The next six months were infinitely better than the previous six months-- for both boys. They were together again, living in the southern mountains of Avengaea by night and schooling in the Ansaras range by day, and even when the two brothers weren't together, neither of them were alone. Catame and Tantra were nearly inseparable, and they liked it that way, unable to imagine it any other way. Daynoren and Novitas weren't quite inseparable, and they had their moments of argument and annoyance, but they were really more alike than either one wanted to admit, and mostly they got along together just fine; their partnership in magic, at any rate, was seamless. Being free from the stress of jealousy, because one brother was bonded and happy and the other wasn't, was a big improvement, too. 

When first presented with his own suite at the Avengaean Weyr-- in both Daynoren and Novitas' mind, it rather badly needed a name, but neither could come up with anything that didn't sound insulting or make one start laughing, probably because they simply weren't serious about naming it-- Daynoren was extravagant in his praise, mostly because of how pleased it made Catame. He did like it, of course, and liked the thought that had gone into the furniture and decorations even more, but over the next few months things slowly and subtly began to be replaced, until Daynoren and Novitas were both happy with their home. Unlike their neighbors, the two kept separate rooms. Just because Novitas had to share her mind with someone didn't mean she no longer needed her privacy!

Living together, or at least nearby, made a lot of things easier, like meals and studying. They weren't picked up by Tantra's mother for teleporting until after breakfast, and they were always home well before dinner, so, with lunch provided in the bonding complex's kitchens, the four-- five, counting Frux, who had moved into a separate room at Catame and Tantra's weyr-- shared every meal together. The only exception was when Daynoren and Novitas had a particularly difficult exam coming up and had to study, when Novitas simply couldn't stand company any longer and shut herself in her room, or when the two human boys went for their weekly Familiar Visit.

Their family hadn't forgotten about them, though Daynoren expressed the wish more than once that they would, but their relations with them seemed to have improved. Dana was pleased with both the boys, now, proud that not only had Catame impressed two dragons into living with him-- nothing anyone had said so far could convince her that Frux was his own dragon and not bound to Cat in any way-- but that Daynoren had won over a rare and magically powerful cross-breed. Daynoren didn't bother to try and abuse her of the notion that he had somehow "won" at the whole bonding "game"; anything that made her civil towards him was good enough. He even got to relax enough to enjoy the wine.

Darkil went home a week after the bonding, or off on some travel to a distant library; at any rate, he was gone, and the boys were told not to expect him until after Midwinter and the fourth bonding. Catame was visibly disappointed to see him go, still desperately trying to get some kind of affection and appreciation out of him, but Daynoren was just relieved. It was one less worry, that for some reason his father thought he had to stay and watch them; he was far more comfortable with a father that ignored him than a father who took any sort of interest. Just why Catame kept trying to please the man was beyond him, but Catame couldn't find a way to explain, if he even knew himself.

The whole family got to meet the rest of Tantra's family eventually, when the whole group of them came to the city for Tantra's birthday in early spring. Her father was nearly as shy as she was, though more cheerful, and her baby sister was absolutely adorable. Meeting Novitas' family was less of an affair, for they only met her father, a Water dragon who, though very caring, seemed to have the attention span of a fruit fly. He either ignored or was oblivious to his daughter's quirky wit and was quite pleased that she'd bonded, because then she was "out of his fins"-- to use Novitas' somewhat bitter and probably not quite true words-- and could focus on his new family with his new Water mate. He said he'd visit whenever he could. Daynoren learned early on not to ask Novitas about her Earth mother; she made it perfectly clear that she didn't want to talk about it.

School was even much improved. There were more bonded students now, so the classes that bonded pairs usually took alone didn't feel nearly as empty anymore, and shortly after the bonding the war picked up again off-world and a couple new teachers were cycled in. History and magical theory and sciences were the same, but the double-class of biological sciences and "written studies"-- literature, arithmetic, and, of course, writing-- had new teachers, the former a bubbly, quirky Earth dragoness and the latter a prim Light dragoness who, though she was outwardly formidable, was very intelligent and patient when it came to actually teaching to the student's pace. One of the other bondees was illiterate-- the boys could hardly imagine what it must be like to not be able to read-- and, though she grumbled about it often, she actually was very understanding with him, in her own odd way. That he was half-demon made it even more surprising.

For Daynoren, school was even more improved, because now he was no longer stuck in the same rudimentary applied magic classes with the rest of the bonded pairs. A few of the other unbondeds, including two new cross-breeds who came to the complex shortly after his own bonding to Novitas, and Novitas had special tutors, a friendly but strict Light mage and an excitable but talented Air mage, because of their own heightened abilities. True to their word, they offered Daynoren a crash-course in simple magics and groundwork theory, which he passed with flying colors, and he was welcomed among them to learn more exciting, demanding magic. He loved every minute of it.

The other pairs were interesting, too. Most of them were far older than the boys, a large group consisting of humans from another world. Catame was shy with them, but Daynoren rather liked a couple, in a distant, acquaintance sort of way. The half-demon, whose name was Cacopheny, didn't talk to anyone except a red daemoness named Akija who bonded a Fire, and though Catame very much liked her cheerful nature, she didn't have a lot of attention to spare for him. A bear-person and his Earth dragon came sometimes, but more often then not were studying elsewhere, and a little daemon-dragon had bonded two of the dragons, but though she was cute and could be sweet sometimes, she didn't really talk to Catame and Daynoren and their bonds much, acting rather like she didn't really want to be wherever she was at the time.

So, on the whole, though they were happy, neither Daynoren nor Catame had much luck making friends. The lack of other people their age was largely the reason; though most of the dragons were approximately the same age-- many years older, actually, but of course dragons didn't age as quickly as humans-- their bonds most certainly were not, and so they spent most of their time with their bonds and their bonds' friends. Catame spent some of his free time with the bondless dragons, sometimes, and Daynoren had a small group of admirers among those dragons who wanted to be mages, but it wasn't quite the same. They weren't allowed to make the trip all the way down to the weyr, anyway, so they were friends confined to Sanctuary and the bonding complex.

Daynoren, on the whole, was satisfied with just being admired or being confined to the occasional conversation at the complex with other people, content to just consider Novitas, Catame, Tantra, and Frux as friends. Now and then he thought it might be nice to have other people he could go out with, to escape the sometimes dull evenings at the weyr, when he'd long since finished his homework and grew bored of practicing magic, but for the most part, he was content.

Catame, however, though he'd always been a quiet boy who hadn't really ever had friends, was discovering that, now that he'd made a couple, he really rather wanted some more. Since he wasn't sure how to go about making friends, though, particularly with people who weren't even close to his own age, he tried not to worry about it. A friend would come along soon enough, he figured-- he hoped-- when the time was right.