It was right before 8am.

The 'birthday' celebration for Phoenix's first 12-hour cycle had gone down a treat. The cake was well received, and Pixal took the opportunity to share the photos she'd taken over the course of the night, while Zane took little Phoenix to get cleaned up – having gotten more cake on his face than in his mouth. Jasper in particular enjoyed seeing the pictures, because she'd fallen asleep sooner than expected and had missed out on much of it. Regardless of the fun they'd had on their all-nighter, everyone was getting pretty tired, so they decided to get some sleep once the temple had had a good tidy.

Zane and Pixal needed to get ready to visit Cyrus Borg, so Kai, being the most alert of all the ninja, was tasked with keeping Phoenix entertained while the others went about cleaning. He was still mind blown about this whole situation and tried to comprehend the absurdity of how fast the kid was growing.

"You got so big in half a day, it's crazy," Kai declared, bouncing the baby on his knee. "you'll be coming on missions with us in no time!"

"He's not a ninja, ya know?" Kiku whispered in Kai's ear from behind him.

Kai jumped and, fearing he'd drop Phoenix, pulled the baby into a tight hug.

"Flower, don't scare me like that!" Kai sighed.

"Sorry sweetie," Kiku apologized as she sat next to him. "just thought I'd come see how you're doing."

"We're good, aren't we little dude?" He said to Phoenix, who babbled happily in response.

"Dad is gonna love him," She insisted. "hear that Fireball? You get to see grandpa soon! Won't that be fun?"

Phoenix tilted his head.

"Can you say 'grandpa'?" She asked.

"I doubt it," Kai chuckled. "gotta start with easier words than that."

Kiku took out her phone and pulled up a picture of Pixal, then showed it to Phoenix. His face lit up as he saw the photo, and he flailed his arms trying to grab the phone. She pointed at Pixal.

"Can you say 'mama'?" Kiku wondered. "Come on Fireball... say 'mama'."

Phoenix started forming the 'm' sound with his mouth, and he stammered a bit, trying to copy Kiku as she spoke.

"That's it, you can do it," She said encouragingly. "'mama'..."

He was trying so hard, his wings stretched upwards as he concentrated.

"This probably isn't a good idea," Kai warned. "Pixal won't be happy if she misses his first word; especially if he says 'mama'."

"We're just giving him a nudge, that's all," Kiku dismissed. "honestly, Sonny, it'll take more than just this to get him to speak whole words."

"It feels weird hearing you call me 'Sonny'," Kai admitted. "not bad, just a bit weird."

"'Sonny' has some neat connotations that suit you really well," Kiku offered. "it implies that you have a sunny disposition – which you do – or that you're warm-hearted – which you are..."

"Thanks Flower." He grinned softly.

"...Or that you're hot like the sun, which you definitely are..." She smirked naughtily.

"Not in front of the baby, Kix." He whispered, as Phoenix stared at them both.

"Aww, come on Sonny, he won't understand what flirting is at this age..." She teased, stroking Kai's cheek.

"It's not that, I'm just thinking it'll be so awkward if he doesn't remember this and then wonders why you've started calling me-."

"Sonny."

Kiku and Kai looked at Phoenix in astonishment.

He blinked at them and opened his mouth.

"Sonny." He squeaked.

Kiku couldn't resist giggling as Kai looked deeply unamused.

"That's the exact face you made the first time he ever called you that!" Kiku laughed. "You look so angry and confused at the same time!"

"I mean… How?" Kai exclaimed. "Just now he was struggling to say 'mama'!"

"Well, maybe he's starting to remember people," Kiku noted. "do you remember me, Fireball?"

Phoenix looked at her blankly, when suddenly someone else caught his eye, and he excitedly bounced and waved his arms. Kai and Kiku turned to see Zane approach them with a smile.

"Thank you for watching him," Zane nodded appreciatively. "we're ready to go now, if you wish to rest like the others."

"I'm actually not that tired," Kai stated, handing an enthusiastic Phoenix to Zane. "what about you? Are you feeling up for flying all that way?"

"Shard and I will be fine, but thank you for being concerned," Zane smiled as Phoenix reached out to touch his vaguely glowing facial circuits. "hello, my little one, have you been good for Uncle Kai?"

"He's been an angel, as usual," Kiku replied. "in fact-."

"Yeah, nothing out of the ordinary." Kai interrupted.

"We will be back this afternoon, I should think, but we will let everyone know if that changes at all," Zane assured, leaning little Phoenix against his shoulder. "come along, son, let's go and see your grandfather."

Kai held his breath, hoping that Phoenix wouldn't be prompted by Zane using the word 'son' to say the nickname 'Sonny' out loud; he had a feeling Pixal would tear him a new one for missing Phoenix's first word. Fortunately, the baby was too busy snuggling into Zane's shoulder to say anything at all. As the droid and his charge left the room, Kai sighed.

"We're not gonna tell them?" Kiku baited.

"Nope," Kai shook his head furiously. "your sister will kill me."

"Come on, Pix won't get that mad about it," Kiku argued. "it's not like he said anything major."

"How can you say that after she smashed your face into the floor the first day you were here?" Kai stared at her, stunned. "Look, you've only seen Pixal's temper at half the usual energy, but I've seen her at full blast, and I'd rather not be on the wrong end of it."

It had been a delightfully uneventful flight. The weather was pleasant, and there was a wonderful cross-breeze. Pixal was safely tucked between Zane and the front of the saddle; his arms stretched out protectively either side of her as he held the reins. And nestled in a wrap sling, with his body held to Pixal's by her steady hands, Phoenix slept the whole way there.

As Shard came into land on the helipad on the roof, a familiar face was waiting there to greet them. Mr Borg was grinning wildly at the sight of the ice dragon, and Shard landed so delicately that they barely felt his claws touch the asphalt. Zane jumped down first and reached up to help Pixal get down safely, being even more gentle than he usually was.

"Father, how wonderful to see you!" Pixal beamed as she and Zane approached him.

"Delightful to see you too, my dear!" He exclaimed. "I cannot wait any longer! Please show him to me!"

Pixal loosened her grip on Phoenix just enough so Cyrus could see the little silver-haired baby for himself. Zane grinned as the man's eyes went wide and doting, tears pricking them as a huge smile swept across his face.

"Oh, he's just precious!" Cyrus wept, taking off his glasses to wipe his eyes. "Come, let's go inside."

They travelled down in the elevator to Mr Borg's office; Cyrus couldn't stop grinning as the excitement overwhelmed him. The doors opened, and to the droid's surprise, all of Pixal's dance friends who worked in the building were standing in the office, smiling at them and quietly clapping. Not three steps into the room, Pixal was suddenly surrounded by her companions.

"Hello everyone," Pixal smiled. "thank you for being here to welcome us."

"We simply had to, sweetie!" Shiro insisted. "When Mr Borg told us you were fostering a little boy, we practically begged to be able to meet him."

"Fostering?" Pixal looked over at Mr Borg, who shrugged and sheepishly beamed back. "Oh, yes; only for a couple of weeks."

"C'mon, let's see this cutie!" Rose squeaked.

Pixal giggled and gently lifted Phoenix out of the sling and into her arms, and what followed was a seemingly endless chorus of swooning and cooing. Just as the squealing was dying down, he was roused by the noise and blinked his eyes open – immediately the feminine vocals resurged.

"He looks just like you!" Marilyn politely said to Zane.

"Thank you," Zane grinned. "it was quite a surprise, especially since he was born that way."

"Born with wings?" Rae gasped, as Phoenix proudly fluttered his feathers for his pretty audience.

"That's why he was entrusted to us, because he's no ordinary baby," Pixal theorised. "the ninja have dealt with stranger things."

"Poor darlin' has a scar," Ruby pouted. "must've been a traumatic birth…"

"The mother is sick and in hospital, she's a friend of the ninja and she had no one else to help." Zane promptly made up an explanation.

"Can I hold him, please?" Rose sweetly asked.

"Oh, me too!" Rae added, comically raising her hand in the air.

"Come along ladies, there's plenty of time for that later," Cyrus intervened. "I promise to invite you all back for cuddles with the baby, but for now, I would like some private time with my daughter and son-in-law."

"Yes sir." They spoke all at once, and bowed politely as they left the room.

Every one of the ladies took one more look at baby Phoenix before they left. Even Marilyn, who was not great with very young children, was enchanted by him.

Cyrus beamed at Phoenix with a smile so wide his cheeks hurt. Phoenix smiled back and waved his arms happily, as he often did, and Cyrus inwardly melted.

"Ho-oh, say hello to your grandfather." Pixal stated as she gently placed him in Cyrus' waiting arms.

"Hello, little one." Cyrus's voice faltered as he looked at that innocent face.

Phoenix made a low gurgling noise, then babbled cheerfully at Cyrus and grabbed his glasses. Enthralled, Cyrus placed the glasses on Phoenix's face. The baby held onto the arms of the glasses and looked around with them on, then giggled at how wobbly everything looked.

"Oh, bless his heart," Cyrus whispered. "he's simply adorable…"

"We have photos to show you," Zane mentioned. "the whole team stayed up all night to witness his 'firsts'."

"I'm very grateful," Cyrus nodded. "though I wish I could have been there to see them myself."

"There are firsts he has yet to reach; he hasn't said his first word yet, or taken his first steps on his own," Zane offered. "but there's one first we found particularly fascinating."

"Oh yes? I'd like to see that." Cyrus declared, gently prying his glasses free from Phoenix's grip and putting them back on himself.

Zane knelt on the floor and summoned an ice cluster to his hand.

"Phoenix, over here," Zane called out, and Phoenix looked directly at him. "are you gonna 'bomf' for grandpa?"

Phoenix looked at Cyrus shyly, then back at Zane.

"Come along, son, you can do it," Zane nodded. "you did it for Uncle Kai last night, remember?"

Cyrus also nodded supportively, and Phoenix fluffed up his wings in readiness. He took a deep breath and forcefully breathed out again. To Cyrus' utter shock, a purple fireball shot from Phoenix's mouth and hit the ice cluster, cracking it.

"You did it!" Zane cheered. "Such a clever boy!"

"What on earth…?" Cyrus stammered.

Zane clapped at Phoenix, and he started clapping as well, then giggled as Zane deftly ruffled the soft silver hair. Phoenix looked up at Cyrus with a happy grin, still clapping, and Cyrus smiled at him.

"We first noticed it when he sneezed, but since then I have been teaching him to do it voluntarily."

"You really shouldn't encourage him to do that." Pixal laughed and shook her head.

"From what Magpie said, he'll be doing it of his own volition once he gets his memory back." Zane countered.

"Magpie?" Cyrus tilted his head.

"His younger sister," Pixal clarified. "when his regeneration started, we called his sister to come and help, because she's seen him go through it before."

"Ma…" Phoenix said. "Ma… Ma…"

"He's attempting to speak! Are you trying to say Magpie?" Pixal asked elatedly. "Come on Phoenix, say 'Magpie' for me…"

"You can do it, ho-oh," Zane urged. "say 'Magpie' for mama…"

"Ma… Ma…" Phoenix stretched his wings out again as he tried to focus. "Ma…"

Pixal knelt next to Zane, and the three adults watched Phoenix intently as he stumbled over his words. He glanced up at Cyrus, who was grinning with eagerness to hear him speak. Then he looked at Zane, who beamed proudly back at him and waved his hand supportively. Finally, he gazed at Pixal, and was drawn to her glittery green eyes that made him feel calm and safe; the amount of comfort and peace he felt when she held him was unlike anyone else.

Phoenix reached his arms out to Pixal and smiled.

"Ma…" He stuttered. "Ma... Mama…"

There was a moment of quiet astonishment, broken only by Phoenix's happy repetition of 'mama'. Zane was delighted by this outcome, while Pixal was totally speechless. Her eyes widened as Phoenix stretched his arms and wings and strained to get to her.

"Mama!" He chirped.

"I think he wants his mother..." Cyrus softly grinned, as he gently held Phoenix with both hands and offered him to Pixal.

Pixal's bewilderment melted into absolute bliss as she beamed at Phoenix, tears rolling down her cheek. She swiftly and joyfully accepted him into her embrace, tucking her arms around his body while he snuggled into her. His feathers fluttered happily, and his face bore a most contented expression.

"My little ho-oh," She squeaked. "my precious baby..."

"Mama..." He yawned.

Phoenix closed his eyes, leaned his head on her shoulder and was quickly soothed into a tranquil sleep by the ethereal pulsing of her power source. Pixal left a soft kiss on his head, and her hand brushed against his wings as she rubbed his back. Zane smiled knowingly – it appeared that Pixal really did want a child of her own. Right then and there, he decided he'd do whatever it took to fulfil that wish.

"I haven't felt this emotional since the day you two got married," Cyrus sniffled. "I had no idea you could be so maternal."

"If I could give you a biological grandchild, I would." Pixal admitted.

"My dear daughter, as far as I'm concerned, any child of yours is my grandchild," Cyrus gave a kind smile. "Phoenix is my grandson."

"Thank you, Cyrus." Zane replied, putting his arm around Pixal.

"And should you two decide to build a family, regardless of the method you use, those offspring too shall be my grandchildren." He insisted.

Zane knew just how much it meant to Pixal to hear her father say that. In fact, he could see it in her eyes, as they sparkled in such a way that he'd seen only once before – the day that Cyrus first called Pixal his daughter. As Pixal held Phoenix in her arms and smiled at Cyrus Borg – who smiled back with tremendous appreciation – Zane could feel the ambience of familial love that radiated from them.

"That was a beautiful moment." Zane stated.

"Yes, it was…" Cyrus said, lifting his glasses to wipe his eyes. "…oh, where are my manners? I haven't offered any refreshments!"

"It's quite alright, father, we were all a little distracted." Pixal nodded as she rubbed Phoenix's arm softly.

Although Pixal was gentle in her affection, the touch was just enough to rouse Phoenix from his sleep. He groaned as he yawned and groggily opened his eyes. Phoenix rubbed his eyes and glanced at her, then suddenly started crying.

"Aww, my beloved ho-oh, I didn't mean to wake you up," She purred. "you're hungry, aren't you? Zane..."

Without a word, Zane opened the compartment in his chest and pulled out a small, chilled sippy cup full of milk. He gave the cup a few light shakes, then handed it to Pixal.

"Thank you, angel, I love how your powers are universally functional." Pixal admired.

"Anything for you and our son." Zane grinned, ruffling Phoenix's hair.

No sooner had she moved the cup within easy grasp, Phoenix reached out and grabbed it, clumsily lifting to his mouth and merrily drinking the contents.

"How did you know he was hungry?" Cyrus asked. "He could've been crying for anything."

"He only cries when he's hungry, if he needs anything else he makes hawk sounds." Pixal replied confidently.

"He's a remarkable little tyke, isn't he?" Cyrus declared. "I hope you will continue to report his progress to me; I'd love to see how he changes over the next couple of weeks."

"Of course – we were planning to make detailed chronicles of how he develops." Pixal agreed.

"We can also video call if you have time," Zane offered. "a brief liaise every evening so you can also see how he changes for yourself."

"That would be wonderful, thank you both." Cyrus grinned.

Suddenly the elevator door opened, and out stepped Miru and Hanasu.

"Good morning!" They said in unison.

"Hello girls!" Cyrus waved at them.

"My dear sisters," Pixal mewed. "how wonderful to see you!"

"Sorry we were not here to welcome you," Miru apologised. "we came as soon as we could."

"It's quite alright." Pixal nodded.

"This is your son?" Hanasu squeaked, as Pixal nodded again. "Oh Pixal, he's absolutely beautiful!"

Miru and Hanasu sat either side of Pixal and admired the sweet little bubba as he continued drinking his milk. At first, Phoenix seemed a bit confused, looking between Miru and Pixal as though he was trying to tell them apart. Of the three younger droids, Miru was the one who resembled Pixal the most – they had the same eyes, and the same hairstyle – the only visual difference was in the colour of their external circuits. To an adult, the difference in colour (and therefore the difference between Miru and Pixal) was obvious, but to Phoenix, it was like he was seeing double.

"My poor ho-oh, you look so perplexed!" Pixal gave a small laugh.

On hearing his nickname, Phoenix paused drinking just long enough to give a milky grin.

"Mama!" He exclaimed, leaning into Pixal with a reflexive flicker of his wings.

"Oh bless him, how endearing!" Hanasu giggled.

"Such a precious boy!" Miru added, turning to face Zane. "And this is the reborn older brother of Magpie?"

"Yes," Zane confirmed. "I'm aware of the absurdity of the situation, but yes."

"It is most peculiar for sure," Cyrus agreed. "I didn't realise that such abilities existed outside of the spectrum of elemental powers."

"You would have loved being there when he hatched…" Zane noted, changing the subject. "it was truly fascinating."

"Father told us about the unique circumstances of Phoenix's rebirth," Miru said to Pixal. "a human hatching from an egg? It's utterly surreal."

"He looks so soft and cuddly…" Hanasu hinted.

Pixal took this hint and smiled. As Phoenix finished his milk, Pixal reached into her pocket and pulled out a small cloth. She wiped his face of any stray milk droplets, and then held Phoenix with intent to pass him over to her sister.

"Ho-oh, this my sister, Hanasu." Pixal beamed.

Phoenix was shy at first, cautious about this new face, until he observed Hanasu smiling widely and opening her arms to accept him into her embrace. He flapped his wings and babbled loudly as Hanasu's arms curled around him. She gazed at him softly, and carefully stroked his cheek with her hand. Pixal and Miru shared an amused glance as Hanasu appeared to be melting, especially when Phoenix reached out to touch her cheek also.

"Are all human babies this way?" Hanasu wondered aloud. "He's so delicate and sweet!"

"I was unaware that droids could get broody." Cyrus teased.

"Would you like to hold him, Miru?" Zane asked.

"I'd like to, but it looks like Hanasu may be unwilling to give him up." Miru joked.

"It would be wise to make the most of this time," Pixal asserted. "Phoenix is no ordinary child, and in a few days, he will have grown far quicker than a normal human."

"May we call in on you at some point?" Hanasu queried, elegantly rocking Phoenix back and forth. "You know, come to the temple to see him when he's bigger?"

"I'm sure that can be arranged…" Pixal baited, looking up at Zane, who nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of making arrangements; perhaps now would be a great time to invite your friends back for some cuddles with Phoenix." Cyrus stated.

"I'm sure he'd love that, wouldn't you ho-oh?" Zane baited as Phoenix gave him a relaxed smile.

Magpie sat in the living room and checked her emails on her smartphone – not that she'd received anything new since yesterday – and found herself looking at the time. Zane and Pixal had taken Phoenix to visit Mr Borg, and from the family portrait-like selfie they sent her, the visit was obviously going splendidly. Nya, Jasper and Kiku had gone to run some errands in the nearest town, while Kai, Lloyd, Jay and Cole were out doing training. The ladies had invited her to join them, but Magpie insisted she was happy to relax at the temple.

The novelty of 'alone time' wore off after an hour, now she was bored.

She got up and wandered around, eventually drifting upstairs to grab her sketchbook and mechanical pencil. On her way back down, she admired the internal architecture of the temple. She sat down again and flipped to a blank page, but before she started sketching, she selected a playlist on her phone. She bopped her head to the music and began putting down some seemingly random lines on the page, letting the rhythm of the current song guide her hand.

A couple of songs in, and Magpie couldn't resist whistling to the tune that was playing. With the windows open, the tune carried just far enough to encourage a couple of songbirds to approach. Given her honed abilities as a bird whisperer, it didn't surprise Magpie at all when she caught sight of two skylarks in her peripheral vision; perched on the window ledge and listening to the sounds she was making.

She was surprised, however, when an azure-winged magpie flew straight in through another window and abruptly landed on her head.

"My singing isn't that bad, is it?" She jokingly asked the corvid.

The bird hopped down and cawed at her, then at the front door, and hopped towards it. Magpie put her sketchbook down then followed the bird to the door, opening it once she was there.

She got another surprise, when she saw a giant eagle sitting with a drawstring canvas bag in front of it; the tightened drawstring clutched in its talons.

"Oh, hello…" Magpie stammered. "I didn't think Steller's Sea eagles flew this far south."

The eagle spread its massive wings and lowered its head, in a motion that Magpie could only translate as bowing, which she thought was more than a little weird. The azure magpie slipped the tip of its beak into the top of the bag and eventually pulled out a small envelope, then poked Magpie's hand with it. She took the envelope, and inside was a note… from Aruna.

[Dear Magpie,

I have sent Stella and Celeste to bring this care package for Phoenix. It's nothing overt, just some little treats, but I know how much he loves them. Don't be surprised if he wants to eat the melon bread first, it's our mutual favourite.

Also, I'm aware he may be too young for some types of candy right now, so I entrust it to you to gift these lovingly chosen items to him in an age-appropriate fashion.

I wish I could be there to help him recover, but I understand that this is something he needs to do without me. I await with anticipation for the day when he is well enough for me to embrace him once more.

Hugs and kisses to Phoenix, all my love.

Aruna x

P.S. Stella and Celeste have been instructed to give this bag to you – and only you – as I am aware that Mr Cole also has a considerable sweet tooth, and I do not wish to tempt him.]

The eagle – which Magpie concluded was 'Stella' based on its species – dropped the drawstring from its talons, then gripped the top of the bag in her razor-sharp beak and hopped inside, just enough to place the bag at Magpie's feet. Stella and Celeste bowed, and before Magpie could offer to reward them, they hastily flew away.

"I guess they have somewhere to be." Magpie posited, lifting the bag and closing the door.

She wandered back over to where she had previously been sitting and opened the bag to see what was inside; a selection of melon breads, some packs of gummy bears, ramune soda, some bags of chips of various flavours, a bag of chocolate coins, hot chocolate sachets, marshmallows, and what looked like a small, handmade heart plush. Magpie couldn't help but grin at the delightful effort Aruna had put into this – she really hoped that Phoenix would seal the deal with the wolf girl as soon as he was back to normal.

Now thinking of Phoenix, she looked at her phone again. No updates from Zane or Pixal. She knew her brother would be safe with them, and they were obviously having so much fun that they just hadn't sent any messages or pictures, but she was still a little worried. She'd never been away from her brother during a regeneration before, and it was-

"Hey Magz!"

Magpie jumped, startled by the suddenness of Nya's voice in her ear.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" Nya apologised sheepishly.

"It's okay," Magpie assured, putting her phone back in her pocket. "I was deeper in thought than I realised; did you have fun?"

"More fun than I usually do on errands!" Nya giggled.

"Yeah, nothing like a girly adventure to boost your spirits." Jasper agreed.

"You should've come with us, Magz," Kiku added, before she noticed the bag in Magpie's hand. "oh, looks like you went shopping on your own after all."

"This? No, no, this was just delivered." Magpie corrected.

"Weird, I'm sure the postie came before we left..."

"Special delivery from Aruna," Magpie smiled. "she had a couple of bird friends drop it off."

"So... what did she send?" Nya wondered.

Magpie gave her the note to read, while she held the bag open to show the three of them the contents. Kiku chuckled and shook her head at the mass of goodies within – Fireball's sweet tooth was apparently as strong as ever. Jasper opted to join Nya in reading the note, and both of them were so moved by Aruna's thoughtfulness that they started to get teary-eyed.

"Oh, bless her..." Nya sniffled. "they aren't even officially dating, and she's doing stuff like this? It's so romantic!"

"Aruna is very affectionate with Phoenix, though she gets embarrassed if anyone sees her being affectionate with him," Magpie explained. "that's probably why she got her friends to deliver this."

"So, I take it their dates are usually not in overly crowded places." Kiku assumed.

"I mean, I don't know that they've been on any official 'date' dates, but they do hang out a lot." Magpie stated.

"Where do they usually go?" Nya asked.

"The gardens, the movies, the café where Phoenix works," Magpie began listing off the places her brother had mentioned in the past. "the art gallery, the museum, Ninjago 109…"

"Yeah, those are all standard date locations," Jasper nodded. "sounds like they're pretty serious."

"I try not to meddle in my brother's affairs – with the exception of health-related matters," Magpie insisted. "but I must admit, I wish he'd pull his finger out and get on with making their relationship official."

"Speaking of dates, I bet you're looking forward to your date with Lloyd," Nya smirked wickedly. "I wish I could've been there when he asked you, I bet he was a stuttering mess!"

"It didn't help that I was wearing that outfit you repaired for me," Magpie mentioned awkwardly. "he was trying so hard just to look at my face, and then he couldn't seem to look at me at all!"

"I had the same problem the first time I saw you wearing it," Kiku empathised. "in my defence I was 3 days old at that point, but still."

"I feel for Lloyd, not only is he taking out someone as stunning as Magpie, but she likely has more experience than he does..." Jasper commented, glancing over at her. "right?"

Magpie's face curled into one of bashful naïveté, as she shook her head and gave an uneasy grin.

"You have got to be kidding!" Nya gasped. "You? A burlesque dancer, with dangerous curves and soul-piercing eyes, have never been on a date before?"

"In the early days of living with him, Phoenix was ridiculously protective of me and Sage; no man dared to approach me," Magpie confessed. "it's only really the last few years that he let up and allowed me more freedom to find love, but by then I had my vet job, and started part-timing at the bar, and I was used to being single."

"I get where he's coming from, you had all just lost your parents and he probably didn't want to lose either of you on top of that," Nya stated. "but his overprotection has stunted your social development, to the point that entering the dating world is now super intimidating for you."

"That's a lot of big words to imply Phoenix screwed up Magpie's chances of finding a partner." Kiku surmised.

"He did what he thought was right at the time," Jasper intervened, defending his actions. "but that's not important right now; right now, the important part is to make Magpie feel more confident about dating."

"You're right, and since her date is just as inexperienced, she needs our input." Nya grinned.

"Don't worry Magz, all three of us are in long term relationships; we can help you with this." Jasper agreed.