[Don't understand. Why meat thing resist observation? Purpose of embarrassment?]

"She wants to know why being observed causes distress," Dave translated.

"Because I'm not a thing to be studied!" Remicra snapped. "I have dignity! Or, at least I did, before this nonsense started!"

[Dignity? Don't understand. Explain dignity. Show dignity.] Shadow-Cedez demanded through Healy.

"She wants you to explain and demonstrate dignity," Dave said.

"How do I even..." Remicra growled. She straightened her back and lifted her chin, trying to look regal despite her disheveled state. "Dignity is... self-respect. Pride. Standing tall, even when others try to break you down."

[Pride? Break down? Meat thing resists disassembly? Show fighting pose, display resistance to being taken apart!]

"Um," Dave said. "Demonstrate resistance to being... taken apart."

"What?! How am I supposed to- Never mind." Remicra flexed her claws and assumed a fighting stance on the bed. "Like this. I resist. I… fight back!"

[Inefficient combat stance. Balance suboptimal on soft surface. Demonstrate better fighting position.]

"She says your stance is wrong and wants you to show proper combat form," Dave translated, trying not to laugh.

"Oh, for- Fine!" Remicra hopped off the bed and demonstrated several martial stances, her tail swishing behind her for balance. Then she suddenly swung her metal hammer inches from Dave’s face with a growl, making him blink rapidly. “Happy?!”

[Now demonstrate attraction!]

“She’s demanding a demonstration of… attraction,” Dave said.

"I am NOT explaining attraction to a shadow monster!" Remicra's scales flashed brilliant pink.

[Meat thing displays pink again! Order it to explain attraction significance!]

"She's really fixated on understanding it," Dave translated. "Maybe if you just..."

"Argh!" Remicra threw her hands up. "Attraction is when you find someone attractive! Like how Dave is being attractive, even though he's a complete idiot who lets Shadow monsters take control of his Kitlix!"

[Demonstrate attraction behavior patterns!] The shadow demanded eagerly.

"Ugh," Dave groaned. "She wants you to... show attraction behaviors."

"WHAT?!" Remicra's scales went nuclear pink again. "I am NOT going to-"

[Disobedience observed.] The Kitlix became covered in shadow blades.

"She’s not satisfied with that response," Dave said.

"I hate you both so much right now," Remicra growled. But with the shadow blades hovering threateningly close, she forced herself to continue. She fluttered her eyelashes again, twirled a lock of her ruby hair around one claw, and gave Dave what she probably thought was a flirtatious smile, but looked more like she was planning his murder.

[Meat thing displays obvious physical impairment! Eyes malfunctioning! Immobile crystalline limb entanglement! Teeth baring threatens violence! Trickery?]

“She, uhhh… thinks that you’re tricking her,” Dave sighed.

“I’m seriously so done with whatever this is,” Remicra growled, gripping her weapon. “You’ve no idea how close I am to smashing that damn Kitlix with my hammer, consequences be damned.”

[Meat thing hostile, disobedient.] More shadow blades bloomed from the Kitlix. [I will slice up this one. You can find another.]

[Wait!] Dave projected frantically. [Look! Attraction ritual initiation!]

He turned and pulled Remicra into a tight embrace. The dragoness squeaked in surprise, her tail curling around his leg reflexively, fingers slipping from the metal hammer.

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“W-what are you doing?” She hissed at Dave.

“Displaying attraction,” he whispered. “Play along and hug me back, damn it.”

Remicra hesitantly wrapped her arms around Dave, scales dancing with pink and violet.

[See? Mutual embrace! Important bonding ritual!] Dave projected, trying to explain attraction to the Shadow creature through mental images. [Like... uhhhh... how Shadows join together in the flock!]

[Shadows join for strength! To become bigger, stronger! To serve Mother! To slice, bigger, stronger enemies. This... strange. Why meat things press together? Not merging. Not becoming stronger. Not fusing body or thoughts. Inefficient!]

"What's she saying now?" Remicra whispered against Dave's neck. He felt her beating heart, her body a few degrees warmer than his.

[Accelerated meat inner organ pulse and fluid motion observed,] Cedez-shadow commented, observing their hearts and veins through Healy’s eyes. [No fusion. Meat things cannot combine into one? Cannot think together? Inferior. Weak.]

"She doesn't understand why we're hugging and not merging into a bigger creature," Dave replied with a small smile.

“Eh?” Remicra blinked.

[Explain purpose! Why meat things waste energy on inefficient contact?] The shadow demanded through Healy.

"She wants to know why we're 'wasting energy' on hugging," Dave translated.

Remicra groaned. "Because it feels nice, you obtuse Shadow! Because being close to… Ugh, to someone you care about is... comforting!"

[Don't understand 'nice'! Don't understand 'comfort'! Demonstrate more clearly!]

“She doesn’t get it,” Dave said.

"Oh, for the love of..." Remicra muttered. But she snuggled closer to Dave, her tail curling tighter around his leg. "Like this, see? Warm, connected, and safe!"

[Safety understood. Safety when hive bigger. Mother is safety. Connection? Meat things take long time to form connections for mental fusion? How long?]

Dave grinned.

“What are you grinning about?” Remicra whisper-hissed. “You think tormenting me like this is funny?”

“She’s asking how long it takes,” he replied. “I’m not trying to torment you, I swear. I’m just finding… amusement in the absurdity of our situation.”

“How long WHAT takes?!” Remicra ignited with red-orange.

“She thinks we're attempting some kind of... mental fusion ritual, like Shadows do to combine to overpower enemies," Dave explained, trying not to laugh. "She wants to know the timeline for complete merging of consciousness."

[Time estimate required! How many night-day cycles until meat things achieve full mental convergence?] The shadow demanded through Healy.

"Abyss! We're not trying to merge minds!" Remicra growled. "That's not how relationships work!"

[Explain 'relationships'! Demonstrate relationship protocols!]

"She wants you to explain relationships now," Dave added, struggling very hard to keep a straight face.

"I am NOT giving relationship education to a Shadowbeast!" Remicra declared, trying to pull away. “What is this?!”

“Quit flailing,” Dave whispered, sliding everything into Strength and holding her tighter. "Do you want to get stabbed by a Shadow blade?”

"Fine!" Remicra huffed, settling back against Dave's chest. "Relationships are... when two people care about each other and want to spend time together. To support each other. To..."

[Explain support of meat-things!]

"She wants examples of support," Dave exhaled.

"Like... helping each other through difficult times," Remicra replied. Her voice softened slightly as she continued, "Like how Dave helped free me from that lighthouse. Or how he's trying to help Cedez now, even though she's being an absolute PAIN about it!"

The smith growled much softer and closed her eyes, falling silent. Her breath became relaxed as she slipped lower on the bed. Dark blue tones replaced the pink and orange. She didn’t let go of Dave.

[Heartbeat slowing? What is the meat thing doing now?]

[Resting,] Dave explained sliding down onto the bed. [It is dark. Meat things rest, sleep at night. Meat thing life cycle does not match that of the Shadow. When they rest, the Shadows are active.]

[Rest?! Why rest?! Who permitted meat thing to rest? Must study weaknesses!]

[Meat things need sleep to function properly. Can't study if the meat is too tired,] Dave explained, yawning. Remicra felt warm like a heater and he’d had a long day. [Look, why don’t you study the meat thing as it sleeps? Isn’t that interesting? Mother wishes you to study meat things. Important, new, fancy job!]

[Acceptable. Will observe meat thing rest cycle,] Shadow-Cedez agreed. The Kitlix's many eyes remained fixed on Dave and Remicra as they lay on the bed.

"What's happening now?" Remicra murmured sleepily against Dave's chest.

"She's agreed to study us while we sleep," Dave replied softly. "I think we're safe from being dissected for now."

"Mhm. Good," Remicra yawned, her tail still wrapped around Dave's leg. "You can monitor her, yeh? Wake me if she tries to harvest our cores or whatever."

“Can do,” Dave said.

As Remicra drifted off to sleep, her scales settled into a peaceful blue with hints of pink. Dave remained awake, vigilantly maintaining the connection with Shadow-Cedez through Healy, worried that she might figure out how to reach out to Leviathan Nightingale through the Kitlix.

[Meat thing displays color change during rest cycle,] the Shadow observed, coming closer and pawing the sleeping dragoness with Healy’s crystalline paw. [Why?]

[Dreams,] Dave explained, his focus becoming progressively smothered by the warmth of the dragon girl in his arms. [Meat things see things in their minds while they sleep. Stop moving around, stay close and observe. Order from Mother.]

He activated Dreamspace Communion as his eyes refused to stay open.