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As a warning: there are spoilers to the Primsarc Citadel story in this. Literally in the first two paragraphs, sort of. The suggested time to read this is after chapter 7; it's not strictly necessary, of course, but if you want to experience that series from Asporyx's point of view only until he discovers things, then by all means, start here~!

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So, this is one of the candidates? Elrenlani wondered; she was on stage in Prismarc's Citadel. She and the dragon opposite her were to be Isle Partners in the Prismarc Isle project: a project meant to help dragons come together with other dragons and even non-dragons: the Kyns, beasts and other beings with similar magics as dragons, and Wilds, mundane, but intelligent, beasts. And she had just introduced herself to the drake that would be co-ruling the isle with her: one of the “randomly selected" ones, at least.

She, and two other drames, were here for reasons other than the official one: they were, essentially, screening their partners for a powerful, young new Heiress: Myradona: she was a specialist helix-drame born between the Shade Patriarch and Violet Matriarch. It had been done as an experiment, from what Elrenlani had heard, given that Shades and Violets were allies during the Territory Wars. Now that the wars had ended, though, she was to put her upbringing and lineage to use as the First Matriarch of the Spectral Kyndom. And she had been determined to choose her own mate. While she was at the Prismarc Isles in disguise, everyone from her parents to the other Kyndoms agreed that she would not be encouraged to bear eggs to help with re-population efforts.

Originally, there were twelve drames who would be screening for Drame Myradona, but once the names of the drakes who would be attending was finalized, the lists of candidates of hopefuls was dropped down to 4 by Myradona and her peers, Elrenlani among them. She had personally vetoed her own Kyndom's war hero, Dilorphus: she liked Myradona and would not foist that insufferable, despicable drake as even a potential option. She also knew Myradona would not want a mate controlled by his lusts and ego. The four drakes left, though… not much was known about them. The group, upon learning of Zecerwryt's preferences, determined that he would not be a likely candidate, but he was essentially a back up plan.

So, here she was, looking at the Green Kyndom's only contributed drake. “Asporyx, son of the Green Patriarch. Specialist." If Elrenlani had not known he was from the Green Kyndom, she would not have guessed on sight alone. His scales, at least in this lighting, looked completely black, or onyx given his metallic nature; Elrenlani thought she might see a slight green tint to his blackened-silver underscales. And unlike the ridges and spiked tail traditional to most Greens, Asporyx's head, neck, back, and taillength were free of any features. He did have a line of small ridges along his nose, though, and his tail had a vertical fin not unlike her own, albeit smaller. His horns seemed a bit large at the base, so his lack of adornment on his head or lack of earfins she was used to seeing on Blues was not totally out of place. Those same horns swept back and away from his head with very flat s-curved shape to them. The only immediately green aspect of his form were his eyes: Elrenlani could almost swear they were glowing and were a bright green-yellow. He stood… significantly larger than her, but that did not surprise her: she knew she was slight: among Blues, she was a variant known as Lunar-Finned, like her mother. They were rare, but her Grandmother had been one as well. If she were to nuzzle at him, she would be able to reach his jaw without too much effort, but it would still be a stretch. He was not particularly built, though Elrenlani was… mildly pleased he at least seemed fit. She had heard he was a scholar and recluse, so details about him were sparse.

While their supervisor led them out of the auditorium area, Elrenlani saw how the light did bring out the green of his scales… barely. It was more like they only reflected green, really. He also walked a bit… timidly? Like he did not want to make a sound or even be noticed. She still had to focus on how she walked, really: growing up underwater mean walking was a somewhat conscious action for her. She turned her attention to Bertuzza, who had just asked if they had any questions.

“Bertuzza, ever since I've arrived, I've had trouble… concentrating." Asporyx said; he had been examining Elrenlani as much as she had been evaluating him. All in all, she was not impressed. She was not put off, either, but, well, he was a drake. After Dilorpheus's behavior and betrayal, and her father and brothers' gallivanting, she really had a low opinion of drakes.

“We were… aware of this possibility with greens, and you in particular, Drake Asporyx, given your specialist trait." Most Kyn called dragons by Drake or Drame as their titles, depending on the dragon's gender. “As far as green specialists go, at least Toxinists are fairly well understood, even if each one's specifics are unique." As Bertuzza gave a run down of the Prismarc Isles project's construction, Elrenlani reviewed what she knew about Toxinists: they were Dark Green Specialists who, in addition to basic plant-based magic affinity, were born with a magic-toxin that was throughout their biology. And that toxin was effected by what they eat. Each Toxinist's magic-toxin was unique, as Bertuzza mentioned, so they had apparently made very dangerous assassins and fighters during the wars.

Wait, does that mean…? Bertuzza did seem to confirm what Elrenlani suspected: the Golden Leaves pollen that was meant to help promote dragons', and Kyns', various reproductive traits and the health of any developing progeny, was apparently working too well on Asporyx. And given the question that Bertuzza had used to launch into this explanation… Great, another drake that can only think of mating… “According to your father, though, it shouldn't be a problem and you might even be of help learning how to counteract this effect? You will have to buy a pass to access the Ring, though." Bertuzza was saying. Elrenlani heard Asp sigh, which did make her raise an eyebrow for a moment.

“He could've warned me at least." She heard him grumble; the dark-green drake shook himself.

“Well, it's no matter. You have a lovely drame to assist you if the pollen's effect is too much." Elrenlani let out a quiet, indignant huff, almost reflexively. As if I would just… “_You two will be together for a while, so try to take each others' needs into account and be civil." Damn gryphon hen, she was chastising her! The heiress to the Blue Kyndom… _Wait, no, I can not think like that anymore. I may be the heiress, but I am not isolated from others, nor do we have any higher standing, technically, than Kyn. “Drame Elrenlani, you're free to swim if that's preferable; this is a general warning to all: do not over-fish or hunt, should you get peckish on our way." Asporyx seemed eager to take to the sky.

“It won't be a problem." She thought she heard him say. She felt her fins lower a bit… She knew part of what this project entailed after all. She knew she would be expected to carry a drake's eggs at least once, if not more than once, but still… She found herself snarling, but she dove into the sea water.

She found herself surprised: the channels between the isles was much larger, and deeper, than she imagined. For a moment, her anger disappeared and she just enjoyed relishing the feeling of swimming. The way the water parted around her finds and how her body moved swiftly. She kept her wings pinned to her back and just used her tail, and a bit of her magic, to propel herself through the water. Underwater, she breathed through gills that were hidden beneath her scales; they were not exposed when she was above the water. She followed both Bertuzza and Asporyx's shadows, taking in the effort details the Prismarc development team had put into the environment. There were a number of fish, a few she caught for food, but the ones lucky enough to get away from her had had plenty of kelp, caves, and reefs to disappear into. Before she knew it, Asporyx's shadow was moving faster and circling around an island up ahead. Elrenlani joined him in examining the isle, noting the caves and slope underwater. She came up that slope onto the shore of a beach that suddenly dropped into more water… It was barely a beach, honestly. She leaned down and sniffed at the water; it was freshwater. She had always been interested in tasting freshwater fish as well as just raising them in particular.

She took in the rest of the isle… She and Asporyx would not be too invasive to each other's space, but they also would not be far from each other at any time. She was reminded of the drake's proximity and felt her anger and frustration return, born from the idea that she would be with a drake who was essentially being drugged into being a breeding stud. She did find a small part of herself thankful for the company, though. Back home, she had at least a few friends and her sisters that supported her.

“So how is it that we are to expand this… isle?" Elrenlani asked; she really hesitated to call it that.

“Everything here at Prismarc is purchased via a point system; each lunar cycle, I'll come by with a folder for you both, likely leaving it here." Elrenlani came around to get a better look at the simple, small chest as Bertuzza took out packages with her beak. The gryphon hen put the packages down between the two of them, using her wings to push one towards Elrenlani and the other towards Asporyx. “The point system is laid out in the books in there; your first objectives and offered classes are there as well. One of which is to visit the registrar's office, so you should become familiar with the isle expansion system rather quickly. Purchases are made in the Bazaar at the Citadel, everything from land to comfort items, to seeds, books, and schools of fish." Elrenlani felt her fins perk up at that; books and schools of fish? It seems Bertuzza at least knew her audience. “You are free to leave your isle at anytime, though we ask you don't disturb others unnecessarily. I believe your things are still en route, Drame Elrenlani, and if there are no other questions, I'll take my leave. You are both expected to be at the class in three days, though. Your absence will be noted if you do not show up and points will be deducted."

Suddenly, there was a loud thump of a sound, one that sounded like an explosion. Elrenlani's fins stood on end while she saw Asporyx's wings flare out. She felt her own lift as well, her body tensing. Bertuzza, though, just sighed. “Already? I hope Shaerian can keep those two under control." There was another explosion sound and Elrenlani felt her wings rise a bit more; that was really unnerving to her for some reason.

She looked over the package's contents briefly, though, as Bertuzza took off; she was mostly familiar with what would be in there. She was interested in the sparring and hunting courses, the drame looking forward to learning the other Kyndom's fighting styles and techniques… she was an awful land hunter after all. A scent, though, interrupted her thoughts. Unmistakably a masculine one, though there was a foresty tinge to it. She felt the need to put her claw down about this.

“I will say now, you are on your own for the time being with that… problem of yours." She could not bring herself to mention his arousal outloud; her upbringing had been very strict about what she could and could not say, both with grammar and the topics to discuss. She… did not want to completely close the door, but she realized she still needed time to emotionally accept what this reality was. She did find herself curious, though. Both for herself and, potentially, for Myradona, so she could not keep the worry out of her voice. “Besides, Toxinists are toxic in that regard, are they not?" She found herself snorting; she did not want his scent lingering in her nose. Even if she had to admit it was not bad; the lack of sea-scent on him did go a long way to that, admittedly.

“As long as I ingest enough of the countermeasure daily, it's not really a problem, so you don't have to worry on that front." Asporyx said. “And I'd already picked up that you wouldn't be exactly eager. I'm not thrilled about this, myself." Part of her, the part that had gotten use to being pursued for either her status or her looks, was… slightly insulted when he said that. Well this is all sorts of confusing, is it not? Elrenlani thought to herself. “But I can keep myself under control." She was not about to lower her guard, despite his reassurance. She looked over their cycle's objectives:

Attend Mandatory Class

Meet Your Neighbors

Personalize Your Island

Produce an Isle Product

Visit the Registrar's Office

Mate 4 times with your Isle Partner

Conceive a Clutch with your Isle Partner

Those last two made her mind go… blank at first. And then it set in and she growled, loudly, her anger rising to the surface. “Some 20th Hatchday" She growled out; today would be the day she was officially recognized as a young adult drame, after all. She had been treated like one for the past couple of years, but before, and even during the wars, she would have spent the day not as an heiress, but as a daughter and sister. She would have had her favorite meal, octopi from the deep sea, fresh broiled. She found herself fighting back tears and just… curled up on the ground.

She was not sure when Asporyx had left. She really only became aware of it when the sound of grinding rocks reached her and she felt a faint tremble in the ground. She looked around and noticed the drake seemed to have disappeared into the forest covering the part of the isle that was not lagoon or this field. “Would you keep it down over there?!" She called out; she was unsure if she heard him, but the sound did die out not soon after. She went back to imagining what home would be like right now, the Ancient Den carved of polished coral that extended above the waves. She had spent a lot of downtime in a shallow pool, reading, but she had not even packed books. And speaking of what she packed, a small, matte Shade dragon dropped off her leather bag she had brought her armor in. It was high quality, magically hardened aquatic silver that had been made for her as bespoke a growing drame could get her armor. It included her tail, wing, and leg blades, and her battle claws and bracers. She had managed to pack a couple of pillows, too. Ones that softened with water, so they lasted in it.

As she grew more and more homesick, there were more explosion sounds that threatened to fray her nerves even further. She pulled out one of her pillows and used her aquatic breath to soften it; it helped to keep her nerves from fraying entirely to have this small comfort at least.

At some point, she must have dozed off. She did suddenly become very alert when she realized Asporyx was behind her. Why did I curl up with my back to the forest? Now he has crept up on me… She braced herself for a fight, feeling her fins twitch; if that pollen was building up too much in his system, she would not… completely hold it against him if he did try something. She had been serious though; she was still coming to terms with the idea that she was being encouraged to allow him to mate with, and even attempt to breed, her. But after a few tense moments, she realized he had left as quickly as he had shown up. She got up and twisted a bit, blinking when she saw a decent pile of fish that had been cooked, she guessed, over a fire. And a bowl of… some sort of tea. The tea and the seasoning on the fish seemed to be primarily the same herb, one she was unfamiliar with. Admittedly, she was not familiar with cooking or any herb beyond seaweed. And while the tea was… fairly bitter, the fish was seasoned well enough that the bitterness was offset by the a peppery and slightly salty flavors. While it was not the octopi she was missing, it was… something. She was curious how a green drake fished, though. As well what he had been doing all day.

-===================-

When morning came, Elrenlani felt… a little better. She still was coming to terms with… everything, but her anger had cooled quite a bit. Whether it was the restless sleep or just time, she was not entirely sure. She got up and brought the bowl that had the tea Asporyx had prepared last night towards… whatever he had been doing. Which turned out to be… a garden? A farm? Elrenlani looked at what he had done, somewhat impressed. It was not a large plot of worked earth, but how much progress he had made in a day was surprising. Blues… well, they had a few stereotype about Greens that she, despite her best efforts, seemed to have bought into. That they were laid-back and easy going, and that they were rather weak, magically. Plants did not seem like a powerful medium for magic, but the way the ground was torn up so quickly…

She turned to put the bowl by Asporyx, but she snorted and almost dropped it. The drake was on his back, and on display, was what made him a drake. And true to his larger size, well, it was… an intimidating spire of dark flesh. I am supposed to fit this within me?! She hesitantly leaned in, sniffing at him: his scent was much more powerful. Masculine, and she immediately was brought back to one of the few times she had gone to the Green Kyndom and the ancient forests there. Despite herself, she felt herself tremble and her tongue was slipping out to lick at the puddle of clear liquid that had gathered on his scales when he shifted in his sleep. It broke her out of the spell and she shook her head, turning to go back to her side of the isle.

After a quick fishing trip, Elrenlani packed away her armor and her pillows and started to sunbathe. She was growing a bit drowsy and found her mind drifting back to this morning. She frowned a bit… she was unsure if the Golden Leaves' effect was working on her as well or if, maybe… her assumption of being more into drames was wrong. And she just did not like… any of the Blues she had met. Their courting culture had been leaning more towards “might makes right" the past few generations with the Territory Wars. And male population had been in decline even before that, at least for them, so… Elrenlani had to admit it had made for a pretty unsavory recipe.

Suddenly, she noticed Asporyx nearby and rolled over. The sight of him made her vividly remember what she saw this morning. Why is my mouth watering?! Elrenlani shook her head, feeling a rare blush rise to her cheeks. It took her a few moments to realize he was talking and that he seemed to want help with his garden. Specifically, with watering; apparently he had not been told until a week out that he was coming here, so he had not had a lot of time to prepare. Which included bringing a watering bucket. He did, at least, seemed to propose something that seemed reasonable on the surface: extending her lagoon a bit to make it closer so he could carry it in his mouth or a woven basket. Apparently he was not crafty enough to make one that would leak, but he could make it carry at least a bit.

“Un-unfortunately, the lagoon seems to be freshwater filtered through rune magic." She had seen a formula set into the place where the water was coming in. “I am unsure if it can only work for a certain volume of water." Asporyx nodded; water filtration formula are complicated, it seemed. And he had a working knowledge of Rune Magic, it seemed.

She sighed, reaching out with her magic to gather a bit of water into the air. As they walked, he looked… apologetic for having to bother her. _Seems I have not made the most friendly impression on Asporyx…_She did feel a bit bad about that. Even so, the memory of his state this morning came back to her head just as they started negotiating for her help with this each day. She immediately got aggressive with the negotiation, but he… did not really argue. She was shocked at how readily he agreed to expand her lagoon; she had been intentionally unreasonable in hopes of getting it expanded, but he agreed to letting their first two land expansions would be for it.

...If he is to be a Patriarch, he needs to hold his ground a lot better. Elrenlani found herself thinking. Besides… she did figure the garden probably would count as an Isle Product and personalization. She planned to mostly forget about their deal… or at least would insist on it only being on expansion, not two, when the time came. After she watered the garden, there was another explosion that made her wings flare. They were… quieter, quite probably dampened by the trees, but it was still a sudden, violent sound. Those sounds never meant anything good back home. She found a corner of cleared area that was not part of the garden to watch Asporyx work. She could not but help note that his… problem seemed mostly under control, at least while he was busy making the area look more civilized. At one point, though, she heard a voice in her head.

Elrenlani, is now a good time to stop by? That would be Myradona, or Faistyve as she was going by on the isle.

Yes; I will meet you in the clearing. She slipped away from Asporyx's clearing to find a Violet Dragoness landing on the bank side of her lagoon. She clearly thought Elrenlani would be in there.

“Over here, Faistyve." Elrenlani's voice caused the drame to turn around. While Myradona was a white and violet helix specialist, which gave her a powerful Illusion special ability as the meeting of light and psionic magicks, Faistyve was a dark Violet. She also had a passive Empathic ability she never could fully control. She was also, roughly, the same size as Asporyx, so Elrenlani had to look up.

“Any problems? First impressions?" Faistyve asked; she did sound worried. “I heard he was a Toxinist; the Green Patriarch had been on the fence given what happened to the one who was on the Golden Leaves project, apparently."

“He seems alright in that regard, I think. I am afraid I may not have made the greatest first impression on him myself. He almost seems… scared of me?" Elrenlani said, retrieving her pillows.

“Alright in that regard?" Elrenlani knew exactly what Faistyve meant. She had hoped, when they had discussed this plan, that she would not have been paired up with such a risky male. At least in theory, he was risky: nobody knew how the Golden Leaves would effect him. But someone had to be and as far as she knew, the pair-ups were random.

“Well, he is occasionally indecent and exposed, but he does not seem all that lusty. Nothing like my brothers, at least. Or him." Myradona, in her Faistyve disguise, had been subjected to her brothers' attempts to mate her. And Dilorphus's attempts.

“… Did you help him at all?"

“No."

“Alright. I hope he is in as control as he seems, then. For the sake of you both. Any other impressions?"

“Well, he seems quick to adapt. And I guess friendly enough, though he could be more aggressive. He has not really pushed back on anything; I made an unreasonable demand earlier, but either he did not think it was unreasonable or he needs some encouragement to stand up for himself more."

“If he's who I think he is, that doesn't surprise me. Remember that eccentric hermit Toxinist responsible for all that fast growing food that popped up?" Elrenlani nodded before her eyes went wide. While Blues had not had issues, their allies, the Yellow and Orange kyndoms had had major food supply issues. The Green Kyndom had, essentially, managed to buy their neutrality towards the end of the wars with the sudden appearance of fast growing crops and fruit trees.

“Well, he has slightly better social skills than I might have expected, then." Suddenly, an explosion sounded again, making Elrenlani wince as her wings flared and fins tightened against her form. Faistyve looked sympathetic. “A-and maybe explains his lack of desire to mate. If he has not mated before, that side of him might be dormant."

“Or he might be like Wryt. Though, the way he stared at Enoldria at the entrance ceremony when she got him out of his head… so probably not. Though that will just be another hurdle for him, I think. I refuse to have a potential mate who is intolerant of others for no reason. And yes, I realize the slight irony in that statement."

“If any Green stereotypes turn out to be true, I do hope it is that whole 'open-minded and forgiving' one." Elrenlani said. “Between my bad impression, your illusion, and Enoldria's gender… he could just wind up on an isle on his own."

“Yes, that is a worry… and whoa…" Faistyve's eyes went wide. “He's not near as calm as you've been letting on, Elrenlani." Elrenlani tilted her head. “He's just about ready to mount anything that moves, at least if my empathetic sense is anything to go by. Like… worse than Dilorphus, even." Elrenlani felt herself deflate and Faistyve gave her a light nuzzle. “Do you want to switch with one of the other drames?"

“… No… If I am at the citadel, he might see me as free to be mated. Even if Asporyx loses control, I… I would rather that than for Dilorphus to be the one to mate me." She said with a sigh. “At-At least Asporyx will be around for a couple of cycles."

“Hey, I've also heard Greens don't mind having multiple mates, but are certainly loyal to those who they've chosen~" Faistyve teased her. Elrenlani huffed; she only… slightly regretted letting her close friends just how important that particular trait was to her.

“Well, my season starts in… five days, I think?" Elrenlani sighed. “That will probably help me, uh… help him. Doubt we will go so far as a clutch, but I should be less… angry." Faistyve raised an eyebrow. “Yesterday was my 20th hatchday, remember? And I was not emotionally ready to see our last two objectives, or to be stuck with a pollen-amplified drake." She motioned to the scroll that Bertuzza had left and Faistyve looked at it, though her eyebrows shot up and she did blush a little when she saw those objectives.

“Whoa, yeah, they did not sugercoat that at all… gonna have to talk to someone about that for the other dragons, kyn, and wilds coming in in three cycles." Faistyve grumbled. “That probably explains-" An explosion sound went out. “That." Elrenlani tilted her head. “Srylumdar got paired up with Dria."

“Oh… Enoldria will be able to control herself, right? Also, it seems doubtful that was part of the 'randomness' that was claimed."

“Probably, she does usually know when to stop teasing. Sryl's still not going to be happy anyways. And think the same thing." Faistyve sighed. “Well, I'm going to check on Marinolok. I've already ruled out Caeludyl." Caeludyl was the other candidate that was on the list. He was a matte, bright and light Red drake; from what Elrenlani had heard, he was a powerful fighter who could heal himself. And he had a high opinion of honor. She had been admittedly curious about him herself. “He's being very resistant to the whole multiple mates thing. I certainly would not want to force him into it. And I highly doubt the Spectral Patriarch should be monogamous given how few drakes there are still."

“Well, we did know that would be a risk." Elrenlani said. That likely ruled him out for herself as well; while she did want loyalty, she did not mind, and even thought she would encourage her mate towards several mates. Mostly because she fully intended to indulge with her co-mates if they were inclined. Faistyve took off and Elrenlani made her way back to Asporyx's clearing. He had made a significant amount of progress, including making a somewhat comfortable looking nest boundary and a crude area he had made, seemingly, for her or to just receive company. He had split a few logs in half and laid them side by side, two groups of three. She lounged out, a little thankful to be off the ground at least, and he brought over tea for them. It was the same as before, and she made a comment about it. After that, they spent some time talking, and Elrenlani found herself needling him a bit like she did with some of her sisters. And even Myradona sometimes. Though, she did go a little far with it, she noticed. Apparently, and understandably, color was a sore subject for him. And then they split up the classes: she managed to maneuver it so Asporyx took some of the more… useful subjects should he and Myradona become close. And the more they talked, the more she could see it. They seemed to have similar approaches and approaches to life, even if Myradona usually had to put on a mask that made her much more like Elrenlani. Did not hurt most of those classes held no interest for her; she liked to be moving. She would likely fall asleep in history or biology. She even managed to get him to build a nest boundary for herself, though it did not have a roof. He had made it rather large, and she, briefly, had the thought to invite him to sleep beside her when she saw how tired he was and how late it had gotten, but before she could work up the nerve, he went back to the forest.

She went to sleep frustrated with herself because of that, and she had another restless night. When she woke up, she stretched and went to wake him up, only to be greeted with the same sight as the morning before. She was struck, again, by just how big the larger drake was. Her fins perked up, though, when her mind tried to imagine herself taking that: she definitely was not as uninterested in drakes as she thought. Noticing the tea, which seemed to be the same bitter tea he had been serving and Elrenlani could only guess was his neutralizer… she managed to remind herself to not get too close. Despite how… passive Asporyx was, he was still dangerous just by his Toxinist nature. She made a mental note to ask exactly what his toxin did later after class. Or maybe during lunch.

Oh shit, class! “Would you wake up already you indecent drake?" She growled; she was a little angry at herself for being so distracted by what he had on display. She poked at his nose a couple of times. “We will be late to the class if you lounge about any longer." That seemed to get him moving; she shot a swath of her blue flames laced with magic out above his fields to condense and cause a short 'rain' to fall on the farm. It was not something she could do every day, but they were in a hurry. She quickly made her way to the sea and started swimming, catching a quick breakfast on the way.

They made it in just under the wire and the only seats available were beside Faistyve and Enoldria; she went to the seat beside Faistyve: it was too soon and too early to deal with Enoldria's teasing.

“Everything alright?" Faistyve asked as Elrenlani settled in. She nodded.

“Yeah, just… lost track of time and he spent a lot of the day working yesterday, so he was sleeping in." Elrenlani neglected to mention she might have been the reason he had worked so late: in her hindsight, she more demanded instead of requested a nest boundary. She would have to apologize for that… And for a lot, really. “He seems to have some hang-ups about color discrimination, by the way." Faistyve shot her a dark look; she had her own issues. “It was a poor taste attempt to get under his scales. I had not even realized I had said it until he growled. And it was more about me playing up that I might want a blue mate instead of a green." Faistyve sighed and nodded.

“So you have at least gotten more comfortable around him." The disguised drame said. Elrenlani nodded as the class began, taught by Lytrina, who was Faistyve's undercover bodyguard in addition to professor and general security. Elrenlani was not paying any particular attention to the class, though she was a little pleased there was an emphasis on respect in a drake and drames relationship. She was a little more focused on how close Enoldria seemed to want to get to Asporyx; Elrenlani could not totally blame her. The Yellow drame was her friend, as odd as that was, and Elrenlani knew how desperate and lonely the golden drame was when it came to a drake's company. She was worried, though, about what Enoldria might tell the drake about her: Enoldria's teasings had a weird way of getting Elrenlani to have admitted more than a few things she had never told even her sisters. And, of course, they had experimented a bit here and there when Elrenlani's curiosity had gotten the best of her: Enoldria's hermaphroditic nature made her quite intriguing in Elrenlani's view. She was fairly certain that their personalities were not well suited for full-on mates, but… it seemed co-mates might not be off the table. Asporyx seemed to be showing some interest. Wait, when did I start to think of Asporyx as a potential mate, myself? She sighed to herself.

The lunch break gave her time to think, at least after she realized she would be on her own. Faistyve went to go talk to Marinolok's Isle Partner; apparently the white-blue helix was… well, mostly absent from his isle. He had been paired with a violet drame who could, at least, use her talents to keep an eye on him and get an idea of what he was thinking. She had even gotten his permission to do so. Elrenlani was not that surprised; she was passingly familiar with the helix. He spent a lot of time in the deep seas; he'd even led exploration teams. He had been particularly active after Dilorphus returned from the front. Elrenlani suspected that someone close to Marinolok had fallen prey to Dilorphus's charm-and-abandonment lifestyle, and then just as likely she had been discarded just like the other drames Dilorphus had mated with. Marinolok was a beast of a drake when it came to size; he was a good head's length taller than Dilorphus, who she guessed was half a head length bigger than Asporyx.

Elrenlani came back to class after she spent some time at rest in the sun; Asporyx seemed even worse off, somehow. She would not say miserable, but he seemed to be struggling. He had entered the class before her and she could see just how awkwardly he was walking. Alright, after the Bazaar, I will see what kind of relief I can offer. There was another drame in the classroom by Lytrina, introduced as Professor Visarune. Apparently, she was here for the visual portion of the class… which, unbeknownst before-hand, involved herself and Asporyx given they were called on stage. Given the topics they had covered earlier, including the mechanics of mating and anatomy… Elrenlani was thankful for the reflexive mask she had been taught to develop.

I had just made up my mind to talk to him about all this and now we are being asked to put on a show? She pushed down the indignant anger and panic she felt at the prospect. “… Does it have to be me, Professor?" Dammit, that probably sounded way more… cold than I meant to it to. Please do not take it personally, Asporyx. She really did not want hurt the drake's feelings or esteem; he had been better than she had hoped despite his circumstances. Her position as his Isle Partner was threatened, though… though that was an unkind way to put it. The Prismarc project was not about forcing drames to mate; they absolutely wanted to ensure that drames were safe and comfortable as much as the drakes. And Asporyx seemed important to the lesson; given what they talked about and what she had seen each morning, she could understand why.

It was Asp who came up with something, despite how wary she was he even understood exactly what was going on. He had suggested her being on her back instead of standing like she had been asked to do. Laying down on her back would, however, make her much more vulnerable. If he lost control… They were left alone to talk a bit, but Elrenlani walked more towards the teacher's access to the room. She did hear what the professors said: the visual portion was basically showing her and Asporyx's genitals off and teaching the basics of oral. Elrenlani felt her body tense at that: she had wondered if they would go so far as to ask them to demonstrate how to mate, but it did not seem like it. As she was trying to psyche herself up for it, Asporyx teased her fins, lightly: first with his nose and then his breath. She felt a jolt of… something run along her spine. “Damn Enoldria… Just… give me a moment, Asporyx." They were supposed to be talking, but she could not bring herself to do it. “I wish they had given us more of a heads up about this so I could think it through. Or prepare myself."

“Yeah, though, given the nature of it, I guess it's better than seeing that drake from before and Professor Lytrina demonstrate…" She heard Asporyx say. It took a moment for her to register it as a joke. “And… given how close we're about to get, Asp is fine." He seemed to pick up on that she was not outright refusing, just needing a moment to come to terms with it.

“Drake from before…?" She thought for a moment about who Asporyx could have meant. What drake… “Oh, General Toriltide. Yes, that would be awkward… given he was injured in that particular area. And my uncle." She said off-handily. “And I prefer full names; familiarity is… difficult for me." Asp seemed to nod at that, and she was telling the truth. She had be familiar with Dilorphus when they were younger and when she actually liked him. He killed that when he spent the week up to their first mating night with every drame he could get to lift her tail, despite her request for him to control himself. She knew, by then, that the request was in vain, but it was his last chance. Needless to say, she had not gone through with that night.

“If you're really this uncomfortable, would a safeword system help? If we hear that, we'll stop and switch you out with another drame." Professor Visarune said. She looked at Asporyx, the larger dragon watching for her cue; she did not see any expectation.

“… Asporyx, you will stop, right?" She asked; he nodded. “… Very well. Otter rock. That will be the code phrase."

“Uh… Deerflame, I guess?" Elrenlani made a note to ask about Deerflame later; it was an odd combination of words after all.

“Is right here fine, Professor?" Elrenlani had to ask; she did not feel comfortable being so close to so many others for the first time she was being intimate with anyone at Prismarc.

“It is not ideal, but it will work. Though, you both will have to consent to one-way telepathy from Professor Lytrina, I believe, for this lesson to work." Elrenlani nodded; she made sure not to look at Asporyx. If she did, she knew her mask would slip and her blush would rise up, hard. Despite her reluctance, part of her… the part Asporyx was about to have his muzzle against, was excited. She felt her folds swelling and starting to grow damp. She had to settle on her belly for a moment, finally looking up at him. She felt his tongue against the base of her head ribbon, a sensitive spot only a few knew about that made her whole body shiver.

“Enoldria tell you about that, too?" She growled; she was nervous… anxious… and it was threatening to overwhelm her. She had not meant to growl at him. The shake of his head, though, made her relax. She took a deep breath and sighed, rolling and twisting onto her back, revealing her belly to Asp and angled so that her hinds were spread for him. She rested her head back, though Lytrina's voice suddenly sounded in her head, which made her wings flare out in surprise.

Just relax, Drame Elrenlani. I will be directing Drake Asporyx. She let out a nervous huff and growl in her head, though it sort of… drifted off. Feeling Asporyx's talon running along her belly was… oddly soothing. Exciting. The drame felt herself shaking a little as her nerves tried to relax under his touch. She felt her channel grow wetter, which made her flex a little and squeeze down on the nothing inside of her. Feeling the drake's talon on her tailbase made her shiver: it effectively pinned her, but she could still wiggle. Something about it felt like a puzzle piece falling into place in her head. She felt his talons delicately pulling her slit apart, putting her on display for him. It made her whimper and squeeze down again.

Why is this so thrilling? She wondered; she felt like her body was humming in anticipation. Part of her even wanted Asporyx to lose control and take her, the class be damned. That sensation only built up more, her breathing growing more excited… and he just continued to hold her on display. She had not even realized she had started to whimper, though the squeeze to her tailbase made some part of her settle. That seemed to be Asporyx's goal given he kept up the massage. She still felt excited, but it was not an overwhelming, uncontrollable excitement. She watched as he suddenly lowered himself.

We need to get a better angle so the drakes know what is normal and what is not. Lytrina said. She had… forgotten the class could see what he could. Not completely, but she had put it out of her mind. Suddenly, Asporyx's breath brushed noticeably against her sensitive flesh. She wondered what he was trying to communicate… but only for a moment. It felt just as sudden, but she felt his tongue against her. Her talons curled at the shot of what she thought was intense pleasure shot up her spine. She let out a moan, her shoulders pushing against the floor while her chest pushed out. She felt the way his tongue seemed to dance and swirl against her, her eyes slipping closed and she trembled under his tongue. She let out a whine, the pleasure getting more intense as that tongue got closer and closer to that sensitive spot that she felt was just begging to be licked. But he would pull away at the last moment; she was on the verge of letting out a demanding growl at him, but the side of her that was eager for this slapped down that thought. It wanted Asporyx in control, eager to see what the drake would do to her.

Finally, her mental demand was met and his warm, thick tongue pressed against that pressure point. Her entire body writhed, and her hips pushing against his muzzle while she let out a moaning gasp. Her entire body was tense, on edge and she felt like she was on fire. Suddenly, though, the pleasure-causing assault of the green drake's tongue seemed to take on a different feeling. His tongue pushed inside her properly and she got a better grip on her pleasure-filled mine. She drew deep breaths, trying to calm down. Ugh, I hope that was not a climax, that was almost torture. While she and Enoldria had messed around, they had never really gone far enough. Enough to give her a taste, maybe a light tremble of pleasure, but nothing like this. Enoldria's tongue certainly had never pushed so deep into her, exploring inside of her and finding… a lot of sensitive spots that Elrenlani did not know about. She felt Asporyx's nose scales and breath against that pressure point, her hips grinding against him for a few moments before that tension broke and she let out a roar. Her back arched again and her wings and ribbons flared, her entire body feeling like it was straining in rhythm. She felt… something wet filling her tunnel and leaking out against Asporyx's nose liberally. She had her eyes closed and she could not quite find the motivation to close her mouth.

She suddenly felt a damp nuzzle to her neck, a comforting one that made her purr quietly. It took a few moments for her to realize who and why he was so damp, though. “… You can stop now, Asporyx. Your muzzle is a mess." She cleared her throat; her voice had a squeak to it. She saw him roll his eyes and huffed.

How sweet. We need to move on; we're hitting time as is. Either step over her facing the class or switch position. As a warning… I've got a bead on how pent up Drake Asporyx is; can't have him blowing immediately, so I will put a mental block on his release until we have gotten through the material. She looked at Asporyx, surprised at a number of thoughts running through her head. The first being a wonder of just how pent-up her partner was; how much had he been suffering? A small part of her was scoffing: he was a male, no matter how well behaved he was. If it had gotten that bad, then surely he would have said something? Dropped a hint?

The last thought running through her head was the memory of seeing his length and how… hungry that made her. That was a weird thought; she had seen a number of drakes' aroused, but at this moment… Well, that she was putting up to the Golden Leaves. And maybe a little bit that she did find herself at least a bit fond of Asporyx. When she thought about it, given how tense and weak she felt… if he was so pent up, maybe standing was not a good idea for him. “… Let us switch; I need to regain my footing anyways." Elrenlani sighed. Most of her mind was chastising the part of her that responded: it would not hurt to show him some kindness, right? Despite how she said it, he still helped her head, his head low to help her brace as she rolled and stood. She stretched, getting some strength into her limbs while he laid back. She just managed to stop herself from licking her muzzle when she saw his length on display.

His coloration is an issue, so you will have to stand over him. Lytrina said in her mind. Elrenlani could see her point: black on slightly grey-black was hard to see. Elrenlani stepped over him… or at least tried. She had to half climb ontop of the bigger drake. They were not too dissimilar when it came to their torsos, at least. She felt her earfins twitch when she heard him groan; she was not that heavy to him, was she? She showed him how dexterous her tail was, wrapping it around his muzzle with a hmph. Suddenly, while she had been silent during Asporyx's play with her, Lytrina launched into the lecture. It seemed like important information anyways, though part of Elrenlani was annoyed at this.

Drake Asporyx is a rare drake with all three anatomical quirks. First are these barbs or spines along the head and back of a drake's length. Elrenlani took that as her queue, her tongue slipping out and gently licking up the side of his length facing her. Her light blue tongue made the dark spines appear sharply in her vision. These encourage a drame, or numerous others species, to ovulate even more while in heat. Close enough to a female's heat cycle, mating for pleasure might actually turn into a breeding session. Now, as for these ridges. All while Lytrina lectured, the drame just focused on the feeling of his spines against her tongue and how he tasted. Honestly, she could not really say any one flavor. There was a faint hint of a very pleasant woody taste to him mixed with the slight, sweet saltiness of proper flesh. And his pre had that faint bitter taste of his tea mixing into the mix. But the mention of her partner's ridges meant she had to move on; she could feel how hard he was throbbing against her tongue.

She pulled her tongue back for a moment, keeping in mind that she needed to actually look at those ridges. She brought her talon forward carefully, pulling that impressive spire down flat against her partner's stomach. Her tongue slipped back out, wrapping around his length carefully in her vision and highlighting the ridges that were similar to his belly scales. She, and the class, could see his length covered in his pre and her saliva. While drakes that have spines have this point; those without spines may not have it. If they do, that point can still trigger ovulation in a heated female, though it's less effective as the spines. Either type, though, of these ridges are meant to pull a rival drake's seed out; it's a leftover aspect from less civilized times. _ If _ a drake knows what he's doing, these are also powerful tools in pleasing and sating a drame. Elrenlani was idly pulsing her tongue against Asporyx, squeezing against that hot, solid flesh, a grin on her muzzle. She could imagine: Asporyx on top of her, those ridges hitting that pressure point that had made her writhe earlier… She let out a groan, feeling Asporyx's tongue against her slit again, licking at the mess that had gathered from before. She took note, too, of his length twitching and throbbing particularly hard: a shot of clear fluid, the same she had seen before, spurted out against her talon. She let go of his length to look at the mess he had made of her webbed talon.

And that is a sign a male is close. Part of Elrenlani realized she had not had to do much and already he was this close and this… messy. And if the way his tongue was moving was any indication, her poor, tail muzzled partner was at her and Lytrina's whims despite how close he was. It felt aimless, just licking at her warming slit. That is also enough to cause conception, although it's not as effective as a drake's semen proper. Now, at the base of some drakes' penis, there is a knot.

Elrenlani's tongue slipped from around his ridges, instead moving down to the slight swell at his base. She wrapped her tongue around it to demonstrate the circumference of it. It had swollen a fair amount, though Elrenlani would guess it could swell a whole lot more: it was against her tongue at least. His swelling made her tongue squeeze against him. Asporyx started to tremble beneath her, starting to thrash a bit and Elrenlani shifted, using her talons to push down just against his hind's inner thighs, stretching her own to wrap behind his head. This knot swells as a drake mates. If the drake is significantly larger than his partner and will attempt to tie her, it is recommended that he does so before he's at his full size. A knot only releases the tie after a fair amount of time has passed. Part of Elrenlani found it cute how Asporyx struggled, but she did use her wings to keep her balance on top of him. She did hope that Lytrina would let him release, soon, though. Now, we'll have Drake Asporyx release his seed so that everyone can see what it looks like.

It was… alarmingly violent. The moment Lytrina stopped talking, Asp's length throbbed and twitched powerfully against her tongue. Enough to sort of alarm Elrenlani even as her tongue snaked around all of his anatomy; now that the lesson was over, she pressed her muzzle up against him like her instincts had been wanting her to. But before she could even try to get some of his length into her mouth, he erupted. A rope of thick, white cum shot out from his tip and into her slightly parted muzzle, some landing on her nose for the class to see. But… that was the first of many. He kept releasing rope after rope and Elrenlani felt more and more… worried and ashamed. Even as part of her registered that her body was on fire again, craving this seed inside of her instead of painting her front, his belly and the stage beneath them. Somehow, she was in heat, which only made her pheromone idle mind panic… slightly. Still, she could not stop watching as Asp's pent-up release kept going.

ELRENLANI came a mental shout. The blue drame was suddenly aware of Faistyve standing not too far away alongside Enoldria. The professors were a further distance away, particularly Lytrina. She could not even try to hide the blush beneath her cum covered form. If I didn't know better, you were just as pent-up as he was. Let's get you cleaned up. Faistyve's voice rang in her head. It took a few moments, but Elrenlani's rational mind managed to win out and climb off of Asporyx, who… well, he did look better in some ways. In other ways, Elrenlani was very concerned about him. They were both a mess and he had been suffering for days.

Elrenlani followed almost subdued behind Faistyve. It turned out the professors had baths, Elrenlani guessed for similar issues, not far from the entrance. There were two, which was probably good: Elrenlani was not entirely sure she trusted herself around Asporyx at the moment, not when she was breathing in his scent and had his potent taste lingering in her muzzle. She stepped into the bath that came up to her neck base, her eyes closing with the cool water covering her warm frame. She extended her magic and pulled water up to wash her clean of her partner's cum. His scent, though… that marked her, became part of her. At least Elrenlani thought it was. And she was surprised at how thrilled she felt about that.

“You okay, Elrenlani?" Faistyve asked from the doorway. “You kinda… weren't responsive. At all. Not as bad as Asporyx, though."

“I-I think so… I do feel odd… and have a lot to sort through, mentally." She said, settling to lounge in the bath's shallows for a moment, motioning for Faistyve to come closer; she was clean now, but still needed a few moments.

“I could tell. You both were giving off a mess of emotions. I could barely focus on the lesson, honestly. Enoldria enjoyed the show, though."

“I bet."

“And you seem… much more content. I thought you would be indignant, angry…"

“I feel like I should be, but honestly… it helped. I did not realize how... wary and tense I was around Asporyx. Or males in general. And, if he was that pent-up and still had not made a hint of a move on me, I can certainly trust him, I guess." She said with a sigh. She saw a brief glimpse of Enoldria leading Asporyx into the other bath.

“And that seems to have triggered your heat, somehow…" Faistyve said; Elrenlani's eyes went wide. That… explained, well, this humming, warm feeling pulsing through her.

“I… I barely even registered that." Elrenlani said quietly. “I had meant to talk to Asporyx while we walked around the bazaar…"

“But we can't risk Dilorphus catching you in this state… Even clean, I can still smell Asporyx on you." Elrenlani blushed. “He'd challenge Asporyx in a heartbeat to change partners. Or, even knowing Dilorphus's past, he'd just want to mate and then give you back. I'm… fairly certain Asporyx would not like that. Despite everything, this certainly has bonded the two of you." Elrenlani just blushed harder and huffed.

“… I need to get back to the isle as soon as I can, I think. My heat started early… and all of this… I need to think." She said that, but… she was not sure she had much more to think about; her body and mind were united through her heat and awakened libido. She wanted to be rutted. And she wanted Asporyx to do that.

“What about the Bazaar?" Enoldria asked from the door. Elrenlani blinked; they had been looking forward to that.

“I think it would be good for Asporyx to take some time to recover." Faistyve said. “He's… kinda raw at the moment."

“Th-then he should go the bazaar. With Enoldria, I imagine. Try not to tease him too much."

“Can't promise, he just rolls with it so well!" Enoldria said. Faistyve chased after her, probably to convince the gold drame to take it easy without realizing she was… mostly joking. Enoldria's “can't promise" is her way of saying “I will, but sometimes things happen before I can think or act." Elrenlani had learned years ago that was the best she was going to get out of her.

The blue drame pulled herself out of the bath, using magic to dry herself off and she stretched a bit. She walked out with Faistyve running to catch up with her, heading towards the balcony to fly down to the water.

“Well, well, someone smells good~" Came the voice she most dreaded to hear. It doused her in a chill that killed… any lustful thoughts she was having. Dilorphus was in the hall behind them alongside someone he guessed was his isle partner.

“Well, at least he doesn't smell Asporyx on you… but if he gets any closer." Elrenlani had to agree with Faistyve, nodding and quickly trotting away. All she could see in her mind's eye was a trail of drames behind him as he made his way towards her, a hungry gleam in his eye. She felt her body growing colder.

“Come on, Ren~" She felt herself about to be sick. She remembered the sight that had been the final, unforgivable thing: a drame in heat beneath him after Elrenlani had turned him away. And, when he was done, the drame had said something and he just… left her there after backwinging her. He had come back not long after that to plead his case, but he had found her staring at him with dead eyes. “You know you need some-"

Faistyve did… something that made it so Elrenlani could not hear him. She practically tripped over herself trying to leap off the balcony and then dove down through the air into the water. She frantically swam, taking the weirdest paths and keeping as deep as she could: she almost ran into Marinolok but did not stop. Somehow she found her isle and just hid in a cave in the lagoon that was beneath the beach. She had… a view of the isle's clearing. It was not great, but she would see anyone who landed there.

She just… laid there, tense. Something in her mind said that he was searching for her. She ran through her combat tactics and her spells. Her anxiety kept her amped up, but she went into a sort of… meditation. At least until a shadow landed on the isle.

“Eadeautoi!" She short chanted a spell, one that propelled her out of the water almost like a geyser she could direct, twisting to hit the shadow. There was… less resistance than she thought, but she spun within the geyser before it broke apart. “Ealanoi!" She snarled out, lacing it with all her anger and fear. The water that was breaking apart surrounded her claws and helped propel her into the dark dragon who had landed on the isle. She kept it up a few times, not even noticing the grass that tried to tangle her claws and was slowing her down slightly. One of the hits, though, felt a counter and she found herself on her back, the drake's jaw around her neck and his heavy claw on her chest.

“Damn you, Dilorphus, I will kill you for this!" She snarled, her movement sending slight spikes from the bite point the drake had her by. The bite was not deep enough to be serious, but she did feel teeth pierce between her scales. “You get one whiff of heat and you just do not get-" She let out a snarl when the bite got harder. The drake's wings spread as she felt her body starting to freeze up: the barely risen moon's light shone through the tinged-green wing. Green. Elrenlani suddenly felt a whole different kind of chill run through her. “...Asporyx?" She could still hear the anger in her voice, adrenaline and anxiety making it hard to calm down. “Your wings… they have a green tint through them… And are not injured." Dilorphus's wings had tears and scars in them from fighting. She flinched when she felt something touch against her neck, flinching as well as she could. Why am I paralyzed? Did… Asporyx paralyze me to mate me? “I am sorry Asporyx. I mistook you for someone else."

“Yeah, we've met. Didn't get the vibe he'd follow you back to the isle, though."

“He would. And more." She watched him step back, her brow furrowing. “You are unhurt?"

“Nothing serious at least, scale scratches and my shoulder'll be sore." He stepped out of view. “You?"

“Pride, mostly… and my neck, but nothing serious. You are… impressive." She was not quite in the best frame of mind, sure, but she was scared. She thought back on the fight, surprised.

“Green's battle strategy is to use hits to fuel your own. Charging us like you did was exactly what we were trained to stop." Elrenlani had to agree, and it was a good technique. Most Kyndoms had a spell that launched their fighters like she used, after all. “And apparently on edge and in heat?" The question made her wince.

“Yes. It started shortly after our class." A slight lie; she was not entirely sure when it started. “I had meant to talk to you about it tonight after we got back; it was not supposed to start until the half-moon, though." She frowned; it was a three quarter moon tonight, maybe a little slimmer. “I had not realized how pent up you were and had planned to ask what you thought we should do. Guess I have my answer." She tried to move, but it felt like something held her in place and position. Why does that make me only want him on top of me more?! She sighed. Suddenly, a slight, thud and sting of his tail against her flank made her yelp. And she felt her whole body tense and squeeze down as her body shivered. Why?!

“So what if you smell good right now? Didn't realize you had that low of an opinion of me, still." She heard him growl. What, wait… I do not, though! Well, maybe a little given current circumstances, but I do still… She could not bring herself to say any of that, though. She heard something land beside her; she looked as well as she could and noted the food.

“… Asporyx? Wait, so… am I unable to move for some other reason?" The silence was… deafening to her.

“What are you talking about?" He growled.

“I… thought… you had used your toxin to paralyze me. To, um…" She felt her cheeks heat up as her thoughts continued what her mouth could not say. Breed me, fill me…

“Ivylight," She heard him groan. “I stopped for dinner with Dria on the way back from the bazaar; the deer I got must've had Ivylight on it. It's an herb that makes my toxin a paralytic. It should wear off, but I don't know what other herbs they used. I use it when I'm hunting so I didn't think anything of tasting it with deer." She felt him settle beside her, though her eyes did try to see if, and how, much he might be effected by her heat at the moment. She was pretty certain she got an eyeful of his drakehood before he settled.

“Oh, right, walking with Dria. That went well?"

“Except for meeting the drake you mistook me for, yeah. Coldest I've seen her. Spoiled quite a bit, honestly. Maybe she'll be better tomorrow after Biology; she was weirdly insistent that I was there." She listened as he recapped what he bought; she tried to keep track, but her mind kept fogging over and she felt herself just getting both more relaxed and more… hungry. It seemed to show, too. “You alright? Beside the paralytic?"

“Y-Yes." She blushed; she saw how he looked at her, though. She sighed. “This heat… it is intense. My mind is hazy. Even when I ran into Dilorphus earlier, it triggered… i-ideas." When she had been in the lagoon, she kept imagining the worst case scenario after all; her heat-addled mind wanted that relief. “And I know what he has done; I will not repeat it. That he stalks me pales to his other atrocities. Compared to that, that I am unable to move my legs or body is nothing." She was able to move her neck and tail a bit. “… You did not splurge too much, I hope?"

“Maybe a little, but not too badly, I think. We still have more than twenty thousand; my garden budget got a lot smaller, too. Someone from home turned out to be a merchant and brought some things I'd left behind. Had to pay a transport fee apparently."

“Yes. Merchants cannot be free couriers. Or show favoritism." Even if what she heard was probably borderline. “Part of their agreement with the Prismarc Program." She looked at him, both taking in his features and how calm he seemed. She was starting to smell just how worked up he was, too. It did not help the haze forming in her mind. “You are alright this close, Asporyx?"

“Yeah… I won't lie, my body is screaming to mate you, and my mind is making it very clear just how I can do that." Her mind had some ideas of its own: surprising ones that, had it been some random drake… she would have recoiled. With Asporyx, who had been dealing with all that… and was now seemingly as calm as he could be beside her when her body was trying to entice him… she felt safe. So she was curious. “If it had started this morning, we might not have made it to class… and I would probably have more than a few scale scratches."

“Damn right you would have!" She reflexively said, the rest of her screaming Do not upset him! Instead of him getting angry, though, she just got another swat to her flank. Her hazed over mind just made her let out a coo at that.

“But I am in control; class helped for sure." There was another loud and strong explosion; Elrenlani flinched at that. She just closed her eyes, occasionally testing her muscles to see if she could move. She was slowly getting the ability to at least. She started to purr when she felt Asporyx nose against her. “You able to move yet?"

“My claws, yes." She made a show of flexing them a bit. Mentally, she took a deep breath. “But, in truth… I have been thinking." She saw his curious look. “Do you want me to have your clutch?" Yes, I managed to ask! Though his reaction was not one she expected: he growled in anger. Elrenlani was… unsure just how much of that was directed at her.

“I mean, if my mind's fantasies the last few days are anything to go by, I'd definitely not mind it. Pretty sure I want it; even if you don't seem to care for me." She heard him sigh. “Those trees' pollen seem to have really gotten into my system, but who knows? I've never been worked up this much for this long; I doubt that's all the trees." She watched him get up, her head able to move and give her a proper view of his length between his legs. She knew she wanted to salvage some sort of relationship between them, even if she was not sure courting was the right one for them given the claw they had gotten off on.

“Well, I am yours to do with as you please." She said quietly; she was trying to choose her words carefully. “You have beaten me in combat, even if I cannot fully think straight at the moment." Wait, no, that came out wrong. “You have also put up with me despite my… curtness." Coldness, bitchiness? “And your frustration." She watched as his head ran along her form, his nose against her underside. She trembled, thinking she had gotten through to him, closing her eyes in relief.

“… You want this, don't you?" She could not help but jump and squeak at the thought.

“N-not in par-particular!" Why? Damn reflexive… No, I cannot blame that on the training. That was just me… Her voice was high, almost defensive.

“Well, I'm not going to breed you as some sort of consolation for me or pity." She felt his tail against her flank again and she whined. Why does even that feel so good?! “And I'm definitely not going to risk this all being some heat induced thing; we're stuck together for two cycles at least. I don't need an angry isle-mate who claims I've taken advantage of her. I'm just going to sleep."

Ugh, stupid Elrenlani… and stupid Asporyx… Dammit, I need _ you _. She gave him a few moments to calm down before she moved her head to nose against the back of his head. “Asporyx," His only response was a growl. “Asporyx… I need it." You… why can I not say you? “This is intense, this need." She continued, ignoring his warning growl. And she was not lying; that warmth, that humming… that was turning into what felt like an acidic, burning inferno. She tried a different way to say it. “I need a drake… I want that to be you, right now." She saw how he looked at her, dubious. “Even if you do remind me of… him, physically." She was afraid he would reject her, but… gods, she wanted him on top of her.

“… You know if I give in right now… your safe word isn't likely to stop me?" Safe word? Oh! Oh yeah! Like Luminescence I'd say that! “And I might bite you again and you'll be paralyzed longer?" That made her think, but… she was already missing that feeling of being at his mercy, her limbs unable to move. She was going to have to talk that over with someone. She blushed, though, when she nodded to his question; his look demanded her thoughts, though. It only made her shiver a bit and want to answer.

“… I find that being unable to move is… making the idea more intense." That was an understatement; by now, she needed to be at his mercy. “With an odd appeal. And when I felt your jaws and teeth…" She shivered; she could not deny that felt oddly good despite the pain from the bite. “Seems I have discovered something new about myself. Well… a few th-things." He continued to look at her, which only coaxed more from her: more admissions and blushes. “… Your tail, though I can only hope if you were spined I would not have the same reaction." Those did look painful, after all. She was fairly certain she was not into pain for pain's sake. “And I… I get the feeling that even if I was not in season, I would find myself curious what your seed would feel like filling me. There was a lot." She practically felt her eyes glaze over when she said that, remembering earlier. And she was not lying… she knew she was small. She wondered if she could even handle everything her isle partner could give her. She watched him get up, though. “Asporyx?" Please, do not leave right now…

“Quiet," He growled back at her; she heard the hard edge he put into it and it had an instant effect on her for some reason. She kept quiet, watching him as he moved about. He seemed to reward her with a lick to the base of her head fin; she fought a trill from the feeling. She furrowed her brow when she saw him pick up one of her pillows. “This works better submerged, right?" She nodded, her tail wiggling a bit. He brought the pillow over to her. “Get comfortable,"

Why?! Just tell me what you are thinking, you stupid drake! But remembering that command only made her complaint come out as a whine. She did as he said, though, while hugging the pillow to her chest. Her sluggish form managed to get on her belly, but she had her legs pulled forward a bit and splayed out: her heat made her entire tunnel feel swollen and hot. Honestly, she could not entirely rule out the Golden Leaves' effect on her heat for her… eagerness to have Asporyx take her, but she really did not want to argue it. Despite her usual attraction to drames, she had been curious to know what it would feel like to carry eggs… and most herms that could do it were… oddly aggressive.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt his nose against her fin base; she would swear she was a mess and that her body was shaking. She could feel her need almost drooling out of her. “Is my…" Asp started. Oh dammit, you stupid drake… do not ruin this by calling me a pet, slut, or even consort or something..._They could have to unpack their relationship dynamic another time, really! He did seem to be giving it some serious thought, though, so as frustrated and crazed as she was, she dutifully waited. “Siren, excited?" _Siren? Am I some temptress who just captures and releases her prey? Elrenlani blinked. Wait… that is… It still had a ring of power, but… she was still his Siren. She was fairly certain she would not, normally, be as sex starved as an actual Siren seemed to be (and she had met a few, that stereotype held up pretty well). She just let out squeak when she realized his… title for her felt perfect, burying her head in the pillow he had brought over to hide her embarrassment. Even so… she pulled her tail out of his way, surrendering and realizing she was passing the point of no return by exposing herself. She wrapped her tail along her leg to keep it out of the way.

“Hmm… might be a bit of an angle, maybe this siren doesn't want to be bred?" She heard Asporyx growl out; she could hear the lust in his voice. She just kept her head buried into the pillow, wondering where that had come from. She did try to envision how she was laid out and realized he was right: that would be a difficult angle for the larger drake. She wiggled her hips and brought her legs together with a slight groan: her groin felt like it was on fire at this point. His tongue was a welcome relief against that feeling, though the pleasure and even slight relief it caused made her coo and whine. “Relax, Elrenlani, I won't punish my siren for noises of pleasure and want. I just don't need her questioning me."

“……Ren" She muttered, surprising herself. Dilorphus was the only one who still called her that… Just hearing it made her think of him. But Asporyx… well, they were about to be as close as dragons could be. She honestly was not sure if she wanted him to call her by her full name after this. Plus… well… it was the last half of 'siren.' “And, if you would…" She mentally braced herself, but she did want to tell him that, at least for the moment, she was his. “M-Master," She heard him cough even when her body, somehow, felt even hotter with her embarrassment. “I am unsure how much more I can take." She felt his breath against her folds as he exhaled, her body tensing and shivering in anticipation. But he kept licking, which just made her rise up on all fours just a little more, bracing herself against the ground. She gasped out when his tongue hit, at this angle, the bottom of her folds, making her hips buck back against his muzzle.

“Seems like my toxin has just about worn off…" Yes, you have taken way too long to convince! “I'll just have to fix that." O-or that, yes, that would certainly work, Master. She felt him starting to climb ontop of her, her body lowering slightly so it was really more like he just stepped over her while she pressed up against him slightly. Her wings splayed out when she felt his fores supporting her own. And she felt those barbs her tongue had played with earlier pushing against her heated folds. She pulled her ribbon-fin against her back to keep it out of the way, tilting her head back against his neck, which had curved around to nose up and down her own. She felt his tongue against where he had bitten her before. She braced herself for his bite, but it didn't come. Instead, his head dipped down along her neck.

“Ma-Master?" She speaked; she remembered what he said about questioning him; he did keep up the act and gave her flank a swat with his tail, which only made her heated slit drool over his length. “I-I am sorry, Master. I just… need this. I should also mention this is my first TIME!" That last part was all but roared out: in one motion, she found her neckbase bitten down on, hard, feeling her Master's teeth marking her and more of his toxin permeating her system while simultaneously, her heated folds suddenly found themselves stretched and oh so pleasantly full. She squeezed down, feeling that hardness in her grip and the resulting pleasure making her eyes flutter. Those barbs and ridges dug into her, sending jolts through her spine and into her brain. She felt her stretched folds swallow ridge after ridge of her isle partner's dragonhood and all she could do was pant and groan as her body started to lock up… though it just seemed to be everything from the neck down.

Suddenly, her Master changed his angle and she was very aware of those points along Asporyx's ridges; each time one pushed into her, it pressed down and then back on that pressure point. She wanted to claw at the ground, wiggle her hips, but she could not manage it at this point. She could only focus on the stimulation that was overwhelming her. “Master, you are too big for me~" She moaned; she could not have much more depths for him to fill. He stopped pushing and she heard him grumble before he pulled his hips back.

Oh Luminescence~! If being penetrated felt amazing, him pulling back was blissful, ecstatic torture: those pointed ridges ground at that pleasure point and many others inside of her while those barbs pulled on her walls. She gasped; she could almost feel her body surrendering as many potential eggs as it could for him… at least she could imagine it. She felt something travel along that hard length inside of her before shooting into her depths; she could only picture that clear fluid that had covered her talon earlier.

From there, she was at Asporyx's mercy. And enjoyed every moment of him testing her limits. It was not long before she felt her body try to convulse around him despite the paralysis and she did let out a rush of her flame against the grass as her drame-cum flooded her tunnel and was forced out by the lack of room. She had managed to make her breath condense water instead of burn, though. She also had not let it escape her notice just how much of that clear fluid he seemed to be pumping into her. “M-Master, you are going to make me so big," She moaned out.

“Over and over; my siren will always be full of our eggs." She heard Asp snarl against her ear; she had not even noticed that he had stopped biting her. That thought, though, of her just being gravid… all the time… Ren was starting to suspect that was not all the heat talking… not the excited anticipation of getting larger. She was mildly worried about the fantasy that popped up in her head… until she felt Asporyx wrap around her; his head pushed hers up and held her locked beneath him. “Does my siren think she can handle her Master's knot?" She felt that bulge trying to stretch her already tight slit open.

“N-not yet, Master… you might have to train your siren." She snarled with pleasure, enraptured by the feeling of his hips driving that hot flesh into her over and over. “But… your siren might need as much as you deem fit to give her, tonight, so it might be for the best." She was being serious: if he did manage to knot her, she would be stuck, full, but still feeling needy. Her body was hungry to be ravaged, though at the moment, her climax hit hard enough to break through the paralysis and convulse around his length. She felt her walls milking, only making those ridges and spines pulling at her dig in harder.

Suddenly, her Master's thrusts got shorter and shorter, though that did just mean they were faster, tenser. She had been freed from his entwined embraced, though her head still rested back against his neck, enjoying the tides of pleasure. Finally, though, he slammed hard enough for her to really feel herself try to stretch around the start of his knot. His roar was deafening, but Ren felt like it had been drowned out by the feeling of something thick and warm pumping into her depths. She shivered, though her brow furrowed and she huffed: she felt that warmth sinking deeper than she thought possible. Even with that, though, the feeling made her coo out encouragingly to her master. She felt what seed of his did not sink into her… core? A moment of clarity said her womb, but she felt what did not wind up there ooze out around his length onto the ground beneath them. “S-So that would be what Master's seed feels like inside of me~" She purred out, trembling as her body hit her with a gentler climax.

“How does it feel?" She closed her eyes, just… relaxing under his nose along her neck. “And was it enough for my siren?" She blushed, shivering at that… pet title?

“Good, Master. And your siren regrets to say she needs to ask you for more; she is sorry to trouble you so late." She purred to Asporyx. His only response was to growl like a beast… and rut her well into the night. Each mating ran into the other, the small drame's body feeling almost insatiable until, finally and somehow, his length penetrated into her core and she was knotted by her Master. The ache from the effort to take him seemed to finally exhaust her need… or maybe it was the whole 'looking like she had been gravid for cycles' amount of cum inside of her small body. They seemed to fall asleep as their last releases faded; Ren barely managed to lean their weight to the side before she surrendered her consciousness.

===================

Ren woke up, feeling… somewhat normal. She was sore and she could not deny the bloating she felt. Why? And then the day… and night before came into focus. She lifted her head, noting the time… and the reason she felt bloated. Sheesh, Master~ She blinked, surprised that thought came to mind… and how much affection it had behind it, particularly while she looked at her lower belly: she still looked like she had been bred a few cycles ago, though she was pretty sure she was not as full as she was last night. Wait, the time… did not Asporyx mention something about Enoldria wanting him at the biology class? She looked around, worried. And sure enough, Asporyx was asleep beside her. Though, to her and his credit, his drakehood was nowhere in sight for once.

“Asporyx, wake up." She said; she bumped her head beneath his. They must not have slept long; she was still exhausted and her heat craving had not comeback yet. So she did not exactly feel up to moving. She heard him groan, though, so she guessed some part of him heard her. “Asporyx, Enoldria will be quite upset if you miss biology." She saw him look at her with a single eye opening.

“Already trying to push me off to another drame after last night?" He groaned again; he must be feeling as tired as she was. Maybe more; he had done… a lot last night. It made Ren need to fight a purr at the memory. She watched him stretch himself awake before he seemed to go still. “I did only sleep a night, right?" She could tell what he was looking at.

“Yes; my Master seems to be quite productive." She blushed at all but admitting that her behavior last night was not necessarily a one-time thing. “But… we can talk about us and last night later; if all this Enoldria's been hinting at is what I think it is, she will be very anxious if you are not there." She could only assume Enoldria was going to reveal that she was a hermaphrodite to Asporyx. It did seem a little fast, but given the nature of the place, she could understand Enoldria wanting to find out how Asporyx felt about them sooner rather than later. “And if you find yourself looking at her differently afterwards, well… at least be kind about it, please?" She then noticed his scent and blushed. Well, at least he would smell as much of her as she did of him, now. “And you might want to swim part of the way there." He nodded; he seemed to understand.

“Take it easy, alright, Ren?" Okay, he might be too considerate for his own good~ Ren mused. “I'll be back this afternoon, though I did want to check out the Labs, too." She nodded, though… she did give into her playful urge and tiredness; her head hit her pillow and she stretched, showing off her swollen belly to him.

“Of course, Master, your siren still needs to recover in case she needs more help. And I will water your garden when I can get up." She really did not mind doing it. It was not a particularly difficult chore for her, after all. She fought the urge to giggle: even if his scales hid his blush, his embarrassment was easy to read. Even so, he nuzzled her before diving into the water. She rehydrated her pillow with a huff of her flame and started to doze again.

She woke up to being nosed against… or more accurately her seed-filled lower belly was. Part of her briefly wondered if Dilorphus had finally tracked her down, but he would not be so quiet about his arrival or calm about the fact she looked gravid. She cracked open an eye to see Faistyve. “Good Morning, Faistyve."

The violet drame squeaked in surprise. “G-good morning, Elrenlani. I came to check on you and Asporyx, maybe get to talk to him properly, finally. Though… it seems like I didn't need to be worried. Well… maybe I need to worry in a different way?" Faistyve looked at Elrenlani worriedly.

“I am fine. Maybe better than I have been in a while." The blue drame shifted a bit with a slight wince. She was certainly still sore and bloated, so moving was… awkward. “Truthfully, I am still in the process of examination of it all. Though… not sure how clearly I can think with the heat." She went over to lagoon and got some water to drink properly… and noticed the fish Asporyx had brought last night. Only now did she realize how hungry she was. She snapped that up, after using her flame to ensure it was safe.

“Well, even if your heat persists, I can tell you something took."

“Wait, already?"

“Part of my Violet training; a gravid drame's… it's cliché, but aura changes." Faistyve said. “A more well trained Violet might be able to give more specifics, but I can tell that you are at least going to have some eggs. So… congratulations?"

Ren was still processing the information. Along with a couple of other realizations: one that she did not feel any lingering traces of heat, despite it had been a while since she'd dozed off. The other was the thought of Asporyx ravishing her gravid self, or using her muzzle on him… that got her excited. She nodded to the question.

“I am… unexpectedly happy about this development. Asporyx and I might not be proper mate-ship material, together, but I doubt there are many drakes around I would trust enough to do this with. Prismarc or no." Ren said. “Also… I seem to not be in heat at all… it seems to have been some time since he left for class." The blue drame's fins perked up when Faistyve nuzzled against her somewhat affectionately. While they were friends, they both had… kept a distance. “Faistyve?"

“Well, let's just say I may have been worried. Before Prismarc, that is. Having this powerful of an empathetic talent is something of an annoyance." Faistyve said. “You do seem much more… relaxed than you have been since you broke, or well, tried to break things off with Dilorphus." Ren had to admit that Faistyve was right.

“It is kind of hard to relax when you do not trust… half the dragons around you, I guess." She said. “And… I would find it hard to not to trust Asporyx after yesterday. It took forever to convince him that I would not hold any consequences against him. Or, well… that I wanted it."

“Really?" Faistyve seemed to be amused, even with the blush on her muzzle, looking pointedly at Ren's belly.

“Well, my heat was really intense. I was surprised I thought as clearly as I had, though it does get hazy at times." Ren admitted with a blush of her own. “It took… well, a lot to break me out of it." Ren grimaced a bit at the unintentional double entendres that were getting into this conversation. If her tutors were here, they would be scolding her. Enoldria would be laughing, though, and just encouraging it.

“Wait… really?" Faistyve sounded concern again. “Look, I know it is personal, but… how much is a 'lot'?" She asked. “I mean, I did see him yesterday."

I really hope Asporyx will not mind me talking about this; Myradona/Faistyve does have some medical training. “Well… I am honestly unsure just how many times, but it was certainly more than the four on the objective list. I wonder if Bertuzza will count this as once or more…" Ren said. “And… well… we did tie." Ren admitted quietly; Faistyve nuzzled against her reassuringly, though Ren could tell there was... some element of examination to it.

“Didn't that hurt?"

“Maybe? I do think either the pain, or just being tied, did sort of break the spell." Ren said. “Or our exhaustion at least." She said with a sigh.

“Hmm… that is… worrying. Dria might be a tight fit, but you're… much smaller. And your heat being that strong plus…" Faistyve frowned.

“Plus what?"

“You're not the only drame who went into heat after class yesterday. Even Lytrina and I did, but we're taking Shiverbolt and Dramebane. I think Asporyx's biological interaction with the pollen might have some ramifications. And I am… admittedly worried about Asporyx's endurance. That many mating sessions in a short time would be hard on most drakes… and I imagine you were even fuller by the time you two were done?" Faistyve seemed to have gone full medical-exam mode here; it was rare, but Ren had seen it before. Ren nodded to the question. “… I think I need to get a second opinion on this… we might even need you and Asporyx to come to the Citadel's medical office."

“… I would really rather avoid that for now. I do not want to encounter Dilorphus, not until I talk with Asporyx. The last situation we need to deal with is a challenge issued by Dilorphus to either of us for an official duel. Or whatever asinine terms he comes up with." Ren growled. Faistyve nodded.

“Ugh, that is true. I might have to get Toriltide involved." Faistyve said with a sigh.

“Uncle will certainly understand my reluctance… and I guess the sooner he knows, the better."

“Alright, so Bertuzza and Toriltide; I will try to find Asporyx as well to get him back here. We don't need Dilorphus getting too close to him." Faistyve took off and Ren dove into the lagoon to help clean herself off properly and relax. At least underwater, her swollen belly was not near as much of a hindrance; she, apparently, was going to have to keep that in mind.

Oh Luminescence… I might have a gravidity fetish… At least I seem to be in the right place for it. She sighed to herself, mentally. She really could not keep her mind off that idea: there was a lot more excitement than she expected. Sure, apprehension, too. That was unavoidable. I am almost scared of the laying more… at this rate, I will find out laying is one, too.

After relaxing underwater for a bit, she pulled herself out of the water and focused. She practiced her chantless magic to water Asporyx's field, magically guiding the water through the air. We really need to get him a better way to water his garden… and more gardens. If Faistyve is right, he needs to work on that pollen problem as much and as often as possible. I might have enjoyed last night, but I doubt either of us want to do that much mating every other night. Despite moving around a bit more, and her belly looking much less noticeable, she was still sore beneath her tail. Now, Asporyx mentioned something about catalogs? She went searching around, finding his bag from before she had slammed into him. She dug out the different scrolls and started looking through them. And then the books, her tail swaying a bit.

By the time she heard wingbeats, she had finished looking through most of the more interesting catalogs and moved on, making notes of things she wanted to get eventually. She welcomed Asporyx and Enoldria, and she was pleasantly… affirmed that Asporyx had not mentioned much about the night before. Enoldria did say she told him to wear his bracers more often, though. Asporyx had also gotten some roasted meals; she started in on the one offered to her before mentioning that it had been mostly confirmed she was, indeed, going to have the drake's eggs. She also heard a bit about their meeting with Zecerwryt's group. She was happy that Asporyx and Enoldria seemed to be getting along, though, and that Enoldria seemed to find a potential drake who did not seem to care about her “extra equipment" as she sometimes referred to it. Ren was surprised she had to point out how close they were getting though.

They did reveal a few more details to Enoldria, though Ren did feel… surprisingly afraid of the gold when they mentioned how everything started when Asporyx arrived back at the isle. She was quickly reassured, though. Ren was pretty sure Enoldria was more trying to think of just how productive Asporyx was; if she stretched, she still had a bit of a belly, and she did to show off a bit. She had wanted to show off to Asporyx again, but he hid behind his wing. She did also reassure Asporyx that she was not angry at him for last night; that was putting it mildly, but she was not entirely comfortable speaking about specifics just yet. At least in front of Enoldria.

She did let slip a bit of the nature of her relationship, or at least the one she thought she had, with Asporyx, though. And judging from the look on his face, a slightly panicked and embarassed one, he absolutely noticed how she phrased it. Enoldria did not miss her blushing or the phrasing either. She did get a little thrill when she heard how… possessive he felt about her. Or at least protective; he did not like the idea of Dilorphus considering her his. She appreciated that he really did like Dilorphus's attitude, it seemed, and was already thinking about how to protect his friends. So much so, she got a bit of a peak at Asp's… darker side? It was a cliché, sure, but she was not sure what else to call thinking of alchemical castration. It was certainly appropriate, though.

Suddenly, though, their clearing was overfilled. It was feeling a bit cozy with the three of them; Elrenlani could see Faistyve being there to make it properly cozy. But sudden the violet drame was back… with Bertuzza and her uncle. And… 6 other dragons. She recognized Zecerwryt and Kastrimri, so she guessed the green with them was Nyferona. And she nodded to Srylumdar; they'd met briefly before. She was worried about why Lytrina was here, though. She cleaned up the catalogs and put them into Asporyx's bag by her sleeping den before moving towards the lagoon's shallows to free up some more area in the clearing. After her uncle took charge of the sudden chaos, and Ren gave him reassurances she was okay, she settled in to listen to everything. It seems, while he was talking with Zecerwryt, Asporyx had come up with some sort of breakthrough with Rune Magic; Ren did not know much about that thought.

Drame Elrenlani, I trust you do not mind this method of communication? Faistyve's behavior was… alarming, so I came to confirm that you are not hurt or were forced. Ren sighed a bit; she did consider Faistyve a friend, but for someone who was supposed to be the Spectral Matriarch… She was quite prone to panic.

I was not physically forced; I cannot completely rule out biological compulsion due to the Golden Leaves, but I do not consider myself harmed, Drame Lytrina. I do thank you for your concern, though. Faistyve laid on the bank beside her, looking really apologetic for bringing back so many. Lytrina nodded to them both, though she stuck around for a bit. She did use her wing to wave to her uncle as well. Lytrina, who did have more medical Violet training than Faistyve, had also confirmed that she would, indeed, be gravid. Srylumdar's own state had been confirmed as well, it seemed. He was not far from Ren and Faistyve, close enough she could get his attention with her tail brushing against his foreleg.

Ren, admittedly, found Srylumdar quite attractive, physically. While some single-slitted herms like himself were androgynous or even drake-like, he looked very drame like. His personality, what little she knew of it, was a little rough, though. And she knew he thought of himself as a drake; he had been very clear about that when they first met and she originally said drame.

“Srylumdar, are you alright?" Ren asked.

“That's… still out." He said. “Anxious… really anxious. At least Asporyx seems… reliable. Dria's… well, Dria. And she's already talons over tail for him." Srylumdar's eyes rolled. “Honestly, if my season had not caught me off guard, I would still be shooting off fireballs. Sorry about those, by the way. Had to blow off steam."

“I understand. And if Enoldria is too busy with Asporyx, feel free to relax around here. We are sort of together in this, after all." Ren said, tail swaying slightly in the water.

“Not gonna help getting food, though." Srylumdar hrmphed. “I already miss my kitchen back home."

“I'm sure Asporyx'll grow whatever vegetables, fruits, or grains you want once he has room." Faistyve said.

“Indeed, although he will likely want to work on his Golden Leaves problem."

“Yeah, he is getting a bit frayed." Faistyve said. “He seems calmer, but his emotions are all over the place. He does seem less wary, though. You're both exhausted, too." Ren laid her head on the bank with a nod.

Suddenly, the one of the dragons who was involved with the Rune Magic discussion took flight, though her uncle stopped Zecerwryt and spoke with him. The indigo drake nodded and went to work on something. Her uncle was mentioning that she and Asporyx seemed to need to get some… samples from him, but Ren noticed something.

“Enoldria looks like she has an idea and might bite me if she does not get to voice it; I have seen such a look before." The golden drame was, indeed, looking a bit eager and like she was about to burst. The first time she had seen that look… her tail had hurt for a week.

“Oh, totally! I wanna help with, uh… sample collecting. Though… my whole idea involves Kastri~" Kastrimri squeaked in surprise. Faistyve questioned that, but both drames reassured her that they should be unaffected if her theory was true. Kastrimri was a bit riskier, but she was not exactly saying no. Asporyx left with the two of them. Now that the clearing was a bit less full, Bertuzza approached, the gryphon hen smiling.

“So, your question?"

“About that second to last objective… is that four seperate events?" Ren asked her. The hen tilted her head.

“I… think so? The intent is bonding more than encouraging the final objective." The hen said. Ren nodded; it was not that she did not want to mate with Asporyx more, but at this particular moment, more mating was not a priority for her. She was quite happy Dria had asked to help with the sample collection. “Is there a particular reason you are asking?"

“… We had a late night, to say the least. I, truthfully, do not know the total number of proper matings we had, but I do know it was more than four."

“I think, in light of what Drame Faistyve suspects, it might be best to not encourage too much more proper mating." Her uncle came over with Zecerwryt, the indigo moving around the bank between her and Srylumdar. “Now, if you will help us test something, niece. We would like your help as well, Drake Srylumdar. I have asked Zecerwryt here for help with creating a health scanner, in particular for examining expectant drames." Zecerwryt nodded.

“What is it that we need to do?" Ren asked.

“Just put your talon on this disk." Zecerwryt said; Ren nodded and put her foretalon, after drying it off with her flame breath. There were notches for her claws that she settled it into and felt the stone pushing against her scales. Runes lit up around the disk as magic was channeled; Zecerwryt was looking at a different tablet, though. He furrowed his brow.

“...Srylumdar, you go. Something might be weird with the formula. If we had a drame in season…" Lytrina stepped over.

“I am, though I'm on Shiverbolt and Dramebane."

“Unless those completely prevent ovulation, then it should not be an issue." Zecerwryt said while he waited for Srylumdar to decide. The Red-Orange helix eventually relented and did the same as Ren had. This time, Zecerwryt nodded. Lytrina and Faistyve went as well.

“Alright, well… that at least sort of confirms this works." Zecerwryt said. “Drame Lytrina, you have four potential eggs; Faistyve, you have three. Sryl, you should be expecting five eggs." Srylumdar growled in frustration. Five was high, essentially the max for drames and even fairly rare for herms; for someone who saw themselves as a drake, Ren could not imagine how he would be feeling. “And, well… Drame Elrenlani, you have… nine." All anyone could hear was the light waves on the lagoon's sea-side beach.

“… Nine? Are you sure?!" Faistyve cried out.

“No, I am not; this formula is otherwise untested. But everyone else's numbers are within expectation. So… I'm not sure why Drame Elrenlani's results would be an anomaly." Zecerwryt said.

“At least because of the formula, I imagine?" Ren said. Oh Luminescence, I am going to be huge~! Actually, just how huge… that is a worry. Am I even going to be able to walk?

“True, Asporyx is…" There was a roar… a series of them really. Srylumdar rolled his eyes.

“Yeah… not sticking around. If his release makes my heat last longer…" The red-orange drake took off quickly. Lytrina did as well, seemingly of the same mind.

“Ah, I take it Drake Asporyx is spined?" Toriltide said.

“All three, actually." Faistyve answered; she was back in medical professional mode, it seemed.

“That's… well, in theory fortunate, but the reality…" Toriltide looked at his niece; Ren just shrugged. Not like there was much that should be done about it at this point. Given the extreme result, they could probably get the okay to terminate, but Ren… honestly wanted to see it through. “Though, your mother will be happy to hear, I imagine. She was worried about your reaction to drakes."

“I have found at least one who puts me at ease. Such a drake seems rare, still, from what I have heard of most of the others here." Ren said.

“That is good; I will try to keep Dilorphus at bay… somehow." Toriltide said; he had been Dilorphus's trainer, so he knew the drake's problematic personality. “Drame Nyferona?"

The green drame had brought over a bowl of something familiar to Ren. It was… fairly absurd, she imagined, that she was staring at a bowl of Asporyx's seed. “Everyone was talking, so I went to get this."

“Appreciated. Zecerwryt, if you would?" Toriltide said. The indigo drake put the bowl on a different plate that glowed.

“Ugh, this is a mess to read… But, I think this is the relevant information you are looking for?" Zecerwryt pointed out to Toriltide and Faistyve; the Violet drame's eyes went wide.

“Sheesh, yeah, nine makes sense now. His levels are insane. And after so much mating…" Faistyve said. “I wonder how much of this can be tempered… but what's more concerning is the effect it has on others."

“Agreed. Heat-inducement and ovulation increasing just by scent alone?"

“On that note… Zecerwryt…" Nyferona looked at the indigo drake almost hungrily; Ren figured it was best to warn him. The indigo drake looked up and saw Nyferona, himself. He quickly backflapped his wings and took off, but Nyferona was clearly trained: she shot after him.

“That will be… interesting." Faistyve said. “I hope they're up to their challenges." Ren had to agree. Toriltide took the results, though and went to discuss with Bertuzza. “How are you doing though?"

“… I am surprised how… content I feel. Sure, that many eggs will be an issue." Ren said. “But I… like the idea of being gravid… is that weird?" She looked at Faistyve; Violets had a lot more knowledge about the mentality of sex and Faistyve seemed to have quite a bit of that knowledge.

“Hmm, it's… mildly uncommon, but it's not weird. And if what I'm guessing about Asporyx is true… kinda makes you two a perfect match in that regard." She said. “As for the issue of the size of your clutch… I can move here and keep an eye on you?"

“Oh, I am sure you will wind up here~ Asporyx seems a lot like you. You are both quite intelligent and seem to have a strong sense of judgment and justice. He does seem to have something of a… level of fierceness you lack, though."

“I can be fierce!" Faistyve growled.

“Enough to suggest alchemical castration for Dilorphus?"

“Oh, yeah, no… I wouldn't think to go that far."

“He has already ruled it out, though. And promised to run whatever idea he has by Enoldria and myself." The drake they were talking about had come back and was talking to her uncle, though he was leaving. And then something Bertuzza said seemed to shock him. Ren was not entirely sure he heard anything the gryphon hen was saying. The gryphon hen left as well not long after. The drake stood still though. “I think the news broke him."

“Asporyx? You okay?" Faistyve called out; Asporyx started.

“_ Nine?!" _ Yep, it was the news that broke him~ Ren could not help but laugh at the drake's reaction in her head.