"Ah, crap, yeah, and if it works like daeva circles he could do it in strawberry jam. Angel, is keeping him immobile like this for safety maybe with elevator music on in the background really that much of an improvement over storing him in dead form?"

"He's already gotten more consideration than his hirelings did. We don't even have all their names to give Ice someday-maybe, and he authorized every single claw they pried out of my fucking paws."

"That. Probably counts as psychological torture," admits Adana. "We should probably ask him his preferences? For his opinion on all of this, prove that we're better than he is."

It looks like all they're getting out of the dragon right now is a growl and a little fire. Cam's shieldy thing stops it from going much of anywhere.

"I mean, there are - more humane solutions available, but we don't have the manpower to run them, considering how many people can actually take on a dragon. I could do it, Cam could do it, some others could probably also manage it, but we have some serious time constraints already. And - ugh, no daeva is going to want to play prison guard for free stuff." She sighs, and leans on Cam. "This is hard. Why are there no go-to moral solutions here?"

"High stakes, lots of possibilities, and total lack of precedent for daeva-and-friends trying to keep a dragon from attacking a sphinx?"

"Yeah. That."

"Trial?" suggests Max.

"Where would we scare up anybody impartial? Try him according to what justice system?"

Max makes a helpless shrugging gesture, and writes, "I think kill, trial's for Adana."

"... Thanks," sighs Adana. "I think."

"Now I'm wondering if 'having your Bell be in life-threatening circumstances to the point where killing people seems reasonable' is just an Important Adarin Perspective-Forming Experience she's going to wind up skipping because Cam's indestructible."

"Um. I'm. Pretty okay with skipping that, thanks, I like Cam not being in a life-threatening situation very much."

"I'm not saying I want you to try it out, I'm just finding it inconvenient that you haven't and therefore don't have quite as personal a resonance with he sent a lava monster after us and we almost died and he sent a darkness monster after me and it swallowed me right out of Darren's lap and then I got fucking tortured and then he invaded our home and chased us here intending to, quote, end a war before it could start."

Adana flinches.

"Let Adana talk to dragon," suggests Max. "Alternate solution she likes?"

"You want a while to play good cop?" Phix relays. "We'll go - hell, we could go home and not be too far off."

"Maybe he'll do more than growl at you," suggests Cam.

"Maybe," she agrees. "It's - worth trying."

Phix gives the dragon a long look, then, still snuggling her deerly beloved, heads for the portal to Medallion.

"Holler if you need me," Cam murmurs to his angel, and then he flaps to an exit.

Max gives the dragon another glare. Try anything, dragon, and there will be a peryton that's not going to hesitate to kill you. Then, he follows his love.