Book One: Onnu and Pannu

Oh Brother!

:Dwayne's world, huh?:

   :Shut up, Trey. We don't have names for the planets yet. We can't even tell one from the other, so how would we name them? I only told you because I thought it might help you spread knowledge.:

   :Party on, Garth.:

   :Shut up, Trey.:

   :You're just mad because it's funny.:

   :Hey, he's the one who named himself Dwayne. Be glad I'm not making masonry jokes.:

   :That wouldn't... rock.:

   :Dammit, I set that one up, didn't I?:

   :Rock on.:

   :DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM! Wait, how did you... I thought I was just talking to Trey.:

   :What? I thought he'd get a kick out of this. Besides, it is his name.:

   Onnu growled, and wouldn't talk to either of them for a week. She broke down and poked Trey, just to make sure he was still alive. He teased her about it, so she spent another week ignoring him. She spent the time arranging moots, or meetings, or whatever they decided to call them, and teaching Dwayne the things they had learned.
   He, in turn, taught her what he and his littles had learned. For example, they had found a way to make hand drums out of various plant fibers, stiffened with one of the looser clays. Hers had been making them out of rings of vine stiffened with crystal cover. Both had the traditional animal skin drum heads, but her kin made shallow drums similar to bodhrans, while his made the deeper drums with smaller heads.
   She refused to mention that with two kinds of drums, they could, indeed, party on. The boys would never let her live it down if she did.
   Dwayne did threaten to name one of his hatchlings Garth, but he never made good on it. The poor kid would be teased by Trey mercilessly, and they both began to hope he dropped the whole thing sometime soon.
   He did, however, seriously consider naming his grey son Rock. Trey said he should call him what he was: Greyson. In the end, though, he went with Sam. He didn't understand why Onnu suggested he name the green one Dean, and his brown daughter Mary.
   :I get the feeling these are references I don't get.:

   :They are,: she said with a smile no one in her vicinity would understand.
   He opted for Martha and Jack. She chuckled, but didn't say anything.
   Dwayne couldn't understand why Trey didn't reproduce during his travels; spread his seed, as he put it. Onnu carefully refrained from having an opinion either way. Distance seemed to help settle their hormones, so their relationship softened into an uneasy friendship. They knew they could do what they had to do, if it came to that, and it was enough--for her, anyway. He didn't talk to her about it, and she wouldn't bring it up.
   Onnu told Pannu what she talked about with her Brothers, whenever possible. They weren't discussing Celestial matters very often, and it was usually relevant to Hold business.
   When they were talking about drums, she reminded him to ask the Mountain Clan about instruments, even if they couldn't make them large enough for him to play.
   If they were exchanging recipes, she made sure one of them told Clay or Dean. Giving Pannu recipes to relay kept him in the loop, and gave them twice the chance to pass them along.
   In the process of talking to their littles, as Trey called them, and her Brothers, Onnu learned that their planet did, indeed, have a name. It had been dubbed long ago "Tupino", short for "Earth 2.0". No one thought to mention it to the dragons, and it hadn't come up until they began to exchange ideas cross-planet.
   Onnu hesitantly mentioned "forta firma" in place of "terra firma", and it spread like wildfire on both worlds. Since it was short for "fortnight", they decided that it could be used on any of the planets. The kin across the worlds loved the words so much, they tried putting "forta" in everything. Terms came and went, including "cumulo forta" (which made no sense at all, since the only clouds they saw followed a Charon), "forta-fied food", and "forta tuna". The last couldn't really be called a fish, but they were edible. She was afraid the name would endure, and the odd little plated creatures would be called tuna forever. Personally, she thought they looked more like lobsters and fish had a baby, but she let them name things what they would. Even when she didn't particularly agree.
   One that stuck was "may forta smile upon you." It was similar to the word fortune, and showed appreciation for the land and its bounty. As long as they didn't worship the planets, Onnu let it slide.
   Another word that stayed around was "firth". They couldn't really call the ground, or soil, earth, so they combined "forta" and "earth" to make "firth". 
   The kin of their Hold had so much fun with words, they started saying things like "Tupinorth" instead of just "north", since compasses hadn't been sorted out, and there was no moon. In place of "human", they said "tupin", since there were currently no humans in the neighborhood.
   Onnu almost wished she hadn't been privy to the rapid evolution of language. She had trouble sorting out the words that flew in her direction sometimes, and they couldn't keep a papygrass dictionary intact long enough to track them all.
   :No, I think "fortakin" might be a your planet thing. Maybe don't let it cross Between to us, eh? Sounds too close to something else.:

   :You sure? My littles don't seem as keen on making new words as they are on learning them. Not too common that they come up with them first.:

   :Honestly, no, but how else would they have learned it? I've never heard it, and you're the only one I can talk to over there, so how would it have crossed the divide?:

   Dwayne groaned. :I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count.:

   Onnu could only think of one other being who could cross Between. :I gather Trey has made it to your world, then? Hey, did he start out there, or were there three worlds with Elder Dragons on them?:

   :The Undying Trinity began on different worlds. And yes, he's made his way here. That's why I called, but then I heard someone say "fortakin" and I forgot.:

   She tried to smother a snicker, but Pannu heard it anyway. She mouthed "tell you later". He nodded. The littles nearby tried not to let on that they'd heard her laugh. The less they let on that they knew, the more they heard.
   :I'm not keen on the word "trinity", by the by. Unless you haven't got borderline zealots over there? 'Cause I keep having to remind the kin here that we aren't gods.:

   It hadn't occurred to him, but he also hadn't told anyone but Trey what he called them.
   :Well yeah, but did you say it within the Hold? 'Cause our voices carry an awfully long distance.:

   :Shards,: he swore. :Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep an earflap to the ground, on that one. Listen, Trey is being... well, himself. He learned some other choice tidbits that I'm not sure I want spread around. Can I call you back?:

   Onnu rolled her eyes. :Good luck.:

   :Thanks. Think I'm gonna need it.: