Upon Vestia: Chapter Thirteen

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"Probably," Asher said. "That's the consolation prize."

Asher would lead Luka to fetch some tools to take down shelves, then Vestia would direct them to whichever area Mourn had decided to start with. "She might let you fly her if you ask nicely," he suggested. "She has a bridge, it's pretty impressive."

~~
"Told you they'd love you," Ellie told Shane.

Starr chuckled softly and looked to Shane then reached over to nudge him lightly "This is probably the safest place to show what we are."

Shane dipped his head and nodded "Yeah, I am glad there's at least one planet we can be ourselves on."

"and you are always welcome blessed dragons." One of the other priests told them. They were doing a pretty good job of keeping the people back so as not to over crowd the dragons and explaining their presence in terms of their faith. Several were using this as a chance to preach.

Matt found it all a little bit uncomfortable, he didn't like gods and religion much... at all. He edged over to Merith and his copious alchohol. "you mind?" He asked as he tried to snag one of those glasses.

Swarm watched everything delightedly, they listened to the sermons, tried to keep track of what everyone was saying and when Ilgen returned with a book for Starr, tried to catch a glimpse of it.

Ilgen bowed low and presented the book to the dragon. "I pray it will serve you well blessed dragon Starr, May the weaver guide you."

--

Mourn had started with the craft room as it had been mentioned. He'd found a step stool which he was currently standing on and clearing things off the shelf awkwardly. He didn't notice them come in.

"A bridge? Oh that would be... such a privilage. " Luka looked around for the nearest camera. "I won't touch anything, I promise!"

Starr looked back to Ilgen and bowed her head "Thank you, I will treasure this." She said kindly then motioned to Shane "This is Shane, we found him on Earth"

Shane looked to the priest and dipped his head in greeting "hello"

Vestia laughed. "Well it's not that big a privilege, it's actually a bit dusty at the moment because nobody uses it. Once we're in deep, deep space, maybe you can fly for a bit. Might be fun."

"Can you tell Mourn we're here?" Asher asked Vestia.

"Oh. Right." ---Asher and Luka are here to help---

"Thank you," Asher said.

Ilgen bowed deeply. "Blessed dragon Shane, it is an honor to meet you."

---

"Nobody even dusts it? that's heartbreaking!" Luka declared, grinning ear to ear. "Oh thank you!" She looked super excited. She paused when Vestia changed her lights. "He can't hear can he?" She asked. She'd not had a chance to confirm that suspicion yet.

Mourn turned and tilted his head at them, shoving a few pots of paint toward Asher. "here, take."

Shane would have flushed in his human form. "You don't have to bow like that to me. I'm just a half dragon."

"half dragon?" Ilgen looked confused. "I do not understand."

--He is a hybrid-- "But what is the other half?" "human perhaps?" "would explain a lot."

Asher nodded. "Yeah, Mourn's deaf. That's why James was translating for him earlier, he could read James' lips." He took the pots of paint from Mourn and set them out of the way.

"Most people don't know I have a bridge. It doesn't come up on conversation much," said Vestia.

"I good at reading lips. No like masks." Mourn shook his head and hopped down from the stool. "you tall, clear shelf." He demanded of Luka as he went to look at the tools.

She blinked, nodded and did as she was told, thinking how rude he was.
"Probably for the best. Our captain is just brutal to our poor ship. He doesn't seem to understand that you can't just hit buttons and expect her to obey. Poor girl, i'm glad I came along to protect her from that brute." She huffed.

"I only have one parent that was a dragon, we believe the other was human." Shane said then shrugged a little "Like Miss Starr, I grew up without knowing my parents,"

"I am sorry." Ilgen spoke softly. "but you found one another, the odds of this are... incredible. Praise the weaver, surely she had a hand in this."

Asher grinned at Mourn's blunt orders. He had gotten used to them over time, but apparently Luka was still not accustomed to the felid's way of talking.
He winced. "Your captain sounds like the kind of people we dreaded at the space station. The ones who drove their ships like they were buses, and ended up wearing out the controls and the engines. That's unfortunate."

"I am beginning to believe that even more" Shane said then glanced around for Armin before looking back to Ilgen "Just the way Armin talks about the Weaver is interesting. It certainly took something to have us meet as we did" He said and smiled at Starr

"I'd claim he was gentler with the crew but he really isn't. I suppose that's just his way, terrible with women." Luka chuckled darkly. "You have to treat a ship like a real woman, you can't just thump away and yell and demand, she'll not do anything if you do. You have to be gentle. "

Mourn laughed.

"let me tell you, anyone who tried to bludgeon the controls of any of our ships was going to get their arse kicked, not just by the engineers but the pilots too. We're protective of our ships. " Luka finished clearing the shelf, dumping the last of the pots and containers on the table.

---

"Armin?" Ilgen asked, trying to place the name. He couldn't be expected to remember everyone in this city after all.

Shane nodded "Yeah, he came back here with us today. Him, his sister and her mate" (and I forgot the names pretend he said them)

"That's just wrong," Asher agreed. "Some people have no respect for a carefully designed machine. Please tell me he doesn't hammer on the dash when he gets annoyed." He absently arranged the things Luka had taken from the shelf before coming over to help remove the shelf itself.

(hahah damn Vavare and their oddly spelled names right? I keep having to look them up!)

"Oh! Majken's children, the wayward tailors." Ilgen nodded. "They brought you here then? Were they aware of who you were?"

---

"I don't know, as soon as I got the job I banned him from the cockpit. " Luka shrugged.

Mourn would get back up onto the stool once the shelf was removed to start unscrewing the supports. "You want lower shelf or happy just no shelf?"

Asher nodded approvingly. "Captains don't need to fly their ships, it's fine for them to captain from afar." He considered the shelf, "Let's take it out and hide it so nobody will decide to move it up again."
He brushed a piece of glitter off his shirt.

Mourn nodded and went back to unscrewing bolts.

"This stuff really does get everywhere doesn't it?" Luka remarked, indicating the glitter.

"Yes, and it never comes off," Asher grumbled. "We tried so hard to vacuum it up, but here it still is." He helped Mourn with the shelf, making sure it wouldn't fall or do anything else unexpected.

"Glitter horrible, never gets out of fur." Mourn nodded sagely.

"Well it'll certainly make keeping the medical areas sparkle free interesting." Luka stood back and gave the boys some space to do what they needed to do. "Who can even reach these shelves if you're all so tiny?"

"One eyed keeper... tall drunk one... " Mourn counted them off. "Um.. fox flies. Hawk girls fly. Tiny bounty hunter can get up high somehow. Oh! Use for shelf! Was going to figure out easier way out of vents. Rope pulley not efficient. Need steps."

Luka tried to follow all that. "tiny.. bounty hunter?"

Mourn nodded. "Yes, tiny. Runs around vents. Wanted put in jar, others wouldn't let. Then she didn't try to kill us so no need to put in jar."

"Uh... " Luka looked to Asher for any clarification on that.

Asher shuddered. "Maybe we should let Dawn and James handle any open injuries until the glitter had been eradicated."
"There's a girl who tried to collect our bounty," he explained. "She's about six inches tall, and often travels through the air ducts. Mourn wanted to put her in a jar the day she showed up here, but I guess they've worked things out."

"She no stab us in the throat or rip out our eyes, probably not a threat." Mourn nodded. "I take shelves."

Luka frowned. "Well that's... reassuring?" She shook her head. "Why'd you want to put her in a jar?"

"She threat, too small for jail cell, slip out too easy. Had no hamster cage, jar have to do." Mourn explained calmly. "Was going to put air holes. Not monster."

"Okay, you can have the shelves," Asher told Mourn. "I can carry them wherever you want," he offered.

Shane nodded and chuckled. "Yeah, I showed him who I was and learned a lot of your culture along the way."

"I do hope he was a good teacher." Ilgen bowed again.

--

"My room, later." Mourn told Asher. "where else need shelves taken down?"