The door shut behind those choosing isolation, closing them off from the rest of us with a final click. It felt a little bit like a metaphor. The silence lasted for a few beats.

Then Ashur got everybody back on track. There wasn't time to dwell on those who refused to help. He looked around at those still here, including Tanar. I thought that was a good sign. He seemed like a good barometer for the majority opinion.

"It is unfortunate that some of us have chosen to bury their heads in the sand," Ashur started. "But we still have this problem to deal with, whether or not they choose to participate." He looked around the table. "I think there is only one thing to do in this situation," he continued calmly. "We are not monsters. And I refuse to become one in this cold war we continue to have with the phoenixes." Murmurs of agreement. Ashur nodded. "So. I think we need to figure out the best way to help. Food, water, medical care. This is a crisis. A humanitarian crisis before it is anything else. We need to put together an emergency team to deal with it as such."

I saw Tanar nodding thoughtfully as Ashur spoke. When he finished, Tanar chimed in.

"Well said. I agree with Ashur. We must be able to hold our heads up proudly or what are we doing? What are we fighting for?" He sighed. "Some of us have obviously lost our way. Built a protective shell so hard, compassion has no way to get through. But I do not want my skein to live such a life." He looked back at Ashur. "We have stores of food ready for an emergency. But we would most definitely need help in transporting it."

"That's very generous," Ashur said, nodding at Tanar.

"We have water stocked away as well," the young Indian woman said.

"That would be an immense help, Priyanka. Thank you."

"We do have one of the best medical teams among the dragon skeins because they often work in human domes," Bruno added. "We can spare them for those who need medical attention."

I was honestly surprised to even see Bruno still there. His dislike of phoenixes had been crystal clear. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to come to such a quick judgment about someone. A few of the quieter people had been the ones that had left, after all. Some of the ones I'd thought were more reasonable as well. Actions definitely spoke louder than words.

The meeting became a brainstorming session for how to properly take care of the refugees. Those who didn't have refugees themselves offered up what they could. Apart from food, water, and medical care, people also offered clothes, toys for the children, temporary shelter, and more things than I would even have thought of. Then it was decided that each skein needed assign one person to be the lead for the refugee operation to keep everything simple.

"Good," Ashur said. "Whoever you appoint to be in charge of this project for your skein will have open communication channels among everyone so that nothing is a surprise or falls through the cracks. We will prioritize necessities like food and water first, along with medical care, and then deal with things like more long-term shelters. If anyone doesn't have enough room to house those that have come to you, I am willing to take on the overflow. We have room." He took a breath. "Now, I think we all need to break and take care of the plan we have so far." He met every Dragon Lord's eyes individually. "And I want to thank all of you for coming today to this meeting. I think we have decided to deal with this the best way we could have."

I watched people nod, agree with that sentiment.

Then the meeting broke apart. Ashur and I went up to the rooftop to watch as the sky around us filled with the contingents flying back to their own territories in order to announce the plan that we had come together with. It was solid.

I was surprised all the logistics had been worked out so quickly, but maybe I shouldn't have been. Dragon Lords were accustomed to dealing with people on a large scale. It was kind of part of the job description. They were uniquely suited to deal with a crisis like this.

"I don't think I've ever been more proud of my dragon heritage," I murmured as we watched the silhouettes glide away, back lit by the setting sun. Ashur wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"I think I can say the same," he murmured, his eyes watching his fellow Dragon Lords fly away to take care of those in need. He looked over at me, his eyes hopeful.

"Maybe we're turning over a new leaf," he said quietly.

I really hoped so.