“Oh, we’re so screwed. I'll stall!” Drenar starts to head to the door, then Julia grabs him.

“Uh, you got hit by a thunderbolt, no, you can't!” she protests. She feels kind of dumb when he just zips up his jacket to hide the scorch mark. “Just buy time, we need to clean, so mom doesn’t get the hint there are dragons in her dining room!”

“Clean. Get rid of this triage mess, hide the booze, and for the love of the fates, hide the damn book!” he gives in rapid instructions before he heads out past the three season porch area, and the creaking screen door slams behind him. Evan grabs all the bandages and swabs, and dumping them in the trash, while Julia shoves the bestiary under the couch. It'll be safe for now.

“So, is your mom really a dragon–”

“Evan, if she is, and sees two boys in this house, you both will have zero chance for survival, now move your ass!” she barks before grabbing the shot microwave and stashing it away in a corner of the garage. That one is going to garner questions without a doubt, but maybe she can find a way to spin it. Somehow. Evan is busy swabbing blood from a couple spots when she gets back.

“Bleach. Or it'll stain,” she instructs. He grabs the bleach, and she dares a look outside. Drenar is talking to Mom, and they're having a discussion. He keeps recoiling like he's embarrassed. “Damn it, she better not be propositioning that boy to me, I'm gonna kill her if she does it again!”

“There was a first time?” Evan sighs, even as they scrub. “Seriously, just marry the kid, the world will be safer.”

“I like him, I just don't know if I like him in that way! It's like…picture yourself making out with someone you consider family. And not in a good way–why am I telling you this?” she snarls.

“Because we both have this uncanny power to get people to tell us interesting things,” Evan says slyly.

The raven glare gets another use for the night. “I own a shotgun. And I have an ammo bench. I will either find, or make ordinance to render your sense of security moot,” she threatens. “Maybe my nascent chemistry skills or electric personality will get a workout, too!”

“Living up to your name there Tsundere, those threats are idle to the spectacle of you being sweet on Drenar,” Evan shot back.

“Have I ever gone easy on him?” Julia simply smirks.

“Definitely not. Also, scrub faster. Drenar's completely flubbing it I bet, because he sucks at lying,” he says just before she finishes. No time for any other cleaning, she wipes down everything she can, and hopes she didn't miss anything. The whiskey bottle carefully gets placed back in position.

Her mother is going to notice that one for sure. Nothing she can do about that one, this night is just going to be a continuous pain. They get the cleaning done in record time. Evan looks to be in pain, and the binding on his arm is bleeding again.

“You know this is your fault for keeping mum. You should have told us.”

“Just like you fried a microwave.”

“You know what, blame game later, the overwatch raven is coming, and unlike me, I doubt you’ll survive a round with her!” Evan does not even come close to the same level of strength as her, let alone her mother.

“If your mother is beating me into the floor, I will at least die with the notion it was done by someone drop-dead gorgeous–”

Too far, cretin! She feels that static wash and gently taps him on the shoulder with that errant spark of energy, and there's a loud pop sound. He recoils about a third of a meter, stunned. “Owie, what was that for?!”

“My mom is off the table. Forever,” Julia warns him with a deadly tone.

“Fates, you can't take a joke sometimes,” he mutters before rubbing his shoulder. “Ah man, you burned a hole through my sleeve, thanks Julia!”

“Better that than making you a crispy dragon! Damn it, I got a superpower, and it's useless on Drenar!” She fumes.

“Drenar needs all the protection in the world from you, just saying.” Julia shoves the rags down the trash can just as she hears footsteps, and Evan does his best to look composed. She pretends to be busy with the dishes when her mom walks in, with Drenar entering at roughly the same time.

Evan wasn't exactly wrong when he had been making his snarky comment about her mom, because she really is one of a kind. Kiera DeVerdra towers over the rest of the teens in her presence at close to 185 centimeters, with raven black hair and piercing blue eyes, and a pale complexion that stood true to her ancestry from Scandinavia and Norway. She's a little more weathered than herself, with a trace of a wrinkle or two, and an athletic body that could crush steel, and she's got that glint of curiosity as she surveys the room.

“Right, so as I was saying, it's totally plausible for parallel universes to exist,” Drenar says as if they'd been mid discussion.

“Drenar, you're as amusing as you are telling, when I smell a distraction. So what have you three been up to?” her mother says with amusement and sizes up her and Evan. “I said no boys, Julia.”

“It's Drenar. He literally doesn't count,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “He always follows the rule of being a proper gentleman.”

“Thanks, I think?” He rubs the back of his head uneasily. “Alright, short version, Evan did something dumb, and was trying amateur parkour in town. It uh…didn't go well. I was not keen on explaining this to Diane, so we just came here to fix him up.”

“Parkour? That urban gymnastics?” She raises an eyebrow at Evan. “Well, I can see the damage is mostly superficial. No real harm done.”

“Yeah, I uh, won’t be doing that again anytime soon. Don’t take bets from dumb teens,” Evan says with a fake laugh. Julia sighs internally–these two just can’t lie to save their life.

“Why do I smell–oh, I think someone made dinner. I thought I smelled a hint of ramen,” her mother says slyly when she points to the dishes. “Did you really invite Drenar over just to make a meal?”

“I fried the microwave by leaving a fork in it, so yeah, I kinda did,” she admits. She has no idea how to gauge how effective this lie is going to be. If mother dearest is an azure or goldback dragon, she’s gonna know in two seconds that I fried the microwave, then we’re all in deep trouble. Her mother peers at the empty spot where the microwave should be. “You know that’s now how magnetrons work dear. Be careful next time?” she says sternly. “At least you kept my daughter fed Drenar, Fates knows with your workouts you don’t devour the place wholesale.”

“That sounded mighty insulting Mom,” she said with a puff of air blowing an errant hair out of her face. Mom chuckles in response.

“Forgive me, out of context. You’re all teenagers, you’re still growing. Well, sort of,” she adds as an aside. Oh you deceptive dragon, of course you know! Well now I’m telling you jack, because you’ll undoubtedly make life less fun if you know we’re Awakening. Her decision is quite rapid for her. “Well, thank you for cleaning, but it is–well, you should be going, it is quite late. I don't want Diane thinking Julia stole you away at a rather telling hour.”

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Both she and Drenar look anxious at that statement, even when her mom smiles lightly. “Yeah, I guess we better go Mrs. DeVerdra –”

“Oh for heaven's sake Drenar, you can call me Kiera. Or Mom. I think that either title has been earned by now,” she says with a contented sigh. “Julia, a word with you upstairs, after Drenar and Evan leave?”

Uh oh. Moment of reckoning is coming. Better make this fast. “Alright, guys, I guess it's been fun, minus the whole crash and burn bit?”

“Yes, it was hilarious. We should really have a follow-up to this,” Evan hints with a mask of sarcasm. “Brother, shall we?”

They make their way out to the porch, and Julia revels in the crisp air. She loves this time of year. Evan hops into the car, and Drenar lingers on the step before turning towards her. He's got that look, that lingering doubt that's etched in his eyes again. Six years later and he still can't stop being sad. The last few days definitely have not helped, either, she thinks. “So uh…quite a night, huh?”

“Our lives just suffered a massive paradigm shift. I don't think there's enough words for that.” She glances over her shoulder, her mom had already headed upstairs. “I don't know what's worse. That this happened to us, or that there's a new angle we have to worry about. These Talons folk sound like bad news, and Jonaleth may very well be the least of our problems.”

“Still got a shotgun for that problem–”

“Don't joke about that. Seriously. Jonaleth is a bully who never had to fight someone well trained, We deal with him when we have to, and hope there's actually useful wizard police,” he says in an attempt to keep upbeat.

“What about the book?” she asks.

“Bring it to our tabletop tomorrow, we need to keep the appearance of normal for now. Not that I like it, but Angela’s gonna know if we are freaking out about something,” he says with a frown. “Egads, your mom picks the worst moments to bring up stuff, too. She correctly guessed I was thinking about mom and dad when I was talking to her. Something about anniversaries being triggers for people.”

“They are,” Julia reminds him. “November 11th. May 6th. I'll never forget those days. And it sucks.” She's trying not to let her own dour funk infect the discussion. “What else did she say?”

“Looking to the future and not looking to the past. She said remembrance is a fickle thing, that we always remember what we lost…and later, what we gained from our experiences with people.” He looks like he's still processing that. “She said mom is, and will always be, the bravest person she's ever met. I dunno, it seemed weird. Like, hey Kiera, this is kinda heavy for me still. But, I suppose she meant well. Ten seconds later, she's asking if I came over here for…well, fun times.”

Julia lets out a nervous laugh. “Dear fates, don't tell me you said you did! Even given our current crisis, I'd murder you on the spot!”

“Yeah, I didn't. I told her I'm far more classy than that. Then she proposed that there are items in the medical cabinet, should the situation ever require it. Awkward.” It's almost adorable how embarrassed Drenar looks, with rosy cheeks she barely sees on him, and she can't help but laugh.

Would I, though? Angela’s seeing him, but I don't see it as more than a phase. Ergh! Less teen drama, more dragon-seeking! She hugs him to break his focus. “Well, if the unlikely circumstances ever did present themselves, I'd appreciate that kind of forward-thinking like she alluded to.”

“That felt really dangerous to hear. I'll take my chances with a dragon, my survival chance might be higher,” he says with a groan, but he still wears a lingering smile. “Alright, let's sneak in a plan tomorrow. We need to find Amaranth or someone like him. Evan might be able to help too, just keep an eye out for anyone else acting weird.” He lets go and slowly heads down the steps.

“Take care of yourself, Drenar. I mean that. Don't be a reckless hero.”

“Yeah, one-man armies are so overdone. We're at least a team of three,” he says with a wry smile. She waves farewell before he takes off, the car eventually disappearing behind a bend in the road. She taps her foot and lets out a soft sigh.

Whoever falls in love with that kid is gonna have their work cut out for them, because he's still trying to cling to someone he's never going to get back. Even as awful as that sounds. Does that make me a bad friend? She takes a second to ponder it before shaking her head. No. He’ll be okay someday. He’s always been tougher than I give him credit for. She heads back inside and upstairs to her mom, waiting by her bedroom. A bedroom that is now going to be her private lab for all things dragon now, if she can keep it hidden.

She's probably got bigger problems now, based on her mother's stern gaze. “I did say no boys, Julia.”

“Drenar is literally the most platonic kid I know, c’mon mom! We had dinner, and then coffee, and then Evan did his stupid thing, and here we are. Nothing happened!”

“Oh dear, I did hit a bit of a sensitive nerve. I believe you Julia, but the rules are there for a reason,” she says sternly, but at least the etched lines on her face have faded. “You're almost eighteen now, almost a full adult…and you've filled out to be a very lovely young woman. I just want you to make sure you're making smart decisions that go along with it.” She glares at her mom.

“Have I ever given a vibe that I'm one to jump a boy's bones without thinking it through, ever? Fates mom, I got my boobs later than most, and I'm quite aware that I occasionally turn heads. Let them slobber! Er, um–” she scrunches her face when her mother laughs heartily and bows over lightly. “What I mean to say is, I don't care if they're looking! The only guys I care about are the ones I interact with on a regular basis! And maybe a few girls, but–oh.” Again with speaking too fast, and she bites her lip before burying her face in her hands. “I'm not gay mom, just curious.”

“Oh, you young child. You have your father's fighting spirit, you know that?” Mom says with a contented smile and tries fruitlessly to hide a laugh. “You like who you like, and don't let someone tell you otherwise. Besides, I do approve of Drenar. He would be good boyfriend material, if you were so inclined.”

“Thanks for the reassurance,” Julia growls in a deadly voice. “Is this all you wanted to talk about? I know, I should have asked first, but it was last minute and you were working when Drenar called.”

“Well, actually, there was one thing. I may be attending a conference in a week or so, work related. Boss is making me go, it's important. Something about testifying to proper care for veterans and identifying means and methods of identifying PTSD and management strategies…I won't bore you with the details,” she sighs. “When I do head out, I want you to stay with Angela at her house, it won't be more than a few days, they're firming up the details.”

So, not gonna bring up that your daughter’s becoming a mighty morphing dragon monk just yet? Alright I'm game mom, play the quiet game until you want to talk. “So, basically an extended hangout?” She asks casually.

“Yes, I did speak with Celes in advance. It's always a difficult thing to get a hold of them at times,” she mutters with annoyance. “I would have had you stay with Drenar but that might have…well, it may not have been such a good idea.”

“I'm like Diane's adopted daughter over there mom, c'mon!” she protests lightheartedly. She pouts in protest for a second before relenting. “Angie’s gonna love it, and so won't I. Anything else?” she asks hopefully.

You better come clean, seriously mom, you know this is a ticking time bomb, but do you know that I know?

At least the overwatch raven can't read minds when her mother smiles. “Oh, I'm sure I'll have something to talk about when I get back, but it can wait. Well, I'm off for the night, good night dear. Try not to stay up too late, yes?”

“Absolutely,” she says before giving her mom a hug. She waits until she hears the door click shut before closing her own door, and breathes a sigh of relief.

Now it's time to focus on what makes dragons tick. That feather is still sitting in her pocket, and she pulls it out with an excited grin. “I suppose Drenar will be glad I'm doing science on you, you itty bitty little thing, and not him!” She gets her chemistry set and starts looking up what to test against, and sends a text to Drenar. Now, how to do this…a regular woodworking file and a few other things may be required.

[We're gonna science this dragon, baby!]

His response is predictable dread.

[Oh, dear, Fates.]