"Off! Down!" I blinked and looked up from my thoughts to find the other woman - Loreena? - had just entered the dining room. She was holding a basket of clothes in her hands and was staring at me like I had just broken her favorite vase. "Get down from there!"
I blinked again. What was her problem? I glanced back at the now-empty bowl of food and took a step towards it, putting it between myself and the Kymari.
"Oh, for the love of... don't tell me she just lets you jump up and eat right on the table! That is for eating off of; not for you to spread dirt and germs all over! Bad!" She made a 'flicking' motion at me with her hands. I hissed back at her in annoyance.
Loreena grumbled under her breath and sat the basket down on the floor. She walked out of the room, only to return a few seconds later with a bottle. It looked like the kind of thing you would use to spritz plants with to moisten their leaves during a dry spell.
She pointed it at me and sprayed me right in the face with tepid water. "Down!"
I squawked in surprise and dove off the table. Sheesh, what is her problem? Fine, fine, I'm going! I hissed at her because she deserved it, then jumped into the air and flew off.
"The stuff I let Terron talk me into. 'Let my sister stay with us for a few days', he says. 'What's the worst that could happen', he says. Lyzel catching some weird disease or getting mauled by her half-wild flying rodent, that's what. Don't think I haven't noticed those scars all over her arm." I heard Loreena muttering to herself as I flew off down the hallway.
I flew faster and made a note to keep my ears perked for any sound of the unfriendly Kymari coming towards whatever room I might happen to be in.
I did a quick exploration through the open doors. I had been given access to six rooms, counting the dining room and Minna's room. The sunroom had been closed back off - apparently that was an 'adult supervision only' room, and I wasn't trusted to be alone in there. Given the earlier conversations, they were probably too worried I would do something to all the plants kept in there.
One of the rooms was a typical living room, though a sheet had been draped over the couch - probably out of concern I would claw it up. Another room seemed to be a pantry or linen closet, and was filled with lots of shelves, but it was empty of anything else. The fifth room was a guest room like Minna's, and the sixth room was a bathroom.
Technically the bathroom door had been mostly closed, so I got the impression it was supposed to be off limits... but it hadn't been pulled entirely shut and I had managed to slip inside it. What with Loreena's attitude, I kind of wanted to 'accidentally' end up in a place I wasn't supposed to be in. Just because.
All of the power outlets had been blocked by furniture or other obstacles. The most easily accessible one was in the living room, where a large screen was plugged in, but it would still require moving the heavy screen to get to. I was really starting to suspect they thought I would stick my claw in a power socket if given half a chance.
I also had access to the hallways connecting the rooms, but they were pretty unremarkable. Aside from a few pictures and a lot of closed doors, there wasn't anything of note in them.
I finished my exploration and circled back to the bathroom. At this point I was really starting to need to use one, and since I didn't have access to Loreena's bed - and since she probably shared it with Terron, who hadn't done anything to deserve such a 'present' - I decided to try and figure out how to use Kymari plumbing.
It was probably a good idea anyways. Back when I was still undecided and angry with Minna I had enjoyed leaving her extra work to deal with, but... it would make things easier for her not to have to deal with a dirty litter box anymore.
She would probably just put it down to something I had been trained to do by humans - maybe she would even be able to pass on to the other handlers that we could be 'trained' to not need a tray of dirt. That might even help with any other dragonets that decided to join up with a Kymari; they could be 'shown' how to use modern plumbing without raising any suspicion.
It took me about fifteen minutes to figure everything out. The sink was similar to Minna's, but everything seemed to use some sort of sensors, and they all seemed to be calibrated to something of a Kymari's size. It took a bit of experimenting, but I eventually managed to get the toilet to flush by performing a loop in the air in front of the sensor.
I did my business, washed up, and got out. I didn't want Loreena wondering who had flushed her toilet; I doubted it would improve her opinion of me any. She would probably just accuse me of wasting water.
I took another trip through the house to try and decide what to do next. Loreena was folding laundry in the dining room, so I left that room and settled down in the living room instead. The windows were facing the wrong direction to get any direct sunlight, but they still left squares on the carpet of slightly warmer spots. I sprawled in one and stared out the window.
I managed to nap for a little bit, but when I woke up the square of light had barely shifted. It couldn't have been more than an hour, and was probably closer to half an hour. I tried to get back to sleep, but after a few minutes it became obvious that wasn't going to happen.
I watched the outside world for a few minutes. It wasn't very interesting - I could mostly just see the sky from this angle, with a few buildings off in the distance. Occasionally a bird would fly into and out of view. I moved over to a square of light cast by another window and watched the view through it for a few minutes... then moved back to the first.
It wasn't until I was getting up to move again that I realized what I was doing. I was restless. And... I was lonely. My decision to go back to Minna had been a catalyst of a sort, and it had become much harder to be apart from her. Being alone was wearing on me.
"Has Minna gotten there yet?" I sent the question to Ivy hopefully.
"Not yet. It's still pretty early; it'll take a shuttle a while to get here. Are you okay?" A sense of concern filled Ivy's voice. "We can find an excuse to get her to go back if there's a problem?"
The offer sounded appealing... but it would just mean Minna would have to leave again some other time, and I'd have to go back through this all over again. "...no, that's okay. I'm just bored."
"Feeling restless? Nothing seems to hold your attention very long?"
I gave in and moved to the other square of light. "Yeah. I think this must have been how dogs felt, when everybody went out and they ended up left alone at the house."
"Yeah..." Ivy's voice held sympathy, and a faint hint of some buried hurt. I couldn't help but wonder how often she had gone through being left alone without Trenil. "It's never fun being apart from our bond companions, and it hurts them too. If it helps, this is probably the last time it'll happen? The Kymari go through a lot of effort to avoid separating us for that very reason; unless Minna has to leave Earth for some reason, she'll pretty much always be around you. I'm sure she misses you, too."
That didn't really make me feel much better. Now I felt a dull hollowness at the knowledge Minna was probably miserable too, and felt an urge to try and help her on top of my own restlessness. "Thanks."
"Sorry. Maybe try a nap?"
"Already did. Can't get back to sleep." I stared forlornly out the window as a bird flew by.
"Anybody there that you can play with?"
"Terron went to work, Lyzel went to school, and Minna's sister-in-law does not seem to have a very good opinion about us." I eyed the screen on the far wall. "I don't suppose you know how to turn the screens on, or change the channels on them?"
A teasing sensation came back from Ivy. "I do, actually, but I don't think you'll be able to pass 'using alien electronics' off as a trick humans taught you."
"Maybe I could just chew on the remote and 'accidentally' press the on button?"
"Nice thought, but the remote controls multiple devices, so it's a series of keys you have to tap in the right order. Sorry."
"Drat." I gave up on that idea, though I held on to the thought of chewing on the remote. It might annoy Loreena, and I didn't see a reason why I should be the only one miserable. Maybe I'll get lucky and they aren't waterproof, and enough drool and saliva will short the thing out...
I paused as I had a sudden thought.
"I think I thought of something I could do." I grinned and took to the air.
"Why does that suddenly worry me?" A curious note entered the other dragonet's tone, and I could tell she wanted to know what I had come up with.
"I can't imagine." The bathroom door was still just as mostly-closed as it had been before, so I squeezed back through it. "It's their own fault for not leaving me a heat lamp, anyways."
"...if this idea involves fire, keep in mind that Minna is going to have to pay to replace things you break."
"I'm not that restless. Yet." I hovered in the shower for a moment and examined the controls. It seemed to be the same type of sensor the toilet and sink had used, so if I was right...
"Yes!" My aerial loop had triggered the sensor, and had caused water to begin falling into the shower. I darted into the stream... and immediately darted back out. "Ack!"
"What are you doing? Nate? Are you okay?" Ivy's tone picked up a note of concern, but she still seemed to be mostly curious.
"I'm fiddling with the shower. The water is freezing; how do you turn the heat on?" I hovered in the narrow area between the arctic water and the sensor panel. Maybe I had to loop in a certain direction? I tried reversing my loop just to see what happened.
The water turned off.
Well, at least I knew how to do that part now. "Okay, I can do 'off' and 'cold'. The Kymari showers do have a warm setting somewhere, right?"
It took another second for Ivy to answer. "I'm not sure this is such a good idea..."
"Pleaseeeee? They'll just think it's something I learned in captivity, and I'll probably figure it out eventually anyways." I made an 'on' loop in front of the sensor, then repeated the motion... but the water seemed just as cold when I tried it.
"Are you sure you don't want to just find a window to sit in? You can probably get plenty of warmth that way, and you'll be able to watch squirrels and birds in the yard?"
"All the windows point the wrong way."
Ivy hesitated again... then a sigh came through the mindspeech. "Fiiiiine. But try not to get caught just in case. Show me what it looks like, I'll ask Trenil. But only because I kind of want a warm shower myself now, and it wouldn't be fair for me to enjoy your idea while you can't. This is still a bad idea."
"Hmph. Wait until you've actually had a hot shower before saying that." I focused on the panel and sent an image of it to the green dragonet.
She was quiet for a moment. I fiddled with different motions while I waited, but without success. Finally she came back. "There's three sensors. There should be one to the left that will make it warmer, and one to the right that will make it colder. The one you're messing with turns it on and off, or messes with the showerhead settings if they have that option."
I glanced to the sides but didn't see anything. Still, maybe they were just concealed in the waterproof tiling. I made a few loops in the air on the left side of the shower... and began to see steam wafting up from the floor. I checked the water and discovered it was pleasantly warm. "That did it! Thanks!"
"Thank me by not getting caught. I still think that'll be too hard for them to believe."
"It's not that different from what we had..."
"Maybe not, but when was the last time you saw a cat use one?"
"I guess that's true." I sighed and settled down to the floor of the shower. "Fiiiiine. I won't stay in it long." I stretched out my wings and let the water fall gently over them.
A nice, hot shower. My first one in eight years, and every bit as pleasant as I remembered. Even more so, since my dragonet body appreciated the heat even more than my human body had. It was almost enough to make me forget about Minna being gone.
Almost.
"Thanks. I'll let you know when Minna gets here." Ivy's voice had a note of finality to it, as if she was saying good-bye and ending the conversation. "Enjoy your shower!"
I sent a bit of the simple pleasure I was feeling back at Ivy and adjusted under the water to get even more comfortable. The lip on the side of the shower was just the right size to rest my head on, and the whole experience was nice and comfortable. I would just stay for a few minutes...
"Minna just left. She seemed antsy too, so I think she'll get the pilot to hurry. She should be back soon."
"Hm?" I blinked and lifted my head from the edge of the shower. I must have drifted off - the warm water had been very relaxing, and it had helped distract me from my restlessness. "Oh. That's great; thank you."
Ivy went quiet for a moment, then her voice returned with suspicion. "...Nate, are you still in the shower?"
"No." I felt a sour note in my mindspeech that accompanied my blatant lie.
The mental equivalent of a sigh came from Ivy. "Nate..."
I grumbled and rose to my feet. I shook myself off and flew up to the sensor, doing a quick loop to turn off the water. I dropped back down to the shower floor and shook off, sending water flying and leaving only a moderate layer of water droplets clinging to my scales. "Fine, fine, I'm out." I hopped out of the shower and headed towards the door of the bathroom. "I still think you're worried about nothing though."
I squeezed through the door, then froze. One of the far doors opened and Loreena stepped into the hallway. She stared down at me in disbelief.
I stared back at her with water still dripping down my scales.
She brought one of her hands up to her head and sighed heavily. "A wild animal has just taken a bath in the toilet, and is now dripping toilet water all over my carpet. Terron hates me. That is the only explanation. I forgot his birthday or our anniversary at some point, and he hates me now. This is all on purpose. That has to be it." The Kymari turned and walked back through the door. It closed behind her with a soft 'click' sound.
"...okay you're definitely worried about nothing but I don't want to talk about it."
"What? Did somebody catch you? What happened?"
"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT."
"You can't just say that! What happened?! Did you break something? Did somebody catch you? Tell!"
I sighed and hung my head. "...Loreena caught me coming out of the bathroom, and now she thinks I was taking a bath in the toilet."
There was silence for a moment. Then Ivy's mindspeech returned, giddy with laughter. "...aaaaaahahahahahahaha! That's hilarious!"
"It is not!" I huffed and took to the air, flying back to the living room.
"It is, and even better, you completely deserve it. Ahhh! She's probably going to tell Minna!"
I backwinged and hovered. "Ack! No! She can't do that; how do I stop her?!"
Ivy was still laughing in the mindspeech. I could just picture her rolling on Trenil's floor and warbling her tail off. "You can't! She's gonna tell! You have got to show me what Minna's face looks like when she discovers her beloved bond companion has been bathing in the toilet!"
"You are having way too much fun with this."
"Minna's going to have to put this in her weekly reports! The Elders are going to read all about it, Trenil does too! She's been wondering how you kept washing yourself, and now she'll know! And she'll tell everybody! Handlers generations from now will have to make sure all their toilet seats are locked closed, all because you needed a shower!"
"Now you're just being ridiculous."
"All the other dragonets are going to hear that you swim in the toilet!"
"You're just jealous you didn't get a warm shower!"
"But not so jealous that I'm going to take a dip in the toilet like somebody I know! Trenil has a proper dragonet as his bond companion."
I groaned and settled down in one of the squares of light on the carpet. This day just needed to hurry up and end...