Zabeth Firestone: Firebird

For all Zabeth tried not to get attached to places, given its generally mobile lifestyle, it was still glad to see the apartment again-- not so much because of the place, it mused, but because of the people there. Zabeth had given up on avoiding attachments entirely, unable and unwilling to live without caring for others, so this, at least, was no difficulty.

Zamah-aisi was waiting at the door, somehow having known Zabeth, July, Kikira, and the children were approaching. She was grinning widely, as if she knew something they didn't. ::Welcome home,:: she sent. ::Brought some family, I see.::

"You knew we would," Zabeth told her. "You remember Kikira. And this is Kuriri, Kolora, and Aries."

::A pleasure to meet you,:: Zamah-aisi said with another funny smile.

Kikira had met Zamah-aisi, and Zabeth had warned him-- and the chicks-- about the various members of the family. A human-formed Ielta was hovering around further inside, looking anxious but vague, with Faamaal sitting calmly by the apex of her pacing path and Se'muan leaning in the doorway to the kitchen. Peta-mari and her little tagalong were missing, as was Haliand-- thank goodness; there were enough people here, as it was, for little Kolora to deal with and Kikira to try and keep straight.

And there was... an extra person, at that. Zabeth paused before coming the rest of the way inside, its flames flaring with surprise, at the creature perched on the arm of the dragon-sized couch. Vibrantly orange and magenta, it-- the bird-like creature was definitely an "it", rather in the same way Zabeth currently was-- was grinning at Zabeth around a half-beak, half-muzzle.

::And that's not even the half of it,:: Zamah-aisi confided with quietly contained glee.

"Who are you?" Zabeth asked with a click of its beak, ignoring its first ward of the now-completed project.

"Aw, don' tell me you don't know!" the stranger cried, its voice neither male nor female just as its features were not.

Zabeth just stared until Faamaal took pity on it and introduced the newcomer: "This is Karkabi, Zabeth. Karkabi Firestone."

"Certainly not," Zabeth said, frowning. "I'd not have forgotten hatching anyone that-- that--"

"Beautiful?" Karkabi suggested. "Vibrant? Alive? Charming?"

"--clashing," Zabeth finished.

The strange beast-bird laughed. "Regardless, I'm yours!" It hopped down from its perch and and gave Zabeth's beak a pat with one hand-like forepaw. "And I'm gonna hang around a bit, okay?"

"I have room," Zabeth said, almost automatically, still stunned by the appearance of this stranger claiming to be one of its chicks. It couldn't even remember a mother-- or father-- that looked like this Karkabi.

"Good!" Karkabi chirped, then turned its attention on July-- who looked delighted at its cheer and energy-- Kikira-- who Zabeth vaguely hoped wasn't feeling too overwhelmed, though he didn't look anything worse than taken aback-- and the chicks-- Kolora in particular looked unhappy at becoming even a part of the center of attention. "So who're all these?"

"July and his son Aries," Zabeth began, "Kikira and our chicks, Kolora and Kuriri."

Kuriri, in what was swiftly becoming normal for her, piped up with a cheerful trill, "Will I get as big as you?"

Karkabi-- sweet song, it was another K name-- blinked its big, magenta eyes at her. "Well, now, I don't know. I'm rather bigger than your-- er, mummy here. Oddly enough, your mummy-dearest was my pappy! So maybe not." It grinned jauntily. "Good to know I've got more family, though, even if you're all shorties!"

"Zabeth," Faamaal put in gently, "there's something else."

"How can there be anything to quite match this bright bird?" Zabeth asked dryly.

"Come see," Faamaal suggested, starting into the apartment. Zabeth followed, glancing at Kikira to invite him in, as well. "We can get the hatchlings settled at the same time, perhaps."

July bounded in once he had room and all but pounced Ielta, who went from her nervous pacing to giggling almost immediately. Ah, that would be good-- she had obviously missed him, and would certainly do better with him home. "Aries, Aries, come meet Ielta!" he called to his chick, who came in last, this time ignoring Kanna's tauntingly waving tail.

Zabeth left father and son to get caught up with Ielta and Se'muan, following Faamaal further into the apartment. Karkabi and Zamah-aisi trailed along at the rear, exchanging amused glances that Zabeth made an effort to ignore. Instead, it pointed out who was who, and whose room was whose, to Kikira, who said little but looked around to take everything in, and the chicks. Kuriri seemed delighted by it all, though Kolora was getting to the point of looking overwhelmed. As soon as they got to an empty room-- they had two ready for smaller occupants, for just this purpose-- Zabeth planned on tucking her in there to get settled.

Except that the first room that was supposed to be empty had something in it.

"Faamaal," Zabeth said, frowning faintly and fluffing up with confusion, its fires crackling up again. "Why is there an egg in here?"

"It just got delivered yesterday," the small dragon said in an equally small voice. "The messenger was a whorling, and said it was from Dark and, er, Muhal."

Zabeth frowned at the egg, thinking. It knew who Dark was, though it doubted Muhal would have sent it anything of his own free well-- the canine whorling had not been terribly happy with it for turning him down. But what in the world could it be? Besides an egg. Which would very likely hatch into a chick, and which probably needed tending. What if it hadn't been kept warm enough? What if it needed turning?

It decided, a little unhappily, that it hadn't had this many surprises in one day in a very long time, and it would be much happier when things started settling down again.

"I suppose we shall have to see when it hatches," Zabeth said at last, casting an apologetic look at Kikira and her current two chicks. "I hope you do not mind."

"Um... sure," Kikira said, wearing such a baffled expression that Zabeth had to chuckle. "No worries."

"I will explain when everyone is settled in," it promised. "At least, explain what I know." Briefly thinking over what rooms there were left, and coming up a little short, it asked, "Kolora, will you mind sharing a room with an egg until it hatches? It will be quiet."

Casting a surreptitious glance at her sister, with whom she'd probably be staying if she disagreed, Kolora said, "Until it hatches."

At least all Kuriri did was giggle at her sister, either oblivious to the distaste the chick felt to sharing with her enthusiastic sibling, or finding it somehow cute. Which, it supposed, was possible.

"Come down, then," Zabeth told Kolora, offering her little wing-fingers her own pseudo-palm to help her off her father's back. "Kuriri, your room is just down the hall one more door. Why don't we get you both settled in and then show you around to meet the rest of the house?"

Both chicks seemed amenable to that, so it set about doing just that.