Reunion
“Auntie! I did it! Where is Rose!?”
“Manya!!!”
Without thinking I fly over the table towards Scarlet but right above the cake I get really exhausted and start to fall.
Saying something in Draconic she starts to glow for a second.
Before I even fall far, Scarlet jumps over the cake, picks me up mid-air and lands on the other side.
“Sister protected…”
Starting to cry I begin licking Scarlet’s face and hug her tightly while whimpering.
“Daaw…I missed you too Rose.”
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“So you actually did it, huh?” Carmilla asks.
“Of course I did! There is no way I would have missed this. It’s a little sad though that Rose has regressed today.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“I mean that she’s not fully there today.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Scarlet. This is one of Rose’s good days.”
“Nah…There is no way…Rose would never hug me like this normally.”
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“You really are happy that your manya is finally back aren’t you, Rose?”
“Gao!”
“Did you miss me?”
“Gao…I missed you a lot!”
“Daaaw…There there.”
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“See, she’s not even answering in full sentences. She never uses baby noises unless she regresses.”
“That’s not how I know her. She does that all the time. It’s true she does it less when she’s showing these flashes of intelligence but she still does it frequently. I’m not with her every day though, so you’ll have to ask your mom about it. Speaking of…”
The queen walks up to Scarlet and gives both her and by extension Rose a hug, “Welcome back Scarlet. Was it hard to stay away?”
“A little but staying with auntie helped…Anyways, I was just talking to her about how it’s a little sad she regressed today.”
“Hmm? She wasn’t fifteen minutes ago, did she get back to resting?”
Carmilla answers, “Not from what I can tell but you’re her mother you know her best.”
“Let’s see then…”
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Brushing through my hair, mama asks, “It’s really great that Scarlet could be here today, right?”
“Gao!”
“What was your favorite thing so far today?”
“Hmm…Either Scarlet or Ser Ulian, maybe both.”
“I see! Today must be really fun and exciting right?”
“Gao! I’m so glad I got to finally meet manya and Ser Ulian again.”
“You’ve been really patient, I’m so proud of you Rose.”
Wagging my tail I ask, “Really!? Mama is proud of me?”
“Of course I am. I’m really proud of you Rose, you’ve done so well.”
“Kikikiki, thank you mama! I love you!”
“I love you too, Rose.”
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“She seems fully awake to me. I don’t see her having regressed at all.”
“What are you talking about, mama? She’s acting just like she did when she regressed while she was with us. She…She even said I love you to you. Even if I’d like that to be true, Rose isn’t that quick to trust people.”
“It’s true that it’s hard for her to trust people but as long as she’s shown kindness she will give it back. She actually told me many times already that she loves me. She also told your auntie and uncle as well as your cousins.”
“Really!?”
“Yes, she didn’t even think long about imprinting on them either.”
“She was so sweet…You know what she told me when I asked if she was really sure? She said she has no complaints because we are really kind and she loves us. She’s such a sweetheart.”
“Really? She said that? Are you sure she wasn’t regressing during that time?”
“Well, she was in her cursed form when she said it and from what you told us she only regresses sometimes and only when she gets into her uncursed form.”
“That’s true…But…Is Rose like this all the time now?”
The Queen answers, “No, usually she doesn’t talk with words, that’s when she seems to worry the least and just enjoys things. At first when she had those flashes of intelligence there was a lot more of a contrast to her usual self and she seemed to want to reject being loved. But over time and especially the last three months or so there has been less of a difference from her usual self and her more intelligent self. Now, the difference is mostly just whether or not she communicates with words or sounds. I’m really glad that she can finally be honest about what she likes and not hide it. One of her favorite toys right now is this rattle here, do you want to play with her?”
“A…A rattle? You mean like the ones you have for babies?”
“That would be the one, yes. Here let me show you, then you can try.”
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“Wanna play a little with your mama and manya, Rose?”
“Gao!”
“Then look what I’ve got here~ It’s your favorite!”
Seeing mama pull out the rattle I can’t help but wag my tail in anticipation.
“Look Rose~” Rattle Rattle “Shaa Shaa~”
“Shaa Shaa!” Giggle
Rattle Rattle
“Eeeeyaaah~”
“See, it’s really easy. Now you can try it.”
“I…Uhm…” Rattle Rattle “Shaaaa… Sorry I can’t do this.” Manya says as she drops the rattle, sits me down and suddenly runs outside.
“Carmilla, can you take care of Rose for a bit?”
“Sure.”
Mama then quickly walks outside as well leaving me alone with auntie.
“Did I…Did I do something wrong?”
“Not at all, love.”
“Then why did manya leave? She looked angry. Does she not like me anymore? Should I not have laughed? Was-”
“Shhh, hold on, love. It’s alright, it might have not been anything to do with you. Maybe she just really needs to go to the toilet or maybe she’s close to laying an egg.”
“Laying an egg…? Gasp Is Scarlet pregnant!?”
Everyone in the room suddenly looks at us.
A little flustered auntie turns around and says something in Draconic which seems to make everyone except Ser Ulian and her parents laugh.
“No, love. Scarlet is not pregnant. But when you reach a certain age and go through puberty, we women start to lay an egg every two years or so whether we are married or not. And a few weeks before we do, we tend to feel bloated and cramped and get easily irritated.”
“So, laying eggs hurts?”
“The actual laying doesn’t really hurt but the time before that sometimes does.”
“I see…So, Dragons lay eggs like chickens?”
“It’s the same process, yes but try not to make that comparison around other people.”
“Why not?”
“Well…In our language being compared to a female chicken is a big insult.”
Putting my hands over my mouth I say, “I’m sorry.”
“Pfft Don’t worry, I'm just explaining it to you I’m not scolding you.”
“Okay…So am I going to lay eggs too?”
“Yes, love. But you’re still a few hundred years away from that. We’ll explain everything in detail to you when the time comes.”
“Alright…Can I help Scarlet with her egg pain?”
“No, not right now. But I’m sure your mama will help her.”
“Okay, thanks auntie.”
“You’re welcome, love.”
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