The Celestial Way

Chapter 20 - Clearing Ways

"According to statistics, only about a third of human-dragon pairs within the Order ever enter into... bodily union," Richard said, his conservative bearing evident even when he sat on something as informal as a folding chair in a garden. "To be frank, I consider such activities needlessly wasteful. Me and Teyalinar are perfectly happy to be as we are – elite fighters of exemplary quality and one of the finest scholars in the galaxy."

"Uh-huh," the dark-green dragon agreed absentmindedly when he heard his name, mainly interested in his meal.

"Every time I'm around, it all has to be about sex," Bernard sighed. "Can't you people just enjoy the weather or something? By the way, whose's that giant pile of... food?"

"Not mine," Zephyr said, who was lounging beside it. The 'pile' was a huge mound of nanofabbed meats and fruits, mingled with more exotic stuff like quartz and fiberglass, all covered under a thick layer of petrol and cream.

"Not mine either," Lung said, who was on the other side of the pile, and nudged herself away.

"Oh, oh, it's mine!" Glosserax said, licking his jaws. "Turns out the bots can really carry stuff around!"

"You intend to eat all that!?" Samantha exclaimed. In response, her soulkin rumbled happily. "Just no dragon kisses this time, big boy; I can live without fiberglass gouging my eyes out."

"Speaking of food," Lung chimed in, "I heard you and Alomar arguing the other day. What was that about, Glosserax?"

"Hmm? Oh, I caught him sneaking into the internal habitat on Level 4. He was eating whemokos."

Lung mantled her wings. "That cruel scoundrel! I'll teach him a lesson myself! How did he get into the habitat? I thought Glawlrhain revoked all access rights from him?!"

"Perhaps we should just throw Alomar and his flock of miscreants out of this Order for good," Tehalix said darkly.

"Wait, wait, you do not understand!" Veralla said. The others looked at her curiously. "Alomar has not eaten any whemokos! He..." she paused for a second, sad at the memory. "He was getting whemokos to bring them to Nightsong to eat."

"How do you know that?" Richard asked.

"I saw him," Veralla said. "He did it because he wanted to help. He said he felt sorry that Nightsong suffered so much. He did not know what else to do, so he volunteered to bring... fresh meat, killing... a whemoko at the last possible moment, so Nightsong could eat food with the highest resonance possible."

The Knights were pensive for a moment. "Huh, I guess this could mean the abrasive rascal is finally starting to turn around," Tehalix said. "Small victory, but victory nonetheless."

"I still think he's a rude mooncalf," Lung snorted. "It'd take a lot more than this to convince me he and his gang of egg-suckers aren't anything else than a loud and troublesome group of overgrown whelplings."

"Language, Smartjaw!"

"Hey, Veralla, tell us how Glawlrhain chomped Alomar's tail," one of the other dragons said. "Is it true the training master totally wiped the floor with him?"

"That'd be one astroload of wiping, I'll tell you," Zeromon said casually. "Given the size difference between them. Trust me, I'm an engineer, I know the math!" His comment brought forth a round of laughs.

"By the way, how's Nightsong doing?" Teyalinar asked, displaying interest for something other than food since the breakfast's beginning.

"Still in trouble, but stable at least," Tehalix said with a sigh. "Boyd and Merryl are currently with her and Kiana. Their bickering couple routine proves helpful for a change, since that Sol Force girl desperately needs some distraction."