Rusaleon was sprawled out on his bed with a book, homework long finished and Ryou apparently in need of some space, when he heard Kae-Ryss come in the front door. It chimed differently for each of them-- some clever programming on Ryou's part, one afternoon when she was bored-- and the cascading bell-scale was the one for Kae-Ryss. He didn't hold his breath for her to do more than poke a head in and make sure he was alive and not running wild somewhere, though. It was what he usually got, at least until dinner was ready.

Things had been quiet for the past few months. Kae-Ryss was withdrawing a little more each day-- not neglectfully, not in her absence, but in her emotions. She smiled less-- not that she smiled much to begin with-- and her little signs of affection became less, not more as he'd hoped, as time went by. What little he picked up across their bond was unhappy, but only distantly so, as if her feelings, good and bad, were slowly turning into nothing. It made him nervous just thinking about it. His bond wasn't happy-- wasn't much of anything, unless she was repressing it all. Or hiding it all. Rusaleon couldn't decide which was worse. But she wasn't happy, and so he wasn't happy. He was starting to think he'd made a mistake, but he didn't know what he could do about it.

He stared at the book without reading a word, listening to Kae-Ryss move about the apartment, shedding work-things, checking messages, inspecting the standard security system. His thoughts weren't on what she was doing, though he heard it. Instead, his thoughts were on what she wasn't doing: getting used to their situation, his presence, and coming to even like it, much less love it. All she was doing was... withdrawing. Losing everything about her that he had chosen her for-- her intelligence, her clever wit, her loyalty, her quiet strength. It was like she'd turned into a shadow of herself, and he had no idea how to get her back.

He could go back to his Grandfather, he supposed. The yautjadragons and hybrids on the Abstract Destiny would take him in, no questions asked. That path would probably lead to working security there, or getting trained and then going out on his own. Neither one really appealed to him. Dark would probably take him in, though he didn't think he really wanted to wander around her realm, either.

But it probably didn't matter what he wanted. He wasn't going to get what he wanted, he was pretty sure of that. What he wanted was for his bond to love him or, failing that, to be happy without him. If he left, he didn't think she'd be any happier than if he'd stayed-- then she'd have that rejection to deal with. If she left him, he could stomach that, because it would be her choice.

And she showed no signs of making that choice.

So he didn't know what to do. Maybe, he thought bleakly as he listened absently to her footsteps coming up the hall, he just needed to give her a little more time, and she'd come to a decision on her own.

"Rusaleon?"

The yautja-hybrid looked up quickly, surprised, as Kae-Ryss not only spoke but she came in, approaching him on the bed. Hastily closing his book, he pulled his mandibles apart in a pleased but surprised smile. She was looking at the ground with three of her four heads, the fourth, a lesser head-- the one she had the least control over, expression-wise-- casting furtive, apologetic glances at his face. He couldn't sense anything from her, but that wasn't unusual.

::Yes?::

"I'm sorry. I've been... a rotten bond to you. I should've-- I--"

Rusaleon, feeling equal parts stunned, delighted, and grateful, interrupted, reaching over to run his fingers through her mane. He couldn't reach any of her faces, though he would have liked to touch one of those, instead. ::It's okay. It really is.::

"It's not," Kae-Ryss said. "It isn't okay. But I hope... I hope I can make it up to you."

::You don't have to,:: he promised.

"But I want to. Can I-- maybe tonight. We can start."

Rusaleon didn't even have to think about it. ::Sure. Sure, whatever you want.::

Kae-Ryss smiled at him briefly, put a paw on the top of his head, then crouched down beside his bed. "You're still small enough to ride," she said, then added with a tiny spark of something recognizably her, "unless you're too fancy."

Beaming delightedly, as much at the proof that she could still be light-hearted as for the offer, Rusaleon shook his head and clamored onto her shoulders, wrapping his forelegs warmly around one of her central necks. He was getting bigger-- another couple months and he probably would be too big for her to comfortably carry-- but for now he still felt small enough to be happy, snuggled up against her fur, his tail draping down between her wings. She straightened again and padded out of his room, heading for the door again.

::Ought we to invite Ryou?:: he asked, looking over his shoulder at the further-in bedrooms.

"She's out with a friend," Kae-Ryss said. "She called to let me know."

Rusaleon blinked at her in surprise; one of her lesser heads, turned to look at him, blinked innocently back. Ryou hadn't told him she was going out-- but then, she didn't, always. She insisted on her privacy, and if she didn't want to tell him where she was going, that was all right. He just thought he'd have heard her leave.

::All right, then,:: he nodded, and clung into her mane happily as she left the apartment again. ::So where are we going?::

"It's a surprise," Kae-Ryss said, heading down the enclosed street towards the nearest of the dragon-sized lifts. "I've been planning it for a few days now."

::Really?:: Again he was surprised-- he'd caught no hints of her planning a surprise for him. It had seemed like she'd been ignoring him as much as she could get away with, as usual. True, he'd heard less of her thoughts across the bond lately, but... perhaps that was why. He wished she would have told him earlier, rather than let him worry.

Maybe now, he thought as Kae-Ryss punched in a few numbers on the computer screen for deck, level, and crossing, she'd start opening herself up again. That was what bonds did for each other, wasn't it? They were open and free with what they thought and felt-- it was what felt natural to him, and was why he never closed his own mind to her, despite her closing hers to him. He knew she was private, too, like Ryou... but he did hope. He stroked her mane while they waited for the lift to get them wherever they were going, and her smaller head hesitated then nuzzled his elbow awkwardly. He beamed at it and petted its ears.

When they got off the lift, Rusaleon didn't recognize the area at all. In fact, it made him a little nervous-- it didn't look like the kind of place to take one's young bond to share some quality time. There weren't many people around, there weren't the usual flashing lights and advertising screens, and it smelled funny. ::Where are we?:: he asked Kae-Ryss, keeping his mind-voice hushed.

::One of the quieter residential levels,:: Kae-Ryss answered in kind, starting off down the dim street. Her mind-voice sounded odd, but he couldn't figure out why.

::Residential?:: he repeated, taken aback.

"Mmmhmm," she confirmed absently, this time aloud.

::What's in a residential district for us to do?::

"You'll see," the smallest head murmured.

It had never occurred to Rusaleon, until that moment, that perhaps he ought not to trust his bond. The realization, however, came far too late, as Kae-Ryss came to a stop in front of a dragon-sized door, pressed a paw to the panel beside it, and stepped inside before he could gather enough of his wits to scramble off and away. Then, staring around him at the room they'd entered, he knew he should have. Though he hadn't recognized the road to get here, he recognized the destination-- not because he'd been there, but because Kae-Ryss had, and he'd seen it in her head. He recognized the chilly, resin-lined walls and the spacious opening cavern.

This was the suite Shishayair kept on Star City, modified by the various xenodragons in the hive.

"Father."

::Kae-Ryss.::

He also recognized Shishayair, standing tall and brightly white and blue against the opposite wall, though he'd never met him, either. He froze for a long moment, torn between the strong desire to flee and the equally strong desire to attack, even as Kae-Ryss tried to prod him off her back. He finally went, woodenly, not knowing what to think or what to do.

"Father, this is Rusaleon," Kae-Ryss said calmly despite Shishayair's cold stare. "He is half yautjadragon and half supernal. He is my bond."

::Is he, now.::

There was no guessing what that emotionless tone meant, but Shishayair's eyes shifted from his daughter to him. Rusaleon bared his teeth helplessly at him, sure that the white dogdra could and probably would kill him, but determined to go down fighting.

Kae-Ryss gave him a shove from behind with one of her greater heads, sending him sprawling because he wasn't expecting it. Surprised and hurt, he looked back over his shoulder at her and was shocked by the blank expressions on all four faces. At her next words, he felt colder than he could have imagined feeling, and he stared at her in horror:

"My gift to you, Father," she said, not looking at him bit at her sire, "and proof of my loyalty." She paused, one lesser head glanced down and its expression twitched, then she added, "Do with him what you will."

It was like a death sentence.

Shishayair knew it.

Rusaleon knew it.

And, worst of all, she knew it.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Rusaleon's Story Continues

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