With a heavy sigh, Chaerin slumped against Fei’s golden hide and huddled close with a hunk of bread and a bowl of thin soup.

            Three days.

            This was the third day of returning to the Aerie after Tiamat’s attack and they’d done little more than work and try to make sense of things. Unlike the others, Chaerin was just tired. Oh, of course the destruction bothered her too, but the Aerie hadn’t been home like it had been for the others. Nor had she lost her dragon, though she could relate to the sympathy the remaining riders felt for those that had lost theirs most recently.

            Given the situation, with Bahamut gone and Tiamat having accomplished what she otherwise wanted to do, the general consensus was that the Aerie should be safe for now. Barring any wilds or surprise attacks from the Dawnbringer Battalion, home was still home. It didn’t help that Miremaw hadn’t been the most helpful of cities after the attack. Too afraid to send people to check on the Aerie and perhaps equally glad they hadn’t been targeted. Or maybe they were resentful of their previous interaction and this was a form of payback. It didn’t matter. The Aerie was on their own for the time being.

            At least they were good about that, even if everyone was handling it with single minded intensity. The Healers and Paramours were busy tending to the wounded and the dragonless, a full time endeavor that left them just as exhausted as everyone else. They’d snagged the youngest and oldest residents to help with general care and supervision while everyone else was focused on rebuilding; that included all the Masters, riders, residents, trainees and some of their healthier dragons left. Yesterday had been particularly hard because they’d found Satoru’s crushed remains in the space where Bahamut was supposed to have been.

            Bothered by the unsolved mystery that was Bahamut, she took a bite of bread and looked around, taking note of where everyone was. Taecyeon and his wings had returned yesterday and the strongest among them were helping with clearing wreckage so the humans could reside here if they wanted to. While the riders were fine sleeping outside with their dragons, everyone else needed some kind of safe and secure shelter, especially the wounded and the suffering. Not entirely unexpectedly, none of her kin had returned with them. She’d been reassured that those who had been alive when she’d left remained so, but they had all chosen to stay. Chaerin couldn’t blame them. Under different circumstances, she might well have opted not to return too. But at least she had Hyunseung, even if he was working with the rest with single minded focus.

            Humming to herself, she nodded and murmured, “They have done a good job of keeping themselves distracted. Don’t you think?”

            Fei snorted at the question but the sensation of agreement flowed through their bond. Chaerin felt a general inquiry follow and she puzzled over the answer for a moment.

            She didn’t understand details like the normal Aerie riders did. All she could do was make an educated guess about what Fei was asking or saying and keep trying until she got it. At least unless she went into Trance to speak directly to her, but that took too much attention and left her completely off guard out here. Eventually, she decided on what her dragon had probably asked her and gave a response. “I have thought about going. Following Tiamat to where my father most likely is, but what would that accomplish? She’d likely take you from me as soon as we got close and I don’t want that,” she exhaled, placing her hand against the smooth warm skin.

            The gold dragon bent her neck so she could nuzzle at her rider affectionately, content to accept light scratches over her eye ridges. Her next push through their bond made Chaerin snort and laugh as she gently pushed the head away.

            “It’s confusing, alright?” she grumbled, setting her sights on Taekwoon. He seemed worn down but was otherwise recovering well after being sick and getting over his injuries. It wasn’t surprising that he was now staying very near Jinki since they were all taking a break before dark. The pair had settled like she had, resting against Jonghyun’s copper hide with Jongup stationed right next to his mate. “You know the dragon in me likes him. Well, dragon him,” she clarified, pressing her lips together in annoyance. As far as men went, he was pleasing to look at, and as a human, he had some admirable qualities, but he was undeniably spoken for and... “Part of me is attracted to him. The other half can’t get past what my father wanted him for.” The very thought turned her stomach and she set her unfinished bowl aside with a groan. From afar, she could still remember that and think objectively about the situation. When she got close, it seemed as if general proximity had an effect on how she felt in any given moment. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought it was because their dragon halves were syncing or responding to each other.

            Fei didn’t mention anything for a bit, turning her attention to Taekwoon’s dragons instead. They seemed to be looking at each other and Chaerin got the impression they were talking. It was something else she envied. The dragons could talk to each other over short distances too. More than just body language anyway. But then the gold offered another meaningful nudge and Chaerin nodded slowly.

            “Well, he has been protecting me so it’s only right that I stay and try to keep an eye on his back too.” She couldn’t deny that he’d not wanted to accept her at first, but it appeared that his own inner dragon had some sway on that matter. She’d seen it often enough to know. “I guess I’m just worried. He’s been acting too much like a dragon lately,” she mused, practically staring at Taekwoon now. Fei’s wordless agreement was easy to read.

            Every moment that he wasn’t with Jinki, the rider seemed to be on high alert. He reacted to any unexpected sounds by immediately searching for the Aerie Master and if they weren’t in an immediate line of sight, he made constant efforts to go out of his way to visually see him. And he had an uncanny ability to sense when he was being watched. Like now.

            Chaerin flinched when he suddenly looked up to meet her eyes, his gaze unblinking and slightly narrowed. She nodded once in acknowledgement and his expression gentled quickly when he realized it was just her. He nodded in response and then turned his attention back to Jinki who seemed to be in one of his more depressed modes.

            Fei carefully pushed the food at her side towards her again with an encouraging nudge, but then sent a confusing feeling. Chaerin picked up the bowl and took another bite as she worked over the possible meanings of it. ‘Strange’ could mean a lot of things.

            The whole situation was strange. Tiamat’s attack on the Aerie had been expected but she had done far less damage than Chaerin would have expected from a mad dragon god. It was possible Kevin had some sway over that, but if he had, she suspected he would have likely taken more humans. People had a disconcerting habit of disappearing around him.

            Bahamut’s inexplicable disappearance. No one really talked about it, but she doubted he was dead. If nothing else, Fei would have felt something. She was sure of it. But that meant that he was missing or hiding, neither of which made her feel particularly confident. Part of the general silence could have been because most people didn’t know yet or were willfully ignorant under the circumstances. It was a lot to accept that a dragon god you had been taught to revere had been imprisoned beneath your feet and had suddenly just disappeared into what amounted to thin air.

            Combat Master Seunghyun was acting like the leader of the Aerie when it should have been Aerie Master Jinki or Commander Yunho, but neither had really been able to step up yet. Jinki vacillated between depressed and strangely competent at a moment’s notice and Yunho seemed mired in despondency. And no one had made any mention of what the next step was… Yes, they were going to rebuild the Aerie, but what about Tiamat? What about the missing dragons they’d lost? What about Kevin?

            When Fei didn’t respond to any of those internal musings beyond thoughtful interest, Chaerin figured her ‘strange’ nudge was referring to something else. Taekwoon was acting strange, even for him, but she’d already figured that was because of his dragon half. He was being hyper-protective of his mate and both the human and dragon halves seemed to be in agreement, resulting in… his current state. So that left… Jinki.

            The gold dragon’s agreement was quick and easy to feel.

            Chaerin wrinkled her nose and looked at the Aerie Master furtively, trying to keep it so that Taekwoon wouldn’t feel the need to focus on her again. It was disconcerting when he did, that first breath all dragon and predatory defensiveness. It was almost a wonder he hadn’t passed out from sheer exhaustion yet. But back to Jinki. She knew everyone’s reaction to grief and huge events like what they’d recently gone through were different, but there was just something odd about his. Oh, moments like this, she very much expected.

            Jinki was currently curled up close to Taekwoon, head pillowed on the rider’s shoulder. They seemed to be talking, one hand interlaced with the other. This Jinki was fine. It was the other one she had some reservations about. Oh, she’d seen her father switch a personality lever on more than one occasion, but he’d had years of practice. It wasn’t something she’d seen Jinki do much – or at all really - and it didn’t feel right. She’d seen him pull himself together after something happened, but there was a process to it. Steps he had to take to build himself to a point. Now…

            “I think what really bothers me the most is that he was down there where Bahamut was supposed to be. He remembered seeing Bahamut’s body, and apparently briefly in Trance, but the fact that he doesn’t know what happened to the dragon god is… not good,” she ended, unsure how else to describe it. Frightening for sure, but there was too much they didn’t know about the dragon god or what he was capable of.

            Fei agreed with her wordlessly. She got the feeling that Taekwoon’s dragons also had similar thoughts but it seemed as if Taekwoon was more than willing to ignore that in light of the fact that his other half was otherwise unhurt. At least for the moment. That was going to have to be enough for the time being. Hopefully, it would be.

            After five days of rebuilding the Aerie and otherwise pushing aside the concerns of the world beyond, Combat Master Seunghyun finally called a meeting with the remaining heads of the Aerie. Normally, Taekwoon would not be present but Jinki had insisted he come. There was something about the way he’d asked that made it hurt for Taekwoon to even think about not going so here he was, standing beside the Aerie Master as if he belonged. They weren’t holding hands but there were standing close enough for their shoulders to touch.

            Seunghyun paid them no mind. Yunho didn’t even seem to realize they were there. Heechul gave them a quick smirk but his attention faded quickly. Hyesung appeared unflappable, as always, but he did at least seem more tired than usual. Somewhat surprisingly, Junjin was present, though he looked like he felt a bit out of place. On the other hand, Dongwan and Taecyeon appeared eager for the meeting to begin.

            With a glance at the recently repaired and closed door of the Aerie Master’s office – it was one of the few whole and secure buildings available to them, Seunghyun nodded and turned his attention to the people present. “Repairs are well under way and our people seem to be getting back on their feet, which is good,” he explained simply, nodding with the thought. “But it’s not enough. We need to think about what’s going to happen next.”

            For a brief moment, no one spoke, all eyes looking around at each other. But then Dongwan took a breath and raised his hand first. “If nothing else, we will need to reestablish contact with Miremaw. Despite their silence now, they have supplies that we need to continue rebuilding our homes.”

            “True enough,” Seunghyun agreed after a delayed pause where he waited to see if Jinki would say anything. “Would you be able to lead a delegation to them soon in order to open communication with them again?”

            Dongwan nodded and answered quickly. “I could gather a group as early as today, but for the sake of being prepared, I might recommend going on the morrow.”

            “Understood,” the Combat Master tipped his head with a short smile.

            Heechul and Hyesung exchanged quick looks and the latter deferred to the former so that he might speak first. Heechul took a small step forward and raised both hands flippantly. “Really, all we can do at the moment is continue treating the residents and dragons. Considering what they’ve gone through, that will likely be our sole concern for many more days to come.” Hyesung nodded sagely in agreement, his arms crossed loosely over his body.

            “Speaking of sole concerns,” Junjin added hesitantly, taking a half step forward with his shoulders slightly hunched. It was obvious he was not normally called to larger meetings as an active participant. “Our food supplies are getting low. I can make what we have last for a while but… it won’t be helping much if we don’t get more soon. And the dragons’ll need more livestock soon too. With so many hurtin, they’ve been eating more than usual, so…” he trailed off with a helpless grimace.

            “Understood,” Seunghyun bowed his head once, glancing at Dongwan.

            The Dragon Master nodded in understanding and turned his attention to Junjin. “We’ll have you join the delegation to Miremaw on the morrow as well then. You can help us negotiate the food we’ll need for the time being.” His attention shifted back to Seunghyun when he continued, “We’ll also see about sending out small patrols to go hunting in the surrounding areas. With Tiamat gone,” nearly everyone collectively winced at the name, “we shouldn’t have to worry about as many wilds in the area.”

            “Speaking of Tiamat,” Yunho interrupted suddenly before Seunghyun could respond. “What are we going to do about her?”

            Beside him, Taekwoon felt Jinki tense up and it almost seemed as if there was a shift of some sort, but considering who they were now talking about, it made sense to him. He was tense about the dragon god too. Especially because the question wasn’t just about the dragon herself, but also those she’d taken with her.

            Silence settled heavily over them as no one had an answer. Yunho’s hidden desperation was almost palpable but even Seunghyun had no good response to give. Hyesung took the opportunity to step up and inhaled, “If you’re going to be speaking of matters outside the Aerie now, I think we shall take our leave.” He gestured collectively at Heechul, Junjin, and Dongwan before nodding at the door. “We have much to attend to here already.”

            “Fair point,” Seunghyun agreed, bowing his head slightly as the four filed out of the office in uncomfortable silence. When they were gone, the remaining people drew closer together and the Combat Master spoke again, “Any suggestions? My duty is to protect the Aerie here so I cannot promise help, but if I can offer advice, I would be glad to do so.”

            Yunho grimaced as his hands balled into fists. “We have to get our dragons back!” he growled, eyes glued to the floor.

            “Commander…” Taecyeon murmured sympathetically, one hand partially rising as if to reach out and comfort him.

            “How?” Jinki finally spoke, his voice oddly calm. Taekwoon glanced at him out of the corner of his eye with a raised brow, just as surprised as everyone else that he’d said anything at all.

            Yunho practically glared at the shorter man when he responded, “We find a way to go and get them.”

            Jinki’s brows furrowed. “But isn’t that impossible?” When the Commander seemed about to argue, Jinki glanced at Taekwoon with a slight shrug but turned his attention back to the group and added, “With her size and what she’s capable of, just going after her isn’t enough.”

            As much as he obviously wanted to argue, even Yunho couldn’t deny the truth of that statement. He deflated quickly, shoulders sinking as his head drooped too. “There has to be something,” he muttered, staring at his hands in helpless frustration.

            Taekwoon had an absolutely crazy thought but no one else seemed to have anything yet so he quietly raised his hand. When all eyes shifted to him, he took a small breath and asked, “What about trying to talk to her in Trance?” While he expected the incredulous looks from the others, he was slightly caught off guard by the sharp glance he felt from Jinki. It didn’t last more than a heartbeat but it was still disconcerting.

            “What do you mean?” Taecyeon asked with a shake of his head. “I mean, even if you could get close enough to manage it, wouldn’t she be more powerful in Trance? Provided she even let you go into Trance with her.”

            “Well…” Taekwoon murmured, stepping back as the idea fell apart before him. “It was just a thought.” Disappointed by the response, he didn’t miss Jinki relaxing slightly beside him, as if he was relieved. For just a moment, he reached out to his dragon. Does mate seem odd to you?

            He felt Jonghyun thinking, possibly speaking with Jongup as well, before he responded, Maybe. Mate says many feelings. Change often. Maybe just stress.

            Maybe, Taekwoon responded, though it didn’t assuage the tiny knot that was forming in his stomach. He knew the man beside him was his Jinki and he also knew he’d gone through a lot, but… there was something not quite right. Of course he was reluctant to even think it, so most of the time he didn’t. It was just that things weren’t exactly adding up the way they should be.

            “What about Kevin?” Jinki asked into the silence.

            “Huh?”

            “You said that Kevin was with Tiamat when they came,” he added, looking directly at Yunho for confirmation, his tone unusually strong.

            “Yes…” the Commander trailed off uncertainly, even as a glimmer of hope appeared in his voice.

            “Might it be possible that he could do something about Tiamat’s power?” he asked with a shrug, more of his usual mannerisms making their way into his response. “I mean, if he did free Tiamat, he should have some power and maybe we could get him to help us.”

            Taekwoon watched his other half with a thoughtful expression. Something strange indeed, he mused to his dragon. It was subtle. Not obvious at all, but that sudden tiny shift was not normal for Jinki. And it didn’t just feel like he was rising to the occasion either.

            “That would depend on the High Priest,” Seunghyun commented with a wave of his hand. “We don’t know if he’s alive or even what kind of power he has over her. If we’re wrong, it could very well be a death sentence for anyone who decided to go.”

            “But there’s a chance, right?” Yunho asked almost desperately, looking between the Combat Master and the Aerie Master.

            “I mean… there’s always a chance, but…” Jinki trailed off, now at a loss.

            “Then we should take it,” the Commander urged, becoming more energetic as he spoke. “If we just wait for her to come back, there’s nothing we can do against her. She’s too powerful and there are too many dragons on her side. But!” he snapped, looking at both of the leaders with shining eyes, “if we go to where she is. If we send a small group that might be enough to sneak in. It’s possible we can get to Kevin and at least try.”

            Seunghyun, Taecyeon, Jinki, and Taekwoon all grimaced, but no one could really argue. It was possible, but they all knew it was also quite likely to fail. The forces against them were enormous. The Combat Master took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but, define small and who would go?”

            Yunho raised his hand immediately. “I would.”

            “You don’t have a dragon though,” Seunghyun reminded him flatly.

            “Then I’ll ride with someone who does!” the Commander retorted with firm conviction.

            The Combat Master raised a brow and took another small breath. “So you,” he gestured, obviously waiting for a continuation.

            “I…” he trailed off, hitting a wall of uncertainty.

            “It should be volunteers,” Taecyeon interjected, motioning at Yunho to calm down. “One wing. Maybe two.”

            “We’ll have to ask the other riders then,” Jinki nodded thoughtfully.

            “And we won’t be able to fly with Stardust Battalion markings or strappings. It would be too obvious,” Yunho murmured, his mind thinking rapidly about the possibilities now that he had a direction. “Would there be a way to hide the riders? Tiamat doesn’t care for humans so flying in her territory with obvious riders might end the game before it’s begun.”

            “We can ask Dongwan and Minjun,” Taekwoon offered, remembering how both were pretty knowledgeable about all things possible with dragons. “And Minsoo is pretty good about coming up with workarounds when needed,” he added, recalling how the leatherworker had helped him with Jonghyun’s harness.

            “We can ask them when we speak with the other riders,” Seunghyun agreed, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully. “It would also be a good idea to have someone that knows Kevin well to go along too.”

            “We could ask Chaerin,” Jinki thought out loud. The suggestion immediately made Taekwoon tense up, almost involuntarily.

            “Right. She is his daughter,” Yunho agreed with a quick nod.

            “Hyunseung came back with her too,” Taecyeon added, glancing at the other four people.

            “Right. She did say they were kin,” Jinki murmured, thumbing at his bottom lip.

            “So, given the situation, we want to ask dragonrider volunteers to sneak into Bondsland to try and find High Priest Kevin, if he’s still alive, so that he might be able to help us stop Tiamat and get our dragons back,” Seunghyun summed up as matter of factly as he could. It was almost a miracle he didn’t laugh at the absurdity of it, but Yunho nodded in quick agreement. When the Commander looked around the gathering, the other three followed his response reluctantly. “Okay then,” Seunghyun shrugged, tilting his head to the side in disbelieving acceptance. “We can announce a meeting for tomorrow and speak with the others. After that, if enough agree, we can decide where to go from there. Is that acceptable?” he asked, looking at the Aerie Master and Commander in particular.

            “Yes,” Yunho answered, the hint of a hopeful smile on his face.

            “For now,” Jinki echoed, showing more reluctance but he was thoughtful about it too.

            “Then let’s call it here for today,” the Combat Master urged, looking at the other four. “I’ll set the time and place and get runners to let the others know.”

            “Thank you,” Jinki smiled, obviously grateful for the other man’s help. Seunghyun gave a half-hearted shrug, as if to say it was nothing, and then nodded at the others before quietly stepping out.

            “I’ll go give the Wing Leaders a heads up,” Taecyeon added when the Combat Master had left.

            “I’ll come with you,” Yunho called out, quickly following in the other rider’s footsteps.

            That suddenly left Taekwoon and Jinki alone in the office, with far too many thoughts and concerns to be at ease with. “That was unexpected,” Jinki admitted after a brief pause.

            “Agreed,” Taekwoon nodded, turning his full attention on his other half so he could watch him closely. He looked very much like himself now. But he did look slightly uncomfortable. As if something was on his mind. “What is it?” he wondered, brushing the backs of his fingertips against Jinki’s cheek.

            Jinki ducked his head almost shyly, but then looked up a heartbeat later, his gaze surprisingly steady. “I think I should go with the riders who will go to Bondsland,” he announced, looking at Taekwoon as if to see how he would react.

            At first, the statement didn’t register. It was so ridiculous. The Aerie Master going on a quite likely to fail mission in enemy territory? “What?” Taekwoon eventually blinked when Jinki didn’t laugh or change his statement. “No.”

            “Chaerin might not be enough to convince him,” Jinki shook his head, grabbing Taekwoon’s hand in his and holding gently. “As the Aerie Master, I can at least offer some promises or perhaps try to bribe him with something if need be,” he continued with a quick shrug.

            “No,” Taekwoon repeated firmly. “It’s too dangerous. As the Aerie Master, the only one we have left especially, you must stay safe,” he stated, brows furrowed. He didn’t need to add that part of his reluctance was very much because he didn’t want his other half to be put in that kind of danger regardless.

            Jinki gave him a sad smile that also felt a touch hollow when Taekwoon saw it. “I also think I need to do this to make up for what happened here,” he added, shaking his head so that he didn’t meet Taekwoon’s eyes, but his voice was oddly strong again all the same. Still looking partly down, he went on, “Not to mention I need to know why.” When he looked up, he met the rider’s gaze evenly. “Why did Kevin do all this? Why did he hurt so many people and cause so much pain?” he asked, chewing the inside of his bottom lip as he finished. “For Satoru’s sake, and mine, I need to know what he wanted to accomplish.”

            Taekwoon was torn. That was a powerful question indeed, and one he wanted answers to as well. He’d been Kevin’s focus for long enough to know there was still too much he didn’t know and he wanted answers for a great many things. With a grimace and a groan, he looked away, thoughts racing. “I still think it’s too dangerous but… we can talk about it more tomorrow when we see what we have to work with.”

            “Yeah?” Jinki asked gently, tilting his head to look into Taekwoon’s face better.

            “Yeah,” the rider agreed quietly, feeling deeply troubled.

            “Good,” his other half smiled, stepping close to embrace him, his chin resting on Taekwoon’s shoulder.

            Reflexively, Taekwoon hugged him back, but even as he did so, he reached for his dragon. Do you feel it too?

            Yes, was the quick but slightly confused reply. Something off.

            His arms tightened around Jinki just a touch as the knot in his stomach grew just a bit larger. His other half wasn’t sick or hurt or anything like that, but something was different. It scared Taekwoon because the only thing that had happened was his meeting with Bahamut before the dragon god disappeared. It frightened him that there was a very small possibility the two things might be connected. And if they really were, Taekwoon didn’t know what he could do. If anything.