The Green Dragon

[Nurumaiel]

Don turned to Rie and said, "Donnamira, but you can call me Don. Or, actually, you can't. You can't even talk to me. I'm tired of all these ladies hanging around me."

Nuru looked at Rie with her eyebrows raised. This child was very odd.

"Well, don't you think we might get tired of you hanging around?" asked Rie. "After all, you're also a lady."

Don looked taken aback for a moment, but then said, "I'm not a lady. Ladies always wear pretty dresses and brush their hair all the time and spend their time trying to make themselves more beautiful. Like you-" she glared at Nuru "-but I don't!"

"Who said I do all you have accused me of?" Nuru demanded in a mock stern voice.

"Well, see how pretty you look-" here Nuru blushed "-and don't talk in a voice like that. I know you're pretending."

Rie, Nuru, and Dona all looked at each other, and the first of the three said, "Well, there'll be some time until lunch. Maybe we can all take a break, and try to get some more out of this child."

"You needn't try, because you won't," said Don, but the three were determined to learn more about her and what made her act the way she did.