Even with as distracted as Taekwoon was, he wasn’t entirely oblivious to the workings of the Aerie – this time anyway. He did take note of the odd wing that went out or smaller two dragon patrols from time to time. It was also impossible to miss Jinki all the time and really, it made him feel good when he noticed the other man secretly watching him in the combat ring. It wasn’t that he noticed him exactly, but it was almost like he could feel him watching from afar, which then allowed him to see the other man. And while neither of them made any real efforts to sit down and talk in private, their public conversations weren’t terrible. Especially since he continued to sit at the non-dragonrider tables.

            Amber and Wonshik carried most of them, as usual, and both were treated the same in their circles – no one wanted to take sides anyway. They still asked prying and sometimes inappropriate questions as usual, and Sanghyuk and Joy continued to vie for the most gossip-informed errand runner. They only got tidbits, obviously, but apparently Talongrace to the North was having a lot of trouble with losing supply ships between them and Port Derth on Bondsland; in addition, in Kokoshir, the King had called for any free formerly bonded dragon. Neither Sanghyuk nor Joy knew why but it gave plenty to talk about.

            It certainly amused Taekwoon when he noticed that Jinki was having quite a hard time holding his tongue. Obviously, he knew more than they did, but he wasn’t allowed to say and it was equally clear he wasn’t sure if they should be spreading such rumors either. Jimin had no such qualms asking them for more information either. Himchan couldn’t say much either but he did comment on various dragon injuries – none were too severe exactly and they’d been fortunate not to have any deaths recently, but there were quite a few smaller injuries they’d had to patch up.

            While meals were always interesting, for the most part, the days went by without much change. Taekwoon did notice that his dragons were acting a little bit different, but neither would tell him why; Jongup was almost playfully amused, as if he had a secret he wanted to share but not yet, while Jonghyun was irritatingly smugly silent. Not surprising, all things considered, but it was frustrating. And it was just one more thing he added to fuel his determination to actually get somewhere with them. It took him a while, but after nearly a moon of intensive, exhausting conditioning, Taekwoon finally achieved a breakthrough in Trance.

            Gain stumbled backwards with a pained, surprised roar and Taekwoon froze, bronze head swiveling around to confirm what had actually happened. He panicked when he saw claw marks on her face, hunching down immediately in mute apology. Golden eyes flashed and for a moment, the gold dragon bared her teeth at him angrily. But then she shook her head and blinked, raising a testing claw to her marred visage.

            In her face, he read approval instead of outrage. Hesitantly, Taekwoon eased out of his crouch and approached with a reasonable amount of caution. She focused on him and relaxed, laughing at the same time. Her posture spoke of pride and acceptance. His claw marks were obvious but she wasn’t angry with him. Far from it.

            Shifting forms swiftly, she stepped forward and clapped in excitement, the wounds equally obvious on her human form. “Well done!”

            Both surprised and embarrassed, Taekwoon shrugged, his wings moving with the motion. Gain waved her hand and his stomach twisted as he returned to his human form. “Sorry,” he gasped upon returning to his normal guise.

            “Why? It was my fault for not blocking,” she assured him, coming close. “I did not expect you to manage that so soon.”

            “Neither did I,” he laughed weakly, averting his gaze just a bit so he didn’t have to see the broken skin.

            “Oh stop that,” she rolled her eyes, wincing when the motion pulled at tender skin. “It’s only bad here and I’ll likely have some nice scars on the outside,” she winked, flinching from that too. “But…” she exhaled, touching at the skin gingerly. “I think we’ll call it there for today.”

            “Really?” Taekwoon blinked, looking around as if trying to check for the time. He didn’t feel as exhausted as usual and he actually felt pretty good for a change.

            “Yes,” she confirmed with a careful nod. “While you’re still nowhere near ready to challenge Jonghyun, you’ve come a long ways to getting there.”

            Uncertainly, he bit his bottom lip and stepped forward just a touch. “When do you think I’ll be ready to challenge him?”

            Gain didn’t seem to hear him for a moment, as she tilted her head, apparently thinking about something. But then the question sank in and she inhaled slowly. “It’s hard to say. At your current progress, you might be a match for him, but I’d rather be sure. We’ll see as things go but maybe in the next couple sevendays?” she shrugged, hands spreading wide.

            “Oh,” Taekwoon murmured, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.

            “You’re moving remarkably fast, I’ll have you know,” she reassured him, coming close to put a hand on his shoulder.

            He looked up to meet her golden eyes and forced himself not to flinch. “Thank you.”

            Her gaze turned speculative and she thumbed at her chin before murmuring, “How’s your mate? You haven’t spoken much of him lately.”

            Taekwoon winced and shook his head. “I… don’t really know, actually. Mostly okay, I think,” he offered, thinking back to what he’d seen and experienced from the other man recently.

            “Oh? Not speaking much are we?” she grumbled crossly, an obvious irritated sigh escaping her.

            “We do…” he started, trailing off without looking at her. “But not about the things we need to talk about,” he admitted, nose wrinkled. “I’ve been so busy,” Taekwoon gestured towards the space around them, “and it seems like he’s been busy too. And we just… don’t try to make the time for… talking when no one else is around,” he sighed, wondering if that was a sign of them actually drifting apart. They did have pretty normal conversations over meals, and the odd exchange on the grounds or in the hallways, but he didn’t ask Jinki and Jinki didn’t ask him for any private time.

            “Foolish humans,” she rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “For all your words, they just get in the way,” the dragon explained. “Just show him how you feel.” Her suggestion was met with an embarrassed cringe. “What?” she chirped, intrigued now.

            Taekwoon didn’t really want to say but… if anyone might understand, a Paramour would. Hopefully. Still cringing, he explained, “Our last decent conversation wasn’t exactly pleasant. And the last time I tried to get close… the-” he flailed as he gestured at himself, “dragon part of me wanted more…”

            “Oh?” Gain hummed in thought. “Oh,” she added just after, as if a thought had occurred to her, but she didn’t elaborate. Instead, she tapped her bottom lip with a pointed nail and asked, “Have you been particularly draconic lately?”

            His immediate response was to nod. He had been training as a dragon a great deal so of course that was true, but she was referring to outside of Trance. And really, now that he thought about it, he hadn’t. Not as obviously as before. He still had moments where he was snappy or prone to feel a need to react, but he hadn’t actually lost control with Seunghyun in at least several days. “No…” he admitted slowly, his lips.

            “If you want to ask my professional opinion, I think that now that we’ve gotten your dragon half mostly under control, you shouldn’t really have that kind of problem again,” Gain smiled reassuringly, her eyes sympathetic. “In a dragon, that is a most admirable quality. For a human, I can see how that might be… frightening,” she conceded with a semi-apologetic shrug.

            “So it’s normal in a dragon?” Taekwoon wondered cautiously.

            “Oh yes,” Gain chuckled throatily, a knowing gleam in her eyes. “I could show you if you’d like?” she offered, leaning a bit closer as Taekwoon immediately held up his hands in warding. Gain laughed again and shook her head. “I jest,” she assured him, taking a step back to set him more at ease. “But as I mentioned earlier, I believe this is a good time to call it for the day.”

            Taekwoon nodded his head in understanding and took a breath. “Okay. Will we train like usual on the morrow?”

            “Of course,” she reassured him. “I’ll be ready for you then,” the dragon winked, a sultry but ultimately innocent expression.

            “Thank you, Paramour Gain,” the dragonrider bowed respectfully, ignoring the tease. She snorted at his display but he smiled all the same. “I’ll see you on the morrow.”

            “That you will,” she gave a slight bow in response.

            Leaving Trance was just as easy as falling into it. He’d had practice enough. It was mostly a matter of willing himself out again. Standing after his session, however, was not always so easy. His muscles and joints always got stiff from being in one position too long and it took him a moment to unfurl from his seated form. Distractedly, he watched Gain do the same, coming back to herself and stretching, a process that almost resembled a very large and winged cat. He stifled a smile and forced his reluctant body to stand.

            From there, he exchanged one more round of formalities and then let himself out, wisely choosing not to comment on the facial bruising – and even a little bit of actual claw marks – she had predicted. But with most of his evening open, he wasn’t entirely sure what to do with himself. Checking the sun, he knew that Jinki would still be busy and most of the Aerie persons with any regular tasks were otherwise engaged. His dragons, on the other hand, were free. Thoughtful now, and feeling a bit more confident in his ability to read them, Taekwoon set his sights on the dragon area.

            As expected, Jonghyun and Jongup were there, playing with each other under the watchful eyes of a handful of other senior dragons. For once, Hero wasn’t around and it gave Taekwoon a chance to simply observe them from afar. They regarded him for a moment as they noticed his approach, but when he didn’t get closer, they resumed their game. Or whatever it was they were doing. It looked like a game.

            With his new dragon lessons, Taekwoon could see that right now, they were quite relaxed. Jongup was actively teasing Jonghyun and the copper was playfully frustrated. Even though they got into what looked like a brief scuffle, there was no anger there. Normally, he would have been worried about the baring of teeth and the warning bites he saw, not to mention the claw swipes and posturing, but with Gain’s most recent insight, it made a lot more sense and really helped put Taekwoon at ease. It was good they were comfortable enough here, though he could see some reservations when their attention shifted to the other dragons. Yeah… they still hadn’t quite managed to find where they fit in yet. For all intents and purposes, it looked as if they didn’t really want to either. They seemed to set themselves apart intentionally.

            That was certainly one thing he hoped to fix once he did manage to get Jonghyun to respect him. They were all a part of this Aerie and the sooner they really accepted it, the better it would be for everyone. Especially once they were finally cleared to begin training in the Battalion. Speaking of which…

            Taekwoon’s eyes drifted to the training grounds across the Aerie where he usually saw the dragons and their riders practicing maneuvers. There was no one there today, and though it felt strange, it wasn’t entirely unusual. It wasn’t as if they were practicing all day everyday. Just… a lot of the time. Curious now, he started to look around the Aerie a bit more, scanning the skies. Yep. In the distance, he could see a couple more patrol dragons than usual. Glancing at the dragon field, he frowned. If there were more nearby patrols, it stood to reason there were more longer distance patrols too. Which probably meant he’d missed something…

            Taking a stroll around the perimeter to see who was on wall duty, he was supremely lucky to see Jiho with N right nearby. He hadn’t spoken with them in far too long and a genuine smile lit up Taekwoon’s face. “Jiho!” he called, jogging over. His smile widened when both the rider and his dragon turned to see who had called them, their expression and body language pleasantly surprised.

            “Well look what Bahamut dragged in,” Jiho chuckled, squatting atop the wall to get a better look at his newest peer.

            “You’re one to talk,” Taekwoon tossed back, moving close enough to offer his hand so N could accept a pet or not, if he chose. As expected (and hoped), he pressed his nose into the open palm and Taekwoon moved to rub at his upper lip. “Hey, N. How ya doing?” he crooned, glad that at least one dragon was always happy to see him.

            “He’s grumpy is what he is,” Jiho exhaled, hands flailing helplessly. At Taekwoon’s curious glance up, he explained, “The Battalion’s spread a bit thin right now so we’re stationed here indefinitely until something changes.”

            “The wings haven’t returned?” Taekwoon asked in mild confusion. He had been zoning out a little bit during meal time conversations so he wasn’t entirely surprised to hear that he might have missed information, but it was strange that no one was back.

            Jiho shook his head with a slight frown on his face. “The ones heading to the Kinshire coast make sense. Though I think someone would have sent a messenger back to let us know more. Dongwan sent another wing ten days ago but we haven’t heard from them either. At least Jongin made it back. A bit later than most expected but in one piece. Thank Bahamut. Apparently the King’s getting antsy about something though,” he muttered. Such details were beyond laymen like them.

            “I heard he was calling for any formerly bonded dragons that might be available,” Taekwoon offered, waiting to see if Jiho knew more.

            “Yeah. No idea why though. He can’t get Satoru to send him the dragons he wants so I guess he’s trying it on his own,” he shrugged with a shake of his head.

            “I see,” Taekwoon hummed in response. “So, who all were sent in the wings?” he couldn’t help but wonder, though he was glad to hear about Jongin. He knew that Boa and Hyoyeon were still here. They’d been relegated to getting ready to train him, fortunately or unfortunately for them. And Yunho was still here since the first wing hadn’t been an official combat party – just a patrol.

            “The first wing were all senior dragonriders, which is part of what makes me nervous. They should be able to handle themselves, but the second was a mix of older and newer hands. One of Bom’s first real missions,” he commented, remembering one of the newest additions to that wing, and someone Taekwoon had trained with, albeit briefly. “We don’t often sent the new bloods north for just this reason,” he explained with a shrug.

            “Oh,” Taekwoon murmured in surprise. She always had been ready to prove herself. He rather hoped she managed this time. “Why aren’t you being sent in any of the wings?” he had to ask, giving N more face scratches as the dragon practically purred. The low rumble they emitted when they were happy really did sound like a purr.

            “Eh…” he trailed off with a brief laugh. “Captain Yunho doesn’t care for our tendency to… improvise in combat scenarios.”

            “Improvise?” the ground bound rider chuckled with a shake of his head.

            “What? We follow orders. We just add our own flair,” he shrugged, leaning over to grin at his red dragon. “Isn’t that right, N?” The dragon chuffed in response but didn’t pull away. “He really did take a liking to you,” Jiho snorted, shaking his head. “If I didn’t know better, I’d probably be offended,” he laughed, crossing his arms over his chest in mock irritation.

            “I’m just happy he lets me,” Taekwoon admitted wistfully.

            “Ah,” Jiho grunted. “Yours still giving you trouble?”

            “You could say that.”

            “I’d been hearing you were struggling with him. Them still or is it just the big one?”

            “Yeah. Still struggling with both but mostly just Jonghyun. Jongup will let me get closer but his mate takes exception to that,” Taekwoon sighed, nodding his head as his hand fell still against N’s nose. “We’ve got a plan, but it’s just taking time. I wish I could do more to fix things all at once. I just… can’t,” he explained, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip.

            “I’m guessing you’re referring to your dragons and something or someone else,” Jiho indirectly prodded.

            “Have you been talking to Jinki?” he wondered, though figured he knew the answer.

            “Of course I have. Everyone talks to Jinki. You’re the grumpy one,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes playfully.

            “So I’ve been told,” Taekwoon nodded in quiet agreement.

            “Nothing but a softie when it comes to the dragons though.” That made Taekwoon smile. It was mostly true. Ever since he’d first seen them, the dragons had captivated him. And unlike Jinki, the creatures had never scared him. Even when they probably should have – his Trials notwithstanding. “That’s not to say he’s a gossip though,” Jiho added, drawing Taekwoon’s attention back to the topic at hand. “Like any good upcoming Aerie Master, he checks on all of us to make sure we’re doing alright and that the Aerie is running smoothly. Nothing wrong there. But it seems to me something’s weighing on him,” he sighed. “He puts on a good show,” Jiho admitted thoughtfully. “But it’s like he’s not his whole self,” he tried to explain, taking a deep breath. “Me thinks maybe you have something to do with that.”

            It was a gentle prod, but one all the same. “Maybe,” Taekwoon nodded, not really willing to go into it but it deserved acknowledgement at least.

            “Dummy,” Jiho snorted.

            “I know.” Really, he did.

            “Got a plan?” the rider on the wall asked.

            “Yeah. But it’s slow going,” Taekwoon exhaled with a controlled breath.

            “Best not wait too long,” Jiho reminded him.

            “I know.” That was one thing that was always in the back of his mind. He just hadn’t quite managed to find a time to bring it to the front when he was ready to deal with it. And ready for whatever might come after…

            “Yeah well. Let me know how it goes,” Jiho encouraged, giving a light whistle to get N’s attention and let Taekwoon know he was calling. He could have done it silently but he was being polite. “Get your eyes up here, you,” he chastised N with no heat. “Gotta keep a lookout for anybody coming back or trying to get in,” he shrugged, giving Taekwoon a small wave before they resumed their duty intently.

            Waving at the pair, Taekwoon sighed. He did have a plan, but like everything else about him right now, it required time. Ironically, he actually had spare time currently but no idea how to try and fix anything immediately. He’d like to have been flying with his dragons, but until he could establish some kind of equal relationship with Jonghyun, Master Dongwan in particular wasn’t too keen on letting him fly. Jonghyun’s wings had healed nicely so Boa and Eunhyuk made sure they did a few laps at least a couple times a day, typically with Jongup, Hyoyeon, and Donghae in attendance. Couldn’t have them getting lazy. Or worse. Actually weak. It just stung. That was supposed to be Taekwoon’s job.

            “Soon,” he promised himself quietly, hands balling into determined fists at his side.

            Guiltily, but not surprisingly – as seemed to be normal of late, Taekwoon let the rest of the evening slip by without ever really reaching out to Jinki. He did see him over supper and they at least said hi, but even with Gain’s advice – and Satoru’s words still sloshing around in the back of his mind, he couldn’t quite bring himself to say more. He just didn’t have any of the answers he wanted to be able to give Jinki and until that time, he didn’t think he’d be ready for the conversation. It hurt though. He felt it and he could see it. This mountain of unspoken words just getting bigger between them. Eventually, he was either going to have to climb over it or figure out how to build a tunnel through it. They needed to talk, regardless of whose fault it was – he was inclined to blame himself but it didn’t change the reality.

            But that was a guilt for another day. The next one was full of beautiful but painful distractions. Training with Seunghyun, classes, and then training with Gain. He was getting better. He knew it and that realization gave him confidence. That in turn gave him the ability to do more, to be more. He was going to be ready. And when he saw Gain looking at him thoughtfully, he knew she was evaluating his chances. Running the possibilities of his duel with Jonghyun.

            The second day was more of the same, but Taekwoon and Gain dueled in earnest. He didn’t win though he got close. The following day, they ended in a lenient draw – she could have bested him, but it would have hurt more than either was willing to endure at that time. The day after was a genuine draw and he saw the pride in the golden dragon’s eyes. It made Taekwoon happy. Finally. He was doing something right. Two days later, the impossible happened. He forced Gain to concede.

            Breathing hard, she grinned up at him, not even remotely annoyed that she was well and truly pinned beneath the slightly smaller bronze dragon. She tipped her head and trilled her congratulations to him before changing to her human form. “Well, Taekwoon,” she beamed, bringing him back to his human guise so he could respond appropriately. “I do believe you might be ready,” she winked, clapping him on the shoulder.

            For his part, he laughed in weak relief and bent forward to rest his hands on his knees. Bahamut he was tired! “Good fight,” he panted, looking up at her with a weary smile.

            “I should be telling you that,” she chuckled, promptly plopping down in front of him so she was sitting on the ground. “But my goodness you are a determined little human. You’ve got quite the fire in you,” Gain nodded in approval. “And I’m not sure that’s all from your dragon half either.”

            “Thank you,” he accepted her praise gratefully. It was hard earned and rarely given after all. But he was gratified to know that things in him were getting to a balanced point. Now he just had to achieve a similar balance with everyone else… Yet, for the first time in many sevendays, it actually felt possible.

            “So. If you can beat me, unless you royally manage to have a very bad day, I imagine you should be able to challenge Jonghyun as well,” Gain nodded sagely, already looking more recovered. “But,” she added, holding up her hand to stall Taekwoon from saying anything. “I want you to rest tomorrow. We’ve been training very hard and while I’m confident in your abilities, I’d rather you be well rested and prepared.”

            “I agree,” Taekwoon nodded, conjuring another half smile. Maybe he could get a break from Seunghyun for a bit. That would be nice…

            “Good. Now get out of here youngling,” she shooed, waving her hands and laughing in his direction. “Maybe with a day off, you’ll have time to speak with your mate,” she added pointedly.

            “I was thinking about it,” he admitted as he stood up, getting ready to take her advice.

            “Taekwoon,” Gain called before he could leave.

            “Yeah?” he answered, curious.

            “A word of caution. Do what you need to do but try to keep a mostly clear head before you challenge Jonghyun,” she encouraged simply. “You are ready, but we are often our own worst enemies,” she shrugged, shooing him off so that he didn’t need to – or rather couldn’t – answer. She kicked him out of Trance. Gently mind you, but kicked out all the same.

            Coming to himself, he stretched awkwardly, as usual. That never got any easier. And then stood up while he watched her do the same. “Thank you, Gain,” he said simply, bowing as always before he stepped out. He was tired as he often was when they finished, but Taekwoon also felt energized and hopeful. Two days. With any luck at all, things would start turning around for him with everything. It was time and he was so ready.

(a/n: We got to get back to Jiho and N! :D I had forgotten I missed them. heh But progress is being made and we're finally working our way towards a conflict/resolution point of sorts. Huzzah! But as promised, the double update. heh Thank you for reading and I hope you look forward to the next one soon!)