What is Mother

Inside the dining room, Jean kept looking at Durin with a happy expression.

When she woke up in the morning she found Durin clinging to her while sleeping, and even after waking up, Durin didn´t leave her side for a second.

She didn´t know what happened for him to act this way but seeing him following her like a little duckling made her feel warmth in her heart.

"Does it taste good?"

"Mhm..."

Durin nodded and kept eating the pudding Jean made for him as breakfast.

The first time she put the bowl in front of him with a spoon, Durin didn´t know what to do.

After explaining that it's food Durin started to eat...with his hands.

Finally Jean showed how to eat using a spoon, his way of holding the spoon was a bit weird but it didn´t take long for him to master eating using human utensils.

After Durin finished his breakfast he and Jean sat opposite each other in the dining room, Jean had no idea how to start a conversation and Durin was only staring at her with his big golden eyes without blinking.

'What should I do?? Should I introduce myself???'

'But how? Hello from now on I will be your mother, pleasure to work with you??'

'No!! This is not a business meeting...'

"Uhm...Durin do you remember who I am?"

"Warm woman"

Durin responded without missing a beat.

'Warm woman? What does he mean by that? Is perhaps human´s body temperature too high for dragons?'

"Did perhaps sleeping with me made you uncomfortable?"

Jean asked with a worried tone.

"No"

Durin shook his small head cutely.

"Being with a warm woman feels good."

Jean sighed in relief, She didn´t know what he meant about being warm but if he was comfortable with her presence it was enough to make Jean happy and give her courage.

"Durin, you maybe don´t remember but one of your old friends decided to entrust you to me"

"I accepted and decided to raise you as a mother...

If you don´t want I won´t force but if you do...

Jean's voice grew quieter further as she was speaking, She could never imagine in the past that she would be this nervous just simply from speaking with a child.

"What is the mother?"

Durin´s response made Jean´s eyes lose their life.

'He doesn´t know?? So how should I explain?? In the first place, what is exactly mother?'

'Woman, that gives birth to you?'

'Woman that is cooking and cleaning for you?'

Jean tried tired to imagine what should the mother be like but instead image of her mother appeared in her head.

The cold and strict woman...without ever showing an ounce of emotion.

She didn´t know how should a perfect mother look like but she was sure she would never want to be like her mother.

In the end, Jean could only answer in her own way.

"Mother is...someone that will love you, be with you all the time, and protect you with her life...That's at least what I strive to be..."

※※※※※※※※

Someone that will love and protect me? I couldn't help but wonder what was the meaning of these words.

It sounds too good to be real... it's more like a dream.

Warm woman, The one who said she want to fulfill this dream-like role kept smiling at me.

I realized that this human can make me feel warm even without touching me.

That's smile is warm...

I...

I want to...

I want to feel more of this warmth.

"I understand..."

"Mother"

For some reason after speaking those words, the eyes of a warm woman turned moist, and tears slid down her face.

"Does something hurt you?"

I stood up from the table and checked her whole body for any injuries.

The warm woman simply laughed and suddenly hugged me...

[Passive trait 'Dragon´s Obsession' is becoming active as a response to the strong emotions of the user]

※※※※※※※※

Inside the Jade Chamber, an Airborne palace above the skies of Liyue was a happening meeting between two of the seven Qixing.

Ningguang had in her hand's report related to a recent incident that happen in the Nation of Freedom,

"Sudden appearance of ancient Dragon and its mysterious disappearance, this is really troubling"

"What is your opinion on this matter Yuheng?"

Ningguand said and passed the letter to the second Qixing sitting opposite her, Yuheng Keqing was a beautiful woman in her twenties, she had a serious atmosphere surrounding her, completely opposite to Ningguang who wore a sly smile on her face almost all the time, this, of course, didn´t dismiss her beauty and even added taste of danger to it.

"There was no letter from Acting Grandmaster... isn´t that by itself enough proof they resolved it?"

"One cannot be never cautious enough Yuheng, If something happened in Modstadt we would be next"

"Is it just your selfish desire? I bet you could sell dragon parts for a lot"

The smile on Ningguang´s face deepened.

"Already found out? I won´t deny it wasn´t on my mind, But it's equally true that it would be better to investigate this matter more seriously"

"Without our Archon and the help of Adepti, we must be more cautious than ever"

"If you plan to send me to investigate forgot about it, I have already a full schedule of work related to incidents that happened in Inazuma"

"That is also a topic that piqued my interest, Traveler this time outdid himself. Not only he joined civil war on side of the rebels but even had a duel with Electro archon"

"I heard your dear childhood "friend" also participated in a few battles, weren´t you worried?"

Ningguang's confident attitude disappeared right after Keqing mentioned Beidou.

"You must really miss—"

"That would be enough Yuheng"

Ningguang slammed her pipe on the table silencing Keqing who got obviously too carried with her teasing.

"Ahm...returning to the main point of our meeting, I plan to send Ganyu to investigate the matter, do you have any objections?"

Keqing was for a while lost In thoughts before nodding her head, Aside from Yelen, Ganyu was the best choice for this sort of mission.

She had the necessary strength and was an acquaintance with Anemo archon and his Four Winds.

After the meeting ended and Keqing left, Ningguang kept looking through the window of her office toward the direction where Mondstat lay.