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Heimdall crouched down as Genie told her riddle. Its head was no more than an arm's length from her face, ears cupped and flared outwards, though still nestled in the protective curl of its mighty horns. Every so often its tail lashed in excitement, causing the club to slam against the ground with a clatter.

The further she got in the riddle the more agitated it became. It shifted its weight, URFed and RWRed, and overall seemed barely able to contain itself! It did wait until she was done to speak, at least.

"I KNOW!"

As small as Isaac's whisper was, the brute still caught it. It settled down and stared at him, haunches wiggling. Smoke began to curl from the corners of its lips and waft up into the sky. "Oh ya? Ve is answer at same time!" Ropy strands of drool hung from its lips and teeth, and the smoke grew thicker, to the point of even making the dragon cough.

Isaac startles in surprise when he's noticed and recognized. The littlest kidden beams around his geode and nods excitedly at Heimdall.

"O-okay!" He forces himself to speak up, seconds before taking a big breath. He's revving up!

Heimdall continues to wiggle and resettle its significant weight as Isaac revs up. Smoke still pours out of its mouth and nostrils, blacking out some of the stars. Finally it rears up, opens its jaws, and belches a spurt of red flame into the air! Thankfully, it's well above the kids' heads, though they'd still be able to feel the radiant heat.

And right as Heimdall belches out that fire, the kidden yells.

"Fire!!"

In the background, his younger siblings applaud like dorks.

"Well guessed, you two!" she shouted loudly, grinning and applauding them for guessing correctly, and also for the dragon's dramatic display, both in awe of the fire, and thankful that she hadn't been on the receiving end of it. Having felt the sudden rush of warmth of fire near her was a pleasant yet slightly scary sensation, it was then she realised that she'd gone and given a dragon a riddle where the answer was fire, of all things, and either The Resplendent Personage or The Archivist would probably have words with her later about thinking things through better before doing. Or probably both of them at the same time.
She clutched the geode tightly, and it was then that she heard a distant and yet familiar harmonious voice somewhat like the the gentle lapping of a stream and a faint breeze that lightly shakes the bough of a tree just bloomed in spring flowers calling out her name, followed by a second voice, an urgent voice calling out in worry, deeper than the first and somewhat coarse with worry.
She turned to listen to the voices, and realised- it was The Archivist, and the Resplendent Personage, and they were both looking for her.

The dragon coughed a little after the flame died down, followed by a sonorous bassy laugh like rolling thunder. "Good, is wery good," it purred, bumping Isaac gently with its snout, though "gently" is subjective. "Is good riddle. Easy, but good. Make harder one next time."

The two new voices make Heimdall look up and perk its ears, head canting back and forth. "Is friends, or is foes?"

"It's my friends!" Genie says as she turns around, excitedly cupping her hands over her mouth to shout towards them, "I'm over here Arky, Sage!"
She turned back to the dragon and the cats, and then realised. If The Archivist and The Resplendent Personage were coming for her, then it would probably be time for her to go soon. She scuffed the dirt with her shoe in annoyance, and then said with a small pout, sounding just a little sad.
"I think I have to go soon- they're probably going to take me home."

Isaac "oofs" a bit at the nudge and staggers back by Ailana and Cassius.

"...??? Is that your parents?" Ailana speaks up to Genie, looking about curiously. "They sound old."

Her younger triplet unleashes an undignified snort.

Heimdall settled down onto its stomach and folded its foreclaws neatly together. It continued listening for Genie's traveling companions. "Hoom, must leaving? Arrrr. Is good. You give good riddle." It turned its dimly reflective grey eyes onto the kiddens. "And is mean ... you t'ree also must leaving? But you have treat for Hallveen! Is good?"

"They're not my parents," Genie said calmly to Aliana, though she imagined it would be terribly fun to have them as her parents. Then she thought of her dad, and wondered how she would introduce her friends to him. Sage was more of a cool uncle in any case, Genie thought. And Arky, well. The Archivist wasn't so much a father-figure than that of a favourite teacher, really.

"May I give you a hug please?" Genie asks Heimdall quickly, "I can give you another riddle the next time we have the chance meet, and I hope we meet again."

When Genie requested a hug, Heimdall parted its forepaws to allow her access to its thick scaly neck, and beckoned her closer with one oversized claw. "Ya, ya come," it purred. Should she approach, the beast would lay the claw across her back and pull her in, followed by a pat-pat. Its scales were cold to the touch, like metal. "I looking forvard to d'next one."

"Ya! Is good treats!" Cassius announces, mimicking the big beast's speech.

Isaac bobs his head in agreement but concedes, "We should get back to our parents. They fret..."

"Aw..." The two younger kiddens don't want to go, but they must. "Can we have hugs too then??"

There was plenty of Heimdall to go around. It tilted its other paw to beckon them in as well--should they squeeze in, they would be pulled against the brute's neck alongside Genie. Squeeze!

All three kiddens all pile in. D'aaaw!

"Thank you for the gifties!"

As Genie hugged the dragon, squished in by the warm fluff of the kiddens fur, and the cool scales of the dragon, she heard a voice from perhaps only a few feet away. It was difficult to hear properly when your ears were muffled by the fur of someone's neck.
"Sage, I found Genie," The Archivist said, a small grin on his face as he looked back over his shoulder to where The Resplendent Personage was. The tall brown-skinned man stood, waiting with his hands held patiently in front of him, as he watched the hug-pile with the dragon.
The Resplendent Personage, or as-The-Resplendent-as-one-could-be-whilst-travelling-cross-country-and-having-recently-fallen-into-a-small-hole-that-badgers-had-made-and-gotten-their-pristine-robes-dirty-Personage, briskly walked out of the thicket, complaining under his breath over the state of his robes, and that he probably needed a good bath, just narrowly glanced walking into The Archivist, before stopping and exclaiming,
"Hey, Genie's hugging a Dragon! Why can't I hug a Dragon too, Archivist?"

Heimdall held the kiddos for a couple moments before releasing them and laying its beefy forepaws flat upon the ground. "Are velcome," it purred at the Forest kids, booping its massive snout against each of them in turn. "Say hello to fambly, ya? I think dey is knowing dis beast."

Its tail swooshed slowly back and forth as it inspected the two newcomers--mostly by sniffing, as the brute was wont to do. Thankfully there was no one back there to be tripped up by the appendage, which was rather difficult to see in the darkness. "Hug 'cause she give riddle," it explained. It then fixed its beady eyes on Genie again. "Dis dusty-dirty one is yours? Is time go?"

"Okie! We probably worried them..."
"Can do!"
"Yah!"

Three matching, fangy grins meet Heimdall's gaze, accompanied by the twinkle of intrigue that all young, innocent souls possess. This dragon knows Papa and Mama?

The three look now to the Archivist and the Resplendent Personage. The twinkle shines all the brighter, but it is Ailana who trots up to them, tipping her spiffy top hat.

"Good evenin'~. Can you escort us home too~?" She beckons, lashes fluttering amongst her curls of crimson hair. Lookin' pretty, a trick picked up from her favorite auntie.

“Yes, they are. Thanks once again.” Genie grinned, as she hugged the dragon just a little tighter before letting go to walk up to The Archivist, who was surrounded by the Forest Trio, and The Resplendent Personage, who had produced a white sheet of paper from the corner of his sleeves, that he began folding into a paper boat, then unfolded it before refolding it into an airplane, before refolding it finally into a crane.

“Of course,” The Archivist smiled down at the kidden, and bowed politely in response. “Sage, if you would, please.” He indicated with a slight gesture of the hand towards the crane. The Resplendent Personage then blew gently on the Crane held in his hands, which floated upwards and gracefully grew to a large size, flapped its wings, then landed on the ground. It was almost as large as Heimdall had been when they’d carried her to the floor, and definitely looked strong enough to hold seven people.
“Flight is the best way to travel, wouldn’t you agree my draconic friend?” The Archivist said, gesturing to the Giant Paper Crane to the Dragon, before addressing the children, "You are welcome to fly with us- the Crane is quite strong. and will get everyone safely home."