Silvertip Mountain Your face-saving promises, whispered like prayers

This was great - something to take his mind off the horror which had unfolded just the day before. It seemed like a nightmare, and he didn't intend to dwell on it when he had a wealth of information in front of him. Steady laughed at his question (not unkindly or in ridicule though - Mason already greatly appreciated his Uncle for these little things) then he suddenly turned a bit more serious.

He could understand a girl who didn't want puppies. After all, that was what his Mum had been. "I think I would like puppies one day." Mason announced to Steady, and then realised that he should probably be a bit more courteous to the man who had lost his mate over puppies. "But maybe it's better she told you before you got to become mates. Dad got puppies which he wanted but his mate left in the end, because she didn't want... us." Mason finished lamely, avoiding naming her as 'mother' because he could not attribute the word to her due to her faults in the role.

It was particularly obvious that the topic of his biological parent leaving was not one which stressed him anywhere near as much as Zaria. Mason continued the conversation. "If you had a puppy, would you want a boy or a girl? And what colour?" Yes, still the age when a magical belly press created exactly what you wanted. He and Fitz had not yet had the talk.