Zethia looked up as someone entered the dining hall and had to bite back a gasp at the sight of a very human-looking Urahara.

“Huh, guy really wasn’t jokin’, was he?” Ranzal murmured at her side as the two of them took in the approaching man.

He really didn’t look that different if she was being honest — he had the same blond hair, sharp face, and tall, slender build as before — but without the mask, tail, and clawed feet he looked… vulnerable almost. Like a simple human instead of nature’s fury given form.

(Could all dragons do that, or only some?)

(Could Midgardsormr?)

(Why had she never heard of it before?)

“Morning,” Urahara greeted them all with a polite nod, then settled on the bench by one of the empty plates they’d set out. “Ranzal, does Rovetelle have anywhere I could buy less conspicuous clothing? Ishida pointed out this morning that I certainly don’t dress like any of you, and thus will stand out anywhere I go.”

Ranzal snorted. “Yeah, ya will. Try Lark’s shop, she’s just off the main thoroughfare, can’t miss her. She usually sells to mercs like me, so she won’t bat an eye at the request for something fast.”

“Perfect, thank you.” Urahara leaned over to accept the bowl of cut fruit from Cleo, then gave it a dry look when he saw how much dragonfruit was mixed in with the rest. “Trying to make up for me being gone the next few days, are we?” he asked as he scooped some into his own bowl and then turned to dish some into the bowl next to his, where Ishida was starting to sit, making the younger dragon wrinkle his nose in reaction. “No faces, eat up,” he said airily as he set the serving bowl aside and reached for the sliced bread nearby.

“You seemed to like it last night,” Euden explained sheepishly as he walked around the table to sit next to Cleo. “And if it helps like Midgardsormr thinks it will…”

“Honey?” Cleo asked as she pushed a jar of honey with a dipper towards the two dragons.

Urahara flashed her a smiled and pulled it closer. “Thanks,” he said as he drizzled honey across his bread then set it closer to Ishida and started to eat. “One day you’ll have to introduce me to this ‘Midgardsormr’,” he said between bites, giving Euden the same dry look he’d given the fruit.

Zethia giggled at the befuddled look that crossed her brother’s face as he realized that they hadn’t ever brought the two young dragons to meet the Windwyrm the day before—

(Had it really just been a day?)

(Goddess preserve…)

(It had felt like so much longer than that.)

Euden cleared his throat and suggested, “We could all go outside after breakfast and meet him? I know you want to get going soon, but it won’t take long to introduce you properly.”

Zethia hid a frown as Ishida cast a quick, cautious glance at Urahara, then hastily resumed poking at the fruit the other dragon had given him; she hadn’t really considered what they were asking of the two of them before, but… they were basically tearing the younger dragon’s protector away from him while he was vulnerable, weren’t they?

(Oh, she truly hoped nothing happened to Urahara while he was out scouting for them.)

(If anything went wrong, would Ishida ever trust them again?)

(She rather doubted it…)

Urahara hummed thoughtfully at the offer, either not seeing or pretending not to see the look Ishida had sent him, then said, “I can make time.”

“Right, I’ll ask Midgardsormr to meet us in the courtyard when we’re done eating,” Euden said cheerfully, clearly pleased with the easy agreement, then dug into his own food with enjoyment. “Thanks for making breakfast, Cleo! It’s delicious.”

“You’re welcome,” Cleo answered with a small, pleased smile, her hidden ears twitching just enough to move the fabric of her large hairpieces.

Motion that clearly caught Urahara’s attention as well, given the slight narrowing of his eyes and the tilt of his head, before he tore his gaze away and focused on his food again; had he never met a sylvan before? Though… if he was passing himself off as human, he probably hadn’t come across any sylvans before, given how rare they were outside of their forests.

(What else had he never come across before?)

(Had he kept away from other dragons, too?)

(Was that why he didn’t know about dragonfruit before now?)

(Oh dear… how much did he simply not know because of having to hide?)

(They’d have to tread carefully around the two.)

The rest of breakfast passed quickly enough, with some pleasant chatter that neither dragon truly joined in on but were clearly listening to, followed by Urahara rising to his feet and beginning to gather up nearby dishes as soon as Cleo did the same.

“Oh, you don’t have to help,” Cleo tried to say, only for Urahara to shake his head and wander past her with a whole armload of dishes.

“It’s only polite,” Urahara said as he disappeared into the kitchen and then reappeared to begin collecting more. “Besides, the sooner all of this is cleaned and put away, the sooner we can all get on with our day.”

Zethia shared an amused look with her brother, then rose to her feet and gathered up a stack of dishes as well. “That sounds like a wonderful plan,” she agreed.

And it truly did go faster with all of them helping; in no time at all the table was cleared, the honey and other condiments had been put away, and the dishes had been washed, dried, and put back where they belonged.

“Midgardsormr says he’s waiting in the courtyard,” Euden announced as soon as everyone had cleaned and dried their hands, then smiled up at Urahara and Ishida as he added, “He’s looking forward to meeting you.”

Urahara and Ishida shared nearly identical looks at that, a touch of wariness about both of them despite Urahara’s better control over his expressions.

“Well, lead on then,” Urahara said as he tucked his hands into his wide sleeves and tipped his head towards Euden.

Zethia hurried to Euden’s side as her brother began to lead them out of the dining room and towards the courtyard, then murmured, “Midgardsormr knows they probably haven’t seen another dragon before, right?” while hoping that she’d kept her voice quiet enough that Urahara and Ishida hadn’t heard her.

Euden nodded faintly and murmured back, “He knows. It’s why he’s in the courtyard and not meeting us there.”

Zethia breathed a sigh of relief at Euden’s confirmation, pleased that they’d taken the extra step to make it as easy an introduction as possible; hopefully this introduction went well and Urahara and Ishida would find a friend in Midgardsormr, or at least someone they could go to with any questions they had.

(They both seemed to need it in their own way.)

(At least Midgardsormr wasn’t like some of her siblings’ dragons…)

(Those introductions would have been a pain.)

She blinked at the sudden light as they stepped through a side entrance and out into the vast, overgrown courtyard — yet another thing they’d need to take care of if they were going to make this place their home — where Euden had said Midgardsormr was waiting. It took her a moment to spot him where he lay, resting in a patch of sunlight, his great scales nearly matching the grass around him; confident with her identification, she partially turned towards Urahara and Ishida, watching them to see /their/ reaction to Midgardsormr’s appearance.

Midgardsormr’s head lifted from the ground as they approached, his wings rustling as moved. “Good morning to you all. I am Midgardsormr, the lord of maelstroms.”

Ishida froze as soon as Midgardsormr addressed them, his eyes wide and his fingers flexing as if he wanted to grab something, but it was Urahara’s sharp, calculating gaze as he stared up at Midgardsormr that worried her the most; there was something dangerous about it, like he was assessing a potential threat, that made her fear for all of their safety.

(Why would a dragon consider another dragon a threat?)

(Unless they were set against each other by their pacts, she’d never heard of dragons fighting other dragons.)

“Good morning,” Urahara said at last, the dangerous edge to his gaze fading back into a more pleasant smile. “I am Urahara Kaito, and this is Ishida Uryuu. As I told the others last night, feel free to call us Urahara and Ishida.”

Midgardsormr chuckled a bit and nodded his head. “Yes, I saw your conversation last night. Well met, Urahara and Ishida, and I thank you, Urahara, for taking on the task of scouting that my bonded might avoid walking into unexpected danger.”

“You saw it…?” Ishida asked with a confused frown, then swallowed and clenched his jaw as Midgardsormr’s attention swung towards him. “Sorry but… were you in the room, somehow?”

“No,” Midgardsormr answered kindly, then explained, “I share a bond with young Euden, the two of us having recently formed a pact between us. It allows me to share his senses if I wish to do so, and allows him to take my form when he needs to.”

“Fascinating,” Urahara murmured, then blinked when Ishida sent him a wry look and shook his head, smiling sheepishly as he said, “Sorry, I’ve never come across the like before, and the idea is a fascinating one. When I return, perhaps we can speak more of it and its intricacies?”

Zethia shared a concerned look with Euden at that; if Urahara hadn’t even heard of pacts before, what else didn’t he know about? Did he not know about dragonblood or the royal family? What about the Ilian Church? She’d thought— but no, if they’d not been raised by other dragons, how could they know about pacts or dragonblood? As humans, they’d certainly have heard about how the Alberian royal family made pacts with dragons, but the specifics of it were not often spoken of in places where commoners could overhear or learn of.

“Of course,” Midgardsormr agreed with a slight nod. “I would be pleased to answer whatever questions you may have,” he said, then tilted his head towards Ishida and added, “You as well, Ishida. If there is anything you wish to ask me, do not hesitate to do so.”

“Right, of course,” Ishida said faintly, then swallowed and wiped his palms on his robe. “Thank you for the offer.”

Urahara turned to Ishida and leaned in, clearly whispering a question to the younger dragon based on the way Ishida scowled and shook his head, murmuring something back. Urahara didn’t quiet seem satisfied with the answer, but he still straightened up and nodded to everyone, saying, “If that’s all, I need to be on my way. I’ll return as soon as possible with news.”

And before Zethia could do more than open her mouth to wish him luck, Urahara vanished in a rush of wind and a flicker of power that she could just barely feel.

“Show off,” Ishida muttered grumpily, then swallowed, gave them all a wary, uncertain look, and said, “I’m going to go lay down,” before retreating back inside.

Ranzal made a considering noise as he watched Ishida’s retreating back. “Goin’ to have yer work cut out for ya with that one,” he said thoughtfully. “Best leave him be for a bit, let him get comfortable with us on his own time.”

“We can do that,” Euden agreed. “I’ll make sure to keep inviting him down for meals, but I won’t push if he says no.”

Zethia nodded in agreement. Ranzal was right, but so was Euden; without Ishida’s protector around, they’d need to be a lot more cautious about approaching Ishida, but… hopefully he’d become more comfortable with them over time.

(She really hoped nothing went poorly.)

(She really hoped so…)

(For all of their sakes.)