Chapter 51:

I just stayed there with him until it was lunchtime, and neither of them had so much as stirred. 'Maybe we should go get them some lunch? I'm sure it would help. They have to be hungry.' I asked Nova, and she just looked up at me. 

'It's a good idea, but you have to have one of them with you to get back into the room.' She answered, and I looked between the two sleeping forms. I didn't want to wake either of them, not yet. 

'I could take Bane with me. Lexi and Genie should be down there by now, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping me bring food back up here for them. Then I would be able to get a ration for Xavier, too, and both of them could continue resting for now.' She thought it over for a moment before agreeing, and I carefully got up before gently scooping up the still sleeping dragon. 

Nova helped as I carefully rearranged him into a more comfortable position, as she wrapped his long tail around my waist before tucking it in my arms with him so it wasn't dragging the ground as I walked. 'Will you please stay up here with Xavier? Just in case he wakes up and needs something.' I asked, and she happily agreed, stretching out beside him as I turned and headed out the door. 

I tried my hardest not to jostle Bane as much as possible as I made my way down the stairs and into the mess hall. Looking around, I quickly spotted Genie and Lexi happily chatting as they sat in our normal spot. The looks I got as I made my way over to where they sat with the sleeping dragon in my arms were a mix of varying degrees of anger, fear, and awe. To be fair, while we did train together and everyone at this point had to have realized that Bane and Nova were bonded, it was something else entirely for me to be carrying Xavier's familiar around without Xavier here, and the fact that Nova was also nowhere to be seen.

Familiars were sacred in the Celestial community. They formed very personal bonds with their chosen human, and it was all but unheard of to separate one from their person. So the fact that I only had Bane with me would be a lovely new rumor that was going to burn through this place like a raging wildfire, but I couldn't bring myself to actually care at the moment. Not when they both needed my help. 

I all but pretended that no one else in this place existed as I went over to Lexi and Genie, who were staring at me as if I had a ticking time bomb in my arms rather than a sleeping familiar. 

"What are you doing with Bane?" Lexi questioned as I made my way up to them and quickly took a seat between the two of them so I could talk to them a little more privately. 

"I need your help," I told them in a hushed whisper, causing both of them to lean into me a little. "Remember how I told you that Xavier's been out on missions all week?" They both nodded. "Well, this morning I went out and found them in the courtyard, completely exhausted. Like to the point that Xavier collapsed into his bed this morning and hasn't so much as twitched since. Neither has this one, for that matter." I nodded down to Bane, and their eyebrows shot up.

"What do you need?" Lexi asked as Genie looked up at me. 

"I could check them. If you think they wouldn't mind, that is." Genie asked, nodding down at Bane, but I wasn't sure if the normally snarly dragon would be too thrilled about that one, especially considering the fact that I had already taken him away from Xavier without either of them knowing.

'Let her check him, Ari. If he wakes up, just tell him that I asked you to do it. He's never like this, and I need to know that he's okay.' Nova's soft, sweet tone drifted through my mind, and I nodded to Genie. 

"Nova asked me to have you check him," I told her, and she very gently touched the side of his back, just below his armor scales, before closing her eyes for a moment, then pulling away. 

"He's extremely exhausted, rather dehydrated, and hasn't eaten properly in a few days. Some good food, water, and more rest should do the trick. Other than that, there's just a couple of minor scrapes and bruises, nothing serious." Genie told me, and I heard Nova's soft sigh of relief.

"Thank you," I whispered to her as Lexi looked up at me now. 

"I'm assuming that you need help bringing food up for them, then?" She asked, and I nodded to her. 

"If you don't mind?" I asked, and they both nodded. 

"Of course we'll help," Lexi answered before standing up. 

As I got to my feet and started heading towards the line, Bane shifted positions slightly before one big golden eye blinked up at me in confusion.

'Why are you holding me, and where's Xavier?' He asked, shifting positions more dramatically now so that he could look over my shoulder around the mess hall. 

'Hey, take it easy, it's okay. Xavier is in his room with Nova, sleeping. I needed to take you with me so I could come down here and get food for the two of you. I'm sorry for taking you away from him, but it's not like I could have carried Xavier with me. You were my only option to allow both of you to continue sleeping until I got back up there with your lunch.' He let out a breath, instantly relaxing against me once more before gently brushing his cheek over mine.

'How are you going to bring food up for us when you have to carry me like this?'

'That's what I found Lexi and Genie for, and Nova had me ask Genie to check you. We didn't know if you two were injured or what was going on.' He curled in around me further, wrapping his neck across the back of mine as his tail curled around my waist.

'Xavier's sleeping?'

'Yes, I managed to help him get to his bed before he passed out.' 

He let out a relieved sigh. 'Good, I'm far better off than he is. I could at least rest while he carried me. They ran him ragged, Ari. He needs as much sleep as he can get before they make him go back out again. The General decided to take his anger out on Xavier in the form of running him through constant training missions during any free time he has had, where he hasn't been working. He's only gotten maybe two hours of sleep all week, and I'm fairly sure he has at least a couple of cracked or possibly broken ribs. He fell down the side of the mountain last night for several feet when he passed out before I could catch him.'

'Would you let Genie check him? It's the best we've got for the moment, and she'll be coming up with us anyway. Then we can go find Devon if he needs it.' 

'Yes, thank you, Ari.' As worried as I still was, I was glad to see that he was at least acting a little better. He perked up a little more when I gave him a slice of meat from one of the plates, making me grin as he instantly started begging Lexi for more of it.