a farm up north. I think he might be your brother,” Reevian replied, and momentarily looked past Viina before refixing her gaze. Resetting her wings at her sides, the dragoness had a glint in her eyes that made Viina feel somewhat uncertain. “He doesn't know anything of what happened before he hatched, ‘cos he had no family or anyone to tell him. But you look identical.”

“W–where…” Viina started, her voice failing her once again. A new wave of cold anxiety washed through her at this new revelation. Her heart felt as if it had become crushed tight in her chest, and she swallowed with difficulty to try and ease the feeling. At some level she had wanted to reunite with her lost sibling; however, the thought of speaking to her parents to find out any information as to their whereabouts had caused her to give up on the notion and bury the idea. “Where did you meet them? Do you know where I can find them?” she croaked and frowned when Reevian’s smile became lopsided.

“He came here, funnily enough. At first I thought he was you,” Reevian said, and looked past Viina once again before nodding in the direction she had come from. “He's here if you want to meet him,” she added while taking a step towards Viina and beginning to pass beside her.

Curling her neck to look behind herself, Viina’s eyes went wide and her frill snapped up to full height before her paws moved on autopilot to turn herself around and face the newcomer. Waiting no more than half a dozen yards away and looking at her with the same bewildered expression stood a drake with scales the same pale alabaster shade of white as hers, and a crimson frill that stood up just like hers. It was as if she was looking into a mirror. After years of walking, her physique was still lean, but her shoulders and hips were well defined and muscled now, carrying a thickness common with continuous use. Meanwhile, the drake in front of her sported a broader chest from the powerful flight muscles that could drive his long, pale wings. Just like hers had been before the crash. Judging by the girth of his horns, he had to be a similar age to Viina, adding weight behind Reevian's claim, and as Viina looked him in the eyes, the same amber-hued irises looked back at her. Other than his wings, Neebis only looked marginally larger than herself, and most of that was due to his masculine features: thicker jaw, taller frill, and longer horns, one of which had a silver mateship band around its base. Unlike her, however, the drake wore a harness that bristled with countless pouches, all decorated with tinsel, baubles, coloured lights and plastic stars that dangled from the various buckles. It was overly gaudy, but the drake held himself with the confidence of someone who knew it was ridiculous but was too mature to care about their own image.

“Viina, this is my mate, Neebis,” Reevian announced as she padded her way towards the pale drake. In the corner of her eye, she saw Keekzee glancing between her and the pale drake, clearly also entranced by their similarities.

Speechless and confused, Viina tilted her head to one side and stopped when the drake mirrored her motion with perfect timing. With a small huff, they both leaned to the other side in unison before recoiling back. “Nice frill,” the drake started, his voice rich and deep, yet carrying only the faintest hint of the rural accent that Viina was accustomed to. However, before the drake could continue, or Viina could formulate a reply, he broke his gaze with her and looked towards Reevian as the teal dragoness extended her neck and lowered her snout behind his neck and towards the middle of his wings. After a brief moment and the metallic click of a buckle being undone, Reevian lifted her head back and carried in her maw a small, pale blue-green hatchling, wrapped in a kind of fleece onesie with cutouts for its wings. Fast asleep, and with its paws, wings, and head dangling limply, the small dragon hung like a rag doll as Reevian picked it up where its neck met its shoulders. She held the creature with a mother's careful grip and lifted her while curling her neck to deposit the small dragon onto her own back.

Viina's breathing hitched as she processed what she was seeing. The hatchling's colours were a lighter shade of Reevian's, yet also sported the same crimson frill as Neebis. The realisation that she was an aunty made her legs weak, and her vision swim. Sitting back on her haunches before she fell down, she looked between the trio with glassy eyes, and when she felt a feathered wing surround her, she leant into her mate’s embrace.

---

The afternoon and early evening had become a blur of questions and answers, but thankfully Reevian had the sense to invite Viina and Keekzee back to their apartment to get out of the cold. Now, Viina sat awkwardly on a deep sofa with her tail curled around her paws and Keekzee resting beside her. The cushions dipped under her weight, soft in a way that surprised her after years of stiff hotel furniture. The fabric smelled faintly of pine cleaner and something warm and homely she could not quite name. Overhead, recessed lighting cast a gentle amber glow, illuminating the room without being harsh. Shadows pooled comfortably in the corners, making the space feel both expansive and intimate. The polished marble floor reflected the warm light, broken only by scattered rugs clearly chosen more for comfort than style, each one bearing small claw marks from careless scampering.

The apartment that Reevian and Neebis owned seemed like a penthouse compared to the countless sterile hotel rooms she had spent the last few years living out of. The view from the floor-to-ceiling windows was breathtaking. Even though the apartment was only halfway up the eastern spire, the room was still above the low clouds and looked as if they weren't in the city anymore but instead in some heavenly sanctuary. Outside, the world appeared suspended in stillness. Soft clouds drifted below the building, glowing with muted lavender as the last of the daylight filtered through the winter haze in the west. Snowflakes glided lazily past the glass, each one catching the interior light as it fell, giving the illusion that tiny stars drifted around the apartment. The windows creaked softly when the wind pressed against them, but inside the air was warm and safe.

The entire apartment was filled with the scents of spices and meat cooking while Reevian prepared dinner for them all. It hung like a clear fog in the air, taunting their hunger with the promise of what was to come. Steam rose in gentle curls from the kitchen, blending with the aromas until the very air felt thick with warmth. The clatter of utensils and the familiar hiss of oil brought life to the apartment, creating a backdrop of domestic noise. Light from the extractor hood cast a halo around the dragoness as she worked, her teal scales reflecting off the brushed steel appliances like a second fire glowing in the kitchen.

Inside the apartment, everything was a far cry from the old hotels and villas she was used to. Where a rented room would have a minimalist approach to ornaments and trinkets for risk of them being taken, Reevian and her family's apartment felt so incredibly lived-in and real. Here, nothing felt temporary. Every shelf sagged under the weight of belongings collected over years. Throws and pillows were mismatched but lovingly worn, their seams slightly frayed from claws and teeth of all sizes. The subtle hum of the heating system and the gentle sway of a hanging fern near the window made the apartment feel alive. Even the air carried a softness she had forgotten, the warmth of a space shaped by routines, memories, and affection.

Clutter and trinkets lay haphazardly on most surfaces, whether it be colouring-in books, articulated plastic dolls of both humans and dragons, or the occasional wooden building block. A faint trail of glitter caught Viina’s eye near the baseboards, likely from a long-destroyed craft project. Crayon marks decorated the lower parts of the walls in energetic swoops and tapped-out patterns that almost looked deliberate when viewed from a distance. The occasional rumble of a passing elevator reminded her that beyond this cocoon of warmth lay a bustling city, though none of that noise dared intrude here. It didn't feel uncomfortably messy, but instead felt real, like an actual family lived here, who clearly had not been expecting guests.

The exception to the clutter was the tall, handsome Christmas tree that stood in the corner of the open living room. Sitting proudly in a sturdy pot, it stood so tall that the star perched at its apex came dangerously close to brushing the pale ceiling. Coiled around its body in an almost obsessive pattern wound ropes of glittery tinsel in white, red, green, and silver. Dotted in an even spread, metallic-looking plastic balls of similar colours hung from most of the tree's many branches. It looked as if it had come straight from a magazine, if it weren't for the occasional broken branch and the dozen presents sitting under it that had been wrapped in a mixture of different colours. The lights strung around it flickered in a slow, rhythmic pattern, each tiny bulb casting coloured reflections onto the polished floor below. A faint scent of real pine clung to the air around the tree, grounding the otherwise pristine spectacle in something earthy and genuine.

The vast majority of them were a shade of pale sea green, and although none were the exact same shade as the hatchling, Viina guessed they were likely gifts from friends for the little dragoness. Only a few presents were close to Reevian's and Neebis’ colours, and then there were still a few more that were different colours altogether. Likely from people who weren't as familiar with the notion of matching the gifts to the colour of the dragon, or who couldn't find colours that worked. It wasn't a strict tradition to match the wrappings, but some people put almost as much time into finding the perfect gift wrap as they did into finding the perfect gift.

In the middle of the living room, an L-shaped sofa and a traditional rectangular one formed a U-shape of padded seating for the dragons to rest. Placed in the middle, a low stone coffee table stood like an island, littered with a remote for the television and a menagerie of plastic toy animals, complete with small fences, gates, an open stable, and a farmhouse. Viina hadn't noticed the details at first, but now saw that each of the animals was sorted into specific areas of the farm, and their pens were laid out in a surprisingly logical order. Closest to the house were the chickens, followed by the goats and horses, and at the furthest part of the fictitious farm were the pigs. One of Reeva’s tiny fences had toppled onto its side, and a lone plastic goat lay abandoned near one of the sofa legs as though left mid-adventure. The hatchling’s faint humming as she played filled the room with a soft rhythm, punctuated by the tapping of plastic hooves against hard scales as she made the toy horse climb her father's arm. The light from the windows glinted off the plastic animals, making the tiny farm seem strangely alive.

“Ever since we got back from our friend's farm, Reeva has been obsessed with farm life,” Neebis mused, a hint of pride in his voice. The pale drake lounged across from Viina with his wings folded closely to his sides and his small hatchling nestled between his forepaws. Viina wasn't sure if she was shy or simply tired, but the little one hadn't said much and instead had taken to lying on her side with a toy horse grasped in one paw, and the pale drake's muscular legs had become the perfect mountain range for her to gallop the toy up and down. Every few minutes, Viina caught the hatchling peering over her father's foreleg to look at her and then up at her father, likely comparing their similarities. Curiously, the toy horse’s once blonde mane looked as if it had been dyed a dull red, likely by a coloured marker, rather than something more suitable.

Glancing up from the hatchling, Viina focused on her brother and smiled politely. “How does it compare to the one you grew up on?” she asked, momentarily looking toward the kitchen as a flash of orange flame leaped up to the stainless steel range hood. Reevian was sitting on her haunches, cooking something that smelled phenomenal in a wok large enough to be a snow saucer.

“Teeba’s farm isn't really a farm per se, I think it used to be but is more just a ranch without animals or crops, aside from a veggie patch or two.” Neebis’ frill flicked up as he realised Viina wasn't talking about his friend's farm and looked down at the toy farm on the table. “Oh, you mean this! Oh, no, very different. We were primarily a wheat and corn farm, not livestock. There were some chickens of course, but those were mostly just for the owners,” he added before focusing on the toys between them. “No, our farm was just a lot of big fields and a bunch of equipment that needed pulling. Mostly ploughs, seed spreaders, and irrigation systems. Those are fantastic in the middle of summer. There was a river on the north boundary, so the water was always fresh and cold. If we ever finished early or a pump failed, we would hang out there while it got fixed.” He continued before snorting a soft chuckle. “There was this one day in the middle of July when we got hit with a heatwave. Goorgen snuck off and shoved an old tarp down the pump inlet. The thing got well stuck and stopped work for the day while they called for a plumber to come out. The owners were pretty pissed, but no one could prove who did it and we all covered for Goorgen. I think they got the message though, as they went and bought some big floodlights so we could start before the sun rose and finish by midday.”

Viina laughed politely at the drake's story but found herself needing answers. She had been told how he had come to the city, how Reevian had initially mistaken Neebis and taken him in when he had nowhere else to stay. Hearing how the drake had begun to help her out at the stall had left Viina smiling warmly. If anyone deserved a dutiful mate, it was Reevian. They had talked as they walked across the city, and only once they were in the privacy of their apartment did Reevian and Neebis divulge how they had made their sizable fortune. Despite having spent countless hours thinking of all the possible scenarios that her lost sibling might have found themselves in, never had she imagined that they would have created a food delivery service, and then sold it for a profit. Likewise, selling their pride-and-joy company to the global conglomerate Drag’n’Drop was a move that only made sense once Viina had all of the information. Seeing his success filled her with a warm sense of reassurance, and more importantly, seeing how he interacted with their child made Viina feel as if her parents' poor attempt at parenting hadn't been passed onto her brother.

She shifted her wings thoughtfully, feeling the sofa sink a little deeper beneath her weight. The dim lighting caught along the curve of her back plates, warming their edges. For a moment, she let herself imagine belonging somewhere like this, in a space filled with noise and clutter and the undeniable presence of a family. The thought felt distant, almost unreal, but comforting all the same.

“I have to ask,” started Keekzee, his voice as gentle and rich as always. “Growing up on the farm, that wasn’t like… an ownership thing, was it?” he asked awkwardly. “I know the trade ended a while ago here, but back countries can be back countries.”

The room grew quieter for a moment, the kind of hush that settled naturally when a heavy question hung between dragons. Even the simmering pot on the stove seemed to soften its bubbling. Reevian paused her motions in the kitchen, watching out of the corner of her eye with careful attention. The gentle glow from the tree flickered across Neebis’ pale scales, giving the moment a muted solemnity.

Viina had been thinking the same thing and had told Keekzee that her parents had sold their second egg for food and alcohol. Although, she would have hoped that Keekzee wouldn't have asked so directly and flashed him a brief sideways glance.

“Oh no, we weren't slaves or anything like that. Heavens no,” Neebis said and shook his head. “We could leave anytime we wanted to, it was just a job like any other. Except they would feed and shelter us, which again, we weren't forced into. It just came out of our pay regardless, so we kind of stayed. In hindsight, the pay was pretty poor, but many of us didn't have many skills other than farming, so options were pretty limited. Sometimes a few of the group would hop between farms depending on the season, others were more loyal to our home,” Neebis explained and shrugged his wings. “It wasn't easy to come to the city, if I'm honest. I never got to go to school and learnt how to read from the others. So when I came here I kind of saw the first sign of a job and went for it.”

“You should have seen him,” Reevian called out from the kitchen at the end of the room. “Wide eyed and very confused about the city. Never had a phone before, didn't like wearing a harness…” she added, earning a chuckle and a nod from Neebis.

“Well, the harnesses I was used to often had a plough attached. So I wasn't keen on wearing one if I didn't need to, and honestly I only have four people's contacts in my phone. Teeba, who helped us make Grubwyrm, her friend Geevin, who took us in when we needed a place to stay, Reevian, and her brother Teeslah,” Neebis countered before looking back at Viina with a warm smile. “Maybe five from now on.”

“Of course,” Viina nodded and reached out when the pale drake unhooked his phone from his wrist and passed it over to her. Tapping the screen to wake the device, she was greeted with an image of the pale drake and his hatchling running down a hill of freshly slashed green grass with an old farmstead in the background. At the top of the hill, a human figure could be seen coiling up a hose. Something about the way he held himself caught Viina's attention, as if he was standing more rigidly or purposefully than what was necessary for such a routine task. However, as she went to focus on the figure, the drake clearing his throat tore her away from the screen.

“Do you think it might be possible for you to add our folks in there too?” Neebis asked before breaking his gaze and looking down at the hatchling between his forepaws. “I think I'd like to meet them, and maybe introduce Reeva to them. She doesn't have any grandparents on Reevian's side, and I think it would be good for her to have some,” he explained with a hesitancy in his voice that made it clear he was still grappling with the idea.

“I'm not so sure that's a good idea…” she started before her words drifted off. Seeing the drake and his hatchling sitting together in such an effortlessly loving pose made her feel as if he had escaped their toxic personalities, and if they were to meet, it felt almost like what Neebis and Reeva had would somehow be tarnished by her parents. Yet, who was she to deny her brother and her niece the opportunity of a bigger family?

“I know they gave me up, and it's going to be weird. Heck, as a parent I can't fathom how they could do it. But I've always kind of wondered what they were like,” Neebis added and used a paw to collect a second toy horse from the sofa. Passing it to the hatchling, a flicker of a smile formed on his snout as his hatchling snatched it off him and began playing with the two.

“Imagine the two most deadbeat parents you could imagine. That's who they strive to be,” Viina mused while tapping away at the drake's phone. She made sure to put a note on her contact to explain that calling her could be expensive, as it was clear that the drake wasn't technologically well versed and she wanted to spare him an astronomical bill.

“Yeah, I get that. But still…” Neebis implored. Looking up from the phone, Viina could see the subtle hint of desperation in his eyes and inhaled a deep breath before letting it out as a soft hiss through her teeth. “I just want to reach out to them, see if they want to talk. If they don't, then so be it.” he offered in consolation.

“Alright,” Viina said softly. Changing apps, she opened a note-taking application and ignored the open note labelled ‘passwords’. “Just do me a favour, okay? Don't tell them about all… this,” she added while gesturing with her head towards the middle of the drake's apartment. “They are blood-sucking leeches that will drain you dry of joy, and if they find out you have money…” Viina explained while tapping at the phone with her digits. She knew that her parents were often changing their numbers as new, cheaper phone deals came out, but added her old home's landline as well as the details of their address and where they used to work. There was a good chance that they had moved on, but at least it was some information for the drake to pursue his quest.

“It's okay, we don't really like telling people we have all this,” Neebis said while leaning in towards Viina slightly. “That, and we aren't really meant to tell anyone about the deal we made.” He added and glanced towards Reevian, who was beginning to portion out her cooking into five separate bowls.

“Definitely don't tell them that then, they will use it as blackmail,” Viina hissed while she typed and paused to think if she had forgotten any details. Only then did she take a moment to tap out a description of each of them in case it helped, and then passed the phone back to Neebis. “They might have moved since I left home, but here is where they used to work, and the phone numbers they had.”

“Thank you,” Neebis said with a sincere tone and looked down at the screen. “So they both had frills, neat.” He mused, and Viina’s jaw tightened. Seeing him being excited to meet the parents she had escaped didn't sit right with her, but she held her tongue and nodded. “And worked at a garden centre, huh? Well, how about that–”

“It was just a job,” Viina corrected swiftly to put a stop to the drake's budding dream. “They didn't really care about the plants or their garden, or anything but themselves,” she added with more bite in her voice than she intended and caught the look of dying optimism in the drake's eyes as he looked up from the phone. The expression was fleeting, but it weighed heavily on her conscience. She was trying to protect him and her niece, but could hear their mother's voice in her own. Shaking her head to dismiss what she had said, she took a deep breath and held it to calm her nerves. “Sorry…”

“It's okay, I understand,” Neebis replied with a warmth that grounded her. With a brief lopsided smile, he dipped his head in thanks and then secured his phone to his wrist. “I appreciate this, Viina, I really do. And who knows, maybe they don't want anything to do with us,” he added while pulling his phone's wrist strap tighter than necessary. “After all, they knew where they left me and never came back. So, maybe I'm just being optimistic,” he continued, before looking down at the hatchling between his paws and then lowered his head to tell Reeva to get ready for dinner. A small whine of protest came from the hatchling, followed by a whispered voice that made the drake chuckle. “No, sweetie, horses can't eat noodles. It makes them sick. Come on, put Stardust back in their stable so they can have their dinner.”

With the reluctance of a dragon being slowed down by an unfathomable weight, Reeva emerged from between her father's forepaws with a dramatic pout and her toy horse in her jaws. While keeping her hind legs on the sofa, stretching forwards so she could put her paws onto the coffee table, the hatchling deposited the toy horse in one of the pens. Looking down at the hatchling, Viina couldn't help but notice that her chest was surprisingly narrow. At her age, it was completely normal for the hatchling’s flight muscles to be undeveloped; however, Reeva’s looked almost completely missing.

“Alright everyone, dinner is served,” Reevian called while tapping a wooden spoon against the inside of her wok to try and get the remains of the sticky-sauced noodles free. At the mention of dinner, the hatchling's long face shifted to a joyful grin, and she leapt down to the ground. With a gallop, the hatchling raced between the sofas and launched herself at the heavy-looking wooden plinth that had been set up at the end of the kitchen island.

Viina went to step off the sofa but paused as Neebis reached towards the toy horse that Reeva had placed and picked it up to relocate it to another paddock at the furthest end of the coffee table. The drake smirked when he saw that Viina had noticed and reset his wings at his sides. “Stardust is a bit of an escape artist,” he whispered quietly so the hatchling couldn't hear and gave the pair a wink. “Alrighty, food! Reevian makes the best noodles in the whole wide world.”

“Honey, they travel the world for a living, let's maybe temper their expectations a little bit,” Reevian replied modestly as she placed the large wok as far back as she could on the countertop and dropped down to all fours. “I apologise if the meat is a little scarce, I had to stretch what I had—”

“Oh, no. Please don't apologise, it's us that dropped in on you,” Viina replied and stepped off the sofa with Keekzee behind her. “And trust me, in all our travels I haven't found anyone who can beat what you served us all those years ago,” she added and smiled through the flicker of pain that tore at her heart. Swallowing, she tried to dismiss the memory of sitting in the market stall with Riimack, but when she looked across to Reevian, she saw the same pained expression in the teal dragoness’ eyes. Holding her gaze for a moment, the pair shared a mutual look that spoke volumes and refocused on the meal before them.

Reevian and Neebis took their places on either side of Reeva, who sat on her raised plinth and was already eyeing up her bowl with large, hungry eyes. At the base of the kitchen island, a series of cushions leaned up against its vertical walls, and Viina smiled in thanks as Keekzee reached out and tipped a cushion down for her before one for himself. Sitting down on her haunches at the island, the bowls were now at a comfortable height, and having eaten many meals on the hard cobblestone floors, she appreciated the few inches of foam padding. Once they had all taken their places, Viina noticed Reeva looking up at her mother expectantly, and only when the dragoness had looked down at her and given a small nod did the hatchling lunge her neck forwards and almost submerge her whole snout into the bowl of noodles.

Taking a bite of her own noodles, Viina was instantly taken back to when she had first tasted the dragoness' cooking and wasn’t able to stop the soft croon from escaping her maw. “Told ya,” Neebis mused proudly and leaned his head over their hatchling to nuzzle his mate behind her jawline. “Best noodles in the world,” he added affectionately before giving the teal dragoness a small peck on the cheek and refocusing on his own meal.

“They are amazing,” Viina replied after swallowing and then glanced toward Keekzee to gauge his reaction. Despite the fur on his snout being much shorter than the rest of his body, Viina couldn’t help but smirk when she saw how the sticky sauce clung to the edges of his mouth. Oblivious to his state, the drake glanced toward her and gave a grunt of acknowledgement and nodded in agreement.

“Just wait until tomorrow, Reevian got us a couple birds that are almost as big as Reeva, and I’m going to make my famous bacon waffles,” Neebis continued before taking a bite of his meal. His eyes widened in realisation and he quickly swallowed. “You are staying for Christmas… right?” he asked hopefully, and Viina shared another glance with Keekzee. They had planned on spending the day in the warmth of their hotel room and maybe going out to explore the city if they got bored.

“You’re more than welcome to,” Reevian started before adjusting her wings. “If you want to, of course. Teeslah will be coming, and we have plenty of food for everyone. You’re welcome to stay the night here if that’s easier, we can set up the spare room–”

“Oh—no, it’s okay, we have a hotel down by the river,” Viina replied quickly and saw the teal dragoness’ lips tighten in disappointment. It was a quick reaction, one that she instantly regretted. She understood now that the dragoness wasn’t just being polite, but likely wanted some semblance of family being under one roof. It felt strange to have Keekzee spend the night with her in Reevian’s home, but she was still Neebis’ sister afterall. “But…” she started and briefly looked toward Keekzee to get his input before curling her neck to look behind her and out through the large balcony windows. “The weather is getting pretty bad, would it be okay if we stayed the night?”

“Of course!” Reevian cheered with a smile so warm that Viina couldn’t help but mirror it. “You can stay as long as you want. I would love to know more about Europe. I’ve been trying to convince Neebis here that we should get out more, but with the little one it’s been pushed back a bit,” she added before continuing to eat her meal.

“Oh, don’t let that stop you,” Keekzee chimed in and quickly swallowed. “There are a few tour groups that allow hatchlings and fledglings to come along. It keeps us guides on our toes, trying to make sure they don’t run off,” he added before nudging Viina with a folded wing. “And we have never lost a hatchling, have we?”

“No, ‘we’ haven’t,” Viina countered with a smirk and shook her head. Seeing the look of confusion on Reevian and Neebis’ faces, she continued. “The first day I met Keekzee, a hatchling had managed to give him and her father the slip. He was lucky I was there, weren’t you?” she trailed good naturedly and earned a laugh from the dark drake. “Now whenever we have a little one in our party, we take turns keeping an eye on them.”

“You're welcome to take a turn looking after this little one,” Neebis chuckled, then gasped in mock offence when Reeva whipped her head in his direction and glared at her father. Any chance of the hatchling’s expression being taken seriously was lost when a string of noodles dangling from her maw whipped around her snout with a wet splat. “What?! You might like hanging out with Aunty Viina! She has a really cool frill, just like yours,” he added, and chuckled when the hatchling grumbled something unintelligible under her breath and continued to eat.

“Don't take it personally, she is definitely Daddy's girl,” Reevian offered with a small, exasperated shake of her head. “The pair are practically inseparable. I’m just the one who carried her egg, cooks, and cleans for them all–”

“Now-now-now, I cook… occasionally,” Neebis countered, and grinned sheepishly when Reevian raised a scarred eyeridge at him. “It’s just that anything you make is so magnificent, it's a crime to go without it…” he added before leaning over to nuzzle Reevian in thanks. “And I do the cleaning. Well… we do the cleaning, don't we, Reeva?” he asked, and the hatchling gave a singular firm nod.

“I'm okay with her riding on the mop while you push it, but could you please do the rest of the house too, next time? Not just the hallway?” Reevian replied before glancing towards Viina and Keekzee with a smirk and resetting of her wings. “I thought I only had one egg, but some days I feel like I've got two hatchlings,” she added in amusement. Seeing the two banter and how Neebis nuzzled Reevian made Viina's heart melt. It wasn't the constant bickering and snide remarks she had grown up with, but such a genuinely wholesome moment between two loving parents. It was a moment that she wished Riimack could have seen, but it gave her a bittersweet feeling that even though he wasn't here to see it, the dragoness had done well for herself.

“Speaking of hatchlings…” Neebis started, directing his gaze towards Viina and Keekzee. “Any plans for a little extra tour guide?” the pale drake added, and flinched as a dull thud came from behind him. “What?” he exclaimed, looking towards his mate.

Viina's frill flattened against her neck in embarrassment, and when she glanced towards Reevian, she was glad to see the dragoness glaring at her mate with a firm expression. She understood now that the sound had been the dragoness' tail beating against his. Thankfully, before she could reply, Keekzee came to her aid and lifted his head from his food. “Our work isn't really that well suited to caring for an egg. We do a lot of walking, and I think if we were to ever go down that route, we should probably have a home first,” Keekzee explained politely, brushing his furry tail against Viina's. “So no, no plans,” he added, flashing Viina a reassuring smile.

“Well, sometimes things don't go to plan, do they, hon?--” Neebis replied while flashing a quick glance towards the hatching, and then shrank back when Reevian firmly cleared her throat. The gesture was obvious and brought a smirk to Viina's snout as she looked down at the oblivious hatchling, who was now staring back at her with an intense focus. “So-ah… probably a good idea. A home is important for a little one, helps contain the mess,” he added with a small laugh, resuming eating as Reevian continued to stare at him with a look of disbelief while she chewed her mouthful.

While her father's head was low to the table, the small hatchling leaned as far as she could on her plinth and whispered something so softly it sounded more like a light hiss than any words. Whatever it was that she said made the drake inhale his food, and his frill flicked up to full height in shock before flattening again in embarrassment. Coughing sharply as he pulled his head up quickly, Neebis took a moment to clear his throat, breath, and compose himself. “That's not a polite thing to ask, Reeva,” he said with a hint of authority in his voice, glancing between the hatchling and Viina.

“Why?” asked the hatchling as she looked up at the large drake and then across to Viina. “Did she forget to do her stretches?” she asked stubbornly, causing Viina to purse her lips and briefly look towards Reevian and Neebis, both of whom wore looks of mortification.

“It's okay,” Viina mused and shook her head to dismiss the two parents' embarrassment. “No, sweetie, I didn't forget to do my stretches,” she explained, softening her voice and expression towards the hatchling. Looking at her with wide, innocent eyes, Reeva waited as Viina paused and tried to think of how she could explain her crash in a way the child would understand. The truth felt too painful for the small dragon, and instead Viina lowered her head to the dragoness' level and lied with an honest-looking smile. “I forgot to eat all my vegetables, and they fell off,” she explained, trying to contain herself as the hatchling gasped a small, dramatic gasp.

“That can happen?” exclaimed the hatchling, whipping her head towards her father for verification. Unfortunately, the drake was caught off guard by Viina's lie and blurted a small laugh before trying to compose himself. However, the hatchling seemed to read her father well and snapped her attention back to Viina. “Noooo they didn't!” she cried with a small giggle. “You're being silly!”

“Okay, you've got me there,” Viina replied and lifted her head back until her neck formed a graceful ‘s’ shape. “You want to know the truth?” she asked and was met with an enthusiastic nod from the hatchling and a guarded expression from Reevian. With a subtle wink, she acknowledged the teal dragoness' conscience and tried to put her mind at ease. “Are you sure? I don't know. I don't want to scare you?” she added, causing the hatchling to frantically nod. “Well, when I used to live at home and had my own room, I didn't keep it very tidy. One day I put my wings down, and I couldn't find them again!” she explained, trying to hide her smirk from the hatchling, who now tilted her head in disbelief. “Okay-okay, the truth is, I had a pretty bad crash,” Viina conceded before taking a bite of her meal.

“Oh, that's okay,” replied Reeva before resetting her folded wings and taking a bite of her own noodles. “Doctor Keenis says that my wings can grow big and strong if I do stretches. I can teach you!” she added with heart-melting enthusiasm. As useless as her suggestion was, Viina nodded in thanks as she swallowed her mouthful.

“Reeva here was a little undercooked,” Neebis explained before the hatchling could continue and extended a wing over the small dragoness to brush against his mate's folded wing. “The gas leak at the markets… Reevian was gravid with Reeva and I thought I was going to lose them both. If Keenis hadn't been there, I’m pretty sure we wouldn't all be here now,” he explained, the drake's voice becoming tight before he forced a smile. “So, little one’s egg was removed before she was ready, and now her wings need a little extra attention. Don't they, sweetie?” he asked rhetorically.

Judging by the hatchling's expression, it was clear that her underdeveloped wings were a bit of a sore spot for her as she began to pick at her food with a claw. “Well, it sounds like this doctor of yours is a pretty clever drake. I bet if you do these stretches he says to do, you will be flying just as strong as Mom and Dad,” Viina offered, earning a small hopeful smile from the small dragon. “And if not, that's okay too. I get around just fine, and if I have to fly, well…” Viina continued before leaning her shoulder into Keekzee. “Just find yourself a boyfriend who is a really strong flier and have him carry you,” she finished and grinned as the hatchling giggled.

“Oh no! No boyfriends until you are out of college,” Reevian chimed in with a motherly warmth in her voice while extending a wing around her daughter. Leaning across so she didn't pull the hatchling off her plinth, the dragoness hugged her daughter tight. “School comes first. I'm not having you make the same mistakes I did. If you become a lawyer or doctor, then maybe you can have a boyfriend,” she added with a chuckle.

“And even then, that's a strict ‘maybe’,” Neebis added protectively and dipped his head to plant a small lick between the hatchling's small, blunt nub-like horns. “But don't worry, little egg, we will get you flying,” he added before briefly nuzzling Reevian and then shifting to take another bite. The pale drake hesitated with his maw a few inches from his bowl before shrugging his wings and looking towards his daughter. “It’s okay if it takes you a little while to get the strength up. I was a bit of a late flier, and I turned out okay.”

Looking at the drake's physique, Viina found it hard to believe. He wasn't as lean and muscular as the dragons she had served with, but he looked quite fit if it wasn't for a slight softness to his body. Having grown up on a farm and now being a full-time father, this was only normal, however Viina couldn't understand why he would have had difficulties flying. Her parents had always complained that she had almost gotten herself injured on many occasions by leaping off their backs too prematurely.

Her confusion seemed to be noticed by the drake, who dipped his head while finishing his mouthful. “It's…” he started before swallowing quickly. “It was just that the farm was mostly flat, and we were in a slight valley that kept the wind out. So I had to learn by being carried, and well… after a full day of work, everyone kind of just wanted to relax rather than take the fledgling up for a lesson,” Neebis explained before shrugging his wings again and taking another large mouthful. “All good now though,” he finished after swallowing and licking his snout clean.

Noticing that her bowl was still quite full compared to everyone else’s, Viina made more of an effort to eat her fill. The meal was indeed delicious, a perfect mix of spices balanced with noodles and meats. Despite Reevian's remarks of being short on meat, Viina had no complaints about the ratio and judging by the way that Keekzee devoured his meal, she guessed he didn't mind either. Across from her, Neebis and Reevian took turns picking up the occasional errant noodle and chunk of vegetable that slipped from Reeva’s bowl.

“Honey, once you are finished, would you mind cleaning Reeva up and playing with her for a bit?” Reevian asked once she had finished her bowl and leaned further back on her haunches. Something about the dragoness' tone caught Viina's attention, and she saw a flicker of urgency in the dragoness' eyes as she looked towards her mate. “Maybe put a movie on or something to watch with Keekzee?” she offered before looking down as the hatchling suddenly gasped in excitement and whipped her head around to look up at her mother.

“Presents!?” Reeva asked, and when her mother didn't reply immediately, she spun around on her elevated plinth to look at her father. “Please!? Just a little one?” she asked, earning a chuckle from the pale drake who glanced briefly towards Reevian for guidance.

Although their exchange was silent, the drake seemed to understand and looked back down towards his hatchling. “But it's not Christmas yet!” Neebis exclaimed playfully and shook his head while lowering it further down to the hatchling’s level. “If you opened it now, then you would have less Christmas presents. You don't want less Christmas presents, do you?” he asked, and Viina smiled as the hatchling’s expression intensified. Reeva looked clearly torn, however before she could realise that she was being tricked, her father continued. “But a movie sounds good, doesn't it!? Maybe one with unicorns?”

At the mention of the mythical creatures, the small dragoness practically squealed in excitement, and when her mother reminded her to get clean first, the hatchling leapt off her raised seat and scampered out of the room. Her small claws clattered against the smooth marble, and as she turned in the hallway, Viina chuckled as the hatchling's hind legs overtook her front mid-corner and she drifted towards the bathroom.

“Viina, can I have a moment with you?” Reevian asked softly, with a reverence in her voice that made it clear what she wanted to talk about before she explained. “I’d like to hear more about him if that's okay?” she added and flicked her eyes towards Keekzee for a heartbeat.

Viina understood and nodded before turning towards the fur drake, only to be met with him giving her a small, reassuring smile. “Oh, don't worry about me, I'm keen for a unicorn movie,” he replied warmly and swept his tail against hers. For a brief moment, her mate curled his long, furry appendage around her smooth, scaled tail and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was affectionate yet subtle and made Viina's frill partially lift. Returning the squeeze, she released him only when he began to rise to all fours and tracked him as he and Neebis cleared the table.

“Wine?” Reevian asked while leaning to one side so that Neebis could stack his and Reeva’s bowl into her own and then lift the stack in his jaws.

“Wine,” Viina replied after taking a deep breath and smiling a weary smile. She knew that this moment would come, and now that she was sitting across the table from the dragoness, she didn't feel the fear and trepidation that she had expected. Instead, a steady calm settled on her mind as she held the gaze of Riimack's sister. “What would you like to know?”

“Can you start from the beginning?” Reevian asked and relaxed her posture while curling her tail around her paws. “He told me you met at training, but never told me about his first day. What was that like?” she asked, making Viina's breath hitch and a nostalgic smile form on her snout.

---

Watching from behind the floor-to-ceiling glass and through powers they didn't understand, two dragons sat side by side on the balcony and looked in at the warm scene before them. The balcony itself was a quiet perch suspended above the glowing city, its metal railing dusted with a thin veil of snow that softened every edge. The cold pressed gently against their scales, not harsh enough to discomfort them but sharp enough to remind them that the world beyond the glass was winter at its peak. Warm light from the apartment spilled outward and caught the drifting flakes, making them shimmer like flecks of gold before settling soundlessly at the dragons’ paws. Beneath them, the hum of distant traffic was muted by the snowfall, leaving the soft hiss of the wind and the occasional clink of snowflakes against the glass as the only interruptions to their vigil.

Seeing his sister and Viina converse, laugh, and share stories about him filled Riimack with a sense of security. The knowledge that they were finally coming together and doing okay was sweeter than any snack, warmer than any bed, and reassured him more than any hug. He didn't need to hear the words and instead enjoyed being the silent observer, focusing on their expressions and smiling when they laughed. Inside, the apartment radiated a lived-in comfort—soft amber lighting, the glow of the television, and the shifting silhouettes of dragons moving with casual ease. The warmth was visible even through the glass: a faint fog formed at the edges where the heated air met the cold pane, creating a natural vignette around the happy chaos unfolding within. The scent of something sweet baking in the kitchen filtered faintly through the half-open balcony door, mixing with the crisp tang of snow and pine from outside.

Breaking his focus to look towards the couches, Riimack's heart warmed when he saw his niece stretched out on the couch with her father and Keekzee flanking her, both of whom seemed to have become entranced by the colourful cartoon on the large flat-screen television. Reeva had become the guardian of a bowl of crisps and alternated between watching the movie, snacking, and tying the distracted drake's tail fur into braids. Riimack was confident that the inky-black drake was aware of what Reeva was doing but seemed content to let the little dragon enjoy herself. Briefly glancing towards the television, Riimack chuckled as he saw that the cartoon depicted the animated grooms preparing a horse for a big show by braiding its mane in a similar fashion. Every so often Viina’s laughter, light and warm, drifted through the door as Reevian told her something about the silver drake she hadn’t heard. Or the amused grumble of Neebis offering commentary about how the farm in the movie wasn’t how they did things where he grew up. The apartment was full without being crowded, alive without being loud. Even the flicker of the television cast an inviting glow, animating their scales in rhythmic washes of colour.

Refocusing his eyes on the reflection in the glass, he saw Taalli watching on with glossy eyes. Her breath should have faintly fogged against the glass, but instead none came. Her eyes, normally sharp, bright, and full of her usual guarded wit, looked softer in the reflection, dimmed at the edges. She wasn’t shivering from the cold; Riimack recognised the tremor of a thought she was struggling to voice. The orange dragoness must have noticed him watching her and shivered before recoiling her neck back.

“I’m glad she got it,” Taalli started before clearing her throat and reshuffling her wings tighter against her body. With her tail curled around her paws, the dragoness looked withdrawn from the world and, while not outright defensive, there was clearly something troubling her. Snow continued drifting through her scales, unnoticed. “If anyone deserved a happy ending, it's her,” she added softly, her voice almost lost on the gentle evening breeze that caused the falling snow to spiral and drift lazily onto the balcony.

“Reevian? Or Viina?” asked Riimack as he adjusted his position so that he could more easily focus on his friend. Looking at her directly instead of through the semi-transparent reflection of the glass, he could see the gravity of the dragoness' concern and frowned deeply.

“Both of them,” Taalli replied before he could ask what was wrong. “Both of them deserve this,” she added and nodded towards the apartment. “A family, a mate, all of it. After all they've been through, it's only right. Or as right as it can be.” Her tail tightened subtly around her paws, anchoring herself to the cold tile beneath as though steadying a truth she didn’t want to confront. Then she turned her head to look directly at him. “Is that you then?” Taalli asked, and Riimack understood why she was worried. Neither of them had the rules of their existence explained to them, but understood that they were only here while loved ones needed them.

A gust of wind pushed a swirl of snow across the balcony, brushing past both dragons like a passing shadow. Riimack felt Taalli tense beside him, her claws flexing soundlessly against the cold surface. The warmth from inside suddenly seemed distant.

“Gods, I hope not,”Riimack replied and briefly looked away from the orange dragoness to watch his family enjoy their evening. “It wouldn't be right to leave the day before Christmas, would it?” he added in a vain attempt at lightening the mood. Seeing Taalli's expression in the reflection, he turned back to focus his attention on her. “I'm not going anywhere, T, not if I can help it,” he continued with genuine sincerity in his voice. Seeing the dragoness' wings loosen ever so slightly in a hint of silent acceptance, Riimack turned his side to face her and lifted a royal blue wing to invite her for a friendly hug.

Taalli hesitated only a heartbeat before leaning into him. The contact drew a faint rustle from their scales, a soft whisper of warmth meeting cold. For the first time since stepping onto the balcony, the dragoness’ posture eased.

“What if you can't help it? What if one day they don't need you anymore?” Taalli asked softly, and when he didn't lower his wing, she eventually shuffled closer until her folded wing was against his side. “Sorry, I just… I need you,” she added, her voice going tight as he lowered his wing around her shoulders and pulled her tight. Her words hung in the cold air a moment longer than they should have, carried outward by the breeze before fading into the quiet streets below.

“Then I won't be going anywhere,” Riimack replied while curling his neck so that he brought her snout under his jawline. “And that's okay. I don't care what is on the other side, it could be chocolate chip cookies and clear skies. But I'd never be happy if you needed me,” he added and looked out the corner of his eye towards the dragons inside. “You or any of them,” he muttered just loud enough for her to hear.

Humming in thanks, Taalli didn't pull away and enjoyed their closeness before sniffing sharply and clearing her throat once more. For a brief span of heartbeats, neither spoke. They simply breathed together, steady and familiar, like the first night they had spent in basic training. Together in a guard tower, with her under his wing while he kept watch even though there was no danger and pretending that they didn’t need the comfort themselves. “Golf Company, through and through,” she mused and brought her head out from under his. “You were always perfect for overwatch,” she added, making the drake renew his grip with his wing and chuckle as they continued to watch his family.

“They didn't call us guardians for nothing,” Riimack replied warmly while leaning into her side as much as she leaned into him. Thinking of what the dragoness had said, he found himself wondering what the next step of their journey would be. The city lights stretched endlessly below them, glimmering in soft ribbons where the snow muffled the harsher colours into gentler tones. It was beautiful in a way that felt fragile, as though the whole world were made of glass and warm lights, one breath away from shattering. Would there just be nothing? Or would there truly be an afterlife after whatever they had now? He didn't know, but the more he watched his family enjoy one another's company, with his friend beside him, the more he began to wonder how anything could possibly be better than what he had now. His vision became unfocused as his eyes became glossy, and with a quick sniff and a cough he composed himself.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Taalli tilt her head to look at his face. The wind tugged lightly at the frill of her cheek, carrying with it the subtle scent of pine and distant woodsmoke. The warmth from inside glowed around her outline in the reflection, making her seem halfway between two worlds—belonging to both, claimed by neither. While looking out the corner of his eye, he offered her a small smile. “Merry Christmas, Taalli.”

“Merry Christmas.”