Welcome to Gaia! ::

The car ride to DCorp had been tensely silent. Reese was still fuming about his father and Wilbur having lied to him about...well, everything, and even though Reese hated to think of going back to DCorp again after the Virus incident, the only thing he wanted right now was his dragon.

He'd left Wilbur outside by the car, not even waiting for the butler to close up the limo before heading inside. "I want to thee my dragon egg," he demanded of the receptionist, a dark scowl on his face. She just smiled and was pleasant, calling a tech to come fetch the boy.

"I'm going by mythelf," the seahorse informed Wilbur as he entered the building. The man paused, as if ready to protest...but in the end he just nodded and went to take a seat to wait for the boy to return. The guilt would be with Wilbur for a good long time to come.


The tech was a younger one and a little too chipper for Reese's mood. "It's so nice to see you coming to visit your egg! You know, kids didn't really used to do that after the initial tour, but more and more of them are coming back to help us tend to the egg - whenever possible, of course! Haha, we wouldn't let them handle the acid or anything! - and to be a part of the hatching. It's so nice, and I really think it's helping with the bonding process..." She rattled on.

Reese just wanted her to shut up. Or something else to come along and distract her from talking to him. He really just...wasn't in the mood.

Reese heard the slither coming up on his side, and when he looked up his face was in a dark glare. He wasn't in the mood! He just wanted to see his egg, why was that so hard for people to get?

But Saedah. That wasn't just anyone, that was Saedah, and the look was gone in his next breath. He still didn't seem quite himself, but at least he was managing a smile. He couldn't let her see him upset, that was just wrong.

"Hey Thaedah," he said softly, remembering to use his indoor voice. He lifted his hand to wave at her, and realized almost instantly that this too was a bad idea. He still bore bruises from the Legos a few days ago. He had hoped they would've faded before seeing her in another couple of days. The hand was quickly lowered and crossed around his waist. Oh, he hoped she hadn't seen them...

"It'th good to thee you. What're you doing down here?" he asked, hoping to keep the subject light.

"Yeah," he started, and then...paused, thinking about how scared she had looked because of him. He didn't want her to be afraid of him, too. And he didn't want to keep lying to her like he had been. Taking a deep breath, he sighed and shook his head. He wasn't going to be a liar like his dad...not to Saedah.

"No, Thaedah...I'm not okay," he admitted quietly, his eyes glancing at the lab tech who waited at the door to let them in. "But I don't wanna talk about it right now, if that'th okay?" He really just wanted to go see his egg. And maybe he could tag along with Saedah and see her egg too? That would be really cool.

"You thound thcared," he said as he started rolling himself forward, leaving the bad feelings about Poppa and Wilbur behind in the hall. "Aren't you ekthited to thee your dragon egg?"

"They thcare you???" he exclaimed. "But...but, but...dragonth are thoo awethome! Why're you thcared of them?"

Yeah, he didn't get that at all. Maybe because he was a boy? All the 'nasty' things about dragons - the pillaging, the sacrifices, all of that - was really cool to him. Besides, every dragon he'd ever met (all 3 of them) were the most awesome dragons ever! Especially Hinder and Baroness...that day at the pool had been so much fun!

The tech would let them into the observatory. Reese remembered where his dragon egg was, and wouldn't need a lot of help getting there. But...he glanced at Saedah.

"Hey, I already know that Thea Bright'th egg is nithe. You wanna come and meet my egg firtht?" Maybe meeting someone else's 'dragon' would calm her nerves a bit? After all, his dragon wasn't going to be scary.

Reese shook his head, reaching out for her hand to hold it comfortingly.

"They don't thart out that way, look," Reese said, pointing at his egg. Sure, it was almost as big as he was...but it was white and pure and good. He smiled some, seeing it. The day had started off so bad, but just looking at his egg...that made everything okay. And being with Saedah, helping her. That made it a better day than before, too.

Glancing back at the snake girl, he tried to remember what was in his books from when he was small. He hadn't looked at them in a while, but there were still some things he remembered.

"Not all dragonth hurt people. They...they do good thingth. They protect people. And your dragon ith gonna be a good dragon. They wouldn't give a good kid a bad dragon," he explained with a wrinkle of his nose. "That'th just thtupid."

"I don't know if they're thmaller...but they are nithe," Reese said encouragingly, patting her hand. "Come on, you can pet my egg and thee. Thea Bright ith gonna be very nithe to you, I promise."

Reese waved over the tech, asking him to let them see the egg up close. Quickly, quietly, the tech did as was asked and brought Reese's egg out of the waterfall pen. He dried it off and placed it into a huge...cup of sorts. It was padded and on wheels, making it easy for them to move it around.

"Come on, it'th ok," Reese said, releasing Sae's hand long enough for him to roll himself over towards his egg.

"Hey there, Thea Bright," Reese said, a bit in awe as he rolled up to his egg. He actually shifted some in his wheelchair, lifting himself up in order to peer at the egg, inspecting it for cracks or damage. When everything looked okay, he just leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the white massive shell, hugging it and rubbing his face against the side.

"Hmmm, it'th good to thee you again...I mished you!" he cooed, his tail coiling happily. The joy he felt, being with his egg...it was like nothing else in the world. He even ignored the fact his left arm felt all tingly against the smooth shell.

Settling back into his chair, he looked at Saedah and motioned her closer. "Come on, Thae...it'th okay. It'th jutht the egg..."

Reese frowned deeply as Sae shook her head and looked away from him and his egg. She was really that set against it, huh? Sighing some, Reese patted the shell of his egg, comforting it.

"It'th ok, Thea Bright...it'th not you. Thae ith jusht....really thcared. Maybe nekch time, ok?" he spoke to the egg, rubbing the side with his good arm as he settled back down into his wheelchair.

"You shure, Thae?" he asked one more time...just to be sure.