“Are you really… not going to kill that dragon?” Jet asked, as they stepped out into the sun.

Leo caught sight of them and jogged over, with Kat trailing at his hip. Angel waved from the shade of the veranda, and Elly sat elegantly, slowly finishing the last of her ice cream.

Gideon gave him a sharp look. “Have you ever heard of diplomacy? Even once? High God above, you were a bull in a china shop back there. Laura clearly doesn’t want us to kill this Rana. If we run in there all gung-ho about murdering her, do you think she’d tell us where this precious ice-seller of hers is?” He shook his head in disappointment.

Jet stared into the distance, his eyes glazed over, profoundly exhausted. Is Gideon seriously lecturing me on diplomacy? After that mess in the commander’s office?

“Anyways, if she’s really fighting other dragons, there’s less of a reason to kill her. I mean, right? We kill her, we’ve decreased the number of dragons by one. We let her live, she decreases the number of dragons by many. It’s that classic saying about seeking vengeance, or whatever.”

“You’ve got that completely backward, and also, that’s not anything like how that saying goes,” Jet replied. Is he referencing that saying: “If you kill a murderer, you have not decreased the number of murderers in the world?” But… what a way to completely mangle it, in both wording and meaning! Is it possible to be further from the meaning of the original saying?

Gideon waved his hand. “Details, details. What’s important is killing dragons.”

Leo nodded enthusiastically. He pointed at Gideon, then gestured with his hands, forming a hood over his head.

“And cultists, thank you, Leo. All dragon sympathizers must be wiped from the earth like the traitors they are.” Gideon paused and looked at the ice cream shop, then sighed. “Laura… I guess that means you have to die, eventually.”

Jet took a deep breath, then closed his eyes and let it go. Remember, don’t give him what he wants. Calm, Jet. Centered. Focused.

“Though, you know, a bird in the hand…” Gideon muttered to himself thoughtfully, hand on his chin.

“So you do want to kill Rana, after all!” Jet snapped.

Gideon gave him a look. “Jet, come on. It’s like I’ve always said. The default should be killing dragons. There might be considerations for allowing one or two dragons to live, but humans should kill all dragons they encounter. It’s simply the way of the world.”

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“I know we’ve asked before, but… remind me. Why do you want to kill dragons so much?” Jet asked.

“It’s a long, sad story. Are you sure?” Gideon asked, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

Jet paused for half a second, then nodded. It’s just going to be bullshit anyways.

Gideon took a deep breath. His hands trembled subtly, and his breath caught. The words stuck in his throat, as if he struggled to speak them. “It was a beautiful sunny day. My mother and I were out in the forest, having a quiet picnic, just the two of us. I come from a poor family, you know. There’s no one but me and my mother to rely on.

“In the middle of the picnic, I got up to go exploring and wandered off into the woods. Behind a thicket of thorns, I came upon a dragon. My mother leaped in front of it to save my life and died, right in front of me! Ever since then… I can’t forgive dragons, no matter what! All dragons must die!”

Jet hesitated. He gave Gideon a long look. Is he serious? That’s sad, if so, but… given the other stories I’ve heard from him…

Catching his look, Gideon sighed dramatically. “You doubt me? I’m over here pouring my heart out to you, revealing my vulnerable spots, and you still look at me like that? Jet… that’s incredibly hurtful.”

“What happened to the dragon?” Jet asked.

“Huh?” Gideon asked.

“After it killed your mother,” Jet clarified.

“Oh, well, I killed it. I awakened to my powers as a mage, spurred on by my mother’s death, and slaughtered it.”

“Without a tome?” Jet asked skeptically.

Angel’s voice sounded unexpectedly from over his shoulder. “It’s possible. When mages first manifest their powers, they often do so without a tome, injuring themselves in the process… after all, the human body isn’t built to handle mass quantities of raw mana. Even we dancers use tools.” She gestured at the bangles on her wrists and ankles, which Jet had ignored until that moment.

Huh. So those aren’t just jewelry.

“I can’t believe you’re doubting me, Jet. Do you think so little of me, that I’m someone capable of the greatest evils? Capable of lying about something so dear to me as my own mother’s death?” Gideon asked, hurt.

Jet rubbed his forehead. I don’t even care any more. “Where is this Rana?”

“Deflecting the conversation? Jet, come on,” Gideon complained.

“Rana?” Elly asked, delicately wiping her lips and rising from the table. She gathered everyone’s dishes into a neat pile before walking over.

“A dragon who’s making all this ice for the ice cream parlors. It’s suspicious that a dragon is hanging around the capital. We wanted to meet with her and interrogate her about her plans,” Jet explained.

Kat looked up, startled. “A dragon? In the capital?”

Leo stroked her hair reassuringly and smiled. She startled at his touch and suddenly realized who she’d been following. Eyes wide, she fled to Angel’s side instead. Leo’s hand hovered in midair, and his smile crumpled.

Elly put a gentle hand to Leo’s back. “I agree. We need to investigate this dragon. Where is she?”

“You’re all using the wrong verb. Subjugate, destroy, kill… well, investigate too, I guess,” Gideon allowed reluctantly. He lifted the paper in his hands, quickly reading it. His expression flickered for a second, the usual glib smile replaced with something Jet couldn’t quite place.

Pain? Fear? Does he know the place? Maybe… have some history with it? Jet wondered.

In the next moment, Gideon’s smile returned. He stuffed the paper into his pocket and nodded. “Oh! She’s hanging out in an abandoned manor on the edge of the city. I know the place. Right this way.”

Putting his suspicions away for the moment, Jet nodded. “Lead the way.”