Grav climbed down more carefully. He stepped up beside her and gave her a sidelong smile. "I never doubted that I was lucky to get to be part of a family like the Caviins and to grow up surrounded by the freedom this view represents. I can't even imagine living as some pampered noble, as these clothes suggest I would have."
A door creaked open and a Serenian woman stepped out. She had green hair, yellow eyes, a slight figure, and appeared to be in her fifties, laugh lines crinkling as she began to smile. "Grav? Is that you?"
He spun around, grinning. "Surprise!"
"It's so like you to literally drop in from the sky without warning," she laughed. "Now get over here and hug your mother."
The swordsman ran over and did what he was told.
She released him, finally taking in his clothes, the dragon, and... the girl. "Okay, kid, I have questions. What are you wearing? Why is there a dragon in my yard? And who is this girl you brought home?"
"It's... err, a long story." Grav was hesitant to get into details, as if he were a child afraid of getting in trouble.