116 - When Did You Last Sleep in Your Bed?

Shashi adjusted the baby sling on her hip, checking to see that her little noise-maker was fast asleep and looked around at the firedrake lying coiled on the floor of Hara's workroom, the torch set into its socket, vibrating as the scale on the end of the stick burned, the pieces of another contraption all around Hara on the floor.

Hara lay sleeping in the middle of a pile of quiescent scales and short sticks and what looked like a winged ladder approximately a handwidth wide, with a tail of scales.

“So this is where you'd got to,” Shash said softly. It wasn't addressed to Hara, but the firedrake's eyes flashed on at the sound of her voice, even though it didn't stir. She froze. “Hara... wake up please.” The firedrake's head came up, and up, and up until it hung over the two women, though Shashi didn't move more than her eyes to track it. Did it just get hotter?

Tizrav wiggled out from under Hara's veil and came bouncing up to Shashi as Hara finally stirred.

“Down, Drake. Shut down.” At Hara's sleepy mutter, the thing settled down again, though, Shashi noted, across the door she'd enteredy by.

“Hara when – ouch, stop that Tizzy! -- When did you last sleep in your bed? Or climb out of code? Or eat a meal instead of snacking on honeycomb?”

Hara sat up, knuckling sleep out of her eyes. “Hi, Shashi. I just wanted to finish some things.”

“A few things. Became 'just one more thing' hmmm?”

Hara got up, nodding. “I suppose.”

“So what have you come up with?” Shashi waved her hand around. “Your pet dragon is protective of you.”

“I'm still mandering them, the bees are still working on fitting them in with the real bushies.” She yawned and ran a hand through her hair, or tried to. “Fek. I'm an unancestored mess!”

“So get your pet dragon to let us out and we'll talk about what you've mandered and plan what to do with things.”

“Drake,” Hara called. “Back into your cradle!” The drake's sides heaved as it slithered off the edge of the platform and into the hanger over the drop off.

Hara grinned, and Tizzy chattered excitedly. “Shashi, watch this!” She picked up the winged laddery thing, it looked like a wide handled winged broom really. The bundle... or cluster of scales on the back end rattled slightly as she took it up. “Want a ride up to the top?”

“What? No! A ride? What are you talking about?” As Shashi sputtered, Hara pulled her veils on and threw one leg over the... hobbyhorse? Was that what it was?

“Open up a window for me,” she said to her bench and a portion of the rock over their heads began to cline away. “Watch this!”

She shook the handle in her hands and the bundle of scales on the back... it was a soft roar but a roar is the only way that Shashi could describe it... roared as they burst into flame. She ran forward and flung herself over the edge under the firedrake cradle even as Shashi screamed in shock and woke the baby.

The... fire broom, with Hara stretched out along it, soared up to the window. “I'll see you upstairs!” She shouted back over her shoulder, even as Shashi, patting the baby yelled “You're crazy with lack of sleep!”

The drake, hanging in its cradle, turned its head to watch Hara fly up, then turned its head back to look at the squawling baby, before sighing and lowering its chin back down into the strap.

“I agree with you,” Shashi said sourly. “I should have taken her up on her offer of a ride!