"All right," Kae-Ryss said while Rusaleon hungrily tore into an expensive, well-prepared steak. He knew what she was going to say, even half-distracted as he was by finally filling his very empty stomach.

"I can't take you home," she continued, as expected, her tone reluctant, heavy, and resigned. "Half the hive would drive you mad, and you would drive the other half mad."

She was, of course, right-- though for different reasons than she thought. He'd known what her "hive" consisted of when he bonded her. He could see, in her mind and in his own memory of what he took in when he made his choice, each member of the hive and how they would probably react to him. Some he would have no problem with, but most of those would have problems with him: there would be more than one among them who would fear him, no matter how kind he tried to be, and others who would be suspicious of him for a long time even if he left them alone. Some would have no problems with him if he did not make a nuisance of himself, but he would not stop making a nuisance of himself until they stopped their evil ways and disassociated themselves from those who refused to do so.

It was her family that was going to be the hardest. Her sister who, though gentle in her own right, loved and even idolized her demonic father because her bond did and because he was, inexplicably, kind to her, albeit in a distant and absent fashion. And said father, who was the most dangerous thing about that whole hive, but who Kae-Ryss herself sought to please and wished affirmation and affection from. Rusaleon thought she was on a fruitless mission, there, but he also didn't think she would believe him.

Worse, though, was that he was entirely certain that whatever the four-headed Shishayair did, he, himself, would want to stop him-- but his bond would want to help him. That, he thought, was their biggest problem. Everything else could be compromised on, discussed, or worked out between them if they both made an effort... even her appalling lack of moral standing. He expected she might change her mind even on that, if shown a better way, but he didn't think she would ever renounce her father.

::What else would you like to do, then?:: he asked, glad he could continue eating while he spoke. Deep thinking and hard worrying made him even hungrier.

"Well, we have to have somewhere to live," Kae-Ryss said. "For now, perhaps we can stay in Father's apartment here, on Star City. It will be very big, with just the three of us--" She paused, and one of her smaller heads nodded at Ryou, as if giving her a chance to protest, or just making sure no one forgot her, "--but it will do until we find somewhere smaller, of our own."

"We'll have to get a job," Ryou's top head said-- every time she said something, it seemed to come from a different mouth, as opposed to Kae-Ryss, who usually used her middle-right head to speak-- though all four feline faces looked displeased.

"You're too young to get a job," Kae-Ryss told her, then added thoughtfully, "But since I have the two of you, I believe I am due discounted housing and supplies. I'll have to look into that."

::You will have to get a job,:: Rusaleon pointed out.

Kae-Ryss sighed. "Yes, unfortunately, unless Father decides he'd like to pay for another apartment somewhere. If we stay anywhere except an official dragonry, anyway-- I suppose Cy might have a free lair we could use, but I doubt we would be welcome."

::And it will be too close to this hive of yours,:: Rusaleon added.

"That, too. I suppose it can't be helped, not if we don't want to live in a cave."

"Which I don't," Ryou's bottom head put in, while her left one hissed at the very idea.

"Right," Kae-Ryss agreed. "I'll have to give some of my duties to someone else-- perhaps Lohress or Anon Night can begin to actually earn their keep. I'm sure either one of them would be decent at it."

::Why not give all of them away?:: Rusaleon suggested hopefully.

"And have Father decide I'm useless?" Kae-Ryss snorted. "Of course not."

Mu-Lin-- so quiet that it was easy to forget she was there, even as big and white as she was-- reached over and pawed gently at her sister's wing. She sighed. "I know, Mu-Lin. That's not necessarily a bad thing. But I don't want him to forget about me, if I can't live with all of you--"

Again Mu-Lin pawed at her, and a couple of her heads frowned back. "What?"

Mu-Lin shook a couple of hers solemnly.

"What are you trying-- oh. I don't really live there much these days, anyway, do I? I suppose that's true. But that doesn't change the fact that I won't see him at all if I'm not working for him."

Mu-Lin rustled her wings and shook her head again, looking remarkably impatient. All of Kae-Ryss's heads were frowning at her, now. "What-- you don't think that's a good thing--"

This time she got three head-shakes and a puff of air.

"Then-- oh, you don't think I'll have time to work for him, too? Come on, now, jobs don't take that much time. I'm sure I can still--"

Mu-Lin interrupted with an impatient rustle of wings, then nodded at first Ryou then Rusaleon when Kae-Ryss obediently stopped talking to take in her "comment".

"Well, yes, I know I have them to look after, but Ryou's a cat, and Rusaleon isn't exactly a helpless babe."

The white dragoness made the first actual sound Rusaleon had heard her make: she snorted.

"Hey!" Ryou's right head protested. Rusaleon just watched, forgetting to eat, wondering how the two of them were even figuring out what in the world Mu-Lin was saying-- well, the snort was obvious enough, he supposed, but he wasn't going to protest someone's doubts about his hatchling-level ability to look after himself. Not when that person was using it as part of an argument to not see Shishayair again. But Kae-Ryss's understanding was completely beyond him; most of Mu-Lin's "comments" utterly mystified him.

As Kae-Ryss bristled unhappily at what he guessed was a "rebuke" of sorts, though, he caught Mu-Lin's smaller, nearer head winking merrily at him, which left him even more confused than before. Her other three heads were fixed on her sister, however, and she reached up fearlessly to wrap her forepaw around Kae-Ryss's snarling muzzle quite firmly: Kae-Ryss had to shake her head vigorously to free herself.

"I guess you have a point," one of her smaller heads muttered, as if loathe to admit defeat. Her usual one added reluctantly, "But...."

Mu-Lin snapped two of her jaws with a click of teeth, shaking her other heads firmly.

"Easy for you to say," Kae-Ryss grumbled, sitting back-- even though she had said nothing at all. "He obviously cares about you, useless or not." At her sister's following snort, she actually smiled a little, wryly. "All right, all right. I know I said that could just have been because of Proquess. But working for him is all I have. I don't have a bond he likes, or is bonded to in turn--"

::Never,:: Rusaleon couldn't help but comment at the very idea, downy feathers fluffing automatically and tail lashing. Bonded to that demon-spawn? Ugh.

"--or a bond who will even tolerate him," Kae-Ryss finished, glaring at him. He sank down a little into his seat and went back to eating.

"So-- wait," Ryou began with her top head, and finished with her right, "What exactly are you two talking about?" She paused, then her left head added, "Er, 'talking'," and surrounding the word with invisible quotes, given how one-sides the conversation seemed from their perspective.

Kae-Ryss huffed, but at least explained. "Mu-Lin thinks I ought to stop working for my father altogether-- stop the spying, the occasional sabotage, meeting with his various clients or possible allies-- all those things I do for him to help him out."

::I agree with her,:: Rusaleon put in quickly, earning him another glare from his chosen.

"And you're worried that he'll stop caring about you if you do," Ryou concluded shrewdly.

"I'm not honestly sure he cares now," Kae-Ryss admitted unhappily, looking away from them all with all four heads. Rusaleon could feel her shame and sadness clearly, and he wished he could reach her, to touch her, but he'd have to crawl across the table to do that. Why she should care about the regard of a beast, he didn't know, but she did and he wished she didn't. It could only hurt her. "But I keep thinking that if I'm good enough at what I do for him, at least he'll be proud he sired me."

Mu-Lin leaned over to nuzzle her sister's wing. Kae-Ryss pushed her away, gently, but was less gentle with her own emotions. She clamped down on them ruthlessly, both them and on the delicate, fledgling bond with Rusaleon, cutting him off from whatever else she felt. "It's foolish," she said, her voice cool and calm again. "Mu-Lin is right. The only real way to keep Rusaleon safe from our father--" And vice versa, Rusaleon added, in his own mind, "--is to cut my ties. I shouldn't even introduce him. We'll just disappear."

Despite the trickle of disappointment that leaked from her mind when she said that, Rusaleon couldn't help but agree. He knew he couldn't be civil with a-- creature like Shishayair, not even for her. The whole encounter would only give her more grief, and might well make them an enemy. It was also more than he could have possibly expected-- hoped, but not expected-- that she might actually value her bond more than her father. If she actually did; he wasn't entirely sure what was motivating her, and he wasn't about to ask or poke around uninvited. Not right then. Maybe later, but not right then, not when she was making such an effort to stay closed to him.

He caught Mu-Lin's eye on him again. He didn't know why she had made such a point of arguing his bond-- her obviously much-loved sister-- into giving in like this, giving up her father... but she had, in her odd, silent way. And she'd managed it, something Rusaleon had doubted his own ability to do. No matter his misgivings about her affections for a monster, he knew it had something to do with him, and he had to be grateful for that. He met her singular offered gaze and ducked his head in acknowledgement.

He got a bright smile back-- sunny but still enigmatic-- and Mu-Lin turned her fourth head back to her sister and Ryou, leaving Rusaleon not feeling any more certain about the situation than before.

At least he wouldn't have to deal with Shishayair for a while... if ever.

Chapter Twenty-Three

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