Dala had not forgotten her deal with Alairia, as she visited as much as possible. But now she could visit and learn more. Instead of relying on random stranger for travel help, she had a dragon as an ally, though he was the grumpiest ally she'd ever had. He was complaining and whining the entire trip. The borealis dragon grumbled about how embarrassing it was for a proud dragon to have a little girl as his rider. 

"You're the one who offered to take me here." Dala reminded him. 

"That's only because if I left you alone for one second, you'd go off and do something stupid." The dragon retorted back, "And I'm not gonna be known as the dragon with a dead ally. That would be a black mark on my record." 

"I think getting caught by a little girl has already destroyed any reputation you have." She said with a smirk. 

"Do you want me to drop you?" He asked. 

Dala sighed and began to look at the scenery below. She wondered how the people below would react to a little girl riding on the back of a dragon. Despite the beat down and the punishment from Cao for doing something so reckless, she was glad that she went through with her plan. Even if it went differently than what she was expecting. Dala knew that Cao would be upset when she got back, especially since the whole getting a dragon thing happened recently. After crossing the ocean, they made it to the edge of Apoy and landed in front of the gate. Once they landed, Dala climbed off of the dragon's back and looked at the gate, realizing something.

"You probably don't want to go in there, do you?" Dala asked her dragon friend. 

"Considering the fact that I'm an ice dragon….no." He said bluntly. 

"Welp. Guess I'll have to go the rest of the way myself. You can do whatever now. I'll call you when I'm ready to head back." Dala said, "Da- I mean Raith won't mind I'm visiting. I'm sure mo- I mean Ria will be happy to see me too."

With a grunt, the dragon spread his wings and flew into the air, getting as far away from the volcano as possible. Turning to the gate, Dala began to walk towards the temple. It would have been nice if Raith had a backdoor or shortcut like Shiloh did with her temple. Going through the maze was always a pain. The little girl yanked at the gate doors and eventually managed to open one of them enough to enter. It didn't help that her muscles were still child sized. She arrived at the maze and there was a clear look of annoyance on her face. 

"Stupid fucking maze." She muttered as she began to enter it.

Dala still had memories of the last time she entered the maze. She understood how to get through it but sometimes she would still take a wrong turn. Then she would have to make her way back to the beginning to restart the entire process. This time, she took only one wrong turn when normally she would take two or three. Finally, she managed to get through the labyrinth and made her way to the temple itself. Dala looked up at the citadel and ran up to its doors. As soon as she stepped into the building, she noticed that the hall had less of a chill than it normally did. She made her way to the main room with the large dragon and throne. 

It was odd. It was not like him… he was… worried, and for once Alairia was not the source of the God’s concerns, though she was never far from the,.

No. This time Raith’s thoughts drifted to Dala, his fiancée’s apprentice/their rather unlikely house guest had wiggled her way into Raith’s heart and therefore his inner circle, quicker than he had realised. There was something about the ambitious little creature that had caught his eye, and he could not help but feel connected to the confident Little Wolf - yes her plans mirrored his mother’s, and that was abhorrent at the best of times, but he held more faith in Dala’s ability to succeed than he did his own flesh and blood.
Before he had known what had happened he saw the girl as his own, and he was determined to keep her safe. She had been away from the Observatory for an extended period of time, and while Ria had assured him that when they had made their deal Dala had stated she would be away regularly, Raith could not help but stand to wonder where she had gone… and sent Firefly out to keep a watchful eye on the girl… just in case.

He felt a presence at his door in Apoy and immediately lifted his head, holding up a hand to silence the Clerical Pilgrim currently discussing internal matters with him. He cocked his head to one side and smiled as he felt Dala’s familiar presence entering his realm, and made a mental note to get the poor girl a key that would bring her directly to the inner doors rather than traversing Raiqi each time. ”My daughter is home, fetch me her gifts,” he stated simply, standing from his chair and leaving his private chambers to go and greet her, glad she was safe. 

He he had intended to fetch the girl from the Labyrinth but she was swift in her movements and found herself in the Throne room quicker than most, he’d known she was clever… She entered his Citadel just as he closed the door to the Watchtower, he smiled, striding over to meet the girl. ”There’s our wayward Wolf pup, I was beginning to wonder if you were coming home Little Wolf. I’ve got presents for you,” he smiled, placing his hands gently on her shoulders as he steered her back towards the Watchtower steps, ”Come on, let’s go and fetch them, I know your mother will be glad to see you, and I have an Aunt to introduce you to later as well.”

"Hey dad." Dala said.

She was confused when he mentioned presents. Presents were meant for birthdays or celebrations, or at least that is what she learned. So it was a bit confusing to her when he told her about presents, but she wouldn't deny them. It was free stuff. Or maybe it wasn't an item? She had no idea what was to come. As she followed Raith towards the Watchtower steps, he mentioned that she has an Aunt. 

"Oh cool! It'll be nice to see mum again." She said with a soft smile but then looked back to Raith, "I didn't know she had a sister."

Dala assumed that the aunt was on Alairia's side, as she had assumed Raith didn't have any family. She assumed that just cause of his attitude and his anger issues. It was similar to her own, so she concluded that the cause was a lack of family. There was something else that she wanted to bring up. It seemed that now was the time for gifts and she wasn't the type of person to accept gifts without giving something in turn. 

"Well since we are giving out gifts…." Dala said reaching into her satchel, "I'll give you guys something."

Reaching into her bag, she pulled out two flat clay objects. The clay was cheap and had been dried with the sun, rather than any heat. The first object was a circular moon about the size of an adult fist. The second object was a circular sun with flat triangles starting from the top and circling around to represent sun rays. Dala put the sun back into her bag and held the moon up to Raith. She did have plans to paint it but since they were giving gifts now.

"Its just a project I've been working on. No big deal or anything." Dala said, trying to be sly, "Its just a thing I have in my bag you know?"

She was trying to act like giving the gift was unplanned and that it was just a thing in her bag. The only thing she forgot was that she had carved Raith's name onto the moon and Alairia's name onto the sun. Her original plan was to make it a sneaky gift, where they would only know it was given. But since they were giving gifts now, she decided that she didn't want to wait. 

There, when she called him dad. Was that a sudden change in heart beat? An indication of happiness at the fact that she saw him as a paternal figure despite their lack of blood relation? He leant over to kiss her forehead, a show of affection usually reserved only for Alairia and occasionally Silence when they pair were alone. 

”Will she be your Aunt? Cousin? Let me think, I’ve never been good with family relations given the animosity of my own,” he sighed. ”Great Aunt. That’s the one,” he waved his hand dismissively and sighed, clearly such matters bored him. ”She’s your mother’s mother’s sister, we will have to introduce you to Teu and the rest at some point, tedious though that will be, however it will give us a chance for you to wear beautiful dress of yours again, and gives me an excuse to show you off.” Raith chuckled. ”Isleen is my official Champion, so it will be good for you to get to know one another and I believe she might have some skills to teach you. In fact… your mother does have a brother, Dae is an assassin, learning some tricks to keep quiet and know how to defend yourself might be useful if you would like? Quietly of course, we all know how your mother disapproves of me teaching you such things.” He chuckled.

He stopped upon the stairs as she spoke of a present for him and Ria, he raised an eyebrow, intrigued to know what the child had brought to a man like him. The movement of the air around him told him she was holding his present out to him, and the smell of dried clay helped him locate it with little to no fumbling. One hand cradled hers while the other lay flat on the top, feeling the object she held. Gently he took it from her so that he might explore it more thoroughly. One thumb run along the edges, the fingertips of the other hand tracing across the top of it. While Raith had never had sight he had been taught basic shapes and how to read his own name. He was genuinely touched by the gift, she had picked the moon for him and written his name upon it - given his station and his domain and the fact that the night was so often linked with necromancy and the shadows he found the gift to be in perfect taste. He smiled, kneeling and pulling Dala into his arms. ”It is in the smallest of gifts that the largest statements are made, I’m touched and I love it, whatever you have for your mother I know she will love also. Come, I have my own gifts to give.”

Leading her up the tower he took her into the large celestial room built into the stars themselves, no floor or walls to speak of, just the heavens in all their glory.  Several of his Celestials had been residing here, but at the moment Dala and Raith entered they bowed, and shimmered away, rejoining their brethren amongst the void of space above and around them. In the centre of the room was a table, a wrapped gift set upon it, and behind that… a creature of immense size slept soundly, its velvety blue scales shimmering with every breath. ”Your gifts,” he smiled, pointing to them. ”A Basilisk, the daughter of my own Basilisk, which means the pair are directly linked - no matter where you are she will be able to get a message to me through her mother and father. She has no name yet, your naming of her will bind her to you, she’s trained and will protect you and those you hold dear. The other gift you will have to raise and train yourself, it will be hard and it will be long, and most likely painful, but in raising this Dragon you will have a creature more loyal and more powerful than any the world has seen. The egg is likely to hatch in a month, under the next full moon I should think. Oh and I have a key for you, use it in any door and it will lead you straight to the Throne room, save you wandering Raiqi every time you come home.”

The Great Aunt part confused her. How old was this family? Or maybe the great meant more in size then in age? The confusion was quickly cleared up as Raith explained that it was her mother's mother's sister. Which still confused her. Did that mean she was her grandmother's sister? Dala assumed that had to be it, as it was the only thing that made sense. He then mentioned Teu and Isleen, and dresses. How large was the family? There was a grandmother's sister, this Teu person, and a champion? Was a champion a family member type? Like a strange cousin or something. There was also a brother who could stab things. That was a very important detail. This whole family thing was a puzzle to the child but she was determined to figure it out. 

"Yeah I need to know defense! Especially when I'm in fights and stuff." Dala said with a big smile. 

After seeing his reaction to her gift, Dala smiled with pride. It seemed that her new dad liked her gift. That must mean that she was getting better at the clay-making. The child followed him up the tower into the large celestial walls. The second she saw it, her jaw dropped. She didn't dare step into the room, as she was afraid of falling into the sky, if that was even possible. But Raith seemed to have no trouble with it. She lowered herself to the floor and stretched her foot onto the floor and tapped it, to ensure it was solid. After making sure it was safe, she walked into the room. The Celestials had already left by the time she had entered. In the center was a table with a wrapped gift and behind it was a beautiful creature sleeping soundly. Dala's eyes grew wide with amazement and excitement. She rushed up to the Basilisk and bowed to the creature. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you miss." Dala said, trying to be polite.

Then she turned to the present and unwrapped it, revealing the precious Dragon egg. Her mouth formed a small o as she placed her hands on the large egg. The child pressed her ear up to the egg, trying to hear any sounds of life. She thought she heard a small movement and she looked over to Raith with a big smile. She turned to him and ran over to him and hugged him around the waste, as she was too short to give him a proper hug. 

"These are the best gifts ever! And so useful too!" Dala said, "You are the coolest in the world. Not just cause of the gifts you know. Of all the people you trust me with taking care of something. I promise I won't let you down!"

She freed him from her tight hug and looked over to the dragon egg and Basilisk. 

"Wait a minute. I don't know how much a Basilisk eats. And how much does a dragon eat? And how do I teach the dragon to fly?" Dala asked, "Hmmm there is a lot of things I'll need to research to properly take care of the two." 

Already the wheels in her mind were turning. A thousand options were blasting through her mind at rapid speeds. She wasn't asking Raith to give her all the answers, as it seemed she was already planning to figure that stuff out on her own. It was her job to figure these things out, as it was her responsibility. Or at least that was how she viewed the situation. The fact that Raith trusted her made her even more determined to get this right. 

Raith nodded and smiled. "If I have a willing student then a willing teacher shall I be," Raith chuckled, winking at the girl (a gesture that seemed somewhat out of place given his lack of sight) as he began to formulate plans for how and what to train the girl in - Ria wouldn't like it but he had no intention of allowing his daughter to wander Revaliir without the proper instruction on how to take care of herself, even with the gifts he had gathered for her. 

The man turned and waited for his daughter to follow him into the room, smiling gently as he realised why she hesitated - for him the room was a place of solace and contemplation, he was blind so he could not see the lack of floor beneath their feet, that endless night sky, the void of the Heavens that should have been above them - he knew others found it uncomfortable to enter the room but he was glad when Dala only hesitated for a moment. 

He chuckled and hugged his daughter in return, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear tenderly - it was in these moments, these rare times with the people he loved, that it was questionable as to why Wrath had ever become his domain, though most knew better than to question it. "I'm glad you like them, and I thought so too, it's good to have companions and especially ones of use. I can't always be around to watch out for you, neither can your mother and nor should we be - you need your independence after all - but at least this way I know you will be taken care of if we're not there," he said with a small smile. "Dala, you have great ambitions to lead, while I may not agree with everything you believe in - as you well know - I still want you to succeed. If you're going to do this then you need to learn how to take care of others, and that won't always be easy, a baby Dragon is a dangerous nightmare for even the most hardened parents but it will help you to grow as it grows and the bond you will have afterwards will be unbreakable. I trust you will do well, but remember, if you struggle there is no weakness in asking for help - loathe though I am to admit that," the man sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes. 

"The Basilisk will eat as much as she wants, so you will have to learn quickly to curb her habits - while they can go months at a time between meals they have no regard for what is or is not an appropriate meal - the last thing you want is to be paying out for every herd of sheep she has devoured just because she came across them. Dragons are much the same, though babies are easier to manage - they get hungry often and will get a round belly when full, don't let them over-eat, you'll know when they have because it will all come back to haunt you. As for flying - I'm afraid you'll have to use your imagination but I'm sure you will figure it out," he chuckled. 

The child listened as her father began to explain a few things about dragons and her new Basilisk. She knew enough to ask when she needed but there was a part of her that viewed this as a challenge. For once in her life she wanted to be the strong person she sought to be, instead of a weak fragile little girl. Raising a dragon would be difficult but it was a chance for her to show her worth. 

"Got it. I'll keep that stuff in mind." She responded with a nod. 

Turning back to the two, she walked over to the Basilisk slowly. She knew from sneaking around larger predators that running towards any creature was a bad idea. It was better to be slow and careful. The Basilisk could smell the child with its tongue and drew closer to her. The child didn't stare at the creature's face, instead she looked at its stomach and held up her hand towards the snake. The Basilisk reached its head down and touched his head to her hand. They both closed their eyes at the same time. She felt a warmth spread through her hand and her basilisk could feel the same where her hand was. 

"Emerald. I shall call you Emerald." Dala said at last, opening her eyes though she was careful to keep her gaze away from the Basilisk's face.

Although the girl was unaware of it, a connection had been built between them. The connection was small and steady but if she cultivated it through trust and friendship, then Emerald would be one of her strongest allies. Turning back over to the egg, she carefully picked it up. The egg was heavy so she placed it gently in her backpack, leaving the bag open so the egg could breath. Then she looked over towards Raith. 

"So you mentioned I was gonna meet my mother's mother's sister?" The child asked quoting Raith's words, "Where is she?"

She was eager to meet new family although there was a small worry in her mind. What if this new person didn't like her? 

He smiled, she was a clever girl and he knew she would go far - despite her plans Raith in fact had entire faith in his daughter's abilities to make it in this world, and to succeed. Silence, true to his name, fluttered through the room to land upon his Master's shoulder, lending Raith his eyes so that the man could watch his daughter as she tentatively walked towards the Basilisk. Very clever girl, she knew better than to frighten or ambush the creature at least. 

Raith could not believe how proud he was of her, she might not be his by blood but she had stolen his heart just as completely as Alairia had, as far as Raith was concerned she was his daughter and that was the end of that. He let her have her moment with her Basilisk and her egg - they were her responsibility after all and she needed to take care of them and bond with both of them so that she had their undying loyalty. 

"Isleen, my Champion, that's correct. She's either with her lover, working for my mother's Guild on some inane mission or other, or representing me in some capacity out in the world - I'm hoping the latter. However, let's call her home, the pair of you need to meet," Raith smiled, reaching out with his mind. "Isleen? Drop whatever you're doing and come back to the Observatory please, you need to meet my daughter and she's dying to meet you." No messing about, no argument to be had (though knowing Isleen she'd give him an argument regardless) but the message was clear.