gratitude

[the_very_best]

Bella flies away. She visits her parents, hits up the guild for matches and wins enough to pay her guild dues, and tools around random wilderness beating up on the wildlife.

She doesn't really expect to hear from Sherlock and Tony again.

Comments

[bitofafiction]

He shrugs.

[the_very_best]

"Let's see some more pictures-slash-videos?" says Bella encouragingly, peering at the projection.

[toblameforit]

Tony has lots!

Sherlock is in none of them.

[the_very_best]

Bella peers quizzically at Sherlock between awwwing at the videos.

The angle on these things is not right for him to have been standing behind the camera.

"Did you guys not get along when you were ten?" she asks.

[bitofafiction]

"It's complicated."

[the_very_best]

"...Private family business?"

[bitofafiction]

He nods.

[the_very_best]

"...Okay."

[bitofafiction]

Sherlock smiles wryly.

[the_very_best]

"I think I'll go raid your library and wind down for the night," Bella says, getting up from the table. "Tomorrow morning we can figure out some way to make an air-race interesting - maybe there's a bit of the woods gappy enough for everyone's wingspan to provide obstacles if they fly low? - we'll figure something out."

[toblameforit]

"Ooh," says Tony, and he starts playing with maps on the computer.

[the_very_best]

Bella grins at him and heads up. She finds a book, reads the book, and then crashes in the same room she did last time.

In the morning she comes down the stairs, whistling.

[toblameforit]

Tony is still playing with maps.

[the_very_best]

"Did you get up early, or just not get any sleep?" asks Bella.

[toblameforit]

"Up early," he says cheerfully. "G'morning!"

[the_very_best]

"Morning! Have you come up with a good place to go flying?"

[toblameforit]

"There's options! Wanna see?"

[the_very_best]

"Yes please!"

[toblameforit]

Tony makes there be maps, hovering three-dimensionally in the air.

[the_very_best]

Bella peers at them. "Oh, neat, this forest has a good ratio of tall skinny trees to low dense trees. We can agree on an altitude limit there, pick a spot to turn back at, race'll be to and fro? I think there's enough room between the one kinda treetops and the other for Rachis to get a wingbeat in, and her wings are the biggest."

[toblameforit]

"Yep," says Tony. "Sounds good to me."

[the_very_best]

"All right." Bella can't really manipulate the maps from here; she picks a visible tree. "That far away enough to make things interesting, you think?"

[toblameforit]

"Yep! Say we have to go past it and around?"

[the_very_best]

"Sure!"

[toblameforit]

"Cool," says Tony.