"Dagon want outside! With Daa, outside!"
"No, you have to stay here while I go for kitchen duty! I'll be busy there, I won't be able to look after you!" Johan told his stubborn 'son'.
"But this room, boring! TV boring! Fridge boring! Dagon want outside!"
"And I said you can't come! I can't just let you run around the kitchen while we work!"
"Ready to go yet?" Dorin asked the bickering duo.
Sebastian was still sleeping in his room, while Azra ate pancakes in front of a bewildered Bennette.
"I-if you don't mind, I can come with you and look after him while you work," Bennette suggested, his voice quivering.
"Hmm. That sounds good. You sure you're fine with that?" Johan asked, already tired of all the nagging.
"Can I come too?" Azra asked. "I can help look after Dagon."
"Ask Sebastian first," said Dorin.
Azra quickly ran to Sebastian's room and came back later with a smile.
"My liege said it's okay as long as I stay as a bird!"
"Okay, let's go before we get late for work."
The troupe was at the stairway when they met the prince's retinue.
"Good morning!" Xander greeted them with a sunny smile. "I was just about to visit you! Oh, and I see Azra is here as well!" he quickly approached the caladrius perched on Bennette's shoulder. "How are you this morning?"
Azra chirped and stared at him.
"I don't believe we've met?" he asked the tall medic who was almost the same height as him.
"I-I am 2nd Lt. Patrice Francoise Bennette, a Combat Medic..." Bennette's voice was so soft it was a wonder that Xander could hear him.
"Ah, the forth member! May I inquire as to what happened to your face?" Xander asked as they made their way to the kitchens.
Bennette reddened, though his bruises have somehow healed over night due to the caladrius' power, there were still faint marks left on his left eye and cheek.
"Fell... off..." he was beginning to say, when Johan piped in.
"His father kicked him off the Military, so he'll be staying with us from now on."
Bennette's face went even redder.
"Ah, such a shame, I heard the Bennettes are well known for their unparalleled strength and skill in the military." Xander looked at Bennette's skinny body. "But then again, I believe you would like it here more than you did back in your division."
"Xander, are you planning to go to the kitchens with us?" asked Dorin who had been wondering why the prince was up so early.
"If it's not much of a bother, I woke up a bit earlier than usual and could no longer get back to sleep."
Dorin stared at Prince Xander. He was dressed extravagantly, as usual. So is his entire retinue, except for Venet who looked as if he just got out of bed.
'Right. And just how early did you wake up in order to look like that?' Dorin thought to himself. "That's good, Dagon can have more company then," he said instead.
"Dagon play outside!" the young whelp happily said in his child form. "I fly until sun high up!"
"Just don't let too many people see you," Johan reminded him. "Remember, you being a dragon is top secret. Okay?"
"Yes, top secret!" replied the child.
Johan then said something in dragon speech which made Dagon change and fly off as soon as they reached the open air.
"W-what did you just say?!" Xander asked, amazed.
"That his uncle will rake the scales off his tail if he misbehaves," said Johan with a laugh.
"His uncle?!" Xander's eyes pop out, "There's another dragon? And a senior one?!"
"Yeah, he's teaching Dagon and me dragon stuff," Johan added absentmindedly.
"C-can I meet him?!"
"Maybe. I think I have a class with him tomorrow afternoon..." he paused, "but then again, he just shows up whenever he pleases."
"Okay, you guys behave while we work," Dorin said as they neared the canteen. "Bennette, take care of Azra," he added, "and Azra, get rid of that as soon as the sun rises."
"Chirp!"
"Johan, you coming?"
"Of course!"
The two entered the canteen together.
"Well, I guess it's just you and me now," Xander told Bennette who seemed to jump at his words.
Benettte looked at Xander's three companions.
"Ah, don't mind them, they are just here to make sure that I am safe," he looked at the fair young man in front of him.
Bennette was only wearing a thin long-sleeved shirt covered by a weathered-looking coat. It might look thick, but he can see that the young medic was cold by the way he kept it close. His slacks looked old and worn as well, and if it wasn't for his regal bearing, you wouldn't think he was from one of the lead houses in the empire.
"Mordecai Almecion here is a medic too," he said, introducing his aid, "just like Professor Althea."
Mordecai gave a court nod. Bennette gave him a weak smile.
"I heard you were a powerful medic, that you caught the eyes of both Professor Almecion and Professor Morel," he continued. "If it's okay with you, can you give me a diagnosis?"
Bennette looked at Mordecai who smiled back at him, then at the young prince. He can't tell if they were being serious or if they were simply making fun of him just like everyone else.
"I-if you insist..." he answered in a meek voice, "D-do you mind if I check your pulse?"
Xander's smile became wider as he reached his right hand towards the young medic standing in front of him. Bennette gingerly took his arm and touched his pulse with his other hand.
"Well?" Xander asked after a while.
"I-I'm sorry... I can't seem to read you well..." the other said.
Mordecai gave a slight smirk.
"Is that so?" Xander's smile wavered, but remained just the same.
"But..." Bennette hesitated. "D-do you mind if I take it off?" he whispered.
Xander's eyes widen.
He unconsciously looked at Mordecai who didn't seem to have heard Bennette's remark. The older medic seemed to have lost interest on the younger mage. He was currently following Azra and Dagon as the two flew around.
"Can you?" Xander whispered back.
Slowly, Bennette stepped closer. His hand moved slightly over Xander's shoulder, then up to the back of his right ear under his long red hair and round to the top of his nape.
Xander's body tingled as he felt Bennette pick on something. It felt like there was a burr stuck in his hair. But this burr was buried deep in his spine.
It had spell upon spell placed upon it as not to be detected by anybody but the ones who implanted it.
And now, this young mage had just plucked it off like a pesky little mite.
Bennette's hand trailed down his nape, to his shoulder, down his left arm, ending in his hand where he plucked the implant from on top of his palm.
It looked like a grain of rice, if rice was made of intricately woven metal.
"I can also help you with the one in your chest... if you wish," Bennette whispered once more.
"No... this is enough... for now," Xander whispered back. "I guess I'm pretty much a mystery to you, huh?" he said in his usual tone. "I was born with a weak heart, I even had an operation to fix it, but nothing, not modern medicine, not even the best Almecion healers can seem to permanently heal me."
"Chirp!" Their attention was caught by Azra as she flapped her wings, ascending towards the rising sun. She flew higher into the air, her eyes visibly redder.
"I see she's taking the pain to the sun," Xander said, feeling so much better than he did the previous night.
"The sun?"
"Do you not know the legends?" Xander explained. "The Caladrius heals people by taking their pain and sickness and releasing it to the sun. In exchange for healing others, they turn blind and can only see by taking in more pain." He looked at Bennette and smiled once more. "How about you?" he asked, "What does healing others take from you?"
"Does it matter?" Bennette gave him a sorrowful smile. "As long as I am of use, then I am satisfied."
Xander was about to say something more when Dorin and Johan came out of the canteen bearing trays of hot coffee, cocoa, and some freshly baked bread.
"Compliments of Mrs. Cooper!" said Dorin, placing the trays on a nearby table, "She said you better stay inside if you don't want to catch a cold."
"Yeah, besides, it's almost time for Dagon to turn back." Johan looked up at the lightening sky and saw Dagon fast approaching.
"Daa!" called Dagon as he fell the rest of the way in his child form!
Good thing Johan caught him in his arms.
"Next time, don't wait for the sun to come up! And don't just drop at people like that!" he scolded him as they sat spangled on the ground. "What if I wasn't there to catch you?"
"Hungry!" Dagon ignored him and went straight to the food trays.
"Well, we're going back to the kitchen," Dorin told his companions, "See you later, I'm getting hungry myself!"