"How old did you say Ignes was again?"

Urokai shot Frankenstein a strange look. What was with him?

"Three hundred. She's still a kid." In his eyes anyway. Sure she'd already had her coming of age ceremony but that didn't mean shit.

Frowning, Frankenstein watched the rivers of lava cooling as they walked further and further. Every step brought them closer to Kravei territory (to Roctis and Ignes who they needed to deal with. to the sea where they dwelled, along with countless other creatures. to the waves he had crossed to find refuge here). He could feel a breeze on his face, his clothes fluttering. Carried inland from the sea perhaps?

"I was told your people become adults at two hundred, was that wrong?" Or it could be outdated. That wouldn't be a surprise considering how far behind humans nobles seemed to be in so many things despite being much further ahead on others.

"We have our coming of age ceremony at two hundred, that's when we're mostly developed and nobody would bat an eye if you got a job. An adult though?" Urokai snorted. "You're not really one until you're five hundred. Don't get knocked up till then."

Frankenstein rolled his eyes. "I don't need that advice."

"Why not? You're not five hundred yet."

"I'm-" he poked at Urokai through their bond- "human. Not only am I already an adult, I can't get pregnant."

"Oh." Urokai blushed, laughing. Shit, he'd totally forgotten. Frankenstein was such a familiar face, a familiar feeling, by now that he just considered him an ordinary clan member who was family. Like Lî Ban. "Right."

"I'll refrain from 'knocking up' the children then," he stated dryly, "I can promise that."

That only made Urokai laugh more. "I didn't think you would anyway. We have to change our bodies to have kids the way humans and werewolves do. Not like we have to suffer through pregnancy or childbirth if we don't want to."

Frankenstein watched over his bonded carefully as he took to walking on the cool lava. It may have solidified from where he could see it but that didn't mean it had all the way through and he wouldn't be able to help Urokai if he fell in completely. Not that he needed help he supposed. Agvains seemed to see lava as just another source to swim or relax in.

"Then why did you say to be careful not to get pregnant? If you don't get pregnant in the first place it shouldn't' matter should it?"

"Eh. It doesn't take much to shift so we can get people pregnant. Getting all the stuff necessary to carry a kid is harder. Kinda assumed that since you're human you'd already have that but I forgot human men can't do that."

Of course he had, that's just how Urokai always was. It was cute, and when it wasn't it was funny so he could tease him. Then his reactions were definitely cute.

"How do you even have children?"

Urokai shrugged as he spoke, eyes focused on the path, "You use your own blood to inscribe the necessary arcanics and make the kid out of willpower basically. Takes like, a full day and you need to make sure to have saved up power for at least a decade before trying or else you'll die. Most of the time that doesn't happen and it helps to get someone else's blood to like make them, uh, like a mix of two lines."

"Excuse me?" That just sounded like some sort of ritual of the devil. Especially since arcanics seemed to mean something like symbols according to what he'd said. "You can make a child with only one person?"

"Yeah. Werewolves and humans find that super weird for some reason but like, it's not like the kid looks exactly like the parent or whatever. Dunno why they get so fired up about it."

"We can't do that."

"Well yeah but that doesn't make it weird. We existed before y'all did and before the werewolves came outta nowhere but sure we're the weird ones."

Now that was a lot of things he didn't know supporting all of those words. "What do you mean the werewolves came out of nowhere?"

"Shit I don't know, ask someone else. I'm not a history fanatic. I just remember the basics that all us kids learn in the clan." Seriously, Frankenstein really needed to calm down on the questions. He was good with numbers, not all the other stuff that went on. Nobody was good at everything.

"Just tell me what you know."

"Uh, sure whatever-" Urokai frowned, scrunching up his face as he thought- "Right so basically there are records kept by the Siriana that everyone contributes to. So you know how the werewolves have that island they live on right?" He continued once Frankenstein nodded- "The records don't know how they got there. One day the place was empty, the next there was this group of them there setting up stuff even though no noble had seen them in the area before. Or even in the rest of the world."

"They appeared out of nowhere?" That was strange. He had seen some of the records kept by the Siriana and they were very detailed so, if they said the werewolves had never been seen before by nobles, they meant it.

"Yeah. Weird right?" Urokai considered that a lot stranger than how they nobles reproduced.

"It isn't normal, yes." They were approaching the sea now, and Frankenstein knew that from more than just the salty scent. He could hear the waves crashing too, probably against a cliff or some other rock formation, and the foliage was much thinner here. As he stepped out of them completely and onto a beautiful sandy beach, a pulse of excitement flooded him through the bond, Urokai almost falling off of the river of black stone he was on. "You've wanted to come here for a while haven't you?"

"Ah." Urokai wondered if he'd been that obvious these days. "Yeah. I have a friend from here."

"And here I thought you had a grand total of only three friends."

Urokai sputtered at that, huffing as he replied but Frankenstein just laughed, teasing him more as they leisurely made their way to the manor by the sea. He could see buildings in the sea too, some so deep in that only the roofs or spires were visible, and he had no doubt there were many more out of his sight too. after all, there weren't many out of the water. Truly beautiful, and they gleamed in the light, pristine.

"You really meant it when you said they were the clan of water," Frankenstein mused, looking up at the archway leading into the manor. Not only were all the carvings and décor of things related to it, the waves were lapping against the walls. "I suppose the first floor being flooded doesn't affect them if they don't even have some sort of door or gateway."

"Why would it? It wouldn't really affect any noble though most of us would find it inconvenient. And we'd hate it unless the water was warm." Which it wasn't. Urokai led them through the first floor, drying both of them as they went up the stairs. "I told Roctis we were coming so he'll be on his guard. You might need to come here often to gain his trust and stuff."

"Because he doesn't know me? Or because I'm human?"

"More because I pulled out of the plans all of a sudden. They're probably going to be super wary since I do know what the goal is. Gradeus and Zarga leaving didn't help."

Ah, that made sense. He was about to say more but a girl, maybe around sixteen if she had been human, approached them.

"Urokai," she asked, accent heavy and slow but lyrical. If he hadn't gotten used to the Agvain accent which was just as indecipherable as this one Frankenstein wouldn't understand what she was saying. "Who's this?"

The question made Urokai laugh. "Haven't you heard all the rumours? It should be obvious right?"

Pouting, the girl stared up at them, hair falling back from her face so that it could be seen properly. "So this is Frankenstein? You're the famous scientist?"

"That would be me, yes."

"Prove it."

Frankenstein raised a brow- "Excuse me?"

"They say you're the best but, I don't believe it. So-" she looked at him, determined- "show me. I want to see whether you measure up to all the rumours."

He looked at Urokai but his bonded just shrugged. Well, if he didn't have an opinion- "Okay."

Her eyes widened and she smiled. It was adorable, even if slightly strange that she had demanded that he do something without actually expecting him to agree. "Then follow me! I usually work in the labs on the third flo-"

"Ignes-" a man, he had the same wavy black hair and accent as the girl, came down the hallway. She was Ignes so this must be Roctis Kravei. "I told you not to disturb our guests when they arrived."

"I just wanted to see Urokai! He hasn't come here in ages, and anyway, I'm not disturbing them. Right?" She looked to Urokai, eyes filled with worry.

"Of course not," Urokai spoke without hesitation, grinning as he swung and arm around her shoulder in a hug, "Why would we be disturbed by a cutie like her?"

Roctis sighed. "Is that why I heard her trying to force Frankenstein into demonstrating his skills for her?" He looked to Frankenstein- "I apologise for her actions. She's always been too absorbed by her interest."

Ignes lowered her head at her father's words, staring at the floor. That made Urokai pull her in closer and she huddled in, turning her body to face him. The entire scene was building an annoyance in his bonded, so he reached out through the bond, attempting to comfort him too. Calm down, I know this sucks but Roctis won't allow you to come back if you insult him. That would ruin everything.

I won't, don't worry. He wasn't so idiotic to ruin their chances just because he was upset. He only would do that if he had an alternate plan. Frankenstein smiled- "There's no need for an apology. She wasn't pressuring me. If I don't want to do something, I don't do it, and she wouldn't be able to get me to no matter how hard she tried. In fact, I'm actually interested in her skills too. I have heard from Urokai that she has quite the talent in the sciences."

At his words Ignes glanced at him, and then to Urokai as if to confirm what she had heard. Perhaps they were communicating through their minds because his bonded nodded in response, and he usually wasn't good at picking up on signals. He didn't miss the expression on Roctis' face either, as fleeting as it was, even if he didn't quite understand what it meant.

"Maybe later. Urokai must have brought you here for a reason."

"Ah, well, actually," Urokai blushed, stammering, "I uh. I just came to see Ignes and Hatepuna."

"You don't need to bring him to see people."

"I thought it'd be good to introduce them, and he hadn't been here yet either. So, I asked him to tag along."

"Is that so?" Roctis didn't seem convinced but neither did he seem like he would ask further. Not directly at least.

"Yes. And since I'm here I may as well indulge in Ignes' request-" he smiled at her and she returned it timidly- "Why don't we go now? We'll see if I match your standards."

She looked between him and her father, before taking Urokai's hand and pulling him along with her to the stairs. "This way. Just follow me."

Frankenstein did so without hesitation, once again noticing how Roctis only came after a pause. It was strange but it didn't matter. Not even when they were in the labs and he stared at them the whole time (when in the beginning he proved to Ignes that the rumours were indeed true, and when she showed her proof. when they realised she hadn't been taught properly, because she hadn't been at all and had taught herself. an impressive feat which he had rightly complimented her for. Roctis' gaze had lightened for a moment then but, returned with full force moments later as he offered to teach her, and as she agreed. she really was a good kid, just that she was lonely like Urokai. so of course, he had to help her).

When they were finally done and out of the manor, a difficult problem that had involved Urokai prying Ignes off of him, it was night. The moon shone upon the waves which were far past the manor now, reaching the trees. That also the tide was higher and he was much, much wetter.

"She wasn't anywhere as bad as people made her out to be."

Urokai huffed. "Of course not! How many times do I have to say it? She's an adorable kid."

"Does she really experiment on people?" That was the real problem here, and the reason why Roctis was working with Lagus.

"I, think she's done it once or twice so far." Urokai shifted, his discomfort leaking through the bond as a flickering cold. "Roctis has been trying to stop her so she hasn't done anymore yet. I'm not sure though."

He could work with that. One problem had already been glaringly obvious during all the hours they had spent together, now he just needed to see if that was the cause for the main one. "I'll probably be coming here often then. You might have to visit Edian without me."

"Oh." His bonded's expression was blank but the bond had gone limp.

Frankenstein pet his shoulder, and then his head. "It isn't a definite, I'll try to make time for it."

Taking a deep breath, Urokai grinned, bond perking up somewhat. "Yeah. I get it. Why don't we visit Hatepuna now?"

"Sure. Where is she?"

"We need to go in the water."

Frankenstein stared at him. "What?"

"Water-" Urokai pointed at the sea- "In."

"My question is how you expect me to go in there. I'm not a noble." Did he just forget that after a few minutes?

"Oh, don't worry," Urokai said, smiling happily, "I can help you breathe down there. Come on!"

Taking his hand, he dragged Frankenstein under the waves.