Jeanne hadn't actually fabricated a story. She truly needed to trek out to the woodline to soothe those lesser dragons, who had been thoroughly terrified by Fafnir's sudden arrival. At the very least, she had to ensure they wouldn't scatter frantically into the wilderness out of sheer panic.
After investing a fair amount of effort, she finally succeeded in communicating clearly with the massive creatures. Once they verified through Jeanne that the looming, magnificent dragon had zero intention of viewing them as casual snacks, the beasts finally allowed their rigid defenses to ease.
For these creatures, existing within the territory of a true dragon wasn't a completely foreign or unacceptable reality; in their simple understanding, dwelling beneath a superior draconic presence was entirely standard behavior.
The authentic root of their panic had simply been the unknown. Confronted by a completely unfamiliar draconic presence, they feared for their immediate safety, causing them to fracture into total instability and seek escape.
Having settled the matter, Jeanne quietly slipped back into the heart of the village. Her main concern was crossing paths with another wave of inquisitive locals, as the crowd's initial curiosity regarding Fafnir had been incredibly intense.
By the time her steps brought her back to the center of the settlement, the dense gathering at the village gates had already dispersed, the locals returning to their respective evening tasks. Both her transport and Talulah had vanished from the clearing.
She wondered what had prompted the crowd to scatter so swiftly. Had they simply lost momentum after her own sudden departure, or had Talulah deployed her personal authority to move them along? It was far more likely, however, that Patriot had stepped forward to handle the logistics.
Regardless, the details were of zero consequence now. Jeanne's sole intent was to sneak quietly back to their shared quarters, harboring a silent hope that Talulah wouldn't nurture a grudge over being abandoned in the center of the swarm and resolve to discipline her before the night concluded.
Unfortunately, her outlook was entirely too optimistic. By abandoning Talulah and the youngster in the middle of the clearing, she had left them to endure a lengthy interval of intense scrutiny, forcing the leader to repeatedly clarify that the child possessed zero biological connection to herself.
When Talulah finally managed to break away, she was thoroughly exhausted in both mind and spirit. Fafnir, meanwhile, remained entirely unbothered, looking remarkably cheerful as she watched the lively crowd from the safety of the leader's arms.
The moment Talulah caught sight of Fafnir's simple, innocent expression, a wave of irritation—no, she couldn't frame it that way. That face was a mirror duplicate of her own; framing the child's expression as simple-minded would be equivalent to insulting her own features!
Nursing a sharp sense of grievance, Talulah left the transport in its usual parking space. Scooping up their traveling bags and keeping Fafnir close, she nestled into a darkened corner of the clearing, waiting patiently for the silver-haired culprit to stumble straight into her trap.
The scenario unfolded precisely as she anticipated. After a brief wait in the shadows, a dark silhouette came creeping through the gloom, clearly plotting to retrieve the luggage and make a quiet retreat toward the house.
"Let's see you slip away this time!"
The lingering frustration flared instantly within Talulah's chest. Stepping dynamically out of the shadows, she lunged forward and firmly grasped Jeanne's collar, her eyes locking onto the companion who had thoroughly thrown her to the wolves moments prior.
Beholding the furious dragon before her, Jeanne secretly realized she was in deep trouble. She had assumed Talulah would have returned to the warmth of the hearth by now, never imagining the leader would stubbornly endure the freezing cold just to intercept her!
Are you completely simple? Jeanne mused inwardly. Why wouldn't you wait comfortably inside the house? Did you truly believe I would avoid returning home for the entire night just because of a minor prank? You are vastly underestimating my resolve, Talulah.
Of course, Jeanne only dared to harbor these thoughts in the safest depths of her mind. She possessed zero desire to fracture Talulah's frayed composure any further; after all, she still needed to survive within this camp.
"I lack a tangible reason, but my instincts tell me your current thoughts are entirely malicious," Talulah noted, her gaze growing increasingly dangerous as she studied Jeanne's shift in expression.
Had it not been for the fact that her companion had been away on a grueling expedition for months, Talulah would have delivered a thorough educational session then and there to remind her who managed the household.
She felt it was high time to instill a proper sense of order, ensuring these overly confident individuals remembered their exact place within the domestic hierarchy.
"Ah... haha... Why are you still waiting out here in the cold? I truly believed you had headed inside..." Jeanne offered a weak, strained chuckle, her mind racing at top speed to manufacture a diversion that might cause the single-minded dragon to entirely forget her grievance.
"Why am I waiting? Who exactly abandoned me the moment the villagers swarmed the transport? You've been away for over half a year, and this is the magnificent reception you engineer for me the moment you return?"
Talulah grasped Jeanne's shoulders and shook her firmly back and forth. Fafnir watched the lively interaction with zero anxiety, looking thoroughly entertained as she contentedly munched on a fresh apple she had produced from somewhere.
The youngster looked completely oblivious to the reality that she was the primary variable driving this entire conflict; without her initial delivery of that specific title, the two older women would never have reached this state of domestic friction.
Ten minutes later, Jeanne trudged quietly behind Talulah toward their quarters, both of her cheeks flushed a bright pink. Talulah had shown zero mercy during the discipline, pinching her cheeks without a shred of lingering affection.
Jeanne muttered a sequence of quiet complaints under her breath as she followed. Ahead of her, Talulah maintained a stoic expression, carrying Fafnir securely until they finally crossed the threshold of their home.
"You've finally returned! If you had delayed any further, I would have truly feared that some severe hazard had overtaken you on the trail... Huh?"
Hearing the movement at the entrance, Alina came rushing out of the main room to check on Talulah. The leader's prolonged absence had left the Elafia genuinely concerned that a crisis had emerged during the scouting trek.
Furthermore, because Talulah had departed in a massive hurry without detailing the nature of the emergency, Alina had spent the evening entirely in the dark, anchoring her focus on the front door as she awaited her companion's safe return.
The moment she caught the sound of familiar footsteps, she hurried forward. Her gaze completely overlooked Jeanne, whose dark attire blended into the evening gloom, locking instead onto the figure nestled in Talulah's arms—a child who looked precisely like a miniature duplicate of Talulah's own youth!
Alina's mind experienced a total short circuit, her thoughts completely failing to process the sight before her. Glancing at Talulah's thoroughly strained expression, she found herself entirely at a loss for words.
Beholding Alina's bewildered state, Talulah's expression seemed to say, See? Exactly as I predicted. She turned a helpless gaze toward the culprit behind this entire mess, only to find the space behind her entirely vacant. Where did she go?!
"Ah—!"
Before Talulah could scan the darkness to track her down, Alina let out a sudden gasp as a pair of arms unexpectedly lifted her off her feet, catching her completely off guard.
Once her surprise settled, she realized Jeanne had stealthily navigated around the leader's line of sight to scoop her up. Beholding the silver-haired maiden's bright smile, a wave of genuine joy instantly washed over the Elafia's features.
"When exactly did you make it back?" Alina asked, posing the most obvious question available.
"Just this very hour! Did you miss me? Because I missed you terribly!"
Jeanne chuckled warmly, setting Alina back down onto the floorboards as she launched into a lively chat. Before she could finish her sentence, however, Talulah reached out, firmly snagging the back of Jeanne's jacket and dragging her into the main room to properly settle their accounts.
Unbelievable, Talulah thought. When she encountered me, she offered zero warmth and instead engineered a massive domestic crisis. Yet the moment she sees Alina, she produces a endless stream of affectionate phrases!
Come along, we are going to have a very detailed discussion regarding your behavior tonight.
Alina watched the duo's rowdy entrance with a gentle smile. Looking downward, her gaze settled on Fafnir, who looked identical to the childhood photographs of Talulah that Jeanne had brought back from her earlier travels. Reaching out, she gently patted the youngster's head and asked softly:
"Hello there, little one. What is your name?"
"Fafnir!" the child replied crisply, her eyes narrowing slightly as she leaned into Alina's gentle touch.
This elder sister carried an incredibly soothing, pleasant scent—a fragrance remarkably similar to the aura surrounding Jeanne. Fafnir's internal favorability toward Alina climbed significantly based on that comforting detail alone.
Meanwhile, as Talulah steered Jeanne deeper into the dwelling, she caught Fafnir addressing Alina so sweetly. Turning back toward Jeanne, she unleashed a terrifyingly pleasant smile—a expression so sharp it looked capable of swallowing a pair of young caprini whole.
"The very first moment you introduced her to me, she addressed me as 'Mother' and nearly stopped my heart. Yet the instant she meets Alina, she behaves like a perfect angel and calls her 'Sister'? You two truly possess a magnificent talent for making my life difficult!"
"Wait, no, Talulah! Let me unfold the context! This was entirely outside my management!" Jeanne scrambled to offer a defense, recognizing that if she failed to pacify the vengeful dragon now, her domestic comfort would be entirely compromised.
"Hmph! Save the explanations for the room. Move!"
"No, Talulah, don't!"
Standing by the threshold, Alina maintained a serene smile as she witnessed their affectionate—if slightly chaotic—interaction. Cradling young Fafnir securely against her frame, she followed them deeper into the warmth of the house.
She harbored an unshakeable conviction that their home would be exceptionally lively tonight.