Hessonite

Hessonite, grandson of the clan's first great warrior Bauble, leads the top fight team of the clan, bringing home creatures to be familiars to the clan, food and treasures. He's grown to maturity, hardened for battle, and proudly wears the simple iron necklace and bracelets that mark his adulthood in the clan, and a rich cape.

Hess has a pet basilisk he caught on the Woodland Path and is a good part of the way to taming. he's fond of his older teenage niece Danielle. Her younger sister bites, hard. Literally bites. Hess doesn't have any plan to have children of his own yet, not until he's stronger. He needs to be strong before this hardened warrior trusts himself with the resposibility of helpless eggs or young hatchlings.

Since his grandfather's Exaltation, Hessonite with his sister Rhizaria has helped to raise the child Bauble and Lishara left behind when they were Exalted. Emilia and her sister are off to new clans seeking their Charge, and Trinket is primarily in the hands of the clan's priestess Sorna.

But Trinket is still his aunt, weird as that is, and he's going to help the adolescent become the warrior that her family's bloodline means she can be.

The dust has settled from a great and glorious battle with the Gladekeeper's people and Hessonite now finds himself standing on a lair shifted but still home. Their mother Cata, several of Rainbow's children and his mate off to serve in glory with the Flamecaller. their aunt Trinket off to the goddess with the priestess Sorna.

Now at the 25th power, Hessonite looks to the only family he has left, his siblings and fellow bonded warriors, their clan elder grandmother Aerya. And maybe someone new, as an itinerant alchemist named Mystique has joined the clan. She had sought to learn at the side of Rainbow's Exalted mate Whimshadow, but now instead is learning the craft from Lasila, daughter of Syllara.

Hess can barely hide the blush under blue crystal scales when Mystique catches him looking at her while he trains the guests Ember, Mafowl and Yinglong. And fails to notice that Mystique is looking at him when he fights for the clan. While visiting the warm springs after a long day of combat during the Mistral Jamboree on the Roost, Hessonite found himself playing with the scrying pool Abresa had created by lugging several waterskins full from the Sea and creating a protected pool of cold water. A couple of Ice dragons in the clan may have helped.

Fiddling with the scrying waters, Hessonite found Scales to be the gene that brought out his hidden color in the best way. Discussing this change with his sister and brother, Hess set out to find it, but not in the marketplace nor the trading post was it. He was headed for battle with a trainee and his sister Rhiz when Hess was surprised by Mystique offering him a scroll she had made in the cauldron.

Though Rainbow's mate and her cauldron and goos and sludges always made him nervous, Hess accepted the scroll from Myst. She babbled a bit, explaining that she'd heard him talking about getting the Scales Scroll, but she knew as an alchemist it could only be created by alchemical arts in the cauldron and please don't be mad, she just thought he'd like it and knew her cauldron was the only way to get it. Hess stopped Myst there and used the scroll, letting his hidden color of abyss show in dark, thick scales on his feet and his muzzle and his back.

Scuffing his claws shyly on the ground and against dark new scales, Hess asked Myst if he wanted to follow and watch, as long she she stayed back, while he, Rhiz and a trainee went to fight for the Fire flight's claim on the Roost. Myst happily followed, her eyes open for alchemical ingredients as the two Guardians walked.

With Mystique as his mate, Hess couldn't be happier, and has lost his wariness of the alchemical art as he watches his loved working at the cauldron and delighting with her when she successfully creates something new, like the gold clawtips Myst successfully made for Rhizaria.

But despite his 25th power, his Eliminate stone, his great STR stats, Hessonite still fears that he won't have what it takes to protect Myst. Or, after their breeding one night, the one egg Mystique has laid on the nesting grounds. But with his insecurities clawing, Hessonite will do whatever it takes to protect his mate and his egg.

Now with his daughter grown, Hess hasn't yet learned that trying to keep anything from happening to Mist means nothing will ever happen to her. Hoping to distract Hess from trying to run her life for her own safety, Mistlight has given her father a gift, a small rodent she found while hunting. For deals at the marketplace.

Hess found himself liking the tiny quiet thing far more than he expected. His name is Timmy and he likes to groom Hess's red beard and trim at his claws and scales with his little teeth. And Hess is working at giving the little rat the yogie drops he likes so much, as well as any other rat-safe food Hess is eating. Timmy loves strawberries, bananas, and pancakes from a griddle sandwich.