Dragon - Male green (wood) Kavarrin - Sponsored to Planet Twenty with Vanya and Ruarth.
Power of Artistic Developement. Can create grand sculptures at will using "Tree-Speech", which allows all plants he wishes to bend, grow, shrink, and curl in the manner he so wishes. The deatil of his sculptures is greater with each one he makes. Adult size is 36 feet in length with a 48 foot wingspan.

Vanya was pleased to share his room with a new dragon. Once the weirdness of Shy's little prank passed (and it had hardly passed according to the poor scientist Kynfalkirlan) and it was settled that Vanya would remain until Shy sponsored or - gods forbid - actually Joined with a dragon. Just to keep tabs on him. It was the least he could do - after all, Vanya and Baeris had shared some nice things in the past. It would hardly be fitting to have an adventure with her if she's not actually present for it.

Would it?

Would it, Vanya? Asked Kavarrin. The Wood dragon was growing quickly, but not so fast that Vanya and Ruarth couldn't keep him entertained, educated, and best of all, looking fine.

"Yes, it would be quite rude, actually," he smirked, "if I were to join Shy in taking pleasure with the woman, when she's not here. It is somewhat insulting. But amusing none the less."

Yes, I remember you laughing about it, at the hatching.

"Do you?" Vanya asked. "That's something. Ruarth barely remembers yesterday sometimes."

Hey!

"Well it's true," the tall Zekiran said. "Not that I'd trade you for anything - not even you, Kavarrin. You know I share this space in respect to you."

And it is appreciated! The green dragon purred. He had a sapling tree before him, where there had been a cutting an hour earlier.

"That is coming along nicely," Vanya said.

I am proud of it, Kavarrin said. I am going to make it into something nice for you.

"When we get to Planet Twenty," Vanya said with a smile, "you're going to be beside yourself with all the wood and plants to shape there."

I could carry us now, Ruarth suggested. But the big blue knew that Vanya was going to stay on. I could bring Shy along too, if you think-

"He is not going to Planet Twenty with us just yet," Vanya said, sharply. He adored Shy's projects, he knew the value of the genetic engineering he did. But at least after a while, Vanya himself knew better than to just take and not tell. Shy had done so too many times to be trusted. Perhaps they could go and find some new clothing, he and Shy. That would keep them both occupied...

It had been a while since that landing, and Planet Twenty was growing as an economic force in Kin space as well as Human. There had been an Otherspace incursion several years back, but the dragons, Zekirans and Kin all fought them off well enough that they wouldn't be back any time soon. That gave the inhabitants of the world time to relax. Vanya found that relaxing under the shade of the gazebo-tree that Kavarrin had created for him was quite nice. It still grew, it was a living tree still, so it was an ongoing project for the green dragon. That merely gave them an excuse to sit and enjoy the day together, anyway.

Ruarth was able to spread his wings and enjoy the huge windy skies, roosting on the mountainside. He was joined frequently by Kavarrin and dozens of other dragons. Here, there was space to grow. Even the city of Zekira, where the immortals had decided to create their new stronghold, was tiny compared to the space that the planet had to offer. The world was probably bigger than their homeworld, and had different land mass. They had to get used to oceans again, but every few thousands of years they'd colonized another world on their way here and some had massive unbroken seas.

Though they spent most of their time here, Vanya and Ruarth traveled constantly back and forth to the Healing Den. From there, of course, anywhere was an easy destination. This day, they found that something new had gone on at a place Vanya really had no plans on visiting - normally. It was under the sea, and no Zekiran normally had the kind of willpower to remain there for long. His daughter with Jolie, Daurana, might - she was as much at home there as on the shore. But there was something so intriguing that Vanya had to steel his wits and go.

"They require care that only you experienced bonders or caretakers have," Said the woman in charge, who was to Vanya's great delight a powerful geneticist, "and the fact that you arrived here on a dragon," she glanced at Ruarth who was busy 'chatting' with another local, "tells me enough. Are... you all right?"

Vanya kept looking up, around, and had a strangely fearful expression the whole time. "Is ... this place ... entirely underwater?"

The woman chuckled, "yes, yes of course it is, the better to protect its contents, yes?"

Vanya wasn't so convinced, but he nodded. "I... don't swim. Too much." As a very tall and lean Zekiran, he would stand little chance of floating, so it was obvious where his fears lay. But Dragonflight assured him that there had never been any problems with their home.

"Besides," she said, "did you not spend ... however long it was," she waved a hand, "in deep space? In a ship there? Are you not afraid of being out in space?"

"I'm afraid of a lot of things, quite frankly," Vanya answered, "but that is a good point, it ... took me several decades to get used to being in artificial gravity. This way I suppose, it's at least real in a world and not out floating around."

He began to look somewhat queasy again, so he was led to his temporary quarters. Ruarth found him again later.

So we are going to find someone here, yes? There are so many interesting people here!

"Yes, there are," Vanya replied. "Interesting indeed."

Whatever was brewing in this place, Vanya could feel it. It wasn't normally like him to regress to his Outsider ways - that is to say that whenever he was around spirits or ghosts, they tended to use his body as a conduit and make him do things that he wasn't normally able to - but it almost felt like he had. Perhaps he was trying to convince himself that the crushing location, miles below the surface and under billions of spans of water was the reason.

But it wasn't quite that. It was all the psionic and magical energy. There may very well have been a couple ghosts around too, he had no way of really knowing because he just normally wasn't the type of Zekiran who had that ability. His lover, Mirage, could - even as a young child she could sense spirits. That power carried on in several of their long-dead original children, and now in another pair that they'd managed to create here on Planet Twenty.

They'd been in space for so long, after all, they did really love one another. Mirage's new body - her third - did in fact go into a 'hyperfertility event' (or as Vanya would always tactlessly call 'heat') and they took advantage of it. Twice. In a decade. How different it was here, with these immortal people, Vanya thought.

He blinked, and realized that he was halfway between sleep and wakefulness, and thinking on Mirage always made him feel whole. The thought of her drove away any troubles that he might have in finding his way around this weird under-water location.

So Vanya got up, and headed off to view the newly 'born' dragons which Dragonflight had somehow created. He'd been flirting with some local medical mage when the actual hatching had occurred, but then again not very many folks appeared to have been at that event. A few others milled about like he was doing, they all rather kept their distances from one another - their intense gazes like his own vibrant blue eyes had, were all on the dragonets.

He was able to detect slight differences in each of them - aside from their colors which were bright and bold and obvious. Some had healing powers - how he knew that was beyond him. Some of them ... well there was something distinct about all of them, but one in particular caught his eye. She was female, a pale color almost white but with enough pretty shadows over her furry sides to make her - wait, wasn't she white a second ago? Now she was a buff color...

Vanya grinned, "that is an interesting trick. I have several children who can do that."

The dragoness perked up, her head still wobbly on her neck. She cooed at him, making a noise that he knew meant she was a bit hungry. Glancing around he noticed there were places for the 'hatchlings' to snack, so he indicated one of them. "Come on, this way. It's not far."

I know it is not far, but I am still kind of tired... That trick you like so much has worn me out!

Surprised but not really unprepared for such a comment, Vanya chuckled again, and aimed a thought at Ruarth who was off somewhere above. I like this one, he thought.

Well then invite her home! I bet she would like to see others that could help her learn.

"Novel idea, I think I'll use it," Vanya said, and turned again to the little dragonet who had began scarfing down finely chopped bits of food. "I also know some dragons who can do it," he said, and that got her to turn her head at him quickly. She all but fell over in her haste to look. "Would you like to meet them?"

She nodded, stray bits of meat still clinging to her furry muzzle. Can I please? I think you can teach me more than you realized...

"Well then that settles it," Vanya said, with another chuckle. "You'll fit right in."

I am called Merajanay, by the way, she sent mentally.

***

There was much to learn, indeed. And people to meet! While she was a bit hesitant to join in big groups with lots of the other Zekirans, Merajanay enjoyed Vanya's company along with his partner's. Mirage and her dragons simply fawned over the new addition, and Merajanay kept having to explain that no, she didn't bond him, particularly, but she felt safest near the dark-skinned Zekiran man. Ruarth and even Kavarrin would warn anyone off if she was getting too uptight. She did however, state frequently how pretty she thought Mirage was, and how similar the dragoness and she seemed.

Your city is pretty too, Merajanay asserted, looking up at it. It was still being built, it would perhaps always be 'still' in progress. But there were two new spires, along the north 'road' which would lead to other Kin lands, and they were planning on putting up another pair to mirror them in the south.

Vanya took the time to locate some shapeshifters, and over time they began helping Mera learn how best to control her color and pattern alteration. She wasn't going to be able to change her whole appearance, she'd always have the same features. But they could become metallic seeming, rainbow, or even blend in seamlessly with the surroundings.

When she was grown enough to locate her own spot on the mountainside, for her personal lair, Merajanay felt some weird prickling in her mind. She looked up to see Mirage, with her head tilted to the side. A bit warily, the dragon said, yes?

"When you came home with Vanya, he said that you told him something odd. He told me you said that he could teach you more than he realized. I understand what that means, now."

If the dragon had eyebrows, she would have furrowed them at that. Not only did she not genuinely remember having said just about anything at the earliest part of her life, she didn't quite see what Mirage's point was.

"I can help you learn to recognize genetics," Mirage said, "it was said many years ago that on our homeworld, if I'd been instructed more thoroughly in it, I would have become one of the grand Breeders of the era. I have the ability," she said, sitting down near the pearlescent colored dragon, "to distinguish one gene from another, and to aid those who can manipulate those genetics in new creatures and cells."

But... What has this got to do with me?

"Why," Mirage laughed, "I sense in your genes the ability to alter your own children's genes. You could select things to be passed on, or given up, you could create your own children's appearances or abilities with this power. It is significant, it's not to be taken lightly."

But.... None of my parents can do that.

That dismayed Mirage just a moment. But then she said, "well you were genetically engineered yourself. Zekirans that are born that way often have new and interesting abilities, themselves!" Mirage laughed. "I don't think it much matters, what does is that if you want to, I will help you learn to see these genes, and perhaps even help you find a mate to ... try them out on?"

Merajanay nodded slowly. I have seen some quite fine dragons flying around here, perhaps...

Name: Merajanay
Gender: Female
Abilities: Telepathy, Teleportation, Pattern-Shifting, Gene Manipulation (In Offspring)

Mates: Has had several successful breedings with a variety of males, and a stupendous number of them at the Checkerboard Ball!

Lineages!