"Stop telling us about thattt blood," Kelpie groaned dramatically, scrunching up his nose in pure disgust as if he could already sll it. "That part is always gross."
"Classic Vlad Jr.," Boo said, giggling as he floated lazily in the air. "I was wondering when the blood part would appear. He can’t finish anything without it."
Vlad Jr. lifted his chin with dignified composure, entirely unbothered by their reactions. "It is an important cultural detail," he replied calmly. "You simply lack refinent."
"Refinent?" Drake echoed, wide eyed. "You literally just said the blood tasted good."
"Exactly," Vlad Jr. said serenely.
A chorus of groans and dramatic gasps filled the room, while Alina covered her mouth to hide her laughter, her eyes warm with fond amusent as she watched their chaotic little debate unfold.
"Alright, alright, Vlad Jr., sit down," Alina said with a laugh, waving him back to his seat as she looked around at the sea of eager, raised hands. "Who’s next?"
"ee!" Several voices burst out at once.
"Drake, go on," she said warmly, pointing at him.
Drake’s whole face lit up like a spark catching fire. He practically bounced in his seat. "Teacher, teacher... I am soooo happy!" he said excitedly, his tail flicking behind him. "My dad and mom took to the Ice Domain! It was all white and shiny and cold like a giant freezer, but cooler!"
He spread his arms wide, clearly wanting to act it out. "I lted ice with my fire, like swoooosh..."
Before he could accidentally set anything ablaze, Boo floated over and gently grabbed his wrist, leaning close to whisper, "Drake... classroom rules. No swooosh."
Drake froze, then nodded seriously. "Oh. Right. No swooosh," he repeated solemnly, before continuing with even more excitent.
"I made new friends there! They are ice dragons, all blue and sparkly and super cool. Their wings look like frozen glass, and their breath makes tiny snowstorms." His eyes sparkled as he spoke. "At first, they thought I would hate the cold because I’m a fire dragon... but my flas kept warm! I was like a walking heater."
He puffed out his chest proudly. "They said I’m cool even though I’m hot. Isn’t that funny, teacher? Hot, but cool."
The class burst into giggles.
"And we raced across frozen lakes," Drake continued, clearly reliving every mont. "We slid on ice, flew between snowy mountains, and I helped lt a frozen bridge so so baby dragons could cross safely. My mom said I did a good job!"
Alina smiled brightly at him. "That sounds like an amazing adventure, Drake. You must have been very brave."
Drake grinned so wide it looked like his face might split in half. "I was! And I brought back shiny ice crystals! But I promise not to lt them in class," he added quickly.
"Good," Boo muttered, relieved.
Alina found herself smiling like a fool, her cheeks starting to hurt from how long she had been grinning. Watching them talk, watching their faces light up, their hands wave in the air, their tiny emotions so open and honest, it filled her chest with a soft, overwhelming happiness. Her heart felt warm, full, almost too full.
She laughed lightly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Alright, who’s next?" she asked, eyes sparkling.
"Rocky!!!" Kelpie suddenly pointed at him dramatically, as if nominating a hero.
Rocky froze.
His eyes widened, his shoulders tensing as he looked at Alina, then at the others, then back at his lap like he wished he could lt into the floor.
Adorable, Alina thought fondly.
"Rocky," she said gently, softening her voice so he wouldn’t feel pressured, "tell us about your adventure too, okay?"
Rocky hesitated, then slowly stood up. His movents were careful, like he was afraid of making noise. He looked around at his classmates, cheeks faintly pink, then finally began in a small, shy voice.
"I... I went to Stony Mountain with Mum and Dad," he said quietly. "And Uncle. And Aunty. And my cousins... and their parents too."
He paused, gathering courage, then continued.
"I got a small room with my cousins," he said, a tiny smile flickering on his face. "It was... very pretty. The walls had stones in them. Real stones. Shiny ones. Smooth ones. So looked like stars."
His eyes softened as he rembered. "My bed was made of flowers," he added dreamily. "Soft flowers. It slled really nice. Like spring."
The class listened more quietly now.
"We did trekking," Rocky went on, his voice growing a little steadier. "We climbed rocks. Big rocks. And I found dry flowers on the mountain." He held up his hands, as if holding invisible petals. "They looked sad... so I watered them every day while I stayed there."
His voice wobbled.
"But... they didn’t beco green," he said softly, his shoulders drooping. "I tried really hard. I talked to them too. But... they stayed dry."
For a mont, his eyes looked watery.
Alina felt her chest ache. She kept smiling, but her expression softened with tenderness.
Rocky sniffed and hurried on, as if afraid to cry.
"And... and I got into a fight with my cousin sister," he admitted quietly. "She stole all my pebbles. All of them." His voice cracked a little. "I collected them myself. They were pretty. So were round. So were heart shaped. So looked like tiny eggs..."
His lower lip trembled.
"She hid them in her bag," he said sadly. "I cried. A lot." He wiped his eye with his sleeve, embarrassed. "They were very clean... I washed them with Mum’s body wash... so they slled nice too."
The classroom went silent for half a second.
Then Boo whispered dramatically, "Those pebbles were luxury pebbles."
Kelpie nodded seriously. "Premium pebbles."
Luna frowned. "If anyone steals your pebbles again, I will bite them."
Felix muttered under his breath, "Why is everyone so serious about pebbles..."
Lucien covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
Rocky looked at them with wide eyes, then let out a tiny, shy laugh himself.
Alina stood up and walked closer, crouching in front of him. "Rocky," she said warmly, eyes gentle, "your adventure sounds beautiful. You tried to save flowers. You climbed mountains. You protected your pebbles. That makes you very kind... and very brave."
Rocky’s eyes lit up, the sadness lting into a soft, bashful smile.
"And next ti," she added playfully, "we will make a special pebble protection team. No pebble thieves allowed."
"Yeah!" Boo cheered. "Pebble security squad!"
Rocky giggled, his shoulders relaxing at last.
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