Evola was getting better, really she was. She and Fidena only sniped at each other a little, and Evola had even managed to keep from getting angry a good several minutes into the conversation. Of course, she had perfectly good *reason* to want to smash Fidena's smirking little face into the wall, but Riyikith was trying to hard to be nice to the cadets that she knew she had to control herself. She really, really didn't want to ruin his chance at winning them over, to actually make friends of his own species. But that didn't mean she couldn't imagine tackling Fidena and pinning her down by superior weight. Evola was, after all, much bigger than the other bonded Air-- a fact she never ceased to take advantage of, by being in dragon form as often as she could when in Fidena's company, like today-- and not just because she was six months "older", either.

Despite her formidable self-control in the face of dreadful provocation, Evola was glad when Riyikith finally gave up and left the cadets to themselves. The cadets barely noticed that Riyikith was slipping away, so engrossed in ignoring him, keeping up their own conversations, or both, so Evola decided not to bring their attention to his leaving. The dragons she said farewell to, though-- well, two of them, anyway. She gave Inbere a grin and a wave, Cemitae an affectionate nuzzle, and Fidena nothing at all, and padded after her bonded with a lighter heart.

It didn't stay light, unfortunately. At this point in their bonding, neither one could block the other out very well, and since Evola never even tried, his mood would naturally affect her. He walked with his hands in his pockets and gaze blankly ahead, seeing just enough of the road through the city to make sure he didn't run into anything or anyone. Evola recognize that look; he was thinking about "home", a place she had never seen except in his memory, and a father she had never met and might never meet, friends he might never see again, places he might never visit again. It tended to make him gloomy, or as gloomy as he ever got with Evola around to cheer him up, and already she could feel the drag on her own thoughts.

Well. This won't do.

Time to do something about it. She had been pacing slowly beside him, still dragon-formed and standing just a few inches taller than he was, if she held her head up. Now, though, she shrank down into the twelve-year-old "human girl" he found so adorable, and slipped her arm through his. "Well, at least we don't have them to worry about anymore," she commented brightly, meaning, of course, the cadets, and more personally, Fidena.

"Until the next time we have to get together for a drill or enforced social gathering," he countered.

"That won't be for a while," Evola pointed out helpfully. "What with the bonding, and all. They didn't make you all practice at all while Keren and Adara were here for bonding."

"But we really should be at the bonding meetings, and at *least* at the ceremony," he said with a sigh. "I have to at least make an effort, while UNIS is paying for our apartment."

Evola frowned. "It's not as if we couldn't get my parents to pay for us-- they'd probably take us in, too."

"No," Riyikith answered immediately. "It isn't that I don't appreciate the thought, I just don't like having to depend on anyone... it's bad enough with UNIS backing me, I don't *have* to like them. I wouldn't want to be resentful towards someone as important as your parents."

"Resentful!" Evola exclaimed, amazed. "But why would you be resentful? It's just help, and it's family."

Riyikith shook his head. "It's hard to explain," he said. "But we need to stick with the Earth folks a little longer, anyway. I can't give up the only way of contacting my dad that I have, even if it's a long shot."

Hmphing, Evola just hung on his arm. They'd had this "argument" before, and what he said made sense. She just wished he would forget about Mars and his father, and settle into life here.

::Well, I don't,:: he thought at her. ::I wouldn't ask you to give up those letters to your parents, so don't ask me to give up this.:: Chagrined, she nodded, but before she could apologize, he sighed again and slid his hand from his pocket to wrap it around her shoulders. Relieved that he wasn't angry-- not that she'd thought he was, since she would have been able to feel it, but the brief hurt was enough, and besides, she tended to worry, anyway-- she snuggled into his side, hugging his waist.

"Family's important, little girl," he told her, and just this once she let him call her that, even though she hated it.

I'm not a little girl, she thought, a little sullenly. She felt his amusement, and flushed a rosy orange under the gold of her skin. "I know," she answered softly.

"If family's so important, how come you never visit?"

The voice, calling from across the fairly quiet side-street, made them both stop-- Riyikith with surprise, but Evola with recognition.

"Mother!" she exclaimed, loosing Riyikith immediately and racing across the street, shifting back into a dragon as she ran. The very familiar full-grown Air smiled, opening her arms and wings for her and folding her in a very large, very comforting hug. Riyikith trailed more slowly after her, a little bemused by the sudden interruption. He'd never actually met Evola's parents, though he'd sent them a letter promising he would once he had the time-- which hadn't seemed to have happened yet. Evola had been making excuses for him over the past year-- he had to work, they had to go to a drill, they had a test coming up in class, all sorts of things. Aresta Monspingo was a busy dragoness, being the high Aer'venae for her clan, and hadn't had the time to make the trip to Sanctuary, herself.

Until now.

"Oh, Mother, it's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you, too, love," Aresta answered, smiling. "You've grown. A *lot*." For a moment, holding Evola back from her, she looked shocked at how tall and, Evola hoped, grown-up she looked. The expression passed quickly, though, fading into her usual easy smile. Dark blue eyes darted over to Riyikith, who was standing unobtrusively on the street beside the small cafe Aresta was seated at. "And bonded, too, or so I've heard. Good for you. I assume this is him?"

"Mother," Evola cried, "don't talk about him like he's not there. Riyikith, don't mind her, she's just being difficult." She disengaged herself from her mother's grip, bounding to her bond and behind him, nudging him forward. "Riyikith, meet Aresta, my mother. Mother, this is Riyikith!" She smiled between them both as they exchanged hellos, pleased that they had finally met.

"Please, sit," Aresta said, still smiling easily. "I want to hear about you and your brother-- and you, young human."

"Mother," Evola giggled, "he's older than me. By a lot."

"But not me, so I'm allowed to call him young. Now sit."

"Yes, Mother." Still beaming, Evola hopped up into one of the chairs at her mother's table, while Riyikith had to actually climb into his. It looked rather silly, but there wasn't anything better for him, so he would make due gracefully, like he usually did.

"So tell me, how is everything? And don't leave anything out; letters are nothing like the real thing."

So she did.