^^ Saurian ^^

--- Danny ---

I sat next to Hector, and smiled a bit when he looked at me oddly. "Hullo!" I nodded.

He frowned and looked at his work, then scooted away subtly.

I blinked. "Am I bothering you?"

"I don't really... talk to people. During class, that is." He murmured.

"Something to say, Mr. Fulminate?" Mr. Manuel called.

He cleared his throat. "Sigh... and that's why. No, Mr. Manuel. I was just explaining to Ms. Attwell that I don't exactly understand the three-body problem Myself, so there's no way for me to explain it to her."

"Ahh. Yes. Ms. Attwell, please do your best to pay attention to the class, not simply the work." He nodded.

I blinked, and shrank into my seat. "Yes Mr. Manuel."

---

I caught up with Hector outside of the class, where he was writing notes as he walked, and casually dodging people who would have bumped into him.

"Hey, Hector! Hey-"

"What do you need, Ms. Attwell?" He sighed.

I blinked. "U-Uhm. I was just... well, you know, I wanted to say thank you to your brother, you know, for helping me with that dog, and-"

"No thanks are necessary. The problem was of our own making, it's only natural that we fix it. Have a good day." He turned and started walking again.

I caught up again, keeping pace with his legs, which I had just noticed were very long. "Uhm, right! I guess that makes sense. Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner sometime? I cook a mean lamb chop, and-"

He stopped moving, and I bumped into his back, much more solid than I'd imagined. "Ms. Attwell,-"

"-Danny. My name is Danny." I introduced myself.

"Right, I'm aware. Ms. Attwell. Please don't mistake my intentions. I helped you with a math problem because your muttered butchering of complex equations was destroying my concentration. I am not your friend. I am here to study, and that is all. School is not a social experiment for me. I am in no need of socialization outside of my job." He turned to face me, gazing at me with cold ice-blue eyes.

I shook myself. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Simply put: I do not need, or want, friends. I am here to learn." He turned on his heel, and walked away, his boots, made of leather and metal, making almost no noise on the tile flooring.

I stood there, confused, as the bell rang, and then turned and walked out, headed home in a daze.

---

I slowly entered my apartment, and set my bag on the counter. "I'll get some stew going, mum." I called half-heartedly, and started putting together a stew.

"You're home... early?" She peeked around the corner.

"... yeah. Sorry. I don't know why, I just walked out, came home, and started cooking." I sighed, and started chopping chunks of beef, and then dropped them in the chicken stock I'd filled the crockpot with.

She nodded slowly. "Alright, luv... come talk to me when you want to... I'm actually talking to someone right now, but in a bit, darling." She smiled beautifully, and I returned it as well as I could.

She wheeled away, closing the door of her room, and began speaking on the phone.

I finished up the stew, and then let it simmer, heading out to the roof. I sat on the stones, staring out over the city, and then began drawing the Golden Gate Bridge, off in the distance, something that always calmed me down.

'Why did that actually hurt me? So he doesn't want to be friends? So what? I have other friends, it's not like I was somehow banking on him being my friend... I just sort of figured he liked me, from the way he acted.' I sighed.

"Darling? Would you like to talk?" Mother asked softly, stopping her wheelchair behind me.

I sighed. "You remember I told you I met a boy yesterday? Well, met, more like he was always there, this week. But I thought he liked me. I mean, he gave me several signs he wanted to at least be friends, you know?"

She hummed. "Alright, I remember a bit. And?"

"Well today he told me he didn't want friends. Any. Friends. He was different, today. Maybe he was just trying to drive me away, because he doesn't want to be distracted, but-" I started breathing harder, and she huffed.

"Daniel Attwell. Calm yourself." She said firmly.

"Sorry, mum." I sighed.

"Hmph! And as for this boy... his name is Raul? Or Hector?"

"Hector. Their eyes change color, you know. Sometimes Cobalt Blue, sometimes Forest Green, sometimes Ice Blue..." I sighed, thinking of that Green.

She hummed. "Raul, Hector, and Terry. You met the Triplets, and perhaps a moment too soon, I suppose." She nodded.

I blinked, and whipped around to face her. "What?"

"Come here, darling. Let's get you something to drink. This will be a bit of a long story." She turned and started wheeling towards the elevator.

I followed quickly, confused. "What did you mean-"

"Tea first, luv." She interrupted.

"But-"

"Tea. First." She stared at me sternly, and we exited next to our front door, heading into the apartment.

I quickly boiled a kettle of water, and tossed some leaves in, letting it steep, and staring at her expectantly.

"That tea will get over-brewed if you don't watch it." She said daintily.

I sighed and checked it, then poured two cups of tea. "Now-"

"Pass the sugar, luv, there's a good girl?" She asked easily.

"Mother." I said firmly.

She gazed at me impassively. "Pass. The sugar. The story isn't going anywhere, and I will not drink cold tea on account of your questions!"

I sighed and nodded, passing the dish of sugar and a spoon, then pouring a bit of honey in mine.

She sipped her tea slowly, and nodded. "Good. Now! Let me tell you a story about the year 1998. A lot of us hippies were still around, you know, and we still kept the 'free love' vibe alive and well, so in the spirit of it, I was involved in a rather large orgy, mostly women, but there was this one man, rather insistent fellow with a rather large-"

"MUM!" I groaned.

"Oh! Wrong story! Sorry luv." She winked.

"Ew."

"Ah well. That's when you were conceived, either way. The story I want to talk about happened maybe... 12 years later? Thirteen? 2010, London. I met a very old man named Marco Fulminate, who was taking his grandsons around the Carny, and up in the Eye, you remember I took you there last year?"

I nodded. "Yes. And Marco Fulminate is Hector's Grandfather, who served in the Baltic Wars and WWII."

"Indeed... sort of. He wasn't in the regular military, per se..." she hummed. "Darling. You know I'm not very religious, yes?"

I blinked. "Well yeah, I mean, you have a cross, and you wear it, but you also say Buddhist mantra's sometimes, so... yeah?"

She nodded. "Yes. Well... how to say this easily..."

"What about the story?" I asked.

"Trust me, you won't believe the story without this tidbit..." she murmured, and wheeled over to her gun cabinet, which she always kept locked. I'd never even seen her open it, until now.

The inside was full of arrows, all tipped in different heads, and three different bows. A crossbow, a compound bow, and an old-fashioned wooden bow.

She gently removed them, and then reached further back, and pulled out a long wooden chest.

I moved quickly to help her move it, and we set it in the coffee table. "What's this?" I asked.

"Oh the box? Nothing important, right now. I built this cabinet when I had my legs, so can ye reach back into the back, and pull out that red book?" She pointed in the back.

I sighed and reached, sticking my arm in up to the shoulder, and then gripped the book.

---

I looked around, confused, and then flinched when my mum appeared, standing before me.

"Don't worry, luv. I can walk here, but it isn't real." She shrugged and then clapped once. A soft sofa appeared, and we sat on it. "Now. This is easier to explain. Magic is real, luv." She said simply.

I looked around. "Ya don't say?"

Around us, the scenery was taking shape, and I was shocked at the number of incredible beasts around us, straight out of Grimm Tales.

One in particular strode towards us on two legs, hands behind his back as if he was a disapproving teacher. "Greetings, Ms. Attwell's. Lord Fulminate is quite busy at the moment, would you mind waiting?"

I blinked at the dragon-man in front of us, and then slowly looked at mother.

"Ahh, an introduction to magic. Perhaps a bit old, but you have your reasons, madam, I'm sure. Might I offer some refreshments? They cannot sustain you, but the manners I have been taught demand it." He conjured up a small table and some finger sandwiches, as well as a pot of tea.

I blinked, and remembered my own manners. "Thank you, Sir, for the hospitality."

He blinked slowly. "I am not a man."

I flinched, covering my mouth. "I'm so sorry, Miss-"

"No, you misunderstand. I am Saurian, of the Draco-Sapien genus. We of my species do not have genders, being that we are all capable of both parts of the sexual reproduction process. I only wished to inform you, not chide you." H-They said kindly.

I bowed my head. "I do apologize, Saurian."

"Thank you, dear, I appreciate the gesture. Ah! Ms. Attwell, Lord Fulminate will see you now. Would you like to be brought here physically? Or purely mentally today?" They asked.

"Let's ease her into it. And I like walking, while I'm here." She nodded.

They bowed. "As you wish, Madam. This way, then." They started leading us down a cobbled path that appeared as we walked.

I saw the dog from yesterday, and paused. "That's the dog Raul caught when it tried to bite me."

"No, dear. That's an Algradian Hound. Different from what went after you, an Alfaxian." Saurian shook their head.

"Uhm?"

"One is part Dragon, one isn't. That one isn't." Mother explained.

I blinked. "Okay. You know what? I'm done. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?"

"She lasted a little bit, far longer than you. I'm impressed." Saurian said to mother.

"She's very level-headed, yes. Darling? I'm going to introduce you to Marco Fulminate, and then explain everything." She placed her arm around my shoulders, and lead me after the Draco-Sapien.

I noticed that as soon as she touched me, the large dog started to look much more like a tiger/wolf mix, and even the beasts around me became more... beastly.

"The Mist. A Greek substance, created to protect the minds of men from the knowledge of demons and daemons and such." Saurian nodded.

I nodded and stared at the bells attached to their tail. "Why are there bells on your tail?"

"Because you may not have noticed, but my feet make no sound upon the ground. My master, Lord Fulminate, finds that unsettling. Much like a cat, I have been fitted with a bell to allow him notice of my presence." They said, sounding almost bitter for a moment.

A giant door, nearly 200 feet tall, made of a single curved piece of dark red wood, suddenly appeared, and They opened it without flinching, using one arm to easily move the gigantic wooden monstrosity.

We stepped into a old Spanish castle's throne room, it felt like, fitted with the reds and yellows and greens of the peppers they were famous for, as well as weapons from all the era's and cultures of the world, all made from precious metals or stones, carved and painted with religious symbols.

I spotted a simple war-staff, made of black Oak and capped with white bronze, and smiled, picking it up. "Good to see a normal thing here, huh?" I chuckled.

"Darling, don't touch things that aren't yours." Mother chided me quietly.

I nodded and put it down, following her.

We entered a room at the end, where there actually wasn't a throne, to my extreme disappointment.

The room turned out to be a study, and a very old man stood at one end, yelling at three men who all looked exactly like Raul.

"HOW DARE YOU INTENTIONALLY RUIN YOUR BROTHER'S REPUTATION WITH SOMEONE ELSE?!? DID YOU THINK THAT YOUR PLACE, YOU IMBECILIC RASCAL??!!??" He roared in the third one's face.

He flinched, his icy eyes closing momentarily. "I was just trying to maintain our studies! You know we can't have friends!!! We're three people!!! We can't keep up a charade with a human!"

"AND THATS YOUR CHOICE, EH?!? INSULTING AND WOUNDING A LITTLE GIRL BECAUSE YOU'VE NOT THE SACK TO ASK YOUR BROTHERS FOR HELP?!? I OUGHT TO BEND YOU OVER MY KNEE AND MAKE YOU REGRET THE DAY YOU WERE BORN, BUT UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME, I HAVE TO CLEAN UP A FEW MESSES YOUR NEW HIRE MADE BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T TRAIN HIM PROPERLY!!! ALFAXIANS RUNNING LOOSE IN LAS ANGELES?!?!? WHATS NEXT?!? EMPOUSAI?!?" He slammed his cane down on his desk, and sat in his chair heavily.

"Out, all of you." He groaned, pinching his nose.

"Yes, grandfather." They said in sync, and then turned to leave, freezing. Raul, with the cobalt eyes, looked at his grandfather. "Uhm-"

"OUT!" He growled.

"You have a guest, grandfather." He said simply.

The old man looked up, directly at mother, and smiled like the day was suddenly better. "Lana!!! Come here, girl, it's been too long!" He giggled with delight and stood laboriously, waddling over with his cane.

She smiled and met him in the middle, hugging him gently. "Old man, you're too hard on them. It's not their fault. Leading a double life is a very hard thing, but add in their switching..." she shrugged.

He grumbled. "They're still assholes." He snapped.

"Oh no doubt Terry and I will be having a fucking word or two, but Raul and Hector are blameless in this one, and Hector trained Jim as best he could." She said firmly, and then kissed the old man on the forehead. "Now go be a good parent, I know you well enough to know you're only disappointed, not mad." She nudged him towards them.

He growled at her, then sighed. "Fine. Terry, you're mucking every single cell and cage for two months."

"Grandfather-!"

"SHUSH! No arguments! You'll muck those cells and cages, you'll apologize to Ms. Attwell and her daughter, and you will be fucking happy that I am not making it 4 months!" He snapped.

The large man sighed and bowed his head. "Yes, grandfather."

"Ahem!" He responded, nodding to me.

The tall man nodded and looked at me briefly. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to make you leave me alone." He said simply.

I nodded slowly. "I think I understand the situation, now..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You and Hector switch places, so you can go to school too, but one of you has to stay at your... 'Zoo', at all times. " I gestured around us, at the cages around us, mostly empty.

He blinked slowly, and nodded. "Yes."

"And you can't share everything exactly, so having a friend at school would be like having to memorize another class every day, and learn how to respond exactly as your brothers would." I nodded.

"Sí." He grinned, but unlike his brother's, his was crooked, like any good troublemaker's.

I chuckled. "Wowza. And whats with the steroids? How did you grow in a few-"

They all simultaneously shrank to Hector's normal size.

I blinked slowly. "Ah... okay... magic?"

"Correct." Raul said, and then grew back to his normal size. "I have the worst control over it, though, so I'm the 'Designated Adult', almost 24/7. We're actually only 18, but there you have it." He nodded.

I grinned and looked at Hector. "So it was you who saved me from that alfuxian?"

Raul snorted. "No, no, Alfaxian. That other sounds like a rapey alien."

Hector snorted, then laughed loudly, covering his mouth to stifle it. "In-heeeheee-sanis!! HAHAHAHA!"

I grinned again. "And there you have it. I can tell you apart, I think. All you have to do is talk a little. You have subtly different accents, Terry is a troublemaker, Raul is bad at magic, and Hector is the only one who laughs in Latin."

Raul laughed and punched his brother's shoulder when he looked confused. "Got you in one!"

"Us too." Terry smirked.

Raul shrugged. "Eh, I've heard worse."

"So wait, I'm confused. How the hell is she here? And why do you know her mother?" Hector asked his grandfather.

"We, all four of us, met in London, that year I took you hunting for an Armand near the Eye? She was great, took care of you three for a few days, and she was after that my Doc for... eight years? Six?" He looked at her.

"Hmm... six, I think. Until the accident." She nodded.

"Wait, we had a Doc before... Doc?" Raul asked.

The old man nodded. "Yes. Our resident Veterinarian, she is very good with her medicines, I won't detract from that, but the Attwell's have always had a talent for medicine, and magic as well. Her family served as the leaders of the Scotland branch for about 200 years, and to this day maintains the outpost for the other great families."

I blinked slowly, and held up a hand. "Can I ask what the hell you're talking about?"

He laughed when the boys flinched. "And your mother's attitude, as well!!! Yes, little one. We, the Fulminate, are one of many different families, around the world, that monitors and cares for magical creatures, such as dear Saurian, and their Kin. We also hunt the deranged, enraged, or even sometimes simply senile, beasts, and either kill them, or, preferably, capture them and store them somewhere safe to live out their days." He explained patiently.

I blinked and processed that. "Okay... with what I've seen, I'll assume three things, and stick with me. One: this is not earth, but rather something like the legends of Ünterhill, a pocket dimension."

"Very good." He clapped gently.

"Two: you are not human. You're magicians, and you consider yourself different species' from humans."

"Bravo." He nodded.

"And Three:... my family is the same as yours, but we don't practice as much anymore, and have fallen from grace, so to speak."

"Bazzinga." He grinned.

"... well shit. Alrighty then."