Being bonded to a male wasn't as bad as she'd been afraid it would be, at least not so far. It helped, she thought, that Purpura was still very young, and that he was so very clever. Perhaps dragon boys weren't as silly as human boys. Perhaps dragon men weren't as silly as human men, for that matter. That would be a lovely surprise, wouldn't it?

"Daddy!" she cried, waving to get his attention. The whole group of them had hurried inside to escape the rain, now that they were allowed to: guests, dragons, and bonded pairs alike were tired of the sound of rain on tarps and the chill dampness in the air. Cedric Falken was no exception. He turned from his conversation with Naio-- the stuffy Light, of all people!-- to smile at her.

::He's talking to Naio?:: Purpura snickered in her mind, or at least thought and she heard.

::He's a politician and businessman,:: Deborah defended him with teasing primness, ::he talks to everyone.::

"Daddy, did you see?" she exclaimed, tossing her arms around him, to his and the Light dragon's embarrassment.

"Of course I did, princess," he answered, startled by her exuberance into using his usual pet name for her. Purpura's instant bubble of silent laughter made her blush a little and release him, much to his relief, though he did touch her cheek with a fatherly smile.

::Princess??:: Purpura repeated.

::Hush, you.::

He just snickered in her head and put on a solemn smile for her father. "It's very nice to meet you, sir," he said with his usual adult, tone of voice.

"This," Deborah said with a smile, "is Purpura Cerex."

::God, you had to give him my name, didn't you.::

::Well, what else am I supposed to call you?::

::I don't know, anything but that! Sometimes I hate my mother. It's a stupid name.::

::I like it, I think it suits you. Those lovely purple eyes, and everything.::

::That's the problem....::

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Cerex," her father said gravely in the same language, inclining his head. Somehow, with his usual amazing powers of political perception, he'd picked up Purpura's dislike of his own name. The dragon actually seemed to perk a little at the formality, offering the Minister a more natural grin. "Am I to assume we're taking you home with us?"

"That'd be a safe assumption," Purpura not-quite-purred, sounding even more adult. "I'm looking forward to seeing this city in space-- thing of yours." Then, of course, he ruined it. No adult Deborah had ever met would call Star City a "city in space thing".

::City in space... thing?:: she repeated, taking a page out of his own book.

::Hush, you,:: he answered, taking a page out of hers.

"We'll be heading home tomorrow afternoon, with the rest of the bunch," her father was saying, taking the child-like nomative in stride, "so you won't have to wait long to see it."

"Splendid!" Purpura grinned. "Deborah's told us lots about it. Do you really have dragons who chase each other to mate?"

Cedric Falken's ears turned quite red, and Naio, who had been trying very hard to look patient and as if he were quite ignoring the conversation, turned red all over. The prissy Light dragon actually drifted off a few steps, as if to hide. It was very difficult not to laugh.

::Pur', you're embarrassing my father,:: she pointed out, not caring about Naio; it would be good for him to take a little embarrassment. Her father, though, was a different story entirely. 

::I know,:: he said smugly. ::It's kind of fun.::

::You are a very cruel little dragon.::

::I am not! I'm not little at all.::

::You're tiny,:: she said firmly, though not at all seriously, and answered for her father. "Yes, they do, scoundrel, but you will have a lot of trouble getting involved, once those wings of yours disappear."

"Oh, I wasn't even thinking about it," he said innocently. "I just thought it was interesting. Fire dragons do that at their festivals, sometimes, and Air dragons sure do. I've always wanted to see one."

"Well, er--"

"There will be plenty of time for that, though I hope no bond of mine turns out to be a peeping Tom," Deborah said, not mentioning that she had done the same thing, more than once, and changed the subject. "I'm more interested in your magic, myself. Aedelian's offered to teach all three of them, Daddy, isn't that nice of him?"

Relieved to not be talking about sex with a child, dragon or not, the Minister nodded. "Very kind," he agreed, "though I'll be interested to see how different it is from the kind of magic other mages on the station practice. Whether other mages might be able to teach them, as well."

"Other mages??" Purpura exclaimed, surprised.

The Minister smiled. "There are many different kinds of just about anything you can imagine on Star City, including mages."

"Oh, wow, I can't wait! This place sounds so interesting!"

"I'm glad you agree," Deborah quipped with a lop-sided smile. "Since I happen to think it's quite interesting." Her father caught her eye at that, and she rolled her lightly; as if she'd take a little boy clubbing! "Why don't you go see how Aduri and Demulcei are taking to bonding, Pur'," she suggested. "I'll catch up in a minute."

::So see-through.:: But, despite the tease, he grinned. "All right. Don't take too long!"

"I won't," she promised, and he turned to bound in the direction of Mariette, Elsie, and their two new bonds. Watching him go, she commented to her father, "He really does seem to be a clever thing."

"Ahem," he answered, "yes, he does. A bit too clever," he added in a mutter.

"Oh, Daddy," she chuckled, hooking one arm around his and patting it fondly, "he was just trying to get a rise out of you, that's all. He likes to startle people. Don't pay him any attention."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he fretted, eying Purpura as he made a typical attention-nabbing entrance among his friends and hers.

"Even if I didn't, it's too late now," she pointed out, but before he could even start to worry, protest, or even say anything, she put a quelling finger to his lips. "But I do think it's a good idea, and I'm happy with this," she told him, deciding that she would make it true, even if the little dragon was male. Maybe being bonded to a woman would be good for him, and he wouldn't mistreat any. "Besides," she added with a wry smile, "having a little boy in my head all the time will most certainly keep me out of trouble."

"At least until the 'little boy' grows up," he grumbled, but didn't protest more. Instead, he kissed her forehead, patted her cheek, and freed his arm. "Go talk to your friends. I'll see you in the morning, all right?"

"All right," she promised, then returned his affection with a kiss to his cheek. "I love you, Daddy."

That brought back his smile. "I love you, too, princess."