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Adhara admired her mother's restraint, calculated as it surely was. After her weekend visiting home, the only time she reached out to her for three months was to show her the results of the painting, which had indeed turned out beautifully in the stylized draconic fashion. But one Thursday evening as she loaded up the dishwasher there rang her phone, and once more she saw a photo of her mother on the screen when she reached for it. With only Marie at home with her--presently pushing the garbage to the curb--she didn't bother retreating to her room as she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, darling," came Arennia's voice, the deeper register signifying she was in her true form. "If you are free this evening, I could make great use of your assistance," she continued straight to the point, unusually forward, and there was a strain in her voice that Adhara wasn't accustomed to hearing; but with the low, mostly noise-canceled sound of rushing air and steady thumping behind it, perhaps she was flying somewhere.

"What's going on?" she asked. Considering it was almost 7:30 and she had work in the morning, to her the evening was already half over, but having managed to survive their previous encounter, she didn't immediately refuse as she might have a few months prior--but she still made her reluctance plain in her voice. Whatever she wanted, she had little doubt it was exactly the sort of thing she'd spent the last decade avoiding.

"I have been negotiating a business deal with the Kilmarocks, and we were meant to meet this evening at the Clearinghouse to formalize and sign it. But just a short while ago I learned of an opportunity to meet with Yelana Hearthridge, tonight only, and I cannot be in both places at once. I'd have your father sign the deal, but he's up in New York, thus I ask if you can do me a great favor by signing it in my stead."

Rather than think of the task her mother had laid down before her, her mind got stuck on the familiar name she'd dropped. "The Hearthridges? Aren't they the ones you were trying to get the attention of with that painting of me?"

Arennia made the connection before she needed to state [i]why[/i] she might be reluctant to give her mother the chance to make the meeting happen. "Don't worry about them. They have the ambition, and I can't fault them for that, but they don't [i]really[/i] have the standing to be worthy of you. If you had an older sister perhaps you'd have more cause to interfere, but as things stand you can put them out of your mind."

Which brought back the request at hand. Adhara began to pace in circles around the kitchen island, trying to think; from the sound of things she didn't have a lot of time to consider. "I haven't been involved in these discussions at all," she objected, making the excuse more to stall than because she was really ready to say no. Her mother had already named a favor as the incentive--something she was famous for not offering frequently and indeed something other dragons might have been willing to do far more unpleasant things to earn--and there was certain to be a very valuable use she could find for it, given time.

She stopped for a moment. Wasn't that the sort of thinking she tried to keep out of her life?

"But you are the only one who can help, which is why I am willing to so reward you for dropping everything tonight to close the deal for us. Piscarra will not be offended by you appearing unexpectedly my place--if anything, she may be thrilled to be the first dragon outside the family to see you since you moved out. I can send you the details to review on your way there, but if I'm to make it to one engagement or the other, I need to know now."

Adhara should have said no, and a few months prior, she most certainly would have without second thought. But something about their last meeting--how accommodating she had been, how she'd managed to spend the evening eating and playing board games with her and father without feeling resentful of expectations and other influences on her life as she had so strongly as a teenager--had left a more positive impression on her, comfort and loving companionship that had made her feel welcomed rather than trapped and left her thinking that maybe seeing them from time to time wouldn't be so bad after all. And occasionally accommodating her parents' needs in turn would surely help keep any visits similarly calm and peaceful, right?

Or maybe she was just the sort to lend her help when asked.

She sighed, but she dove in, glancing at the garage door as Marie returned, the mare's ears perking forward curiously to find her on the phone. "All right, mother. I'll do it."

"Oh, [i]thank[/i] you, dear. Make sure to wear your nicest things and closely review the details I'll send you before you arrive. I'll have Tiretch pick a driver and they'll get there in an hour to drive you in."

"I don't need someone to drive me--I've been going to a site two blocks away for OAC meetings every week for the last month. I know how to get to the Clearinghouse." Marie's eyebrows shot up, and Adhara spun around to pace the other direction.

"You are my heir, Adhara, which means you do not go anywhere in our society without an escort, the same as your father and me. It would not do for you to arrive without an entourage, and besides, their known association with our family will help ensure nobody doubts who you are." She paused, her tone softening slightly. "They will help ensure things go smoothly, so do not hesitate to ask them for anything you need--suggestions for etiquette, details of the agreement you aren't sure you recall correctly, and so on. Speaking of--if Piscarra [i]does[/i] try to renegotiate anything, you tell her no. We've been working on this for months and I've yielded as far as I mean to; if she wants to change anything now, you tell her to contact me and you leave."

Adhara hadn't considered that--she'd assumed this would be nothing more than signing a paper, and suddenly she worried she'd be in over her head. "Is that likely?"

"One must be prepared for every possibility," she said, more vaguely than Adhara would have preferred. "I am sure it will go smoothly, and in any case you'll have wings to back you up. Text me when the meeting's over, you'll likely be finished your evening [i]long[/i] before me. I love you darling, and thank you again!"

That was all the instruction she got: Arennia had hung up, and she let her hand drop to stare at her phone. "The Clearinghouse?" Marie jumped in before she could even say something herself. "You? I thought you were staying [i]out[/i] of all that business!"

Marie wasn't wrong, and yet... "You know how I get when someone asks if I can help with something. Maybe it's the work-sharing mentality from the office?"

"You're just too nice, work mindset's got nothing to do with it. So what did you get yourself into?"

Adhara headed for the stairs: if she had an hour, she needed to get preparing right away. She needed a quick shower, she needed to pick out jewelry to go with her dress--at least she already had the perfect fancy one from her closet popping right into her head--plus she'd need to start memorizing the details of this deal as soon as her mom sent them! "She needs me to go do the signing for some business deal she's been negotiating with a family from... somewhere east of Richmond I think? Near the bay--anyway. Dad's out of town, so I'm signing this, so she can go to [i]another[/i] meeting that I think she's been hoping to arrange since I went home to have that painting done."

"Signing a contract? Doesn't that take--" Adhara was already shuffling through the hanging dresses in her closet so she couldn't see the hand gesture, but she thumped her tail against the wall anyway, able to guess.

"Don't tell me [i]you[/i] have been watching those over the top dramas; contracts haven't had blood signings since the Dark Ages. I'll be using a pen like anyone sensible would. Ah, here--haven't worn this in a while but it should fit the bill."

Marie's eyes lit up and ears swung forward at the sight of the dress, still under the cover the dry cleaner had put over it. "Oooh, I remember that one. Neil's wedding, right?"

"Mhmm! It even made it through the after party just fine," she said, blushing a little remembering how [i]interesting[/i] the night had gotten after the reception. Definitely the prettiest clothes she'd ever been tied up in...

Marie didn't let herself get too derailed, as fun as those memories were. "Still--you sure you thought this through hun? I don't know if it sounds like the best idea."

"I didn't think it through! Mom sprang it on me and I... guess I just feel more open after we managed to get along well enough when I visited. Too late now." Her phone dinged, and she glanced at the notification long enough to see there was quite a bit of text she'd need to go over once she was freshened up.

"It's gonna change how all the other dragons look at you. You're not gonna be just that mysterious heir who stays out of the family business... You'll have actually [i]done[/i] something, and that makes you like, part of their world now doesn't it?"

She laid her dress out on the bed and drew the blinds. "You make it sound like this is some kind of mafia deal."

"It is!" the mare insisted. "At your special dragons-only hideout with neutrality rules and secret treasure troves and lairs and--"

"Marie, it's just a fancy lounge with a no-violence policy and a couple of VIP rooms. You could say that about a lot of clubs." Adhara huffed and started to undress for her shower. "All the other stuff from those Johanar Wicertus movies is made up."

She shook her head, hands on her hips. "Well how is anyone supposed to know? Dragons keep everything so [i]secretive,[/i] so we gotta fill in the blanks somehow. And it sure seems from outside the barn like there's a mafia in there!"

"You have [i]met[/i] my parents. Yes, they have money, and make sure we have the clout with other dragons to keep it, but really. They're just dragons. No sinister undercurrents!"

"Your dad? Yeah, he comes across as normal, or as normal as dragons get anyway. Your [i]mom[/i] on the other hand..." She snorted, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "Impossible not to tell something's up just by [i]looking[/i] at her, let alone having a conversation and getting all those curious [i]questions."[/i]

"She just likes to... [i]know[/i] things. And she likes you!"

"Yeah, I know she does, I didn't need the [i]extremely[/i] mafia-style 'If you ever need anything, you come to me' speech to figure that out," she said, in a tolerable imitation of her mother even if she didn't drop her accent entirely. "Though I still got one anyway."

Adhara stopped and blinked, about to turn the water on; that was news to her. "Did she really?"

[i]"Oh[/i] yeah. Don't worry though, I never asked for anything, so I don't have to worry about her coming back to eat me or whatever."

"You have [i]got[/i] to stop watching those movies." Adhara rolled her eyes, getting the water running; it never took long to warm up. "We do not eat people!"

"And you gotta get in the shower before the view's good enough that I start getting [i]other[/i] stuff out of your closet. You know, to make sure you don't eat me." She winked teasingly, but retreated to let her freshen up.

45 minutes later Adhara found herself at the front door, having to shake off Marie distractingly complimenting the curves of her slinky burgundy dress to answer the bell. She opened the door and looked up to greet a [i]very[/i] sharply dressed blue dragon who waited outside; behind him a high-end luxury sedan idled in the driveway, a second dragon behind the wheel.

"Good evening, my lady," he said, making a little half-bow over his arm; she ignored Marie's stifled giggle from behind her.

Adhara hadn't recognized the name, but she realized she knew him: she'd seen him around her parents' house occasionally, though it had been a good 15 years. "Evening. ...Tiretch, right?"

He smiled. "You have a good memory! It's been a while. I'd step inside for a minute to chat, but the last minute change of plans has us a bit behind schedule and your mother will eat me if we're late. Shall we?"

Another whinny from the couch; she tucked her phone into her purse and waved bye to Marie before she could start making 'see!' gestures. "I'll be back pretty late, don't feel like you need to stay up."

"Good luck!" she called back through her giggles, and Adhara shut the door. She paused a moment to take a breath of the humid evening air before following him to the car, where he opened the front passenger door for her. The accommodation and formality felt a little ridiculously over the top, but considering her position it'd cause rumors and stares if they didn't show her this same sort of deference once they reached the club, so it was best to hurry up and get accustomed to it now! She huffed softly to herself, tucking her tail through the opening at the back of the seat as she slid onto the excessively comfy perforated leather, and once she was arranged and comfortable he closed the door and went around to sit behind the driver, so she could have the footwell to herself for her tail.

"Evening, Adhara. Name's Rhossem, Rhossem Plestien," said the driver, a greenish-white dragon with a few black markings on his cheeks and forehead; he briefly took her hand, hesitating a moment as if he expected something in response, before putting the car into reverse to get them back onto the street. "It'll be a bit tight, but we should be good for time. Shame, would have liked the excuse to fly past any traffic instead."

This time of evening it'd take a collision to cause much traffic anywhere except the Memorial Bridge, especially going [i]into[/i] the city, and as soon as they'd left her neighborhood Adhara drew her phone back out to reopen her mother's message.

"Have you had a chance to review the agreement?" Tiretch asked.

"I've only had time to read through it once. I need to go over the specific details a few more times to make sure I have the numbers in my head, and of course my mother said I'd be expected not to need to refer to a written copy for anything."

"It'd make it seem like you hadn't been involved up until now. It'd be true, yeah, but don't wanna give [i]them[/i] that impression." Rhossem drummed his fingertips on the steering wheel.

"I hate these lights. I swear you have to stop at all of them every time, no matter what time of day it is." she huffed; it somehow made her feel better to ride along while a different driver waited to turn onto the toll road--like she wasn't the only one who got so tired of them.

Tiretch briefly lifted a leather portfolio that sat on the back seat next to him. "I have the final version memorized--and I've got the written copy of our side to give the Broker, as well. I can give their side a quick read over your shoulder when you review and give you a poke if I see anything that's off."

Adhara nodded, her tail tensing as Rhossem finally got his turn arrow and swung them aggressively onto the on-ramp, and returned her attention to her phone. As was typical for her family, their side of the contract dealt in precious metals, and included precise quantities of platinum, palladium, and especially rhodium, often used as plating or to make an alloy--especially with platinum--to aid the corrosion resistance and magical acceptance of items infused with the draconic magic; there were also options included to buy more at discounts from the market rate. In return the Kilmarocks would make available specified quantities of shipping when requested with a certain amount of advance notice, and also would offer the use of their mage-smiths for a half-dozen enchanted items.

When she was younger, she'd thought it was ironic that her family had nearly cornered the market on the refined materials needed for enchanted objects, jewelry especially, but lacked the magical aptitude to make them themselves. Her mother had swiftly corrected her that this was in fact a deliberate effort, to offset a known weakness by making themselves integral to the [i]other[/i] core requirement for magical craftsmanship; she had then named magical aptitude as one of a great many qualities to assess in a potential mate, to try to find a way to cultivate that skill in the bloodline at last, thus ensuring yet another conversation ended with the teen dragoness wanting to bite her.

"So Adhara," said Rhossem after a while, breaking the quiet of the drive (the car had excellent soundproofing). "Since you're not usually working for your parents, what [i]do[/i] you do? If you don't mind me asking."

"I believe Lady Arennia said it was something to do with construction?"

Adhara nodded. "I'm an architect. We design buildings, or interiors for existing buildings, then see them through the construction process to make sure they're built the way we drew them."

"Just you?" Tiretch asked. "Or you work for a company?"

"I work for a larger-- Well, a decent size office downtown, but I guess we only have a couple of studios so we're not [i]really[/i] big like some of the national or global architects. 60, 80 people? I started as an intern before I graduated, so I've been there about ten years now."

Rhossem grunted. "Why not just work for your parents? Seems like the easy thing to do. Don't gotta apply for the job, for one."

While Tiretch's refined manner made it feel easy to be open, Rhossem's blunt tone did the opposite--especially given what his own perspective seemed to be--and the almost challenging nature of the question made her pause to think of the best response... and thus, recall that being entirely candid might not be the best approach, even if (or because!) they worked for her parents. After a few moments she said, "I'll have years and years to run that business. I'm only young once... I wanted to meet people, make friends, experience the world outside the dragon circles while I don't have all that other responsibility. There are a [i]lot[/i] of non-dragons in the world after all, there's a lot I might miss out on if I never knew any of them... especially if I had some heavy family name behind me that stops anyone from seeing me for myself."

It was a diplomatic answer--one she'd spent a fair amount of time considering over the years in the event she [i]had[/i] somehow met an unfamiliar dragon who she didn't just want to bite until they left her alone--but these two didn't need to know how she'd felt about her mother's strictness or his father's determination to make a match for her (though depending on when Tiretch had visited the house, he might have heard some of the resulting roars when they argued). Rhossem only grumbled to himself, too low to make out, while Tiretch made a thoughtful noise and said, "getting more free time is certainly one motivation. Your parents are [i]busy[/i] dragons. How much platinum are they offering?"

Adhara needed a moment to realize he was quizzing her on the deal; she had to check the number to be sure, which meant she needed to read through it a few more times. Rhossem drove them under the beltway and down the highway that led into downtown as she scrolled on her phone, and she got a little more peace and quiet to read and memorize until Rhossem spoke again. "But you're not meeting [i]dragons[/i] from the sound of things. The freedom sounds nice, but don't you need to get around to the whole [i]heir[/i] business at some point?"

She felt her frills heat up in response: not just the intrusive, forward nature of the question, the fact that it was precisely what she [i]didn't[/i] want to talk about! "I--" she started, and then after hearing a little growl from over her shoulder managed to recover her balance and huff, "excuse me?"

"Not an appropriate question to ask a lady." Tiretch was still growling a little. "Let her focus," he said, and this time the two of them stayed quiet to let her concentrate on learning the proposed deal, until they were across the bridge and into the city; then Tiretch broke the quiet.

"I'm sure you're not used to having someone with you to order around, but it'll be expected of you. We open doors, we introduce you, if you want anything you tell us and we get it for you. No doubt Lady Kilmarock will be at the Clearinghouse first, it was a longer trip for them up from Norfolk and they were probably in town all day. Have you been here before?"

"Only once, and I was barely old enough to drink at the time. I hardly remember it aside from how extravagant the ballroom was... the painted ceiling was so over the top."

Rhossem snorted but let Tiretch keep giving advice.

"Well it's still like that, but we'll most likely be in the library; that's where the Broker prefers to handle business. You're not the social media type, are you?"

"Older dragons are a bit uptight about the glam selfies," Rhossem said as they waited at another stoplight; this stretch of 20th Street could be a chore, with so many different intersections to cross where several streets radiated out from the circle a block over, but it meant they were almost there. "Best not to snap any, probably."

Adhara had never been the type to take pictures, except of mountains and rivers when she and Marie went hiking. "Not a problem."

At last they could drive forward, and after a left and a right there they were, pulling up to the neoclassical stone edifice of the Clearinghouse. Two suited dragons in anthro form waited at the door; one of them opened Adhara's door and stepped out of the way as Tiretch and Rhossem got out the other side. She carefully stood, and made sure her dress was straight as she waited for them to get around the vehicle and for Rhossem to hand the keys to the valet, then the other attendant held the door to beckon the three of them into the club.

Her scales seemed to tingle as she stepped in from the warm, humid night to the building's far less muggy, climate-controlled interior, a gentle soothing smell of woodsmoke on the air to greet her. A grand staircase that swept to the upper floor dominated the foyer, to be equaled only by the massive carved wooden doors beneath it, presently closed, that went into the main ballroom--the only room large enough for a dragon to use their proper form--while smaller openings to the east and west wings of the club were open: one led to cozy, well-appointed lounge, while the other led to a parlor where a half-dozen dragons stood and talked. Just inside the entry door on the right was a seating arrangement beneath small portraits of famous historical dragons, while on the left the host waited to receive them. "Good evening. How may we be of service?"

Tiretch answered for the group. "The Broker is expecting us at nine; Lady Abronia has business to conduct."

He nodded to the three of them, showing no reaction to greeting the [i]younger[/i] lady of her family. "Of course. They await you in the library, my lady, if you'll follow me."

She followed the host's lead up the broad, softly carpeted stairs with her two bodyguards trailing behind, then turned down a hallway lined with paintings and sculptures. A little ways along he stopped where a door stood open, gesturing for them to enter a wood-paneled room filled with books, an elaborately carved fireplace, and a grand table; even the ceiling was finely decorated, coffered wood with decorated inlaid stone. One dragon was seated at the center of that table, another beside her, while three more stood and talked quietly at the far end of the room, perking up as Adhara entered--she'd only needed to hesitate a brief moment to steel herself.

The elder dragoness at the table in the prim, businesslike pantsuit could only be the Broker, while her assistant and two others were male; that left the final dragon as Piscarra Kilmarock, whose elegant full-length gown matched the blue of her neck-scales well enough that it almost seemed to be a part of her and made the contrasting markings of red by her eyes stand out still more strongly. She froze for a moment, her expression reading complete surprise at the appearance of the younger Abronia, before she recovered herself. "Why, this is an unexpected occasion," she said, coming over with her escort on her tail. "While I had inquired after your health when... shall we say, dragons began to speak of you a couple of months ago, I hadn't expected to make your acquaintance myself, or at least not so soon! You may call me Piscarra; and you are?"

Some of the etiquette Adhara struggled to remember; the older dragoness hadn't offered so much as a bob of her head, so she didn't either, too focused on giving a proper reply and not making some sort of egregious mistake to wonder just [i]what[/i] dragons might have chosen to gossip concerning her, presumably after the unveiling of her painting. "My name is Adhara; it is good to meet you directly," she said, formally, as if she had been following the progress of negotiations all along and finally had this chance to encounter the other side. "My mother regrets that she could not attend to the culmination of our efforts herself."

"On the contrary; I feel honored to have the privilege to meet her heir before so many others." She smiled, though her eyes--and both of her companions'--flicked to Rhossem for just a moment; she resisted the urge to look herself, whatever he had done to draw attention. This was difficult enough to navigate without a member of her escort seemingly causing trouble.

"It is 9 o'clock," said the Broker, enunciating precisely. "Are both parties ready to begin?"

Adhara waited only long enough to not seem like she was in a rush. "I'm ready."

"Then let's proceed," Piscarra agreed, walking to the far end of the table, leaving Adhara to arrange herself at the near end. She sat in the chair--nearly having an awkward moment with Rhossem, having reached for it at the same time as him before she remembered to let him assist--and a moment later Tiretch opened the portfolio he'd brought with him to lay a piece of paper before her, printed with the half of the deal containing what her family would be giving to the Kilmarocks. She glanced down at it briefly, recalling the materials and numbers she'd reviewed on the drive over and matching them to what she saw on the sheet. Across the length of the table her counterpart sat tapping at her own paper here and there before lifting it into the air; Adhara did the same a moment later.

The Broker herself did not rise from her place; her assistant came to collect Piscarra's sheet, then Adhara's, and brought them together to the Broker for review. It occurred to Adhara that Marie wasn't wrong about the degree of pomp and ritual built into the process, but it was also perfectly justified: to have a neutral party write all the terms on a fresh page where both sides could witness the process protected everyone against tricks like enchanted inks or paper to alter an agreement after it had been signed. The Broker took them both, examined them, and then began to write swiftly to combine both onto new, inert sheets. The process took a few minutes, and Adhara resisted the urge to let her attention wander around the room--though there were plenty of intricate details to draw her attention--or to check her phone, safely in her purse at the edge of the table. Piscarra seemed at ease, and Adhara tried to force herself to do the same, breathing in the scents of old paper and wood paneling and letting her tail gradually relax after she realized she'd wound it tightly around the leg of her chair. Tiretch was patient behind her, Rhossem a little fidgety--at least if he drew their attention again that way, it would make any misstep of hers harder to notice?

Despite needing most of two sheets, the Broker completed her scribing faster than Adhara thought she could have copied down just the Abronia half of the agreement, then arranged what she'd been given in a row on either side of what she'd copied to proofread them all together and confirm everything was correct before nodding, satisfied, to let her assistant take over. He gathered the combined copy and brought it to Piscarra first; the dragoness's head tilted slowly back and forth as she read, her clawtips tapping but not puncturing the paper. After a brief review, she nodded, and Adhara's heart began to hammer in her chest as they brought the paper to her in turn.

What if it was completely different from what she'd prepared for? What if there had been all sorts of subtle tweaks to language that she hadn't even paid attention to because, she suddenly realized, she'd focused more on quantities and timing than conditions and qualifications? Her tail squeezed her chair leg again, at least out of sight beneath the table, and she let the clerk lay the paper on the tabletop before her rather than reach her hand up from her lap where it might be seen to shake. For just a moment her vision was very nearly blurry, but she blinked and took a deep breath.

She'd been to interviews, she'd been to meetings at work both cordial and contentious, been involved in high-stakes discussions that could make or break a proposal--the only difference this time was that it was for her family's business, rather than her employer. She could handle this. As if to tell her it was all right to feel a little unsettled, Piscarra's own relaxed manner seemed to have tightened up a little, with the climax of all that negotiation now at hand.

Adhara began to read, and over her right shoulder she sensed Tiretch leaning ever so slightly closer to read along. For being drafted so quickly, the Broker had an excellent hand, every character neatly spaced and legible, printed with such consistency and precision that it might have been produced by a computer. She had woven the two halves together, as well, so that one item from each family's document alternated, and she checked both, just in case: the Broker was a universally respected neutral party, but it couldn't be wrong to make sure. And so far as she could tell, it was: everything matched, as best she could remember, at least until she was midway down the second page and Tiretch tapped his tail against her own.

A couple more lines of text down, she saw it, and bumped her tail back against his, gently: she wanted to finish and make sure that there wasn't anything else wrong before she said anything. And [i]how[/i] to say it? The only thing she knew of the deliberations was their length; she couldn't say if they had been polite, or if the two dragonesses had been at each other's throats the whole time. She stopped herself from nibbling on her lip, swallowed to wet her suddenly dry throat, and took a steadying breath.

"This does not include the expected amount of production from your mage-smiths. You've offered three, rather than six."

Piscarra did not look annoyed or guilty that the alteration hadn't gone unnoticed. "I learned just this morning that my chief mage is gravid. I'm afraid her mana will be needed elsewhere, and unfortunately that means we cannot meet the original number."

She wasn't wrong: mage or no, a good deal of magic was needed for a dragon's egg to develop, in addition to the usual contributions. "She has my congratulations," Adhara said first, to give herself a moment to choose how strongly to force the issue, as her mother had told her not to allow any changes to the terms. To be hostile, or encouraging? "However, we had negotiated for six. Had we been informed earlier, we could have made adjustments to rebalance this agreement prior to its writing," she added, deciding: hint at a little annoyance, and see if it made her put her back up, so she could figure out the attitude she was dealing with. She felt Rhossem grow more intent behind her, picking up on her tone, though Tiretch stayed calm.

The matriarch spread her hands. "These things happen sometimes, I'm afraid. If you'd like, perhaps we could accept a lesser quantity of one of the materials--the rhodium, perhaps."

That was the most valuable piece her family was offering to the agreement, and lately its price had risen enough to make it into a headline she'd seen; Adhara suspected she'd made the suggestion as a ploy, that she would naturally want to deny the first suggestion and choose something else. She stayed the course. "As you desire the metals, so do we desire the enchanted items. Your chief mage is surely not your only smith," she said, after a moment hoping her assertion was true--she was not certain of the degree of the Kilmarocks' influence or how many lesser names might be subordinate to them. "Other needs may be delayed if they are not concrete, or perhaps we could offer you an extension to deliver the items in exchange for extended reductions in your transport rates, as your chief smith would not be gravid for the duration of this agreement." She resisted the urge to add a bawdy joke, considering the setting, and was interrupted anyway by another few taps of Tiretch's tail, surely trying to discourage her from negotiating by herself... but Piscarra had latched onto her first suggestion instead.

[i]"Other needs[/i] have already been agreed to, while we have not yet committed to your deal," she hissed, and now her own escort showed a few teeth to match her. "Are you so arrogant that you would demand I dishonor myself by reneging on agreements I have signed?" A smoky form loomed in the air behind her, a hint of her true shape hovering like a threat across the table; Rhossem briefly growled, but Tiretch remained at least outwardly relaxed and silent, and the Broker and her assistant were impassive at the table's center, perhaps with ironclad belief in the rules against violence on the premises.

Only several moments later did Adhara realize that she could have let her own shape answer the other dragoness's threat, so accustomed she was to acting as if she was truly an anthro and keeping her other form well concealed; having seen that shadow, she was confident she was the larger of the two. But now she knew who she was dealing with: a counterpart eager to be offended, yet one Adhara was certain her mother needed to deal with. Logistics was after all a means, not an end--or perhaps it was the enchanted items, whatever she might have had in mind to commission, that were the most important to her in this deal.

She's just a recalcitrant contractor, she told herself. Hard to work with, but necessary to accommodate to see the project through. There were ways to deal with that, she'd just need to talk her back from the flames.

"As I said," she said gently, "if they are not concrete. Your honor is valuable, as is our own, and we would not ask you to discard it so lightly." She paused. "Both of us get things that we want from this deal. Your smiths will have good use for additional raw materials, and we'll always appreciate reliable swift transportation to get our goods from one place to the next. Months of effort on both sides have gone into getting us into this room, and if we need to withdraw for further discussions... Do you [i]want[/i] to spend another month or few trying to convince my mother she's plucked enough of your scales?"

Unexpectedly, Piscarra laughed, making Rhossem jump. "Ha! I suppose you'd know, sharing territory with her."

She managed to smile a little; she'd nearly flinched horribly herself at the sudden, sharp bark of laughter. "Then shall we make the deal as previously agreed? If it turns out you don't have the smithing capacity, we can revisit the deadlines later on to ensure your mages are not overstretched, especially if one has a hatchling to raise. Just because something is on paper does not mean we can't return to amend it if need be."

Piscarra tilted her head thoughtfully, working her way through the suggestion, weighing the advantages and disadvantages; Adhara let her think it through, for sometimes prodding or trying to overly influence decision-making could make someone stubborn. Finally she said, "oh, very well," and gestured to the Broker. "Revise it to six, and we will find a way to make it work."

Adhara nodded, relaxing just a fraction. "It's appreciated. We'll send your mage an egg-gift," she added, thinking it an appropriate gesture; it made the older dragoness smile and didn't make Tiretch poke her, at least. The Broker at last showed an emotion as her assistant returned the paperwork: slight annoyance, perhaps, at needing to white out and replace the relevant words, but she complied, and then both of them read over the agreement once more. This time she didn't feel any prodding from Tiretch, so she gave her approval, and they both had a few minutes more to wait while the Broker produced two more copies, the original to stay at the Clearinghouse and one for each of them to take.

While they waited Piscarra said, "you didn't even show smoke back at me. Pretty cool head on your shoulders, especially for your age."

She hadn't seen her stiffen up under the table; Adhara allowed herself a small joke. "You [i]have[/i] met my mother, haven't you?"

"True!" she said, with another of those loud laughs. "Certainly didn't fly far from the nest; aside from your height, you look just like her, just a bit of your dad's color mixed in. Though I know [i]this[/i] body's appearance doesn't mean much." Which was true: though scale colors and patterns transferred directly, a dragon's anthro form tended to be shaped more by attitude than by the build of their true body, and surely a psychologist could have made all sorts of interpretations about how her bipedal form didn't have nearly the proportional height or bulk her real shape possessed. "You take your time getting some financial doctorate, or something along those lines? Or hiding something with your proper shape? Everyone's been wondering what could have made you seemingly drop off the face of the earth for so long."

Put that way, Adhara didn't think a rehash of the answer she'd given in the car would suit her, or at least not in so many words; but coming down from the sudden stress of getting Piscarra to back off had left her mind a bit muddled. "Hard to see much of the world with your parents stepping on your tail all day. I took some time to get away from our society and do things for myself." Her jaw frills twitched, belatedly wary. Maybe she should have stuck to the more polite answer.

"So much for not flying far from the nest. Ah, young dragons always did like to roam," she replied with a wistful air, seeming satisfied, so maybe she hadn't been too candid after all. "And I'm sure it lets you cast a wide net for potential mates as well! I know, you've been keeping to yourself, but you must have stalked some prime specimens by now, hmm? Even if your mother seems to have let you escape having your patience tested the way [i]hers[/i] was," she went on, throwing Adhara far more off-balance than her earlier hostility had! Her snout and frills flushed as she strove to shove away any thoughts of family heirlooms but found herself at a total loss for words. What could she say to that?

After a far-too-long pause that only made her blush worse she managed to choke out, "a-- a fact for which I am most grateful," and at Piscarra's amused look she only felt even more embarrassed: should she have pretended she didn't know what she meant rather than make clear she knew [i]exactly[/i] what?

Thankfully the Broker's assistant rescued her from the topic by returning to her end of the table, with three copies of their agreement and a pen for her to sign with; she nearly knocked the ornate fountain pen out of his hand from how zealously she grabbed for it. At a tap from Tiretch, she did her best to calm down and gave each one final once-over before she brought pen to paper and carefully made her signature, looping her way through the letters and by the time she started the third one already feeling thankful she'd mostly missed the days when architectural drawings needed to submitted as paper copies, in multiple sets, with every single page signed!

She set down the pen and sat back, but didn't fully relax until Piscarra had made her own, far more slashing signature on each copy; each was then reviewed and given a final signature by the Broker. One copy stayed with her, one went to Piscarra, and the last was handed to Adhara; she let Tiretch tuck it into his folio, and then her tail could finally go limp. What an ordeal--and she had only been involved in the very last steps!

"Our business is concluded; the Clearinghouse thanks you for your patronage and for a deal well struck. Good evening." The stout old dragoness rose and bowed formally to them both, then left with her assistant through a side door.

Lady Kilmarock slid easily from her chair, seeming as relieved to have completed their deal as Adhara felt. "Well, Adhara, what a lovely way to make your acquaintance. Not that I mean to be a gossip, but it will be good for dragons to know your mother has a capable daughter behind her wings; perhaps even better for you, if you're hoping for a few suitors to hunt." Adhara stood as the three of them came around the table; this time Piscarra nodded to her in a friendly way, and she returned it. "My sons have already mated, or I'd offer to send one!"

Whether just small talk or probing for information, Adhara was eager to move past that particular topic without addressing it, especially after the earlier inference that had left her so flustered! "It was good to meet you as well, and to do good business," she said, a little awkward, uncertain what else to say when she knew no more about her than the deal they'd just signed. Thankfully the late hour seemed to be weighing on Piscarra, for she said something about looking forward to nesting down for the night--at the adjacent hotel, no doubt.

"So I will bid you good night, and let you return to yours as well." Adhara nearly replied that she had a bit of a trek to get home, but stopped herself: to Piscarra that would mean the full flight west out to the manor, and it might not be the best idea to say anything suggesting she didn't live with her parents, so she only agreed, said good night, and let her and her escort leave first.

"So," said Tiretch. "Shall we get you home?"

"After that?" Adhara shook her head, her jaw frills still feeling heated. "There's a bar downstairs, I need a drink first."

Rhossem grinned; Tiretch gestured for her to take the lead. "Of course, my lady."

The lounge was decorated with large portraits of historical dragons; from the style, Adhara suspected they were all painted by famous draconic artists to elevate the space still further. Table lamps provided dim light throughout the room, and only a couple of tables were occupied, so she went ahead and chose one by the fireplace--unlit, considering the summer season--and sank into the soft chair, asking for one of them to get her a cosmopolitan from the bartender. Tiretch had a quick word with Rhossem and sent him to handle the drink order, then sat down with her.

"That could have gone worse," she said, softly, and set her purse on the table to get out her phone. "Even if she seemed eager to be offended for a minute there."

"And even more eager to be placated. But you handled it well. She probably wanted to test you, get the measure of an unfamiliar dragon and all that." He glanced towards the bar. "Honestly, after the way Rhossem swaggered in there I was more worried about him than you."

There were a couple of messages from Marie, which she didn't open; instead she went straight to texting mother: Deal signed! "I saw them all eyeing him, but didn't see why."

He glanced around before answering, perhaps deciding how candid to be in the setting, but there was decent distance between them and the other tables and plenty of soft surfaces to absorb sound. "Your mom sure put a lot on [i]my[/i] plate with this excursion, keeping an eye on you [i]and[/i] him. He knows how to handle a fight but he's younger than you, and just as new at this. Shouldn't be acting cocky when [i]you're[/i] the muscle if it comes to anything and our job is mainly to watch your sides. So I'll be telling his parents he needs more work on his etiquette before he's ready for high altitude, and telling [i]your[/i] parents you did a fantastic job."

Of course he'd be reporting on her. Though she supposed at least he was open about it--it seemed like dragons could never be taken at face value. "I'm sure there wouldn't have been a change in the terms to call out if one of them had been here themselves. Or perhaps not even a gravid mage in the first place."

"Eggs are too big an event to have made it up, not when it'd be something so easy to confirm as truth or lie. Unless she orders her mage to hurry up and [i]get[/i] gravid, I suppose," he snorted. "I'll let your mother know to arrange the egg-gift, you were right to offer one. I'm more surprised that she even tried something--she would have had a minute's notice at most that you were here instead of your mother. But maybe she'd prepared a couple of versions to be ready for some opportunity or other..." He trailed off as Rhossem joined them, dropping into the third chair around the table.

Adhara checked her phone just to see if mom had responded before putting it away again, but it hadn't yet been read; she was most likely still meeting with the Hearthridge matriarch, in which case she wouldn't even touch her phone until one or the other had left. "Well, we got what we were after in the end, whatever it took to get there. Don't suppose you know anything about how... cordial she and my mother had been while working on all the details? Perhaps there was a little latent hostility there she wanted to unleash on one of us."

"Well, you know your mother, she'd be her usual cool, polite self no matter how things were going. But I was only part of that escort detail once or twice, so I can't speak to how she might have tried Lady Kilmarock's patience or willingness to compromise. Usually I'm with your father, although this week I was [i]supposed[/i] to be on vacation."

For having missed out on a night off, Tiretch hadn't shown any prior hint of irritation about it. She reached across the table to touch his hand for a moment. "Oh, I didn't even realize! I hope it was just tonight you missed, and not the whole week."

"Just tonight, and back to it by morning. Been taking the fledglings flying around the Shenandoahs, we didn't journey far."

Adhara had done plenty of her own learning to fly around the national park and the mountains further south, and smiled at the memory. "Ohh, that must be great fun! How old are they?"

A dragon arrived bearing three drinks, the cocktail for Adhara and a shot glass of some dark liquor for each of the other two, interrupting his answer for a moment with a brief "cheers" and a clinking of glasses, then they all took a sip. Adhara's was long and, she felt, well-earned, further rewarding her survival of this excursion into dragon society and dragon dealings--and having done so without horribly embarrassing herself or her family!--with the fine taste of the mixed drink. Mmm, that was nice... She swirled the glass gently in her hand and let him talk.

"My daughter's a couple years younger than him," he gestured at Rhossem, "and my son's 12."

If she was still a fledgling, but nearly his age... "Wait, then how old are you?" She perked her snout towards the younger bodyguard.

"I'll be 22 next month," he growled defensively. She wouldn't have guessed [i]that[/i] young by looking at him, and she couldn't help but perk her head the other way, peering in the low light. "Which makes it pretty damn impressive to be on your detail, so quit looking at me like that!"

She retreated behind her glass for another sip, just glad for someone other than her to be on the defensive for a change this evening and letting Tiretch step in to get the young dragon to relax. Some trick of draconic metabolism meant she'd need to drink enough for her [i]big[/i] form to get properly inebriated, but even if it didn't cloud her head it still settled warm and relaxing in her belly, making her smile from the enjoyment and from the night's success; she even found herself looking forward to her mother's gratitude once she learned of the result. Now she would just have to go home and try to convince Marie that all the glamour and intrigue didn't make this place the high-stakes dramatic underworld it seemed like in the movies...