Chapter 5: Familiars and Dragon
Chris and Asia appeared in the area in the Underworld known as the Familiar Forest where many unusual creatures lived. The area had many different sections that had completely different environments for those that lived in it. And it was inside a cave that Chris's aunt lived which was in one of the mountains in the forest. Tiamat had made her home here and she was left alone by the vast majority. Few if any went near the mountain her cave was in, so none really knew of the place she had.
The next to arrive at the edge of the forest was Phina and Chris's three children. Charles dressed in a short-sleeve shirt and shorts while both Aura and Lily were in dresses. A moment after arrival, the twins spotted Chris and ran over to their father hugging him while Aura stayed next to them. Ayano appeared a moment later, however, this time Ayano was not in the blouse and pants as she had been previously while around the school. Now she was wearing what appeared to be a type of ninja outfit around her torso along with thigh-high boots. She also had a blue scarf around her neck and shoulders which complimented the rest of the outfit. To top off the ensemble, she also had a long Japanese-style blade in a sheath that sat at her right side. The outfit was what she wore for battle and combat, but not for everyday things. She informed Chris that Aria would not be coming as Dr. Cole was doing his examination and treating her condition as he could right now. The man was pretty much a miracle worker in the healing art out of all those that Chris had met. Chris accepted that she wouldn't be coming though he would have liked Aria to be able to come along and see his aunt, they had gotten along well the last time.
A few minutes after Ayano arrived, the two sets of devils popped up at the entrance of the Familiar Forest. Rias and Sona had been here with all but their newest peerage members, so the environment was familiar. Yet, the view of Chris and those around him was completely out of place with what they knew of the dragon. Their eyes instantly locked onto those that were around Chris and neither Rias nor Sona had seen Maxwell look as happy as he was right now with the children around him. Every time Chris had been around them, he had always either been indifferent, showed annoyance, or irritation towards both Sona, Rias, and their peerages. And it was shocking to see proof that he had not one, but three children showing that his appearance didn't reflect his true age. It certainly brought forth the question of just how old Chris was with those that were around him.
Looking at the three children, the devils saw that two of them appeared to be around six years old. They both had blonde hair and blue eyes, one with longer hair than the other going down to their shoulders while the other only had it to their neck. The one with long blonde hair was also in a dress which suggested the child was a girl. The way the other was dressed gave the impression that they were a boy, but the two did look a lot alike, implying they were likely twins. They did look human which brought up the question of who the children's mother could be. While the twins looked human, their facial features were more than just regal, it was beyond that. The third child was older than the other two looking to be around eleven or so by best estimates. However, she looked more like Chris himself than the other two children did. She had the same sand-colored hair that went to the base of her neck. Her eyes were grey and were rather unsettling in a similar way that Chris's could be at times. Perhaps it was the lack of emotion that they had that put off the devils, but they couldn't say exactly. The older girl was in a navy-blue dress that fit her well along with black boots on her feet.
All three of the children were incredibly cute in the devils' eyes. Rias was reminded of how she felt when she met her nephew Millicas, he had been extremely cute too. And with children such a rare thing for devils, to see other races have them as they did make some jealous. As they kept staring, some of them began moving towards the group and the female devils had the urge to hug the children when they saw them. Nonetheless, when the devils began approaching Maxwell and his kids, he gave them an icy glare which said in no uncertain terms not to get too close to the children. At the same time, Chris hugged his kids to himself protectively as he wasn't interested nor comfortable letting these devils around his kids or family. Heck, there were only four devils thus far that Chris would even consider letting close to his family without hovering over them the whole time in the best-case scenario. Those were Sirzechs, Ajuka, Serafall, and Grayfia, they had been the few that had shown themselves close to trustworthy enough in Chris's eyes in the devil faction.
So, Chris intended to have Rias, Sona, and their peerages keep a minimum distance from those that were precious to him. His children were innocent and could be taken advantage of, but he wouldn't let that happen while he could do anything about it. And Chris believed the best way to protect his family was to keep potential bad influences at a distance from them. Yet, Chris was brought out of his thoughts when his twins pulled away and spoke up in unison, "Daddy, how much longer do we have to stand here! We want to see auntie, we miss her!"
Chris's gaze shifted to his twins and saw them stamping their feet while they pouted, and he found it adorable. The two were just too cute for their own good and they melted his heart more often than not. He knew that Aria would laugh before she embraced and then snuggle them, which the twins always enjoyed. The thought echoed the absence of Aria which Chris didn't like but couldn't change currently. Chris glanced over at his eldest and saw that even Aura was showing that she was impatient like her younger siblings and wanted to get going. A smile came to Chris as he patted the twins on their heads, "Calm down you two, we're just waiting for Athena and then we'll get moving to see her," he assured his kids.
All the she-devils couldn't help but find once again the children extremely cute and felt the strong urge again to rush forward hug them. A few even took a couple of steps before stopping as Chris's gaze snapped back to them and it was the same glare as it was a moment ago. It made it clear that should they touch Chris's kids, it wouldn't end well for them at all. Plus, the feeling of stares came from two other directions and the devils realized they were from the two women they had just met back at school. There was the one Asia had called Ayano differently dressed than before and had a blade with her now. Then there was the dark-skinned woman who was also nearby both keeping eyes on the devils as well.
Truthfully, the only devil that was near the three children was Asia herself which as Chris had shown before now, she was as family to him. Also, Asia was holding the hand of the oldest child as well which implied that she had met the three before now. It still left many unanswered questions about Chris and how he was acting around them. They had done nothing that would deserve this kind of cold treatment that they were getting from him. Granted, Rias had done some things that she shouldn't have, but she had apologized. Why would this dragon be so stubborn at trusting or even giving a chance to another like Maxwell was? Suddenly Ayano spoke up breaking the silence, "Chris, three individuals are heading this way, two of them are Athena and Cyrus. However, I am unable to identify the third individual."
"Get dazed," shouted a male-sounding voice.
The shout took most by surprise, Issei, Saji, Asia, and Sona's second pawn Ruruko all cried in surprise while the females hid behind the males. Chris put himself between his children and the direction of the shout ready to defend his children. It mattered not who was approaching or what their intent was, Chris would do what he saw necessary to protect those he cared about. While all were reacting in the ways they were, Ayano homed in on the intruder coming at them. Then she used the light magic she possessed setting off a flash of light followed by a pressure wave ahead with a hand. Ayano then had her left forearm detach and fly forward aiming at the figure nailing them before slamming the individual to the ground hard. Then her arm zoomed back to her reconnecting to her left arm.
The scene was more than odd to the devils, it was beyond peculiar as the woman couldn't be human with what she just did. Granted, it shouldn't be a huge surprise that the woman with Maxwell wasn't what they appeared, the dragon proved that well. Yet, not only had the woman detached a part of her body but had also located the approaching person and disabled them in a moment. They had all watched as the "forearm" had come back and reattached to her body and still couldn't quite believe it. Ayano merely twisted to look at Chris, "Unknown threat has been neutralized," she stated in a near monotone voice.
Chris's gaze flicked over to the devils taking in their reactions and had to work not to laugh at seeing their expressions. Their surprise at what Chris was around on a fairly regular basis was amusing since it showed they were ignorant. His kids quickly began clapping after Ayano's actions of subduing the intruder as if it had been a rehearsed show of some sort. Ayano in response turned and bowed to the children with a soft smile to their cheering. She had come to love the children and whenever they were happy, she couldn't help but smile. Truthfully, they showed that some children could be too cute for their own good and not even know it.
Chris didn't blame the devils for being surprised and shocked, Ayano and Alternes were pretty much the only two of their kind and they could do incredible things. They were what some called automatons, and that didn't me what humans and others thought of with robotics. Humans and those in the non-human world thought of robotics as a mechanical construct that imitated actions and behaviors. Ayano and Alternes were created arcane machines but did not mimic, they were as close to being alive as possible through science and magic. How Chris's father had created them that way Chris had never figured out. Nonetheless, he saw them as much living beings as any other he encountered regardless of how they came into existence.
Thus, with what Ayano had just done, he wouldn't doubt that the devils would have questions, whether they voiced them now or later on. And so, since Chris had no desire to be pestered and peppered with irrelevant queries at a later date, he decided to give a short explanation. "Ayano is an automaton which is not to be confused with a robot, they are entirely different things. She and another were created quite some time ago to be companions for me when I was younger." Chris saw no reason to say specifically that his father had been the one to create Ayano and Alternes. His parents were a subject he didn't discuss with others often if at all for several reasons.
His mother was considered the "Infinite Dragon God" so most wouldn't believe him were he to claim relation to her. Chris's father had at one time been a respected researcher and creator of arcane constructs. But then others had become jealous of him along with his refusals to make things for the Great War the biblical factions had been waging. It was the start of the chain of events that led to Chris's father's death in the end. Yet these days, Chris's father was forgotten, his name mentioned in old records, all the work that he'd done credited to others. After a moment, Chris continued, "Her maker was something else when it came to creating things truthfully, even if many have forgotten that." Chris glanced at Ayano as he kept going, "And Ayano may not look like it, but I attest to you that she can hold her own against some of the stronger beings out there."
The explanation didn't make a great deal of sense to the devils overall but that wasn't exactly unexpected from the dragon. Maxwell's statement about "automaton" was different than the accepted definition that the non-human world had. Although, the reference to the "creator" did interest Sona since the woman was as far as she could tell, the most advanced machine she'd ever encountered. The creator clearly had immense talent, so why would they have made "companions" for a dragon? Then how would such a talented inventor be forgotten? Someone who could build machines like this woman would be sought out and asked to make other things Sona would imagine. And the last comment that Maxwell had made implied that the woman with him was much stronger than normal in the non-human world.
There were just so many questions with Maxwell and those that gathered around him. When there was a question answered, instead of helping in understanding, it brought on more questions. That seemed to be the continuing case from what Sona had learned and she had just begun accepting that she wouldn't be learning much about the dragon. If he wanted them to know something, he appeared to let them know the fact and be done with the point. And while Sona could respect that approach, it wasn't one that she liked. However, unlike Rias, Sona didn't push the dragon as she didn't want his wrath directed at her or her peerage. It was the reason that she had told her peerage to leave Maxwell alone, they could do little to him without potential consequences coming their way.
Nonetheless, Sona glanced over at the one the woman had intercepted and ended knocking out. It took a moment for Sona to recognize the individual was the current familiar master Satooji. Sona respected the job and responsibility that the familiar master had, the task of finding matches for some devils she imagined was quite difficult. However, she hadn't thought much of the current master's personality, it was more detrimental than helpful. He made it feel like some sort of game or contest the last time Sona had been here for one of her servants. But with the man down and not aware, getting familiars for either Sona's or Rias's peerage would be problematic.
Rias also noticed the one that Ayano had taken down was the familiar master which complicates things. "I see," Rias commented with a frown before going to check on the downed person to make sure it was who she believed it was. To Rias's disappointment, the man was Satooji, "Unfortunately, she seems to have knocked out Satooji-san, the Familiar Master."
Chris blinked at Gremory's claim that the one Ayano had disabled was the one the devils were here to see. He took a moment to look over the guy and saw the man was dressed as a character from one of the tv shows his children sometimes watched. The show was Pokémon as Chris recalled and the character was "Ash Ketchum" the main character if he remembered right. Honestly, Chris didn't see the appeal of some of the shows his kids watched, but they enjoyed them so he didn't say anything about them. Still, that the one who was supposed to help devils find familiars was dressed as they were, made Chris once again wonder a number of things about how devils did things. It wasn't at all the first time Chris had questioned the intent and reasoning of non-human factions and their policies, the Biblical Factions being at the top of the list.
In Chris's opinion, most if not all non-human factions had one or more odd rules or policies they followed. Traditions played a part Chris didn't doubt, yet he believed that wasn't all which went into stupid non-sensible rules. With the Biblical Factions, Chris had stopped trying to understand why they did what they did. Their methods were self-serving and made little if any logical sense to any outside of the specific faction. And Chris knew he was certainly not the only dragon that felt other factions did stupid things that didn't make sense. In this case the idea of familiars, Chris understood wanting an ally with a bond to you, Phina had that with him. However, devils tended to use their familiars as servants for menial labor most of the time, not treated as a friend and companion as they should be.
Ayano could tell that Chris was mulling over whether to say anything more or even comment on what she'd done. Not that Ayano regretted her action of nailing the man, he'd appeared in a threatening manner. Any that even potentially threatened Chris, his family, or friends, were to be dealt with as such. If the guy had approached with a proper introduction, the results would have been different. So, instead of letting Chris stand up for her, Ayano spoke for herself, "The man appeared in a manner one would expect from an attacker," she iterated coolly. "Thus, my response was the wisest and the best logical course of action to take with a threat."
At the same time, a pair were crossing the Familiar Forest heading for where Chris was. One was a giant rabbit who was around the same size as an average horse if not a bit taller. He had rich golden fluffy fur with a white underbelly and a white cotton ball tail and a little pink nose along with rabbit ears. The rabbit wore a sleeveless blue Japanese haori with red trims and in the center of its back was a round red dot that had the black kanji for 'lucky'. The rabbit's name was Cyrus, named after an ancestor, he had that had lived centuries ago, and he was proud of his name. Cyrus also had a fairly large boomerang tied to his lower back which he carried most places he traveled to.
On Cyrus's back was a girl who appeared to be in her early twenties in physical age by the name of Athena Sine. She had a well-developed figure in the view of humans including a large bust, thin waist, and fairly curved hips. Her skin was averagely pale and went rather well with her long light-blue hair that was tied into a ponytail. Athena's eyes were cerulean blue and fit her smooth and beautiful face. She wore a black tank top with a red shoulder-armor piece that covered her left shoulder and left breast. Around her hips was a belt with a red armor plate on her left hip and a red shawl with a black skirt underneath. To top off the ensemble, she had brown trench boots and fingerless gloves on her hands. It was the normal outfit she had when traveling which she did often.
Cyrus had picked up Athena after she had finished up assisting Tannin with the harvest of the season's dragon apples. She was to meet up with Chris around the Familiar Forest and Cyrus had no issue with giving her a ride. It had been a little while since Chris had come around to visit Easter Island and the sweets factory that the Easter Bunny oversaw. Plus, the call had gone out around a week ago that Chris needed assistance with something that had come up. Cyrus was curious as to what Chris needed help with, the call came so rarely. "Any more detail as to what Chris was needing the team with," Cyrus asked Athena as he kept hopping at a pace to keep up his travel speed.
Athena thought about the question as it was one she had to. The message from Alternes hadn't been all that specific, just that Chris was dealing with a "delicate situation". The use of the word delicate could mean several things, which there had been no hint as to the inference. "Not any more than you got, Alternes didn't give any real specifics that I recall. But in the end, it doesn't matter, Teach called and we answer," Athena answered. She would have said more but then she caught the presence of Chris ahead of them, "Maybe we can ask him, he's just ahead." Cyrus made a great leap to get them above the trees and they both spotted the group of people in the clearing close by.
Rias was thinking of a reply to the woman's reasoning for her to nail the Familiar Master. She shouldn't have just hit someone without further consideration, that should be common sense. Of course, as a companion of a dragon, this Ayano may not know the best manners or common sense. But before Rias or Sona could speak in response, they were interrupted by a loud female voice, "Yo Teach!"
Cyrus came down on one side of the clearing with muffled boom and clouds of dust being stirred up. His back feet had cushioned his landing as they had an amazing range of movement to allow efficient hopping. The Devils got into defensive stances while Chris's group remained calm at the situation. Chris had sensed Cyrus's approach so he wasn't surprised at his arrival along with Athena on his back. The dust eventually dispersed to reveal something standing before them that was unidentifiable for a moment. It was large, it was fluffy, it was, "A rabbit," Issei uttered not sure he was seeing correctly.
Cyrus's appearance was unlike anything the devils had seen before now. A rabbit the size of a horse or bigger was not something that was seen often even in the non-human world. The devils were just gawking as Chris took a couple of steps forward, "Hey Cyrus, you're looking as energetic as ever," Chris greeted before his twins ran up towards the rabbit.
Cyrus hunched down and got on his paws as the kids ran over to him, readying himself for cuddling. He enjoyed snuggling with children, it happened most of the time on Easter the busiest time of the year for the Easter Bunny. Chris's children snuggled into Cyrus's fur gleefully since they had always loved the bunny's fluffy coat. As the scene kept playing out, the she-devils were trying to resist the urge to squeal at the cuteness they were seeing. The rabbit as large as it was, still was oddly cute rabbit too and the fur coat looked so inviting. Then the "rabbit" didn't seem to mind the children cuddling it, almost like it was accustomed to kids doing that.
Saji and Issei, on the other hand, were jealous that Maxwell somehow had a giant bunny that clearly had the interest of the girls. Where Maxwell had gotten the rabbit Issei couldn't begin to guess, nor would he care if it didn't hold the attention of the girls. "Hold it, you have a giant rabbit," Issei exclaimed, "Where did you even get it?!"
The question and the reference to him being an it, Cyrus wouldn't stay silent at such. Cyrus knew Chris would correct the kid given the opportunity, but Cyrus would speak for himself. "Now listen ya punk, the name's Cyrus kid, and I ain't some creature you can call or refer to as an it," Cyrus said in his smooth Australian drawl as he glared at Issei. "And you do that again mate, and I'll show you how a boomerang can be an effective tool at knockin some sense into another."
Athena would have laughed at Cyrus's threat if Chris wasn't here and told the bunny to go right ahead and use his boomerang. Cyrus was incredible with the tool, so good in fact that he could nail a target a hundred yards away without an issue or much difficulty. But Chris being here meant that there were other things to get to so no time for a spectacle to be witnessed. And since Cyrus had introduced himself, it was Athena's turn to do the job, "And don't forget about me," she called.
Athena slid off Cyrus's back and landed on the ground glancing around at the devils. The devils stared at the blue-haired girl as they hadn't seen any hint of there being someone on the rabbit's back. The girl was different than an average human not just because of her odd hair color, but the aura that came off her. There was a "tomboy" feel to it but that wasn't the only facet to the aura the girl had. The aura overall seemed fitting with her physical appearance, active and upfront, yet mature.
Rias and Sona noticed that both Issei and Saji were ogling the girl's body not too long after she appeared. Granted, young woman's figure was more than just noticeable, but they were gawking and that was poor manners. Thus, both kings move to be next to the boys and pinched them hard to get their attention off the girl and back on task. They were not here to look at an acquaintance of the dragon Maxwell, they were here to get familiars. Though Rias and Sona did hope to get more information about Maxwell, they still needed to focus on the other reason they were here.
While Chris expected unbecoming behavior from devils in general, he didn't like his expectations proven right as often as they were. It was one of the things that years of experience had given Chris that he wished he hadn't needed to learn. However, back to the matter at hand, it was good to see Athena in high spirits. The girl had a hard life before crossing paths with Chris and he'd certainly felt for her situation back at meeting her. It was a sad story with several of Chris's teammates, the circumstances they had met under had been much less than ideal. So, Chris ignored the devils and focused on his friends, "You seem to be in high spirits Athena," he remarked.
Athena was indeed in high spirits, and with the bountiful harvest of dragon apples this season, why shouldn't she be. While Athena didn't start as a Dragonoid herself as she was now, dragon apples still had important nutrients she needed to stay healthy. Dragonoids like dragons needed specific nutrients which dragon apples provided every once and a while which literally was the only "fruit" that did. If not for Tannin making a deal with Mephisto Pheles and being reincarnated, the trees that bore dragon apples would not be flourishing as they were in the Underworld. It was why Tannin was still respected by members of the dragon race even after his choice to be reincarnated. Athena laughed, "You got that right! Tannin-sama and I managed to harvest a large load of dragon apples this season," Athena said as she revealed a bag of apples. She took one for herself, then gave one to Chris, Aura, Charles and Lilly.
The kids happily bit into and then munched their apples while Chris took a small bite of his. Chris looked down at the "apple-like" fruit that was the dragon apple, such an important food to dragons. He was grateful to Tannin for making sure the trees that bore them survived as that had been one of the rare crises that the dragon race had faced over the years. During the times that Chris had spoken to Tannin, he'd come to accept and ever honor the choice the former dragon king had made, for it hadn't been easy. Tannin had put aside his pride as a dragon in order to save his race from future extinction.
He had made a deal with the devil Mephisto Pheles, an old devil that was one of the most reasonable ones of his race. The exchange of the deal was Tannin would be reincarnated into his peerage but would then give protected land for the dragon apple trees that would be off-limits to all other devils. That deal had earned the respect of dragons for Pheles and so he could talk to and ask pretty much anything of dragons and get a truthful and straight answer. Thus, any "season" that those trees bore bounty of apples was a reason to celebrate for dragons and the various sub-species of the race. Chris would be sending a thank you to Tannin as he did most years that the harvest was good. So, Chris smiled and bit into the apple, "Well I'm glad to hear that this season was a bountiful one and the crop tastes great," he replied savoring the apple.
Asia had been surprised by the rabbit, the size alone was something that she thought fairy tale, and that was before he had spoken. Chris's children seem to know the bunny in some way as they had not hesitated in cuddling him. Like with "others" of Chris's friends, Asia wondered how he had met them and what started their friendships. Then there was the woman that had come from the bunny's back. She was good-looking, Issei had been staring at her, and Asia had to admit that her proportions were kind of impressive. But then she had mentioned "Tannin-sama" and "dragon apples" which had confused her. The "apples" she had given to Chris and his children looked like apples other than their coloration was red mixed with green splotches. Yet when they had eaten them, they looked to have enjoyed them, so apparently, the apples were something they liked. So, Asia decided to ask Chris about these two, "Um, excuse me Nii-san," Asia began catching his attention, "Who are they?"
Chris blinked at the questions realizing that he hadn't introduced his two friends that had just shown up. Nor had he mentioned to Asia that he expected to meet up with Athena at the very least, Cyrus had just volunteered to pick her up. And while Chris didn't get to see all his friends and family on a regular basis as he once did, that didn't make them any less valued to him. He preferred that his friends and family met and knew each other when possible though it took time. Chris had been doing some introductions with Asia and mentioning some of them he hoped that she would get to meet at some point. "Oh yeah, sorry, suppose I haven't introduced them yet when I really should have," Chris apologized to Asia. Then he gestured toward Cyrus, "This here is Cyrus." He began to which Cyrus appeared to bow somewhat as Chris continued, "He's one of the direct and might I add the strongest offspring of the Easter Bunny."
Cyrus was proud of his heritage, the Easter Bunnies brought happiness to the children of the world and there weren't many who could say that. He looked forward to when he would take his father's position and continue the legacy of him and his ancestors. And not only that, but the Easter Bunny also had unique magic that only Santa Claus had which was to slow time nearly stopping it for the whole world. Non-human factions had wanted the magic but had never been given use of it and for the reason that they would abuse it. There had been only a few factions/races that had acknowledged the truth of the expectation. Those had been Dragons of course, and the other had been Faé which included faeries and other magical creatures of the forests.
There was a moment of silence with the devils at Chris stating the rabbit was related to the Easter Bunny. Most of the devils had heard of the mythical figure, but just the stories and hadn't put a great deal of stock into them. Yes, they knew there were some individuals outside of the main supernatural factions that stood apart such as Santa Clause, but there weren't that many. And both the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause had magic that no other faction did which was sought after. However, it was Issei that broke the silence as he couldn't believe what he'd just heard, "Wait, you're telling me that the Easter Bunny is real?!"
The question from the brown-haired kid irked Cyrus in a few ways that he wouldn't keep quiet about for it was an insult to his father and his ancestors. Granted, children were the ones to believe in the Easter Bunny rather than adults, but that faith was more than enough. Cyrus's father was one of those that didn't owe loyalty to a faction, that stood apart from them. With the good and happiness that the Easter Bunnies had brought to the world, Cyrus would correct the ignorance of the kid. He took out his boomerang and swung it around to end out less than a foot from the kid. Issei's eyes widened as something came to be right in front of his face. The object turned out to be a giant boomerang the bunny was holding and from what Issei saw, there were sharp blade-like edges on the half of the weapon that was before him.
Cyrus didn't intend to do harm to the boy, the threat and seeing his boomerang should be enough motivation to prevent that. "Now you listen here mate," Cyrus began in a serious tone, "My pa is as real as my boomerang is that is in front of your face." Rias moved to be in front of Issei as Cyrus continued, "And you missy should be properly teachin your servants about the non-human world. Some would take insult and demand compensation for questionin if some individuals are real." Cyrus retracted his boomerang and stored it, "Don't mistake kid, the Easter Bunny is as real as Santa Clause, and don't you dare forget that."
Chris smirked knowing that Cyrus was just defending his father who truthfully was a very good individual. The Easter Bunny was quite the intellectual and made a heck of a cup of tea and hot chocolate. The sweets factory on Easter Island was second to none, even the north pole couldn't equal the sweets that came from the factory. It more annoyed Chris that Hyoudou was still so ignorant that he didn't know there was some truth to the stories kids were told. That point reflected very badly on not only the kid, but Gremory as well as it was a failure in her responsibilities. It was her job to educate her servants of the world they had entered and what it involved, but she was clearly shirking her duties as a king to her servants. And with what was ahead of Hyoudou, the kid needed all the help he could get, not a handicap as he was being unknowingly given.
Hyoudou was going to be caught up with the fight between Ddraig and Albion sooner or later, that was a fact. Gremory seemed to either not know that or disregarded the point as nothing to worry about, Chris couldn't tell which. And as the kid was now, he was as good as dead with no sign of Ddraig awake let alone using his powers. Chris actually felt a bit of pity for the boy, his fate was sealed if there weren't major changes soon and he was blissfully ignorant of it. Perhaps it was better Hyoudou didn't know what was ahead of him, his death wouldn't haunt him, but it didn't feel right to let the kid walk blindly into it. With that in mind, Chris exhaled heavily which shifted attention to him. "Hyoudou, dim as you can be, rest assured, Santa Clause is a very real person and not just a story told to children just like the Easter Bunny. And quite the jolly man he is," Chris stated sagely earning nods of agreement from the rest of his group.
In the non-human world, it was accepted the fact that Santa was real and not a figment of stories children heard. Not only that but Santa was also respected for being a peacemaker and mediator for factions that couldn't be in the same room without another keeping the peace. And then, Santa was quite powerful with even magic that only the Easter Bunny had besides him. If it were not for his pacifist nature, the man would probably be one of the top ten with the magic he had within him. Even Chris would have to fight smart to not get beaten by the man and he admitted that to Santa. The man had just laughed and said he would never have a reason to fight Chris in anything other than a cookie-eating contest. Chris recalled the many times he and his mother would visit Santa at his workshop in the North Pole. Chris's mother was good friends with the jolly old man because he gave her his wife's cookies.
With the way Maxwell had said it, he had met Santa Clause in person face to face which the vast majority never would get the opportunity. The defenses the North Pole had were nothing to joke or scoff at and none of the biblical factions could deny it. Thus, one didn't go to the North Pole unless they were specifically invited by Santa himself. And Santa Clause didn't leave the North Pole all that often so the opportunity to meet the man was one of the rarest privileges. So, how could Maxwell have had the chance to meet Santa? As strong as dragons tended to be, independent individuals that had no faction tended not to care about such. Yet, Maxwell answered the question before any could ask, "Yes, I've met Santa and the Easter Bunny face-to-face more than once if you must know."
Maxwell said nothing more even when the devils waited for details on what it meant about meeting the two. It was yet more mystery with the dragon that they didn't have any form of an answer for, and it was clear Maxwell wanted it that way. Chris didn't see a reason to answer further questions about how he knew Santa and the Easter Bunny or his relationship with them. The truth was that his first visits were with his mother to Santa because Ophis loved Mrs. Clause's cookies which Chris couldn't blame her for. The lady made amazing cookies and Chris had to admit that outright, they really were a taste of heaven.
With his mother's sweet tooth, she was often on the hunt for the tastiest sweets she could find. That had spelled much of the travel in Chris's earlier years of his life while his father went into his inventing spurts. It had been sort of bonding for Chris and his mother, not only to see the world but to taste its sweets. That had unfortunately developed and encouraged his sweet tooth that he cursed these days. However, the relationship with the Easter Bunnies the followed the first that Chris had met had been made by the efforts of Chris himself though. The same could be said with Santa, Chris had become friends with him after he had become independent. Yet, Chris wouldn't go into details about his relationships with these devils that had no business knowing them. So he decided to move on and continue with Athena's introduction, "And she is Athena Sine and happens to be a student of mine in handling dragons and one of my best students as well."
Chris once again recalled how he had met Athena back while traveling Europe, the encounter was heart-breaking. He had literally found her in a structure that was crumbling, and she had been dressed in rags. It had been in the slums of the outskirts of Rome and Chris had moved a crowd along that he'd come across. When he had looked around, he had found the young Athena in the run-down house, cowering in a corner. The girl had been terrified of Chris when he had approached and with the crowd, he'd moved along and the marks over the girl's body, she was abused often.
It had taken time, offers of food, and persistence on Chris's part to gain anything from Athena as she had been so scared. A week had gone by before she had even done anything but tremble in a corner. Two weeks had gone by before Athena had exited the building with Chris and he had then taken her away from there. He had promised Athena that he would help her and give her a second chance at a new life, that had started with a name which was Athena. A year later Athena had begun asking questions about him and what he was which had eventually led to her being trained as a dragon handler. The training had also transformed her into a Dragonoid by the end, which Athena had no issue with.
Athena stepped forward and did a double peace sign to the devils not a care in the world, "Yo all," she exclaimed. "Like Teach said, my name is Athena, and I'm a dragon handler"
Rias and Sona blinked at the young woman saying she was a "dragon handler". The title and job were extremely rare and more lied about it to claim they could handle the most powerful type of creature. However, as Maxwell had hinted the girl was a student, her claim to being a dragon handler had more validity. Yet, it still left the question of how Maxwell could have met the young woman and why he would have taught her. This Athena wasn't normal, certainly not human, that much was perfectly clear from just looking at her.
Meanwhile, Chris couldn't help the smile that came to his face at seeing how carefree Athena was. It made the efforts he'd made to help Athena more than worth it as it was such a wonderful change from when they'd met. Athena after greeting the devils focused on the blonde-haired one that was with Chris's children. Chris had mentioned something about a person being added to the "fold of misfits" recently. However, there hadn't been a great amount of detail given about the new member. So as the girl was around Chris's kids, Athena assumed that she was the one Chris had referred to. "Say Teach, is this the girl you mentioned," she asked pointing at the former nun.
"Yep, her name is Asia Argento, and she's the newest member of the fold," Chris said as he patted Asia's head. The girl had fitted in his family more than Chris could have ever predicted, aside from having an affinity with dragons. Every member of the misfit fold Asia had met had said something to the effect of her being a good addition. The acceptance had been welcome and as far as Chris had seen, a confidence and self-esteem builder for Asia. The girl certainly needed any help in that area she could get. From what Simon said, Asia's development had been essentially stunted by many in the Church.
Rias had been listening to the conversation, and she didn't want it to pass over that Asia was a member of her family. She was her bishop and she wouldn't let that be ignored, not even by the dragon Chris Maxwell. His disrespect was annoying and Rias had tolerated it for the most part, mostly since there was little she could do about him. However, she wouldn't let this dragon dismiss or bypass that Asia was a member of her peerage and family. So, she coughed loud enough to remind Chris of the fact in the hope he would mention it.
When Chris heard the cough from Rias, he instantly knew she was trying to tell him about Asia having a connection to her. It was a fact that Chris normally didn't see a reason to mention as Asia was a part of the fold of misfits, and that superseded most other things. However, he felt that Gremory would be irritatingly insistent about it and Chris wanted this situation to be moved along. Although, he couldn't help his eyes rolling, "And she is also the Bishop of Rias Gremory here, even if that isn't relevant to the current circumstances."
"N-nice to meet you, please take care of me," Asia said politely while bowing.
Athena kept staring at the girl wondering how Chris could have crossed paths with her as he kept to himself these days. That the girl was a devil was a point that made it even odder that Chris would have encountered her since he avoided devils most of the time. That wasn't to say that Chris wouldn't see a devil, it was just rare with the bad experience he had. And yet, Athena could see some of the potential reasons that Chris could have to take her in and make her a part of the fold of misfits. There were some of the common reasons that Chris would notice individuals that were ostracized by those around them in some way. The dragon seemed to be drawn to those that were shunned horribly and would help them when he could.
It was that quality Chris possessed which Athena was grateful for as it had completely changed her life. He had found her and put forth the effort to gain her trust that had been in tatters from the actions of others. The year that had followed had been the most transforming that Athena had experienced, even more than the time it had taken to become a Dragonoid. Athena could see the subtle signs that this Asia girl had been abused whether she knew it or not. The devils didn't seem to know of the point, but it was likely they weren't aware of her past or didn't care about it. Then, the little dragon blood in her as a Dragonoid was reacting to this girl showing that like Athena herself she had an affinity with dragons. So, she gained a toothy grin and waved at Asia, "Nice to meet you too Asia-chan. I get the feeling you'll fit in with the rest of the family just fine."
The blonde girl was as innocent as people came, Cyrus could see that from just a little time of observing her. Being around kids had shown Cyrus the innocence of individuals was important and should be protected from those that would take advantage of it. Devils were among the worst that would manipulate innocent people and this girl was around such often seemingly. "You got that right Athena," Cyrus added before he turned to face Asia, "Don't worry lassie, you're now a part of a tight-knit group that will always have your back."
The assurance from both this Athena and the bunny warmed Asia's heart a great deal. The acceptance she had been able to experience in the last month was more than she'd known in years. Though she'd had to give up reading the bible after becoming a devil, she didn't regret her choices that had brought her here.
Chris turned his thoughts from the introductions back to the present as the "guy" that Ayano took out and was still out cold. With him being the so-called Familiar Master down, that would then have the devils complaining more than they already had. Normal devil mentality would in turn expect others like Chris to listen to their whining in the end wasting time that could be better utilized. When this happened, Chris would usually ignore the spoiled brat "screaming" for attention in whatever form they were. However, with Asia here, that option was more difficult should he want to keep showing "good manners" for Asia to see. Thus, the best solution Chris could come up with was to offer an alternative that would get the devils what they were here officially to do. "Anyway, since the failed acting idiot you call a Familiar Master is still out cold and can't do his so-called job," he commented before he turned to his friend. "Ayano, would you go find these four familiars please," he asked gesturing to Asia, Issei, Ruruko, and Saji.
Ayano didn't have an issue with finding familiars for the four Chris had gestured to, it should be a simple matter in the end. With the knowledge base, her creator had given her and Alternes along with what they had learned during the years of their existence, she knew about most creatures. With that in mind, matching a creature with each devil would be more a matter of time than anything else. She didn't expect any of them to be the same challenge Chris had been to find a companion for that had taken place more than a millennium ago. Nonetheless, the search that had ended meeting Phina had been extremely interesting and enjoyable for all involved. "Of course, Chris," Ayano replied with a bow before beckoning Asia and the rest to follow.
Both Rias and Sona were irritated that Maxwell was taking charge of the situation like he was. Sona would applaud the smooth skill in which the dragon had taken control of the conversation and redirected it as he had. It made Sona wonder how such had developed with Maxwell since dragons weren't known for being the best conversationalist. Rias, on the other hand, didn't like the dragon being in control and essentially ignoring the rest around him. This wasn't the first time he had done something like this, and each time seemed to make the point more irritating. The dragon was also going around the tradition that had been established by devils for centuries and didn't look to care at all about that. "I don't mean to be rude," Sona began, "but I believe we should wait for Satooji-san to awaken. It is his job as Familiar Master to help young devils find familiars-"
Chris didn't know whether to just shut up and leave the devils to their own devices to either learn a valuable lesson or do the polite thing and help. Traditions were pains in the neck more often than not he'd learned in his lifetime, so he gave them no heed and he found things the better for it most of the time. The biblical factions never seemed to understand that many of their problems stemmed from foolish traditions that made little to no sense in modern days. This situation was a "textbook" example, the "familiar master" was to help devils find familiars. To depend on one that knew little to nothing about you to find a good matching familiar was ridiculous. Yet, due to tradition, devils didn't question doing it that way and ended out unknowingly cheating themselves of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
However, should Chris go with the polite option, he felt he would then be expected to wait for the idiot out cold on the ground to wake up however long that would take. Dragons didn't like waiting if there wasn't a real viable reason, and Chris was no exception in that. Hence, he didn't intend to stand around for devils to do things their way and be needlessly slow about it. Chris had far better things to do with his time than he preferred, and the devils would accept that one way or another. So, he spoke over Sona, "Ayano is more than capable for the task, she can and will do better than the fool on the ground ever would." Chris waved a hand in dismissal as he continued, "She has information on all creatures in existence and has a good analysis of people's characteristics and what familiar would work for them." He paused for a moment, "And should you need proof of what I say, she and another were the ones who helped me meet Phina and she become my familiar."
Phina couldn't help the smile that came at remembering the day that she had met Chris. It had been such a turning point even if it hadn't seemed like that at all back at the time they first encountered each other. Phina had met Chris days after she had lost the rest of her kin to hunters specifically her mother and two siblings. Her mother had sacrificed herself for Phina and her siblings to buy them time to get away and live. Her brother had died trying to shield her sister and her sister had been killed soon afterward. Phina had barely escaped alive and the loss weighed heavily, so Phina had not been in the best situation. Then as she had been keeping a low profile, she had come across Chris, Ayano, and Alternes. At first, Phina had thought the three were hunters, but when they hadn't shown any sign of wanting to fight, she had reassessed. When Chris had asked her to come with him and his companions, to leave the land she'd known as home, the decision had been difficult at first.
However, then Chris had promised her that he would make sure hunters would leave her alone for the rest of her life. At hearing Chris introducing himself as the dragon Shadus she had been in shock as her father and grandfather had told her about the particular dragon. Phina had heard about dragons' honor and them keeping their word/promises from her grandfather and Chris was especially that way according to him. If a dragon said they then would do something they would do it, should they make a promise you could count on a dragon doing whatever it took to keep it. Thus, Phina had put her trust in Chris and had gone with him, though she hadn't agreed to be his familiar, that had come later. Over a year, Phina had gotten to know Chris and gained the feeling of belonging, that she was meant to be with Chris and his companions. That year had transformed her dreary outlook into looking forward to a happy life with her newfound friends. The years and centuries that had followed had nurtured the friendship she created with Chris and how wonderful it was. So in response, Phina bowed to Ayano, "And for that kindness which you and Alternes did in bringing Chris and me together, you have my eternal thanks Ayano," she remarked which got a smile to appear on Chris's face.
Chris was more than grateful that Phina had come into his life and was his friend. She was one of the few that could really understand how lonely a naturally unending life could be. He also felt for her with losing loved ones as she had just before they had met for the first time, he'd experienced such many times. They had so much in common and that had quickly become apparent, so Phina was able to help Chris in times of hardship and misery. They had become friends over the first year they had spent time together and then Phina agreed to be his familiar. She had also helped him through his rough patches after meeting Aria and becoming close to her. He had been so new to feeling and experiencing the first emotions that love brings back then.
At hearing that Maxwell had the dark-skinned chick as a familiar, Issei was bowled over and gaped. First, it was yet another "gorgeous" female that Maxwell seemed to attract to himself and Issei would give anything to have that capability. Second, by what Rias had told Issei, a familiar would do what their master told them, not specifically anything, but Issei wanted to test that. If that was true and should Issei get a familiar that could take on the form of a gorgeous babe, then he could only imagine the possibilities. "Wait," Issei exclaimed pointing at Phina, "That dark-skinned chick is your familiar?!"
Phina frowned at being referred to as a "dark-skinned chick" since it was demeaning to be called something like an object. It was almost as bad to be called a "trophy" by the hunters and that had felt disgusting. And she knew that Chris didn't see her as an object but as a trusted friend and confidant. If that were not so, then she would have never accepted being his familiar in any way, shape, or form. The kid was as others had said a pervert and knew almost no bounds of respect or manners. That the boy was Ddraig's host was an embarrassment to the dragon, more so with how his last host had been. While most dragons had some sort of "unusual interest" according to Chris, they tended to keep it to themselves and not project it in public. And with some of the examples a few dragons' interests were, it made sense why they didn't show their interests in public. This kid would be shunned by most dragons, and to be shunned by dragons was a serious "black mark" that most factions recognized and followed to some extent.
Then Phina knew Chris would do anything for her should she need or ask for, it was how deep their friendship ran. She knew that she wouldn't reach the position that Aria had, but that was okay with Phina. Their friendship wasn't a romantic one, they cared about the other and would do whatever they could for them. It was a rare type of friendship in the world these days, unfortunately, strong enough to survive anything that came. The devils around the boy hadn't helped him or even been much in the idea of friends yet. Asia seemed the only exception and the kid was oblivious to what the girl was trying to give him. Phina could only shake her head at the poor image that the current Red Dragon Emperor was showing.
Chris glanced over at Issei after he made his remark not liking the way he referred to Phina in the slightest. Phina was a cherished friend first and foremost that he'd had for a long time, close to two millennia in fact. Phina had been through enough horrible things in her lifetime without adding being treated as an object to that list again. Being a Phoenix, Phina had been hunted unfortunately on a regular basis even when the race was supposed to be protected as they were endangered. However, Phoenix being endangered hadn't stopped some from hunting them for sport and to taking parts of them. Chris had killed several of them who had tried going after Phina and had learned before killing most of them they were after her feathers and tears. Those two parts from Phoenixes were prized above the rest and were the reason the race was nearly wiped out.
But as he thought, an idea came to Chris on how he could show how wrong their views of familiars were. Devils' acceptance that "any" creature they could find that would in some way agree to bond to them was a quick and cheating way to get familiars. A familiar that one could befriend and get to willing agree to bond, that was a friend for life and those were far more valuable than just a creature that heeded what you said. So, Chris looked at Phina and gave her a nod with a smirk at imagining the reactions that would come. Phina could easily tell that Chris wanted her to take her Phoenix form likely to spook the devils which she had nothing against. Flames engulfed Phina before her physical form began shifting and changing. All the devils watched in surprise which changed into shock as the flames spread and yet Maxwell was doing nothing. Phina grew larger reaching the same height as the trees and then pass most of them all the while still engulfed in flames. Her arms morphed into wings and a tail appeared behind her while feathers appeared and covered her body. And when the flames receded and died down, a giant bird stood in front of the gaping devils.
All the devils were absolutely speechless by this change in the woman that had been with Chris out of the blue. They couldn't help but take a few steps back when the bird that looked to have fire on its body looked down at them. The transformation was so unexpected that for a long moment none of the devils could find the use of their voices. "Y-y-you're familiar Phina is a giant flaming bird," Rias just about screamed.
Chris shrugged his shoulders in response keeping himself from laughing at the reaction from the devils. Phina on the other hand lowered her head to Chris's level staring at him with her right eye. Chris's gaze flicked over to his friend looking at him and got the message she was sending to him. As she had done this favor for him, she wanted him to scratch a spot on the back of her neck as thanks. Chris did as he silently asked without further thought as it was near second nature for him to give gestures of affection to her. Shortly after Phina had shifted her form, Charles and Lily ran forward and hugged what parts of her they could. It certainly wasn't the first time that they had seen her in her phoenix form, so they were familiar with it. None of their clothes were affected as there were spells in them to prevent burning among other things. The enchanted clothing was a gift from a reclusive friend of Chris's which did appreciate. "Technically, Phina would be a phoenix which isn't just any giant bird I assure you," Chris countered. "And she's pretty darn good at cooking and looking after my kids too when I'm occupied with other things."
None of the devils knew what to say to anything at Chris's statement since most of them were in shock. Genuine phoenixes were beyond endangered as a species, they were thought to be just about extinct if not fully gone by this point. The hunting of them had been and was forbidden, though that hadn't stopped some which led to there being few if any left. From what Rias had heard, Phoenix tears and their feathers were extremely prized and sold for ridiculous prices. The tears were far more potent than the Phenex Clan's undiluted tears which they didn't openly admit. The feathers were supposed to have unique magical properties though Rias couldn't remember what those were. With their rarity, actually seeing a Phoenix was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that most would never have. And to cap it all off, to have a phoenix as a familiar was unheard of by what Rias and Sona knew, and yet Maxwell apparently had one.
Before the devils could get over their shock fully, the downed Familiar Master began to stir groaning as he regained consciousness. He had no idea what had struck him, but it had been hard and while he'd been in mid-air which was odd to him. When devils came, they didn't attack him, jump at his arrival yes, even snap at him for it yes, but attack him no. And from what he was told, he was supposed to be helping two sets of devils today, so he was confused at what had occurred. "W-what hit me," Satooji asked rubbing his head. The world was blurry before a moment later it began sharpening and shapes became recognizable. And a moment later, Satooji found there was a large bird-looking thing in front of him. It took a few seconds for him to realize that he was gazing at a phoenix, while was more than he could handle. "A real phoenix," Satooji screamed and fainted again.
Chris stared at the man who the two she-devils had referred to as their "familiar master" not sure what to think right now. The fool that was the devils' familiar master was as far as Chris could tell completely useless at his position/job. That was proven by his reaction to a rare creature like Phina, his disbelief overcame him. Thus, could offer advice to devils to help improve their "process" of finding familiars. However, it wasn't his business what they did or how and they would unlikely take his advice anyway. Honestly, the irony was quite funny how this situation was going. Still, Chris spoke instead, "It's not my business and I wouldn't normally care in the slightest how you lot do things. However, as a piece of advice, you devils really need a better Familiar Master, because this guy is a real idiot and an embarrassment."
Both Rias and Sona facepalmed at the comment from Maxwell since neither had anything they could say in response. The actions of Satooji were not helpful or endearing, they were very poor in fact. He was supposed to be knowledgeable on magical creatures, rare or not, yet he had fainted at the sight of one. Chris left the devils to wait for the idiot they were so insistent on having helped them instead of having quality assistance. Phina turned back into her human form and kept the kid in an organized group. Then, Chris, had Ayano help Asia find her familiar as it would speed things along since Ayano would do better in the end. As if to prove the point, Ayano helped Asia find a familiar within ten minutes without much issue. The creature turned out to be a baby spirit dragon which didn't surprise Chris that Asia found a dragon be a small one for a partner with her affinity with dragons.
Asia appeared extremely happy with the small dragon that had found its way to her. The dragon was quick to be affectionate with the girl at least. The baby dragon took one look at Chris and simply bowed its head in respect and sign that it wouldn't cross him knowingly. Chris had returned the gesture to the baby dragon, pleased that the little dragon had recognized greater power. It was common among dragons, you respected power and you acknowledged those that had more than you. That was the "hierarchy" dragons stuck to, you either respected greater power, or you challenged it and proved better or showed your mistake.
After Asia's familiar had a bond with her, Chris's group began trekking deeper into the forest. Asia did inquire about Rias and the other devils, to which Chris just said they would be fine on their own. They traveled to the mountains on the western side of the forest and specifically when to the largest one of the ranges. Chris guided those with him to a cave in said mountain that went far into the blackness in front just after the entrance. It was but a moment after entering the cave that rumbling came from ahead of the group. "Who dares enter my home so boldly," a feminine voice demanded. The rumbling turned into the pounding of paws and out of the darkness came a giant dragon. The dragon was a western-type dragon with celestial blue scales and dark blue eyes sweeping around in front. The body proportions would tell other dragons that the one before them was a female of the species. "I will make you answer for your intrusion to my satisfaction," the dragoness snapped.
It sounded to Chris that Tiamat, the dragoness before him had visitors recently and said visitors had been rude to put it nicely. He knew his "aunt" wasn't the fondest of visitors, but that was because those that came by were there to "acquire" her as a familiar. Where that to ever actually happen and Tiamat not be okay with it, Chris would destroy the bonding spell for her without hesitation. Still, Chris had called ahead and told her that he and others would be coming by today. "Well, that's quite the greeting Tiamat," Chris replied, "I know I told you my group would be dropping by today."
It wasn't the reply itself that made Tiamat pause, it was being addressed by name and no proud or panicked tones present. Most that came around were there to try and enslave her as a familiar to do their bidding. Such didn't happen often, normally once a century if at all, but there had been a devil last week that had come to attempt that. Tiamat didn't even remember the name they had proclaimed, they had been weak and unworthy as all devils that had come before. The encounter had put her in a somewhat foul mood which had dampened the good news that her nephew was going to be paying a visit. So when a group had entered her cave, she had thought the devil had come back to try again.
Tiamat lowered her head and took a moment to gaze at the figure in front of her. It was less than half a minute later she recognized them as her nephew Shadus in his current human appearance. Tiamat's mood instantly went from irritation to warm happiness that her "visitor" was someone she wanted to see. With that in mind, Tiamat shifted from her dragon form to her humanoid appearance. When the magic died down, Tiamat was a beautiful woman with straight and long pale blue hair, dark blue eyes. Her aura was toned down somewhat, as much as dragons would without seals and other means of blocking power. Tiamat was wearing a navy-blue shirt, and a violet skirt as was her normal outfit when looking human. Without further hesitation, Tiamat leaped forward and hugged her nephew, "Shadus," Tiamat exclaimed, "It's so good to see you!"
Chris hugged Tiamat back glad to see a friendly face of a family member since it was a rarer event in modern times. He didn't have a lot of "Family" that was technically related to him by blood, just his mother, life-mate, and children. But Chris's friends were not as plentiful as they had been in earlier days. Mortality was one of the main reasons that were the case, the lifespan of most made friendships last for a limited time. So, to get to see any of those that Chris thought of as family was time he valued, "It's good to see you too, it had been a while," he replied.
It had been more than a year since the last time Shadus had come for a visit. The previous time he'd had his life-mate and the three children they had with them. That visit had been one of the happier times that Tiamat had in decades if not centuries. His children may not be full dragons, but they still had strong dragon blood running in them. Plus, they were just too adorable for words and Tiamat had loved playing with them. So, Tiamat pulled back slightly, "Too long," she remarked then grinned a bit wider, "Now where are my nieces and nephew?"
Chris's kids shouted happily and rushed forwards towards Tiamat, Charles, and Lily ahead of their sister Aura. Chris quickly moved away to let his kids have a clear path to Tiamat, a smile finding its way onto his face. Tiamat knelt down with her arms spread out waiting for the wonderful children to come into her embrace. The twins leaped into her and snuggled into her front which was a joy to Tiamat. She hugged the three with warmth in her heart as she had quickly come to love these children which her 'nephew' had with his mate. The twins were chattering away about how they missed Tiamat and wanted to play and spend time with her. Shadus's oldest child Aura said nothing, but Tiamat caught the soft smile she had which spoke for her. Aura didn't use words much, something she learned from Lady Ophis Tiamat knew and it was fine that she didn't speak much. The girl's expressions and actions communicated for her enough that she could be understood.
After a few minutes of snuggling with Shadus's offspring, Tiamat heard him clearing his throat to regain her attention. When she looked back over to where Shadus had moved to, she also noticed that there were a few others with him. One was a large rabbit which she assumed was an acquaintance or friend as Chris had met with the Easter Bunny. The older girl was one of those Shadus knew that Tiamat had met before, and she was also a dragon handler as Tiamat recalled. There was also Ayano and Phina but there was a girl that Tiamat had never met before with them too. The girl appeared to be in her mid-adolescence or at least what would qualify for that age range for humans. She was somewhat shorter than Chris's current human form and had waist-length straight golden blonde hair which complimented her green eyes. The girl was wearing a kind of outfit that Tiamat hadn't seen for a while which European religious individuals tended to wear. The thing that stuck out the most was the girl's clear affinity with dragons, for it was very strong.
Chris saw Tiamat studying Asia and he couldn't blame her as he had done the same thing when they had first met. The girl stuck out with her innocence with many, it was normally mistaken for naiveté by others rather than innocence as it truly was. However, it was that innocence that caught the notice of dragons in general. So, Chris placed a gentle hand on Asia's shoulder, "This here is Asia Argento Maxwell, the newest member of my family who joined recently," Chris introduced.
Asia had been and still was scared as this woman had been a dragon minutes ago and had been making demands. That fear had morphed into nervousness as Asia still didn't know what to think of this "Tiamat" as Chris had referred to her. She knew that Chris wouldn't let harm come to her, he had made that clear to her already, but that didn't quiet her fears fully. However, Chris's children seemed to be okay around the woman even when she'd been intimidating. If they were okay with this Tiamat, Asia took that to mean she was as safe as she could be around her too. So, Asia took a deep breath, "It's nice to meet you, ma'am," she said in a quiet wavering voice.
Tiamat knew she could scare others, all dragons could and normally did have that effect on those that came into their presence. Nevertheless, any under Shadus's protection was fine in Tiamat's eyes since his judgment was sound. So, Tiamat smiled, "It is nice to meet you as well Asia Argento," she greeted, "My apologies if I scared you."