It was impossible not to notice when the wayward mutt showed up at the yard Ketvia was working at that day. Everyone else noticed and went tense and wary, and even though she was used to him and wasn't about to glare nervously at him like some of the others were, Ketvia couldn't exactly miss the sudden arrival of demon-magic and demon-scent where there had previously been nothing but dragon.

Still, it probably wouldn't do to let him stand there at the edge of the yard and wait for the rest of the morning-- rude to him, though probably good for the recruits, since at least some of them would run into the real thing eventually-- so Ketvia cut her current lesson short and sent her students away to one of the other instructors. She splashed herself liberally with water, shook herself vigorously-- showering a nearby Niteshan, who didn't seem to mind-- and padded over to where he stood, in the shadow of the shed that housed the practice weapons and padded armor.

"Well, isn't this a surprise," she grinned at him.

"Hello, Ketvya," he said with a little smile. He hardly even looked uncomfortable, much less nervous, at the presence of so many less-than-friendly dragons. He didn't even look at the recruits and students peering at him from well-back behind her, much less glance at them anxiously every couple seconds, as Ketvia had still half-expected him to do. Oddly, she actually felt a little proud of him.

Gods, I'm turning into Chiya, she thought at herself, amused.

"Hello, kid," she answered, reaching out to ruffle his still-short hair with a few fingers. It was a reminder of what he'd been through-- which of course Ketvia and Chiya knew all about; they visited enough, and received visits enough, still, that his absence and Akija's not-so-mysterious illness were painfully obvious-- even a year ago. He submitted to the ruffling patiently, but put his hair back in order again as soon as she withdrew. She chuckled at him. "So how are things?"

"Ssey could be better," he admitted. "Ketvya, I need your help."

He never had learned the point of small talk. But then, what else would have brought him here, in the middle of the day, if not needing help? "What can I do for ya?" she asked.

"I need to find somevon. I ssink he vas a Guard, but he iss retir't now. I ton't know his name, but he has a hurt lek and iss brint in von eye, and he's--"

"Sophisius Pluteuon?" she interrupted, surprised. "Is that who you mean?"

"I ton't know-- maybe. Any rrrelatzion to a Fautor Immuto?"

"Only his partner in the Guard, before they both retired!" Ketvia exclaimed. "They're practically legends around here-- well, to those of us who actually like the job."

It was hard to read Cacopheny's expression-- both relieved, but also tense. "Ssen yes. Ssat is him."

"What do you need with them?" Ketvia asked, eying him warily, herself, now. A half-demon searching out a pair of pure Askan ex-Guards? It sounded like trouble, to her. She'd met Sophisius a couple times-- they were rare like minds in a city full of wimps and cowards-- and liked him well enough, but he was a demon-killer and not the most friendly of Askans unless you liked them gruff. Which Cacopheny didn't. "If you tell me they've caused you trouble, I don't care how legendary they are, I'll knock their heads together."

"No, no, nossingk rike ssat," he told her hurriedly, but he looked a little surprised and gratified by her comment, at least. "I jzust need to speak viss ssem. And sseir nephew."

"Nephew?" Ketvia repeated blankly. They had a nephew? As far as she knew, the only sibling that family had, had died down south in Tievaven somewhere, years ago.

Mutely he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his bag and held it out to her. Rather than try to squint at something human-sized, or hold it without crushing it, Ketvia shifted down into human form to take it from him. She frowned at what she read there.

"Lessons?" she read. "What kind of lessons?"

"He is-- rike me. Sort of. He vas a slave, and he toes not speak sse dragon vords. Asssandan. I am tryingk to teatch him, but I ssink ssey are talkingk him out of it. Ssey vere not happy ven ssey found out who I vas."

"Not happy," Ketvia repeated again, frowning more. The idea that Cacopheny was actually going out of his way to help a stranger learn dragonic-- a stranger who was frightened of him, no less, which had to be disturbing enough to the poor kid-- was weird enough to contemplate. Good, certainly, but again not something Ketvia would have expected of him. Hearing the skepticism in that note-- "apparently" well-meaning, her ass-- when he was politely told to take his Caetran self elsewhere only made her angry. Not angry enough to go charging off to bang those heads together, as threatened, but... still.

It was very easy to forget, after so long now and everything that had changed, that she'd wanted to bash his head in, herself, when she first met him. She'd been stupid, and he'd been insane. They were both much better now.

"Yes." Cacopheny nodded, either oblivious to her thoughts or, more likely, just ignoring them. "I vant to talk to ssem, and see if Ranissro is actually as ssey say, and maybe convince ssem ssat I am not tantcherous."

"Of course you're not dangerous," Ketvia scoffed. "Sure, I'll help-- here, I'll even take you."

"You ton't have to do ssat--"

"Kid, they might not let you get that far unless yer escorted."

"--oh...."

He looked so downcast by that idea that Ketvia was glad she'd made the offer. She didn't honestly know if he'd make it through the residential districts without being challenged, but damned if she'd let him find out by himself. "Let me go tell the boss I'm off for the afternoon," she said gruffly. "You wait here."

It was the work of a few minutes to get her students reassigned for the day and let the old Piralan who organized her schedule know she'd done so, and she came back to find Cacopheny a little more as she'd expected him: half-hiding in the shadows, avoiding the looks of the kids who were edging closer. She growled at them warningly, and since she'd gone back to being big and shaggy, they listened and scampered back again sheepishly.

"Come on," she told him smartly, dropping to a crouch. "I walk, you ride. We'll get there faster, and I won't have to get frustrated with how slow your little legs can walk."

Since she could simply have shifted down to human form and he would have out-strode her, with his disturbingly long lags, he took the statement for what it was: an offer of support and solidarity, especially in front of a bunch of unbelievers. So, smiling a bit, he clamored up.

Ketvia shot her wide-eyed students a toothy grin, then trotted off.