A precocious young lass calls out, “Is it true you’re sleeping with like, seven people?”

Coughing, and blushing a bit, I respond, “Well, technically, but sleeping in a pile of loved ones is simply a comfort to share with those I hold dear. I— was hoping for questions more aimed towards things you want to see from a Hero of the Onyx Dawn.”

Someone I hadn’t spotted in the crowd until now, a familiar, lanky, gangly young woman, I hadn’t noticed partially because her lovely hair was completely drowned in gore. Ixeyla queries, “Is it true you’re immune to like six things or more, like four breath weapons, on top of dragonfright, and having your soul stolen?”

I nod towards Ixeyla, flashing a smile her way. Since I don’t need to verbally respond, someone else jumps in to ask, “Is it true that Lady Kinzul calls you her love!?”

Fighting my smile, my face contorts a bit as I battle my chuckle. My expression probably gives me away, but I answer, “I will leave that for our beloved Lady to divulge at an announcement happening sometime in the next forty hours.”

The wave of murmurs that passes through the crowd has me struggling to keep from giggling. I continue to keep my lips clamped down to fight my smile as another queries, “What’s the deal with you being naked a bunch?”

I snort with laughter and don a cheeky grin before responding, “That part’s a bit embarrassing, I used my clothes to try to save Atter’s and Shiz’s lives one time, and my armor is uncomfortable without clothes on underneath. On other occasions, well, let’s just say I’m prone to some mostly innocuous foolish behaviors.”

As I close that answer with a wink, there’s a round of chuckling from the crowd. Farzee, Revvy, and Greggy are wolfing down large sections of Mydraig, or were, and are now returning to expanding the aerie. Another query, from an unforgiving familiar voice asks, “Just why does a gutter-trash troll like yourself think you deserve such special treatment, and adoration?”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath so that Leezahna can’t see my eyeroll and so that I can’t sigh exasperatedly. I respond honestly, “I don’t think that at all. I honestly hate being in the spotlight. I’m more nervous talking to you lot than I was facing down the other six damnations the other day,” there’s some chuckling at my admission as I try to continue, “I don’t want adoration, or treatment, I want to know what our people expect out of someone who’s had so much invested in them. I want our people to know what I offer, and for them to feel comfortable coming to me with requests if they have ideas for applications of my powers, or if they have needs that aren’t being met. I promised a wonderful blacksmith that I’d start up a liquors and spirits supply line soon, and I mean it. Oh, holy crap Deli, I didn’t see you under all that gore.”

There’s a hearty round of laughter from everyone, while Deli, wearing a cheeky grin, responds, “Heard Schism was pulling something up on the aerie which was suddenly accessible from the feasting hall for non-fliers. Thought I’d come check it out, arrived just in time to end up in the splash zone. Still, glad to hear you’re keeping my request in mind Schism, it’s much appreciated. I’ll tell you that story over the first drink you bring me.”

A wave of giggling sounds out as Deli calls her arrival point the splash zone. Leezahna poses another question, “You really want to know what you can do for me gutter troll?”

Murmurs from the crowd are accompanied by everyone fearfully backing away from Leezahna, who seems completely oblivious to the fact that people are abandoning her in her continued brazen attempts to insult me. The hostile lass finishes, “You can stop inviting feeble, disgusting heathens into *our* mountain. You can go die, and let a real hero take your place like my father.”

The way Leezahna said, “our,” tells me she was entirely using the “royal we” more or less, indicating her and her family. Casually, I flip into the air, then use a T K S L to rocket downwards to the empty space surrounding Leezahna, and hold my breath at the last second. I land gracefully on my lead foot with my hands in my pockets, and continue striding towards Leezahna in a smooth motion.

I approach the woman who now has the good sense to appear a bit frightened. I tell the ill-tempered dragon in human-form, “Take me to your father. If he can beat me at something, anything, even just answering some questions, I’ll ask Lady Kinzul to Administrate a change in my title over to him.”

A hush falls across the crowd, which makes me feel uncomfortably, intimately close with Leezahna, whose face now appears to be coming clean of the gore in rivulets. Tears are working their way down her face as she responds, “I c-can’t. He’s dead! He bravely challenged, brave, b-bravely challenged one of Terrorzin’s generals, trying to earn an Honoris Causa.”

Word from the crowd seems to confirm that he died in an attempt, but there are disparaging words about it as well. It basically sounds like it was completely foolish, not brave at all. I’m not certain if this is supposed to be public knowledge, but I’d never have even tried to keep up on something like whose noble family did what stupid nonsense. I’m not fully convinced that the crowd should be disparaging her father, because I don’t know the circumstances, and I don’t want to take a general crowd-murmur’s word on something like a judgment of character.

Revvy telepathically informs me, “Pay no heed to that one Schism. Her family, the Dimineros, were never brave heroes. They’re snobs of the worst kind, and remained so until their clan’s leader submitted to Terrorzin’s reign. The family became Terrorzin loyalists, and only fled seeking sanctuary in Mount Solace from Lady Kinzul after Dyrkalt, her father, died, knowing they’d likely have been punished for his failed affront.”

Grumpily, Revvy continues, “The fool didn’t even understand Honoris Causa aren’t for dragons. He was hoping for any sort of titling, but aiming for that. It’s a titling which only Lady Kinzul even knows how to bestow, and he was seeking it as part of the Ice of Rage’s forces, despite having been attempting to usurp a position in those forces. The Dimineros had been fully intending to remain there.”

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Guessing at the father’s motives, Revvy conjectures, “Dyrkalt was out on some sort of bid to achieve, or retain, higher social standing. His desire seemed to spawn from the family’s previous life of luxury, where they’d been afforded a largely unfair proportion of gems, and other rich minerals and wealth.”

Even if her dad was a snobby idiot who threw his life away for glory and luxury, she’s still someone that’s hurting. Leezahna practically doubles over as she weeps aloud. She feebly pounds on my chest for a moment, then drops to her knees, and keeps pounding on my abdomen, waist, pelvis, and eventually knees. Sighing sadly, I do weep several tears of sympathy for her. I’d be devastated if I lost people I consider family members. More than I already have.

Even though I can already sense that Leezahna would be thinking, “Don’t touch me gutter troll,” I pat Leezahna comfortingly at the back of her head. She’s pounding on my legs, and I just want to comfort her about the loss of her father, but I shouldn’t have bothered. She tries to hiss the words that I knew were coming, but it comes out as a burble. Worse, she begins taking her draconic form, causing the crowd to stumble back even further than the space they’d already given her. Leezahna lashes out at me, attempting to bite me.

I simply, effortlessly avoid her every attempt to harm me now that my reflexes have returned to their former prowess. I’m back in decent combat shape in RS2 form since it lacks the nerve-damage. I’ve got my hands in my pockets and I casually hop around on invisible telekinetic squares that I conjure where my danger wraps think I should change directions at.

It’s just a jump to the left, whoop, and here’s a step to the right. My hands are in my unarmored pockets at my hips, and I don’t even have to move my knees from their tight position as I maintain relatively straight posture. Mostly simply flexing my ankles, I spring about on T K Squares that are angled properly to avoid attacks. I allow my momentum to carry me over one of her swipes with her foreclaws, and casually perform a vaulting handspring over it, trying to impress upon her how stupid and reckless this is, that I have time to show off.

I’ve got no idea how to get through to this snobby brat. I feel bad for her, about losing her father, I really do. You can’t violently lash out at other family who accepts and protects you though. Especially not out of some friggin’ crap like nobility and royalty and social standing nonsense.

Eventually, when Leezahna’s as large as she’s going to get, the size of a young-adult dragon, I land on her snout, light as a feather. Her scales glitter like emerald gemstones, honestly a lot like my draconic form from Can’Z’aas. Her draconic form isn’t impressive, but it is fairly lovely, sleek, almost regal. I wonder how upset she’d be if she had permanent scarring from an injury. She seems like the type to care about her appearance above a lot of other things. I don’t want to injure her, but I will if I have to, to keep everyone else here safe.

Almost everyone in the crowd who doesn’t know me is freaking out. Not Ixeyla though. She’s just smirking and rolling her eyes as I lean down to flip around Leezahna’s snout after patting her gently, comfortingly on her cranium. I’m quite tempted to draw Frostburn to appear more threatening, since I’ve given her several minutes of screwing around now.

I can tell Leezahna is beginning to charge a breath weapon, and I’m getting fed up with trying to be the nice, forgiving person here. She won’t accept comfort in order to calm down, when she laid hands upon me first. I don’t want to touch someone who doesn’t consent as a general rule, but I’m also pretty close to just hauling off and shattering her nose to get her to stop being a brat.

Instead, I float directly in front of Leezahna, and crackle with lightning, causing her to balk. I irritatedly announce, “Leezahna, Diminero, you will halt your aggression. I am Reggie Shellcracker, Hero of the Order of the Onyx Dawn, an archmage Aliased Schism, and I am the Void Dragon Honoris Causa.”

Sick of having to repeat myself, I also voice my displeasure as I order, “Failure to come to your senses will force me to knock you senseless, and I don’t guarantee you’ll survive my effort. I very much lack strong non-lethal options. Do *not* force my hand. I am very sorry to hear about your father’s unfortunate death. However brave he was, I’ll never know, and never attempt to question. It’s obvious that you care about your family, at least its name or status.”

Far more sternly, angrily, I add, “Know that I care about mine enough to *kill*. Even enough to kill members of it, to protect the others. I slew my own brother, when he’d succumbed to evil in order to gain devastating powers, and put the rest of our family in harm’s way. You are a member of my family now Leezahna, but you are showing yourself to be a danger to others, others that I hold dear. If I can’t trust my safety around you, I certainly wouldn’t trust their safety around you.”

Staring her dead in the eyes, I couch my parting words with displeasure, “I will slay anyone that would disrupt the safety and peace of our home. You currently survive and remain conscious because of my affection for all of my family members, which includes all who dwell within Mount Solace.”

Leezahna finally calms down, somewhat. She gripes, “Whatever, gutter trash,” and I really want to smack her for it, but at least I don’t have to risk nearly killing her, and dragging her to our shop stall. There’s still a chance to salvage this, and get her to agree, but I am *not* risking the stall with her being this hostile. I guess I know why the note drew so much attention to her name though. Friggin’ hell.

The dragon form recedes, and Leezahna stands before me once again in her human guise, mostly cleaned of the gore due to the changes in her shape from becoming a dragon and returning to human form. Her clothing is completely cleaned due to having swapped to a much less fashionable dress form, it almost resembles a sort of battle-attire, as if she’s defiantly stating she’s not backing down from the idea of fighting me. The slight smirk she wears upon noticing me making note of her attire is all the confirmation I need of her subtle signal.

I wonder how much Kinzul would hate me if I shattered some of Leezahna’s bones. I’d hate myself quite a lot. The brat is utterly infuriating, and completely convinced of her own, and her family’s, superiority. I know that Lady Kinzul would back my play if I chose to exile her, but what would she do? Go back to Terrorzin’s forces? Then I’d just end up killing her. Would she go raiding human settlements? Then I’d just end up killing her.

How the hell do you get through to someone like this? She’s insufferable. I’m sure she feels I’m equally insufferable. Should I grovel? Somehow lift her family’s station, and reward her crappy behavior? Screw that. I’ve got a couple of plays left, but I think I’m going straight for the final play.

Drawing Frostburn, I level it at Leezahna and state, “Perhaps I should have warned everyone, but I’ve spells, enchantments, and abilities to read intent, deceptions, and even minds. Your continued harassment, and your subtle ploy at provoking me by indicating your defiance shows that you’re still a danger to those I love. I think I’ve changed my mind about letting you live.”