[ If you know to reach him, you probably know he doesn't suffer small talk for long. Be to the point and maybe he'll deign to respond assuming he can work the damn thing. ]
[ Right, so it takes a few minutes -- eight or nine -- before Daud is getting a reply to that. Billie needs to call Red over and, inevitably, hand him something to hold. While she has noted his foreclaws looked more like actual hands before, she's just never heard of a dragon like that before.
Dragons never held things.
Dragons didn't have thumbs.
But Red does indeed hold the graphite she ends up handing him. He takes that as her wanting to see him draw circles and immediately does so.... on the table. That's another two or three minutes of getting him to stop and do that on paper again. Oh boy.
Finally-- ]
So. Fun story. I don't know what kind of dragon Red is anymore.
[ Sure, Billie. Regardless, Daud's going to put aside the banter now, because he never actually forgot why she contacted him in the first place. ]
you didn't actually contact me to discuss your dragon's artistic career.
what happened in didymos?
[ Because something obviously did. He thought she was off having a relatively calm vacation, and now coming back with 'something important' to say? He has no illusions it's anything good. ]
[ To be fair, she would really much rather discuss draconic art, because it really, really isn't anything good. ]
You're right, I didn't, but if I had led with Didymos possibly being wiped off the coastline, we wouldn't have discussed Red's terrible circle art at all.
Not me this time, though. The merfolk say Logistykon's skeleton has lost all its power. It's all broken up down there now and, apparently, it was keeping something called the deeper sealed. It's awake and pissed and blaming Didymos for its troubles.
Maybe not but there's only so much I can do to confirm it. The bones are all broken, that much you can see from any ship over it. The queen and her knights took anyone willing to go out and risk a bunch of angry merfolk. You know that wasn't an opportunity I would pass up.
[ Back out on the water, even if only for a day, and a chance to see mermaids up close? There's no doubt she tagged along. ]
I hadn't actually meant to get more involved than that but no one else was willing to try and talk to the one they sent up to warn us.
better to find out this way than when half the city washes away to the sea. given there aren't many people with an interest in dragon bones, i expect our cultist friends have something to do with it.
It is. I just wish someone else had taken the message. It's hard to fade into the background when everyone's eyes are on you.
[ People making note of you is the worst, Daud. ]
Anyway, I'm really only back to pick up some stuff and Red. I think one of us needs to keep an eye on Didymos and I didn't want to ditch you with him for much longer.
[ As well she she should know. It would have been easy to just walk away, but. Not her problem. Now, she's chosen to make it. Speaking of choices: ]
you're taking the dragon infant to the city an unknown creature previously trapped by the bones of a long-deceased dragon tyrant is threatening to sweep off the map?
[ Like, just to be clear, Billie. That's what you're suggesting here. ]
and part of that responsibility is planning for what happens if something happens to you. your animas disappears when you die. if you're bent on seeing this through, don't die again, or find a babysitter whose corporeality doesn't depend on your own.
[ That thought-to-text brought to you by 'she's too unsure about this to think with capital letters'. ]
You know you're the option with the least chance of getting himself killed, right?
[ Strange is in Didymos and reckless to boot. Shura is... who even knows. She still isn't comfortable with the idea of dropping in on her. Expecting any of them to watch Red still feels like dumping him off, risking missing more... what? Art? Is she actually annoyed about that? ]
[ Uh huh, just advice. In this case, still parenting advice, if she has to accept that Red is more like a real kid and not a puppy after all.
When Mercy arrives, she'll find Billie already sitting at the table with her courier in hand. She's watching Red make a mess of the paper she's gathered for him. More circles. That's getting a little tedious, to be honest, even if she only spares the osprey a glance before going back to observing this ridiculousness. ]
Says more about the other company I keep, I think. You on your way back or are you just sending your animas over to stare at me?
[ That's what Daud gets, even if it doesn't cover what she does next after sending the message. She sets the courier aside and leans in across the table to take the bit of graphite back from Red. That earns her a whine and a curious chirp, the dragonet looking up from his work. ]
Look, I get you like circles but there's a whole world of shapes out there, kid. Here. [ Pulling a piece of paper closer, she sets about slowly drawing a few new shapes herself, being very precise about the lines so Red can watch what she's on about. ] This is a square. All straight lines, very boring, kind of like Daud.
[ Okay, now she's just being rude. ]
And this is a triangle... and... a diamond.
[ Any answers to what Daud has to say next are on hold for a few minutes as she shows Red how to draw those a few more times before finally passing the graphite back. ]
i was heading there before you interrupted me. she must have gotten bored waiting.
[ Anyway, that'll be the last for him as well before he shows up right on schedule, the shadows dissipating from around his face as he steps back into the house. Via the window, of course. The art lesson happening in the middle of his living space makes the tiefling raise his brows, but the reason for his disappearance from Red's side is obvious by the bag he holds up. ]
[ With the shadow mask vanishing as he walks in, Billie's tempted to ask if he robbed the market for that. She won't. It's still a funny image. ]
Sure.
[ She answers, along with an idle wave of greeting before she goes back to watching Red. He's been practically buzzing with excitement the second she took her turn to draw shapes and now he's craning his head every which way he can at the new shapes. The prospect of whatever Daud might have in the bag isn't even enough to drag him away from the paper as he hunches over a blank space to try and copy the square first.
That's a lot more focus than Billie's seen from Red when food isn't involved. ]
[ She’ll simply have to guess. As it is, Daud opens the bag to take out eggs, sausages, a wheel of cheese, and a loaf of bread; whether he was planning to eat that all between him and the dragon remains unknown, but he sets about preparing the pan to begin frying things, speaking over his shoulder. ]
He learned that taking my pens was one way of getting my attention about a week ago. He was trying to draw the runes I was drawing, so I bribed him with cheese to mimic drawing a circle instead. I didn’t expect it to stick.
[ He says it all matter-of-factly. On the table, the graphite skrtch-skrtches carefully on paper. If there’s something familiar about the pose, it’s probably because the little dragon is, to the best of his ability, imitating Daud at work. ]
[ Billie's just going to skip over the entire 'oh, look, another kid trying to copy you' line of jokes if only because that cuts too close to home for her. That won't stop her from laughing quietly to herself over it, though, and she's content to watch Red try and draw a square. ]
Good work, Daud. Maybe he'll be an artist instead of a tyrant now. [ Doubtful, considering who's raising him, though once Red finishes with the square, he puts the graphite down and picks up the sheet by an edge and holds it up for Billie to see, like any proud child showing off their random doodles.
And she'll give it a very serious consideration before saying, ] Okay, nope, that's terrible. Everything's squiggly but nice try.
[ Of course, that's said in a positive tone that comes with pretty much any praise she's given him thus far, meaning Red takes it that way and makes his own happy dragonet noises before putting the paper back down and getting back to trying to copy the other shapes. ]
[ It’ll keep Red occupied for a bit, and the only response Billie gets for her jibe is a grunt of acknowledgement. Daud, as usual, is less verbose face to face than over the couriers, and he keeps his thoughts on the art lesson to himself in favor of diligently frying sausage, then eggs when those are almost done and the small room is filled with the smell of fried meat. ]
[ Times like these, it makes Billie consider holding conversations only over the courier some days. At least it's more obvious when he hangs up on her completely. Well, if he has nothing else to say, Billie will just watch Red draw a little while longer, up until the smell of fried food finally wins out for the dragonet's attention.
He lifts his head up, nose in the air, sniffing. That marks the end of "art lessons" for now since he's dropping the graphite and skittering to the other side of the table to watch Daud cook. That's that, she supposes, so she turns her attention back to Daud's back. ]
When you're done with that, there's something I'd like you to take a look at.
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Dragons don't draw, Daud.
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Dragons never held things.
Dragons didn't have thumbs.
But Red does indeed hold the graphite she ends up handing him. He takes that as her wanting to see him draw circles and immediately does so.... on the table. That's another two or three minutes of getting him to stop and do that on paper again. Oh boy.
Finally-- ]
So. Fun story. I don't know what kind of dragon Red is anymore.
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[ This is a Daud Joke. ]
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[ Yes, Daud, she did know. Or had a very reasonable guess, okay??? ]
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you didn't actually contact me to discuss your dragon's artistic career.
what happened in didymos?
[ Because something obviously did. He thought she was off having a relatively calm vacation, and now coming back with 'something important' to say? He has no illusions it's anything good. ]
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You're right, I didn't, but if I had led with Didymos possibly being wiped off the coastline, we wouldn't have discussed Red's terrible circle art at all.
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[ But seriously, Billie's just had the worst luck following her around, huh? ]
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[ Really, though. ]
Not me this time, though. The merfolk say Logistykon's skeleton has lost all its power. It's all broken up down there now and, apparently, it was keeping something called the deeper sealed. It's awake and pissed and blaming Didymos for its troubles.
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how did you learn all this?
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[ Back out on the water, even if only for a day, and a chance to see mermaids up close? There's no doubt she tagged along. ]
I hadn't actually meant to get more involved than that but no one else was willing to try and talk to the one they sent up to warn us.
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[ People making note of you is the worst, Daud. ]
Anyway, I'm really only back to pick up some stuff and Red. I think one of us needs to keep an eye on Didymos and I didn't want to ditch you with him for much longer.
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[ As well she she should know. It would have been easy to just walk away, but. Not her problem. Now, she's chosen to make it. Speaking of choices: ]
you're taking the dragon infant to the city an unknown creature previously trapped by the bones of a long-deceased dragon tyrant is threatening to sweep off the map?
[ Like, just to be clear, Billie. That's what you're suggesting here. ]
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[ But yeah, that is what she's suggesting. ]
And I know it isn't a great plan but it's like you said. He's my problem, not yours. I should have taken him with me in the first place.
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[ That thought-to-text brought to you by 'she's too unsure about this to think with capital letters'. ]
You know you're the option with the least chance of getting himself killed, right?
[ Strange is in Didymos and reckless to boot. Shura is... who even knows. She still isn't comfortable with the idea of dropping in on her. Expecting any of them to watch Red still feels like dumping him off, risking missing more... what? Art? Is she actually annoyed about that? ]
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[ And there's a few minutes before he replies. Meanwhile, a rustle of feathers will announce Mercy landing on the windowsill, feathers ruffled. ]
that says more about you than it does about me.
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When Mercy arrives, she'll find Billie already sitting at the table with her courier in hand. She's watching Red make a mess of the paper she's gathered for him. More circles. That's getting a little tedious, to be honest, even if she only spares the osprey a glance before going back to observing this ridiculousness. ]
Says more about the other company I keep, I think. You on your way back or are you just sending your animas over to stare at me?
[ That's what Daud gets, even if it doesn't cover what she does next after sending the message. She sets the courier aside and leans in across the table to take the bit of graphite back from Red. That earns her a whine and a curious chirp, the dragonet looking up from his work. ]
Look, I get you like circles but there's a whole world of shapes out there, kid. Here. [ Pulling a piece of paper closer, she sets about slowly drawing a few new shapes herself, being very precise about the lines so Red can watch what she's on about. ] This is a square. All straight lines, very boring, kind of like Daud.
[ Okay, now she's just being rude. ]
And this is a triangle... and... a diamond.
[ Any answers to what Daud has to say next are on hold for a few minutes as she shows Red how to draw those a few more times before finally passing the graphite back. ]
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[ Anyway, that'll be the last for him as well before he shows up right on schedule, the shadows dissipating from around his face as he steps back into the house. Via the window, of course. The art lesson happening in the middle of his living space makes the tiefling raise his brows, but the reason for his disappearance from Red's side is obvious by the bag he holds up. ]
Lunch?
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Sure.
[ She answers, along with an idle wave of greeting before she goes back to watching Red. He's been practically buzzing with excitement the second she took her turn to draw shapes and now he's craning his head every which way he can at the new shapes. The prospect of whatever Daud might have in the bag isn't even enough to drag him away from the paper as he hunches over a blank space to try and copy the square first.
That's a lot more focus than Billie's seen from Red when food isn't involved. ]
How long has he been doing this?
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He learned that taking my pens was one way of getting my attention about a week ago. He was trying to draw the runes I was drawing, so I bribed him with cheese to mimic drawing a circle instead. I didn’t expect it to stick.
[ He says it all matter-of-factly. On the table, the graphite skrtch-skrtches carefully on paper. If there’s something familiar about the pose, it’s probably because the little dragon is, to the best of his ability, imitating Daud at work. ]
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Good work, Daud. Maybe he'll be an artist instead of a tyrant now. [ Doubtful, considering who's raising him, though once Red finishes with the square, he puts the graphite down and picks up the sheet by an edge and holds it up for Billie to see, like any proud child showing off their random doodles.
And she'll give it a very serious consideration before saying, ] Okay, nope, that's terrible. Everything's squiggly but nice try.
[ Of course, that's said in a positive tone that comes with pretty much any praise she's given him thus far, meaning Red takes it that way and makes his own happy dragonet noises before putting the paper back down and getting back to trying to copy the other shapes. ]
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He lifts his head up, nose in the air, sniffing. That marks the end of "art lessons" for now since he's dropping the graphite and skittering to the other side of the table to watch Daud cook. That's that, she supposes, so she turns her attention back to Daud's back. ]
When you're done with that, there's something I'd like you to take a look at.
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