I nodded, accepting that. "But she is no longer his, right? Will she have to marry again? Do Dragons get a year of mourning before that happens like we do? I mean, a woman being a widow is rare, but it's what we all hope for."

Rymar huffed - or choked. I couldn't quite be sure. Then he leaned over his knees. "Ayla, Dragon marriage is nothing like Moles. Here, women don't have to. They do it because they want to."

"Why?" I asked.

"You'd have to ask Saveah that," he told me. "I've never been married, or met anyone who made me want to propose."

"Well, Saveah wasn't exactly married," Zasen pointed out. "She chose to live with her man."

I nodded, confused but willing to accept that. "And Jeera? Brielle? Do they have husbands?"

All three men looked at each other, then Kanik and Rymar both turned to Zasen. And yet, Zasen was smiling at me. He didn't look amused so much as sly.

"They have a boyfriend," Zasen said. "They're also a couple."

"Two, yes," I agreed, proving I knew what that word meant.

"Romantic," he clarified. "They kiss each other."

I thought my eyes were about to jump out of my face. "Women?"

"Women," he agreed. "Jeera - my sister - dates both men and women. Brielle too. They share their boyfriend, but he's a Reaper. He comes here a few times a year."

Okay, I was pretty sure I heard all of those words, but none of it made sense. "I'm confused," I admitted. "Can you say that in English?"

So Zasen changed languages. "My sister has a lover who is a woman. That woman is Brielle. They kiss. They hold hands. They also care about a man, which makes them a trio instead of a couple."

"Like a husband and wife?" I asked.

Zasen murmured at that. "Not the sort of husband and wife you know," he finally said. "No, Ayla. I think this is something you should wait and ask my sister about. I promise she will not be offended."

"I even warned her you might not understand," Rymar offered, speaking Vestrian because that was all he really knew. "That means she'll expect you to ask."

"Okay," I agreed, feeling a bit better about it. "But can I help too? I know how to cook. I can clean, or set a table. We're taught all of that in our classes and I don't want to be a burden."

"You don't know how to cook," Zasen assured me. "We use spices."

"She can at least set the table," Kanik countered.

Rymar simply reached over to tap my arm. "I'll let you help me cook," he said.

Which made me sit up. "Yeah?"

"Mhm," he agreed. "But it's on a fire, like when we were walking back. That makes it very different from an oven."

"I'll learn," I promised. "And I take orders well. I just hate that you men are always caring for me and I don't do anything back. I want to show you I'm useful."

"I'll gladly let you do the dishes," Zasen joked.

But I nodded at him. "Okay! I know where glasses go, and I know how to turn the water on for the sink."

"She doesn't know how to light the water heater, though," Kanik pointed out before turning to me. "Ayla, in order to get warm water, you'll have to ask one of us."

"I can do it in cold," I assured him. "I don't want to be any more of a problem."

Zasen just narrowed his eyes. "A problem?"

Which was when I realized I'd said too much. "I've been trying to remember everything about the compound, sir," I mumbled.

"Ayla…" Zasen grumbled.

But I wanted to make sure I could prove myself to them. I had to if I wanted to stay here. "I've spent my whole life learning how to care for a home, and then none of you will have to do it, and if I can give you the information you need, then maybe you won't have to kill me?"

Zasen leaned forward and scrubbed at his face with both hands. "I'm not going to kill you, Ayla."

"If you have to, I understand," I told him, honestly meaning it. "This place is so wonderful, and I understand you can't allow anyone to mess it up. I was just hoping that if I'm good enough, then maybe I could live here too. I mean, it doesn't even have to be here."

Rymar simply tilted his head, his eyes still on Zasen. "Feel like an ass yet?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Zasen admitted.

But Kanik reached over to rub my legs. "We're not going to let anyone kill you, Ayla. Zasen had to say that because people look at you and think you're a Mole."

"She is a Mole," Zasen pointed out.

"No," Kanik insisted, "she's not. She used to be a Mole. Now she's a refugee."

"And I really want to become a Dragon," I told them. "I know it won't be easy, but I want to, because things are much better here. If not, I can just go grow plants out in the forest, though. I won't tell anyone anything. I just want to see what it's like to be old one day."