Buxie was curled up between his wings again. No matter how many time he told her not to, she kept choosing that as her favorite sleeping spot. Mahetari rose from his sleeping couch, moving carefully in order to avoid knocking the still-sleeping rukel from her perch. He went about his morning rituals, except for his usual bathing; that would have to wait until the rukel woke up. Instead, he prepared a leisurely breakfast, and only a few bites in, Buxie bounded off his shoulder. "Breakfast? Some for me?" The rukel, despite her intelligence, often insisted on speaking like a small child. Not that Mahetari had seen many of those recently. "Of course I saved you some. You would never let me forget it if I didn't!" He pulled her plate out from under the warming lid, and she dove onto the table. For all her eagerness to reach the plate, she daintily tasted each item, and ate her meal with all the refinement of a high-class lady. Sometimes, Mahetari was completely dumbfounded by the creature. "Well, since you're finally awake, I'm going to soak for a little while. I want to go visiting today, and I'd like to look my best." Leaving the rukel to her food, the dragontaur slipped into the bathing room and filled the large tub with steaming hot water. He even added a few of his favored bath oils. He wanted to visit an old friend, and she supposedly was looking for homes for a few youngsters. As he soaked, he wondered who had managed to finally catch Misvie's interest. He'd met her quite a while ago, before she was even fully grown, and she had seemed completely uninterested in any male other than her bond. And from the description of the babies he'd heard, these were not Rudolph's offspring. The singer must have changed quite a bit since he last saw her. Maybe if the babies were as cheerful as their mother, he'd try to sponsor one. He'd been considering a bond or sponsorling for a while; why not one related to a friend? He was just drying off when Buxie scampered into the room. "So where we going?" she asked as she skidded to a stop by his foreleg. "Someplace fun?" He shook his head; she always wanted more fun! "It's possible. An old friend of mine had a clutch of babies; I want to go see how she's doing. Maybe even try to sponsor one, if they're interested. Would that be fun?" The rukel's eyes grew round. "Baby?! Baby dragons? Lots of fun! We go now?"