Dion had always tried to be a good son to both his father and his varying wives, but truthfully he thought Annabella nothing more than a passing fancy of his father’s. He had many of them after the Empress passed. It was like his father was searching for some sort of connection that he simply couldn’t find among the courtesans.

She was a freshly grieving widow. Having lost her entire family in one night due to a most unfortunate tragedy. The courts of Sanbreque pitied her. After all, for a mother to have lost not one son but two and a husband in one night? She must have been inconsolable with grief.

And Dion thought maybe his father had simply found some type of common ground with the woman. After all, he had lost a wife. Surely a shared sense of grief was a powerful thing. He would learn much later in his life that they shared something in common, but it was not their grief that bound them together. If he had known then what he would come to know he would have fought his father’s sudden marriage much harder than he did.

Instead, Dion had made the mistake of believing that they could be a family. He would never wish to replace the sons she had lost, but that shouldn’t stop him from being kind and welcoming her into the family.

He wasn't sure what to expect when she'd asked him to hold out his hands but nevertheless, he'd done as bid.

It only took him a moment to make the connection; the crystal that matched the contents of the jar had never ceased to weigh heavily in the pouch he kept it in.

It both awed him and terrified him in equal measure that she was in possession of such a thing though and his gaze lingered upon the swirling contents of the jar even as she spoke.

"I... thank you," he replied a little awkwardly. It was his, but it also wasn't his. It was being returned to him but technically it hadn't been taken from him. The sundering still made his head spin.

"Are you... able to tell me anything of it? What did your studies reveal?"

Dion blinks and looks at the dragon with wide eyes. This is...for him? Father never gets him anything, not anymore, so his heart leaps into his throat, especially as the dragon croaks and proceeds to climb onto his shoulder.

several motives came to mind - some innocent in nature while some ... less so. the comment successfully brought y'shtola out from her contemplation, suddenly grateful for the reprieve from their studies. only so many tomes managed a lasting impression, most of the archaic spells already quite similar to those more modern in practice. a faint breath parted the mage's lips ; cloud-like eyes finding athena by the shimmering aether surrounding her.

the insinuation, as vague as athena was, didn't go unnoticed by the miqo'te. being of similar mind oft left them in one another's presence, encouraged to bounce ideas or theories off one another ... the difference in tone amusingly obvious when she wasn't actually excited over the topic at hand. " we both know there's some harm in acting recklessly. " spoken warmly, though, while she rose to step closer to her fellow scientist.

" -- but that's the risk in experimentation, is it not ? so long as we remain cautious. " her eyes widened then. " perhaps... combining the spells... oh, you are wonderfully smart. " and to show her appreciation for the whirlwind realization, y'shtola gently dragged athena low enough for their lips to meet ; an adoring kiss that lasted just moments - yet she laughed under her breath once apart. " hm, unless you seriously meant with me ... "