"Father?"

Shishayair didn't look up from his work as his daughter slipped into the hot forge chamber he'd appropriated for himself on the world Cy Dragonstake shared. It was dragon-sized, for the most part, but there was only just enough room for the both of them. ::Yes, Kae-Ryss?::

"I discovered something I thought you might want to know about."

Young Kae-Ryss was a fount of such things-- things that he 'might want to know about'-- especially now that she had matured and had started teleporting more reliably. She was an excellent spy and collector of information, enjoyed traveling almost more than being tied to the hive, and was undeniably loyal. Among other important things, she'd been the one to share with him, and her sister, about Dark's clutch. ::And what might that be?:: he asked her.

"The Abstract Destiny is having another biosynth that might interest your bond."

Hmm. Shishayair paused to consider this, one head glancing at his impassive offspring, who gazed just as impassively back. One gazed off thoughtfully into space and the rest remained fixed on the metal he'd been carefully twisting into its proper shape. It was starting to cool now, in need of another reheating. 

The last time they'd been involved with the Abstract Destiny the results had been less than satisfactory. Greolis Tah was a complete waste of a heartbeat, and if it hadn't been for Mu-Lin's irrational attachment to the creature and his slight ability to make Proquess be firmer in her opinions, he would have corrected the universe's error in creating him. Actually, their even earlier trip to that particular ship hadn't even been all that profitable: Ominous wasn't entirely useless, but her fawning was annoying, and Alladross himself was a menace who Shishayair would have loved to be rid of if he could. Uecoss hadn't seen fit to leave the hive yet, however, so he remained, taking delight in tormenting the lesser hive-members and irritating the better ones.

::Why do you think this synth might turn out in a more agreeable fashion than the last?:: he asked, the rest of his heads looking up, now, and fixing Kae-Ryss with four stares.

Rather than looking cowed, one of her own heads actually smirked at him. That was one reason he respected her: she was hard to intimidate. "Doctor Schroeder has created a new species-- or, more accurately, a new breed of an existing species."

Shishayair went back to his metal, reheating it slowly with a careful thought. His ability to control the heat of objects, within a certain degree, was one of the admittedly few reasons he'd finally settled on this for a part-time profession. ::And this interests me, why?::

The smirk widened. "Because this species is a new strain of xenodragon."

Shishayair paused again, and his daughter looked smug that she had given him cause to think. ::What do you know about this 'new strain' of xenodragon?:: he asked. Given the other things the Abstrast Destiny had produced, he was a little wary about what the "good doctor" might have done to his bond's species.

"They haven't released much information," Kae-Ryss admitted. "What they have said is that they are still hive-minded and will only bond, not sponsor, and that though they can still be protectively violent, they are not inherently cruel or predatory, like true xenodragons."

Frowning thoughtfully, Shishayair nodded. That didn't seem like too much of a change, and not a terrible one, either.

"The firstborn is white," Kae-Ryss added slyly.

Shishayair snorted at her. ::That means very little, child,:: he told her sternly. ::Color has little bearing on true personality, as I have tried so hard to teach Proquess-- and apparently have failed to teach my offspring.::

Kae-Ryss didn't seem to have taken the rebuke for what it was, smiling unconcernedly at him, but then, that probably hadn't been her thought on the subject of color to begin with. She was, he expected, partly showing him that color meant less to the new strain of xenodragons than it did to the old, and partly trying to seduce him to her idea by likening this firstborn to his own bond. She was a clever girl, after all-- she was the smartest of his offspring thus far, and he expected she might remain so-- and knew him as well as anyone was ever likely to. And apparently she really wanted him to at least look into this hatching.

::Very well, I will visit this ship and biosynth and see what there is to see,:: he acquiesced. ::After I finish this piece,:: he added quellingly when she perked up. Just a little, barely noticeable as she actively tried to control her expressions, but all four sets of ears did twitch upwards, and one tail gave a single wag. ::The ship will still be there tomorrow.::

"Let me know when you go," Kae-Ryss suggested.

::If I didn't know better,:: Shishayair drawled as he went back to his shaping, now that the metal was hot enough and Kae-Ryss wasn't likely to surprise him again, ::I'd say you were the one interested in this synth, for yourself.::

"I am merely curious about it," she assured him quickly. "And I thought that perhaps your bond would benefit from the company of her own kind, if they were not typical specimens."

He did note, however, that one head had turned aside, as if embarrassed. It was difficult sometimes, he knew, to keep expression from giving one away when one had four separate expressions to try and control. Shishayair had much more practice at it than his daughter, of course, so he was much better at it. ::Of course,:: he replied blandly. ::Go on, then. I'll let you know when I'm finished here.::

"Thank you, Father," Kae-Ryss said, bowing all four heads before escaping the forge, her fur already sticking to her skin from the heat. Shishayair always managed to keep his own body cool enough while he worked to not look quite so unsightly, though he unfortunately couldn't help the sooty smudges he got now and then. A good bath after every trip here usually solved that, however, and as much as he despised getting dirty and tired, the money it brought in was useful, and he had to admit that it was good to have something to do besides babysitting the hive or wandering aimlessly, hoping to cause some havoc. He still had time to cause havoc and babysit-- though really, nearly everyone was grown up now, so it was more like annoying-dragon-sitting than babysitting-- but he also had funds to pay for their apartment on Star City and occasionally bribe people. Kae-Ryss's contributions were appreciated, as well.

As were her nuggets of information, for the most part. This time... well, Shishayair wasn't going to make any decisions without investigating further, himself, and that was going to have to wait until tomorrow.

Chapter Fourteen

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