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It was going to be a busy day indeed. There weren't any special guests planned thank goodness, but with the first big push for the summer season, the inn would be crowded and almost constantly active. The new gardens were looking fantastic, each quarter holding its season just as planned. The new wings overlooking those grounds were spotless, ready to be used by their first occupants. It was an exciting day indeed!

"So what all is on the agenda for you today honey?" Shayna slipped into her robe as her blue companion adjusted his vest, brushing dust off of it in the mirror.

"Well, before I make the rounds, I was going to take one more pass through the new wings just to make sure everything's in order. After that, I do the usual rounds; front desk and foyer, dining hall and kitchen, housekeeping, the hanger and maintenance, the infirmary, facilities, and then of course the gardens. I'm sure there will be one or two things they'll all need help with and that's what I'm here to do. After the rounds, I head back to my office to have a look over the paperwork for the day. Once that's taken care of, another quick round to a few key spots to make sure everything is running smoothly, and that will be pretty much the end of the day. I'll find time to work lunch in somewhere."

Shayna chuckled, giving Smokey a pat on the shoulder.

"Well don't work too hard... and try not to eat any of the new guests. Go for someone who's been here before. They'll be less likely to sue."

The blue rolled his eyes and smirked at the angelic woman.

"Have fun with the kiddies, fixing up their boo-boos."

"Oh you know how much I just love children. They're so fattening though."

The two shared a laugh and left to go about their daily responsibilities. Smokey did just as he said he would, aiming to take a quick tour of the newly built seasonal wings. He was absolutely sure they would be a hit with the guests. Being able to pick which season you visited regardless of the time of year would no doubt become a highlight of the resort. As he strolled along the soft plush carpet, looking over each door and its gleaming brass numbers, he felt a sense of pride. Everything looked to be just perfect. The trees holding up the new wings were all healthy and strong. The concern surrounding it being too soon to have them support such weight was now but a distant memory. Carmel had done a fantastic job nurturing them.

Eventually, the hospitable dragon had to actually get to his rounds and changed course, heading directly for the front desk. It was fairly busy when he arrived, all four clerks occupied with guests while a short line of new arrivals waited patiently for the next opening. He put on his brightest smile and slipped behind the desk to assist however he could.

"Looks like we're just as busy as we thought we'd be!"

A young lapine lady nodded, offering her boss a grin similar to his.

"Yeah, everyone seems really excited about the new seasonal attraction. If this keeps up, we might need to build some more add-ons!"

Smokey laughed and shook his head.

"Ambitious! But let's take it one step at a time! How can I help move the lines along faster?"

The hare shrugged softly as she finished up the digital paperwork involved in checking in her latest guest.

"I don't know. We've got it pretty well handled and things are moving along pretty quickly. The system you've got set up for us is keeping the process short and sweet. I think we're good for now."

It was music to Smokey's ears. He nodded with a smile and gave the lapine a pat on the shoulder.

"Excellent! Exactly what I wanted to hear. Just give me a shout if you need something. I'll carry on with my rounds."

"Yes sir, will do."

From there, the dragon left the front desk and began mingling with some of the guests enjoying the foyer. He shook hands and traded amusing anecdotes, offering what charm he could provide to put the inn's best foot forward. So far, there didn't seem to be many complaints. Though there was one prevailing issue, one he was ready to address.

"Well Mr. Aquatos, I have to say it is quite the inn you've got here. My friends told me some amazing stories but they just didn't do this place justice."

"I'm so glad you think so Mr. Stonewall. We do try our very best to make it a visit everyone remembers."

The badger nodded, settling into a seat to take the weight off his aching knee. His cane could only provide so much support.

"Well I can assure you we'll be back. I have to say though, I am a little mystified about one thing. I've noticed there is an almost spartan quality to the rooms in the way of technology. You've got lamps and phones sure... but no television or internet access? Goodness me, there's hardly a plug to spare to power your laptop. Surely I would have thought such a marvelous establishment as this would have some of these amenities."

The dragon nodded, ready to subdue the beast of an issue.

"Yes, it's something we've had many people talk to us about. It all falls on my shoulders unfortunately. I underestimated how much our guests would want those comforts. I was aiming to create a space that did away with such technology, to help people simply enjoy their vacation. So often when I'm taking a business trip and I have access to these things, I either get too distracted to enjoy being in a place I've never visited before, or I end up stressed from working while on vacation. The thought was simple, deny access to such distractions and aggravations and people would enjoy the resort for what it truly is. It would seem that I may have been in error. We're already looking into adding those features."

Mr. Stonewall nodded with a bit of a grunt.

"Good, see that you do. It's one thing to follow that philosophy and call it a retreat, but to call it a resort... that can mislead your guests."

Again the blue nodded.

"I thank you for making me aware of that. I'll be more careful of the wording in the future. Now, if you'll forgive me sir, I've a great many more things I need to check up on. An inn keeper's work is never done!" He smiled as he turned to leave, satisfied with the badger's apparent contentment.

Upstairs, the dining hall was busily serving breakfast to guests from previous days as well as those just arriving. The wait staff seemed to have things well in hand, which they advised their employer of as he checked in on them. The kitchen was similarly active, the cook staff preparing an endless number of dishes to be sent out. The head of the kitchen caught the dragon in between shouting orders and pulled him aside.

"You can't just walk in here like that, boss. You'll get your head taken off. You gotta come in from the side. Don't want you gettin' hit with a scalding hot bowl of soup or something."

"So noted. I'm not used to this whole industrial kitchen set up. I prefer a smaller affair, but... necessity demands it. How is the service going?"

"You small town folks and your cozy little kitchens... this is where it's at! You're not really alive unless you're part of the living, breathing monster that is a restaurant kitchen! Anyway, service is going great. The staff is performing right where we want them. Haven't had anything come back other than empty plates. Lots of compliments on the food, including that fried chicken biscuit special you showed me. They're loving it. We're holding down here."

"Good! I knew folks would love that. I grew up with it. Mom taught me how to make it. Gotta share the love. Anyway, if you don't need me for anything, I'll be moving on. Just get me your purchasing lists when you have a moment and I'll give them a read."

The slightly heavy-set jackal nodded, giving the dragon's shoulder a soft punch.

"Yeah, when I have a moment. Real funny! Go do whatcha gotta do, I'll keep things moving up here."

Smokey nodded, "Don't forget! Gotta share the love!"

"Gotta share the love!" The head chef retorted, before turning back to bark orders again, "Hey! Watch that timer! I don't want those biscuits burning! You wanna be the one to go out there and tell twenty people they gotta wait on their food!?"

Content to let the canid fight the good fight, Smokey ducked out of the kitchen carefully. It was a madhouse in there, an example of controlled chaos and that jackal was in his element. From there, the dragon moved on. Housekeeping was next. Saeila seemed all to happy to chat with him about their progress. There weren't any serious problems to report, and what problems there were she was already resolving. Another request to have purchase orders sent to him was made and he was on his way. The hanger came next and a similar conversation was had as he oversaw the arrival of several shuttles. They were very new; the first time the inn had ever gone out of their way to provide a regular series of transports for guests instead of having to charter flights in and out.

What shuttles were up and running were doing the job excellently. The few that were pulled from the line were being maintained by Nichole, the tall, muscular mare Smokey had run across during one of his trips to the nearest big city. Shi was swamped with maintenance requests but shi and hir jade-scaled companion were chewing through them at speed, and more than that, they were happy as could be.

"Hello ladies, busy day I see."

The horse was on hir back, half concealed by the shuttle shi was working under.

"Yep! Busy day! Thay, could ya hand me a three-eights wrench. You were right. The five-sixteenths is too small."

"Here you go honey," The dragoness slipped the tool in question into hir hand then stood up to address the blue of hir own kind, "Hey there boss. How's it goin' out there? Lotta fires to put out?"

"Actually no. It's been pretty smooth so far. Lots to do, and it's all getting done. I see you two have your hands full with work orders. Anything I can do to help knock some of it out?"

Nichole slid out from under the shuttle as he spoke, climbing to hir hooves only to wrap an arm around his shoulders and squeeze tightly. Shi and Thaylin always dwarfed him, and those hugs of theirs felt like they shifted a few of his ribs around.

"Nah, we got this. It's mighty sweet of ya ta ask. It's just these three shuttles we need to get back up and running before lunch. Everything else is cake."

"You sure you don't need my help for anything?"

Thaylin slipped around the dark, sleek craft and moved in close to the other two. Shi leaned down and gave the innkeeper's forehead a kiss.

"We're sure sweetie. Wouldn't wanna get you all greasy and dirty when you've got a hotel to run."

Smokey winced cutely at the kiss, feeling a little hurt that they didn't want his help.

"I don't mind getting dirty."

"Oh we know you don't sweetheart. But it's fine, we've got it covered. You can carry on. I'm sure someone else has something you can come to the rescue on."

"Alright, well... just give me a shout in case you need anything."

"Can do, sugarcube." Nichole released the blue and swapped out tools before diving back under the shuttle.

Shi always had some of the most peculiar terms of endearment. Thaylin joined hir and Smokey was left to carry on. He turned to head off to visit Shayna in the infirmary. With everything going on in the inn today, all the buzz and activity, the infirmary was the most quiet. The angelic dragoness sat at her desk, looking over incident reports from overnight. It was a relatively uneventful shift. The blue strolled over and wrapped an arm around his beloved, giving her cheek a kiss.

"Hey there honey. How's it going so far today?"

Shayna smiled and returned the kiss happily, "Nice and quiet, just the way we would hope it to be. Got a few scheduled appointments coming up, just checkups mostly. No boo-boos yet."

"Good, glad to hear it!"

"You're here pretty early. Did you change your rounds up a bit?"

Smokey shook his head, leaning against the edge of Shayna's desk.

"No, everything's just going nice and smooth. Couldn't ask for a better re-opening."

Shayna nodded with a smile, sipping a cup of tea steaming away, "Well, then you must be going just bananas... all this hustle and bustle and no fires to put out. You're not going to try and start a problem just so you've got one to solve are you?" She eyed him teasingly.

"Of course not... at least, not that you'd know it was me that caused it." He winked, quietly pondering something to try and make Shayna call on him sometime after he left. He couldn't think of anything and he let it drop, "Well, if you're not in need of my assistance, then I shall carry on with my rounds."

"Sounds good honey. See you at lunch."

"See you then." He gave Shayna another kiss, this time on the lips, and was gone.

Facilities was next, but showed no sign of anything wrong. The gardens were similarly tended to with the exception of a child here or there being naughty and trying to go where they shouldn't or damaging some of the more fragile plants. It left Carmel horribly neurotic. Even so, shi was doing well in keeping things neat and healthy. It was the last place to check on his rounds, and Smokey simply couldn't find any reason to linger. He shrugged and headed up to his office, feeling a bit like a fifth wheel. Often he craved days like this, his staff working like a well oiled machine. It left him with time enough to get his paperwork done early. If his paperwork was done early, he could get back out on the floor and mingle with the guests again, try to put on the face of the involved innkeeper as he liked to do.

He reached his office and closed the door behind him. He moved around to his chair and seated himself at his desk. Before him lay the bane of his existence. It seemed so unnecessary, all this red tape and filing and such. Still, the inn had become a much larger beast than he originally designed and that came with certain responsibilities. He collected the first page in his stack, adjusting his glasses to read over it when it hit him. The nagging feeling that had been with him most of the day so far. He set the page back down, removed his glasses, and signed. His expression, usually one of a jocular sort, melted into one of a more somber nature. He sighed again and leaned forward, crossing his arms on his desk and resting his chin atop them.

And then he burst into tears.

As the day wore on, Shayna received a few unexpected cases of bumps and bruises, nothing terribly serious but enough to hold her attention. As the hour she usually disappeared for lunch approached, she handed control of the infirmary over to one of the other residents. Smokey was no doubt waist deep in paperwork and she would need to drag him away from it and force him to eat. When she got to his office, she heard a sound she dreaded hearing coming from behind his doors. It was happening again. Immediately, the tone for the day changed and she hurried to swing into action. As she gripped the doorknob, she heard a voice she didn't expect. Matters had just gotten complicated.

"Smokey, c'mon man, what's wrong!? What's got you so upset!?" It was Sirius. He'd walked in on the dragon in the middle of his fit.

"Sirius! What are you doing here!?" Shayna snapped, a little too harshly perhaps. She kicked herself mentally for being so short, "Sorry... I didn't mean to bite your head off, just... take a step back. That's not helping."

The wolf folded his ears back and did as he was told, letting the angelic lady do what she did best, tend to the sick and unhappy.

"All I did was come to give him the latest map he asked me to chart out. When I walked in, he was already upset."

"It's fine. You didn't do anything wrong," She cupped her hands against Smokey's cheeks, "Hey... honey, it's me. Look at me." The blue sniffled, quieting down just long enough to acknowledge her presence, gazing at her through tragically wounded green eyes, "I'm right here. What's wrong?"

The blue sniffed and wiped his eyes and nose with a tissue, "I... I don't know... it's like I'm not even here!" He squeezed his eyes shut and fell back into his sobs.

Shayna sighed and wrapped her arms around him, trying her best to comfort him, "I know... I know... don't worry. Everything's going to be fine," She looked up to the wolf and shifted her attention completely to him, "I need you to act with the highest discretion. We need to get him to bed and we have to do it without anyone seeing or at least noticing him while he's like this."

"Okay... that's great and all but that's three long hallways, and most of them are used by a bunch of the staff. One of them is publicly accessible. How do you plan on getting him to his quarters without anyone knowing?"

"You're going to have to get a maintenance jumper. I'll try to keep him calm, you run get it and bring it up to the balcony here. Go, now, as fast as you can. But do not let on that anything's wrong. No one can know, not even the staff." She went back to trying to sooth the broken dragon in her arms, rocking him gently.

Sirius nodded and was out the door in a shot. Only a few short minutes later he was hovering just off the balcony in the jumper Shayna ordered him to get. She hoisted Smokey to his feet, encouraging him as they left the interior of the inn and stepped out onto the platform overlooking the gardens below. She eased him into the jumper and motioned for Sirius to fly them off. With careful positioning, she moved to sit Smokey on the floor of the jumper and took the spot next to him. With him safely concealed, no one would be able to see the blue in such a state. Smokey's quarters were only a short flight away and soon they were parked against a new balcony. The angelic lady pulled her companion to his feet and practically carried him inside where she eased him onto the bed.

"Okay... there we go. Safe and sound. Nothing to worry about. Now... tell me what happened. Can you do that?"

The whole ordeal of getting from his office to his bedroom had not helped the innkeeper. He was in worse shape than when he was discovered by the wolf. He sobbed and sniffed uncontrollably, making all manner of incomprehensible sounds. Amidst them, he managed to utter horrible things, things Sirius simply couldn't believe the dragon was saying.

"Nobody needs me! I'm useless! It was a mistake making this place! I'm a complete idiot! What the hell is wrong with me!? Why can't I just be happy!? Why do I have to keep making things harder!?"

Shayna sighed and continued to rock him back and forth, soothing him as best she could.

"It's okay honey. It's okay, just let it out. I'm gonna go get something for you to eat, okay? You skipped breakfast so you could take another tour of the new wings, I'm sure you're hungry. You can't think straight on an empty stomach, right?"

The blue seemed to relent on the matter. She had a point, he was hungry. His self-deprecating slander halted long enough for her to get an answer out of him as to what he might like. Once that was gathered, Shayna laid him down on the bed and pulled the sheets over him. It wasn't going to be a pleasant day for him in the slightest. Once he was tucked in, still kicking himself and crying as though he had been severely traumatized, the angel took Sirius by the hand and led him out into the living room. The door was shut behind them and the lady sighed, leaning forward to rest her forehead on the wooden barrier.

"What... the hell... was that? How could he say all those terrible things about himself? It's like he's a whole other person."

"In a sense he is. Congratulations Sirius, you've just gotten to see a side of Smokescale Aquatos very few get to. Have a seat... we need to talk."

The wolf nodded and did as he was told. Shayna collected the phone off its stand and called up to the kitchen, requesting Smokey's lunch as well as something for her and Sirius, returning the phone once done. From there, she went into the kitchen and prepared another pot of tea. There would be a need for a lot of that today.

"What you just saw and heard... didn't happen. Do you understand?" She spoke to Sirius from the kitchen as she prepared their drink.

"Um... I'm pretty sure it did just happen."

Shayna stepped out from the kitchen with a small tray carrying a teapot and a couple of cups as well as the rest of the accoutrement common for such a beverage.

"No, Sirius. It didn't. You cannot speak of this to anyone."

The lupine furrowed his brow.

"Okay... so, what didn't just happen?"

"What you saw is something that happens from time to time. It's fairly rare, but when it its, it usually hits pretty hard. This was a bad one. He doesn't usually break down quite so badly. He cries, sure. He tears himself apart verbally, sure. But it's an especially bad day when he is almost completely incomprehensible."

"Okay... but what is it? Is he sick? Did he forget to take his meds or something? Is it his time of the month?"

Shayna simply gazed at Sirius quietly. Her look ultimately received an apology from the wolf. His attempt to inject a little levity was appreciated but inappropriate.

"Smokey is... well... in a sense, he's delicate. He can take quite a lot emotionally. He can be amazingly strong, the backbone we all need sometimes. But sometimes, he just... falls to pieces. Something happened to him a long while ago, back when his sister was very young. It traumatized him. It was what ultimately led to the two of us meeting. I got to see him at ground zero, his absolute worst and darkest. I don't ever want to see him go there ever again. For any reason."

The earnestness of this sank in quickly and the wolf set aside his usual jovial self and turned quietly serious.

"What happened?"

The hour wore on as she told the tale of how she came to the inn and the lunch order was brought down. Shayna quietly snuck back into the bedroom with it and set it on the night stand. She reached over and stroked along the blue's shoulder to catch his attention. He had quieted down quite a lot but he was still in a terrible state. He lay there almost completely silent save for a catch in his throat as he breathed or a sniff. He was awake, staring out the window.

"Your food's here honey. You should try and eat, okay?"

"What's the point? You'd all be better off without me. I'm just a huge screw-up. Couldn't even take care of Carmel when she needed me. Now I've got a huge inn full of people... when I mess this up, I'll ruin hundreds of lives."

Shayna sighed again and leaned over, kissing his cheek once again.

"Just try to eat some, okay?" With that, she slipped back out and closed the door again.

Sirius found his appetite rather scarce but managed to nibble on his own meal, as did the angelic dragoness across from him.

"So... all that stuff about him and Carmel and you. Who all knows about that?"

Shayna looked at her plate as she worked to find the will to keep herself fed, "Other than Smokey, Carmel, and me?" Sirius nodded, "Just you."

Silence prevailed. It was indeed a well kept secret. And he wouldn't have known had he not walked in on him like that. How on earth they had managed to keep it quiet this long was something of a miracle.

"Just four people..."

"That's right. Welcome to the inner circle. You get to see his dark side."

"So, if what happened back then isn't an issue anymore... why is he still like this?"

Shayna set her fork down and looked up at the wolf.

"What happened nearly destroyed him. It broke him. And I was the lucky one who had to pick up the pieces. Still... I owed him that much. I still owe him. What you see going on with him is just what remains. It's a shadow of what devastated him. It just bubbles up to the surface every now and again and erupts in a huge explosion of self-hate. To him, he's making perfect sense. He can't see how absolute absurd what he's saying actually is. Not right now. He's lost in his own head."

"Has he seen anyone about it? Like a therapist or something?"

Shayna shook her head.

"No... doing that means bringing someone in to see this side of him, and these episodes are somewhat rare and very short-lived so it wouldn't be terribly helpful. The longest I've ever seen it last is a week. At least... one of the recurrences. He'll let it all out, cry himself to sleep, and in the morning, he'll either be better or he won't. If he's not, we try for the next day, and we keep trying until he's better. And he will get better."

"How could it not be helpful? He's aware of it after the fact isn't he?"

"Yes, but he doesn't want to go back there so he tries to block it out, pretend everything is alright. You see... he knows just how badly this upsets Carmel and me. He's acutely aware of it... and it fuels the problem further. He ends up hating himself for doing this to us. It destroys his self-esteem knowing he's snapping and putting us through this ordeal. The connection he can't make right now is that we put up with it because we love him. We're not annoyed, we're not aggravated with him, we're just worried about him. We want to see him come out of it. It hurts seeing him like this and he takes that and mashes it up in his head as another reason why he's a terrible person."

Sirius frowned.

"So it's like a feedback loop."

"You've got it. That is exactly what it is. You know the one thing he's said to me that made me almost question why I was doing this at all?"

"He didn't attack you did he?"

"No, never. He wouldn't ever do that. All his hatred is focused squarely on himself. Right now, he is the reason why there's suffering in the world, why people get sick and die, why the innocent are hurt and robbed... in his head, he's the root of all evil, no matter how ridiculous that might sound. What he told me that made me almost pack my things and leave was... he said he could not understand for the life of him why I loved him. He said there was no reason for me to love him. That I was stupid for loving him."

Sirius simply stared in abject shock. How anyone could say such a thing was beyond him.

"He didn't mean it of course..."

"Of course he didn't. When he came around after that bout, he begged for my forgiveness. I told him he didn't need my forgiveness. I knew he didn't mean it. But he had to forgive himself. He still jokingly says things like 'I don't know why you put up wth me' but it's meant to be endearing. And he has never said anything like that during these fits since. I think it hit him hard enough that he walled that off and left it as 'off limits'."

The white canid nodded, rubbing his eyes as he took it all in. This was a great weight to carry, a burden of tremendous proportion.

"So, how can we help him come out of it? And how can we stop it from happening again?"

"We can't. He'll come out of it when he finds his senses again. And it can be triggered at any time by anything. You heard him say 'nobody needs me'. When he came by the infirmary earlier today, he told me everything was running smoothly, no fires to put out, no one needed his help. I think that was the catalyst. No one needed him to step in and help out. That and the stress with the complaints about no TV and no internet... something he can't control right now, a decision he made even against the recommendations of some of the staff. Mix that up with him doing that god awful paperwork, a messed up sleep schedule, and skipping a meal or two... it was just a matter of time. Had one or two little tiny things gone just a little different, it might not have happened. Things as small as how someone worded something, or the reasoning behind why his help wasn't needed. Something that might have changed his perception just enough to keep him from getting inside his own head and letting that poison take over. All we can do is watch for the warning signs and try and mitigate the damage."

"So, you knew this was going to happen today?"

"No, I didn't. Not entirely. You'll find those warning signs everywhere and if you let them get you all worked up, you'll be paranoid. That makes him upset... upset that he's upset you, upset that he's making you worry needlessly about him. That can trigger an episode."

"What!?" Sirius stopped himself, catching his voice before it became a shout, "He could end up like this just from knowing we watch and try to prevent it!?"

"If we're too obvious about it, yes. He's a proud dragon. He doesn't like letting on that something is wrong, at least on a personal level. His heart could be breaking and he'll smile through it until he's alone. He'll see it coming on his own and try to seek out company that will lift his spirits, but sometimes, it just isn't enough. We're lucky in that he knows when he's headed that way and will start to isolate himself. You're part of the circle now... you'll be someone he turns to for support. The best thing you can do right now is to give him space except for when he needs to eat or drink. He'll take care of... the other stuff."

The wolf nodded, accepting the responsibility in spite of how wrong it felt to just leave his friend to wallow like that.

"I guess... I guess I can do that."

"There's one more thing. It hasn't happened in a very long time... but... you never can tell with these things. You need to be there to stop him. Just in case he tries to take things too far."

"Too far?"

"When I said it devastated him, I mean it. After I arrived and started trying to help him, he tried to take his own life."

Sirius gasped, covering his mouth. It was so far out and away from anything he might have expected Smokey to be capable of.

"He what!?"

Shayna nodded, "He tried to kill himself. It was his darkest hour. Only one other time has he tried, and that was still when Carmel was very young. He hasn't tried again since, but... better safe than sorry."

"So how do we know he's not trying to do that right now?"

"He's not nearly as far down right now as he was then. Trust me, you'll know if he goes down that far. It has to be something monumentally catastrophic, something personal, something that no one around him can fix without interfering rather deeply. The last time it happened, he got into a screaming match with a former friend. He instantly regretted raising his voice and their friendship was over. I couldn't talk them down from there. About twenty minutes later, he tried. Thankfully, I was able to stop him. The promise we created for the whole of the Inn should catch him if he tries, but I'm pretty sure he knows he won't actually die so he views it as just one more 'what's the point?' question."

"Alright... so... we've got some insurance. Do we do this in shifts?"

Again the dragoness nodded, "That's right. I'm needed back in the infirmary to give someone a physical. If you weren't here, I'd call for Carmel. If you'd keep an eye on him for me, I'd appreciate it. And like I said... tell no one. If word of this gets out, he is convinced he'll be seen as someone who pitches a fit just because he's not getting enough attention. I can assure you... that is not the case. And I don't want that sort of ammunition floating around out there waiting to trigger another episode."

The wolf nodded and stood as she did, giving the angel a firm hug. It was a lot to take in but after all they had done, taking him in, helping him adjust to his new life, giving him a job, and making him feel at home, he felt he owed the both of them that much at the very least. He squeezed Shayna tightly, offering her the sense of 'we'll get through this, Smokey too' before letting her go so she could tend to her work.

Once she was gone, he slipped into Smokey's bedroom, a place he didn't usually visit except on rare exceptions and none of them intimate. Quietly, he crept over to the bed, watching as the blue dragon lay there and stared out the window. The food on the night stand had been noticed. Most of it was gone. At least he was eating. Without a second thought, the wolf slipped into the bed with the dragon and pressed in close, pulling Smokey's back to his chest and wrapping his arms around him.

"I'm right here Smokey. You've got a friend close by. I'll help you get through this."

Shayna told him to give the dragon some space, but he just couldn't. He needed to prove to him that he wasn't scared off by this. Thankfully, it didn't result in an immediate relapse. Instead, the dragon just sniffled away, gradually falling asleep in the wolf's embrace. Sirius sighed as he noticed his azure friend drift of, doing the same in short order.

Days passed and the two girls along with their new helper weathered the storm. On the third morning, the door to the bedroom opened and out walked the blue dragon, looking quite a mess having not taken proper care of himself other than the absolute basics. Shayna walked out with him, an arm around him. Sirius and Carmel looked up from where they sat on the sofa, cuddled up together for emotional support. Had he finally come through?

"Hey guys... sorry for... well... all of that. You shouldn't have to deal with it."

Shayna kissed his cheek.

"You say that every time, and every time, we tell you we have to, because we love you and we're not going to let you suffer through it alone."

Smokey blushed and offered Shayna a firm hug, whispering into her ear, "I really don't deserve you... you are every inch the angel you appear to be."

She returned the hug in kind and released him so that Carmel could share in the affection.

"I'm sorry I did this to you, Smokey. I wish I could take it all back."

"I wasn't your fault. Don't you dare blame yourself for my failings. Ever." He squeezed his younger sister tight, then ran his fingers through hir hair, marveling at the beautiful flowers shi kept in hir locks. From there, he looked to Sirius and moved to stand in front of him. The wolf gazed back at him as the two regarded one another silently for a brief moment.

And then, Smokey embraced him, hugged him tightly. It caught the wolf by surprise.

"Thank you Mr. Nocturne. Thank you for everything. I don't know what I would do without you."

Sirius returned the hug, fighting back the urge to tear up. It was a show of affection he wasn't used to, not even among his pack. They had different ways of expressing such a connection. This was something more.

"You're welcome Mr. Aquatos... wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

The two released one another, the dragon taking the wolf's hand in his as he turned to look at the girls. Their relationship had changed, Smokey and Sirius. Shayna and Carmel saw that, and it made them chuckle a little. Smokey simply put on his best smile in spite of what he had just come out of.

"So... should we get some breakfast? I'm starving."

Shayna shook her head.

"No, I'm not that hungry. I just came off of a night shift so I'm pretty tired. I think I'll just head to bed. Carmel, you've been busy tending to the garden when you had the chance, you must be exhausted," The jade dragoness nodded, leaning against the angel shi ultimately called hir big sister, "Then why don't we both get catch some Z's, let your brother and his new boyfriend go on their first date."

Carmel cackled and turned to dart back into the bedroom with Shayna following at a more casual pace. Smokey blushed furiously, his eyes widening. He whipped his head to the side to gaze at the wolf. Sirius just grinned back at his boss, his tail wagging away.

"A date sounds absolutely marvelous. I've been meaning to try out that chicken biscuit special you raved about."