Well. She's right. She checked three times, there's no doubt to it.
"Look," she mutters to herself, "I get it, it's scary, but deal. You are not allowed to - to -" To what? Go home? Maybe try to work up the courage later? Maybe try and avoid the shren house like so many other dragons?
It was a door. It's idiotic to be afraid of a door. Sure, there were shrens on the other side of it, but there could conceivably be shrens on the other side of lots of doors, some of them were in hiding, hair dye existed. Subtle colors existed. She could have been near shrens any number of times.
That - did not actually make her fear go away. Instead it makes her want to curl up in her little apartment and not go outside again.
Great. Okay. Stop that train of thought, it's not useful. If she stands here any longer, people are going to stare. (Is that person over there staring? Probably. Damn.) Just - door. Go. Walk.
She forces herself to walk to the door, somewhat stiffly. And then she is at the door. ... Does she knock? Does she just open it and go in? She has no idea. It's customary to knock, so... She takes a deep breath and does so. Resisting the urge to flee and teleport away (or scamper into the bushes) isn't easy, but she manages it.
... Pause.
"Um. Sorry. Shrens in general, you are - um, you seem very nice, you are not personally scary." Pause. "... Okay, maybe a little. I'm kind of nervous."
"I am trying not to," defends Avet. "Really. I - sorry, I'm working on it. I - I have analysis spells, as many as I could find, I've read up on the subject. Nothing's - helpful. I don't plan on, on, doing horrible things or poking the babies while they're -" She looks away. "I just." Handwave. "Wizard spells, magic, maybe talk to a witch expert and see if they have thoughts on the matter besides painkillers."
She's decided that her best method to get over aaaaah shren is to focus on how excited she is about possible progress. Even if it's not the actual tangible progress of baby dragons not dying. It counts. She defeated the door.
Ehail leads her in. There is slightly audible wailing off to the left, but they don't go down that hallway. Instead they go straight back and then to the right and then left again, and up some stairs, and then they're at a bare little room with a bed and a chair and a desk. Ehail sits on the bed, leaving the chair for Avet.
"Any reason we shouldn't immediately start? I'll explain everything I do before I do it, I even brought my notes." She hefts the notes. They're written in Draconic, but that's hardly a problem here.
None of them let her look at dragon magic. This might be relevant.
She looks at Ehail. "You know the obvious thing to do with this is to go analyze baby dragons," she points out. "Do you want me to send you notes on things I find with your analysis? I'll credit you for it, or - er, leave you anonymous if you'd like. Or - actually, are you okay with me running off cackling with your darling analysis to analyze everything even vaguely dragon-like?"
"So, uh, I'll send you updates. Do you want me to mention your name when I say who's responsible for the analysis, or remain anonymous? I won't take credit for your work..."
She doesn't believe that. But she also doesn't want to go crusading on Ehail's behalf and upset her in the process. Especially when the person she'd be crusading against is also Ehail. What a complicated situation.
(She hasn't noticed, but all of the fear of shrens is gone. Maybe not permanently, but for right now? She could be talking with another dragon for all she cared.)
"So," says Avet, all kinds of awkward, "Um. My line name's Larin, don't be afraid to mail me?"
"Well. That's everything on my list, are there any analyses you'd like to use on me? Aside from the dragon magic one."
Step right up, she doesn't say, and see the dragon crazy enough to happily wander through a house full of shrens. Analyze her and see just how insane she is! She suspects the tone would be lost. Why hasn't anyone done this before, talked to anyone in here even briefly and learned that Ehail has a -
Nope, nope, don't go down that road, down that road lies darkness and pain and losing your shren wizard penpal, do not do that thing.
Once home, she checks the soundproofing on her room, and finds it working just fine. Then she screams wordlessly into a pillow.
It's not fair. It's not right! She's angry and upset and wants desperately to fix it, yes the concept of shrens is awful and sad but it doesn't excuse treating shrens themselves awfully, and, and - that's guilt, that's definitely guilt. She didn't go sooner. She just - thought they were all awful, tried not to think about them, avoided the idea of them entirely.
She gets up, finds the records of her finances, and does math. She works out a reasonable sum she can afford to pay monthly and maintain. She mails that reasonable sum to the shren house in Esmaar, anonymously, and silently vows she is going to keep donating that sum. At least until a miracle comes along and cures all shrens. Which is hilariously unlikely, but hey, it could happen.
And then she retrieves the appropriate crystal, calls up her line representative, and asks about seeing some baby dragons to analyze so she can possibly fix the dying thing.
(And possibly fix the shren thing. She doesn't think she's a miracle worker, but she thinks she can make it easier for someone who is. At the very least.)
She doesn't let herself break down crying.
She writes a letter to Ehail explaining everything and what she found out from her analysis, and sends it. She then gets to trying to figure out how to fix this problem. She - has no idea, honestly. How is dragon magic assigned? Why do some get dragon magic and other don't? What happened to cause shrens? How do unusuals and uniques fit into this?
She needs more information, frankly. She calls up her line representative again. She explains the situation, explains her prediction based on dragon magic for the malachite's children, and asks to analyze an unusual and (if possible) a unique.
"I know a spell that lets me see dragon magic," she explains. "I've seen dragons and baby dragons, and I suspect that a lack of dragon magic is what kills babies. I'm trying to understand where dragon magic comes from and what factors are involved with how dragon magic is assigned. Since Keo has a lot of dragon magic, I'd like to use the analysis on her."
So. She doesn't actually know if the magicless baby dragon is definitely going to die. But she - highly suspects it. But a thudia has some magic, and the lack doesn't kill them. So where does dragon magic come from? Is it random? Or is there some kind of pattern to it all?
She needs to go to dragon island. Analyses first, then dragon island.
"Thank you for your help," she says to Korulen and Kanaat and Keo. "I suspect analyzing an unusual and a parunia will get me exactly what I think it'd be, but I need to check anyway."
< Hi, > she replies. < Sorry to bother you, I'm Avetlarin, I'm a wizard trying to find the reason baby dragons die, and then find a cure for it. I strongly suspect it has something to do with dragon magic. If you don't mind, I'd like to run a quick analysis on you to see if your dragon magic is what I think it will be. >
And off she teleports.
Parunia, or Dragon Island? Island or parunia?
... Her stomach growls.
Right. Food. Food exists.
Food, then Dragon Island, then parunia if she doesn't get any obvious leads from Dragon Island. She makes a quick sandwich and eats it while she writes an equally quick letter to Ehail. Explaining her observations, and explaining where she's going next to figure out what exactly is going on. Hey, she said she'd keep her updated, and she's damn well going to. Write write. Nom. Nom nom. Write write.
She runs out of food before she runs out of letter, but soon one is consumed and the other is sent, and then she's off to Dragon Island.
To Thyell: "I strongly suspect that the problem with babies has something to do with a lack of dragon magic. I know an analysis that lets me look at it. But - before specifics, you know the records better than I do, what's the general population density of unusuals, uniques, and ordinary dragons? If I remember correctly it stays around the same?"
"There are fluctuations, but yes. In general uniques are so called because on average there will be one per color group around at a time, although there may be two of one, none of another for centuries on end, etcetera. Unusuals are usually present at a rate of between ten and twenty per color group."
"No, I - yes we don't have as many children as the average fairy. But populations do a thing where they snowball. One family has three kids that survive and those three kids manage to have five between them and so on and so on. I don't know. Maybe I'm hilariously wrong about how it works, it's not like I'm an expert on the subject."
"The blood plague was a factor in the death rate for... four years, and then between its decline and our better safety precautions it stopped killing substantial numbers of dragons. In the second half of that period infant mortality dropped pretty sharply, and then returned to its normal rate over the next ten years."
She turns, and walks, mostly ignore Thyell now. "If those things are true, what are my repositories for dragon magic? Dragons. Uniques. Unusuals, thudias, parunias... shrens."
She spins to look at Thyell again. "Do you have records of thudias and shrens, too? Their population?"
"Okay," she says. "So. If it's dragon magic that's causing all of this, which, admittedly it might not be... shrens are a factor, they have dragon magic too."
"... No, thank you," she says, instead. "I'm sorry for bothering you. You've been a great help. Have a lovely day."
She doesn't want to be on Dragon Island anymore. It's probably better to stay, she bets they have some records of shrens here, but she can't stay. She'll end up shouting at someone. Time to go.
She teleports to the shren house in Esmaar, and storms to the door, and knocks.
"Okay, if you could get me those records without freezing up the minute you hear the word shren and getting testy and unhelpful with me for stupid reasons when I am trying to save uncounted babies from death before they're a month old, that would be great." Pause. "... Sorry, not directed at you."
Avet looks very horrified by the implications.
"I. Don't know. I don't know what I'm anticipating. I don't want you to be murdered, and I don't want shren eggs to be destroyed before they hatch. I don't like the, the - there will be a lot more dragons working to kill shrens, I think. I don't like the extrapolated social and murdery results. If it gets out."
"I. No?! It's not better, it's awful, I want it to stop! But I will not - shrens deserve to live. They should not die because they are inconvenient or so another baby dragon could live, everyone should live. No, no - if you play the pick and choose game, where does it end? Kill your neighbor so your babies don't die, sneak into your cousin's home and smash their eggs so yours will have a chance - no. No! It isn't better, but I refuse to start playing this horrific, sick game of, of, 'it is better for a shren to die for the sake of a baby dragon,' I refuse to say that one baby dragon can live over another, I refuse to say this is the way things are and let them die, before any of them are even hatched, or before they're a month old. No. I will find something better."
"Mm. I - the dragon genealogist I talked to might be able to extrapolate," she sighs. "But considering how she froze up the minute I asked a question that involved shrens, I don't think she'll come to the correct conclusion on her own. I'll check. I - don't know, I might lie about it, if anyone asks, I am actually likely the expert on the subject now. And they will expect me to dutifully tell them everything because they know best."
The most pressing problem is the one involving baby dragons dying. She - isn't actually sure it's dragon magic. Just mostly sure. Almost entirely, completely sure. But she has to check. She can check while also working. She calls up her line representative, and asks to be kept informed of the fate of the dragon babies whose fates she predicted. Then she gets to work trying to invent a spell to see where dragon magic comes from, and where it goes after a dragon dies.
She collaborates with Ehail, and they go over her notes, and together they figure out a way to scry the dragon magic reserve.
Emptier, too, she expects.
I think, she writes to Ehail, That we'll do more if we invent a conception spell based on the reservoir. As in, a dragon cannot conceive with another dragon unless there is enough magic for the dragon to live. Without any chance of death or shrenhood. That way the number of babies dying and in pain from esu is capped while we work on solving everything else. For example: shrens.
So. To work on that.
They do. Progress is made. Avet gets into the habit of setting alarms to remind herself to manage bodily functions such as eating and sleep. Lots and lots of letters are exchanged.
And then the spell is invented. Avet informs her line representative, and explains how the spell works.
They've distributed the spell and there's a formal order out that dragon couples use it, she informs. So that's taken care of. I don't know about you, but I'm doing a happy dance.
Now, on the subject of shrens -
And it's back to work.
Avet doesn't see an obvious way to fix shrenhood. This isn't surprising, it's a subject a lot of wizards have looked into and come up empty. But she felt she had to check, because no one invented the conception spell, and so she no longer trusts dragon wizards that aren't also named Avet. After a lot of analyses, it becomes clear that shrens are incapable of permanently holding provided dragon magic from the reservoir. They have a hole. With it in place, all extra magic provided spills right back out into the dragon magic reservoir. The hole cannot be patched without killing the shren, at least not by any obvious method Avet can see.
But really, she writes, curing shrens is a minor problem in comparison to preventing esu. And I think that it's possible we could temporarily give a shren the ability to fly with a sustained spell. What do you think, should we try it, or is it too dangerous?
"That was the train of thought, yeah. No spell yet, I'd like adult volunteers before casting experimental spells on babies. I thought it was important to let you know so you could get a volunteer ready to go beforehand, so that when the spell's ready we can test is as soon as possible. Spare the babies as much esu as we can."
And off she teleports. Work awaits.
It's a harder problem than the last one. There isn't another spell to lean off of, here. It all has to be painstakingly invented. Neither she nor Ehail are brilliant at spell invention, but they are both going to keep at it.
Avet calms down, a little. She is still obviously working on the project, obviously making progress, but it does not rule her life. She flies to the bottom of the world, finds a nice spot in the middle of nowhere to let shrens fly, and then teleports home. She quits her job (because it is boring, she never liked it, and it was always something she planned to be temporary, anyway) and gets something more freelancy. Word of mouth from dragons that come to her for conceptions? Useful for that thing.
It takes a while. Almost a year. Avet feels vaguely guilty for every hour she steals for herself, but if she doesn't she suspects that by the end she'll be an empty shell of her former self. So she doesn't do that. But she does keep at it, and she does keep sending anonymous donations.
And then the spell is done.
She and Ehail check it multiple times. They are as sure as they can be that it'll work.
So. Avet knocks on the door to the Esmaar shren house, and tries to balance out worry, anxiety, and excitement.
"You'll need to be in natural form for the spell," she informs, "I don't know how it would react if you shifted while under it. You're welcome to check the area for dragons besides the obvious one, first."
She doesn't actually have a flight form that isn't her dragon form. She's not old enough to make commuting difficult, and leaving her options open is appealing. But she doesn't volunteer that information, it seems like it would be rude.
"Fly," she murmurs.
(Oh no what if it all goes horribly wrong...)
She. She just made a shren fly.
Holy shit.
"We. Still don't know if it fixes esu," she squeaks, wide eyed but trying to maintain some hint of professionalism. "Or if the spell can be ended safely. Ready, or do you - want more time...?"
She flies dragon most of the way, it's faster. But she doesn't stay dragon. That would be a great way to lose her ability to fly in natural form entirely. She walked to get to the Esmaar house, the first time, but now's really not the time for that. Time to stop sitting on that one single chosen form. And it's not like she hadn't thought about what her non-dragon flight form would be. Just - waffling a little. In case of an emergency.
Gyrfalcon, she thinks, and she is a pale while bird with coppery markings that doesn't stop flying after she shifts.
She's at the shren house in Tenebirokalamikikek soon enough. She lands and shifts human, and tries to figure out how to get in.
"Do now," she says, lightly. "Lead on?"
The water would be comfier if she'd wound up with a luckier subspecies of merfolk, but it's livable even for a shallows-Eem one. The amethyst shows her the way into the iceberg. There are babies; they are ushered into the air pocket, which is used mostly for storage but is quickly cleared out to let them fly.
Records of shrens are found, easily located since dragons need to know where not to fly. She writes down all addresses of the little ones stil in esu. Locations are relayed to Ehail where appropriate. And then Avet starts teleporting to places, and flying from there. In her falcon form, because she's aiming for shrens specifically and it's really better to be safe in these circumstances.
She reaches the first house reasonably quickly, lands, and knocks on the door.
She teleports straight to her room, falls in a bed-wards direction, and...
Sweet, blessed, delightful sleep. No obstinate babies that she has to drop out of the sky. No flying all over creation for hours.
Sleep.
She assumes that someone will contact her if she missed a shren. She - second guesses that assumption, calls her line rep again, apologizes for the subject matter, and asks very politely for parents of home shrens to please contact her if she missed them. Via mail, not through the line rep, so the line rep doesn't have to, 'Deal with this upsetting subject matter.' She doesn't think that, or anywhere close, but she doesn't want to burn bridges with Dragon Island. She'll - think of something better than mail. Eventually.
There are no mail-based interruptions of the emergency kind. She has several glorious days off. And then she pulls herself out of her rest, and goes to sort out scheduling for esu resets so no shren baby has to suffer through it again. She doesn't charge anything for an esu reset for babies. She - realizes that she should probably capitalize on the fact that she's got the market for shrens that want to fly almost entirely cornered. She snorts and doesn't do that thing, and publishes the spell publicly. Any competent wizard can cast it, if they care to look it up. Other dragons will make faces at her, but her explanation for it's an innocent, 'I think it's important to share research so that a miracle can eventually be achieved.' Really, she wants shrens to be able to fly. For fun. Not just because of horrific pain from esu.
Apparently she is the known expert on dragon magic now. That's. Sort of weird, actually. How did that happen? Well. She can't complain, people are still donating her money. She keeps at studying dragon magic. She answers questions about it when asked, she shows up when called by the dragon council. Not because she likes them, but because she genuinely has stopped trusting them to competently run things and is quietly convinced that if she doesn't show up to spot large glaring mistakes something will be on fire when she next looks. If she's supposed to be the expert in it, she's going to actually be the expert. She doesn't bring up Ehail, per Ehail's wishes, but she keeps writing to her. Maybe they can solve more of dragon magic's bullshit. Maybe they can figure out a way to get more dragon magic to exist. Maybe they can figure out how to turn non-dragons into dragons.
Maybe, just maybe, they can cure shrens. Eventually. With creative application of magic.
She beat the door. What's a miracle in comparison?