Chapter 7: (Un)Pleasant Surprises

"So, where do you live?" "A planet called Earth, although currently I am residing in an apartment here in Star City, with my employer." "You're employer? That's McKale, right? Why are you staying here? Did you come to get us? Is McKale going to bond too?" Jeffrey goggled at the dragonling's aptitude for questions. She'd yet to cease belting out her multitude of queries and Jeffrey was beginning to feel tinge of worry about her. Her, being Cyilume, of course. She'd been quite the little surprise. Jeffrey had attended the hatching ceremony with the intention of receiving a single bond, and here he was in the accompaniment of not only Shar'voras Tah, but his half-sibling who'd scurried her way into being sponsored by him as well. Initially he'd been more than pleased, to have been accepted by not one, but two dragons. Such an occurrence could really brighten one's mood. But there was still the issue of McKale, whose mood would in fact be decidedly dampened, not brightened, but the appearance of Cyilume and Shar'voras. ~We'll think of something~ Jeffrey glanced down at Shar'voras. They stared at one another, silently beneath the onslaught of Cyilume's questions, before Jeffrey finally gave a quick nod of his head and turned back to the spirit. It was unusual, having someone's voice inside one's head, but Jeffrey was determined to get used to it. It was part of bonding a dragon, after all. "Do you think she'll like us, Shar? She is a she, isn't she?" "That issue is under some debate." "What do you think she is?" "It is not my place to say." Cyilume frowned, flaring her little nostrils, and glanced back at Shar'voras,"You've picked a rather suiting bond, haven't you? I can see it now. Evenings huddled around the fireplace, not a word spoken between you except for what's...what's..." "Civil?" offered Shar. It was the first word he'd spoken since they'd left Bravo Bay. "Relevant to the situation?" added Jeffrey. Cyilume flicked her ears back in annoyance,” Nothing casual or fun, anyway. I don't see how you two could carry on a conversation with each other." Shar smiled softly, the tiniest fraction of his lips lifting upward an infitismal amount,” As valuable as is the gift of speech,” he said,” Silence if often more valuable." Jeffrey couldn't help but offer a quiet grin in response,” Victorian Etiquette." Perhaps McKale would like them after all. Cyilume balked at the two of them. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head,"Ugh!" .:.:.::.:.:. "Why are we changing apartments? Isn't the one you've got good enough?" Cyilume tottled after Jeffrey and her brother, her eerily glowing eyes narrowed a little,” Is there not enough room for me and Shar?" "Nothing of the sort. Miss...Mister...McKale does not approve of our current residence. H- Sh- They feel it too...modernized." "Modernized? What is she, a troglodyte?" "That's a rather large word for a newborn." Cyilume grinned,” I try my best." Their elevator came to a stop with a musical 'ding', and the doors slid smoothly open to reveal the long, garish hallway of the apartment complex. Jeffrey swallowed hard before stepping out of the cubicle. Cyilume was quick to swerve around him and start down the hall at an excited loped. Her head snapped this way and that, taking the entirety of it in. Shar followed at a slower pace, keeping close to Jeffrey's side so arm brushed against arm, despite the uneven proportions between him and his bond. Shar's hand twitched noticeably, and he laced his fingers together in front of himself. ~You don't regret bonding.~ "No,” Jeffrey replied. He jingled two sets of apartment keys in his hand, resisting the urge to chew his lip. ~And if McKale makes you leave?~ Jeffrey swallowed hard, breathing deeply,” No." Shar nodded, and silence fell between them. "Will you two hurry up! I don't have a clue what I'm looking for, here! What's the apartment number?" They reached the apartment soon after that, which did nothing to calm Jeffrey's nerves. He stood outside it, near to shaking but somehow controlling his body's urge to do so. And if, perhaps, he quivered a little when he lifted his hand to knock on the door, what of it? Shar sidled closer to him, and, throwing proper actions to the wind, gripped Jeffrey's freehand. Jeffrey's hand tightened significantly around Shar's. Jeffrey's knuckles fell against the door. .:.:.::.:.:. "That's a bit extreme, isn't it? Couldn't I just ask him to put a thingummy over his eyes or what?" *Do you have any idea how to deal with basilisks?* "Well, no, rather, but-" bangbangbangbang "Oh, bugger,"McKale wrinkled her nose,” Someone’s at the door, Wilbur." The hum of electricity crackled and died, and McKale was left in perfect silence once again. bangbangbang Well, nearly. "Wilbur? What-ho, old chap, are you still...um...here?" There was no reply. McKale shrugged to herself, pursing her lips, and strode toward the door. She flattened herself against it, ear to the wood,” Who’s there?" "Jeffrey, Miss. I've acquired a new apartment." "Oh! Jolly good,” she stepped back and opened the door. Jeffrey, as the reader well should know, was not alone. McKale let out an undignified squawk and gripped her robe tightly against her body,” Jeffrey!" She shot him a sharp look before turning on heel and scurrying behind the couch. She huddled there, the tip of her nose and her eyes peeking out over the bend of the fluffed arms of the cushion,” Jeffrey!" "I apologize miss,” said Jeffrey, sauntering into the room. He eased the door shut behind him. The two...creatures followed after him. The first, a smaller, excitable looking silver-thing with a rather perturbing gaze, immediately made her way around the living room, poking and prodding everything. McKale navigated around the couch as it approached, keeping a hefty amount of furniture between herself and the stranger. Distracted as she was, McKale did not notice the unusually unsteady rise and fall of her valet's chest, nor the decidedly abnormal way his eyes flit randomly about the room. "Jeffrey, what's...what's the meaning of this! Why the bally hell are these...things, here." "Things!" the silver creature barked back at her. It jumped onto the couch and swiftly sprang upward again. At McKale. McKale squeaked and rushed out of the way. "Jeffrey!" "Cyilume,"said Jeffrey, his voice calm and authoritive. "What in god's name is 'Cyil-" The silver creature ceased its attempt to catch McKale and trotted back toward Jeffrey, muttering under its breath. It sat itself down in front of the larger, many-limbed purple creature. "I apologize miss,” Jeffrey repeated. He shifted his wait from foot to foot, averting his eyes to the floor, the ceiling, McKale's hand as it clutched her robe...anything but her eyes,” This is Cyilume and Shar'voras, of the last name Tah. They are,” he had to stop, inhaling deeply. The purple creature squeezed Jeffrey's hand. "They are my bonds, Miss." "Bond and sponsorling,"corrected Cyilume with a sharp bob of her head. "Oh what-ho!" McKale clambered over the top of the couch and slumped against the cushions. She pursed her lips, a deep look of confusion falling over her face,” Jeffrey, I, well...I don't bloody well have the slightest clue what you're going on about." Jeffrey sighed. The purple creature led him toward the armchair opposite the couch, backing his knees against the cushion. Jeffrey fell unsteadily into it, back bent over himself and elbows digging into the flesh of his thighs. McKale's brow furrowed,” Jeffrey?" She'd never seen him in such a state before. Always upright, always perfectly presentable, always attentive. She stirred, wringing her hands a little in the folds of her robe,” Are you all right, chap?" "I'm fine Miss,” Jeffrey wet his lips and eased back in the chair. He cleared his throat,” Bonds, miss, I have bonded a dragon." "Ah...jolly good, then,” she offered an uncertain smile,” And what does that mean, Jeffrey, old boy?" "Is she clueless?" Cyilume snapped her gaze back and forth between Shar and Jeffrey. Seeing as she was getting no response, she turned her attention to McKale,"Are you clueless?" "Well I never!" "Cyilume!" The silver creature ducked her head, tucking herself back against the other's knees. "To bond a dragon, miss, is to share one's mind, creating a lifelong friendship between the bonder and bondee. A partnership, if you will, miss. I have done so with Shar'voras,"he lifted their joined hands,” and Cyilume decided to come with us as a sponsorling." McKale squirmed a little, frowning,” Sort of like a parent and child, what?" "Occasionally, yes, one could compare it to a maternal or paternal relationship, Miss." "So you have to take care of them, what?" "You are correct, miss." "And they have to live you with you?" "Indeed, miss." "Which means they have to live with me, because you're living with me, right-ho?" "...yes, miss." McKale stood and strode across the room toward Jeffrey. She held out her hand,” You’ve got the keys to the new apartment?" Jeffrey nodded and dug them out of his pocket, handing it over to her,” Apartment 4D, Miss." "Very good, Jeffrey,” she turned away from him, toward her rooms,” You can bring my things up to the apartment later tonight." "...yes, miss. Will I be accompanying you?" "No...no Jeffrey, I don't think so. I rather think it best if you stay up here, what?" Jeffrey lowered his head a fraction of an inch, raising it just as much in an awkward semblance of a nod,” Very well, miss." McKale tightened her jaw and returned the nod from over her shoulder, before she slipped out of sight and into her room. .:.:.::.:.:. How does this work, Jeffrey? Do I just write whatever and the chaps out there will get the gist of my...what's the word I'm looking for? .... Recollections, yes that's it. Thank-you, Jeffrey. So I just write? .... Ah, jolly good then. Off I go... I felt rather rummy after telling Jeffrey off like that. He's a wonder of a man, what? Very good at getting the bangers and eggs ready in the morning. Absolute bliss, really. Haha, here I am getting all off track. Whoops. Well, I was already feeling rather rummy about the whole Wilbur Winquist situation, and it certainly didn't help that Jeffrey, my beloved and trusted caretaker, had just broken said ties of love and trust by inviting to thingummies to live with us. You see, being, as I am, very cautious about the whole gender-what's it, I've never been terribly keen on having guests roaming about the house, opening doors and wandering wherever they please. Not very good for the secret-keeping, what? So I was miffed. Piffled. Some other word denoting annoyance and the like. I suppose it wasn't terribly nice of me to biff Jeffery off without so much as a tinkerty-tonk, but I was mad! Dragons! Bonds! Honestly! Here I was, trying to capture bask-thingies that would sooner turn me into a garden ornament than, well, I suppose 'looking at me' isn't the right sort of thingummy to say in this case. But you get the jist of it, what? Here I was, stuck in the middle of space in some ruddy apartment with metal stools rather than good old-fashioned chairs, and here Jeffrey is, the chap I rely on to get me out sticky situations, inviting strange looking fellows into our house. So, as the whole posish just added to my state of utter rumminess, I'd forgotten to inform Jeffrey of what Mr. Wilbur Winquist wanted me to do. You see, Winquist got it into his mind that I had to do a whole kitten-caboodle of rather...ah, what's a good word for this, Jeffrey? .... What!? No! Honestly, Jeffrey! I don't- .... Ah, yes. That works. Anyway, Wilbur wanted me to do a whole bunch of libidinous (doesn't Jeffrey have just the most marvelous brain?) activities, in order to snag this Yaidom fellow. Now, it's not to say I've never committed libidinous activities before, I just haven't done them for any reason than out of my own free will. Got to get your jollies somehow, what? Either way, I didn't want to be doing anything of a libidinous sort with Yaidom, and I was rather hoping Jeffrey might think of some...alternative means of capturing him. But, as I'd just huffed off and left Jeffrey all devastated and...Jeffrey? ... Devastated and angsting, I couldn't very well ask him for help, could I? This meant, of course, that I was going to have to do something libidinous. That's it then. I'm done. What do I do now? ... Ah. Toodle-pip then! That's a good word, Jeffrey. Libidinous. Do you think I used it too much?