Tasha's POV:
"Yes, I'm pretty sure," Tessa told me. "I still like Soranto the best."
"And Maria and Adeline?" I asked.
"Maria is fun. I'm happy that Soranto has brought her over so much lately. Adeline is nice, too. Especially since I brought her some flowers and acted cute. She smiles whenever she sees me now." Her mindvoice was bright and happy with the memories.
Her preference for Soranto wasn't very surprising. She had always gravitated to the very easygoing Kymari. The decision was one she was taking seriously though, and she had spent the last three weeks hanging out with various Kymari.
My eyes were half closed in thought. "Hmmm... I know you have been meeting a lot of people over the last three weeks. None of them stand out?"
"Not really. I thought hard about Sadria and Rasha, but I like Soranto's personality."
That was about what I had expected as well. As much as Tessa loved playing Ply-Ball, Rasha wasn't an adult yet. Not to mention that he was still in school. Having a dragonet choose him would seriously complicate his education and restrict him to this planet.
It would prevent him from remaining on the Ply-Ball team since most of the matches were in a different star system. Tessa also knew it, and she liked him too much to do that to him. Even though she counted Rasha as a friend, she still liked Soranto more.
I didn't really care who she chose as long as she was one hundred percent certain of her choice. As much as I wanted her to think about it until she was a year old, both Taureen and I had noticed that she was getting a bit restless when Soranto wasn't around.
It was barely noticeable, but it was likely a sign of things to come. She was beginning to look around as if searching for someone, yet this behavior stopped if Soranto was around. Just like I looked around for Taureen if I hadn't seen him in the room for a while.
Even more interesting, was that both Tessa and Dirk were no longer quite so friendly towards strangers. Both of them were growing up so fast. The scent of a crawler or sicora had them growling and looking for it, no longer ready to flee the area. It would still be several months before they could breathe fire, but their instincts were maturing and kicking in.
Dirk had never been as ambitious or as outgoing as his sister and seemed content to remain as he was for now. He would likely remain with Taureen and Aeria for months to come while contemplating his options.
Tessa was a bundle of energy that liked to do things with people. Since she wasn't as willing to approach strangers anymore, it meant that she needed more one-on-one attention. Taureen and Aeria were willing to spend most of their free time with us, but there were four dragonets they had to divide their time between.
It was no wonder that a family like Soranto's intrigued her so much. Even if one person was busy, there were two others around. Even though he annoyed me, I had to admit that his personality made him an almost ideal match for Tessa. Neither of them were overly serious, and both of them liked to keep busy, even if it was just silly games.
"What do you think?" Tessa asked me hopefully, interrupting my thoughts.
I sighed faintly. "Honestly, I think it is a bit too soon. You are only four months old, and it won't be easy to change things once this ball starts rolling. But, if you are completely certain, we can ask Taureen to occasionally invite Soranto along."
Her ear tufts perked up in excitement. "I would really like that!"
"I do want you to promise me one thing, though."
"What?"
"Don't mindspeak Soranto or any of his family for at least three months once he becomes your handler. There is a good reason for this. If you change your mind for some reason, they won't take it personally or feel nearly as betrayed. I would prefer that you wait longer, but at least three months."
"I promise!" she eagerly agreed.
"Alright. If you are completely sure, then I can go have a chat with Taureen."
"Yes, please!" Tessa's wings quivered in excitement, and she practically danced in place.
With my heart oddly heavy, I got to my feet and left the heat lamp as I went in search of Taureen. My emotions were tangled, but I knew why. She was like a fourteen-year-old filling out applications for distant prestigious universities.
Her leaving home wasn't going to happen immediately, but it was clearly on the horizon. I was her mother, and it was hard to let go even though I knew we would get to see each other every day. It had to happen eventually, but my heart protested.
It wasn't hard to locate Taureen since I knew he was in the basement. There was an access flap beside the door that I went through. A piece of clear material shielded the area around the flap, just in case something he struck bounced in this direction.
It wouldn't take him long to notice my presence, so I took the opportunity to watch him. Even after all these years, it always made me pause when I saw Taureen whirl between various targets as his weapons blurred with speed.
It reminded me that he was still a fighter, although I felt no fear around him. He slowed to a stop and stretched as he turned to face me. He put his practice weapons back in their holders on the wall before coming closer.
"What has you troubled?" he inquired, grabbing a towel and wiping the worst of the sweat off his neck and face.
"Was it that obvious?"
"Enough that I noticed it when you first entered."
His response didn't surprise me; he could probably determine my emotions better than I could. I sighed as I walked around the protective barrier and flew up to a wall perch near him.
"Tessa brought up the handler subject again, and we had quite a long discussion. She is still strongly in favor of Soranto. As I had requested, she did spend a lot of time with other Kymari and considered them, but it has only made her more certain of her original choice."
He thought for a moment. "What age do the wild youngsters usually leave their parents?"
"By the time they are three months old, they tend to go off by themselves a lot during the day. As for at night, it's hard to say. Usually, they just add another room to their parents' burrow since it's safer. Many don't actually leave until they find a mate, although sometimes several friends dig a separate burrow nearby for a bit more privacy."
"Am I safe to assume that she is just wanting to spend more time with him, as opposed to leaving?"
"Yes. She said she isn't close to being ready to leave home, but she wants to see him more. Perhaps we can drag Soranto along on a patrol?"
"I can probably arrange something. It will take several days, though."
"I can handle that. I'm pretty sure that once Tessa sees him more, she will get more attached."
"That is a very likely scenario, and others are beginning to notice her attachment. I already had a couple of people ask me if Soranto was being acknowledged as a potential handler. If he begins joining our patrols, then it's going to be a push in that direction."
"I already warned Tessa, and she is aware of it." I lowered my mindvoice, even though he was the only one who could hear me at the moment. "She shared glimpses of her emotions and mind with me. I'm quite certain that she isn't going to change her mind. Even now, he is practically family in her eyes."
Taureen nodded slowly. "I will mention it to Soranto tonight. He will have to shift his work schedule as well. The Elders are hoping for the children to form a bond with a handler, although they have made it clear that they prefer them to remain with their parents for as long as possible. As young as Tessa is, we may face potential pushback."
"Then we simply go step by step," I stated logically, somehow arguing in favor of letting my daughter pick her own path and timeline even if it was too fast for me. Which was probably part of his reverse psychology to help me think things through. "Start with occasional patrols, have him come to the park more often, and see if we can invite the family over for supper more often."
"Indeed. It shouldn't be hard to manage that. The patrols will take more planning."
I tilted my head. "Come to think of it, Tessa hasn't even been to Soranto's house. Perhaps seeing four dragonets getting into mischief will prepare their family for what a bored Tessa can manage."
"Are you going to be okay with Soranto being around more? You have been tolerating him surprisingly well, but I don't want it to become a bother."
"He's been giving me my space, so I'll manage. Although if she somehow gets hurt in his care, he will see what kind of damage I can do when I intend to harm."
"You would not be the only one he would have to answer to," Taureen stated, leaving it at that.
I flew over and landed carefully on his unprotected shoulder. My nose wrinkled at the heavy scent of his sweat.
"You really need a shower. At this point, I might not be able to smell a crawler even if you stepped on it."
He chuckled at my teasing, fully aware that he really needed to wash up. He opened the door and began climbing the stairs.