Another two days saw very little more in the way of business getting done, but Anova wasn't feeling quite as frustrated as before. Minister Falken had met with her once, briefly, and they'd actually discussed what he'd invited her here for, but there hadn't been time to do more than broach the subject. Anova had finagled an actual promise of a full two hours of his time the day following, but until then, she was again left to her own devices. But not alone, not this time.

Terramintin had made good on his implied promise to spend more of his time with her, to her delight. They read books, watched movies, and just talked-- and he even managed to coax her out of their rooms a couple times. Once, for a trip to an actual restaurant he had found which offered quiet booths and a flexible menu that accommodated her many allergies quite willingly. That was a nice change, but it was the second excursion that was really impressive. 'Mint took her down to visit the flight deck and watch a whole pack of dragons engaged in a game of aerial tag. They were so varied amongst themselves and so different from Chytonian varieties of the same that Anova couldn't take her eyes off them, trying in vain to classify each one, but they simply moved too quickly.

Sansu accompanied them most of the time, whether curled up in one or the other's lap, or sprawled out on the floor, or wandering around their rooms. He seemed to know exactly when Anova wanted her brother to herself, and when company was acceptable-- and he was better company than just about anyone Anova had met, not counting 'Mint himself, so she didn't mind having to "share" her brother. Not too much, anyway, and the minute to started resenting the little dragon's presence, he would make himself scarce.

Today wasn't one of those times. She'd come home from her meeting with the Public Minister to join Terramintin on the couch, curled up beside him with her chair waiting close by should she need it, sharing a book. Sansu sat against's 'Mint's other side, front end and wing-arms resting in his lap, watching the book, too. Whether he could actually read it, was getting a translation out of her brother's head, or he was just being polite, Anova didn't know.

She had just turned the page to start a new chapter when suddenly the comfortable silence was split by, "Say, Anova...." She blinked, releasing the page and looking up at her brother, who wasn't exactly watching her-- but she could see the look out of the corner of his eye. Something about what he was going to ask made him uncomfortable.

She found out why quickly enough. "This'll probably seem rather random, but... would you like to try standing at a hatching?"

Random wasn't even the word for it. Completely out of the blue, Anova didn't know where it came from or why it came up. Her first reaction was, of course, to think he was getting tired of her company and wanted someone to give him some free time, by keeping her company in his stead. But that's ridiculous, she told herself sternly. He's quite plainly said he likes my company.

But then why...?

She smirked some at him, and his brows went up. "Me? Try to get myself a dragon? 'Mint, what I told Deborah is still true. I'm not exactly dragon-bonding material; even if one might even look at someone who can't walk or go outside, I certainly won't be able to take care of it."

"That doesn't answer my question," he said with maddening logic, tone light and mouth smiling. "Whatever you are, whatever you can or can't do, would you like to? Would you, if you had the chance?"

As ludicrous as it sounded, Anova figured she might as well give him an honest answer. "I'd never even thought about it," she admitted. "I didn't know what a crippled businesswoman would do with a dragon. I still don't, really, but I'd never even considered the idea. So I guess I mean, I don't know."

"You think I know what I'm going to do with a dragon?" 'Mint said with a chuckle. Anova could think of plenty of things he could do with Sansu, even if 'Mint couldn't, but she held her peace. She wasn't feeling terribly snide today, for once: the (small) progress she'd made with Falken had helped, and cuddling up with 'Mint had done the rest. Besides, he rather obviously had more to say.

"But I'd been thinking about it," he continued, as she'd expected he would. "About you standing at a hatching." He shifted to he could look at her without craning his neck funny, and she sat back just enough for that to be comfortable for him. "And I... well, I'd like to see you try. I wasn't going to say anything, but as it turns out Sansu agrees with me... and he was going to ask you, himself, if I didn't." A glance at the little dragon proved that he was looking both supremely pleased with himself and in complete agreement. He nodded at 'Mint's last words.

"I think I'm outvoted," she commented dryly, but smiled to take away the sting. Inside, though, she wasn't sure about this-- weren't there people staring at you in a hatching? Deborah had actually invited her to go to the one Sansu had found her brother at-- How ironic that I turned her down,-- so she knew, at least, that people watched them. "I don't know," she answered after a moment. "You know how I don't like to be stared at...."

"Trust me, Anova," 'Mint said with a wave of one hand. "When the hatching's going on, nobody's paying attention to anything but the eggs. And I've seen the kinds of characters that make up this station; against them, there's nothing stare-worthy about a lady in a hoverchair." Oh, now that sounded bad, Anova thought with amusement; she knew he didn't mean anything offensive by it-- how could she take offense from her brother, anyway?-- so she let it pass.

"Now, you know I wouldn't try to shove you into anything you didn't want to do," 'Mint was saying, "but I would like to see you give it a shot. Just to see, you know? --And hey," he added with a grin, "If nothing else, you'll get an up-close look at one of those hatchings that drive the natives oh-so crazy, right?"

She couldn't help but laugh a little. "Just like what you wanted, right?" she teased.

"Well, yeah, exactly!" he answered with a grin.

After a moment, like she knew she probably would, Anova sighed and gave in. "All right," she agreed. "Just to see." Just because it will make you happy to see me try, she thought, her real reason. He'd been so sweet to her, as if trying to make up for making her unhappy before, that she didn't want to deny him something he wanted-- even if it was something for her.

At any rate, it would just be one hatching, certainly. There was no way a dragon would choose her over someone healthy and happy, and she would attend the hatching with no illusions about what the outcome would be. Besides, what in the world would she do with a dragon? Teach it to balance her ledgers for her? The thought was enough to make her giggle inside, though she kept it quietly to herself. No need to make him think she wasn't going to take his wish for her seriously.

Terramintin grinned so widely Anova thought it must have hurt. "Thanks, Anova," was all he said. "That's all I'm asking."

"I'll have to go home for a while," she warned him. "There aren't supposed to be any more hatchings for a while, and isn't the next one mothered by that... shiny, glittery dragon?" There was no way in all the world, or worlds, that she would even make a token attempt at standing for a dragon that would probably make her eyes hurt to look at, even if if it was certain she wouldn't end up taking one home. Apparently, her mild disgust at the thought amused her brother, for he snickered.

"That would be the lady Ignis, yes," he admitted, "but there's another on the sands with eggs due to hatch in a month or so. Lady...." He paused, as if trying to remember the name. "Tegwenessa," he finally supplied. "Not a single shiny scale to be seen upon her, though her mate is a fine, striped fellow. I did figure her clutch would be better suited for you than Ignis'."

"Well, at least you know me well enough to know that," she commented with an amused smile of her own.

::And if I may say, Mi-- Anovadiell,:: Sansu piped up, apparently still struggling with not calling her by those quite embarrassing titles. ::I am quite certain someone will find you right for them.::

Stag forbid, or I won't know what to do, Anova thought wryly, but she smiled, anyway. "If you really think so, Sansu."

The little hatchling made a chortling kind of noise in his throat. ::Oh, I do.::

Chapter Five

Read from Terramintin's Perspective

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