TLOS: In The Purple, Reignited. Chapter 4.

In the Heat of the Moment.

“Alright.” Nestor said, peering over old plans of the Warfang Undercity. “So this section here is probably going to be the best spot. Just off one of the rear avenues.”

“That far in?” Bertrand frowned. “I thought there were more stable buildings closer to the main gate.”

“There are, but I was under the impression we need something a bit out of the way?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Elwynn nodded. “Just until we can sort things out on the surface. It’ll be fine, though, most of us are already living underground, literally. This is something far nicer than a cave, and it’s got indoor plumbing to boot. That makes all the difference.”

Ddraig made a murmur of assent, still feeling somewhat out of sorts as her claws idly followed the smooth trails of wood grains in the meeting table they were sitting at. The guilt-ridden horror had subsided, but she still felt distinctly shell-shocked; almost light-headed, and a little too warm. In spite of this, she had pushed forward with her plans, pulling every important figure of her inner court that was available on such short notice to go over these new, urgent issues…and yet, the absences in the conference room she had selected had more of a presence than the heads she could count.

“That’s true,” Nestor was saying, “and don’t forget a little bit of distance will give them some breathing room. I’m sure the more skeptical vampires out there would be more amenable to this whole thing if their accommodation was pleasant.”

Pleasant, mmm,  Ddraig mulled to herself within the sleepy recline of her own mind. She was doing her best to concentrate as Nestor spoke, but her addled mind was refusing to cooperate.

“The people of Warfang are bound to be suspicious about all the work we’ll be putting into the area.” Astor noted. “We may need to come up with a suitable cover story.”

“Surely standard strengthening work would be enough?” Nestor said, brow raised. “They wouldn’t want the city falling down around them.”

“If the area’s being closed off, we could always say a government building is expanding into the area.” Marcus suggested. “The Archives already uses some of the Undercity to store items not on display.”

“That might work.”

“Incidentally, does it even need to be made accessible to the public?” Marcus continued. “I mean, can’t they turn into shadow? We’d potentially only need to create a chimney opening.”

“It’d still be a good idea to create something we can get into if need be.” Bertrand noted. “A fire, for instance; we don’t want our guests to wind up burning to death.”

“True.”

“And I believe I can do a preliminary estimate of the costs until King Alexander can tally up the final figures?” Nestor added, looking to Ddraig as if seeking her approval. “The initial work is likely to cost us several thousand drakemarks…”

No, no, no, she pictured Alexander saying, it’ll be precisely two thousand and seventy-three drakemarks, and half of that can come from the Crown reserves. She smiled wistfully, and for the third time since they’d started, Ddraig found herself glancing over at Alexander’s conspicuously empty chair. Naturally, he’d not been able to make it to her impromptu session on such short notice, but his absence was weighing heavily on her. It had only been a few days since he’d gone, but there was just so much she needed to talk to him about; Avalaria, Eve, Elwynn, her newfound vampire citizens...and of course, she just wanted to lie in his embrace and let him comfort her over the most stressful parts of it all. He was such a clever dragon, her Alex...

“Your Imperial Highness?” Marcus’ voice echoed, jogging her back to reality. “Madam?”

“Hmm?” Ddraig said, blinking. “Oh, er, what were you saying?”

“The compensation fund for those expelled from their homes or murdered? We’re still looking through legal records to check, but mercifully it’s looking like the latter case isn’t going to be too high a number.”

“Ah, excellent, thank you.” Ddraig said, rubbing her head with her foreclaw. Ancestors, what’s wrong with me today?

“Are you feeling alright?” Elwynn asked, looking her up and down. “Perhaps we should adjourn.”

“I’m sorry.” Ddraig sighed. “My head’s been feeling a bit funny all afternoon.”

“Go and rest, your Imperial Highness.” Astor said, smiling sympathetically. “We can always return to this later.”

“Oh, I can always handle things here for you, Ddraig.” Elwynn offered. “It’d be nice to get back into the hang of things.”

“I’d like that.” Ddraig smiled. “Thank you all.”

“It’s not a problem, your Imperial Highness.”

***

Lying down on her nest proved to be a mixed blessing in the end. On the one foreclaw, it did indeed allow her to take a reprieve from the stresses of the day, but on the other, it meant she was alone with her thoughts. It would be another hour or so before Eve, Spyro and Cynder returned from the Temple, and Ddraig’s mind had been very restless, jumping between musings on the developing vampire situation, how she was going to make things better with Eve, and Alexander...especially Alexander. More than anything, she wished Alexander had been there to soften the blow; like Elwynn, he knew just what to say to comfort her in her darker moments, and she desperately wanted to hear his soothing voice again. Together, they could retreat from the world for a moment; she could curl up on her nest and lie against his soft scales while he ran his talons down her back, like he always did when she was exhausted.

Ddraig groaned, wiping her forehead. Why did it have to be so warm right now? She was all hot and clammy, her bed felt much too big for her and the light bedclothes she’d slipped into were not helping. She thrust herself out of her bed, staggering towards her bathroom to get a drink of water. Or perhaps I should dunk my head in the sink, Ddraig mused. Anything to cool down for just a second at least.

She grumbled. Alexander wouldn’t be having such a hard time of it right now, lucky dragon that he was. All cool up north in his palace with proper air conditioning…or maybe he’d even just leap in one of the many rivers around it and enjoy a cool swim. Ddraig could picture it now; water running down his scales in rivulets, highlighting the tone of his muscles, and his-

Ddraig’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head. Where had that thought come from? Yes, he was a very handsome dragon, and he had been on her mind a bit more than normal, but that didn’t mean she wanted to...wanted to...

Oh no. Oh noooooo. She knew what was wrong with her. The constant body warmth, the recurring thoughts about Alex...this could only be heat. Her body unequivocally telling her that it was ready for...certain things, and screaming out for her to satisfy a need that she'd previously ignored. She’d experienced it plenty of times from a male’s perspective, quietly enjoying the strangely beautiful smell and cozy feeling it normally brought, just like everybody else did...but now the scent was her own; perfectly mundane, and the rich and relaxing sweetness that normally accompanied it was instead something that was inside her, spreading throughout her body. She could feel it in her bones, her muscles, all the way down to her loins, and it terrified her.

She rushed into the bathroom, making straight for the sink and the wall mirror, where she was greeted by her own, sweaty reflection, just like the first time she’d looked into it and seen a dragoness staring back. She'd felt just as wrong and as weird back then, but this time was different; she hadn’t been under assault from her new body and its 'features' the first time around.

“No, I’m not ready!” Ddraig screamed at her reflection, her cheeks burning red. She’d known deep down she knew she'd inevitably have to deal with this, but...well, she hadn’t thought it would be so sudden, or so intense! Was it always like this for dragonesses?

She turned and dashed back into her bedroom, scrambling to turn her computer on. There had to be a website or a video or something that would tell her what to do! She couldn’t be the first dragoness in the world who-

Cystal. Cystal was a dragoness! And Nicola! They’d know!

Okay, new plan, Ddraig thought, sending invitations to both and nervously watching the loading icon spin in silence. Oh, please be online, please…

“And here we have our first caller of the day; an ‘Empress Ddraig’...”

“Nicola!” she yelled, overwhelmed with joy. “Oh, thank the Ancestors!”

“Ddraig? Is everything okay?” Nicola said, dropping the routine.

“Nicola, Nicola, I don’t know what to do!” Ddraig babbled. “I’m all warm, and-”

“What’s going on?” Cystal said, eyes darting from side to side as she joined the chat.

“I-I’m all alone, and the only dragonesses I could ask would be you, and I-”

“Ddraig, calm down.” Nicola said, moving closer to the camera. “Tell me what’s happening.”

“I...I think I’m in heat!”

The two dragonesses paused, regarding her with confusion.

“Erm-” Cystal began.

“It’s my first time,” Ddraig added, “and I don’t know what to do, and I-”

Cystal’s eyes went wide. “Your first time?”

“Slow down for a moment.” Nicola said, her tone calm. “You’re okay. Everything’s going to be-hang on, need to deal with the brood. Kinders, even opkramen. Pak anders maar de puddingbroodjes uit mijn tas.”

The excited squeals of hatchlings momentarily drowned out Nicola’s feed, but quickly faded away as their owners stampeded en masse into another room.

“Cystal?” Logan’s voice sounded from somewhere out of frame. “What’s happening?”

“It’s all right, dear,” Cystal called back. “Just dragoness things.”

“Oh, er, right. I’ll leave you all be.”

“Thank you.” she smiled, before looking back at Ddraig.

“I’m scared.” Ddraig whispered. “I don’t want to walk downstairs, and-”

“You won’t, Ddraig.” Cystal insisted. “That’s not how it works.”

“But it feels so…”

“I know,” she nodded, “but that’s just how it is the first time.”

“Let’s start from the beginning.” Nicola said. “So, you’ve never been through any of this before?”

“No.” Ddraig shook her head, preparing to tell her story yet again. “So, remember that ‘curse’ thing from last year?”

***

A short while later, Ddraig found herself staring at her ceiling, mulling over everything her friends had said. She still felt oddly warm, but now that she knew just what it was, it was something she could tolerate. Her friend’s words had certainly done wonders to calm her initial panic; she’d reassured her that heat wasn’t strong enough to make a dragoness do something she didn’t want to, it just made good feelings even better for a while...for instance, thoughts about especially lovely dragons, but also more mundane ‘good feelings’ like those that came up when pursuing a hobby, of all things. Cystal had suggested Ddraig take it easy and curl up with a good book, while Nicola had advised spending some time experimenting in the kitchen - an idea which she did admittedly find quite tempting - or even curling up with Alexander once he was back and watching a film they both loved together.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” she’d said, “something magical that only some of us ever get to experience.”

A bit of a flowery sentiment, perhaps, but then, Cystal had always been the sort, and in any case, Ddraig still trusted her judgement on the matter for one very important reason; Cystal’s...personal history meant she wasn’t particularly comfortable when it came to matters of sex, so if heat was something that would upset her, she would have said! Besides, Cystal and Nicola had been born dragonesses, and thus both spoke with years of experience.

Perfect timing for me, of course, Ddraig had thought with a scowl. What could be sexier than ethnic tensions and lynch mobs? Ugh.

After wrapping things up, she’d next opted to spend a brief bit of time doing some additional research online, in order to get answers to the little questions she hadn’t been brave enough to ask Cystal or Nicola about. Some of what she’d read made her blush, but it had still been hugely informative as a whole, and she was starting to get a good idea of what she’d need to do until her body returned to normal. One of the websites she’d checked had suggested relieving the pressure by...well, doing it herself, but that was a step too far for her liking, even with a traitorous part of her mind arguing she should simply lie back and enjoy all her thoughts of male dragons - and the things that made them male dragons.

She sighed. Once again, her thoughts drifted back to Alexander, although less intensely than before. Having reassured herself that she wasn’t about to throw herself at him the second he walked through the door, she wanted him back even more, so she could help her through this and all the other insane things that had come up on such short notice. And, she thought with a guilty grin, maybe see what a cuddle or two was like with ‘heat’ involved? But it’d just be that; a cuddle, she quickly insisted to herself, as she rolled over and reached for her laptop again, her body acting before her mind could compute it all. Within seconds, Alexander’s account page was up on the screen, the mouse cursor hovering over the call button...

Hang on, what am I doing? Ddraig thought, jerking her foreclaw back. I’m not calling him when I’m like this! It’s insane!

...hrm, but he’d be able to help if he knew something was wrong, her mind offered as a counterpoint. Yes! That’s why I need to call-

No, no, Ddraig shook her head, I’m gonna look like some kind of stalker, or end up doing Ancestors know what!

But…he isn’t going to be bothered, surely? He cares about me...he loves me, and I love him too.

Argh, that’s the heat talking! I’ll just be making a fool of myself! I should shut the laptop down.

No, I don’t care! I should call him!

No!

Yes!

Before she could make up her mind, fate intervened; a dialogue box popping up on the screen with a jingle. ‘Alexander Grijswater is calling.’

Thank you thank you thank you! Ddraig thought, clicking ‘Accept’ at once.

“There you are, my dear.” Alexander said, his handsome face filling her screen. Immediately, the sound of her beloved’s voice sent twin waves of relief and lust through her body. Nicola and Cystal were right; ‘heat’ was magical.

“Oh, Alex, I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve been missing you too, Ddraig.” Alexander smiled. “Grijswaterstad’s never felt so empty.”

“I wish you were here with me now.” she sighed.

Alexander’s expression changed. “Is...everything all right in Warfang?”

"Hmm? Oh, er...yeah, everything’s fine!" Ddraig quickly replied. "I'm fine, it’s just...a lot’s happened while you’ve been away."

“Nothing serious, I hope?” Alexander asked, still looking at her with concern.

“No, no, it’s all good things, Alex.” Ddraig chuckled, and Alexander’s face relaxed again. “It’ll have to wait until you’re back, though. I don’t think I could do it all justice otherwise.”

“Ahh, fine, a surprise it is!” he grinned. “Well, I suppose I have one of my own coming as well, so that’s fair.”

“Hmm?”

"Let's put it like this; we may have guests for a while when I get back."

“Arwaut and Nicola? I was talking with her earlier about meeting up, actually.”

Alexander shook his head. “No, no, someone else. You’ll see.”

Mystery guests? Ddraig frowned. Was that the best idea during her first heat? A small part of her felt a bit self-conscious about the whole thing, even though she knew there was no reason for her to worry. No dragon in their right mind normally thought heat was shameful or something worth making a fuss over...and they especially wouldn’t make a scene if they were a guest of the Empress.

Ah, what the hell, Ddraig thought. I’ll figure something out. “Well, how much longer will you be away?”

“This’ll be my last night.” Alexander said, making Ddraig’s heart start beating faster with joy. "As it happens, I hope to be in Warfang again by lunchtime.”

Wild, longing imaginations fluttered through Ddraig’s mind, but this time she welcomed it. In a way, it was somewhat liberating; she knew now she wasn’t going to lose her mind and jump into bed with him any time soon, so she could instead simply enjoy thinking about him. Plus, very soon he would be back home again, and maybe some of her tamer fantasies could become reality; the thought of entertaining those notions was certainly somewhat enchanting...

“Ddraig?” Alex’s voice called out. “Ddraig? You still there?”

“Oh, er, I was just lost in thought about…stuff.” Ddraig said, blushing even harder. “I’m sorry, I’ve been a bit beside myself at the moment.”

“I can imagine.” Alex replied. “It’s the heat, isn’t it?”

Ddraig froze, sweat on her brow. How did he know?

“What?”

“The heat?” Alex reiterated. “I’ve heard from Arthur it’s still horrifically hot down there. It’s certainly not been winter here in the Netherlands, for that matter.”

“Oh, yes!” Ddraig winced. “It’s been...interesting to deal with.”

“...Ddraig, are you sure you’re doing okay? I can head to the airport now, if-"

“No, no, it’s fine,” Ddraig said, even with her heart screaming YES at her. “To be honest, I’m just very happy to hear from you, and it’ll be all the better when you’re finally back.”

“I’m going to get things finished up here as quickly as I can,” Alexander insisted, “and I’ll try to be with you again soon, okay?”

Ddraig took a breath, trying to keep a lid on the palpitations she was currently feeling. “Okay, good. I‘ll see you tomorrow, Alex. I love you."

“I love you too.” he said, raising her spirits once again. “Goodbye, my dear. Take care.”

***

“Mum?” Eve’s voice called from the hall. “Are you up here?”

Ddraig froze, slamming her laptop shut and looking towards the door in horror. Oh Ancestors, why had she decided to do this now? She didn’t want Eve to see her like this!

“Er...yes, I am, but-”

Before she could finish, Eve opened the door, and Ddraig let out an involuntary squeal, throwing her paws in front of her face.

“No, don’t look at me!”

“...why?”

Ddraig sighed. There was no point trying to hide it now; she’d been well and truly caught in the act.

“I’ve...been trying on some clothes.” she admitted, glancing over at the many dresses lying on the bed, along with all the other pieces of attire - both draconic and non draconic - that the Tailor had made her.

“Um...and that’s a secret because…?”

“Because I’m being silly.” Ddraig groaned. “It’s just not something I’m really used to doing.”

Eve paused, sniffing the air. “Wait, is this a heat thing?”

“Maybe.” Ddraig shrugged, unable to decide whether Eve’s candidness and disinterest in her state was reassuring or shocking. “I don’t know. But I do need to find something nice to wear for tomorrow; Alexander’s coming back-”

“Of course it’s for him.” Eve sighed.

“AND he’s bringing guests,” Ddraig continued, her cheeks mildly reddened, “so I need to not set a bad first impression.” That was the truth, but she couldn’t help but feel she’d perhaps gotten a bit carried away over the past half hour in her attempts to prepare for Alexander and his mystery ‘guests’. At first she’d just told herself she’d need to find something nice and formal to wear, and then while looking at one dress a stray thought had wondered how Alexander would react upon seeing her looking so glamorous, and somewhere down the line it had escalated into her pulling out her entire wardrobe and contacting the Tailor to get her advice.

Oh, right, the Tailor, Ddraig thought, turning and opening her laptop again. “Er, sorry about that.” she said, addressing the scowling green dragoness on the screen.

“Hmph. As if there was anything to be embarrassed about here!”

“I know, I know…”

“In any case, I believe I am no longer needed,” she added pointedly. “You seem to have made up your mind about the dresses?”

“Er, sort of.” Ddraig nodded. “I’m thinking I’ll use the simpler one, but I’m still not sure which colour is right.”

“Hmm…” The Tailor paused, pondering, leaving Ddraig and Eve watching as she sat at her computer. It took a while, but she eventually turned back to the two dragonesses. “Well, I trust you two can talk this out and figure something out from here. Ciao!”

“Hey, wait!” Ddraig protested, but the call had already been terminated, leaving Ddraig feeling a considerable mental whiplash. She bit her lip and turned back to Eve, who started looking at the floor. Ancestors, the silence was creeping back in, and it set Ddraig’s teeth on edge.

“I’m sorry,” Ddraig said at the same time as Eve, both reacting with surprise.

“No, no, it’s my fault, Mum-”

“I know this can’t be easy for you, dear-”

Abandoning words, the two dragonesses rushed to each other’s arms, with Ddraig curling both wings around her daughter.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you last night.” Eve said, her voice cracking. “If...if it hadn’t been Elwynn, and you’d been-”

“Shh, shh, none of that.” Ddraig chided.

“The last thing I’d have ever said to you-”

“It wouldn’t have mattered.” Ddraig whispered, holding her tighter. “I would know you didn’t mean it.”

“...everything’s so stupid and messy now.” Eve sighed. “Why did things have to change so much?”

Ddraig couldn’t help but smirk at that. “I know, it’s my fault.”

Well, technically Marie’s fault, but I’m the one who put the jewellery on without thinking, so…

"Of all the dragons in all of Avalar, you had to fall for him, didn't you?"

"Oh, you make it sound stupid when you put it like that." Ddraig snorted. “But just know that, whatever stupid things I do from now on, I love you as much as I always have, and it'd take so much more than just falling in love with a Dutchman to change that. I should’ve said it far more than I have recently. In all the big, glorious distractions, I miss the obvious things."

“Thanks, Mum.” Eve said, giving her one last squeeze before pulling away. “Um...well, I guess I’ll let you be…”

“You don’t have to go.” Ddraig quickly said, loathe to leave Eve alone after all that. “Why don’t you help me with this?”

“With...with your dresses?” Eve asked, her eyes now eagerly drifting towards the clothing pile on the bed.

Ddraig nodded. “I think you’ve got the better eye for this than me, really, and I could use some help-”

“I mean, I didn’t even realise you had this many!” Eve excitedly said, wasting no time in trotting over to the bed and examining the assortment of garments and gowns on offer. “Then again,” she added, chewing over the thought, “I suppose that’s part of the whole ‘monarch’ thing, right?”

Ddraig winced. “It’s for work.” And...maybe a bit for Alex...

“Of course.” Eve said sweetly. She scratched her chin for a moment, before pointing at Ddraig’s chosen dress. “Okay, no black. We’re trying something new.”

“Eh?” Ddraig said, moving and snatching it away before Eve could. “What’s wrong with black?”

Eve rolled her eyes. “You wear that all the time!”

“It’s my colour!”

“It’s boring. Honestly, there are only so many colours in the world, and I’m pretty sure we can find one of them which looks better than that.”

“There are other options.” Ddraig said, reaching for the special jewelled brooch the Tailor had made for that particular dress. She pressed down on a small green gemstone, and Eve let out a small gasp as the fabric flickered and changed colour before her eyes.

“...okay, point taken; that’s pretty cool.” she said, cooing with excitement as Ddraig slipped into the dress. “Can I get something like this for Majakir?”

“I’m sure the Tailor would just make you one if you asked,” Ddraig chuckled, “but yes. Anyway, how about this green?”

Eve frowned. “Mmm, dunno. It’s a good colour, but...nah, something else.”

Ddraig pressed the brooch again. “Red?”

“Too garish.”

“What? No, it’s not!” Ddraig protested. “Purple maybe, but not red!”

“Best not let Spyro hear you say that.” Eve giggled.

“It’s fine on him, but on me it’s too much.”

“Well, how about white?” Eve suggested. “Greyish colours used to be a good look on you.”

Ddraig shook her head. “Tempting, but no.” It was a good colour, but...well, that’d make her look like she was wearing a wedding dress, and she wanted to save that for a more meaningful day…

“Wait, I’ve got it!” Eve said triumphantly. “Close your eyes for a moment.”

Ddraig obliged, only opening her eyes again after hearing Eve’s delighted “ooh!” Looking down, Ddraig saw her dress was now a deep navy blue, much like her own underscales.

“Oh my,” she said, moving over to her mirror to get a better look. Eve was right, she thought as she turned back and forth, twirling the blue fabric over her legs, blue was definitely the colour to use.

“How much further should we go?” Eve grinned. “Have you got any nice shoes to go with these? Or maybe a ribbon? We could tie a bow around your tail, and-”

“I think I’m good.” Ddraig said, holding up a paw. While she was admittedly still figuring out just how ‘girly’ she was these days and what felt comfortable to indulge in, she could already tell that a bow would be too much. She’d sleep on the idea of the shoes, though.

“Aww, okay.” Eve sighed, her wings drooping. “Maybe another time, then?”

“Why don’t we spend a day at the Tailor’s?” Ddraig offered. “We could try things on together, maybe get a matching pair of dresses made…”

“Ooh, yes!” Eve eagerly nodded.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of her before, Ddraig thought to herself. Just how much have I missed out on over the years? How much has she missed by not having a mother until now?

“Are there any other things we could do together?” Ddraig asked. “As mother and daughter?”

Eve cocked her head. “Well, um...there are a few things I can think of...”

***

“Mini… golf?” Cynder raised an eyebrow in bemusement. In her claws she held a small list of ideas, posited by Eve, for things she, Cynder and Ddraig could do as part of a ‘girly day out’, where they could bond a bit more. Naturally, things like ‘painting’ had been quite high up the list, but Ddraig - who’d passed that list to Cynder after her own perusal - suspected it was simply another opportunity for her to hang out with Olivia at the same time.

“Yeah, mini-golf is pretty fun,” Eve explained, “especially MAGIC mini golf! Anything can happen with magic golf. Course, there WAS the infinite falling golf ball problem of ‘87, but dimensional magic regulation has gotten WAY better these days!”

“Eve, are you planning a day out, or are you trying to kill us?” Cynder asked, with a tone of sarcastic politeness.

“Yes.”

Cynder blinked for a moment, before turning back to Ddraig. “...so my idea was actually for us to to try fishing. It seems really nice, and relaxing, and there’s some truly beautiful places in Avalar I’d like to see while doing it too.”

“Mm, that would be nice.” Ddraig nodded, her mind briefly offering her the image of her and Alex sunning together on a beach while the others played.

“Also,” Eve added, “how about a movie night? We could watch stuff that the others don’t want to see!”

“Such as?” Ddraig asked, brow raised.

“I don’t mean anything rude.” Eve snorted. “Just...Cynder, is there anything you want to see that Spyro doesn’t?”

“Well, um,” Cynder said, going red, “if it’s just us girls…could we maybe watch some ‘Wyvern Time’ together?”

Ddraig blinked with surprise. Wyvern Time was a franchise built around plush toys aimed at younger dragonesses, but in recent years an animated adaptation had taken the draconic world by storm, attracting legions of fans from outside the intended demographic group, including a surprising number of adult male dragons. Cynder definitely fell into the intended audience, though; despite all she and Spyro had been through, she really was still a hatchling at heart, and Ddraig was pleased to see her...well, just being a kid, rather than a hero of the world.

Still, Ddraig thought with a grin, who would have thought she’d be a ‘Fanwing’, of all dragons? I guess that’s her Majakir gift sorted…

“How is it?” Eve asked. “I’ve not seen any episodes yet.”

“I’ve...um, only watched one so far.” Cynder admitted. “Spyro was asleep, and I was wearing headphones. But I enjoyed it; it was about a young wyvern with red wings looking for a home, and she-”

“Wait, wait, don’t spoil what happens!” Eve quickly said. “Mum, have we got anything else planned for tonight?”

“Er, no?”

“Well, then why don’t we kick Spyro upstairs for a bit, and have the movie night now?”

Cynder frowned. “We’re just gonna leave him twiddling his wings all night by himself?”

“Well, no.” Ddraig said. “I’ll chat with Elwynn when he gets here. I’m sure they’ll be able to keep themselves occupied for a few hours easily enough.”

“I suppose they could have their own guy’s night while we’re doing this?” Cynder offered. “Maybe when Alexander and Sparx are next here.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Ddraig smiled, also considering the possibility of getting Elwynn to babysit while she and Alex had their own night out. “Besides, you two spend all your time together. It’ll be good for you to branch out every now and then.”

“Ddraig’s right, you two need some hobbies, Cynder!” Eve agreed. “And they don’t necessarily need to be the same hobbies.”

“I...guess.”

“C’mon, then.” Eve said, curling her wing around her. “Let’s get ready to watch some cartoons!”