The suns were so hot and bright, brutal in how they blistered everything outside. Aiydrin sighed as he stared in longing out the window at the tonnamin that occasionally walked by. There was one that sat on the ground nearby, surrounded by colorful patterned rugs as they're fingers worked diligently, no doubt mapping together more geometric patterns of bright colors. Aiydrin shifted on his elbow, the solid rock the window was carved from was starting to hurt.

"Aiydrin, are you not paying attention?" Aiydrin tensed at the sudden question that reached his ears, his heart skipping a beat as he looked quickly from the window to find the elder's blistering stare on him, a deep frown curving his thin, aged lips. Aiydrin straightened himself to sit forward, back straight and hands down on his where his ankles crossed on the flat rock floor in front of him. A small bit of chittering drew Aiydrin's gaze toward his classmates who looked remarkably similar to him, enough so that any outsider would have thought them all to be siblings at the least, twins at the most. Everyone in the room, even the elderly man who sat on his knees in the front of the small, rock-carved chamber, looked strikingly similar with only small variances in such things as their wavy hair colors of red to pure orange and bronzed skin, they even all had the same red eye color. Another feature that all of them shared was the peculiarity of the yellowish-white horns that curled out from their heads. They weren't large, roughly four inches from the tops of their human-like ears to the back of their heads where the horns protruded some with a similar height, though the horns came to sharp points in directions horizontal facing out from the head, reaching an outward length of roughly four to four and a half inches. Their garb itself was of a similar cultural style, though at least they all dressed with some personal flair. Generally, however, there were white reed pants tied with a sash and some sort of adornment on the shoulders, usually of gold. Capes of varying colors and lengths were also seen flowing down their backsides, no doubt to protect their skin from the burn of the sun. Aiydrin's cheeks pinked as he lowered his head.

"I am now," he said, his voice a touch more than a whisper. The giggling continued from the other students. The elder sighed as he slapped his hands audibly on his knees, silencing the small class of eight.

"Aiydrin, it is important that you pay attention. You are about to become a tonnamin, and you need to know these things to be able to properly perform your duty," the elder admonished and Aiydrin flinched, tension winding through his muscles. His brows knit together as frustration colored his face. "You need to stop acting like a child, you know that Yarnac is quite worried about you," the elder said. Aiydrin's face flushed vermillion as the giggles started up again. His shoulders shook, his lips twisting into a deep, thin-lipped frown.

"Aiydrin, are you listening? You- everyone, quiet! Or do I need to speak of each of your shortcomings and embarrass you as well?" The classroom was suddenly silent as heads all lowered, students clamming up.

"Aiydrin, I think it would be best that you go home for today. I will assign you extra homework for what you will miss," the elderly man informed and Aiydrin gasped, jerking his face to look up at his teacher, eyes wide and mouth open.

"But! Drasshino! Please, if I get sent home again my Ashdrinno-"

"If you are not going to pay attention, the least you can do is be responsible and take whatever punishment Yarnac will give you. Perhaps you will learn a different lesson today," the elder informed in a tone of finality. Aiydrin gave a small whimper in the back of his throat which his face mirrored in dismay. Realizing that he was being watched once again, Aiydrin lowered his head, prompting his thick waves of vibrant ginger hair to fall forward and obscure his view somewhat as he stood up and stiffly, but quickly, walked from his place at the end of the first of two lines of sitting students, and hurried out the classroom entrance, pushing a long, sturdy, but colorful linen door covering.

Aiydrin stopped just outside the threshold, feeling his heart pound in dread of what was going to happen. Frowning, he rose his head and looked out at the bright world around, avoiding looking up at the suns shining down above, though their light lit up his eyes to a shining bright red.

"Ashdrinno is going to be so mad," Aiydrin muttered as he took a breath and turned to the right, intent on heading straight for his house. It was best to get such things out of the way as soon as possible. All the homes he passed were roughly the same, in size, which was small, in shape, which was squarish, and material, which was carved sandstone. Colorful door covers fluttered or shuddered in the afternoon breeze as if attempting to show off their colorful and mosaic designs made were possible by the talented and diligent hands of artists. Some homes hung or placed glass ornaments made up of pieced together stained glass which would glitter like rainbows in the rays of the suns, bathing the town in various wonderful colors other than dull white, flat yellow, or weak browns that filled their world. As Aiydrin walked, he passed a Tonnamin who caught his attention and smiled at him before he offered out a menoberry, which Aiydrin took with a quiet word of thanks. The pathways between the homes were largely vacant, but it was easy to see in through windows where Ashdrinno played or taught their young tonna. The sound of a young tonna voice caught Aiydrin'd ear as he walked on forward, spotting the child with his Ashdrinno, being coached to sing properly like all Endrine. Aiydrin smiled, a soft look coming to his eyes in memory of his own Ashdrinno teaching him how to sing the hymns.

~Now, Aiydrin, like this: ahhh~

His Ashdrinno had such a beautiful voice that frequently he got notice from anyone near enough to hear him. Weaving between homes in the very haphazard layout of the town, Aiydrin stopped in his path and looked up the short distance to him home where he spotted the colorful geometric design on his home's door cover that formed the shape of a lotus. Just looking at his house caused him to pale as he swallowed in dread, his heart kicking up its speed again as he picked up his foot and took a step forward, his sandal hitting the smoothed, flat rock beneath him which sand crunchy lightly as he started his walk again. Aiydrin paused once again at the entrance to his house, face tightening in apprehension as he slid his hand against the frame of the entryway and the fabric of the door cover before pulling the flap of material up over his head as he stepped into the lower shelf inside the shaded house. Immediately he was greeted with a bothered, grumpy voice.

"So, I assume you got kicked out of class again?" Aiydrin cringed as his eyes fell to his feet. His Ashdrinno gave a heated sigh as he straightened up from over the low desk he had been hunched over on the floor, writing something on reed papers. He looked pointed at Aiydrin, his attractive featured formed into a scowl.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Yarnac asked and Aiydrin flinched again, the force Yarnac put into certain sounds of each word always hit hard when he was angry and always induced a bit of a flinching response from the young Endrine, probably as he had intended. Aiydrin chanced looking up, finding himself unable to hold his Ashdrinno's irritated stare. Yarnac was indeed aged, his bright orange hair graying but still healthy and thick as it weaved energetically around his bare chest and back. He was a beauty, at one time the envy of the town, everyone agreed on that; it was hard not to given the angular features of his face, his strikingly attractive eyes, the width of his hips, and the beautiful glow of his bronze skin. Yarnac at times still had unmated tonnamin approach him, wanting to form a pact even though the Ashdrinno was past his prime in age. Aiydrin could remember as a little tonna how often Yarnac had to beat away those looking to swoon him after his mate had died while he hid Aiydrin with his cloak to keep him from witnessing all the attention. Funny as it was, Aiydrin looked very much like his Ashdrinno, though perhaps more soft in the face than his Ashdrinno, but for some reason he never received the attention Yarnac did, in fact, he seemed to be largely written off as average, which sometimes poked at him sensitively when he thought about it too much.

"You can't keep getting kicked out of class!" Yarnac hissed, the Elvin features of his face sharpening in his anger. Aiydrin shifted his foot, feeling the weight of his Ashdrinno's anger pressing down on him.

"I... I just," his voice cut out as tension clenched his throat, his features twisting in adolescent dismay. Aiydrin heaved a mournful sigh that disturbed the tendrils of long bangs that brushed over his forehead and down along the sides of his face.

"This has to do with the" Yarnac grunted as he paused, put his writing tool down and lifted his two hands into quotation marks above each shoulder that he animated as he spoke, "...I don't want to be a baby machine, thing, isn't it?" he asked and Aiydrin glowered, feeling a little flare of indignation in his chest as his brows lowered in growing frustration.

"Well, I don't! I don't see why I have to go to school just to learn to bear children for humans for the rest of my life!" Aiydrin snapped as he crossed his arms across his chest and jerked his eyes away. His heart raced with adrenaline, both angry and also somewhat afraid to look at his Ashdrinno's face. Yarnac released an exasperated sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back on one hand.

"You know, I was once like you. But you can only be a tonna for so long. Eventually, you have to grow up! We are Endrine! Tonna battu!" Yarnac snapped and Aiydrin had to resist getting angrier and yelling back in his defense, his features now twisted in open anger as he gave a disgruntled huff. He hated this conversation more than anything, and everything always came back to it.

"I know you've heard this so many times you probably know it word for word by this point. But obviously, it isn't sinking in! We Endrine have a very important job to do! Without our aid, there are whole cultures of humans who would have died out by now! We bring children where there are none! I don't understand why you can't seem to get just how important it is! It may not be fun sleeping with random human men who summon you, but you don't always get what you want out of life! Are you listening to me, or are you ignoring me?" Aiydrin felt a conflicting surge of emotions at Yarnac's words, and it showed on the planes of his face. He frowned, frustrated and also saddened with Yarnac's words. In truth, he recognized the importance of his kind, but also couldn't help the overwhelming power of his desire to be free from that burden, and in truth, he probably would not be able to escape his calling. Eventually, he would graduate, become a tonnamin, and have to do what all Endrine do.

"I get it. I just... I can't help it. I hate the very idea! Why can't I just be the one outcast that never bears anything!" he grumbled and Yarnac stood abruptly. Aiydrin stiffened and clamped his mouth shut. His Ashdrinno was only four inches taller, but somehow that made the man feel like he was a foot taller, particularly when he was angry.

"Aiydrin!" Yarnac began, his voice rising into an angry yell. Aiydrin flinched as his Ashdrinno turned his back to him sharply and crossed his arms over his chest. "Go and get some Menoberries! I don't care if you have to go into the desert to do it! Now!" he snapped and Aiydrin's eyes shot open wide as an expression of fear took to his features when he looked to Yarnac.

"But! Ashdrinno! Those wormholes!" he gasped.

"What, you fear going outside now?! All the wormholes have been far into the north! Gova help me, I might be better off if you got sucked into one!" Yarnac snapped. A look of hurt shaped the contours of Aiydrin's face.

"Y-you don't mean that," he stuttered, distress shaping his words. Silence fell between them for a moment and feeling the pressure of Yarnac's anger Aiydrin spoke again. "I-I'm sorry," he added, though his will to revolt had suddenly been sucked out of him.

"You're sorry too late. Aiydrin, you're grown now, about to become a tonnamin. And you have to learn that sometimes, things are just the way they are, and they never will or can change. If we... if we stopped our duty, there would be serious repercussions in the human world. It's not pretty, but it's tonnamin life. And when you've done your duty, you will be free to choose a mate if you want and become an Ashdrinno, but you're going to have to suck it up until then. Now, go so you can be back before dinner," Yarnac lectured, his tone firm, but no longer angry. Aiydrin hesitated a moment before turning toward the door. He was slow at first, lingering in the silence before he picked up his feet and walked to the entrance where he stopped and looked to the shelving mounted to the wall by the door. On the top of three shelves was a weaved basket and a small leather gourd, both of which he picked up and walked out. Once Aiydrin was out the door Yarnac turned back around, slowly walked across the small space of their main room and up to the hewn window by the door, and watched the back of his child as he moved on his way out of town. With a sad look, Yarnac rest his forehead against the cool stone and sighed.

"If I could, I would make it so that you could do whatever makes you happy, but wishes and reality are two different things."