After making sure that her new bond was in tow, Grey glanced up at the departing crowd, searching for Fairbrell’s face amid the unfamiliar. Aomi, the little dragon whose mind was now linked to Grey’s own, sent some questioning colors meandering through the Werewolf’s mindscape. Grey didn’t see the need to answer, as making his way towards them, was the vampire, his right arm waving above his head in an enthusiastic greeting, a wide grin splitting his face.
“GREY!” He cried happily, when the trio had successfully gathered. “You bonded!” The man bent down to give Aomi a gentle pat on the head. The dragon smiled shyly at him, but Grey could tell that her bond had already taken to Fairbrell... and who wouldn’t really? Grey found herself smiling, her gaze locked on the sweet face of her friend.
“My name is Fairbrell,” the vampire was saying to Aomi. “I am Grey’s friend.” Aomi smiled lightly back at the warm expression on Fairbrell’s face.
“Fairbrell,” the little filly repeated, her great blue eyes staring curiously into the strange gaze of the friendly undead. “I am Aomi ---.” Grey’s normally serious visage warmed with a bright smile, she was so glad to see her bond and lover getting along. She picked up the little Aomi and together the three of them headed off to The Star Bird.
“So,” Fairbrell said as they walked along the emptying hallways. “How was the bonding?” The vampire had, just a few weeks before Grey, attended a bonding ceremony, with hopes that he would be able to take home a dragonet. He had failed, his lack of blood preventing the undead dragon hatchling from linking with him... but he was far from discouraged. In fact, Fairbrell had seemed rather insulted by the fact that the dragon had bitten him. He was an exceedingly friendly character, but Grey just could not see Fairbrell sharing his mind with anything willing to bite him.
“It is a bit strange,” Grey admitted. Aomi offered an array of comforting colors, her beautiful eyes finding the Werewolf’s own wild orbs. “It isn’t anything bad, though.” Grey said this in a firm voice, as both a reassurance to Fairbrell and the dragonet.
“Well, that is good.” Fairbrell said. “Because I signed up again.” Grey smiled at the vampire, glad to hear that he hadn’t been so put off by the last attempt as to not try again. The Werewolf knew that it would be good for him, there weren’t many people willing to be friends with a vampire, even one as pleasant as Fairbrell, and Grey could see that Fair was often lonely because of this. His bond would accept him as he was, as she did, but beyond giving Fairbrell more of the companionship that he so craved, Grey hoped that the vampire’s bond might be a friend to Aomi, who would most certainly need a confident of her own age while they were adventuring.
“I think that a nice dragon will chose you,” said Aomi in her soft, pleasant way.
“You really think so,” Fairbrell asked. He straightened up a bit, putting on that Aomi had truly flattered him with his muscled chest and a show of his brilliant white canines. Aomi gave a short giggle and buried her muzzle in Grey’s chest. Fairbrell deflated a bit and offered his companion a knowing expression.
“They will, Fair,” said Grey. “I mean, if that last hatchling hadn’t needed blood, he would have gone with you.” The vampire frowned and rubbed his hand a bit, as though it hurt him.
“Hmph,” He replied. “That dragon was horrible, biting me like that. I don’t know how anyone would want to bond with those little devils. I mean, if I bit someone I would be lucky if they didn’t come after me with a stake, let alone apply pressure to the bite marks so that they could shake hands.”
“Well, they didn’t seem set on sucking any of the candidates dry either,” Grey said matter of factly.
“Excuse me,” Fairbrell said. “I haven’t done that since I first became a vampire! At least not without asking first!” Grey laughed.
“Sure...” She returned. “But did you bother to wait for their answer?” Aomi stared up into her bond’s face with an astonished expression. The Werewolf was aware that the little creature didn’t like such talk, and Grey could dimly sense a fear in the youngling, that perhaps she might have bonded the wrong person.
“We are just kidding around,” Grey said, hoping that she sounded reassuring. “Fair is really very careful about where he gets his blood from.”
“Which is just lucky for everyone,” Fairbrell chuckled. “Because I am a skilled hunter. Stealthy enough to get my teeth into some juice before my victim even knows that I am there.” Grey found herself laughing again, the image of Fairbrell stalking anyone absurd.
“I want to learn how to be stell-thee,” Aomi said. “Can you teach me, Fairbrell?” Grey hugged her bond closer to her, hoping to squeeze just a little bit of the youthful innocence from the hatchling.
“Of course I will,” the vampire replied. “You and my future bond both.” He slung an arm over Grey’s shoulders, and the three of the them climbed the ramp into The Star Bird’s interior.