Emery

The entire Dragon-Kin group sat in a circle on the training cavern's floor. They had ended a little early today because the Elders wanted to discuss something, and had ended up gathering around Avuri's cousins who had all basically collapsed after a particularly brutal training session with Eiry.

Glenn, Cove, and Mica were all sprawled out breathing heavily when Eiry called everyone over, and once they were arranged in a rough circle to talk, Cierra, Stena, and Kord took a hint from their extended family members and sprawled out as well to take full advantage of the break. And the cold stone floor was bound to be comfortable as well.

"We've been at this for a while now." Eiry remained standing, arms crossed, looking every bit like the military commander she often felt like. "I think we need to discuss next steps."

"Next steps?" Emery asked.

"Yes. We believe some of you are ready for the bond."

Emery raised an eyebrow, and she could feel Avuri's relative shock at the statement as well. They had been training for around five total months at this point, and while Emery couldn't deny that they had all made unbelievable strides toward their respective preparations, she had honestly expected it to take longer.

Avuri had expected another few months at least, while Emery had it in her head that they would be training for a year before anyone was ready. Of course, she also had to admit that it was probably just because 'a year' sounded nice and round in her head.

"I'm confident that Kord is ready." Ray said.

"Emery is, as well."

"So is Avuri."

"Glenn, Mica, and Cove are also ready, although I plan to hold them back until they learn my basic flight technique." Eiry said. The three siblings all looked like they were internally warring over excitement and disappointment at being so close but not allowed to move forward yet.

"Cierra is likely ready as well, although I would prefer she spend a little more time solidifying her mixed Qi foundation. I think she's capable of making it through, but I would prefer the added safety of a bit more time." Cyril looked down on Cierra with pride, despite the woman being spread out on the floor like a child.

"I believe Stena is more than ready for the Bond, but the Breakthrough situation is more dependent on her own state of mind. I would leave the decision up to her." Vyne turned his hand over, motioning to Stena who propped herself up from her back with her elbows, looking awkward and surprised.

Emery could see in her daughter's face that despite that, she was seriously considering what Vyne had said.

"I'll wait." Stena muttered after a long moment, then repeated it with more conviction. "I'll wait."

Vyne nodded, apparently quite satisfied with her answer. Emery and Avuri were both proud of her as well - neither had missed the fact that Stena had arguably been given the option to pass her older sister handily but had not simply jumped at the chance to prove herself.

That was visible progress, though Emery had no idea if Stena saw it that way. For all she knew, Stena had chosen to wait just to look good. But somehow, Emery didn't think that was the case.

"Then the question is," Eiry began again, "do we push forward for Emery, Avuri, and Kord, or wait until everyone is prepared for a single day?"

Kord looked over at his mothers and bowed his head, clearly leaving the decision in their hands. Emery quietly cursed the boy for that - he surely had his own opinion on the matter, but would likely not give it.

Emery and Avuri met eyes and traded simple feelings back and forth through their bond. Emery knew how she felt about the situation, but wanted to be sure they were on the same page.

The homesickness and excitement that she felt from Avuri told her they were in lockstep on the decision.

"We'll go through with it." Avuri declared.

"We've been away from home almost daily for five months. I think it's time our children got their parents back." Emery agreed.

"You just want to get back to dote on your nephew." Vale teased. But Emery knew that it was also exactly how he felt.

"You're one to talk."

Vale shrugged at that. "Guilty as charged."

Eiry sighed and shifted her weight before clearing her throat to get everyone's attention again before they strayed too far off topic. "Tomorrow, then. You three will go through the Bonding ceremony, one at a time. Kord will go first, as he's liable to take the longest because of the likelihood of the Sky Realm Breakthrough. Prepare yourselves tonight, and return tomorrow well rested and focused."

She turned to look over the others and added, "You five will continue training tomorrow, of course, so consider today's early ending a little bonus. Rest and relax; I expect you to return tomorrow ready to train."

Her eyes ghosted over Mica, Glenn, and Cove when she added, "Especially you three. I expect you to fly by the end of the month."

"That's…not even two weeks." Cove croaked, still breathing heavily.

"You heard me." Eiry declared, sounding overly domineering. Emery had a moment where she was really quite glad she hadn't been training with the woman. But then her face, stance, and voice all softened into something more motherly, "Enjoy your rest, everyone. You've earned it."

Something about her bearing put Emery more in mind of a grandmotherly type, even despite her looking perhaps middle aged at most.

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As the small congregation broke apart to prepare to head home for the night, smaller conversations broke out. Emery took note of Ray slapping Kord on the back, congratulating the boy. Kord, who almost always had a look of sheer determination and seriousness on his face, was smiling proudly at the praise, and bumped his forearm against Ray's in a sign of affection.

Cierra and Stena both looked more satisfied with the outcome than Emery had expected they would, given Kord's allowance to proceed. On the other hand, if they were able to recognize the differences in their situation and his, that was a good sign. Her kids really were growing into fine adults.

Once everyone said their goodbyes for the day, and Avuri's cousins were able to scrape themselves off the ground, Vale flew everyone home.

They arrived a little after everyone else had eaten dinner, so Emery and Avuri were at least able to spend a couple hours with their kids. They were pretty quickly dragged into playing a game on the playground with everyone. It got rowdy and loud, but that was a nice change from the scattered bits of time they had gotten to spend with the kids in the last few months.

Eventually, though, they had to send the children to bed. And while Emery would have loved nothing more than to play well into the night, everyone from the older kids to the younger had been wiped out from being active all day and were clearly ready to sleep.

Once they had tucked in Arek and Astra, Emery and Avuri retired to their own bedroom. Emery could idly feel both Cierra and Stena meditating in their own bedrooms. She guessed that while they may have recognized their current situations, it still had lit a fire under them to really give it their all.

Avuri chuckled, feeling Emery's amusement through their bond. "They're really going at it, aren't they?"

"I suspect they're fitting in extra Cultivation now because they think they'll be watching the bonds tomorrow."

Emery watched as a wry smile spread over Avuri's face. "Oh, those sweet little girls. You really think they believe they'll get a rest day tomorrow?"

"That's exactly what I think. They're planning to just watch tomorrow."

"There's no way Vyne and Cyril let them skip training."

"I know." Emery laughed. "The question is; do we tell them that?"

"Hell no." Avuri laughed. "They may be mildly upset tomorrow, but I think they'll appreciate the extra practice, honestly."

"That's true. Want to take bets on whether they'll start to do late night practice?" Emery asked, as she slipped into their closet to change into her sleeping clothes.

"I bet they will." Avuri slipped into the bathroom to start her own 'before bed' routine. "They sleep more than your average Earth Realm these days as is. I think they'll choose to start using their time better."

"I could see that." Emery's eyes tracked to the side where her daughters were working in their own rooms. "There's no way that Stena doesn't push herself if Cierra tries to."

"That girl." Avuri sighed. "The way she puts so much pressure on herself is hard to watch. She so clearly admires Cierra so much and puts her on a pedestal to the point that she writes off her own success in comparison."

"I think her talks with Vyne have been helping a lot, though. She seems more self-assured than when this all started. Or at least more aware of her own success."

"I hope so." Avuri said, leaning against the doorway of the closet, watching Emery slip into her loose-fitting night shirt. She gave her wife a solid look up and down, then smiled. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"How are you feeling about tomorrow?" Avuri asked, her voice suddenly taking on a more serious edge. Emery could feel the earnestness in her question, too.

"Solid, I think." Emery walked toward Avuri, slid her hand around the woman's waist, and spun gently in a circle, depositing Avuri solidly inside the closet so she could get her own clothing swapped. Emery gave her a kiss, too, before letting go.

"Solid, hm?"

"I think so." Emery moved into the bathroom to wash her face and take her turn for bed prep, transitioning into mental conversation as she did so. "I don't think any of us have any real idea what the Bonding ritual will be like, so it's hard to be perfectly confident or anything like that. I believe my body is prepared to accept a whole mess of fire Qi, though, and I'm mentally prepared for what I imagine will be like any other Breakthrough."

"You're far more worried about Kord." Avuri sent back a statement, not a question.

"I am. People always underestimate the Sky Realm Breakthrough. It's the first real test of your true mettle, and I've heard too many stories of Cultivators not being prepared."

"While I understand where you're coming from Em, I don't think we need to worry about that with Kord. We've drilled it into all of the kids, and Ray has been pushing him hard, too. I think he's more prepared for it than we were."

"And I think you're right." Emery splashed her face and took a deep breath, enjoying the cool water on her skin. "Doesn't make me worry any less. Besides, I can feel your worry wafting off you, too, so don't try to tell me you're sitting over there unconcerned."

"Can't hide anything from you, can I?" Avuri sent back, amusement coming with it.

"And what about you, hm?" Emery asked out loud again, as they reconvened in the bedroom proper. "You're ready?"

"As I'll ever be, I guess." Avuri shrugged. "If anything, I'm surprised how much I've improved while training with Lyn. I didn't expect to be shown exact areas of improvement to work on so easily."

"I wish I had the same feeling." Emery laughed. "My training has been so spiritual focused that while I can visibly see the changes in my Cultivation, I don't actually feel much stronger."

"Every one of us has followed such disparate training regimens that it's quite hard to compare." Avuri said, slipping onto the bed. Emery joined her; they sat in the middle, back to back, in a comfortable meditation pose.

With barely a thought, they both slipped into their combined Inner World. The place looked almost alien when compared to just months before.

The center of the space was dominated by a large mansion that looked remarkably similar to their actual house. Scattered around it was a mess of brick and stone buildings with tall chimneys sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky from the active forges within. What had once looked more like a camp of artisans in the middle of nowhere now looked much more like a built town with sturdy, permanent buildings.

A snow storm raged all around, though the winds and snow that pelted through the village wasn't as vicious as it could have been. Regardless, it still left everything covered in a layer of snow that would crunch satisfyingly under foot.

Their spiritual bodies within the space had changed, too. Avuri retained the general snow fairy look, but her body looked more well defined than before. Some of the inherent softness and etherealness of the spiritual world had been driven away, leaving Avuri looking more imposing than she had previously.

Emery had changed, too. The dragon scales that covered her body in her spiritual form looked more like Vale's than ever before. While they had started black, they had gained a glossy sheen that made them look somehow healthier. Her eyes had also changed, the color darkening from their normal steel-gray to a more volatile gray that smoldered with a slight red glow behind them.

When they both appeared in the center of Avuri's building in their town, settled against one another already, neither wasted any time and slipped straight into a deep meditation. Emery wanted to be as calm as she could manage when she tackled everything the next day, and she could tell that Avuri felt the same.

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