Listen, And The Stars Shall Speak

Gossip At The Dinner Table

That night, Ander, Rin, Shore, and Ray sat around the table, waiting for Joy and Kelp to show up. An awkward silence settled over the four dragonets as they waited.

"I wonder what they're talking about in there," Rin questioned, craning her neck to stare at the door to Joy's office. "Perhaps we should do some eavesdropping."

"No." Shore declared.

"Why not?"

"Because I said so!"

"You're not the boss of me."

"When Mom and Dad aren't around, I am."

"You're even LESS in charge of me when they're not here!"

"Yeah, well I'm the oldest, so I'm in charge."

"Well, I'm second in line for the throne, so I rule over you!"

"Technically," Ander objected. "You are not second in line. Joy is first, assuming Grandmother doesn't have a sister we are unaware of, then Pineapple, then the two of us are equally placed in line, and then Apple."

Rin glared at her.

"Technicality Shmeticality. Shore still can't boss me around."

"Can too!"

"Cannot!"

Ray frowned and glanced over at Ander.

"Do they do this a lot?" He questioned. Ander shrugged.

"Only when Mother and Dad aren't here to keep them in line." She explained. "They don't dare fight when they're here."

"How come?" Ander stared at him for a moment before realization sunk in.

"Oh, right." she offered. "You are only recently acquainted with my parents. Well, here's a quick lesson- Never get them on your bad side." 

"....What would they do if I WAS on their bad side?" He asked tentatively.

"Tether dragon, probably. Or threaten to kill your family."

"Or actually kill your family." Rin added.

"Of course, there's always torture." Shore continued. The three continued listing horrible outcomes until they looked over and spotted the pale, wide-eyed look on Ray's face.

"Oh, don't worry." Shore insisted. "They won't do anything like that to you." The seawing nodded meekly.

"But," Rin added. "If you hurt Ander in any way..."

"Let's just say our furious parents should be the last of your worries." Shore concluded.

Ander stared down at the table with a sigh. 

"Such a nice dinner," she wondered out loud. "My lovely siblings threatening my soulmate. What could be more enjoyable?"

"Holy crap, did Ander just use sarcasm?" Rin asked.

No one bothered to answer her, for the door to Joy's office swung open, and the quartet of dragonets fell silent, straining to hear any last bits of their parent's conversation.

"If I had known his mother was a bitch, I would've come with you!" Joy was saying.

"And that would not have ended well." Kelp objected.

"Why, because I would've stabbed her?"

"Yes! You can't just stab whomever you want!"

"I dunno, it's been working pretty well for me so far."

"Joy." Kelp pleaded.

"Kelp." Was the deadpan response.

There was a sigh, and the two entered the room.

"So!" Kelp announced, expertly changing the subject. "How was everyone's day?"

"Ray got pegged in the face with a kiwi." Ander offered. 

"I'm not quite getting the fact that Tree-Bud is supposed to be welcoming," Ray insisted.

"I see." Kelp replied awkwardly. There was a pause, until Joy spoke up.

"So, Shore. There's been word from the Sand Kingdom that your friend Haze is missing." she said gently. Shore and Rin stared at their mother with deadpan expressions.

"And they've finally noticed." Rin commented.

"Took them long enough." Shore snorted, smirking slightly. Joy narrowed her eyes.

"And what exactly do you know that the Sandwings don't?" she questioned. 

"Haze isn't missing." Shore declared.

"Nope." Rin agreed.

"Even I knew that." Ray offered.

"Not even paululo." Ander suggested.

"She got bored." Shore explained. "And her dad was too obsessed with his girlfriend to notice, so she ran off. Stayed with Dusk for a couple weeks, got framed by a gang, and ran off again."

"She's been living with her boyfriend in the Colors of the Wings headquarters for weeks." Rin added.

"And how do you know that?" Kelp asked. Shore sighed before explaining.

"Haze wrote Dusk, who told Cypress, who wrote Anaconda, who wrote me." He offered.

"And Boysen wrote Ember, who wrote Apple, who told me." Rin explained.

"We have a whole chain of connections." Ander declared. "All around the universe."

"In the sky, in Pyrrhia, even in Pantala." Ray announced. Joy raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell is Pantala?" she and Kelp asked in unison. Shore and Rin looked equally confused. Ander and Ray exchanged a glance.

"Oh, nothing." Ander insisted. "Don't worry about it."