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Why Ryua ended up staying so long on Kilandaia she would never understand. She comforted herself that it was because she worried about her children because being maternal was a noble way to be, but the truth was she took after her own mother in that regard. Comriel had cared for her young as long as she'd been expected to and fled as soon as she was given the chance. Ryua on the other hand had developed a strange sort of affection for their sponsor and had remained by his side even after he had released her from her 'duty'.
One of her sons remained behind as well, growing steadily and she knew sooner or later the crazy scientist would decide he was old enough to be bred and choose a female to pair him with. Ryua felt a shiver run down her spine as she thought of her own son being mated. The thought sparked a memory of her own flight and the delectable male Gilforas had chosen for her. The thought of flying again appealed to her though without the assistance of Gilforas in sending her children away she didn't dare.
Gilforas, will you ever feel the need to mate me again? she sent telepathically on a whim.
Gilforas, who was no where within sight and not a strong telepathic sender sent her a vague negative in response and she went to find him. When she found him he was in the lab, examining a slide through a device he called a microscope. He didn't look up but was aware enough of his surroundings that he knew she was there.
"Ah, Ryua, a no wasn't good enough?"
"Why do you keep me here if you have no use for me?"
"I don't keep you here, my dear. You never chose to leave," he replied, still not looking up. His speckled gray hair fell over the front of the microscope but did not impede his vision so he paid it no mind. Ryua lashed her two tails, knocking a nearby table and setting it to rattling. At that Gilforas looked up. "Ryua, dear, how many times have I told you to keep your emotion out of my lab? Out with you, and come back when you're calmer."
Ryua left, but she lashed her split tail once more as she did so, knocking the table again and the back of Gilforas' head as well. She stifled a grin at his startled cry but didn't stop to enjoy his expression or face the lash of his tongue. If she was no more use to him she had no reason to stay. Perhaps she would leave and search for another locale with people willing to take her children away. A flight sounded like such an enjoyable experience...
She got as far as the complex's courtyard where she opened her wings and suddenly realized she had no idea where to go. Her wings fell and she sat back on her haunches to think things over. Her mother had left eagerly without a second thought, where had she gone?
Her own powers of divination were not as refined as her mother's, but every now and then it gave her sights of what she wanted. This was such a time, and thought of her mother brought the smaller dragon into view in the back of her mind. She paid attention not to her mother but to the surroundings and after a moment's perusal of the offered image she spread her wings once more and activated her teleportation ability as soon as she was airborne.
She arrived in the sky above a large building which she soon identified as the residence she'd seen her mother in. Following the lingering traces of the image she'd been given she landed and made her way through the building. She arrived at a door that struck a chord with her and opened it without bothering to knock. When the door swung open she was surprised to see not just her mother but also her grandfather in the room.
She grinned and leaned up against the doorjam, her tails lashing idly in the hallway. "Well, isn't this the cozy family reunion."
Comriel and Lioq both swiveled their heads to look at her, as did the semi-serpentine fellow doing acrobatics in the center of the room. He dropped all four feet to the ground and regarded her with curious interest. She rustled her wings but otherwise chose to ignore him. Before Comriel and Lioq had time to more than open their mouths a door deeper in the apartment opened and a very distressed looking young female came out and headed into another room. Both doors closed behind her so Ryua turned her attention back to her family.
"Looks like someone just got their heart broken. But how are you, Mother? Grandfather? Honestly didn't expect to see both of you here. I didn't realize we had that much family feeling in us."
"What are you doing here, Ryua?" asked Comriel when she finally found her voice.
"Ah, I'm impressed, you remembered my name! Perhaps there are some maternal feelings in you after all! I came to visit, would you like me to leave?" Even as she said this she entered the room though, flicking the door closed with the fur-covered club on the end of one tail-tip. Comriel pressed her lips together in irritation but Ryua paid her no mind. She approached the fellow in the center of the room and tilted her head to the side, her three horns glinting in the overhead lighting and her mane falling to the side in messy tangles. "Hmm, Aven blood in this one, and in the other one too if I'm not mistaken. Collecting Avens, mother dear? That doesn't seem like you at all."
"Wringel is a friend of your grandfather, and the other you saw, Meri, is a friend of my own sponsor, Eduguetica. We're not collecting them, we're just giving them a home so they don't have to live at the school," replied Comriel in a tight-lipped, somewhat annoyed tone.
Ryua smirked and proceeded to walk around Wringel examining him up and down. The dragon stayed still, merely turning his head to follow her with his gaze as if unsure how to react to the tangible tension in the room. Ryua waited, saying nothing else as if she could sense the wheels turning in her mother's mind.
"How did you know they were Avens?"
"Ah, there's the question I was expecting. We've got some Aven blood ourselves, didn't you know that, Mother? Well, we do, and my mate was a half-Aven so I did some research on them. The traits are easy to spot if you know what to look for."
"Well, aren't you brilliant?" replied Comriel in a dry tone.
"Well, she should be, she's a Mansiq, isn't she?" said Lioq, finally choosing to speak up.
"Why thank you, Gramps, I'm glad someone here isn't entirely disapproving towards me."
The door across the way opened again and a furry, feathered young dragoness stopped halfway out of the room with a bewildered look on her face. Ryua smiled at her and moved over to intercept her. "And you must be Eduguetica, Mother told me about you. Ah, and you've got a bit of Fire Aven in you, haven't you?"
"Mother? Yes, I'm a Selamputo."
"My mother, your sponsor. A Selamputo! Well, an honor it is to meet you, my dear!" Ryua's tone was anything but genuine and Eduguetica just frowned in confusion and looked like she either wanted to launch herself at Comriel for comfort or retreat back into her room. Ryua was blocking her path though and she was obviously too polite to leave now that she'd emerged from her room.
"Ryua, let the poor girl fully into the room if that's where she wants to be. And would you mind telling us why it is you felt the need to show up unexpectedly like this?" Comriel's voice was both weary and fierce and Ryua turned in surprise to see the protective look on her mother's face.
"Why mother, it seems you've developed a bit of maternal instinct after all! Too late to care for your /own/ children but in time to raise someone else's. How good that makes me feel. I came because I had no where else to go, are you happy? My son is beign kept by Gilforas for breeding once he's old enough and as Gilforas refuses to use me in his experiment again I saw no reason to stick around any longer. Perhaps I'll do what you did though, and start sponsoring Aven younglings. They're certainly attractive creatures, aren't they?"
She looked approvingly at Wringel and caught a surprising darkening of her mother's cheeks at the same time. That was certainly interesting, especially since it wasn't Wringel that Comriel avoided looking at as she colored. Eduguetica finally managed to squeeze past Ryua and headed for Comriel's side almost protectively and Ryua began to see there was something more than maternal/daughterly affection growing there. And the other dragoness...
She grinned wickedly and headed for the door. "I think there's enough tension in this apartment without my presence so I'll be on my way. Perhaps I'll run by the Aven school as well and see if I can add anymore Aven's to the family collection. Might be fun to have an Aven tagalong like you two enjoy. Bye Mother, Gramps, Aven-kids, perhaps I'll see you around."
And with that she left them all staring after her in puzzled shock. And to her own surprise she did end up going to the school to inquire about the Avens present. Despite her mocking tone and her lighthearted manner she really had been alone too long, and a companion sounded like a good thing to have, especially if she was without a home, at least her travels would be accompanied by someone familiar.
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