It seemed like just yesterday that Frux had adopted three more kits in addition to the sweet, excitable girl he already had under his wing, and consequently taken a teaching job at the Driolo bonding complex once it turned into a school, just so there would be room for them all and adequate education to go around. His parents hadn't been happy to hear that he'd given up on the plan for him to become a diplomat, but to be perfectly honestly, he didn't feel the least bit of regret. Spending his days teaching astronomy, languages, philosophy, and literature-- as interests of current students and his own interests dictated-- to youngsters seemed much preferable to attempting to dance verbal circles around a collection of bored and possibly hostile adults. He even dabbled a little in amniomancer studies with Nanny Bitsu, who also remained to look help look after the children. There weren't many eggs or growth to induce in children, once the results of the frenzy died down, of course, but the growth-magic was still heavy in the air, and those who had been enchanted with it continued to be susceptible to its effects, so there was that to monitor. He found it an interesting magic, though he was reluctant to say so to anyone else, lest they think him actually starting to enjoy the magic he'd sworn not to become attracted to.

It would have been perfect, in fact, if the four children he was personally raising were a little easier to handle. Pebai, though she tried to be good and was such a sweet child, had the energy of four children on her own, a trait which she had never grown out of, despite turning into a pretty if somewhat boyish young lady. She also never grew out of her childlike adoration of her guardian, somewhat to his consternation: having someone he raised from young childhood decide, once she hit adolescence, that she wanted to marry him and have his kits was disconcerting, to say the least.

Add to that, Brio Nerano: perhaps the most self-centered, image-obsessed, and yet strangely insecure little boy Frux had ever had the misfortune to meet, much less have charge of. Brio reminded him, actually, of a less hedonistic, less amiable, and less confident Daynoren Danui. He had enough arrogance hiding his lack of self-esteem that very, very few had any idea his charisma and impressive behaviors were entirely false. The kit was disobedient and talked back whenever he thought he could get away with it, then ran away and cried whenever he was scolded or punished for his disobedience and quick tongue. He also ran away and cried whenever he thought someone was insulting him. Thankfully, he at least grew out of his tears, though he never did quite lose his tendency to pout. Pebai liked him well enough, but Frux was glad to see him finally grow up.

Then there was Hambia Sesske, who was any teacher's dream: diligent, intelligent, and thorough. However, she was also the most open-minded and impartial of students, and when she came across anything less than savory, she soaked it up as readily as if it were something worthwhile and estimable. Frux had been extremely careful, after the first few times he'd caught her attempting to puzzle out the script in half-rotting necromantic grimoires and leafing through books full of obscure and perverse sexual behaviors, just where in Sanctuary's library he let her roam, and just which teachers he approved of for her classes! Whenever he could keep her in his classes, in fact, he had done so. Curbing her desires to experiment with unapproved things she'd read about was a trial and a half.

Finally, one of Demulcei Jariane's very children had attached himself to Pebai, one Ontellonji Jariane, and he was the worst of them all. Even putting aside his tendency to like to brawl and wrestle and otherwise cause others bodily harm in the name of "fun", Ontellonji was rebellious. Brio might have talked back, but he never disobeyed unless there was a reason disobeying made him look cooler or more impressive. Ontellonji disobeyed just for the sake of getting on Frux's nerves, even when he admitted freely that Frux's instructions had a point and were in his best interest. Unless Frux worded things he wanted the boy to do very, very carefully, and as politely and non-confrontationally as possible, Ontellonji would go belligerent and refuse to comply.

And for all that, he was Pebai's favorite person, next to Frux, and he treated her like a much-loved little sister.

So really, the past several years of teaching were extremely trying, to say the least, with four highly-varied and rather difficult kits to look after and attempt to keep out of trouble. Thus, it was with a little surprise that, as they approached graduation and official adulthood, Frux found himself oddly sad. Looking back on the raising of his four adopted "children", he realized that, although he would never have said so at the time, he'd been happy. It was an odd sort of happy, one full of moments of distress, discomfort, terror, and anger, but still... overall, it was an experience he wanted to do again. And again. And again and again, until he grew too old to look after children and died from magical heart attack, like most of his kind did once they reached their third century, with a small hoard of children surrounding him to the very end.

So, it was with mixed feelings that he discovered that, once again, a frenzy of furred and feathered dragons had taken place above the school's grounds and surrounds.

Frux had actually been outside when the whole mass of dragons took off, at once, from the front patio. Thankfully, he hadn't been in the front patio, or he would have had a much different view of it all. Instead, he'd been in a back garden, checking in curiously on the current batch of plant-enthusiasts taking earth magic class, or gardening class, or whatever was currently being taught in that garden. He'd only just stuck his muzzle in when a shadow above caught his attention. He'd looked up just in time to see Pebai go winging by overhead, using her magical wings since she had none of her own-- a trick Novitas had taught her. And then Brio went by, flying right on her tail, and then the daemoness Boa, from the Nidus.... And then the sky was full of dragons. Immediately, he jumped to the garden wall for a better view, and caught sight of wingless dragons running along the sandy ground, as well. It could only be another frenzy: this one unannounced to the authorities at the Driolo school, and this one of entirely Avengaean dragons and bonder daemons, and their mixed descendents.

His mixed feelings were for that lack of communication-- probably on purpose, given who he later discovered was behind it all-- and for the fact that three of his adopted wards had participated. As well as his singular daughter.... Worse, when the flight was over, only Ontellonji was open with who he'd caught-- too open, in fact, as he was quite willing to describe every loop, whirl, dive, and dodge of the chase. Brio merely clammed up and looked smug-- which was no indication as to whether he'd caught anyone, given he probably would look smug even if he hadn't, just so know one would think him a loser-- Pebai turned bashful and stammered that she rightly shouldn't say, and Hansha Ramaya... well, she didn't really want to speak with him, at all, much less tell him if he was going to have grandchildren at his young age, given that she hardly knew him, her own father.

But... there was a positive to the whole mess: at least he would soon be surrounded by little children, again, as mothers gave birth to litters rather than the one or two they might be used to, or laid clutches far larger than normal. Frada Meredia had, of course, been up to her usual tricks of fertility magic, and the resultant amount of offspring would be massive. That, however, Frux didn't mind; he minded her tampering, and he minded the fit Demulcei would throw when she found Frada, but he didn't mind that he would quite willingly offer himself up for babysitting duty and the occasional amniomancy, that he "supposedly didn't like", that Nanny Bitsu would ask of him.

Perhaps, if he was lucky, he would end up adopting himself a new collection of children to raise. Frux's four were, after all, all grown up....