This was not the first, or the fifth, time Amethyst had drawn her family tree. They really came in handy when one was trying to memorize the entire royal line of succession. Carrick was drawing now too, munching on an apple. She couldn't see it, but she doubted he was doing it right.

>>”So bastards don’t get a tree? That mean I shouldn’t bother with this?”

"You're a bastard?" Amethyst glanced up. Why not? Gorgon, griffin, de-aged fly boy, bastard was not really going to make things worse.

>>”How many siblings you have?”

He dropped from the tree, landing next to her. Amethyst jumped, trying to pull her skirts out of the way as he landed. Leave it to him to make everything seem like a show.

"Four legitimate ones. Bastards..." she shrugged. Her father had been a popular man. "I was fostered by the king, though. Because of my gift. Fostering... is a whole other tree." she glanced over at his paper. "So... your father and mother, they were not married?... Did they have wings too?"

Carrick chewed his apple more as she explained, seems her father and his had a lot in common. He only knew about his one brother… half brother. Both of them, his half brother and father in his opinion the definition of Eejits. She was fostered? So was she even a princess? Or did the king just go around and picking the best powers and calling them his? Should he even be calling her princess?

”My father in’t the marrying type.” he said waving the question off. ”Father was more of a town beast than anything. Mum was great though. Her Da had the wings I guess. Big in the churches.” Carrick said with an eye roll. He waited till he finished chewing and swallowed the bit of apple still in his mouth. ”Then I have a bastard brother, who is the spitting image of Da.”

He wasn’t smiling and he didn’t like this subject, his tail flicked behind him as he eyed her tree then reluctantly added two more people but scribbled out their name and wrote ‘bastards’ instead.

”Shouldn’t you be doing a fostering tree, then?” he asked curiously. ”Sure you’d get extra credit it on it.” he tried to joke before asking, ”So techncalliy you aren’t the king’s daughter he just collected ya because of gems?” Carrick thought for a second, ”How’d yer father take it?” he asked tail flicking curiously behind him. Anything to get out of talking more about his tree. ”Should I be calling ya princess?"

Amethyst did not know much about gorgon families. Praxi refused to talk to her about the past, and most students at the school were not on chatty terms with royalty. Besides, if they ended up at the Mansion, they probably were not the best examples of families anyway.

>>”My father in’t the marrying type. Father was more of a town beast than anything. Mum was great though. Her Da had the wings I guess. Big in the churches. Then I have a bastard brother, who is the spitting image of Da.”

How quaint. He was a bastard. With wings in the family on his mother's side, and more bastards on the other. She wondered what that had been like, growing up. Whenever he had actually been younger, the first time around.

>>”Shouldn’t you be doing a fostering tree, then? Sure you’d get extra credit it on it. So techncalliy you aren’t the king’s daughter he just collected ya because of gems?”

"I told you, King Atlan was my uncle. I am the current queen's cousin. Keep up." she huffed, drawing more of her tree "And he didn't collect me. He fostered me, because I had a gift useful to the royal line."

>>”How’d yer father take it? Should I be calling ya princess?"

Father had not said anything. He felt honored. Or maybe relieved. Either or. Amethyst leveled a glare at Carrick.

"I am a princess. On the female line." she clarified with dignity "What do you even know about being a princess anyway?"

”Trying, love.” he said scratching his head and biting the apple again, ”Like you said it’s complicated.” he set the core of the apple down next to him and added head nod confirming her useful gift. ”Money maker.”

”Odd, always thought it was the kings daughter who was the princess. But then like ya said yer adopted.” which makes her a princess in Carrick’s eyes not the one he grew up with or preferred but one all the same.

”I know that sometimes they get locked away in towers, by evil mothers. They sing a lot and can talk to animals;“ he no longer viewed Liz as a princess by those standards anymore. ”speaking a which where’s your animal sidekick?” he asked pretending to look around, ”Hiding ‘em in the dress?”

”Ever here of Disney?” Carrick asked pretending he wasn’t a big fan, there was enough going on in those movies to keep his attention and the parks were wing friendly though they had no fly zones at night. The fireworks and light shows made that rule make sense. ”Probably know more princess than you.” he said making a face at her.

>>”Money maker.”

Amethyst frowned at that comment. There was more to it than that. He was unique, in a way that made her an important member of the royal family. More important than her siblings, or even her parents. It was not about the money her gemstones could make. Atlan must have seen her potential to become true royalty...

>>”Odd, always thought it was the kings daughter who was the princess. But then like ya said yer adopted.”

"Fostered." she sighed. Then again, did he have any idea about princesses at all?

>>”I know that sometimes they get locked away in towers, by evil mothers. They sing a lot and can talk to animals. Speaking a which where’s your animal sidekick? Hiding ‘em in the dress?”

"I have no idea what you are going on about." Was he losing his mind or something? Singing? Talking to animals?... Animal sidekick hiding in her dress?! Amethyst pulled her skirts closer around herself. Carrick was making less sense than usual.

>>”Ever here of Disney? Probably know more princess than you.”

Disney, again. She'd heard that one before.

"I don't know what royalty in this Disney is like" she huffed "But you know nothing about me. I don't talk to animals. Or keep them in my dress. And I most definitely don't sing."

”Try to keep up, love.” he said grinning using something she said recently to him, ”Bit complicated.” he mused.

”Clearly you’re upbringing wasn’t as well rounded as you thought, the kingdom of Disney is well known even to a barbarian bastard gorgon like meself.” he said with a smirk so happy she seemed to have no clue what Disney was. ”Some would call them enchanted.” he said with a toothy grin.

”Yer right, I know next to nothing about ya excepted that you were fostered by a king that makes you a princess and you have four siblings that aren’t considered bastards.” he laughed, ”Ever try talking to animals? Curious if all princess are blessed as the ones from Disney.”

”and I’m not saying you do it well, everyone sings. Never sung a song in the shower? It counts” he looked back up to the tree with the apples in it. ”Squirrel up there, can try on him?”

>>”Try to keep up, love. Bit complicated.”

Amethyst made a face. This assignment was not going well, and Carrick was doing everything in his power to distract her from it. Even making up wild things about princesses of Disney. She would not have been surprised to find out it was all in his head.

>>”Clearly you’re upbringing wasn’t as well rounded as you thought, the kingdom of Disney is well known even to a barbarian bastard gorgon like meself. Some would call them enchanted.”

Oh, it definitely had to be a joke. If such a kingdom existed, enchanted with gifted demigod princesses who talked to animals and sang, surely Atlantis would have diplomatic relations with them by now. Powerful kingdoms found each other like magnets.

Not that Carrick would be aware of any of that. Which was why he probably felt sure to make up stuff like this.

>>"Ever try talking to animals? Curious if all princess are blessed as the ones from Disney. and I’m not saying you do it well, everyone sings. Never sung a song in the shower? It counts. Squirrel up there, can try on him?”

"Why would I sing in the shower?..." she blinked, getting impatient with the whole thing "You want me to... what, talk to a squirrel? Why on earth would I do that?"

”Why not? What else would you do in the shower? Every shower has some of the best acoustics. Really lets yer voice carry.” he waved her off like she was messing with him. ”Get out of here with that. Yer pulling me tail.”

”And to prove that not only the princess’s from Disney can speak to animals. Surely you have a better kingdom.” Carrick said trying to goad the princess to take the bait and try talking to an animal. He kept a straight face this time but raised an eyebrow.

”Have you got something better to do?” he asked knowing the answer to that and already started adding dates for the deceased his grand father a decade before he was born so that was an easy one. His family tree wasn’t as populated as hers but at least he had done the assignment. ”Bet I get a better grade on it anyways.” Carrick said having no intention of backing anything up, it was mostly supposed to get a rise out of her. To think he got to mess with royalty like this.

Fly boy seemed very intent on this strange idea of one singing to herself in the shower. Was that a cultural thing? Or just a griffin thing?...

>>”Why not? What else would you do in the shower? Every shower has some of the best acoustics. Really lets yer voice carry. Get out of here with that. Yer pulling me tail.”

"Why shower when you can take a bath?" she shot back. In Atlantis, she usually took long and luxurious baths, sometimes in hot mineral springs, and sometimes in the royal bathhouses, in scented pools with elegant tiles. In neither case did she sing, or feel the need to sing.

>>”And to prove that not only the princess’s from Disney can speak to animals. Surely you have a better kingdom.”

Amethyst rolled her eyes. Speaking to animals was not her gift. Gemstones were. She eyed the squirrel, but did not take the bait.

>>”Have you got something better to do? Bet I get a better grade on it anyways.”

Amethyst scoffed with utter disdain. Right, the gorgon was going to get a better grade on his family bush assignment than a purebred princess. Sure. She smirked at him over her notes.

"Sure. You know what, if you get a better grade, I'll sing. Not until then. Both are equally likely."

Which was to say, not at all.

The shifter hadn’t had a bath in… did streams or lakes count? What about a fountain? His shifted form probably did one recently. That usually meant he showered right after. Carrick shrugged at the question other than time which he thought was obvious he didn’t have any other reasons. ”Could sing in a bath too, I guess.”

”No fun. Wonder if that should be more or less motivation for me to do better.” Carrick smirked over his notebook as he changed up his tree into a rose bush, which might have been the princess’s suggestion. They were one of his mother’s favorites when he was a kid.

Carrick added some more information about everyone on the list and then twirled his pen a few times before tapping his pad. He was getting antsy and it was apparent, maybe even distracting. He wrote the year his mother was passed and then a few more tid bits about her. His ‘brother’ also got a little more information, like the similarities between his father and him and why they were so different. [

”Right, I’m bored.” he said laying back into the warm grass his tail pounding the grass while his wings unfolded out from him. ”What kind of powers did yer parents have?” he stopped writing at this point and threw his hands behind his head.

She said it as a jab, but Carrick seemed to serious consider the possibility of a bet. As if he would ever get a better grade than her. And even if he did, which he was not going to, she was not sure she would be willing to sing. Singing was for entertainers, musicians invited to lighten the mood at palace parties. Not for princesses.

>>”No fun. Wonder if that should be more or less motivation for me to do better.”

Amethyst shrugged, and returned to working on her own family tree. She knew it in her head, she just needed to put it down. Not hard work, really. Sure, it was hard to find space on the sheet for all the relations, but it was not her fault that the teacher expected more pedestrian families, was it?

The quiet did not last long.

>>”Right, I’m bored. What kind of powers did yer parents have?”

Amethyst looked up at the griffin boy sprawled out in the grass. He did look bored. "My father can manipulate his own age... he is basically young forever as long as he wants to be. My mother can change the color of things. No one ever thought her gift was very useful." she shrugged "How about yours?"

”Well you wouldn’t… if yer color blind.” Carrick said sarting to laugh at his own joke. ”No, I’m sure both of them found them useful fer something. Were they pranksters? Yer mother? Bet she had a gas messing with people.”

”Ehhh… Mom… was human. Got the wings from me Gramps.” the shifter replied to the question. ”Though, she always seemed when I was getting in ta it with someone or about to do something I shouldn’t.” he struggled a little to get the words out.

Water wasn’t welling up in his mismatched colored. Carrick changed the topic to his father, ”Da’s power’s…” he thought of making a joke, ”he just gets angry.” he decided that would describe it enough. It wasn’t like the Princess wanted to know anyways she being polite right? ”Hell of a drinker though.” Carrick said sniffing and stretching his arms yawning. The sun was nice.

”Siblings? I mean the ones ya liked?” he asked hoping it would be easier to talk about people he didn’t like instead of the one person he missed the most.

The powers of Amethyst's parents never really amounted to anything, not in the way Atlantis tended to value natural gifts. Sure, her father made the most of his eternal youth, but he did not pass it on to any of his children. And her mother did even less. Other than making said children.

>>”Well you wouldn’t… if yer color blind. No, I’m sure both of them found them useful fer something. Were they pranksters? Yer mother? Bet she had a gas messing with people.”

"My mother was sister to the king. She didn't prank people" she pointed out with dignity. Maybe his did. She would not have been surprised.

>>”Ehhh… Mom… was human. Got the wings from me Gramps. Though, she always seemed when I was getting in ta it with someone or about to do something I shouldn’t.”

A human mother and a gorgon grandfather somehow had a gorgon fly boy. The wings seemed to have skipped a generation. Well, at least he did have something interesting in his family tree. Amethyst was starting to get the feeling that he had not been lying about losing his mother, though. He almost looked... sad?

>>”Da’s power’s… he just gets angry. Hell of a drinker though.”

"That's not a power" she noted, not sure what else to say. She was not expected to deal with gorgon family issues, was she? Angry and drunk fathers were something she'd heard about... her father was just mostly absent, even before she was fostered by the king. It seemed like Carrick had no love lost for the man either.

>>”Siblings? I mean the ones ya liked?”

Amethyst shrugged. "They were... young, when I was sent to be fostered in the king's palace. There were other cousins there, like... the current queen. In Atlantis, fostering depends on how valuable your gift is to the throne and the king. Mine was deemed useful. My siblings had less useful gifts. Like my parents. I think one of my sister does something with roses." she shrugged "Does your brother have wings too?"

”Oh?” Carrick asked, ”Tell that to the pub he destroyed when his team lost the match of ’92.” he waited for a second, ”Those poor souls.” he smirked, while his father never did kill anyone that time he did become talk of the town on his ban from said establishment.

It seemed she didn’t a chance to grow up with her siblings. Maybe that was a good thing? Every interaction with his half brother turned into some kind of physical altercation usually inspired by dear ol’dad. ”Similar to Da, gets angry bigger and hairier. Hard to believe I’m the least barbarian of the O’Conner men.” he laughed at this, ”Mom got one of her wishes though.”

”Ever miss them?” Carrick asked already knowing his answer. Did royalty allow that? He was curious but not as curious as the squirrel above head who was on the limb he was earlier.

>>”Oh? Tell that to the pub he destroyed when his team lost the match of ’92. Those poor souls.”

Amethyst quirked an eyebrow. Alright, so maybe anger was a mutation. She looked Carrick up and down. He was not exactly super muscular, but he did have the wings and the teeth and the tail, and he looked like he could do some damage if he was angered. Was he like his father? It was hard to imagine him destroying a pub. But it was also not outside the realm of possibility.

>>”Similar to Da, gets angry bigger and hairier. Hard to believe I’m the least barbarian of the O’Conner men. Mom got one of her wishes though.”

"Hard to believe." she echoed with a smirk. 'Least barbarian' was still plenty barbarian in her book. Even if he didn't go around destroying pubs.

>>”Ever miss them?”

"My siblings?..." he shrugged "Not really? We didn't spend much time together. But I do miss Atlantis."