"Not shinier!"
Riley blinked at the intense negation, staring at the equally small Kael in genuine disbelief even as the environment collapsed around them.
It certainly didn't seem like the best time to piss off one devoted kid, but there was really no better time than right now.
"Am too."
"Are not!" Kael snapped back, his small face contorting into an indignant frown as though the creature before him had just made the most outrageous claim imaginable.
"Am too," Riley countered effortlessly, flicking his black draconic tail against the ruined stone behind him.
"Are not!"
Okay.
Apparently, insulting the shells had worked a little too well.
Riley probably should've stopped there. After all, the important thing was that Kael was finally looking at him, and those golden eyes that had seemed practically dead only moments ago were now glaring with enough offended intensity to reassure Riley that someone was definitely still in there.
