We spent most of the day working on various bits of training. 'Stay' was just as frustrating and annoying as it had been before, and I only managed to do it a few times. Ivy got to eat a lot of sunburst berry and shia fruit slices while we worked on that, but Trenil and Minna ultimately called it quits.

They moved on to other training, but it was mostly just various methods of tracking. The goal seemed to be to get me to focus on the scent and avoid distractions. Trenil stood over the disk a few times and pretended to try and shoo me away, and other times the disk was hidden back in the city itself. One time Minna did something that caused the disk to emit a horrid scent in addition to the scent of ktari.

I earned half a shia fruit for leading them to the disk that time, but all the same, I hoped to never have to do that particular trick again.

But aside from that, we mostly just walked around the city. We went into a few of the buildings - during one visit in particular Minna spent a lot of time talking with a worker and filling out paperwork, after which I learned she had purchased the house we had been looking at - but most of them were uneventful.

Near the middle of the afternoon they took us to the market. The scent of shia fruit was still clear in the air as we approached it, and I fidgeted on Minna's shoulder while she walked, but I managed to keep from trying to fly after the scent. I glanced at Ivy and saw that she was lounging on Trenil's shoulder with a very unconcerned air... but after a few times of looking at her I noticed that she was sneaking her own peeks in the direction of the fruits. She was just as interested and excited as I was, but was just pretending not to be.

"Show off." I grumbled at her and sniffed the air again.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The sour note of a lie was blatant in her words. "You should try and relax. You're just going to make Minna think you've smelled something interesting if you act all agitated like that."

I waited for Minna to be distracted by some of the trinkets on display on a counter and shot a glare at the green dragonet. She returned my glare with a slight smirk but didn't move. She seemed to be doing her best to not look in the direction of the shia fruit.

"Hello there!" I perked my ear tufts as I heard a familiar voice and glanced towards the sound. The musician waved at us from the opposite side of the market and started towards us.

I whistled a greeting back to him as Minna lifted her own hand in a wave, and I saw Ivy's ear tufts perk from out of the corner of my eye. "Who's that? Someone you know?"

"You could say that." I pointedly kept from looking back at her as I fanned out my wings and sat up a little straighter. "You shouldn't look so excited; you'll make Trenil think you smell something interesting."

"Meanie. Who is it?" Ivy sat up on Trenil's shoulder and watched me, then looked back at the approaching Kymari. "Other than Terron and Trenil, I didn't know you knew any other male Kymari."

"I actually don't know his name. But he's been here every time I've come to the market. He plays music for the shoppers."

"Oh! Minna mentioned that in her reports. He's the one you sing with?"

I glanced back at the other dragonet. "...just how much of those reports does Trenil let you listen to?"

A short giggle of a laugh was the only answer Ivy sent through the mindlink.

"Hello again." Minna smiled as the musician came to a stop near us. "Trenil, this is the musician I mentioned."

"A pleasure to see you here, as always." The musician dipped his head towards Minna, then to me, before turning towards Trenil and Ivy. "I see Nate has a friend today. Will I have the pleasure of her singing as well?"

Minna hesitated slightly, and I saw her smile deepen from the corner of my eye. "You remembered his name?"

"Of course. How could I fail to remember the name of anyone who sings as enchantingly as he does?" The musician smiled back at Minna, and I felt her sway ever so slightly beneath me. Had she just started to swoon? Though... even I had to admit to being impressed the Kymari had remembered my name. He had only heard it once, but had apparently committed it to memory. "And if his friend sings even half as well as him, I will, of course, have to know her name as well."

I finally noticed the half glances we were getting from the Kymari around us, and I suddenly understood. This behavior was part of the musician's performance - an act just like the music, designed to entertain the shoppers. He probably engaged with most of the Kymari, and maybe even flirted with them just like he tended to do with Minna - she just got more of his attention because of my singing.

Trenil smiled and took a step forward. "This is Ivy. She has been a great help in screening cargo ships for sicora. We were curious if other fire lizards would sing along to music like Nate does. Just as I'm sure you must be."

The musician grinned slyly and nodded. "Of course. With as enchanting as one fire lizard singer is, I am extremely interested to see how a second would sound. Do you need to do any shopping first? Please, don't let me impose."

Minna shook her head. "I took care of everything I needed yesterday. We have time now, if you are ready to play for them?"

"Of course." The musician bowed slightly to Minna and Trenil, then turned to walk back to his instrument. I felt a bit of disappointment - he was back to the stringed instrument I had first seen him using, which I knew he wasn't as good at playing. Still, it would be fun to sing along with him anyways. Minna and Trenil followed, and sat down on a bench a short distance away.

The musician began playing a few unconnected notes, and I felt my ear tufts rise in anticipation. I noticed Ivy watching me and felt suddenly self conscious, though I tried to push that aside and distract myself with some conversation. "Has Trenil played any music to see if you'll sing along with them?"

"A few. Some of the tunes were nice to listen to, but I didn't really feel any urge to sing along with any."

"I noticed that too; the recordings Minna played weren't as interesting as the live performance."

"Trenil didn't have any instruments to play. I am curious though; you seemed like you were really enjoying yourself on some of the videos Trenil found."

Well. So much for distracting from self-consciousness. I tried very hard not to think about what recordings Ivy had been watching, and failed miserably at the attempt.

The musician began playing a song a few seconds later. I listened for a second before I recognized one of the slower songs that I had learned. He had probably picked an easier song after I had exhausted my wing yesterday. I would have to try to remember not to push it.

I started to whistle in time and began to lose myself in the music. I noticed Ivy watching me with perked ear tufts and knew she was trying to pick up the melody. I fanned my wings out as the urge to dance started to build, and after another moment I heard a soft click as Minna unclipped the leash from my harness. "Go on."

I jumped from her shoulder and spun above the Kymari, weaving into a somersault as I let the music carry me. I was once again reminded of the instinctive feeling of the Morning Song, though the feeling was still nowhere near as powerful or intense. It was still a lot of fun, though.

The musician was about halfway through the song when I saw Ivy straighten on Trenil's shoulder. I recognized her expression and knew she had figured out the song. She inhaled, then started to sing out with me.

A slight applause went up from the Kymari in the market as Ivy began to sing, causing me to realize just how much attention we had drawn. Ivy stopped singing and moved along Trenil's shoulder to be closer to him, prompting a few 'aw' sounds from the onlookers, and I couldn't help but pull my flight in closer to Minna. Everyone was watching again... but if I didn't think about it too much, they were easy to ignore. The music was much more enticing at the moment.

Ivy watched the onlookers nervously for a little longer. The song eventually ended and I pulled into a hover while the musician started a new song, until I recognized it and began singing along with it, too. Ivy watched me from Trenil's shoulder while I lost myself in the dance... then I heard her own warbles rise up to join mine.

The Kymari stayed quiet this time. After a few notes Trenil unclipped Ivy's leash and whispered a gentle 'Go on' to her, and she joined me in the air. I greeted her with a short whistle that was out of place with the music and did a quick loop around her. She replied with a giggled warble and dipped to chase after me.

We wove above the heads of the Kymari and sang just for the fun of it. We would circle slowly whenever it was time for a new song to start, and I would flap along patiently while Ivy listened to the new tune, but once she had it we went back to our dances. The Kymari beneath us all seemed delighted. They stayed quiet, but any time I spared the energy to glance down I saw that all of them were watching us, and many had recording devices pointed up at us.

After a few songs Minna called me back to her, and I banked away to land on her hand with a dejected trill. She smiled at me and clipped the leash back on before giving me a pat and passing me up on her shoulder. "Silly. Just take a break from flying for a few songs; I don't want you exhausting your wings."

That... was probably a very good point to consider, and one I hadn't really thought about. It was still easy to lose myself in the rhythm.

I sat and watched Ivy fly overhead in a solo dance for a few songs while I sang along from Minna's shoulder. Eventually Minna decided I had gotten enough of a break and unclipped the leash, and I joined Ivy back in the air.

The afternoon passed quickly to our song and dances. Ivy learned the songs just as quickly as I had, and once she had picked up a few the musician alternated those back in so we had less downtime in our dances. More Kymari gathered in the marketplace as the news spread, but it was easy to ignore them as we flew overhead, and they all gave Minna and Trenil a respectful distance.

After what must have been hours of singing and dancing the sun began to set, and Minna and Trenil called us back. I couldn't resist giving another somersault for the onlookers as I came to a landing on Minna's hand, and I trilled out a happy "Thank you!" to the musician. Ivy landed without any flourish, but she called out her own thanks after mine.

The musician sat the instrument down and gave us a short bow. "Thank you again Nate; it was a pleasure to play for you as always. And it was very nice to meet and play for you too, Ivy."

The crowd quietly murmured their approval, though I noticed a bit of alarm in Ivy's expression at even that sound. She slipped closer to Trenil's head and hunched down a bit, which caused Trenil to bring his hand up to pet along her back. After a few strokes she seemed to calm down and straightened back up, though she stayed close by his head.

I was vaguely aware of Minna and Trenil talking with the musician and the onlookers, but Ivy's nervousness had me worried. I shifted towards her and moved to the edge of Minna's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She watched the crowd of Kymari and warbled nervously. "I don't like having so many of them around like this." Something changed in her mindspeech, and I had the impression of another listener. "Trenil, can we go somewhere else? I don't like this."

Trenil looked at the crowd and slowly rose to his feet. "I think we should probably start heading back. It is a bit of a flight back home for me, and I would like to thank Terron and Loreena before I go."

Minna glanced up at the sky and nodded. "Of course; it is getting late." She looked back at the musician and dipped her head a little. "Thank you again. It was nice to see them like this."

"My pleasure. They are both welcome to sing with me any time they would like. I enjoyed it too." The musician turned slightly and spoke a little louder, as if to include the rest of the crowd in his next words. "Thank you for coming. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your evening."

The crowd began to disperse back to the stalls, and Minna and Trenil took the opportunity to slip towards the side of the market. I thought we had managed to get away when a voice called after us.

"Bond Handler Minna?"

Minna stopped at the unfamiliar voice and looked back the way we had come. "Yes?"

I turned to look at the voice and saw a young Kymari I didn't recognize. She walked quickly up to us and stopped a few paces away. "I'm sorry; I didn't want to interrupt earlier. They both looked like they were enjoying themselves."

Minna nodded again, though I could tell she was confused at being approached. "Yes; Nate seems to like it. I think the attention may be too much for Ivy, though." She motioned slowly towards Trenil, where Ivy was watching the newcomer with a worried expression.

"I see." The newcomer looked at Ivy for a moment, then back at Minna. "Sorry; I just... that is, we all wanted to... I work with Elder Naishi, I'm one of her assistants. We all wanted to thank you for what you did for her, with taking in the Kymallata. Um. Nate. It meant a great deal to her; she was very happy to hear that he stayed with you. She has been in much higher spirits these last few days."

"Oh." Minna glanced back around the market with an expression that was almost as nervous as Ivy's. "I... I'm glad I did. That I could help, I mean." She turned her head to look at me, then looked back at the newcomer. "Though I have been wondering - do you know why it meant so much to her? I've never known an Elder to take such a personal interest in something like this."

The other Kymari blinked. "The Elder didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

The stranger looked back at me and hesitated. "It's... not something the Elder talks about often, but it's not exactly a secret, either. When she was a child her parents relocated to another colony, one with a Kymallata. A canine of some kind, I think; they had bond animals there to help with some of the mining operations. There was an accident, and it had helped rescue some of the people working there even though its own handler was killed. She had heard the story and when she met it she did what any child would have done, and shared her candy with it, but..." The newcomer hesitated, and I felt Minna flinch underneath me. Even Trenil suddenly had a sad expression. "It had an allergic reaction, and they weren't able to save it. It's something that has always bothered the Elder, even though she knew she was just a child when it happened."

She looked back at me and smiled. "So it really meant a lot to her that she could help save this one. She's also really appreciated the recordings you send her of his dances. I know she'll be happy to see the ones I got today."

Minna seemed a little stunned by the other Kymari's explanation, and it took her a second or two before she managed a slow nod. "I didn't know that. Thank you for telling me. I am glad I was able to help with that. I'll make sure to keep sending her the recordings."

The other Kymari's smile grew brighter. "Thank you." She glanced up at the setting sun, then looked back behind us. "I should let you go. I'm sorry, but I just wanted to pass on our thanks."

"No apology is necessary." Minna smiled back at the other Kymari, though I knew her well enough by now to catch a hint of sadness in her expression, and she nodded. "Please thank the Elder for me when you see her next. I am grateful for all she has done for me, too."

"Of course." The other Kymari nodded one more time, then turned back to the market.

I sat on Minna's shoulder as she took us back to Terron's house and tried to think through what I had just learned about the Elder. It was hard to imagine the old Kymari as ever being a child, or of making such a mistake... but it did explain a lot about what she had done, and why she had asked Minna to take care of me. I couldn't imagine what it must have been like to carry that kind of guilt around for the long lifespan of a Kymari.

I made a note to try and be nice to the Elder if I ever saw her again.

We made it back to Terron's house, and were immediately spotted by Lyzel playing in the yard. Two other Kymari children were playing with her, though I spotted Terron watching over all three of the children from the front porch of the house. Lyzel's friends both looked surprised as the young Kymari suddenly jumped up and waved at us. "Hello Mister Fire Lizard! And Missus Fire Lizard!"

I smiled at the little girl's excitement and snuck a glance back at Ivy. She still seemed a little nervous and 'frayed' from being surrounded by so many Kymari back at the market, but she was doing much better than she had been. An idea occurred to me for a game that might help soothe away the last of her fright, and I grinned a little more to myself. I chirped back a happy greeting to Lyzel, and the young Kymari turned back to her friends with a broad smile.

Minna unclipped the leash once we were in the yard, and I fanned out my wings in preparation. "Hey, Ivy?"

"Hmm?"

I glided down from Minna's shoulder and landed on the ground before Lyzel. I stood there for half a second... then let myself go limp and fall over onto my side. I landed at just the right angle to see both Lyzel and Trenil, and I smirked briefly at Ivy as I summoned my saddest, most pathetic sounding wail. "Help meeeeeeeeeeee!"

Lyzel blinked at me in surprise and took a step back in confusion. Her friends also seemed to be watching me, though I could tell they were just as surprised. I saw Ivy's ear tufts flick in a gesture of confusion... then Trenil unclipped her leash. She grinned at me and jumped from his shoulder, swooping down towards me for the attack.

All in all, it was a good way to spend a day.

Once Ivy had attacked me enough times to thoroughly dissuade me from my trick of going limp while in the harness, Lyzel and her friends joined us in playing a friendlier game with the ball. We tossed it back and forth between each other, with the adults coming by at points to join in for a few minutes... but we only played for about an hour before it was time for Trenil to head back to his home. Ivy and I said our goodbyes while the Kymari said theirs, with Terron and Loreena both thanking Trenil for his time and suggesting he was welcome to visit again if he liked.

After they left, the evening just felt... subdued. Minna brought me inside to feed me my dinner, and I loafed around the house while the Kymari ate theirs. The three children chatted at me for a bit and happily told me how all their friends at school would be jealous that they got to spend time with a real, live, in-the-scales fire lizard, with Lyzel clearly proud that her aunt was an actual handler to one so that she could see one whenever she wanted... but their bed time came soon, and Loreena eagerly dragged them off for their sleepover.

Minna and Terron talked for a bit after that, with Loreena joining in when she came back from tucking the children in for bed. I rested on the back of the couch near Minna and relaxed to wind down from all the excitement of the day, until bedtime finally arrived for the adult Kymari too. Minna carried me off to her room, and I stretched out over her blanket and let the gentle rhythm of her breathing carry me off to sleep.