we know very well who we are

// down by the river i was drawn by your grace, into tempest of oblivion and to the lover's place
i was stuck in a puddle, full of tears and unwise, dark doings now i know, that we've paid unlike //

Levi takes the treat, devouring it quickly and completely missing as Lena tosses some treats toward Seraphina, the Artificer taking them easily and tucking them away into her hand for later. And once the dragonling realizes what’s occurred, sniffing and spending time trying to steal them from Lena’s grasp when he realizes she doesn’t have it, he hums a quiet sound of disappointment, head spinning to look back at Sera.

And then he sees the treat she dangles for him, out in the open, waiting patiently for Levi to notice. And he does, legs scampering across the floor, wings flared for extra balance as he darts over toward Sera, sticking his snout into her hand to receive the treat which she gives him with a bright bubbling bout of laughter. “Very good Levi.” She chimes, her hand lifting to run her thumb along the top of his head.

Seraphina

Lena

and sweetest in the gale is heard
and sore must be the storm

“Oh, much better!” She clapped for the dragonling, as he surged forward, as he maneuvered the limbs meant to eventually be mighty. All it took was some age-old persuasion in food. Eventually he’d master those capabilities, and then move onto others. “When he’s a little older, he can practice flying.” Lena maneuvered her brows up and down as if this was some wild assertion, suggestion, and designation, when it truly was a natural contortion to their being. “And his ability, of course.”

She tucked her knees up, wrapped her arms around them, and resisted the urge to tease Levi back over again. Instead, she remained a serene figure, watching, waiting. “Did you ever think you’d be so lucky?” To gain a companion? To hold fortune in the palm of her hand? To be radiant and successful? Her smile was bold and genuine, a tilt of her head as she surveyed the wondrous scene.

that could abash the little bird
that kept so many warm

// down by the river i was drawn by your grace, into tempest of oblivion and to the lover's place
i was stuck in a puddle, full of tears and unwise, dark doings now i know, that we've paid unlike //

The dragonling coos his appreciation at the praise, devouring the treat. But his sides shift and heave with breath, and Sera begins to pick him up, place him in her lap again before he’s scrabbling for her shoulder, to wrap around her neck like a necklace and soak up the warmth, peeking his opalescent head through the dark curtain of Sera’s hair. Sera, meanwhile, focuses her attention back on her sister. “He’s a companion… So he won’t grow very big, right?” She asks, thinking of Amaris’ dragon and a few of the companions from the Dragoons.

Not like the giant ones that roamed Halo and the like.

On the next question though, she lifts a hand to run along  her companion’s smooth side, a soft smile playing on her face as she adjusts her head a bit to try and look at the dragon. “No. I don’t think I ever thought I would.” A softer smile plays on her lips with this, more charming. She’d been lucky – so incredibly lucky – she doesn’t feel like she’s deserved it.

Seraphina

Lena

and sweetest in the gale is heard
and sore must be the storm

Sera had pinpointed on a cost to the companion bond quickly, readily. She watched as the little lizard had clearly been tired from the exertions, and they must’ve seemed endless and eternal, from cracking, bursting through his egg, to learning the aspects of walking, and maneuvering under his own power. It would get easier, with time, with stamina, with expertise, but he needed opportunities to rest too – clear that he was smart and wise enough to recognize it. The Caretaker’s smile softened a degree, still glancing at the partners, at the ones linked by spirits and connections, newfound and not yet fully grasped or explored. “Right.” Levi would never be as large as his counterparts, as those who grew to monstrous heights, who could rise over swells of smoke and ash. “But he’ll be yours, and you’ll be his.” Which was more than they’d ever bargain with along the wild, liberated, and free ones. “You’ll learn to trust and protect one another.” Instinct, inherent, and she could only imagine what other things, munitions, and feelings prospered through the bond.

And fortune? And luck? Sera hadn’t thought of it. Her eyes went to the floor, to the rug, the same grin still there. “Best believe in it now then.”

that could abash the little bird
that kept so many warm

// down by the river i was drawn by your grace, into tempest of oblivion and to the lover's place
i was stuck in a puddle, full of tears and unwise, dark doings now i know, that we've paid unlike //

She’d learned a thing or two, being the sibling of the caretaker. Though she never imagined she’d need to learn a lot about dragons – at least, not until now. And it seems it’s likely she needs to go and explore, see more of them in their full prowess if only to better be able to care for Levi better. As it were now, though, the dragonling is perfectly content to remain on her shoulders, soaking up the warmth she has to offer as he falls quickly asleep – small high pitched snores leaving the creature.

“This is so exciting, Lena.” She says softly, still surprised and full of bewilderment. But then she’s moving, shifting ever so slightly back to the sofa where she might sit more comfortably while Levi dozes. “Would you ever consider a companion?” She asks, head tilting to the side, dark hair curtaining around the dragonling.

Seraphina

Lena

and sweetest in the gale is heard
and sore must be the storm

The sight of Levi dozing, slipping into what certainly had to be an array of worn fragments and arrays from his hatching, to moving about, gave her some ease. She settled into herself too, calm, composed, and lissome, draped over her knees as she watched, listened, and paid heed to the words echoing from her sister. Exciting, but in softness, so as not to disturb the dragon, in paragons of captured moments, in the widened grin the Caretaker bestowed, in the hushed essence of others things to come.

The question for her gave her pause – but only for a second. Lena had been around these creatures, could hear their thoughts, their emotions, their aspirations, their feelings, and their wisdom, for so long that she’d begun to think herself immersed in their throng. A companion would be one more step, one more wonderful thing, in the breadth of her life. When and where and how didn’t really matter – or what - just the possibility of it happening was enough to keep her brightened smile aloft. “Of course.” She rested her cheek on her knee, folded over and bent, a structure of entangled dreams and mellifluous whimsies. “I see these wonderful animals every day, and I can communicate, heal, and shield them until they’re ready to return.” Her eyes settled back upon Levi. “But none of them are my own, and they’re not meant to be.” Wild and free, liberated, untouched, untainted, in their innocence. “One day.” And she winked.

that could abash the little bird
that kept so many warm

// down by the river i was drawn by your grace, into tempest of oblivion and to the lover's place
i was stuck in a puddle, full of tears and unwise, dark doings now i know, that we've paid unlike //

While Levi dozes, the bond grows quiet. It gives Seraphina time to focus on Lena with a soft smile, her question aired as she waits for the response. She tries to imagine what she could see her sister with – having seen her around a variety of animals, nothing quite specific sticks out. But her smile remains while her sister speaks, letting the words linger between them in the air a touch more.

“If you could pick, what would you want?” She asks, head tilting a fraction, hair drifting along Levi’s shoulders as a blanket or cape of sorts. She’d never have imagined a dragon for herself. Maybe a dog, or a cat. A cat would probably suit her better when it comes to caring for animals between work and the like – but a companion was different, something she had to remind herself. Like a pet but so much more. So much more.

Seraphina

Lena

and sweetest in the gale is heard
and sore must be the storm

The question was a loaded one – simply because Lena wasn’t certain she’d be able to pick. With the amount of animals that came through her quarters, with arrays of beauty, intelligence, wit, and everything else coiled amongst them, the decision would be far too difficult. “I have no idea,” she laughed. It was a whimsical chime, made on good humor despite the doubts, the unknowns, the uncertainty. “Maybe I’ll let one pick me instead.” A companion who thought her worthy, nurturing, caring enough to want to share a bond, chosen, much like the egg, and then Levi within, had managed to segment and tie his soul to Sera. A wistful sigh followed suit, the smile remaining. “Though a dragon would be lovely, I’m not suited for them.” Not with Attuned blood – only catering to the Accepted. She could watch and cater to them from the Celestine, or afar; admiration due to their livelihoods.

that could abash the little bird
that kept so many warm

// down by the river i was drawn by your grace, into tempest of oblivion and to the lover's place
i was stuck in a puddle, full of tears and unwise, dark doings now i know, that we've paid unlike //

An easy smile accompanies the laugh that leaves her sister, Sera focusing entirely on the answer to the question she’s posed. And really, she can’t blame her sister – because she’d had no idea either. All she can do is simply mull about it, absentmindedly stroking Levi where he dozes on her shoulders. At the mention of not being suited to a dragon, however, she nods her head slowly, softly, an amused crookedness overcoming her smile.

“What about… A fox. Or something more magical… A starwhale or a luxere?” Just to name a few, she can’t help but to laugh with the thought – imagining what it might be like to have a deer with glowing, glimmering antlers or a whale that left stars in its wake.

Seraphina

Lena

and sweetest in the gale is heard
and sore must be the storm

“A fox with a fox?” She bore a toothy grin at the statement, tiny fangs protruding from where she could partially shift, before they receded, disappeared – normal again. Eyes went to the dozing Levi, and nothing seemed to exude from his dreams, a fitful world of exhaustion and newness. She leaned back thereafter, up against one of the soft chairs, no longer so draped across her knees, attention diverted, granted to sweeping thoughts through her skull – images of the animals she’d tended before. “They would both be lovely.” Starwhales, with their cosmic essences pinpointed towards the clouds and horizons, drifting in mellifluous song. Luxere, with their glowing, eerie, enigmatic antlers, lighting the way for weary travelers, or fending off the darkness. “I’ve had a few in the Celestine, but both were only sick.” Otherwise they seemed robust, fit creatures, capable of handling themselves with their pods or herds.

that could abash the little bird
that kept so many warm

// down by the river i was drawn by your grace, into tempest of oblivion and to the lover's place
i was stuck in a puddle, full of tears and unwise, dark doings now i know, that we've paid unlike //

Her smile turns positively Cheshire as she focuses on her sister. “Yes. And you bond with one that looks exactly like you so nobody can tell the difference.” Her jesting is accompanied with a wink, a half smirk that lingers before it fades away with talk of other types of companions.

She imagines a star whale accompanying her sister in her duties, floating around and sprinkling stardust in her wake. She imagines a Luxere lighting the path of the Celestine when her sister works too late.

All of them are charming enough, and her daydreaming pauses as she focuses on her sister again. “Were they released after?” She asks, unable to remember if they remained or had left.

Seraphina

Lena

and sweetest in the gale is heard
and sore must be the storm

Matching Cheshire grins were to follow then, either inherent family resemblances, or a knack for mischief lingering under their roles. The notion sparked and incited all airs of Lena’s humor, so the ethereal adornments were suddenly sprite, fairy-like, twisting and turning over her mind as her eyes went briefly to the ceiling, to the windows, to stare out and wonder. “Wouldn’t that be wicked. Positively evil.” And then she laughed at the image in her head, twin arctic foxes wandering into the wilderness, ivory fur blending into one another until hearts were torn over which was which. “Think of all the tricks I could play.” Her laughter softened in the dreamlike haze, on the gentle sigh that was ushered forth thereafter; as if that too would fade.

Unaware of her sister’s imaginings – but gods, how Lena would’ve loved either – a lighted pathway just for her beneath the stars, bound souls traveling and traversing in the midst, researching until her eyes could no longer stay open, caring from dusk until dawn. Maybe they were dim dreams now, but the embers had started to build, bloom, blossom under their own lilting prowess.

“Yes. I try to release them as soon as they’re ready.” No attachments, just love and support for those of Frey, brought there to be under her supervision, her care. Then they were mended, surging back to health and prosperity, to go where the divine winds took them.

that could abash the little bird
that kept so many warm

// down by the river i was drawn by your grace, into tempest of oblivion and to the lover's place
i was stuck in a puddle, full of tears and unwise, dark doings now i know, that we've paid unlike //

A chimed laugh leaves Sera, her grin nearly feral in amusement as she focuses on her sister. “You could tell people you run really fast. You’d have plausible deniability for ignoring people if they came and spoke to your companion instead.” A few of the more innocent type of tricks that come to mind. But she huffs out a quiet sigh, a small nod given toward her sister in agreement at the idea of it all and what trouble it would certainly bring about.

It would be hilarious to watch, though.

The confirmation, on the other hand, of the creatures cured and released has her smile softening, flint eyes focusing on the rest of her home with a nod. “I’m sure they appreciate what you do very much.” She says softly, gaze drifting back toward Lena with the comment.

Seraphina

Lena

and sweetest in the gale is heard
and sore must be the storm

“I could appear and reappear at any given time.” She laughed again, wild on the possibilities, the giggles merry, whimsical, and bright – undampened, undeterred, by the haze of the rest of the world outside their walls and halls. A time for peace and silliness, bonds between two sisters unfurling parameters between other forms of connections, and her eyes took on a familiar, foxy contortion and adornment. “I would enjoy the looks on people’s faces.” Nothing out of cruelty, but pure mischief, raw and real, naught they’d had since children.

The following compliment though had her eyes dropping to the floor, the grin hastening into a genuine, beatific smile. “Thank you. I hope my efforts manage to make a difference.” For those animals’ lives, for moments of peace, repose, and mending, before they faced frays, intangibilities, all over again. But that was what they were meant to do – to be out in the untamed earth, just as liberated, free, and mystifying. A declaration and dedication to the realms, and to their portions within it.

that could abash the little bird
that kept so many warm