Tessa's POV:

"Where did you hide my gem?" I asked Dirk.

"I didn't touch it."

The falsehood rang with an unpleasant tone across the mindlink. I wasn't sure why he even pretended to be innocent. It simply wasn't possible to lie across the mindlink. I pinned my ear tufts and growled at him. Restless from boredom, he half-raised his wings, more than ready for a wrestling match since the rain kept us inside.

Mom muttered, "Take your squabbling outside. I'm trying to nap. He hid it in the plant pot on the window sill."

"Thanks! At the rate everyone keeps hiding it, Taureen is going to have to put a tracking device in that thing."

I flew over to the front door where a plant pot held a sunburst vine. Peering through the sprawling vines and fat leaves, something glimmered through the greenery. I quickly reclaimed the shiny gem and gazed at the falling rain on the other side of the glass.

"Hey, Abby, are you enjoying the rain?"

"You should really join us one day to see what it's like in these tunnels when it rains. You wouldn't be so smug."

"I already know I wouldn't like it, but I would do it if you joined me here for a sleepover the next night."

"Uh huh. Dad may not mind the idea of me eventually joining the Kymari, but if I try anything before my first birthday, he will probably blow a gasket."

"What's a gasket?" Weird rings of flimsy material appeared in my mind, thoroughly confusing me.

"Some sort of seal on something that is under pressure, I think. Like one of those seed pods that pop open when you touch them."

"Those things always make me jump when they pop open. How's Glen doing?"

"Much better. The fever is almost gone, and he's just tired now. He will probably join the Morning Song tomorrow morning, although he will have to take it easy."

"That's a relief. What did you do today?"

"Sang. Went for a bath. Wrestled with a few of the others and napped a bit before the rain trapped me underground. What about you?"

"I got dragged through a haunted forest." I sent a few images of the creepy trees.

"What? Where was this?"

Sending her images, I went over the entire training session. She asked quite a few questions, which I answered. Eventually we ran out of things to say, and Abby decided to nap a bit more.

I let the mindlink fade as I returned to the living room with my gem and landed on a wall perch. Dirk rolled around on the sand beneath the heat lamp. When he bumped into Mom, she swatted him with her tail. The whip-like slap made him squawk and quickly give her some space. Dad didn't even raise his head, relaxing on the other side of Mom.

I remained on the wall perch since I wasn't cold at the moment. Even with the two heat lamps side by side, it got pretty crowded if all four of us tried to spread our wings to catch the warmth. This perch was big enough for me to lay down on it with room to spare.

The doorbell rang, and Taureen called out, "Come in."

My attention focused on the hallway, but when I saw Tkael's broad shoulders, I sighed in disappointment and turned my attention back to the gem in my hands. I hadn't seen Soranto for three days now. How long would it take him to think about things? At the very least, he could come and visit while thinking. It was strange how much I missed him.

Taureen greeted his friend. "Hello, Tkael. Nice to see you back, Soranto."

My head whipped around, and I gawked at the smaller Kymari who must have been behind Tkael.

Soranto smiled as he took a seat. "I must say that I missed our visits. The evenings are lonely if Adeline and Maria aren't around."

With a whistle of welcome, I launched off my perch to greet him. Part of my mind was worried that he was going to react like Tkael did, with polite courtesy. The other part of my mind was hopeful – surprisingly so. I landed on his shoulder and trilled at him, tilting my head cutely.

He smiled at me and reached up to pet my shoulder. "I also really missed seeing this little one."

My ear tufts perked up that comment. This was quite promising!

Tkael watched in curiosity. "It looks like you have already made up your mind. I thought it would take you longer."

"It wasn't an easy decision," Soranto replied without any trace of his usual humor. "It would be a completely different lifestyle. Not just in the work I would be doing, but it would also mean a shift in my priorities."

"What are your family's thoughts? The thought of an animal – even a bond animal – becoming the center of all your decisions can't be easy."

"Predictably, Maria is all for it. Thankfully, she's old enough that it won't really create any barriers in what she can do. Even if I won't be able to leave the planet's orbit, nothing is stopping her from going on the shuttle to visit her grandparents."

"And Adeline?"

"On one hand, she thinks that this is one of the best things that could have ever happened to me. On the other hand, it would be a serious adjustment for both of us. Even the earliest videos of the fire lizards showed Tasha as an adult, so she is at least eleven years old now, and this is her first clutch that we know of. They could easily live for thirty, fifty, or eighty years. Possibly more. I won't be able to leave the planet during that time – even if one of my family members is gravely ill."

"That is why I haven't encouraged them," Tkael admitted. "None of my relatives are on this planet. I go offworld at least once a month to visit them. It would be different if they were allowed to leave this planet, but that likely won't happen anytime soon."

Soranto shrugged slightly, taking care not to jostle me. "If she does choose me, Adeline and I are fine with it. But, in the end, I'm not the only person she goes out of her way to meet. She is quite friendly and has no problems making new friends. I see she has some new fans online."

"What do you think of her newfound game?" Tkael asked.

"I was more surprised when the wild one joined the game. These two are definitely having a noticeable impact on the behavior of the wild youngsters. It's one thing for them to land on our shoulders when they come with Tessa and Dirk to get some fruit almost every day, but I never imagined that one of them would go near a moving Kymari they didn't know. They are nervous enough when we sit still."

Taureen nodded as he joined the discussion. "I gave the players a direct link to my wrist comm if they want to contact me. I also suggested that they start carrying sunburst berries or out of season fruit as a treat at the end of the game."

When the discussion changed to topics that didn't interest me, I flew back up to my perch to grab my gem. Instead of taking it to Soranto, I landed on the floor in front of him, just out of his reach. I rolled it around on the floor a few times, taunting him.

He stretched out his foot, but I swiftly rolled the gem out of his reach. Once he focused on the conversation at hand, I rolled it just within reach again. I kept rolling it closer, and then away whenever he tried to touch it.

Using my tail to bring the shimmering ball with me, I edged closer. My jaw was open in a slight grin at the new game. I wasn't about to let him get the gem easily – he was going to have to work for the privilege. As he leaned forward, I quickly retreated, taking the gem with me.

Grabbing the leather cord, I let it dangle from my jaws as I jumped around a few times. I used the cord to swing it around in big circles and didn't see him lean forward again.

His hands scooped me up. "Got you!"

I squawked in surprise, dropping my gem as I twisted my head around and gently bit the base of his thumb. There wasn't enough pressure to break the skin, but I had a firm grip.

"It looks like you are your mother's daughter, after all. What kind of savages are they raising in this household?" Soranto sounded far too amused considering that I still had a good hold of his hand.

I snorted and grabbed his wrist, letting my claws prick his skin lightly. He set me on his lap, or rather, attempted to. Twisting his arm, he let me hang upside down from his wrist. With a snicker, I looped my tail around his arm to help support my weight, still not letting go.

His other hand managed to snag the gem by his foot. He sat up and held it up as he took a good look at it – somehow completely forgetting about the bright scarlet dragonet dangling from his other arm. Being ignored was not in my plans.

I kicked lightly with my back feet, drawing his attention back to me. Putting the gem down beside him, he began gently tickling me. I began squirming, and it was only seconds before I let go of his thumb. In order to get away from his fingers, I dropped down to his lap.

Rolling onto my back, I swatted his fingers with my hands. My claws were sheathed, and I was being careful with them. Reaching over, he grabbed my gem and dangled it above me. As I reached for it, he pulled back – playing the exact same game I had just tormented him with.

It took a few times before I managed to grab it, which then left my hands holding it – giving him another opening to tickle me.

"You sure are a cute little tyke," he murmured.

Taureen brought out the cleaning kit, and I went to grab a scouring pad and a vial of oil. There was no point in me waiting my turn when I could get Soranto to do it. As always, he was happy to clean and oil my scales.

The evening continued to progress much like it normally did. It was nice to have the feeling of normality back.