Dragonsitting (Belinda)

#MGSchool [08:01:19:05] <Reikim>
Let's go back a bit.
A little less than a month, precisely.
It's been a long few days for Belinda.
Hikari continues to be insistent that Nika will come back, in that way of hers.
When she says it, it's like a statement of fact. And the universe will disagree with her at its peril.
...But when she's not around...
She looks as thin as the sheets that keep her warm.
Belinda doesn't get much chance at that, though. Hikari keeps her busy.
The machine has to keep moving, after all. And there are papers to deliver and errands to run and schedules to sort out and...
...and children to babysit, it seems.
A few days after that incident, Belinda receives a call down to the front desk.
And when she gets there...Wendy, the redhead receptionist, is standing very very nervously next to a tall woman wrapped in red.
In her crimson travelling dress, with a thin white sash at her waist, Lady Azaria very nearly looks normal - or as normal as things get, here. The wide red hat on her head helps, thanks to hiding her eyes.
...But there is still a wide, cautious circle around her, into which Wendy is the only one willing to step.
She is very glad to see Belinda, though. She waves frantically.
"A-a guest t-to see you, Belinda!" she says, doing her best to retain her cheerful secretary persona, and doing rather impressively all things considered.
Azaria looks up, and her eyes meet Belinda's. And she smiles warmly.
...And from the basket she has over her left arm...
...from under a soft red blanket, three more red heads poke out.
Two of the three tiny lizards make excited hissing noises when they see Belinda. The third gives her a stoic, lazy look, and flicks her tongue.

<@Wander>	 Even only a few days since the incident, Belinda is already back to smiling, at least on the outside.  It’s important to reassure others that everything is going to be okay.  Hikari knows it, so even if Belinda has her doubts, she can at least do her best to believe in the commander.
Even so, it’s telling her eyes are shadowed from a lack of restful sleep.
To be called down to the front desk for something isn’t such a huge surprise on its own, but a visit from Lady Azaria and her hatchlings certainly is.  The last surprise she got was a decidedly stressful one, but this?  This is enough to brighten her day, if the way her eyes light up is any indication.
“Ah, good day Lady Azaria,” she greets, giving a little smile. “Oh gosh, and the little ones, too!”

<Reikim>	 "Well-met again, little dragon," Azaria says with a smile. She hoists the basket. "I promised them they'd get to see you again, so here we are."
The two eager ones lean forward, nearly to the point of toppling out. The third snuggles back a bit but keeps an eye on Belinda.
"...And, well. I'd like to ask a favor, if you don't mind."
"I-I'll just- leave you two to it-" Wendy gives Belinda a slightly awed look and shuffles away behind the protection of her desk.
...Word got around about Azaria's fight with Hikari. Suffice to say that, even if the details are exaggerated, she is still someone you would not like to piss off.

<@Wander>	 “Eheh, it’s good to see them too,” Belinda says, closing the distance enough to start administering pets and head scratches, at least to the two hatchlings that are more eager for attention. “Ah?  By all means, ask away!”
She doesn’t seem terribly focused on her surroundings.  Other Beacons might stare at this display of affection toward the little dragons, but that fact is of no concern, right now.

<Reikim>	 The two dragons immediately start assaulting her hand with tongue flicks. It tickles.
The third one pops its head in long enough to get in one of its own, but seems otherwise content to let its siblings have at it.
...Azaria watches, and smiles, but something more complex sits behind the slits of her eyes.
...And indeed, quite a few of the Beacons hanging around stare. Belinda's reputation for getting in with the important and the powerful grows...
"Would you mind terribly looking after the little ones for a bit?" Azaria asks.
"I have a small errand to run, and I can't bring them with me."

<@Wander>	 That request certainly serves to rouse Belinda from her cuteness-induced trance.
 “…Eh?” She gives a series of rapid blinks. “I… I can watch them, y-yes, but… *h-here*?” she looks around, catching sight of some of the stares, then refocuses on Lady Azaria.  One hand still pets the hatchlings, while the other scratches a bit at that arm.
“M-moreover, um… h-how long am I watching them for?  Is it like, for the *afternoon* or a *day* or… and are there any special dietary requirements I should be mindful of if I have to feed them or… or anything like that?” It’s readily apparent that she’s suddenly realized just how little she knows about caring for dragons.  Should she think of them as closer to animals or to human toddlers?  Are dragons technically classified as reptiles?  At the very least, they probably don’t drink milk, right?  So many uncertainties…

<Reikim>	 "I can think of no safer place for them," Azaria quips.
She looks up, through the big glass canopy in the lobby's ceiling. She squints.
"I believe I should return before your sun sets," she says.
"As for food...well, they'll eat just about anything," she says flippantly. "They like their meat, though. Don't you~" She reaches down to scratch the stoic hatchling's head; it suffers in quiet dignity.
"If you have issues, however, I believe there is someone here named..." She frowns. "...Jasmine, yes. She'll be able to help." She smiles vaguely. "In fact, I believe she'll come to you."
"At any rate, between you and Ladies Hikari and Veronika, I believe they are as safe as can be." She holds the basket out. "Thank you."

<@Wander>	 “A-ah, the rest of the day, then.  Th-that’s just fine, yes…” Belinda can’t hide a twinge of discomfort when the dragoness mentions Veronika, but she takes the basket all the same.
“I’ll keep an eye out for Jasmine whenever they start to get hungry,” she promises, reasserting her smile as she looks down at the hatchlings.

<Reikim_>	 *Tug*
Azaria is a little slow to let go.
She looks at her children. Then at Belinda.
A bit of teeth slip out of her smile.
Then her long fingers unhook from around the basket's handle.
...And reach out for Belinda.
They hook under her chin and tilt her head up, so Azaria can get a proper look.
...And the look she give pins Belinda like a butterfly.
Her head cocks sharply in an avian way. And for a moment Belinda knows why everyone else gives her a wide berth.
Then she yanks her hand away, and takes a very deliberate step back, and the moment is over.
"My apologies, little dragon. I just thought-"
She turns around; her long red hair follows a little slower, swishing through the air.
"My thanks. I will be sure to repay the favor."
She strides away, and the lobby clears a path for her.
...The hatchlings, oblivious, climb over each other to nip at Belinda's hand.

<@Wander>	 While in Azaria’s grasp, Belinda doesn’t display any overt fear of the dragoness.  Her worries are something else entirely, right now.  Even so, it takes until the contact is broken for her to realize she’d been instinctively holding her breath. “Ah, it… it’s fine.  T-take care on your errand!” she calls, giving a parting wave, before the hatchlings promptly reassert their need for attention.
“Ah!” she gives a small start at the first nip, then focuses her free hand on giving them attention.  After a few moments spent calming them down, she turns to look at Wendy.
“S-so, um…” Belinda clearly doesn’t know what to do about the situation she now finds herself in.

<Reikim>	 "Don't look at me!" the receptionist squeaks. She runs a hand through her hair, making it a little frizzier than usual. The nervous motion knocks her glasses askew, and she fumbles to reset them.
"I mean...wow. That. Was a real dragon."
She watches Azaria's departing back with awe. ...And jumps when, once clear of the roof, Azaria uncurls her wings with a sound like sails unfurling, and takes flight with a leathery *boom*.
"...So. Um." She stares at Belinda.
"...Y-you know her?"

<@Wander>	 “S-sort of?” It takes a moment for Belinda to realize that came out almost like a question. “I mean, she and her eggs got separated, so Veronika…” There’s a pause, as Belinda briefly glances away.
“Just a few days ago, she took me along to have me demonstrate what I’d learned, so I wound up being the one to calm the little ones down and then… Lady Azaria let me see them hatch.  She said I’m s-sort of a big sister to them, now?”
She looks down at the hatchlings, still absentmindedly giving them affectionate scratches. “They’re really cute, aren’t they?”

<Reikim>	 "A-aaaaah." Wendy adjusts her glasses again, awkwardly. And leans over to take a look.
"...They, um. They are," she admits, after a second. "And...they really seem to, um...see you like family?"
She sneaks in a slightly suspicious glance at Belinda.
...At about this time, one of them manages to slip out of the basket.
It bounces off of the tiles with a vaguely metallic noise, quickly rights itself, flicks the air with its tongue, and decides to take immediate advantage of its newfound freedom.
It scampers away, its claws going *click click click* on the tiles. ...It is awfully fast for something a few days old.
Wendy looks back down, notices one of them missing, notices it running away, and can't think of anything more intelligent to do than pointing and going "Ah!"

<@Wander>	 “I’m only a dragon at heart!” Belinda exclaims, looking a bit offended at the passing implication that she might not be human.
Of course, she can’t linger on that thought for long before the sudden lightening of the basket alerts her that one of the dragons has escaped their makeshift nest.  It takes her a moment to locate it, but she’s already giving chase by the time that Wendy thinks to point at it.
“H-hey, don’t just run off on your own!  If someone isn’t watching where they’re going, you might get punted or stepped on!” she calls.

<Reikim>	 At about the size of a puppy, this really is a distinct possibility. The bright red on the white tiles offsets that one somewhat, though. ...And the little scamp is *quick*. It's halfway towards the medical bay before anyone can stop it.
...Meanwhile, Belinda has *other* problems. Namely, while the basket is swinging about, one of its siblings decides that looks *really fun* and starts clambering out and over the edge...
The third child is, as usual, unamused, and actually looks a little grumpy at the amount of rocking happening.

<@Wander>	 Already, Belinda is feeling like she gravely miscalculated by accepting Azaria’s request. “Don’t *you* start, too!” she instructs the second escapee, attempting to scoop it back up and wrap it back in the blanket, all with one hand.
This means she has to take her eyes off the one that’s already on the run, but barring any sudden swerves, it ought to keep going the same direction.  Never mind that *she* isn’t watching where she’s going in the process of that attempt…
#MGSchool [08:04:20:01] <Reikim>
There are quite a few people Belinda *could* run into. Most of them would be pretty bad for her, given the size difference.
Thankfully, most of them are alert and awake and jump out of her way when they notice her sprinting along-
-except for one particular person, who ends up jogging along next to her.
"Hoi, Belinda," says Bonnie. "How've you been? What's the rush? ...Is that a *dragon*?"
She stares at the two dragons wrapped cozily in their blanket - one of them against its will.
Meanwhile, the one that's escaped continues its adventure. Belinda's gaining on it, but slower than expected.
It dodges quite nimbly around and between people's legs, sometimes making small, excited hissing noises.
It's headed toward the clinic...

<@Wander>	 “Not great.  Babysitting dragons.  Gotta catch the third,” Belinda quickly answers, not even looking over at Bonnie.  She’s mostly focused on catching up as quickly as her short legs will allow. “Bad time if it runs straight into Izzy.”

<Reikim>	 "Oh. Uh. Hm." Bonnie continues jogging for a spell.
"...Y'know, lemme help."
She conjures her trident, twirls it, then sights down its shaft.
She squints, and sticks her tongue out. Then...
A little blast of water, just a small one, spits out from its tip.
It splashes against the little hatchling, flipping it right onto its back!
...And also knocks it forward, sending it sliding away even *faster*.
"...Oops," Bonnie says. "Well, I guess we gotta do this the old-fashioned way-!"
She dismisses the spear, then sprints off after it.

<@Wander>	 When Bonnie shoots a bit of water at the hatchling, Belinda gives a startled little squeak.  And then, when the shot fails to actually help the situation, that squeak turns to more of a frustrated groan.
“Stop running away!” she calls after the hatchling, trying and failing to keep pace with Bonnie. “You’re gonna get *both of us* in trouble!”

<Reikim>	 Someone steps out from around a corner, leans down, and scoops up the hatchling by the tail.
...Someone in white robes with red trimming, an impossibly slender build, and a face like a TV screen...
Bonnie skids to a stop before Chief Medic Isyllia, and goes pale.
The medical robot holds the hatchling by the tail, dangling it high in the air. It hisses as it wriggles in her grip; though...
...Belinda is strangely certain that it's more *surprised* than scared.
Izzy inspects it curiously.
Then turns to Bonnie and Belinda.
:> : "Good morning, Miss Belinda, Miss Bonita! Is this yours?"

<@Wander>	 Much like Bonnie, Belinda slows to a stop. “*…Ah.*” She takes a moment to compose herself, as well as slap a hand to her face as exactly the thing she was worried about happens right in front of her.
“I… I’m looking after them, yes,” she finally replies, giving a nod and placing a hand protectively upon the two little dragons still in their basket. “Th-that one just got away when I was m-momentarily distracted.” She gives a nervous little laugh, clearly just hoping that this will go well.

<Reikim>	 :> : "Ah, I see!" Izzy holds out the tiny dragon to the tiny dragon; it swings in her fist and hisses with more surprise, but also more than a bit of excitement.
:| : "It is a very big responsibility, looking after a pet. This is what the Commander told me."
...For whatever reason, this causes Bonnie to have to stifle a guilty chortle. She looks away.
:) : "You should not allow it to run around free. I suggest a leash!"

<@Wander>	 Belinda has a thoughtful and faintly uncomfortable look at the mention of the Commander giving pet advice, but soon shakes it off to gently take the hatchling, holding it by the midsection.  She might get scratched a bit for this, but she doesn’t mind.  She’d barely feel it above the wrist, anyway.
“They’re… n-not exactly pets.  I’m babysitting them while their mother is away on an errand, until this evening,” she explains.

<Reikim>	 owo : "The mother, hmmm? Ah, you must mean Lady Azaria!"
"Lady-" Bonnie's head creeeaaaks around, and she gives Belinda a long stare.
...Azaria's spawn, meanwhile, seems quite happy being in Melissa's hands. It squirms, trying to flick her with its tongue in a vaguely apologetic way.
:| : "An even bigger responsibility then. If anything were to happen to them, why, the consequences would be devastating!"
Bonnie coughs and looks away again.
-w- : "But I have confidence in you, Miss Belinda."
Izzy waves.
:> : "Please, enjoy your day!"

<@Wander>	 “Ah, y-you too…” Belinda can’t really wave back, given that she has her hands full, but she at least manages a nervous smile as she settles the hatchling back in the basket and makes sure it’s secure, giving it a pat on the head when she’s done.  Only then does she look over to Bonnie.
“S-so, um…”

<Reikim>	 "So that's. Um." She coughs, and sneaks a glance at the basket, where the three hatchlings are sealed up inside their blankets.
...The quiet one takes a nip at its sibling's tail, and this provokes a small scuffle.
[08:04:21:52] <Reikim> "You mean *that* Azaria," Bonnie finishes.
Izzy, oblivious, winds around and scuttles back into her la- her clinic.

<@Wander>	 Belinda scratches a bit at the arm holding the basket. “Yes, the one that everyone seems to know about, somehow.  To be honest, Veronika… she just gave me the bare minimum of details when we went to recover the eggs, but Lady Azaria… let me be there as they hatched and they… definitely seem to have taken a liking to me.” As she says this, she’s looking down at the scuffle between siblings, ready to intercede if the third gets dragged into it or decides it’d be fun to gang up on one of the others.

<Reikim>	 "...You know she trashed half of Morwen's district a-"
Bonnie blinks.
"...Wait...is...*that* why she-"
Her sun-kissed skin goes very pale.
"...Think I'll just...hang out a bit," she says, giving the kids an uncomfortable look.
"Help out a bit. Yup."
She gives Belinda a crooked smile.
"Let's...take 'em somewhere else?" she suggests.
...Meanwhile, the scuffle quiets down after a little, with the escapee fleeing into a corner of the basket. The third one ignores them; it's lolling over the edge of the basket again, but this time it seems to want to just watch everything else. No danger of losing it, this time...
...Assuming it doesn't lean out too far, anyway.

<@Wander>	 “Y-yeah, it’d be nice to take ‘em somewhere that they can’t stray too far,” Belinda agrees, meeting the smile with one of her own. “Anywhere specific you think would be good?”
As she asks this, she settles her free hand around the basket, positioning it where she can casually scratch the leaning dragon’s chin, or catch it if it falls.  Hopefully just the former.  Hopefully.

<Reikim>	 When it comes to strange flora and fauna, there's really only one place to go in Prisma Lantern.
Jasmine lives in a little shed behind the greenhouse; it's here that Bonnie leads them. She knocks on the door, then peeks inside.
It's simple, as expected; a bed for one, a wooden dresser. A few plants, succulents and a few small flowers, scattered about in pots. A bathroom just large enough to stand in.
"Hullo~" Bonnie calls, though it's clear nobody's there. "...Well, she prolly won't mind if we just-"
She pushes Belinda gently inside.
"-hang out a bit."
"Just 'till she gets back."
She relaxes a little once they're all safe inside. And now she permits herself to examine the little critters a little closer.
"...So they're kinda cute," she admits. "Wouldn't guess they'd grow up into fire-breathing death machines..."

<@Wander>	 “Of course they’re cute!” Belinda asserts, casually finding a seat on the bed and setting the basket down beside her. “Babies are cute by nature, aren’t they?  Human or otherwise.”

<Reikim>	 The hatchlings, naturally, take advantage of the situation to start climbing out. Bonnie rather quickly shuts the door.
"I guess..." she allows. She leans back against the door, summons her trident, and rests it in the crook of her arm. ...Just in case.
"...Well, I guess it's okay if you're looking after them." She grins again. "You're a pretty good role model, for cute things."

<@Wander>	 “Ehehe, I guess so…” Belinda pets one of the hatchlings, smiling softly. “I’m not really sure what kinds of special care dragons need, though.  And I was an only child, so I never had any younger siblings to look after.  I know how to care for regular animals, but… that’s different.”

<Reikim>	 The quiet one is the first out. It proceeds to clamber into her lap, and curl up there smugly like...
...well, like a dragon on its hoard.
"Not much of a difference," Bonnie observes, half-joking.
"...Between little kids and pets," she clarifies.
The other two, a little too slow, settle for curling up next to Belinda and flicking her with their tongues.
"...Either way, it's nice to see you smiling again," is her other observation.

<@Wander>	 “Ah?” Belinda spreads her attention around between the hatchlings, though the one on her lap gets a bit of favoritism right now for staying in the basket and not trying to run off. “I… I’m *usually* smiling, aren’t I?” At least, she wants to present herself like that...

<Reikim>	 "And it's nice to see again," is all Bonnie says.
...She dares to venture a little closer and attempt a bit of petting.
After a quick nip she retreats back to the door and sticks her finger in her mouth. "Yeesh!" she says around it. "Dey really lige just you, huh?"

<@Wander>	 “Eheh, I mean, you *did* spray one with water,” Belinda points out, continuing to pet the hatchlings.
“Please don’t hold *too* much of a grudge, okay?” she instructs her charges. “Bonnie is someone good, even if she doesn’t always think things through.”

<Reikim>	 "Cold!" Bonnie chuckles. "Or...did I just get *burned*?"
The hatchlings look up at Belinda, then at Bonnie, then as one flick their tongues in what seems, to Belinda, to be forgiveness.

<@Wander>	 Belinda smiles more at the hatchlings’ response than at the joke. “I think they forgive you, now, so if you still want to pet them…”

<Reikim>	 "I'll pass." Bonnie smiles too, though.
"...Actually, think they're settlin' down, so I'm gonna take a quick look-about for Jasmine," she decides. She dismisses her trident again and opens the door.
...And indeed, they seem to be getting quite comfy with Belinda.
"Make sure they don't go running off again, aite? ...If they're like kids or pets, just offer 'em some snacks," she jokes.
She slips outside and shuts the door, leaving Belinda alone with the hatchlings, to do with them as she thinks best...

<@Wander>	 Belinda gives a parting wave, then a soft little sigh. “I guess your mom said you eat pretty much anything, but I don’t really have a lot to offer, right now,” she mumbles, more to herself than to the hatchlings.  She smiles down at them, hoping that they're starting to fall asleep. “Of course, I certainly can’t let you eat Jasmine’s potted plants, so I’ve got to come up with something if you get hungry…”
She leans back just a bit, briefly staring at the ceiling. “Ah… I wonder why Lady Azaria knows Jasmine by name… and why Jasmine knows how to take care of dragons…”

<Reikim>	 ...Awfully good questions...
...But not important ones. For now, at least. For now...it's naptime. So the hatchlings have decided.
#MGSchool [09:09:19:38] <Reikim>
Perhaps it's unsurprising, but dragonlings are quite warm.
With one treating her lap like a hoard, and the others nestling up against her out of jealousy...well, warmth breeds sleepiness, and it's hard not to follow their example when they decide it's time for a nap.
When Belinda drifts back, Bonnie is gone, and has been replaced with Jasmine.
The botanist is seated in a rocking chair by the door - was that always there? - with one of the hatchlings in her lap. It makes small, grating noises as she scratches under its chin. She examines it closely, her eyes flashing gold; her expression is unreadable.
She looks up when Belinda stirs, and she has a flash of deja-vu, before Jasmine closes her eyes again and goes back to her usual easy expression.
"Good morning," she says. "I was told you might need some help, but you seem to have things handled."

<@Wander>	 Belinda is groggy at first, but she quickly manages to shrug that off when she sees the hatchling in Jasmine’s lap.  Yes, she’s meant to be looking after these hatchlings.  Their mother would be *very upset* if she were to fail in her appointed task.
She doesn’t move until she’s taken stock of her surroundings, in the interest of not disturbing the other two if they’re still asleep.  Still, she can at least muster an answer.
“A-ah, I- I’m s-sorry for intruding! I… I was told you’d know what the little ones eat if they got hungry and all and Bonnie recommended I take them here because it’d be quieter and keep them out of trouble…” The tiny girl’s words come fast and uncertain.  She knows Jasmine to be someone kind and understanding, but that just makes intruding into her home without permission feel all the more awkward.
After a moment, she blinks twice at the hatchling on Jasmine’s lap, the gears of her sleep-impaired mind finally starting to actually *process* the fact that the hatchling seems so trusting of Jasmine. “*H-huh…*”

<Reikim>	 Belinda's shifting does, unfortunately, rouse the other two hatchlings. The one in her lap squirms, nips her leg gently, then scrambles off and goes nosing around the room. The one by her side starts, rolls, and falls off the bed...then goes to investigate Jasmine's foot. She smiles kindly at it, then releases the one in her lap, which hits the wooden floor with a *click* and immediately starts a tussle with its sibling. A troublemaker, that one...
"What do *you* think dragons eat?" Jasmine says, a touch playfully. The rest, apparently, she's willing to overlook for now.

<@Wander>	 Belinda frowns for a moment at the little tussle between siblings, then refocuses on Jasmine. “Um… w-well, *meat*, mostly?  At least, that seems like the *normal* guess, but… with how big dragons can get, I feel like they’d struggle to get by on *only* meat and Lady Azaria can pass as a human, so… m-maybe they can eat what humans eat and then some?  For little ones, though… I guess I dunno what to do?  They seem like they’re more like reptiles than mammals and I doubt they’d nurse when they’ve got such pointy teeth…”
She scratches at her arms. “S-sorry, I… I know a good amount about caring for different kinds of pets and wild things, but baby dragons are a bit… *new* to me, at least in *real life*.  I’m not naïve enough to rely on *fiction* to tell me what to feed them and similar...”

<Reikim>	 "...Hmmm." Jasmine folds her hands in her lap. "You might be surprised. But, I see why Lady Azaria chose to leave her children with you..."
The scuffle settles down; they hiss at each other a little, but don't start again. Somehow, though, Belinda can tell it's more playful than anything...maybe because they start clicking over to their third sibling, together.
"Meat, yes, and certain plants. They're red dragons, so they'll like fireweed and blazebloom." Magical plants, Belinda knows; she's helped Selena harvest them, on occasion. Fire resistance helps with that. "I'll prepare some later. For now..." She tilts her head at them. "I think they're happy."
Indeed, they seem to be having a blast, nipping and swiping at a drooping plant in the corner with long, pointed leaves. It rustles and bends, swaying just out of their reach...
"-Did Lady Azaria say where she was going?" Jasmine suddenly asks.
----------
Somewhere, out there, is an island of dead white rock.
Less an island, really, than a monument, something dropped there from the sky; surrounded on all sides by wave-carved cliffs, a kilometer high at their lowest, and a maze of giant jagged shards made of the same stone. No ship could ever navigate those currents...not in one piece.
No obstacle, though, to those who can fly.
Azaria comes in low over the forest of stone, almost brushing their knife-like edges. Closer up, the stone has a twisted, organic look to it, like coral, or sea shells; and when the light hits it right, it glimmers with a sheen of many colors, like a pearl.
...Even now, after all these years, she can't help but feel a tug of wonder. ...Or perhaps that's just a memory.

<@Wander>	 Once the hatchlings have calmed down a bit, Belinda catches herself herself studying Jasmine’s face for decidedly longer than could be considered polite.  Blinking rapidly, she looks away, over at the little ones.
“A-ah, she… she just said it was ‘a small errand’ and she’d be back by sunset,” the tiny girl answers.  She rubs at her eyes for a few moments to clear any remaining sleep from them, then looks back at Jasmine. “She… mentioned you by name as someone who would know what to feed them…”

<Reikim>	 Well, with her eyes closed as they are, Jasmine probably doesn't notice...right?
Even if Belinda feels like she's being watched...examined...? The feeling is a cross between Nika's intense scrutiny, and the hair-raising feeling of being alone in the woods. Quietly, at the back of her head...but there.
As for Jasmine...her expression looks as easy as ever, but there's something off about it. Some edge that Belinda feels, more than sees; in a way that makes her wonder if she might not just be seeing things.
...But she does notice, at length, that Jasmine is sitting very, very still. So still that the rocking chair isn't rocking...
"Hikari introduced us," Jasmine says, easily. "Once. She knows I know dragons."
...And many other mythical beasts, probably.
"I'm flattered she trusts me to help look after them." She hums. "Mother dragons tend to be...extremely protective of their young..."
The hatchlings get bored with the plant and start crawling back. One - the one that sat on her lap, Belinda realizes; a slightly discolored streak along her - her? - her spine, that's what tips her off... Surprisingly quick, she clambers up onto the bed, then up Belinda's back, and ends up draped lazily over her shoulder.
"-What are their names?" Jasmine asks.

<@Wander>	 Belinda notices Jasmine’s total stillness at the same time as she registers her own.  A few moments later, she remembers that she still needs to breathe.
“Lady Azaria… trusts me because they *like* me, I guess?  And they like me because I… Because V-  Because *my mentor* took me along to recover them when they were still in their eggs, separated from their mother, and I was the one who calmed them down enough to recover them.  Lady Azaria let me see them hatch, said they thought I was their big sister, and thought I might be part dragon, somehow...”
Belinda scratches idly at the tiny dragon’s chin once she clambers up, glad for the company. “Their names?” she shifts to scratching her arms for a few moments. “L-lady Azaria… n-never actually told me those…”

<Reikim>	 The little one makes a little growling noise that Belinda feels through her shoulder.
"...Hmmm." Jasmine considers this. Her smile flattens a little. "She thinks of you as a dragon, does she..."
"She probably hasn't named them, yet," she decides. "That was somewhat irresponsible of her..." Her smile twitches a little. "You'll have to call them something, eventually. And names here tend to stick..." Referring, probably, to Hikari. "But if she thinks of you like a dragon, and still trusts you..."
------------
Azaria sees a flash of emerald against the dusky sky ahead; it reaches the island first, landing on the smooth, white plateau they use as a landing. Behind it, a house-sized hole in the white stone yawns open; one of many entrances to the labyrinthine caverns that crisscross through the island's body.
She slows a little on her approach; then when she sees who it is, a surge of joy makes her rush ahead, and land just behind her.
"Cordelia!" Her cousin starts at the sudden yell and the rush of wind. "Seeing you first is a good omen."
She gets a wide-eyed stare in return.
"Azzie? Azaria?" Her cousin looks hastily left, right, then into the depths of the cavern mouth. "I didn't think- why would you-" She scans the sky warily, then hisses: "What are you doing here?" She jerks her head at the entrance, then hastily turns and sets off into the island's depths.

<@Wander>	 “Ah, I… I guess I’ll have to figure *something* out for how to Identify them, y-yeah,” Belinda mumbles, half to herself.  “I can’t rightly stick them with nicknames that’ll be a bother once they’ve matured some, though.  Or well, maybe I can, but only as like a *sibling* kind of bothering, like I’ve heard that siblings do…”
She trails off, lost in thought. “While I sort that out, I ought to be able to try and note some identifying markings on each of them, first.  Like, this one,” she affectionately pets and scratches the hatchling on her shoulder. “has a bit of differently colored scales down her back.”
She hums softly. “I’m pretty sure she’s the calmest one, too.  And maybe the most prideful…”
---
#MGSchool [09:15:20:45] <Reikim>
"Is she?" Jasmine sounds more curious than amused...
"Maybe we should do that first." She hums. "You seem to be already able to tell them apart, but...perhaps we should make sure..."
She makes an odd, clicking noise; the other two stop what they're doing and click over to her, giving her curious looks. She bends over, reaches down - the boy, Belinda thinks, and the troublemaker - and picks one up; he struggles a little at first, then wraps his tail around her arm for support. He stretches his neck out to lick Belinda's nose when he's offered to her.
The other girl makes a little grunting noise of disappointment, then wanders off under the bed.
"How about this one?" says Jasmine. "What can you tell me about it? How is it different?"

<@Wander>	 Belinda giggles for a moment as the hatchling licks her, then gently accepts him into her arms.
“Ah, this one… well, I *think* this one is a boy?  A bit bigger than the others, with…” she runs her fingers along the sides of the hatchling’s mouth, “…teeth that almost seem a bit big for his mouth, at this point?”
Smiling to herself, she then moves to scratching the dragon’s neck. “Yeah, I think he’s the only boy out of the three!  Of course, in *typical* boyish fashion, he’s active, energetic, and kind of a troublemaker.  Seems to be the one that starts the most scuffles with his siblings, and he tried to run off pretty much as soon as their mother left them with me…”

<Reikim>	 Jasmine raises an eyebrow.
"That's a lot to learn in such a short time," she notes, partly to herself.
Meanwhile, his sister up on Belinda's shoulder looks down on her brother with disdain. He responds by trying to crawl up Belinda's sleeve.
"And the last one?" she asks carefully. "The one playing with my socks. What can you tell me about that one?"

<@Wander>	 “Start a scuffle on top of me and you’ll be getting a time out,” Belinda warns the hatchlings.
She then looks down off the edge of the bed, at the swishing tail of the one that wandered under it.
“Ah, I think she’s got the longest tail, probably?  And I can’t see to tell right now, but I *want* to say that her eyes are more golden, rather than the fiery orange of her siblings.  Almost went out after her brother when I was chasing him down, but she behaved when I tucked her back in place.  She also hung her head over the side of the basket to watch while we were on the way over here, too.  I’d say that she’s the most naturally curious and inquisitive, probably?”

<Reikim>	 The sounds of fabric being tossed around under the bed support that idea.
"I see," says Jasmine. "Another girl, is it? ...Though I should say, it's surprising that there's a boy..."
She starts rocking in her chair. Her fingers tapdance on the legs of her overalls. The two on Belinda settle down in the meantime, seemingly in response to Belinda's warning; the girl on her shoulder relaxes and watches Jasmine lazily, while the boy looks away from her, a little bit embarrassed, and adjusts his claws so they're not digging into Belinda's arms.
"There's nothing wrong with them fighting a little," Jasmine says with a smile. "They'll do that a lot. It's just the way dragons are. Or rather, the way siblings are."
It turns into a frown.
"...Their aunts, on the other hand..." Her fingers stop.
"...How much has Azaria told you?" Jasmine asks. "About herself. About dragons."
"About her family."
-------
"-crazy!" Cordelia hisses, as they walk through the tunnels. The click-clack of the pearlescent stone echoes around them; they don't hear anyone else yet, thankfully. But it's only a matter of time...
"Coz, please," Azaria says sadly. "We haven't seen each other in ages."
"Your fault, not mine." A harsh truth; but then Cordelia's tone softens: "...Azzie, you know I love you. I've been looking forward to seeing you again. But it's barely been a decade!"
"I know," Azaria acknowledges. "But I have a good reason."
"What in Father's name could *possibly* be a good enough reason?"
"They hatched."
It takes Cordelia a moment to process this. Then she makes a noise of joy that echoes up and down the tunnel.
"I can't believe it!" she says excitedly. "I thought- Everyone thought-"
"I got very lucky," says Azaria, basking in the reflection of her own joy.
"How?"
"I'll tell you later."
Cordelia suddenly looks up and down the tunnel.
"...They're not here, are they?" she asks, suddenly nervous.
"No." Azaria's eyes glint hard. "As if I'd bring them anywhere near that *bitch*."

<@Wander>	 Belinda goes back to petting and scratching the dragons resting on her.  She doesn’t really seem to register that the boy’s claws had been dug into her arm a little.
“It’s surprising that there’s a boy?” She parrots back to Jasmine, before sighing and shaking her head.
“I only met Azaria *once* before today, so… she hasn’t shared a lot.  I can recall a vague detail of there having been some sort of calamity that brought her and a bunch of humans to the Overcity as refugees, but I don’t know the specifics on that, nor why it was just *her* and the hatchlings’ father is *presumably* not in the picture?  Really, I don’t know much about her or her people *at all*, but… you’re certainly giving me the impression that it’s all tied back to some kind of family dispute…”

<Reikim>	 Jasmine smiles wanly.
"Something like that, I think. Only Hikari knows for sure; but I can guess. She would only leave her children with anyone - even you - if she thought they would be in more danger with her.
"And there are very few things that can threaten her."
Jasmine stands and goes over to her dresser. She opens a drawer - revealing one of Tabitha's heater units. She sets it up and puts a kettle on to boil.
"...I've decided that there are some things you should know, if Azaria has decided to trust her children to you.
"First...these children aren't like you and me. They're..."
She pauses in the middle of rifling through a stash of jars. There's a long moment, in which she seems to be communing with something; the plants seem to grow a little as Belinda watches, but that could just be a trick of the eyes...
"...There's no word for it in this language. The closest I can find is...dreams. Or Romance."

<@Wander>	 “…Ah, so she’s gone somewhere dangerous, somewhere she might come into conflict with another dragon of equal or greater power,” Belinda concludes.  At the statement about the children being different, she peers down at the one in her lap for a few moments, thinking about what exactly it means.
“…You mean that like… like they’re born of magic and desire given flesh, rather than any sort of *physical* relationship?” she guesses. “Is that *normal* for Azaria’s kind of dragon?”

<Reikim>	 "Something like that," Jasmine says. She frowns, then starts opening jars. The sweet scent of various herbs wafts over, and gets a curious reaction out of the dragons. The one under the bed pokes her head out, and starts creeping over.
"It's...hard to explain. I don't understand it either, not completely. And this language doesn't have the right words for it..."
She sighs, frustrated - the first time Belinda's seen that from her - and starts doling out dried herbs into a granite bowl.
"But the important part is...they do what they do because they are what they are. But what that *means* isn't set in stone. Does that make sense?"

<@Wander>	 Belinda starts to nod, hesitates, and then frowns, thinking back on similar things.
“So they’re like… creatures of programmed instincts, at least for now, but… their nature isn’t *fixed*?  I’m not sure how much of that is just how young children are *normally* and how much is like… like the magically-charged crystals that Tabitha  has*sort of* helped me learn to speak to and listen to, I guess?”

<Reikim>	 Jasmine makes a gesture that is lost on Belinda. "Maybe. The sprites that inhabit the crystals do seem to take after their makers..."
She taps her heater - Belinda recognizes it as one of hers, made when Tabitha turned her "lesson" into helping her catch up on routine work she didn't want to do...
"...Either way, those children have imprinted on you, and have created some kind of connection with you that I don't understand."
...Belinda realizes that she has never seen Jasmine truly concerned.
Before now.

<@Wander>	 “…Ah?” Belinda has a difficult expression when she recognizes the heater and recalls the ‘lesson’ that resulted from Tabitha’s slacking.   But that expression shifts to worried as she registers Jasmine’s concern.
“W-well, Azaria just said that they thought I must be their big sister, but I… I *did* initially reach out to them the same way that I learned to with the crystals…”
She stops tending to the dragons for a few moments to reflexively scratch at her arms. “I wasn’t sure how else to communicate with them and they were wreathed in fire to protect themselves while they were still unhatched and separated from their mother.  M-maybe it’s because of that?”

<Reikim>	 "I don't know." Jasmine pulls out the pestle and begins grinding the herbs. "I simply don't know, Belinda. I don't know what it means, or how it's going to affect the children. Or you."
"...I realized it when you told me which ones were boys and girls. I couldn't tell which was which...until *you* told me."

<@Wander>	 “…I guess I could only tell that as a *feeling*, but…”
Belinda closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, visualizing the threads that connect her to the hatchlings, just as she visualized the one that connected her to Veronika in helping to track the woman down.  Threads that are invisible and immaterial, but she can see them in her mind’s eye, and even feel them between her fingers…
“My uncle taught me that anything with even a *hint* of magic, anything with a *soul*… will always leave an *echo* on things they touch.  Often, that echo disappears in an instant, but prolonged interactions will make it more persistent.  Objects, places, people… it’s all an endless tapestry of connecting bonds and threads…”
She sighs, reopening her eyes and letting go of the immaterial threads between her fingers. “Maybe that crystal technique is like… like touching souls together?  Like I brushed mine to theirs, and to learn whether I could be trusted, they poked around in it for a little while…”

<Reikim>	 Jasmine pours hot water over the herbs.
Fragrant steam fills the room; the hatchlings find it terrifically interesting, all putting their noses into the air to catch some of it.
The little one on the floor climbs up the dresser like some kind of salamander and sniffs around; Jasmine has to gently shoo it away.
"And you're dealing with creatures whose souls are among the greatest," Jasmine says softly.
"Like it or not, it seems you've been chosen as part of their Romance. Whatever that means. I...suspect nothing like this has *ever* happened before. Azaria may not even know what's happening."
"Her behavior simply makes no sense, either. Living with humans, entrusting their *children* to them...this simply isn't what dragons *do*."
-------
"-with *humans*?!"
"Hush!" Azaria nudges her cousin.
"I'm sorry Azzie, just-"
"Yes, they're safer there than here."
"...I'm sorry, historical evidence makes that hard to believe."
"The scholar comes out," Azaria says drily.
"Well...yes...Azzie, what are you *thinking*? If they hear about this-"
"They don't have to." Her expression turns smug. "And even if they did...not even Salamandra would be arrogant enough to pick a fight with Beacon."
Cordelia makes a squawking noise, followed by a few choking ones.

<@Wander>	 Belinda shrugs, raising a hand to the dragon on her shoulder to keep her secure. “…In fairness, I guess Azaria *did* kind of… figure I was half-dragon, I think?  She certainly said something about recalling a few brothers having children like that.”
A few moments pass, then Belinda hums softly to herself and resumes petting both the little ones perched upon her. “…Of course, my parents are both human, but even so, I guess whatever happened in my magical girl transformation made it so that I start to sprout scales and claws and stuff when I get upset enough.  It’s not something I can control, either, just something I’ve learned how to prevent.  And breathing fire was how I fought… back when that was a thing I had to do.  Not *safely*, but still…”
Now, she looks back at Jasmine, face tinged with embarrassment. “I guess I’ve always told myself I’m a dragon *at heart*, too, so… m-maybe I’m close enough to count, in her eyes?”
---
#MGSchool [09:21:22:04] <Reikim>
"You're close enough for the little ones, at least," Jasmine notes, wryly.
She pours out the water into a basin - the wanderer wanders over to it - and pours another measure of water over her collection of herbs.
"...Even I am starting to see you differently," she admits, softly.
"But that's all I know." She puts a lid on the pot. "I've told you what I know, because I think you deserve to know. Whether or not Azaria intended this or not...your life has been entwined with those children's."
The one on her shoulder nuzzles her, as if to reinforce that.
"...And it's a big job, being a big sister," she adds, in a lighter tone. "Remember, you're a role model now!"

<@Wander> “…I guess m-maybe I’m not the same Belinda that I was when I got here,” the small girl admits, shrugging her shoulders, “…and *further still* from the nervous college student who wound up as a magical girl…”
Belinda glances to the side, at the dragon on her shoulder, then down at the one on her lap, and finally over to the one that’s getting water.
 “…I guess it’s not bad, though.  The me that came here really needed help, and luckily she found it.” She sighs, closing her eyes and then taking a deep breath.  When she opens them again, she’s smiling brightly. “Honestly, I’m not really sure *how* to be a big sister, but I think I can make do.”

<Reikim>	 The one at the water fountain - the one with eyes more amber than ochre - takes a tentative lick of the water, and finds it to her liking.
So she pitches over the lip of the basin and splashes down in it.
Jasmine tsks in an amused way and pulls out a towel from a drawer.
"Well, there are a few big sisters around here you can ask," the gardener jokes. "It's been many years, but I still remember bits and pieces. ...Though your situation is still unique."
"...You should probably start by giving them names, though." She turns slightly and flashes a smile. "Something to yell at them when they're naughty."
-------------
Cordelia just barely manages to keep her protests at a level that doesn't shake the island.
Azaria calmly waits through it. Then says:
"They're safer there than they would be here." She gives Cordelia an even look. "So what does that say about us?"
Her cousin looks for something to say, then turns away and retorts:
"It says you don't trust me."
Azaria flinches, and looks away herself.
There's a long, painful silence as they traverse the last part of the descent.
"-It's not that I don't trust you," Azaria finally ventures, "just-"
"I know," Cordelia mumbles.
"...I'll bring them over sometime."
Cordelia makes a forgiving noise.
"I'd like that a lot."
And now they're almost to the end; and wordlessly they begin to change.
As tradition dictates.


<@Wander>	 “Ah, you’re a big sister?  I never would’ve figured…” Belinda says, tilting her head. A moment passes, then she blinks sharply, realizing how that might’ve sounded.
“Err, n-not that I’m d-doubting you on that or anything!  I just, um… I guess I just tend to picture you as more…”
There’s a pause where Belinda’s only sound is the scratching of her nails against her sleeve.
“…shoot, like everyone’s aunt, or m-mother, or something like that?”
She shrugs, just trying not to look too embarrassed. “…I guess I don’t really know you all that well yet, though…”

<Reikim>	 "It was a *very* long time ago," she says. She pops the lid off of the pot and sniffs the tea; and the spicy fragrance that wafts through the room gets a *real* reaction out of the dragons. The one in Belinda's lap squirms and tries to get out.
"And I'm nobody's mother," she says, amused, as she pours out four bowls. "I never bothered to have children."

<@Wander>	 “Ah, was it?” Belinda lets the boy go, inwardly hoping he won’t try to climb up and into the pot or anything.
 “I guess I’m not really clear on how long you’ve been here.  I imagine it’s been *quite* a long time, but… I don’t even know how old *Prisma Lantern* is, let alone who wound up coming here in what order and all…”
She takes another deep breath, but this one seems to be mainly just to enjoy the fragrance of the tea.
“No children, though, and you’ve been around a long time?  Never found the right partner?”
Another blink.  Maybe the scent of the tea is doing something to loosen Belinda’s lips a bit?  She certainly isn’t *usually* this upfront with questions, nor with her own thoughts and feelings about things.
“S-sorry, I… w-well, I guess I feel like having children might’ve been nice, some day.  N-not like, as soon as I would’ve been out of college or anything, but… *eventually*, if I’d ever miraculously found the right person and fallen in love?”

<Reikim>	 The boy ends up nipping at Jasmine's feet. His sister pokes her head out from the water and makes a sneezing noise.
His other sister remains on Belinda's shoulder, but from the tilt of her head is also clearly interested.
Jasmine sets two bowls on the floor, then brings the other two over to Belinda.
"I've been here since it was built," she says, playfully.
"But, no. I wish you luck with your own search."
She hands over the wooden bowls.

<@Wander>	 Belinda takes one bowl in each hand, holding one up for the dragon on her shoulder to drink from.
“…Wow, is your garden older than the tower is, then?” she asks, only half-jokingly.
“As for me, well… I feel like it’s a little late to be wishing me any luck finding love, what with my body being how it is…”
She trails off, taking a sip out of the other bowl.

<Reikim>	 "Younger, actually," says Jasmine. "And it's hardly too late."
For some reason, Belinda finds the tea *incredible*.
The flavor is spicy, but also sweet, and deep; it tingles along her tongue and down her throat, a glowing, warm feeling.
It's a deep, red flavor, like the color of the tea; the tiny berries, especially, remind her of some of the larger scales along the children's foreheads.
Speaking of which, they adore the stuff. The one on her shoulder makes little, grating noises of happiness.
The boy just dunks his muzzle in it, while his sister is a little more delicate, but makes up for it by dripping water all over the floor.
Jasmine sits back down in her chair.
"Even Veronika was in love once," she jokes. "And Hikari too, I'm sure."

<@Wander>	 Belinda pauses for a few moments, breathing deeply and savoring the aroma of the tea before taking another sip.  She’s beaming brightly when she refocuses on Jasmine again.
“It’s been a long time since I last had hot tea, but this is *amazing*!” comes her first response. She definitely heard what was being said, though, because after a third sip, she replies *properly* with, “The other day, I… I think I met a guy Veronika used to have something with?  I guess he seemed like he would’ve been a charmer, but… well, I guess I dunno what she must’ve seen in him, however long ago they were together...”
Belinda sighs, focusing on her tea again for a few moments.
“…I guess I’ve never really been in love with *anyone*, though.  Not when I was growing up and *certainly* not now that I’m stuck with the body of a nine-year-old.  I dunno how being like this has impacted me hormonally and all, but being flirted with is embarrassing *at most*.  That, and I probably couldn’t juggle a relationship alongside sleep, lessons, and helping Hikari with the downright *unholy* amount of paperwork Veronika tended to handle, anyway…”

<Reikim>	 "People tend to make time for love," Jasmine says, with humor.
"And if your body is an issue...well, just give yourself a century or two. That will solve itself one way or another." She hums, amused.
--------
Originally, they did it because of space concerns. Now they do it out of tradition. ...And because it's simply easier to do business this way. Less chance of anyone getting eaten, anyway.
By the time they emerge into the forum, Azaria is back to looking like a gorgeous woman in her late twenties. She wears her shimmering red hair long, falling back in rippling waves down her back. Her dress leaves her shoulders bare, and is just long enough that it barely brushes the floor around her heels. Elbow-length red gloves, pointed at the tips, and a thin white sash around her waist - more of a belt, really - complete the ensemble.
In this place, that simplicity is a statement in itself.
Cordelia, on the other hand, chooses robes of deep emerald. Thick and heavy, they look like the kind of thing one would don for a chilly night by candle-light. And indeed, she draws them tight around herself as they step into the big stone theater. Her sea-green hair is cut short and leafy; and she wears a pair of rimless glasses that enhance her sight, even though it needs no correcting. Her robes are also tied by a white sash; though hers is thicker, closer to a scarf.
...Unlike Azaria, she also chooses to keep more indications of her nature than just her eyes. She keeps her horns, curling ram-like protrusions that stick out from just above her temples; and leftover scales glitter in the light, mainly around her joints. And the reptilian nature of her eyes is far more pronounced; though perhaps that's just the glasses.
"So how have things been?" Azaria whispers, as they make their way to their seats.
"Oh, the usual," Cordelia says, her voice dripping disdain. "The centuries bicker like children; the millenials do the same while preening about how much better they are; and the elders can't even be bothered to show."
Azaria smiles. "We really never stop being children."
----------
"Most people do better at being a teenager the second time," Jasmine jokes.
"The tea is red dragonberry," she explains. "It will take the edge off their appetite; at least until dinner."
"Now..." She leans forward.
"...Have you decided on what to call them?"
"Better do it now, before Hikari meets them," she says, only half-joking.

<@Wander>	 “…A few *centuries*?” Belinda repeats, squinting at Jasmine for a few moments, unsure just how much she’s being teased.
Regardless, the mention of names, specifically in the context of naming them before Hikari sees them, has Belinda straightening up. “Ah, I… I *think* I have, yes.”
She hums in thought, adjusting the bowl she’s holding for the hatchling on her shoulder, then setting her own down unfinished so she can stand up, one hand supporting the hatchling while she does so.  Then, she retrieves her tea before migrating over to sit down by the others onto the floor where she can look at all of them.  She carefully sets the hatchling’s cup down, then even more carefully attempts to migrate the dragon herself to the floor, in the interest of looking at the three of them together.
“I figure it’s best to tell them *directly*, right?” she mumbles out, looking back up at Jasmine for confirmation.

<Reikim>	 The little one disagrees at first, then huffily allows herself to be moved.
<Only because it's clearly important>, her baleful look seems to say.
The others fall back on their haunches and look up at her. Curiously. Expectantly.
"It's *their* names," Jasmine says, by way of response.
...A hush settles over them. Even the boy settles down, sensing something.
...Though he sneaks a tongueful of tea when he thinks nobody's looking.

<@Wander>	 “R-right, of course,” Belinda nods once, then focuses fully on the hatchlings.  She can’t fault the boy for sneaking another gulp.  It’s *very* good tea, after all.
“So then, I need give you all names, before someone with a habit of nicknaming everyone she meets sees you and steals my thunder or anything.  I guess I’m not exactly the most gifted formal speaker in front of an audience, but I’ll do my best.” She gives a small giggle, but within a breath, she’s looking decidedly more serious.
Belinda first focuses her attention on the girl that had been on her shoulder until a few moments ago.  She doesn’t realize that her pupils sharpen to slits as she does so, but Jasmine certainly might notice it.
“You’ll be *Kaur*,” she says to the hatchling, briefly placing a hand upon the little one’s forehead, then flattening her hand and touching the left and right shoulders as though knighting her. “You have the bearing of a princess regal and fair.  May you mature into a proper lady, someday.  I look forward to seeing you grow.”
Next comes the boy, who Belinda gives a slightly stern look for a moment, before her expression softens into a small grin. “You’ll be *Singh*,” she says to him, repeating the touches that she did for Kaur. “As brave as a lion, and ever-eager for a chance to prove himself.  May you mature into a man strong and just, not solely mighty.  I look forward to seeing you grow.”
And finally, the remaining girl, with her golden eyes. “…You’ll be…”
Belinda pauses for a moment, blinking once, twice, then swallowing.
“You’ll be *Kiara*,” she says, smiling very softly. “Observant, curious, and adventurous without being foolhardy.  May you mature into a woman wise and *kind*.  I look forward to… to seeing you grow,” she finishes, delivering the same gentle touches to the last as to her siblings.
After this, Belinda closes her eyes for a few moments, taking a long, deep breath before reopening them.

--

#MGSchool [10:15:18:41] <Reikim>
...So. Birthdays.
In some places, that's not what they're called.
Another name for such days...are *namedays*.
Because it's the day on which you're named, obviously. And, hey, it's more inclusive. Not everyone knows their birthday, after all...
...Anyway. It's someone's nameday today. Three someones, that is.
*Kaur*. *Singh*. *Kiara*.
The three hatchlings look up at Belinda with wide, bright eyes, as they receive their names. And as she names them...Belinda feels a *twinge* in her heart.
...Shouldn't their mother be doing this?
...Well, they're just nicknames.
Right?
...Can they even understand her?
...Yes, she's certain. Maybe it's something in their bright, attentive gazes. There's something, there, of the *sharpness* that their mother has.
...And they do certainly seem to like the names.
Singh immediately stands a little straighter on his hind legs. Kiara flicks her tongue and hisses happily.
And Kaur...she throws her head, gives her siblings an imperious look, and crawls up on Belinda again.
...In her rocking chair, Jasmine lets out a breath.
"...Inspired names," she says, with a twitch of her lips.


<@Wander>	 Watching the hatchlings adapt to the names she presented, Belinda gives the lot of them soft little smile.
“Ah… I feel like… like maybe I’ve overstepped my bounds, here, b-but… but they *do* seem happy with the names, s-so…”
She suddenly looks up at Jasmine, unsure of herself and once again rubbing at her eyes. “…Is this really okay?  I *want* for it to be *fine*, but… if these names stick over whatever Lady Azaria decides to call them, she might be… rather *cross* with me.”

<Reikim>	 "...Hmmm." Jasmine leans back, and considers the hatchlings.
"I don't know," she admits. "But I think they're...not so human, in that respect."
Kiara, suddenly bored, wanders off again, this time searching for treasure underneath the dresser. Singh tails after her due to having nothing better to do.

<@Wander>	 Standing again, Belinda takes hold of her tea and moves back to sit on the bed, where she can at least *try* to talk with Jasmine.  And drink her delicious tea, of course.
“M-maybe not, but I… I might’ve given one of them a… a *particular* name.  One that’s a bit… *heavy*, I guess you could say…,” she mumbles out.

<Reikim>	 Kaur ends up on Belinda's shoulder again, draped over it like a fancy scarf. The little dragon is faintly warm, in a comforting sort of way.
"Nothing unlucky, I hope?" Jasmine asks.

<@Wander>	 “N-not *intentionally* unlucky, but it… Kiara was… th-that was the name of s-someone who… a few years ago, she…”
Belinda closes her eyes and places a hand to her face for a few seconds, sleeve drooping down to show her scars as she breathes deeply of the tea’s warm aroma.
“…Kiara Suri, born October thirteenth, nineteen ninety-five.  Blood type O-,” Belinda recites, “Two and a half, m-maybe three years ago, she…”
A sigh, followed by an even deeper breath and a swallow of tea.
 “*I don’t r-really know why I gave the little one my… it just felt **r-right**, I guess?*”

<Reikim>	 "It's fine," says Jasmine soothingly. "It's a beautiful name. And one she seems to be proud of."
...Said dragon has just begun a scuffle with her brother. Again.
Jasmine stands.
"I suppose I'll have to go plant some more dragonberries," she says. "You can stay here as long as you want...as long as it doesn't get burned down." She chuckles. "I don't believe they know that trick yet, though."

<@Wander>	 “A-ah… th-thank you.  I… I’m glad that… that *someone* will have that name again, at least,” Belinda murmured, sipping away at her tea. “*Someone else, this time, but still…*”

<Reikim>	 Kaur licks Belinda's cheek. Then snakes her neck in and steals a sip of her tea.
For a moment, Jasmine is still.
A tree rustles against the side of the cottage. Jasmine cranes her neck up a little, as if listening.
"I think she'll wear it well," she says.
"I really do need to plant those berries, though," she says, excusing herself. "If you need anything...just call. I'll be right there."
She then quickly steps outside, shuts the door behind her, and leaves Belinda with her privacy.

<@Wander>	 Belinda giggles a bit at Kaur’s stretching for a sip of the tea.  Perhaps they’re all a bit alike in some ways, these little ones.
Jasmine’s words, though… those leave Belinda quiet and contemplative until the woman has gone, merely nodding at the instruction to call if she needs anything.
A short while of alternating sips of tea later, she turns her head a bit to regard Kaur.  She doesn’t want to dwell on that name anymore, so instead, she focuses on giving her little companion some attention.  And, perhaps, sharing something that she maybe would be better off keeping to herself.
“…Jasmine is totally some sort of Plant dragon, isn’t she?” she whispers conspiratorially.

<Reikim>	 Kaur's look is perfectly blank. Somewhat *deliberately*, perhaps.
...Maybe she's just imagining that, though.
Meanwhile, there's a skittering noise as Singh is forced out from under the dresser. Kiara hisses in victory.
The boy huffs, snorts at her, then goes off to claim his dragonberry tea.
...No answers are going to come from *these* ones.

<@Wander>	 Belinda just smiles and offers Kaur the last of her tea.  After one final tiny sip for herself, that is.
<*Really,*> Belinda thought to herself, <*between Jasmine’s almost wholly unseen and thus potentially slitted eyes, her implicit familiarity with Azaria’s familial situation, and the fact that she was not only known to the dragon woman **by name**, but also kept a tea favored by dragons in her **personal pantry**, it’s all a bit… blatant in painting a picture of Jasmine as some sort of dragon in hiding, or dragon-retiree, or some such.*>
A few months ago, Belinda would have scoffed at the idea, yet considering all the *other* odd denizens of Prisma Lantern she’s met… it seems somehow less strange than the likes of the mechanical Izzy or probably-an-actual-gremlin Tabitha.
Or heck, even the supposedly former noble Ver- <*No, don’t think about her.  It’s fine.  Everything will work out like Hikari said.  Don’t doubt that.  Do not.*>
Shaking her head, to clear her thoughts, Belinda migrated back down to the floor.  What was it that had Kiara <*ah, that name again*> so very intrigued under the bed?

<Reikim>	 Dresser, actually. And it turns out to be-
*crunch*
...Whelp.
She wiggles out from under the dresser, and in her tiny teeth is the corpse of a small grey mouse.
She waves it about proudly. Singh skitters over, excited.
Kaur disdainfully pretends to not notice.

<@Wander>	 “*Ah… that’s what you found?*” Belinda is… well, not as bothered by the slain mouse as her usual demeanor might seem to imply. Animals eat each other.  This is a fact of life.  Being a former vegetarian who eventually opened up to the idea of eating meat out of *necessity*, something like this… doesn’t really phase her all that much, even if the dragon with that quiet, pacifistic girl’s name is the first to show a predatory side.
…Really, the bigger issue here is Jasmine’s residence having mice.
“You’re what, not even a week old and you’ve already managed your first hunt?  Gosh, I bet your mother will be proud!” Belinda exclaims, smiling at little Kiara.  Despite her misgivings, she does feel a certain… *pride*, toward the little dragoness?  Yes.  She doesn’t know quite where it came from, but it’s there.

<Reikim>	 Kiara makes a yippy little noise at Belinda.
...Then Singh hits her.
The ensuing scuffle gets...messy.
Well, at least they've found a way to keep themselves entertained. Belinda could probably even keep them here all day, if she wanted.
If that's what she wants to do...and what she thinks is right...
...Azaria should've left some sort of manual.

<@Wander>	 Belinda is certainly *considering* that, but since two of the hatchlings have just made a mess of a mouse on Jasmine’s floor, it may be best to clean that up and move them.  First, though…
“…Are you actually going to eat that or what?” she asks the hatchlings, clearly meaning the mouse, however mouse-shaped it may or may not still be.
“…Because if you aren’t, I’ve got to clean up the mess and get Singh cleaned off from rolling through it.”

<Reikim>	 Kiara triumphantly crushes the mouse's skull in her jaws. ...I guess that answers *that* question.
Singh admits defeat and slouches away, licking himself off as best he can. Kiara proceeds to munch on the remains.
By Belinda's ear, Kaur huffs. She clearly does not approve.

<@Wander>	 Belinda looks around for something to clean up the mess with, along the way, picking up Singh to rinse him off in the sink.
A cloth, soap, and water… cleaning up after a dead mouse isn’t so difficult, even without a particularly helpful kind of magic.
Regardless, she soon has the mess handled like a *responsible* babysitter.  *Hatchlingsitter?*
…No, Babysitter rolls off the tongue much easier.  Definitely going with that one.
If she were to take the hatchlings elsewhere… hmm, where would be okay?  The top floor is pretty open and spacious without much of anything to pose an obstacle.  Rarely visited, too, so there’s little chance of incident.   Still, the elevator ride up could be *bad* if a hatchling made a break for it onto one of the other floors.
Some part of her wants to bring them up to see Hikari, but given how close they’ll be to Veronika… well no, the two eggs she carried didn’t much seem to mind her carrying them.  Maybe they’d offer some warmth, even…
Hikari was undoubtedly already informed about the fact that Belinda was caring for the hatchlings, albeit probably by a decidedly frazzled Wendy.
…Well, either way, it would probably work out okay if she wanted to bring them up there.  Probably.  Hikari would at least treat them nicely enough as Azaria’s children.
With this idea in mind she calls politely for Jasmine. “Err, hey Jasmine?  How bad of an idea would it be to maybe bring the hatchlings up to see Hikari and all?  Or if that’s no good, then maybe I can bring them up to the top floor and let them run around a bit somewhere they can’t cause trouble?”

<Reikim>	 ...Deeaad silence.
Well, aside from the noise of that tree brushing against the cottage again.
...Maybe she's imagining it, but there's something *amused* about the way that fern is tilted.
Either this isn't worth answering, or Jasmine isn't actually capable of answering. Or she's just being coy.
Singh seems to enjoy his little bath, at least; he comes out looking shiny as a ruby.
...Shiny enough that Kaur slips off of Belinda's shoulder to join him. She preens and picks at her scales beneath the water.
Kiara, meanwhile, picks at her bones.

<@Wander>	 “…For the record, you had at least one mouse living in here.  Kiara ate it, but I dunno if there are more.  Figured you might want to know,” Belinda says aloud.  *Aw jeez, she’s talking at a fern, isn’t she?  This is what her life has apparently come to.*
She proceeds with assisting in washing Kaur as well.  Kiara will be last, once she’s done munching on those bones.  After that, well… a quick toweling off and disposing of any leftover mouse bones or similar, then it’s back into the basket for the dragons and off to pay Hikari a probably ill-advised visit.

<Reikim>	 It takes *some* effort to get the bones away from Kiara, actually. She seems...rather fond of playing with them.
But they seem to listen to Belinda, and so the mess is eventually cleaned up...
...The walk to Veronika's room is pretty uneventful. By this time, news of the dragons has spread all over the base. (Well, of course - Bonnie was involved...)
...And so people make sure to give her a wide berth. The stories of Azaria's rampage are still...a bit fresh.
Some disgruntled rumbling follows in her wake...seems not everyone appreciates their guests.
...But what can you do? At least the dragons stay put this time. Kiara leans her head over the side, watching everyone curiously.
...
Belinda can tell that Hikari is in because nobody is guarding the door to Veronika's room.
It was a good bet anyway, though. Hikari has barely left Nika's side in the past week.
That's starting to change - she has *duties*, after all. But a lot of them are doable at a desk, now.
When Belinda enters, she rather quickly snaps shut the book she's reading. It's a small, black volume that Belinda has never seen before.
The last week has been hard on Hikari. In addition to figuring out how to handle Nika's work, who to delegate to, and her usual duties, there have been three different major attacks in the last week.
...News of Nika's little *incident* spread fast. And Hikari ruled that it was necessary for her to go herself.
A show of strength, and so on. And according to rumor...she delivered.
There are no bags under her eyes; her face has lost no colour; even her hair is properly lustrous. But Belinda knows that she has *barely* slept these past few days.
And even if her body doesn't feel it, there's a terseness in her tone, a clippiness to her speech, that belies how efficiently she's having to allocate her mental energy.
...But she still manages a smile when she sees Belinda, as she always does.
"I sent you out for milk and you come back with a bunch of cats," she jokes.


<@Wander>	 On the way up, Belinda does her best to disregard any disgruntled complaints, simply offering her best reassuring smiles to the people she encounters.  Considering her peculiar connection to the hatchlings, she can’t help but conceal a certain nervousness at the thought of being viewed unkindly for her increasingly apparent association with dragons.
But right now, those thoughts don’t have time to anchor themselves.  Simply being around Hikari has a peculiar way of making her feel like things will probably work out.  Probably.
That joke at least prompts a giggle from Belinda. “*Ehehe, only temporarily!*  Their mother had some sort of difficult family business to attend to, so she left them here, where they’d be safe.  Naturally, I’m the babysitter, given how much they like me…”
Migrating around to her assistant desk, Belinda sets the basket down for a moment and hops up onto her chair. “I just spent the last while in Jasmine’s cabin taking care of them with her help, but then she had to attend to planting more herbs, so I thought a change of scenery would be good.  For me, as well as them.”

<Reikim>	 Hikari casually stows the book in one of her side drawers.
"...You know, I was thinking the same thing."
She glances over at Nika's bed, as she often does...
And Nika, as usual, just keeps breathing. But at least she's breathing now...
"I was thinking of sending you away."
--------
Family business is a good guess. After all...
...what *would* cause Azaria to leave her children elsewhere...?
"I'm seeing a lot of blue," Azaria whispers to her cousin.
Some of the Elders claim that when the humans designed their colosseums and amphitheaters, they modeled it after the Forum.
This is unlikely - no human has ever seen this place and lived.
But the scale is about right.
Under smooth, eggshell dome of that strange pearlescent stone, lies what appears to be an impact crater.
Stone ripples upward and outward from the center in waves, forming a series of great ridges; into which are carved plateaus, and into those are carved seats.
The chamber is lit by sourceless flames that hang in the air, in all the colours of the rainbow - dragonfire.
As is the custom, as Cordelia and Azaria enter, they breath out a little bit of their own, into their cupped hands; then they raise those hands, and the balls of flame rise to join the others.
"Are you surprised?" Cordelia whispers back. "While you've been away, Salamandra's been busy."



<@Wander>	 Hikari’s words hit Belinda like a bucket of cold water.  A twitch of her expression, a tiny flinch backward, and, of course, hugging the basket of dragons closer.
 “…May I ask why, Commander?” Belinda doesn’t stutter or stammer, for a change.  Rather, she appears outwardly collected, though her words hold none of their usual warmth.  There’s an almost *shivering* undertone to them.  *Fear*, perhaps.

<Reikim>	 Hikari blinks.
Looks at Belinda.
Really *looks* at her.
Blinks again.
Then winces, and slaps her hand to her face.
"...Sorry, Belinda. That...didn't come out right."
"What I mean is..." She lowers her hand and taps the desk. "...I was thinking a change of scenery might do you some good."

<@Wander>	 “A-ah, th-that…” Belinda squeezes her eyes shut, taking a deep breath.  A second.  A third.  When she opens them again, she’s no longer looking like she’s struggling to hold back tears. “…This is about *my mentor*, isn’t it?  You’re… worried about my mental state at having to… to see her *like this* every day, with no obvious signs of her getting better for…”
She doesn’t say ‘possibly forever’.  Instead, she just clears her throat.
“…For *a while*, right?”

<Reikim>	 "...I was a little less worried when I saw you with those kids." Basically an admission.
"But more than that..." Hikari shoves aside some papers and gives Belinda a pained look.
"...Nika's been keeping you here because she's worried about you. I never really agreed with that...and now she can't teach you...you should go where you want."
She pats a stack of papers. "Not stick around here helping me just because."
She cracks a smile.
"...And even if you *do* want to stay here, I figure you're owed some vacation time by now."

<@Wander>	 “…Ah?” Until the mention of vacation time, Belinda has a small frown on her face.  Then it slowly shifts into a smile.
 “…To be honest, I… I don’t really have anywhere else to belong.  I can’t go back to my hometown, and maybe four people on the planet were ever close enough to really miss me… three of which are relatives…”
Belinda shrugs. “But helping with the workload here, seeing people’s faces grow more familiar and friendlier… brightening their days with kind words and a smile and offering an ear when they’re having a  rough day… somehow, that’s been fulfilling for me in a way that nothing else ever has.  I *want* to stay here.  Even if maybe Veronika got me working as her assistant through some…” Belinda coughs, “…*questionably ethical means*, I’ve found that I really, *r-really* like it here.  S-someday, I think I’d even like to become a *proper* Beacon…”
--
[10:17:21:07] <Reikim>
Ethically questionable means, huh...
Hikari looks down at Belinda, taps her finger on the desk, and redirects a little brainpower out of her reserves.
She looks over at Veronika, and her expression is...torn.
Unconsciously, she raises her hand and massages her left shoulder.
"Is that really how you feel about it?" she asks.

<@Wander>	 Belinda glances over at Veronika when Hikari does.  She breathes a small sigh.
“…W-well, I *like* being helpful, but it never sat well with me that as soon as I got my medical exam, she made me choose between having my magic *burned out of me* or having her train me.  And then tacked the secretary thing on to the latter a bit later, probably as an afterthought when she realized that I was easily intimidated and would listen to her instructions.  It’s not that I *resent* her for it or anything, j-just… the threat, the hidden condition… they bother me *on principle*, okay?  I would’ve agreed to things upfront, so there wasn’t any need for that.”

<Reikim>	 Hikari frowns.
"...Hidden condition?" she says.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about, but that doesn't sound like her..."
Hikari frowns and glances at her drawer.
"...At least, the way she told it to me, she was pretty up-front about the choice."

<@Wander>	 “I meant that being her assistant came *after* the first lesson, when she assigned me my room…” Belinda doesn’t complain about the fact that her room is a closet, at least, though she probably could.
“I remember being pretty sleep-deprived and still too afraid of her to feel like I had any real *agency* in what happened to me…,” she mumbles out, shaking her head. “…I guess I’d probably have minded the fact that she could track me through my robe’s wards too, if not for the fact that it let me trace *her* when she went off on her own and… wound up like *this*.”

<Reikim>	 "Don't worry, she does it to everyone," Hikari says, absentmindedly.
She fingers her ponytail.
"...I guess I owe you an apology," she says.
"It was just...nice, seeing her like that," she adds, thinking out loud.


“…An apology on her behalf?” Belinda asks. “…Or no, you probably just mean for letting her do that.”
She tilts her head at the statement that follows. “…I could tell she cared more than she outwardly let on, but… what do you mean?”

<Reikim>	 Hikari sighs and pushes away her work. She rubs her temple.
"I'm not getting anything done anyway," she mutters. She turns to Belinda.
"You know she's gotten a lot of requests for this sort of thing, right?" she starts.

<@Wander>	 “I do, though… I don’t think I ever heard a clear reason for her having turned them all down,” Belinda replies. “Initially, I guess I’d assumed it was a personality thing causing her to have rejected them, but over time… I guess maybe she’s not really sure *how* to train someone, if she’s self-taught or similar?  …But then, along came little me, with my tattered soul and abundant issues, and… well, I guess she wouldn’t have felt right leaving me untrained, and delegating me to be someone else’s problem wouldn’t be okay with her, either?”
She shrugs. “…And she said that you’d get on her case if she’d turned me away, but I feel like that was just an excuse… if not exactly untrue.”

<Reikim>	 "...I don't really know," Hikari admits. She looks over at Nika.
The woman is in her bed, of course, as always. An IV drip runs from her wrist to a stand near her bed; "Efficient treatment", Izzy called it.
No need to waste mana that other people might need...
As usual, she looks...relaxed. An uncanny look on her.
Hikari's cracked the window, and wisps of golden hair float around her face, brushed by the breeze.
...She looks a little like a sleeping princess.
Hikari blinks, and shakes her head. Distractions.
"I've known her for decades now, and I barely know a thing about her," she says. "...I wanted to see why she finally chose you, of all people."
She blinks again, and quickly corrects: "Sorry, I don't mean you're a bad choice. But there's plenty of places we could've sent you. But..."
"...Well, I've got my ideas, but we'll never know until we ask her."

<@Wander>	 “…Even *you* don’t really know her?” Belinda mumbles out, glancing back at Veronika again in uncertainty. “I’d think that, if anyone did, it’d be you.  All I know are things I’ve heard or picked up through interacting with her, but that doesn’t really… paint a clear picture.  I’d have thought that if you’ve worked with her for *decades*, then… you’d probably know a fair amount?”

<Reikim>	 "...Well." Hikari winces. "Not quite. I've been...away, for a while. And we never really worked together.'
"Last time I saw her, was..."
She frowns.
"...Can't even remember..." She stares at the ceiling, then at her desk, then shakes her head. "...Damn, that makes me feel old." She chuckles.
"Anyway." She coughs, meaningfully. "You don't want to hear about that, do you? And there's more important things..."
She leans over to get a good look at the dragons.
"...So these guys."
She leaves that thought unfinished, while she scrutinizes the hatchlings.
They proceed to look very innocent, except for Kaur, who manages to look down at Hikari from the bowels of the basket.

<@Wander>	 Belinda looks down at the hatchlings.
“…Well, their mother left them with me until this evening, apparently.  She… must not have named them, yet, given that she didn’t ever tell me their names, so… I wound up supplying some nicknames, at least.”
She indicates the toothiest one of the bunch. “This one, the only boy, I’ve taken to calling *Singh*.”
Next, the haughty one. “This little princess here is *Kaur*.”
And finally, the one with golden eyes. “And this little girl, I’m calling… *Kiara*.” There’s a definite hitch in her voice as she says that last name.
--
[11:03:21:10] <Reikim>
"I heard some of it." Hikari chuckles. "Which one is the troublemaker?"
...Despite her light tone, though, she looks at the hatchlings with an intensity Belinda rarely sees.
Clearly, she hadn't expected this, either...

<@Wander>	 “Ah… that’d be Singh, because *of course* it’d be the boy,” Belinda answers, rapidly blinking away whatever discomfort briefly came over her.  She leans back slightly as she observes Hikari’s expression. “…Is something wrong?”

<Reikim>	 "...Nothing," she says after a moment. "They're just...not like other hatchlings I've seen."
She blinks and looks back at her.
"They're really attached to you, aren't they? Like a big sister." She gives half a smile. "Lucky them. I'm kind of jealous."
"...Naming them, though..." She taps her desk again. "I thought dragons had to *earn* their names..."

<@Wander>	 “Not like others?  I guess Jasmine *did* say that they’re… what was it, ‘like dreams, or Romance’?  …Which I guess meant something like them being magic given flesh, rather than being born of a mother and a father…”
Belinda scratches her head, and then her wrists. “I guess you could say that they’re pretty attached, yeah.  Lady Azaria said they thought I was their big sister, too…”
She takes a deep breath, exhaling a sigh. “…Names are *earned* in Azaria’s culture?  I don’t really know anything about her or her people.  I just know that Jasmine implied there was some kind of ongoing family dispute with an aunt or similar.  Thus why Azaria left the little ones with me, where they’d be safer.”

<Reikim>	 Hikari blows out a breath.
"I see," she says, tersely.
"It's something she told me once," she says, clarifying one thing, but not the other.
"That she earned her name. From the stories people told about her..."
"I wouldn't call it a cultural thing. Just...kind of the way they *are*..."
----
They all sense when the meeting begins.
It happens when the bright, white crystal at the center pulses, and releases a wave of mana that washes over them.
Azaria breathes it in on instinct, as does everyone in the room; she feels it burning in her belly, a small sip of something far greater than herself.
Next to it, though, is a fluttering feeling. The thought of leaving never occurs to her - it never would - but she must steel her nerves all the same.
Shortly after, a woman in a Greek-style robe, all white but for a thin green sash around her waist and a ribbon to hold back her silver hair, steps up to the dais in the center of the chamber.
"Elder Esmerelda?" Azaria whispers, surprised.
"I convinced her to come today," Cordelia whispers back. "She agreed to mediate." She grins. "My own little rebellion..."

<@Wander>	 “…Ah?  Does the name ‘Azaria’ have a particular meaning in her native language, then?” Belinda asks, tilting her head.

<Reikim>	 Hikari makes a humming noise.
"No," she says. "But it means something in the language of the world she used to live on."
...She doesn't immediately elaborate.

<@Wander>	 “…If you’re not saying what it means, I suppose it’s… something you’d rather not tell me?” Belinda guesses, briefly glancing down at the hatchlings. “Probably something *violent*…”

<Reikim>	 She winces.
"That obvious, huh..."
"...Let's just say I like this way a lot better."
"...Though I'm not sure it should've been *you*." She frowns, reflectively.
"...Not that I think you're a *bad* choice," she says, carefully. "Just that...I don't like that she dumped this on you without telling you about it." She grimaces. "We're going to have to have a *talk*."

“…Ah?  And here I was going to ask if you were disappointed that *you* didn’t get to nickname them,” Belinda says, grinning a little up at Hikari.
Despite her smile and little joke, she’s quick to scratch at her arms again.  Something is bothering her.  Possibly *multiple* somethings.

<Reikim>	 Hikari picked up on *that* habit very early in her role as substitute teacher. She looks over at Belinda and raises an eyebrow.
...Veronika used to do the same thing, but it's a lot less intimidating from someone closer to your own height.

<@Wander>	 Belinda blinks once at the look, then takes a deep breath.
“…Jasmine was *worried*.  I’ve *never* seen her worried, before.  She said that the little ones have… have *imprinted* on me and that she didn’t quite know what it meant.  That I’ve been chosen as part of their Romance, somehow?  And that maybe nothing like that has ever happened before, and Azaria probably *doesn’t know* it’s happening.”
Rather than scratching at her arms as she spills what she was told, Belinda occupies her hands with petting the hatchlings.
“…Whatever it means for how they might change as a result, or how *I* might change… it… I can’t exactly back out of it.  I’m… n-not sure I’d even want to…”
For a moment, she smiles softly down at the trio she’s been placed in charge of looking after.  Then she’s looking back up at Hikari. “I know that the other Beacons will talk.  They’re too polite to grumble about the hatchlings being unwelcome *to my face*, but I have ears.  I know that a lot of them probably just see dragons as *dangerous monsters*, though… *maybe* they’ve got one living here without even knowing it?  *Maybe one and a half…*”

<Reikim>	 Hikari toys with her ponytail, thinking.
"...If there are any dragons living here," she says, carefully, "I don't know who they might be. Unless you're talking about Nika, but..." She smiles thinly. "The only thing dragonish about her is her temper."
"...And it's my fault. I wasn't able to deal with Azaria fast enough. So...they still remember that. And they're wondering why I let her stay..."
The muscles of her jaw twitch a little.
"This was going to happen eventually, though. Beacon's gotten too used to dealing with anything dangerous using violence."
"And there are a lot of dangerous people I wouldn't allow here. But just because someone's dangerous doesn't mean we should shut them out." She chuckles. "Otherwise I'd have to kick *you* out, too."
The hatchlings rub affectionately against Belinda's hand.
"Azaria wants to live in peace. And as long as that's true, I *can't* say no. I won't."
...She looks to Nika as she says this, frowning.
Nika, of course, says nothing.
"So if you get any trouble," says Hikari, looking back to Belinda, "you tell me. Or show them the little ones." She cracks another smile. "If they're still intimidated by *those* cuties, I don't think they're going to fit in here."

<@Wander>	 Belinda doesn’t look like she believes what Hikari said about not knowing of any dragons living within Prisma Lantern, and expression tightens for a moment when Hikari makes the little joke about having to kick her out.  But it seems that the hatchlings clearly sense her uncertainty and meet it with well-timed rubs of reassurance.  That helps a lot.  By the end of what Hikari is saying to her, Belinda is smiling again, this time quite sincerely.
“Ah, you… always seem to know what to say to reassure someone,” she says, scratching the back of her head. “Here I was, starting to get a little  worked up about how things might change for me, but… I guess I’d still be welcome as long as I want to live in peace *too*, so I’ve got nothing to worry about!”

<Reikim>	 "Right. Well…" Hikari runs her fingers through her ponytail, sighs, and draws some papers back in front of her.
"Back to work for me. As for you...you can have the rest of the day off. And…" She purses her lips. "…The next two days, too."

<@Wander>	 “O-oh, that’s…” Belinda glances from Hikari to the paperwork, then down to her basket of little dragons for a few moments.
She scratches under each hatchling’s chin for a moment, then lifts the basket and slips down out of her chair, back onto her feet again.
“Th-thank you very much, Commander!  I’ll be sure to make the most of my break!”
Halfway over to the door, something occurs to Belinda which prompts her to turn back. “…Do *you* ever get any vacation days?” she asks. “I almost have to wonder if you’ve even been getting any *sleep*…”

<Reikim>	 "The wicked don't rest, so I can't either," she says dryly. "...I'll be fine. We're having an important guest in three days. I'll need your help then."

<@Wander>	 “You can count on me!” Belinda replies, giving a small bow and exiting the room. “Have a nice evening, Commander,” she calls back, before shutting the door.
After she does so, she hums to herself.  “…The rest of today and the next two, huh?”  And then a shrug. “I wonder if I should find out who the guest is in advance or just not worry about it…”

<Reikim>	 …If she does, it's going to have to be another day. The little ones are starting to get restless; probably need to figure out something to do with them soon…
----
Under Esmerelda's guidance, events proceed smoothly. Even Salamandra's faction can't make too much trouble - not under the watchful eye of an Elder.
Azaria sneaks glances at the other woman every so often. She's seated herself on a ridge near the front, which she's decorated with rugs and cushions that would be considered expensive on most worlds. She lounges in an undignified way; and worse, she had the gall to bring her *pet*, some raven-haired girl she must have picked up on her homeworld.
The girl sits in her lap, and every so often is fed a piece of fruit, like...well, like a *pet*.
Cordelia discreetly places a hand on her cousin's arm.
"I'm starting to see why you chose Beacon," she whispers, dryly.
Azaria unclenches her fists.
She starts to answer, but is interrupted by Esmerelda announcing:
"This cycle nears its end, as always; and the new one begins." She looks up and scans the room. "In this time of endings and beginnings...does anyone have any to announce?"
Azaria inhales sharply. She waits.
Silence. Silence...
Cordelia squeezes her arm.
And just before Esmerelda continues on, Azaria stands.

<@Wander>	 Belinda takes a moment to contemplate where she ought to take the hatchlings, now.
Back to Jasmine’s place?  Maybe not the best, particularly if it’s nearing dinner time.
Dinner… ah, that could be nice.
“…What do you three want to do?” she asks the hatchlings. “You don’t seem tired, so… are you hungry?  Bored, maybe?  A bit of both?”

<Reikim>	 Singh yips, which seems to probably mean yes. Kaur rolls an eye at her in a bored sort of way. Kiara...attempts to make a jump on to her arm.

<@Wander>	 Belinda doesn’t protest the jump, simply does her best to make sure that the hatchling lands it properly.  Giggling at their clearly bored reactions, she keeps that arm level as she carefully backs up into the elevator call button.  She knows that the top floor of the tower isn’t often visited and has plenty of open space, so that seems like as good a place as any to play with the little dragons.
Once the worst of the dinner rush clears out, then she can take them down for food.  Until then, better to entertain them a bit.
--
#MGSchool [11:16:20:24] <Reikim>
It's a little odd that the lighthouse is so often empty.
And there's a bit of a story behind that. Well, several.
One is that Tabitha maintains it. And any illusions of privacy - romantic or otherwise - are quickly shattered when an armored spiderbot comes crawling out of the elevator.
Another is a particular rumor that it's haunted.
A rumor about how Hikari got the crystal that powers it...supposedly, by ripping it out of a particular monstergirl...
...but if you're willing to take the risk of nonexistent ghosts and, more realistically, Tabitha, it's a wonderful place.
Spacious, airy, and with an unparalleled view of the city.
Kiara and Singh immediately make a break for it, excited by the new space to play in. ...And the new person to bother.
...Shirayuki is on window-cleaning duty. *Again*.
It's a really simple maintenance task that could be solved really easily by someone like, say, Bonnie.
But Hikari likes to use it as a punishment detail.
Which Shirayuki has gotten really good at.
She turns when she hears the elevator door open, and jumps when she sees the hatchlings scampering at her.
...The noise she makes isn't very warrior-like.

<@Wander>	 Belinda is surprised to find another person up here, since it’s usually pretty barren.  Heck, even she hasn’t come up here more than once or twice, before  the view is stunning, of course, but it makes her feel smaller than she already does.
Regardless, she gives Shirayuki a polite wave and a somewhat apologetic little smile. “…A-ah, evening, Shirayuki.  S-sorry if we’re interrupting.  I thought it’d be empty up here.”

<Reikim>	 Shirayuki steadies herself on her stepladder. She waves awkwardly. She's...probably embarrassed to be seen like this. Again.
The sleeves of her button-up blouse are rolled up to her shoulders, so that she doesn't soak it in the suds. As she waves, a few of them go flying; Kiara goes haring after them.
"H-hi," she manages. "You, um...wasn't, expecting anyone either...um..."
She stares at the hatchlings.
"...Are those *dragons*?"

<@Wander>	 Belinda walks over, mindful of the hatchlings. “Yeah, they’re Lady Azaria’s little ones.  Long story short, she likes me, and they like me, so I’m babysitting them.”
She takes a moment to point Singh away from the soap bucket, already wary of him climbing in and spilling it everywhere, or some similar incident.

<Reikim>	 Yuki hops down from her stepladder and tries her hands off on her pants. She watches the hatchlings warily.
"They're...*Azaria's*?" she says, tone wondrous. "Wow. So that's why she came here..."
Kiara tries to eat some suds. She sneezes.
"...So. Um." She looks sideways at Belinda, and fidgets with her hands.
"...How, are you doing?" she asks, awkwardly.
...As one of those warriors who prefers to talk with her fists, she is accordingly awkward at communicating in any other way...

<@Wander>	 “*Kiara, please don’t eat the soap,*” Belinda instructs the hatchling. “You’ll probably get sick and it’ll be a bad time for both of us.”
At Yuki’s question, the tiny girl scratches at her arm, suddenly all too self-conscious of any lingering effects that nearly a week of poor sleep has had on her appearance. “Ah?  I-I’m *fine*!” she says, rather too forcefully.
…And then she immediately realizes how blatant a lie that was and breathes a heavy sigh. “…Okay, maybe not *fine*, but… I’m managing.  I’ve been helping the Commander with a lot of the paperwork that… that my mentor would usually handle.”
The tiny girl goes over and picks up Kiara, wiping the suds from the hatchling’s mouth. “Looking after these little ones has definitely been good for me, but other than that…” she pauses, thinking for a moment. “W-well, I don’t really want to burden you with my worries.  The Commander gave me the rest of today off, plus the next two, so… I have to figure out what I’m doing after Azaria comes to take her kids home again this evening.”

<Reikim>	 "You got time off?" Shirayuki blinks. "*Now*?"
She winces and rubs her own arms. "Sorry, um, I mean..."
She grabs a towel off of her stepladder and starts hastily wiping up the suds. Kiara makes a disappointed little noise and wanders off toward the window.
Singh follows after her, while Kaur remains nestled in the basket like it's her throne.
"...I don't know what I'd do with time off either," she muses. "I never really thought about it..."
"...Maybe I'd just save it."

<@Wander>	 “Y-yeah, I… I told the Commander that now was probably the time I was most needed, but… I guess she’s worried about me and figures a change of scenery would be good for me.  And to be honest, given the fact that she’s practically sitting a nonstop vigil at Veronika’s bedside, I can… see why she would be.” Belinda’s tone starts normal, but trails into a worried murmur.
She sets Kiara back down, then sits down not far from Shirayuki. The basket, and thus Kaur, are placed comfortably in her lap.  She soon begins to give the little princess affectionate little chin scratches and head rubs.
“…I’m supposed to be back to work in three days, since the Commander said something about a VIP coming and me needing to help prepare things.  Dunno what the story is on that front, but I figure I can’t exactly show up to help with secretary work tomorrow or Hikari might just send me away to go try and enjoy my days off.”
Belinda shakes her head, then brushes a stray bit of hair out of her eyes. “…I dunno what to do at all, really.”

<Reikim>	 Shirayuki turns and looks out across the city.
It's midafternoon, and the sun is starting to set; though there's still several hours of sunlight left to them.
Today, the city has decided to look more or less normal.
On the "western" side, the concrete-and-glass skyscrapers are beginning to darken, gradually turning into silhouettes against the sun; on the "western" side, they're baked in brilliant colors, sometimes shining so bright it's difficult to look at them.
A gradient from dark to light, around their little circle of stability.
"...Maybe a change of scenery *would* be nice," she says, half to herself.
"...Maybe could ask Rel," she muses.

<@Wander>	 “…I don’t even know where I’d go,” Belinda admits, choosing to interpret Yuki’s words as being at least *somewhat* directed at her. “I like it here, and to be honest, I’ve been outside of the grounds all of *twice* since I came here, and that was… about a week ago.”
She doesn’t need to specify what she means by that, lapsing into uncomfortable silence.

<Reikim>	 "Yeah. It's pretty dangerous out there..."
Kiara and Singh sit next to each other, noses pressed up against the window. The city reflects in their amber eyes.
"...Maybe you could go to Seaside?" she suggests.
The nickname for one of the three sub-bases, established to protect stable areas. This one being so named because it's on the ocean.
"Or you could go to Scraptown. Or the Pothole..."
"...Or maybe just let Rel choose where to take you. I hear some people have had a good time with that." She makes a face. "She charges extra, though..."

<@Wander>	 Belinda scoots over a bit closer toward the window, so that Kaur can look out the window as well.
“…Ah?  I’ve never really dealt with her much, aside from the occasional mail sendoff on behalf of the Commander or my mentor.  And well, if it’s *pricy*, my money situation is a bit…” she scratches at her arm. “…Well, I get paid in room and board, safety, and lessons.  And in job satisfaction.”
There’s a moment or two of pause, then Belinda shrugs her shoulders. “Guess I’ve still got a good amount of the money from back when I became a magical girl, but I was taught to try and save that whenever I reasonably could.”
Leaning over a bit, she pets both of the hatchlings that were already looking out at the city.
“…Seaside could be nice, though.  I’ve actually never been to a beach, before.  And Azaria lives at Scraptown, so… I feel like I might be allowed to stay with her for a couple days.  Don’t actually know much about the Pothole, but the name isn’t exactly *inviting*… though Scraptown doesn’t sound inviting either, but it’s really not so bad.”

<Reikim>	 "A-aha. Sorry. That's the name they use outside." Shirayuki scratches her head. "...I guess...well, I've been told it's *normal*. That's what a lot of people say, anyway."
"Kind of feels...weird to me, honestly. I only went there once, though, before we cleaned the place out."
"And it's real safe now too!" she adds. "Ever since the new Lieutenant got there. A bunch of people have actually started living out there."

<@Wander>	 “Like, modern Earth-normal?” Belinda asks. “I’m not really sure what *normal* even *means*, anymore, just that I don’t qualify.”
She shakes her head. “Might be a nice change of pace, though… I guess it’ll all depend on whether Azaria wants me to go with her when she gets back, tonight.  Maybe it sounds weird, but I feel like I ought to tell her that I have a few days off.  I certainly wouldn’t complain if she wanted me to go with her and help look after her adorable children for that time, you know?”
As Belinda says this, she’s casually distributing pets between the hatchling trio.