Ravenna chuckled. “When did I say I set this up, child? Do you think I control every whim of the Dragon King? Every twisted thread of consequence?”

“Do you deny it? After what you just said… you had some role!” Jet snarled, pressing the blade deeper.

A line of ruby appeared on Ravenna’s snow-white skin. Even so, she continued to smile placidly. “I never said I had no role. But to claim I chose the country, the day, the place… that I was the one who made the Dragon King decide to brashly kill so many of your fellow soldiers and draw the fear and aggravation of all humans in the region… don’t you think that’s a bit ridiculous?”

Jet hesitated. Don’t listen to her. She’s just telling lies! Excuses! Still, his hand remained still.

Ravenna sighed, completely unintimidated. She reached up and moved his blade away with a delicate forefinger. “Honestly, he’s caused a huge headache for us. What are we going to do if humans decide to invade our country? If we take significant losses, it could take centuries to build those numbers back up, and by then, we’ll be nothing but a memory!”

“You—you claim you had nothing to do with it?” Jet asked, grasping at straws.

“No, darling, I just said no. I had something to do with it. But very little. I suggested something much more subtle. Unfortunately, dragon politics are… well, they’re a bit straight-forward. ‘Gideon Rudina is a threat’ somehow became ‘invade the humans.’ Honestly, can you blame me for that?” Ravenna shook her head, disappointed in her own species.

“It’s still your fault!” Jet snarled. He drew back his sword.

“Yeah, go, fight!” Gideon cheered.

“Dear, think about this. Your True Dragon still awaits you on the border. Are you really throwing your life away here?” Ravenna asked, still smiling.

“I don’t care! Gideon’s the one who’ll kill him, anyways!” Jet snapped.

“And do you think he will, without you there to guide him there?” Ravenna asked.

Jet froze. He looked at Ravenna, then at Gideon.

Gideon looked around. When he found no one else for Jet to be looking at, he pointed at himself. His jaw dropped, and he nodded solemnly. “You can trust me, Jet!”

Oh, fuck no. Jet hesitated one more moment, then clicked his tongue and turned away, sheathing his sword. He narrowed his eyes at Ravenna and backed away, but refused to sit.

“If you must, you can return and fight me later. I do get bored, and a bit of exercise does a body good. But don’t expect me to hold back,” Ravenna said. A vicious, icy light flashed in the depths of her pure blue eyes, and her lips pulled back in something that might have been a smile, or might have been an expression of hunger.

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Jet scowled, turning his head aside to ignore her. If I do, she’ll directly turn into a dragon like the True Dragon and eat me whole, won’t she? After all, this is a former dragon king I’m talking to. If the True Dragon can take on a massive form, surely Ravenna can as well.

Ravenna looked at the mess of shattered porcelain, shattered wood, and trampled, soggy sandwiches. Her lips twisted, and she tutted. “George, if you would be a dear?”

The man appeared out of the shadows behind her chair and gathered up the mess in one scoop, though Jet couldn’t make out exactly how he did it. George retreated back behind Ravenna’s chair, leaving nothing but a rapidly-drying tea stain on the rug.

“What savagery. Honestly, I expected better from a human.” Tutting again, Ravenna turned to Gideon. “So what did you come here for? Or was it simply to visit your poor, lonely mother?”

Gideon scoffed. “There’s a grand conspiracy to overtake my hard work with ice cream shops downtown. I don’t suppose a grand ice dragon would know anything about that? Or about a young girl who’s supposedly tamed a dragon around here?”

“Oh dear. Taming a dragon? What a formidable human,” Ravenna said, wide-eyed.

Gideon looked at Jet and the others.

“She’s already admitted to it. She did it to help you, Gideon,” Elly said, leaning forward.

“I don’t need help. I’m a grown man,” Gideon grumbled, glaring at Ravenna.

“Hmm, a certain failing criminal underbelly would say otherwise,” Ravenna hummed.

Gideon glared daggers at her. “Failing? Are you sure you didn’t deliberately attempt to subvert it?”

Ravenna sipped her tea. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, dear.”

Still tense, Jet narrowed his eyes to slits. As horrible as Gideon is… I suddenly appreciate him. Compared to his mother, he’s absolutely cuddly and harmless!

In the awkward silence, George reappeared, carrying a fresh table laden with new treats and hot tea as if nothing had ever happened. He set it in the middle of the group and vanished once more.

Elly reached out and took a finger sandwich, offering one to Angel as well. Angel hesitated, then delicately took the sandwich and nibbled at it. Her face already had regained some of its color, most of the green drained away.

Leo sat forward and stole a handful of sandwiches, then quickly retreated to his chair, casting nervous glances at Ravenna the whole time.

She chuckled, shaking her head at his antics. “How adorable. Don’t worry. I have no interest in eating little water dragons anymore. Besides, you aren’t plump enough yet.”

Leo began to tremble, and the sandwiches fell from numb fingers. He shifted subtly away from the food, no longer casting it the slightest glance. Plump enough… yet!

Gideon sighed loudly and shifted in his chair, the picture of adolescent angst despite appearing in his mid-twenties. He frowned at Ravenna. “What do you want?”

“What do you mean, darling?” Ravenna purred, sipping her tea.

“You deliberately acted in such a way to provoke our attention. If you really only wanted to supply the ice cream shops with ice, we wouldn’t have been able to catch scale nor tail of you anywhere in the plot. Instead, you directly trade with them, and even tell them the ice comes from a dragon? I’m not stupid, and neither are you,” Gideon said, crossing his arms.

“Darling… does a mother need a reason to see her child?” Ravenna sighed.

“What do you want?” Gideon repeated stubbornly.

Ravenna chuckled. “Ah, since you insist, there is a small matter I could use your help with…”