Book One: Onnu and Pannu

Build and Grow

The up side to spending so much time Above was, they had plenty of fire to finish the remaining construction projects the next day. The others had stored the bricks and glass when they got the idea that their dragons would be delayed a bit longer than anticipated.
   The hatchlings got in the game a little bit, helping the smaller kin hold bricks and panels in place, when they were allowed to join in. They were fireproof, so the only concern was their ability to hold the pieces steady.
   When a few houses were completed, the dragons took a break. A small group of kin approached Onnu while she rested. The spokeskin seemed to be Maggie.
   "Ms. Onnu? We had a question."
   The dragon looked down at the furgoyle, perplexed. "Why 'Ms.', if I might ask?"
   Maggie's ears dipped back a little. "Well, we don't know if you're married to Pannu, 'cause we don't know what it'd look like if you were, an' nobody asked, so..." She shrugged, her decorative sleeve draping fluttering with the movement.
   Onnu forced a chuckle. "I'm not sure either. If you must use some sort of honorific, perhaps 'teacher', or something like that? We can work that out later. What's the question?"
   Maggie fumbled with a folded bit of fabric. Onnu thought she would ask a sewing question, which she wasn't always certain she could answer.
   "Some of us were thinking... We've learned so much from you. Or 'sew' much," she laughed. "But there's been talk of staying at Blue Hold for a bit? You know, to refine our skills," she babbled.
   Onnu put her out of her misery mercifully. "I can only teach basics that I know, and older sewing methods. Weaver is more skilled in fundamentals, and modern techniques from Erdewaz. It is entirely reasonable to want to learn from both of us. I did wonder why you hadn't gone straight away, if I'm honest."
   Maggie's ears flicked uncertainly. "Loyalty, my lady. What else?"
   The dragoness appreciated their loyalty, but she did not like the title. If she was a lady, then Pannu would be called lord, and that simply would not do! She said so gently, with no ill humor or undue chastisement.
   "I really do think 'teacher' will suffice. I know you want to show respect, and that is admirable. I ask you this: how could any title could rise above 'teacher', when Jesus himself was called such? You know I don't like to bang on about God stuff, but if it's good enough for Him, I think we dragons can be okay with being called teachers."
   Maggie and the others laughed a little. "I suppose you're right. Is Ms. okay, too, or do you prefer ma'am?"
   "I prefer ma'am, but I cannot speak for the other dragons. It's probably a good bet to ask when you meet them. Maybe also ask Pannu if he's okay with 'sir' before you call him that. Even I don't know how he'll take to it."
   "I call him sir all the time," Liam said. "He hasn't objected yet."
   "Well, there you go. Now, do you all need a ride, or have you already handled that part?"
   The little crowd shuffled their feet. Eventually, an elf in the back said they were just waiting for permission.
   "But we had to ask now, or we won't make it before Charon's Pass."
   "Oh! Oh, then be on your way! With my blessing, not that you needed it. Have fun, learn lots, and come back whenever you think you've learned enough."
   Winged kin that had been hovering nearby, mostly metaphorically, swooped in to retrieve their riders. Onnu and Pannu waved goodbye when they were all aloft. The winged kin did a quick spiral up toward the crystals, so their riders could wave to everyone, and then they were gone. They really couldn't delay long.
   The dragons got four more houses up that day. Some were all glass, some were glass and clay, and one was clay without glass windows.
   The last was storage for sensitive material components, so they didn't want light to potentially contaminate, spoil, or change them in unpredictable ways. It was little more than a storage shed, so it took the least amount of time of all of them. It abutted her sleeping niche, in such a way that she didn't need a door. She did have to sort of slide in sideways, but she insisted that it was better that way.
   "Are you sure, Greta? It looks awfully awkward. I can still leave you a little door right up against the wall."
   "With all due respect, Onnu ma'am, I deal in powders. If I'm gonna store them out here, I need as little wind to get to 'em as possible."
   "Fair point. I still think a door is doable, if it fits tightly enough. Something to think about, in the future."
   Greta thanked her in such a way that Onnu knew she wouldn't put a door in. She set about tugging containers into her new shed, with her partner Soot scooting things where she could reach them.
   "You can put a door on the house," Soot said apologetically. "Maybe stick it to the back wall of the shed--no, we don't have to put a door from the house, but we could, later," he assured Greta hastily.
   Onnu left them to sort out the shed, after promising to build them a house tomorrow.
   They had help from an unexpected source, the next day. Koodles had come for a visit, and was avid to learn how to make the huts.
   "We've got plenty of clay on the seashore, so if you guys run out of safely harvestable stuff, just ask. We don't mind. Honestly, we've been playing around with huts, but how do you get these windows?!"
   And so it was that Fishing Hold got glass before anyone in the City did.