There was a definite air of someone shell-shocked about Proquess after that hatching, and Shishayair was amused by it. The bondings were over, so it would have been safe to go down and meet her and the rest of the make-shift hive, but simply loitering outside the hatching bay had earned him the glares of the various yautjadragons hovering restlessly and mistrustfully around the entrances, so he remained where he was. No matter how much he enjoyed watching the beasts squirm, he thought it best, just then, to not make any moves that might be construed as threatening. He was cruel, not stupid. 

Well, besides smirking at them, but that didn't count. No one even making a passing nod to honor could attack simply for a disrespectful expression. He was causing no actual harm, a mere annoyance that paled before the much greater annoyance within.

Shishayair had "listened" to the hatching, through his daughter and through his bond, though only lightly, so as not to attract attention. He already had one bond; he did not want nor need another. So he was party to Proquess's shocked awe at the "sight" of the queen-- the queen with the gentle voice. The drone was even more shocked when Kae-Ryss helpfully relayed the fact that said queen was pure white, even more white than Proquess herself was. Shishayair wasn't entirely surprised, having seen the firstborn with its pure white carapace under the single red cap, but the idea that there was actually a queen had been a bit startling.

Well, no matter. If Doctor Schroeder wanted to make a xenodragon queen who was gentle instead of vicious, Shishayair wasn't going to second-guess him. It wasn't as it if were important. What was important was that Proquess had, indeed, bonded-- and to one of those beast-like "archetypes", the bursters who did not burst, which was even better. There would be no lording rank over Proquess, from him, and he expected that having someone who actually did respect her and take her instruction would do her good. Kae-Ryss seemed to think that the little drone-- Eness-- had also bonded her sister, and Shishayair had no qualms with that, either. A bond that went three ways was closer to a hive-like situation, anyway, and Mu-Lin was properly deferent to her bond, already.

Well, one assumed deferent, since she was affectionate and undemanding, though she really had no way to be loud and obnoxious, either, being mute. Shishayair took a moment to frown and ponder, as he always did, how he had managed to produce the runty, silent little girl. Perhaps, as he usually decided, it was her mother's fault. She had been rather deficient in various ways, herself.

The audience was leaving, now that the excitement was over. It was a rather small one, considering-- rather like the candidate turn-out had been. Perhaps for the same reason. Xenodragons were generally a menace, and Star City in particular seemed to have at least an equal population of wild and dangerous ones versus their bonded and presumably controlled ones, though not many really trusted the majority of the bonded ones, either. Only the brave and the curious had come to this hatching, rather than the usual entertainment-seekers. Shishayair did not bother to step aside, letting the small crowd part around him warily. It amused him, but though he was tempted to snap at a few mockingly, there were still the yautjas just down the hall, glaring down into the bay as if offended by the proceedings, so he tactfully refrained.

Kae-Ryss came out first, looking downcast. She hadn't bonded, despite her hope to. Perhaps she wasn't "good" enough; Shishayair could have told her that. If she took it into her head to try attending the yautjadragon clutch scheduled for the next bay over, it would be on her own head what happened to her. He didn't think she was that dense, but desire could confuse even the most intelligent of creatures. The black hydra bobbed her heads respectfully, but passed him by. One of his own watched her as she continued quietly out of the ship and away, probably to wander a bit before reuniting with everyone at their apartment.

Next up was, unsurprisingly, Ominous. Shishayair sent her on her way, to meet him back at the apartment. He wanted to speak to Proquess without his annoying hanger-on. Because she was obedient, she went, though sulkily. Lohress followed a moment later, radiating dissatisfaction: Venuss had apparently spent the whole hatchling trying to hide in his fluff, to his deep and resentful embarrassment. Shishayair chuckled at the boy but sent him on ahead of him, too.

Then came Carskadei with Greolis right behind, skirting her tail nervously. The reason was something less than clear, since the dogdra's great bulk and three dozen heads easily concealed the pair of slithery, newly-hatched D-strain xenodragons. The fact that both gave little squeaks of frightened displeasure at the sight of him before burrowing even deeper into the next of necks was the only real indication.

::Congratulations, my dear,:: he purred at her. ::I see you've found some new friends.::

::Oh, shut up,:: she snapped back at him, flustered and unable to keep her temper after the unexpected bonding, and he sidled smoothly out of the way of her irritable teeth. As she paced away, not even needing to be ordered home, he caught sight of one eyeless little head, gray on white, peeked out of the neck-bundles to hiss at him. He actually laughed, at that one.

And finally, after the rest of the hive and most of the audience and even other candidates had departed, up came Proquess, still with that shell-shocked emotional aura. She didn't even seem to see him. ::Hello, Proquess,:: he told her, wondering if he ought to be concerned.

The little xenodragon paused, attention focusing on him at last. ::There's a queen,:: she said faintly. ::A real queen. A white queen. And she-- she spoke to me.::

Shishayair chuckled. Ah, it was just that. ::Well, she's not a real queen, Proquess. She's a D-strain queen. I expect there's quite a lot of difference.::

::Oh, no. Oh, she's real, Shishayair. She's very real....::

Admittedly a bit disturbed at his bond's odd, dreamy, admiring tone, Shishayair butted her shoulder with his largest head, teeth from a couple smaller ones clicking warningly. She stumbled a little, but she gratifyingly leaned into his second nudge, actually paying attention to him, now. ::Come along, Proquess. Let's go-- ugh!::

A furious little squeal interrupted his thought, and he reared back just in time to avoid getting a tiny, gray-and-blue snake with teeth attached to a lesser head's nose. ::What--:: he snarled abortively, as Mu-Lin, bounding up from behind her bonded, snatched the little drone-infant back before it could attach again.

::Eness!:: Proquess exclaimed, sounding properly scandalized that something-- even a newly-bonded xenodragon-- had attacked him. ::No, no, don't do that-- don't ever do that--::

The sullen, tumbling, rapids-over-rocks sending that answered didn't make much sense to Shishayair, except that it was obviously angry, reluctantly obedient, and focused directly on Shishayair. Mu-Lin cradled the mentally-grumbling little xeno-slitherer against her mane-ruff, looking apologetically up at her father, and Proquess was already babbling apologies, but when Shishayair took so much as one step towards Mu-Lin and her newly-bonded burden, he got growled at.

::Well, well, well.:: He eyed the thing with displeasure, but it was obviously he couldn't do much about it now. He'd just have to make sure it-- him? that insipidly wordless mental presence seemed relatively male-- was safely ensconced with one of his bonds whenever Shishayair happened to want the attention of the other. It would be tricky, maybe, but tricky made things interesting.

::Please, don't hurt him, Shishayair, please, he doesn't mean it--::

Shishayair, finally registering his bond's pleading, snapped at her briefly to shut her up. ::Stop that inane babbling,:: he ordered curtly. ::I'm not about to hurt anyone. He's bonded to you two, after all. Just keep him to the same agreement, and there will be no problem.::

When Proquess fell to grateful thanking and earnest promises, he sighed heavily and reached over to rap her dome with forepaw instead of teeth, just to be different. ::Hush,:: he reiterated, more gently, and she fell silent, radiating simple gratitude and affection instead of words.

Much better.

However, that only made the xeno-slitherer even more unhappy, though Mu-Lin quickly hushed him, smothering the open-sending of a steaming waterfall of anger with a cotton-thick reassurance. Gods, the two were made for each other....

::Back to the apartment, then,:: Shishayair sighed. As the two followed him meekly, he spared a moment to wish that she had learned the lesson of standing up for her own wishes a little better. Then, maybe, none of this would have even happened.

Chapter Sixteen

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