From her mouth did not a single sound escape, ears upright and attention honed in on the male before her. As his tale was spun and his reason shared, she listened just as eagerly as a child might towards her mother’s bedtime utterances, finding the past to be just as important as the present and future alike. And as his voice slowed to a stop, she felt a shy smile attempting to slip into her expression, resulting in the discreet upturning of the corners of her lips. “I can appreciate your intentions,” stated the girl, her voice having nearly lost its way within her throat. Although her nerves had since begun to settle gradually, the point at which they would be shed in full had yet to arrive. “I think it’s—it is—nice,” added the lamb. “Your brothers and you must be very kindhearted.” It sounded to her as if they were the same as those within her family—the ones that lived so terribly far away, whose lives and choices had been shared with her through the tellings of her mother’s memories. It was reassuring, truly, and led her to believe that the balance and peace her mother sought to maintain actually existed.

The skill which could be contributed was useful, it seemed, a statement that made the flesh beneath her ravenesque coat heat up considerably; such words were ones that she could not yet feel comfortable with when hearing them exit the mouths of males. Twisting her thoughts and setting her eagerness loose in another direction were the results of her youthful peculiarities, the young dragoness having quickly found herself set on becoming a wonderful Botanist. “I will focus on botany,” she decided aloud, eyes of powder seeking some sign of approval within his gaze. “My mother is a Medic. I should not follow so closely in her steps that I become her shadow.” With that, her decision was finalised. Kaori loved her mother, that she would never deny, but to become a perfect replica of the woman was something that she could neither do nor wanted to try.

At last, the boy was given a name: Rannoch. It was interesting, the syllables falling together in a way that she had never before heard—which, she noticed, seemed to happen each and every time she met someone outside of her family. Perhaps, she wondered, they often felt the same about her own moniker, but never would she be able to bring herself to ask. Instead, she said, “It’s nice to meet you, too, Rannoch.” A pleasure, she knew, that she was lucky to have experienced.

During her time spent with her mother, Kaori had never really been made to figure out her future. Each lesson had intrigued her, for the most part, and she’d known that she would have all of the time in the world to decide on the type of life she’d like to lead—well, not necessarily all of the time in the world, she’d come to realise. No matter, the gentle shove from the nest had forced her to spread her wings and, by doing so, she found herself pursuing something other than her mother. Botany was similar to what her mother did, of course, but the slight differences were prevalent enough to satisfy her; the encouragement offered further solidified her decision, too.

As the offer to meet the others was extended, she found herself unable to respond. At first, her skin began to heat up whilst her stomach tied itself into a knot, her entire being made uneasy by the mere thought of meeting others. Yet, the more she thought about it—and the longer she looked at him—the faster her anxiety faded away. Still, it was with a great deal of hesitance that she nodded and said, “I would love to meet them.”