Chapter 299.1: Bonus Chapter: The Golden Dragon’s Masterful Seduction

Back on the day Daniel assigned Silence and Arachne to the railroad project to the Fort Twilight crater, he bumps into one of his most dangerous enemies sporting a gigantic grin. His instincts are to run, but like an eager cat or an alert dog, this hunter will only be provoked into pursuit if he tries to flee.

Jeavana, the golden battle-junkie dragon, is waiting for him as he’s heading for a break to ease his headache a bit. His eye hurts, and he’s emotionally drained from dealing with the Imperial audience directly. Honestly, he’s genuinely impressed that Hekate has been putting up with it so diligently.

Regardless, he has to deal with the most reckless fiend in the Citadel.

“Hey, Harbinger,” teases the golden blonde with a purring lilt to her voice.

“Jeavana… Whatever you want, I’m one hundred percent certain this is some kind of trap.” He looks around, since they are completely alone at present, which is undoubtedly exactly what she wants.

As if to confirm this, Jeavana gives a humongous grin, and she holds up a bottle of Daniel’s preferred rum. “I thought we could have a little drinking break, since that’s where you’re headed, right?”

Daniel closes his eye, letting out a slight sigh. But, just to test his theory, he offers warmly, “Sounds good. Then, I’ll send for Treia and Neith, and we can…”

Jeavana immediately pouts pitifully, and his suspicions are confirmed.

“So, just you and me?” asks Daniel.

She quickly smiles and nods eagerly, her messy golden hair flopping around her ears and cheeks in a surprisingly endearing way, while her distractingly large breasts jiggle, threatening to flop haplessly out of her deep V-neck dress robe. Her golden tail also sways from side to side in a rather giddy motion, as if she has already won.

But, Daniel actually does consider Jeavana a good friend. He’s just surprised by how clingy she has been for the last few weeks. That said, he’s actually happy to drink with her, as long as he can keep his wits about him and avoid doing anything she might regret. It’s an awkward position to be in, because he’s not afraid of being intimate with her for his own sake. He’s worried that she has been out of her mind since the twins hatched, and she might be using this as some kind of buried trauma response, as if she owes Daniel a debt.

Keeping his guard up against Jeavana’s advances, Daniel joins her in his and Treia’s usual drinking lounge, which might as well be a private bar at this point, because Ucahote is standing by to serve them drinks. Daniel nods at the golem subtly, and the golem dips his head in confirmation, so as long as Daniel hasn’t underestimated Jeavana, he can come out unscathed.

Two drinks in, and they’re both having fun, since Jeavana actually does have some interesting stories when she is happy enough to share.

“So, I’d lure the stupid things into fighting each other. A bunch of hakkadels are rarely a match for a drake, especially a rock drake, but it’s significantly easier to get a bunch of snacks if they do all the work killing each other.”

“That’s pretty heartless,” retorts Daniel with a scoff. He understands, though. One of his coworkers originally from the Philippines told him about Spider Fighting, which was an old kid’s game. It’s apparently taken quite seriously, and it’s just exploiting the nature of the spiders.

“As much of a battle junkie as you are, I figured you’d be trying to fight everything yourself.”

“Hah! How do you think I picked which one was stronger?” replies the dragon with a grin. She tugs her robe’s collar down a bit to show the back of her neck, and she holds her hair out of the way. There’s a small scar on her neck. “Got that from a big, mean old drake I affectionately call, er… Hmm… I guess I never translated it in my head… Uh… ‘Seriously Old Scale’.” She nods as if it’s the most profound name in the world, while Daniel resists the urge to laugh.

And fails.

“Ahhahahaha!” Daniel flops back in his seat as he guffaws.

“What’s so funny!?” whines the golden dragon as she crowds closer to him, pushing her breasts onto his arm. “That’s what it translates… Oh, I see now… Fine! It sounds impressive enough in Draconic.” She slams down her current glass of rum, sighing loudly. “Hey… Are we drinking the same thing?”

She leans towards Daniel’s glass, but he holds it away from her. “Of course,” replies the human. “You’re probably just imagining things. So, tell me…” Daniel gently pushes her back, asking, “During your merry mischief-making against monsters, did you never try to conquer a kingdom or make friends with other races?”

Jeavana shrugs as she yawns. “It’s exhausting. Not fun. Ol’ red turd and his little minions couldn’t handle us tiny handfuls o’ dragons with all his tyranny. And…” Jeavana’s gaze goes a little distant as she leans against Daniel’s forearm. “And… as you know… the curse affects dragon children… I don’t know how the Stalvaltan family withstood the curse, or if it was simply weaker on humans, since… they don’t have venom or ignityal. But,... I… know… very well how effective the curse was… Even… with non-dragon mates.” Her hand grips Daniel’s wrist for a moment. She fortunately knows her own strength, even as she’s getting tipsy, but Daniel decides not to say anything for the moment.

He doesn’t want to worsen her mood while she’s thinking of the tragedies of her past.

Once she relaxes her grip, Daniel says gently, “All the more reason cuties like Clover and Willow are so precious.”

This manages to get a smile out of her for a moment. “You… really think they’re cute?”

Daniel nods. “Adorable. Especially because they have your eyes.”

She whimpers affectionately for a moment as she lays against Daniel’s arm. “You can have as many as you want, Mukori,” mumbles the golden dragon. “Maybe… you want to pin me down right now, huh? Is that…?”

She trails off as she’s speaking. Daniel waits patiently and quietly, since it’s all part of his plan. After a long moment, she doesn’t move again.

Daniel sighs softly.

Okay, good. Hopefully, she’ll be satisfied with this.

Daniel carefully extracts himself and stands up, being gentle with setting Jeavana against the countertop while he slides the glasses back over to Ucahote.

Jeavana was drinking a stronger version of the rum, and Daniel has a pretty good idea of the signs to watch for, as does Ucahote. And, this time, he escaped Jeavana’s advances.

But, Daniel brushes a lock of her messy golden hair out of her face, confirming that she’s sleeping peacefully. “I had a lot of fun, you goofball… I hope you’ll share some more stories with me next time. Happy stories, of course. Though,... I’m always here to listen to any story you want to tell.”

After that, Daniel makes sure he’s steady on his own feet before carefully lifting Jeavana onto his back. She’s heavy, considering she’s one of the largest women in his inner circle, standing about the same height as Ryuogriar and Daniel, and curvy and muscular in her humanoid form. But, as long as he’s steady, he should be able to get her back to her room without issue.

As he’s walking with Jeavana piggyback, a very familiar voice calls out to him.

“Hmmm. I see Mukori is never satisfied, even though he has me, who would never refuse him.”

Daniel looks at Ryuogriar, who is walking towards him up the hallway with a gentle and mischievous smirk of her own. Daniel chuckles, since Ryuogriar would almost happily help seduce the entire female population of any species and race on Daniel’s behalf both for fun and to ensure Daniel never has any reason to leave Zenkon.

The mechanic jokes with a fairly straight tone, “It isn’t what it looks like, I swear. I was on my way to cheat on you with this sexy woman.”

“Ahh, I see. Well, I suppose it’s only natural, Mukori. Jeavana and I share many aesthetic traits in our human forms.” She cups her cheek to give a feigned forlorn expression. “And, who can deny the beauty of true gold coloration for one’s progeny…?”

Daniel sighs, since his arguably most-zealous lover is playing right along with his joke. “First of all, you absolutely sexy Mukori you; you realize platinum often trades places with gold on a free market, yes? And if you want to go with pearl, then pearls of substantial size and quality would easily surpass gold, depending on the circumstances. So, I’d sell you first any day.”

“Aww… Wait a second…” Ryuogriar’s expression swiftly shifts from one of affection at Daniel rating her high value right into a playful scowl after realizing she has been teased.

Giving her only barely enough time to process his joke, Daniel adds, “And second, if you’re wondering when her next egg is due, then the countdown hasn’t started today.”

Ryuogriar looks at him skeptically, and he clarifies. “I warned Ucahote to take charge and give her a much stronger proof if ever she and I drink together, while I had my usual forty proof. Thankfully, she’s not already breastfeeding, but I managed to settle her down again for now.” He continues towards her room, and Ryuogriar murmurs softly.

“You know, Mukori, it’s possible she’s actually being genuine…”

Daniel slows to a stop. He replies softly, “That’s… what worries me.”

Jeavana twitches, having heard some of the conversation, but deciding to listen and enjoy being dead weight on Daniel.

He continues with a gentle smile, “She’s a great friend. And, she wants to have the most honorable duel possible with me. I can punch a friend in the face if it’s the right situation for it.” Daniel looks at Ryuo, adding with a gentle smile, “How am I supposed to punch a woman I love for fun or otherwise?” He jokes as he continues on his way, “Besides, Jeavana strikes me as the kind of person to never let me live it down, win or lose, with the children. Hers specifically as well as the rest of mine.” Daniel does his best mocking voice, “‘Oh! Daddy Harbinger, my body is still so sore after you punished Mommy so ruthlessly. Don’t worry, babies! Mommy will accept all of Daddy’s punishment!’ And then, before I know it, I’m having to explain the birds and the bees to them before we have a chance to teach them to read.”

Ryuogriar laughs, and she jogs into step with Daniel, walking with him as he carries Jeavana on his shoulders. “I only have one question about that, Mukori. Will such talk work on you? Teasing you about such ‘vile’ punishment?” The platinum dragon grins at her beloved human lover.

Without any hesitation nor shame, considering who he’s talking to, Daniel replies bluntly, “Absolutely. It’s a curse, sometimes. And when it’s someone I love…” Daniel clutches his heart, being dramatic. “Guh… I’m a sucker for people I love… And honestly…” Daniel looks at Ryuogriar. He whispers, “There’s… one way she could prove it to me… That she really does…” He clears his throat, feeling awkward suddenly. “... Want… me…”

“Oh? Do tell,” replies Ryuogriar curiously. Whether or not the current situation was the case, Daniel knows she would probably tell Jeavana either way. After all, Ryuogriar was effectively the driving force behind Daniel collecting the consorts he has now, and she’s quick to lure in more as both a reward for Daniel, a reaffirmation of his power to others, and because she likes how he reacts in both humility, but also simple resolve.

But, more importantly, Daniel feels Jeavana’s forearms tighten over his shoulders a little bit.

She just took an interest in what’s being said.

“I know you’re awake, you fat-titted battle-junkie!” shouts Daniel without warning, startling both Ryuogriar and Jeavana. Though she tries to feign still being asleep, the fact that he just shouted and her arms hugging him more tightly destroy all credibility of the notion. “If you want me to do anything with you,” growls the human, “You need to prove your sincerity by saying it in front of everyone at this point. Or, I’ll compromise for Hekate, Ryuo, Reina, and Geira, you smooth-brained…”

“Done!” exclaims Jeavana as she abandons the pretense of sleep, throwing herself more deliberately onto Daniel’s back and wrapping her legs around his waist. She nibbles on his ear as she giggles eagerly, still clearly drunk, but she adds, “If that’s what it takes, I’ll… I’ll pwove it to da whole worjle, Harbinder! You will egg milks, and I will give you mates and me and… something… Tell me something, Harbinderrr! Tell me what’s given you that the given… wants… so I can gived’s it.”

Daniel looks Ryuogriar in the eyes seriously and says with a matching tone, “This is exactly why she’s not getting pregnant today.”

Jeavana shakes him as she rocks back and forth. “Waah! Why not!? Harbindginger, I’ve been trying so hard lately!”

“Even if we had sex right this second, you wouldn’t produce milk for several months! Please stop being a clown!” retorts Daniel snappily as he tries to steady her on his back.

The golden dragon immediately bites Daniel’s neck, and he winces and yelps out, though she actually manages to only nibble in spite of her sharp teeth. She does slightly prick his skin with her teeth, such that it stings, but it isn’t actually all that painful. She makes cute noises as she does it, as if to reinforce the point of being defiant and irritated with him, rather than trying to hurt him. She then whines, “Gwaaaahh! You’re stupid, Mukori! You’re supposed to throw me to the ground and have your way with me! Tha’s wha’ a dragon lerd does! Plus, you promised!”

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“I am not only bound to, but also absolutely confident that Ryuo-Mukori is waiting for me to do exactly that, right this second, the moment I dump you in your bed, you blonde idiot. You’re the one that makes it complicated. So…” They arrive at her room, and Daniel piggybacks her to her bed. He flings her onto the mattress rather gracelessly, and he adds, “Sleep it off, think about your life choices, and then tell me how you want to punch me in the face tomorrow morning. Alright?”

She pouts at him lazily, crumpled in a weird shape because she didn’t move at all from how she landed.

Daniel groans, and Ryuogriar watches affectionately as Daniel straightens the golden dragon out in her own bed, tucking her in lovingly while dodging her attempts to ensnare him. Once she is squared away comfortably, the blonde peacefully drifts off once more, even before Daniel has finished tucking her in.

Ryuogriar teases at a whisper that Daniel doesn’t notice, “Looks like your patience is paying off, sister…”

***

At the very next Imperial audience that the Fievegal holds, Jeavana appears, having waited in line for her turn as a petitioner, and she stands before Hekate while Daniel watches with a curious sort of dread about why Jeavana, of all people, would present herself so formally, beautiful dress and all.

“Oh wise and powerful Greatness Hekate fell Lawson, I, the poor pitiful soul known as Jeavana, humbly make this request to you. I have fallen in love with the Emperor, and I want him to give me children both so I can have his children specifically, but also so I can produce milk the way the Empresses do. I wish to exploit his Majesty’s children against him every chance I get in order to manipulate him to spoil me rotten not as a consort, but simply as one of his mistresses who is lazy and spoiled. I have no ambitions for the title of Empress, nor the throne itself, and I humbly ask that you allow, nay, that you demand that he spoil me to my heart’s content, since it is your final say, oh wise and beautiful and smart Empress Hekate fell Lawson.”

Hekate, who is unamused by someone as unabashed as Jeavana shamelessly asking to be one of Daniel’s mistresses, stares at the golden dragon silently without making a sound or even a noticeable movement. The nobles who are not immediately part of the inner circle watch in stunned silence, since, from their perspective, Jeavana made several absolutely wild statements and requests in a formal audience. She doesn’t have a shred of shame about it, either.

That said, there is a quietly schemed plan to use similar situations to lure out the overly-ambitious, especially in the Fievegal and Empire, in order to know who to keep an eye on. And, what better way than to set a precedent with a lackadaisical and rather slovenly ‘noble’ like Jeavana than to entertain her selfish, brazen, and wild request?

Plus, by this time, Jeavana has already beholden herself to Hekate, helping design outfits for Hekate that please Daniel, from something akin to gothic-lolita styles that Hekate is somehow convinced equate to lingerie. Daniel is thankful to Jeavana for going that route because they’re not skimpy or revealing in any way.

In addition, though limited in scope, Jeavana is one of the few that gives Hekate ‘adult education’ so that the feldrok is prepared for the inevitable eventuality that she will hold Daniel to.

Apparently, Jeavana has paid dues that Hekate already demanded after overhearing Jeavana secretly call Daniel ‘Mukori’ during the raid on Centerhold. Hekate views Jeavana as a reliable, if silly, friend in spite of her shameless request now.

“Duchess Jeavana, you have proven to be one of my most loyal, brave, and wise subjects,” starts Hekate seriously. “Like me, you can be honest to a fault, which is a trait I am all but born to resonate with. As such, I will grant your request. You have made your heart known to me, and I trust the honesty, and frankly, the bluntness of your words, and so, I will permit you to be one of Daniel’s lovers, and so long as you continue to aid us in times most dire, as you always have, you are free to be spoiled and lazy as you see fit.”

The feldrok Empress scowls at Daniel, who is sincerely shocked that the ravenette gave in so readily, especially in front of the Fievegal’s formal audience.

The black haired sovereign adds seriously, “You must have the Emperor’s consent, of course. But, as I understand it, he promised that consent so long as you met the conditions which this audience fulfills. I look forward to meeting your next child, Duchess Jeavana.” Even as she says this, she never tears her eyes off of Daniel, and the mechanic knows he’s in trouble. If not right away, then in a little more than a year and a half from now.

Jeavana, for her part, smiles and bows. “Thank you, your most beautiful, wise, and gracious Greatness. I swear that I and my children shall faithfully serve the Fievegal long into the future.” Jeavana, who is notoriously proud, mischievous, and avoidant of etiquette, bows crisply and respectfully to Hekate, leaving Daniel stunned and speechless in utter defeat. It’s not a defeat to be lamented, per se, but he has been cornered.

“Take that, Daniel, you butt!” declares Hekate in front of everyone. “Suffer your curse and make more dragon minions for me! Mwahahahahaha!”

“Teeheeheehee!” snickers Jeavana. “I’m ready whenever you are, your Grace!” She then curtsies surprisingly elegantly and cutely, before making her way out for the rest of the audience to take place.

Daniel is relatively lifeless for the rest of the audience while he ponders how easily everything turned against his expectations.

He has been reluctant about the whole thing because of his concerns surrounding Jeavna’s previous wishy-washiness. He truly has fun together with her, even if she sometimes gets on his nerves.

But, he did think Jeavana’s higher priority was their duel to be held someday. He probably still can fight her semi-seriously, since he respects her fighting spirit, but he would be even more worried about hurting her if he lets himself fall as much in love with her as any of the other consorts.

Who the hell am I kidding? thinks Daniel to himself as he tries to keep his outward composure. Everyone knows the Fievegal is a very strange fledgling government that will probably not last very long. But, he does have to at least try a little to maintain decorum.

But, his thoughts linger on the golden dragon who actually did what he suggested, and confessed love for him in front of everyone.

And, I guess I already like her well enough, don’t I? I wouldn’t have let it get this far if I didn’t… That damn idiot.

He scoffs at this thought, clearing his throat as if it were a sniffle or a cough.

I guess I’m a bigger idiot for thinking I could stop this crazy-train once it started. Oh well.

Daniel manages to focus on the audience going forward, but he does wonder exactly when and how Jeavana is going to make him keep ‘his promise’.

***

Daniel doesn’t have to wait too long to find out. After making a deal with her not to tease Wenlianna anymore, since Wenlianna has found Jeavana particularly irritating recently, the dragon agreed when Daniel offered to ‘keep his promise’.

He could be mean and say he never agreed to what she has been pretty aggressively suggesting she’s after, but it’s not in him.

Daniel’s biggest concern with Jeavana is that she seems like she’s hiding something. She is goofy, flirty, shameless, and generally always has a sunny disposition, if a bit of eagerness to flaunt her strength. But, something always seems just a little different about her flirting than when someone like Doephluev or Ryuogriar flirt with Daniel.

That said, the same golden dragon the mechanic has been worrying about has pretty much patiently dismantled any and all escape routes he could use to avoid dealing with it.

I really hope she’s not forcing herself, thinks the mechanic to himself. He decides to take a quick bath and wear some fresh, more casual clothes to meet the dragon. And, all the while, he continues to ponder whether or not he’s walking into some sort of trap that he’s just not seeing for what it is.

Naturally, he knows it’s not a trap like an assassination or some sort of strange ‘you slept next to me three times, so now we’re effectively married’ type of ritual. If it was the latter, more than half of the Empresses in Daniel’s inner circle would probably have already had a massive battle royale for the third night.

But, what is she hiding? There’s always something… there. Behind her smile. Is she sad? Guilty? Simply lonely? If she were like Emerald, then it wouldn’t be about me, specifically. And, she’s not particularly cunning and self-centered like Doephluev, so I don’t think it’s about greed.

Daniel sighs as he rinses himself off after his shower, leaning his head against the wall as the water drains off of him.

If she was trying to steal me away or something, she’s crazy enough to have just flown off with me one day. Obviously, Ryuo, Reina, and Geira wouldn’t entertain her flirting if they didn’t trust her, so what is it?

Daniel remembers the vision he had while he was on Death’s door after Hekate evacuated them from the last shreds of Lucy’s protective barrier. He shakes his head clear, though. Even if there were merit to that vision, Jeavana has been rather playful and happy for a while now. In fact, most of the time Daniel has known her for, she has been a mischievous, good-humored prankster and muscle-head who had cheesy nicknames for pretty much everyone, and who basically embodies the very definition of ‘silly auntie’. She was always playful, but in the last few weeks, and made even more solid after the hatching of the twins, she has been clingy and flirtatious in addition to everything else.

Could she have had a mental break? Are dragons even susceptible to that? They live for thousands of years, so I can’t imagine it’s very common. And, she’s still functional. I don’t necessarily approve of all of her strategies for raising the girls, but she is protective of them, not neglectful or anything.

That’s when it hits him.

No… This can’t seriously be only about the milk, can it? I don’t even know if it’s actually safe for pure-blooded dragons. I know they’re omnivores in practice, but they obviously wouldn’t have produced it in the first place, and wouldn’t have missed it at all if it never started.

Daniel sighs as he puts his back to his shower wall, looking up at the simple magic devices that make use of diamonds to produce water locally, heat it to a controlled temperature like a tankless water heater, and then spray it down in a nice shower. The design lends itself to installation virtually anywhere, and it can work with function directly comparable to permanent plumbing, with the only necessity being somewhere for the water to go after the fact.

The warm water is at just the right temperature, and Daniel feels relaxed even as he frets idly over what could be guiding Jeavana to behave the way she has been.

Yeah… I guess as much as I do know her, it could be as simple as just wanting to produce her own milk. Though, it would sadden me a little if that’s truly all it is.

Daniel scoffs as he closes his eye. His right eye still needs to be fiercely guarded from direct contact from water, and is usually cleaned by Floria, Doephluev, Hekate, or Reignleif, who are all comfortable enough to carefully clean his wound and dress it properly afterwards. Surprisingly, Hekate fiercely and diligently learned what she needed to do in order to ensure that she could be one of the people helping Daniel directly.

And, as the warm water washes down his face, blocked from his wound by the snug-fitting shower mask he wears to cover the whole right side of his face, Daniel chuckles a little somberly at himself.

He murmurs out loud to no one in particular, “I guess if I would be saddened by that, it means I already like her quite a bit, huh?”

Daniel smiles and finishes his shower. He’ll try to go in with relaxed expectations in any direction. Jeavana has her own thoughts and feelings, and until he knows what they are, it’s not fair to judge her on what he speculates she could be thinking.

“As long as she doesn’t try to harm any of the children, the one we share if it ends up that way, then I suppose it’s fine. I guess I’ll have to figure out something better if she doesn’t want the child after she gets what she wants, though…”

Daniel gets dressed and checks with Xyreko and Bellphine one last time to make sure there aren’t any pressing issues requiring his attention. Since there are none, he informs Bellphine where he’ll be and that she can take the rest of the night off. He does idly wonder for a moment what Bellphine does on her time off, but he’ll have to ask her sometime.

Probably when they’re in a formal setting so that she doesn’t feel like he’s trying to lure her to bed next.

The mechanic chuckles at his plight as he mentally prepares himself to be ambushed by an Amazonian warrior dragoness.

What he will face within the golden dragon’s den will certainly be some kind of battle, though his speculations and expectations so far have been pretty far off the mark.

***

Meanwhile, Jeavana hands a modest basket to Ryuogriar. “Please look after them for tonight. Oh! And, here! These are their favorites.”

The contents of the basket are two baby dragons, fraternal twins that shared an egg and were born smaller than normal, but who have proven to be quite healthy and growing fast enough to catch up to the others. Clover happily makes a squeaky noise as she rolls around on her back, while Willow chews on a hard toy and stares up at the two dragon women.

Jeavana sets a bundle in the basket next to them, and Ryuogriar replies with her mature tone, “The girls will be perfectly fine in my care for one night, Jeavana.”

“I know, I know. But, just in case they get hungry, I asked Geira for these earlier.”

Ryuogriar uses her free hand to open part of the fabric bundle to find a bunch of cookies topped with fried bacon. She frowns and looks at her golden counterpart with a look that oozes of the very essence of one word; ‘Really?’

“Listen, they both really like them, and I usually give them two at most.”

“You give them these cookies before bed?” asks the Dragon Empress skeptically.

“Mm-hmm. Sure! Why not?”

Ryuogriar sighs. “And, let me guess: they wake up crying every few minutes all night long.”

Jeavana shrugs. “Yeah, probably.”

Not particularly approving of Jeavana’s apparent strategies as a new mother, Ryuogriar sighs with a little frustration in her voice. “Sister, you can’t just sleep through them crying. If they have any other issues…”

“Sleep… through?” asks Jeavana with a dumbfounded expression. She’s obviously excited about the night she’s going to have, but she is genuinely confused by Ryuogriar’s misunderstanding.

“Wait… You wake up? Every time?”

“Of course,” replies Jeavana, as if it should be the most obvious thing in the world. “They’re my babies. I would fight the whole world for them.” She shrugs, saying, “But, if they want cookies, why should I deny them? A little tummy-ache or some scary dreams will pass.” She tickles Willow’s belly, and the more feisty of the two twins flings her hands out as she smiles, dropping her teething toy to make an adorable noise of absolute glee for her mother. Clover starts whining, and Jeavana uses her other hand to tickle her second twin as well. “Be good for auntie Ryuo, my beautiful little babies. I’m going to go get you a sibling or two. Eeeheeheehee!”

Both girls make a warm and gleeful “Eee!” sound with happy smiles, and the elder dragon matron can only smile and sigh in pleasant defeat.

“I’m not giving them sweets before bedtime,” states the Empress. “But… maybe they can have a small piece in the morning…”

Jeavana smiles at her. “Thanks, Ryuo. I’m sure my debt is pretty big at this point.”

Ryuogriar shakes her head with a content smile this time. “No. You are a loyal part of this family, Sister. If there is a debt to be had, I’m sure it’s leaning in my direction…”

“Well… If you ever need a babysitter…”

“I’m asking Reina and Geira first,” replies Ryuogriar flatly and swiftly, instantly deflating her fellow matron.

Ryuogriar savors the look of rejection on Jeavana’s face with a smirk on her own, and Jeavana realizes it as well. They both start laughing.

Finally, the Eldest Dragon Empress says encouragingly, “Good luck, Jeavana. And, have a little fun for once.”

“Hah! Try and stop me.” Jeavana hugs Ryuogriar, and then she giddily dashes off with a bounce in her step. Ryuogriar watches her for a long moment with a content smile.

“You deserve just as much happiness as any of us, Sister…”

With that, Ryuogriar carries the basket with Willow and Clover into her own cherished haven to rest with her closest friends and the precious children of all three of them.

Daniel’s room.

***