"I haven't heard nothin' of the old man in a long time," uttered little Pandora to Aglaia, her surrogate caretaker while Gilda was occupied with her guard duties. Aglaia furrowed and shook her head, "No no no," she scolded the young dragoness, "We mustn't talk of our ruler in such a heedless manner! He is a figure of high stature that deserves respect." She breathed a heavy sigh and continued dryly, "You make a valid point, child. Our ruler has not spoken to his people in a very long time. That is not like him at all..." Pandora strolled close behind, her head in the air, watching a butterfly drift above her; a rare guest to these arid, barren lands. The manner in which it's vibrant, fluttering wings of golden yellow glimmered in the dying light was mesmerizing. "I wouldn't worry too much, he's always been pretty quiet. he speaks up most when he's got his tail in a knot 'bout sumpthin'." mumbled the little dragon. As Aglaia was about to shoot another reprimanding glare her way, she reconsidered and pondered the child's pessimistic view of her father. With an empathic, caring heart of gold, she offered the little dragoness a hug - to which the child hesitated at first, before gingerly nestling her head into Aglaia's chest as they arrived at the nesting grounds. Aglaia wrapped her in her arms and laid down, curling around Pandora.
Just as the two were about to sleep, the wind around them stirred, plumes of dust swirling into the air. Lapis' looming figure landed nearby with a grave expression on his face. He indicated with a beckoning sway of his neck that he wanted to talk to Aglaia. With a shove away and a stoic, cold face, it was clear to Pandora that she was not to follow, to which she pursed her lip and slumped back into the nest. "Grown-ups," she muttered indignantly under her breath, pouting.
The longer Lapis bit his lip and said not a word, the more worried Aglaia became. The way she hadn't peeled her eyes from him for one second made him realize that he couldn't leave her hanging a second longer. He had to spit it out. "Gaia found Tenebrae dead in the back of his cave." he blurted out awkwardly. He cursed himself silently for not being able to find a smooth way to say it. As loyal tears of worry for the state of the kingdom welled up in Aglaia's eyes - he glanced away. He couldn't look into her bleary eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I-... I thought you deserved to know."