***

            Gaotail walks back with me to the house, though he hasn’t been able to tell me anything else. I’m bringing the beans in, mostly in pieces but it’s the thought that counts, right? He shifts to get in the door, becoming a much smaller, lanky human with black hair, silver running through it. His eyes, also silver, look on as I get through the door.

            “Are you certain you don’t want help?”

            “It’s fine!” He’s already helping anyway, given that he’s the one pushing open the door. Silly Gao…

            “Hey, Kal!” Oh, wait, here comes Krael. I turn just in time to very nearly get crashed into, which sends some of the beans to the floor, no no no no—

            “Sorry!” Krael’s saying, kneeling down to help even as Gaotail does, and a thud as the door begins to close on him makes us both stop and look back.

            “’m fine.” His voice is kind of strangled, but then again I think mine would be too if the door kind of smushed me. He’s actually stuck, from the looks of things; if he stands he just gets smushed further. His arms are also holding the rest of him up, so that’s no help.

            “Here, pick these up.” I’m saying to Krael as I turn to get the door. It’s not that heavy when you’re actually able to push it.

            “Thank you.” He sounds lots better, at least, as he gets to his feet. Smiling too, so I know he’s fine. At least I hope so, it’s not really pleasant to be stuck in a door. Especially if it shuts on a wing…bad, bad memories…

            Either way, Krael had gotten all of the beans back into the basket, so at least that went well. Crisis averted, as Mom says!

            The beans make it to the kitchen without any more accidents, Krael went on her way, and I’m perfectly alright with leaving them on the kitchen but Gaotail starts moving past me as I turn to go.

            “…What are you doing?”

            “…Cleaning them?” He replies, sounding like the answer should be obvious. “You can go if you want. I can do this alone.”

            But it’s my job and if Mom comes back seeing you doing it…

            I turn back to the table, settling down and staring up at him with a look that hopefully says ‘I’m not leaving’ before ‘I really don’t want to be here’.

            He’s staring for a good long moment before he finally seemed to realize why I was there.

            “Y-You can go get the water, if you like. We will need it.”

            It doesn’t take long, the spigot’s right on the side of the house. Gaotail does his best to smile as I come back in with the water.

            “Sorry if I am keeping you…”

            “No, you aren’t.” I sigh, putting the bucket down on a small stool we still keep around for Ayran. We’re running the shredded remains of the beans in it for a few moments before he speaks up again.

            “They’re worried you know. About you.”

            “They don’t have to be.”

            I can hear him take a few deep breaths. If he were in dragon form he would be clicking his fangs right now too.

            “It’s…more dangerous then you realize out there, Kal. Th-They just…”

            “Tell me what’s dangerous then, and I’ll know how to stay away. Like when Dad talks about plants and animals.”

            “It’s-.” He starts, me looking up in time to see his expression get stuck somewhere between upset and…that weird starting thing he does when he wants to say something and doesn’t want to really. “-it’s harder then you think. It isn’t as easy as plants or animals, a-and…”

            …Why can’t you just say it? Why can’t anyone give me a straight answer? Just this once! It can’t be that hard!

            “…we just don’t want anything to happen to you, or your brother and sisters, and r-really, we a-are trying to make this work, but…it’s a lot harder than it looks at first glance.”

            “But maybe I’ll be fine.” I say, staring back at him. “You don’t know.”

            He looks back, the expression in his face not changed, though he tries to smile. It doesn’t quite work.

            “No…no, we do not…”

            ***

            That was where we were found later when Mom came in with Torre helping her with some…packages? At least they looked like packages. Maybe they were from town?

            Then again I don’t know if she would want me to ask, given recent events.  

            “Alright, Torre, just set them down right there, please?”

            “Yes’m!”

            And the bags were almost placed right on our freshly washed beans, causing both me and Gao to gasp and make our own…noises at seeing our hard work get nearly crushed.

            “Sorry!” Torre immediately yelps as he moves the bags away. I get a glimpse of something inside that looks like a glass spice jar.

            “P-Please be careful!”

            “Sorry, Gao, didn’t see them!” Was the kind of sheepish reply as Torre managed to get the bags down without dropping anything. He’s just as energetic as ever, and it’s really only because of Mom that some things don’t start sliding off the table. He takes a second to try and blow red hair out of his eyes, just as my little sisters, Ayran and Krael come to the kitchen door.

            “Torre!” Ayran squeals as she dashes over to wrap her arms around Torre’s waist, with him leaning down to hug her in return.

            “’Lo, deirfur beag.”

            “Dearthair mor!” She sing-songed back, wings wrapping around Torre too. “Got you!”

            “Looks like you have!” He replies cheerily, Mom chuckling at them before turning to Krael.

            “Can you help me put these away, little bird?”

            “Yeah, Mom!” My darker-scaled sibling immediately says as she darts forward, the two getting to work with emptying out the bag. Turns out it really was spices and stuff, Mom must have been out bartering in town.

            “I see you brought in the beans, Kal.”

            Oh, boy, here we go.

            “…told you I’m not good at picking them.” I mutter, wings drawn and arms folded. Her fault, she asked me to do a job she knew I wouldn’t be good at…

            Then again, if I hadn’t done what I’d done, there’d be no need for the job in the first place, though part of me really wanted to ignore that. Mom, doesn’t seem upset, if anything she’s preoccupied with making sure everything’s out of the bag.

            “Just in the cabinet, Krael. Hurry up and get them into a pot, you’ve washed them already, right?”

            “Y-Yes.” Gao replies, I wait a bit before joining in.

            “Yeah, Mom.”

            “Good, get them ready, everyone will be over for dinner tonight, and we still have to get the meat out of the root cellar.”

            “The deer we caught last night?” Gao asks, and Torre sort of tries to get Ayran to let go with not much success.

            “If you think it will feed all of you, then just that. If not you might have to make a quick hunting trip.”

            Torre doesn’t look too bothered by that, actually. Gao excuses himself to go get the meat, and I’m busy with the beans as Ayran begins interrogating Mom.

            “Will everyone be coming?”

            “I…believe so. Cazhene’s never missed a meal. To be fair, none of you have.” This part makes Torre go a bit red. Funny how even with his skin being darker than Mom’s, we all can still see him blush like he does.

            “Even Casvar?” Krael chimes in, and Mom has to stop to consider that one.

            “As far as I know, yes. Though to be fair, after the soap incident we would hear Cazhene hollering at him again from here.”

            “I think they would hear him over the Rift, honestly.” Torre suddenly said, causing Mom to abruptly laugh in that way you do when you don’t want people to get distracted and start laughing along with you. Didn’t work on Ayran though, she laughs at everything. Just like now. I’m pretty sure she’s shaking Torre with her giggling. It’s made it a little easier for him to get loose, and he quickly ruffles her hair.