Earth was so very different from what I'd grown up knowing.

The government was stricter, infinitely more than our collection of rag-tag tribes and hives, but so much more rewarding. Money was not a foreign concept to me, but for a Reonic dragon, gold meant status and nothing else. On Earth, coins could get you absolutely anything you wanted--warm homes, good food, an assortment of menial services, and whatever else you could think of.

And the internet... Dear skies above, the internet was the most wondrous thing I had ever laid my eyes upon. It was greater than any scrying spell, more knowledgeable than any sage, and rife with so many physically pleasing videos that it would make your head spin were you to watch even a fraction.

Living in this world cost money, however, and that required me to work. The stipend we were receiving was slowly getting lowered--not to the extent that it'd be useless, but if we didn't wish to live in what was essentially poverty, we needed to take the jobs we were given.

"Alys, did you fall asleep with your eyes open again?" Asked Jarys, my youngest brother. He looked like Rhys, only thinner and shorter, the same as I had been before my first few growth spurts. He shared our mother's downward curving horns, as did I, but had our father's eyes, as Rhys did.

I leant down and nuzzled him, ensuring I lingered long enough for it to annoy him. When shoved sufficiently far away, I actually answered him. "Nah, I'm awake; I'm just thinking about what to get you for your tenth!"

He gasped, got up off the soft sofa, and galloped over to his room. We were in the living area of our small home--a round, circular area with a low, wooden table which imitated a hive hub. Jarys came back quickly, a colourful, well-worn human magazine held tightly between his childishly uneven fangs. He dropped the now slightly torn booklet onto the table and took a seat close beside me.

He was bouncing with energy as he flipped through the pages.

"What's a Lego?" I asked, squinting at the colourful squares he was excitedly pointing at. "They look very fragile."

"They are!" He shouts, causing me to wince, "but look!"

He flipped the page once more to display some sort of human home made entirely out of the miniature bricks. "How do they stay together?" I asked. "Surely you would need some sort of material to keep them bonded."

"They click together," Jarys pointed at the circular connectors atop a slightly larger piece. "But you can take them apart and make something else. I've seen people on YouTube build whole cities! Oliver has a bunch of them, and sometimes he sneaks them into school so I can see."

I took the magazine from him and reviewed the prices for a few minutes. They were hefty purchases, even with a proper job, but the bills were paid for, and it was an important birthday for him, so I allowed him to pick whichever ones he wanted--besides the £99.99 sets--because we still needed to eat solid food.

Plus, his birthday was a day before I got paid so we had to be conservative.

"I'll have a look, okay? That reminds me, have you invited all your friends to your party? Because I've only spoken to a few moms." I asked whilst scratching down notes with an index talon, using a pot of ink as fuel. Jarys nods but then stops, his snout twitching with an easily read nervousness. "What's wrong? You did invite all of your friends, right?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to invite Oliver, but I didn't want you to get mad at me, so I... didn't." Confessed the young dragon.

I stared at him, stunned for a moment. "When did I say you couldn't invite Oliver? Aren't you guys best friends? I even got food specifically for him." I tried to sound supportive, but he looked upset. "Oh, come on, Jarys, don't be sad; just ask him tomorrow if he wants to come and say that..." I stop to think of an excuse. "Say that your sister was being stupid."

It worked to cheer him up, but not me. I had no memory of ever saying that he couldn't invite humans, nor anything that could have been misconstrued as such. My exact words had been; Make sure you invite your friends I hadn't said; Make sure to invite the other dragons, for fear of such a thing happening.

Surely, I thought, Surely Rhys hasn't said something. I didn't think he had. He liked James enough to invite him out to our dinner when cousin Samys had watched Jarys that one time, so there was little chance of it being him.

"Why did you think you weren't allowed to invite Oliver?" My brothers were astonishingly simple creatures; therefore, a direct approach was usually best. "Has someone said something to you?"

He looked away. "N-No. I just thought you'd be mad." He was so easy to read.

"Jarys, who said you weren't allowed to invite humans?" I purposefully soften my tone. "You aren't in trouble; don't worry; I'm just wondering is all."

He fiddles with his claws for a while before answering. I don't rush him, as that was how Mother had handled us, and therefore I made it my mission to do the exact opposite. "Samys doesn't like humans very much," he said it so quietly that I nearly mistook it for the wind outside. "Every time one walks past the window, she looks all mad. I asked her if she was coming to my party, and she said that, um, she said she would but that she'd leave if there were any humans. She didn't say the last part to me, but I heard it by accident."

Ah.

I count backwards from one thousand by seven at a time to keep myself from stomping over and verbally tearing our moody cousin's throat out.

"...Right." I click my tongue and get up to drink from the low taps the local council had installed. When a pinch calmer and far more refreshed, I return to the table. "Invite Oliver, as well as any other human friends you want. Actually, bring a few more so you can make some new ones. Everyone loves a party."

"But, why? Why doesn't she like my friends?" The innocence of the question itself and the phrasing made my heart melt.

"It's... Complicated, I guess. Back ho- back on Reon, humans and elves were... they didn't like us very much. They thought we wanted to hurt them, so we kept getting into fights, and we kept losing." I'm was skipping context, massive context, but that truly was the long and short of it. "Samys hated losing most of all and one day went out to finally win, but she, uh, well, she lost, lost a wing too."

"Oh," he murmured, "that's why she only has one. I thought she hatched funny. But humans are good here, aren't they? My friends are good."

"Mostly, yeah. They gave us this house, money, and looked after us when we first moved. They gave me and Rhys jobs so we can buy things. Humans here are different--no magic too, which means they can't hunt us."

"They can't use magic!?" He gasped, sounding horrified.

"No, they can't. I don't know if they don't have mana like we do or if they just don't know how to use it, but no, they can't use magic. I think that's why they have so much stuff; to make up for it." I hadn't thought about humanities lack of sorcery, but now that I myself had pointed it out, it was on my mind. There were magical humans on television and in books, but I hadn't seen any in the real world.

A couple of minutes later I check the time on the wall clock, and after realising that Rhys would be back within the hour and that work would be starting soon, I got busy cutting the pork I'd picked up from town last Wednesday. We could eat it raw, but our family had become spoilt by human luxury. It was hard to go back to raw meat after you'd tried sauce and seasoning.

I lift myself up onto the counter using the metal bars installed on the sides to hold myself upright for longer than I'd normally be able to in order to properly season the meat. I roll the pieces around in the mix and, when ready, place them atop a flat metal tray before sliding it into the oven.

I clamber back down, clean my paws in the basin, and sit back at the table, my eyes glancing over momentarily to the small television we had been given. Jarys was watching some inane program about a human sorcerer that could capture magical creatures using a powerful orb. It was rather disturbing to witness, especially from a dragon's point of view.

I was pretty sure that a relative of ours had suffered that exact fate.

"Ooh, now I want that." I heard him grumble. I look up, realising that in the short few moments the program had been on, my brother had already grown bored. On the machine now was an advertisement for some video game about a knight whose job was to hunt down monsters.

The player would then take the pieces of these beasts and create armour and weapons from their body parts. It was absolutely vile, made worse by the fact that dragon-skin armour did in fact protect human warriors from flame. I had fought against such wretches myself.

"Alys, can I swap my Lego for this? I can play it on your computer when you're not here."

"N-No, you can't."

"I promise not to spill any more drinks on your keyboard!"

My talons dug into the sofa. A sword made from bones, a spear that sends parasites to latch onto your flesh. Sweet skies, it was vomit-inducing.

"We can both play it! It's not multiplayer, but we can take turns."

How did the humans on Earth know that those specific body parts could be used in a way such as that?

Surely they haven't...

"Alys? Are you okay?" Jarys asked softly.

I sit up, my body woozy, and look to Jarys, who was wholly unaffected by the grotesque sight. It took me a minute to realise that his impressive resistance was not due to maturity but something else entirely; it was fiction to him. From his point of view, it was simply a video game with a vaguely interesting mechanic to it. He may have even thought it fascinating--wielding a dragon bone sword. He wasn't Reonic, not entirely.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just... Thinking."

Jarys had been moved to earth when he was but five years old, and even when on Reon, he had been kept away from the horrors of our daily lives, so I could not blame him for not understanding. He was a child and deserved protection. He did not need to know about our past; I would ensure he never did. If I could have, I would have told him he was born on Earth.

"Are you brining anyone to my party?"

I had zoned out for the third time that day, staring absentmindedly out of the window and panting, all the while my brother had kept jabbering on at me. "Sorry, what?" I had caught the last part of his question, but it felt rude not to at least try and speak to him like I was a functioning adult dragon.

He huffed dramatically. "I asked if you're bringing anyone to my party. You're allowed to bring one friend."

I laugh. Despite the shakes, I laugh. "Excuse me, brother-o-mine? Who's the creature that's setting all of this up?"

"Rhys?"

"Me!" I grab his shoulders and shake him. "Your cool, big sister! I'm really only allowed one person? What kind of dictatorship is this!?" He pulled away and hopped into an aggressive fighting stance.

"My party, my rules!" He snapped back, trying to sound domineering but failing due to the clearly visible grin and his eternally squeaking voice. "Do you even have more than one friend?"

"I have many!" I tackled him to the floor, and after a bit of rolling and some light biting, pin him down. "Many, many friends!"

The sound of a lock opening and a handle turning drew our collective attention.

The front door swung open, and in shambled the third sibling.

Rhys wiped his snout, looked at me pinning the nine-year-old dragon and snorted. "What did he do now?" He pulled his bag from his back, slung it at the low sofa, and went straight for the kitchen fridge after closing the front door. "Also, is that dinner I can smell? Smells good."

"Many thanks to you, dear brother of mine," I call out pridefully. "How was work? You look tired."

"Alright, a bit busy though," he grunted, retrieving a pack of ham from the fridge and carrying it in his mouth. "I'm off to my room for a bit. Call me when it's done."

Before he could get very far, I shout out to him, "Don't go to bed! It's going to be done in a few minutes. I'm not kidding, don't go to sleep or I'll feed your third to the dogs outside!" He made a chatting gesture with a forepaw but didn't say anything else.

Reminded of dinner, I climb off of Jarys and go to check on the meat. A little longer, I decide as I close the door and plop myself back onto the sofa. I didn't want to leave Jarys alone whilst I lazed about on my laptop, so I was forced to suffer the boredom of a mid-day weekend.

"So, who are you brining?" Asks the youngest of our litter. I don't look at him as I think about his question.

"I don't know. Honestly, it's probably going to be pretty small--a few friends and family." I find myself pausing. "Is that alright? You won't be upset if it's small, will you?" It was irrational, my chain of thought; he was a good kid and surprisingly polite for a dragon who'd grown up on luxurious Earth, but I'd always felt bad for taking so long to get my visa.

"No, I just don't want to share my cake with a lot of people," he admitted with the open honesty only a child could conjure. "Especially if they're old and boring like you."

"Excuse me." I jab him in the side. "I am still a young, fresh dragoness, and I'm also the one who's going to be making your dinner, so maybe you need to be a bit nicer."

"Twenty-four is old, Alys. It's, like, end of the world old."

"Twenty-four is old!?" I laughed, but it was more of a shocked giggle. "No. No way is being twenty-four old. I've got my whole life ahead of me, you evil goblin."

"No, it's end of the world old," he repeated, "grandmother old."

"Oh, then you shouldn't trust me to feed you, right? Too high a chance that I'll mess up and drop something into the food? Actually, yeah, you're right, I am very old, so I'll eat all of the food, so that there's no chance of that happening."

"What, that's not fair!" He whined. "Grandmas make cookies and stuff, which is why you're a really good cook."

I place a paw on his shoulder and look him in the eyes. I drop my voice several pitches. "It's okay, dear boy; I'll take the risk and eat the food. I can't allow you to sacrifice yourself for something so menial. You can go and eat bread instead. Don't worry, it's okay, just let this happen."

"But-"

"It's okay, it's okay." I tighten my hold on him. "I'll miss you, but it's all going to be okay. Just let it happen." I shush him and begin to get up, only for him to jump atop me, nearly winding me.

"Stop being fat! You can't eat all the food!"

"But I'm hungry." I whine petulantly, pouting. "And I can't share since it's poisoned."

"Your food is not that bad."

"Okay, now you're definitely not..."

A strong, smoky smile wafted weakly into my nostrils. I pause our playing, think on the scent, and hiss. I leapt to my paws and hurried over to the oven, where I immediately ripped open the glass door and pulled the now singed meat out.

The metal tray was so hot I could feel it through my scales. "Bastard," I snarl at the roast. "Little fucking..." Jarys was watching, an almost expectant look on his snout. "Tell school I said that, and I'll melt your tablet."

His smug expression dropped instantly. I knew for a fact that the only reason he wasn't playing Roblox on it currently was that I was in the room with him.

"Go get Rhys whilst I try and fix this mess." I point a paw in the direction of our brother's room while the other was busy flipping pieces of seasoned meat over in hopes that none were especially well cooked. Cooked food tasted fantastic, but I myself would have refused to touch any if they were even close to being burnt.

I saved the food by adding extra sauce, hoping nobody would notice. It was then plated and placed atop our round table. Once everyone was present, dinner could at last begin.

My brothers and I ate our meal in near silence, as we often did. The trip with James was an exception, not the norm. Meals were contemplative when prepared by paw, but all the while I slowly filled myself up with self-generated anxiety for the upcoming work shift. I was getting quicker--not good, but quicker at my job--and so I was being given more work. The only problem being that as people were eating later, shifts were therefore also getting later.

When I'd spoken to James on Monday, he had said that night shifts were both the best and worst parts of the job, and I was starting to see why. There were generally fewer orders, but sometimes weird humans would order bulk amounts late at night. Another annoyance was that because most people were bored, they gossiped loudly with one another.

I wasn't a social pariah, but my family had grown up in quiet caves for centuries, and I often missed that peace. The human world was louder and busier in every aspect.

Heavy benefits, heavy downsides, same with everything on Earth.

"You look like the Misera," said Rhys, pulling me from my reverie.

"The miserable old statue you kept even though it was absolutely disgusting?" I asked, recalling the horrible piece of marble work.

"Yeah, that one." It was rare he spoke during dinner, which I took to mean he was genuinely worried about me. It made me realise I was wearing my heart on my snout. He pauses before continuing, long enough for me to gather my thoughts. "Anything I need to worry about?"

"No," I shrug my wings, "just thinking about boring, grown-up stuff. Something you don't have to worry about." My attempt at a joke is met with a weak, painfully forced chuckle.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Jarys tensing. I recognised the expression, and it pained me to see. "Jarys," I said softly, "why don't you get a doughnut and play on your tablet for a bit whilst I get ready for work?"

He hesitates, as if readying to say something, but doesn't. I don't force the issue, but it leaves a sour taste on my tongue.

When he's past earshot and the sounds of YouTube are audible, I look to my only other sibling. "It's nothing big, honestly," I start as I begin gathering up the plates, "but have you ever gotten something new and shiny, and it's clearly an upgrade over your older, worse item? But every now and then you want the shitty one?"

He frowns. "Alys-"

"It's just... I guess that I kind of miss home. Old home, I mean. It was familiar and predictable. Not good at all, but familiar."

"I see." He takes a breath. "Alys, I get it; I do. We both grew up there; it was home to us, but... no."

I double take, surprised by the assertiveness of his voice. Rhys was calm and carefree, so hearing such tension surprised me.

"Alys, Reon on its best day was a tense, stressful place where you could fly around for a bit, but on average... Alys, it was Gehenna."

I paused, the weight of his words sinking in slowly, shamefully. Of course he was right; Reon was not truly a home; it was a blade filled cage, a place of uncertainty, a place of raw survival. But even so, it was hard to let go of where I'd hatched.

"You're right," I said slowly as I scraped the plates clean. "But I still miss it sometimes. Not the danger or the stress, just... the familiarity. It was bad, but I could predict it. Everything here is so... new. I keep catching myself doing something wrong or embarrassing myself."

Rhys leaned back into the soft front of the sofa, an expression of warm sympathy on the snout--the kind only an adult sibling could muster. One of shared experiences and kindness. "This place isn't perfect; it never will be; nowhere is. But it's good. Earth is a good home, especially for Jarys. He has friends, family, food, and more luxury than any dragon ever had."

I look out to the sky at a white bird flying freely. It's beautiful, but it flies away before I can get a proper look. "He's spoilt in the best way possible," I add on.

"And so are we."

"I guess we are, and I guess you're right." I couldn't help the wistful inflection, but Rhys doesn't mention it. "I think I'm just stressed about tonight and overthinking things again."

"Don't you need a brain to overthink things?"

"Yeah, which leaves you safe." I snicker, but it takes effort.

There was no resolution to our impromptu discussion, no big hug or speech; we simply split apart as he puts something on the television and I get ready for work. It doesn't take me long; it never does. I strap my backpack to my lower back and wrap my claws around the door handle.

As I leave, I crane my neck back.

I look at our new home, at the new things we have, at the luxury we have, at the riches we have compared to five years ago. Materialism wasn't all there was to life, but it was enough to push me out of the doorway and up into the cool afternoon air.

On Reon, I was what was known as an escape dragon, which essentially meant that I was very fast.

During my first few visits to the human doctors--which was essential to obtaining a visa--they held me longer than most others, as it was rare for mammals, reptiles, or even birds to get past sub-sonic levels. Apparently my skull was fantastic for protecting against such speeds, which I took to be a compliment in my favour.

I couldn't go nearly that fast in city limits, however. There was a set limit of one hundred and sixty kilometres per hour for dragons flying lower than two hundred meters. Kin or not, police service dragons always told the truth to their superiors.

I didn't rush that day, however. Instead, I dawdled, gliding mostly. Work wasn't stressful, not physically at least. Rather, it drained another factor of myself that I wasn't aware had existed until now. A deeper, more spiritual aspect I could never have imagined would be finite.

A dragon should never be bored.

I caught a heavy stream of wind, folded my wings a half-degree tighter, and sped up.

Maybe I'm lonely?

I rolled to the side, avoiding a group of small birds. The restaurant was within sight.

No, that can't be it.

The yellow lights were garish to my sharp eyes, and they contrasted badly with the grey pavement surrounding the place.

It can't be.

I flared my wings, catching more air as I lent my upper body back, allowing me to land in a low crouch in the abandoned car park. It was quiet, dark, and cold--a mix I enjoyed as it reminded me of a cave system.

It was not completely empty, however, as just up ahead I spotted a wild James, sitting on a metal railing and staring at me, his mouth stuffed with an unknown food. He waved and tried to say something, only to sputter and choke as he did. He lent over, took a swig from his metal flask, and breathed deeply.

All in the span of maybe four seconds, five tops.

I already felt better.

"Did you just choke on that burger?" I asked when close enough for conversation not to be totally stilted. He waved me off, busy massaging his sore throat.

"Only a little." He coughed again and took another drink. "Jesus, what a stupid way to die that would have been."

"Choking on a hamburger and falling off a fence?" I enquire.

He laughed warmly, visibly pleased by my string of words. "First thing." He smacked the railing, producing a reverberating clang. "It's a railing. And second, I didn't fall; I nearly fell. Also!" He opened up the burger to reveal a crispy, golden chicken patty. "It's a chicken burger, not a hamburger."

"Ah, yes, my mistake," I nod solemnly, "it makes a huge difference."

"You're forgiven this once." He rolls up the sleeve of his hoodie to check the time on a curious-looking wrist device. "Ah. I've only got nine more minutes of doing nothing before my break is over." He pushed himself forward and took a seat on one of the nearby benches.

"What time is it, actually? I'm starting in a bit." I took the seat opposite him but had to squeeze in a little due to it being made solely for human use. "Also, don't you usually start a lot later?"

"Nine twenty exactly," he said. "And yeah, I normally do." He pauses, rubs at his nose, and leans back in his seat. "There's been some mixing up with shift hours, and I've been working a bit earlier than normal. To be fair, though, I never get set times, so I'm sort of used to it. I'm surprised you were given nights; I figured they'd keep you late-midday."

"How come?" I asked.

"Because it's busy enough to force you into getting good, but not so busy that you get overwhelmed. It's what they did to me and a few others. Speaking of... How've you guys been? It's been a minute since I last saw you."

Last Wednesday at the comic book shop, Monday for less than a couple of minutes. It's Thursday today, right? Yeah, it's Thursday.

"I've been alright, yeah, just working, you know? It's my younger brother's birthday in a week, so I'm trying to save some money for presents. It's a, uh, big age thing for dragons; ten is when you can finally produce fire, so he's pretty excited about it. How about you?" I found myself curious. He was actually quite hard to read. His tone rarely matched his expression, so the only reliable way to tell what he was thinking was through the eyes.

"Nothing," he shrugged, "literally nothing. I am very, very boring. Oh my god, yesterday I was so bored I actually opened up my PC and did a deep dust clean. It was very tragic."

"You have my condolences, you poor, strange creature." I tap the table twice, not quite comfortable enough to tap his arm, as I would have done with my brothers or cousins. "Wait, you took your machine apart?"

"Yeah, it was pretty easy since I'm the one who built it. Honestly, it's way harder to clean them than it is to actually assemble them. Do you know much about computers? I remember you said you read online, so is that with your tablet or something else?"

"I have a laptop," I admit. "A relative of mine was given it by a human friend, but he didn't use it, so he gave it to me for pretty cheap. Honestly, I don't know much about machines."

"To be fair, a lot of people don't, and I don't know that much myself, just enough to set stuff up. If you do ever have problems with it, I could take a look at it for you. It'll cost you a hundred pound, though."

"A hundred? Does it really cost that much?"

I make sure to sound as serious as possible and wait until he looks nervous before laughing. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, but, uh, thank you. That's actually really nice of you to offer. I mainly use it to watch videos, though, but Jarys always wants to play games on it."

"Jarys is the younger brother?" James asks, making a finger-point gesture.

"Yep, he plays stuff on his tablet, but apparently there's certain games he can't get on it, so he needs my laptop for it." I shrug. "I might get him one for solstice later this year, but I'm not really sure how much they cost."

James looks thoughtful for a moment. "How much would you be willing to spend? If you've got a few hundred, you might be able to set up your own PC, and then he could play whatever."

I think about our finances. I'd been doing good hours at work, and I'd be able to save up, but I was uncertain. "I'm not sure, but probably not enough for just him to get one."

"What if you guys got one for everyone to share? If you budget the parts and go for a lower-end one like a, um, ten-eighty with twenty-six hundred, it might cost about three and a half to four hundred. Ram would be like sixteen gigs with thirty-two-hundred and-" He stopped himself from talking, his expression suddenly self-conscious. "Or you could just do what you were thinking. Sorry, I got carried away for a second. Computers are sort of my thing."

"That was gibberish to me, sorry," I laugh quietly, "but, yeah, honestly, a computer for everyone to use would be pretty good, actually. I'm pretty sure we could save four hundred in time just for that and still afford actual presents for everyone. I'd probably have to google how to do it, though."

"It's not hard," he shrugged, "a few YouTube videos, a screwdriver, and you're set. You can even get pre-made ones if you don't want to do it yourself."

I suppose it was my arrogance speaking, but for some reason I assumed he was about to offer to help, but he didn't. Instead we lapsed into silence, with him checking something on his phone and me sitting quietly.

"Nine-thirty-one. We should probably get going."

I followed him, and once we'd entered the building, the staring began. Our fellow workers had begun to adjust, but customers were almost always new and were almost always shocked to see me. I ignored them and focused on the back of James' head. He had brown hair, light brown, mousy almost, or maybe it was oak-like? I wasn't good with colours, but it helped distract me.

As we walked, he quickly removed his usual green hoodie, swapping for a black apron and cap, all within such a short span of time that I'd barely seen him do it.

I gave James a nod goodbye as I entered the far too cramped changing stalls. It didn't take long as there wasn't much, but fitting into clothing was never enjoyable for a creature that preferred freedom. How humans suffered wearing so much cloth was beyond me, but according to a rumour, they were always in heat and therefore needed cover.

Poor things.

I leave the small room, place my pack into one of the rare free lockers, and head to the main area. Before I progress further, I remember to begin walking solely on my left forepaw.

I enter the room to the immediate right of the kitchen, a place I'd internally named the clean room. I placed my right paw into the frustratingly high sink, and after lathering it in hygienic soap and scrubbing boiling water into the scales, I placed a dragon-proportioned plastic glove over the offending limb. I hobbled awkwardly back into the kitchen, where I was able to find Thomas within thirty seconds.

"Hello, Thomas. Do you know where you need me to be?" I asked politely, standing at attention. I made sure my wings were held tightly and my tail coiled professionally.

He smiles weakly, looks about the place, taps his clipboard, and points at the beeping chicken fryers. "Max, swap with Sarah up front. Alice is moving to the chicken batch." The young human male in charge of the fryer gave a thumbs up before setting down a batch of chicken patties.

"It's, um, Alys," I said quietly, correcting his slip-up without sounding too put off about the mistake. Surely, I thought, it was a simple oversight due to the busy nature of our work.

"What? Oh, Alys, right. Sorry, love." Thomas scratched his chin, gave me a nod, and left us, retreating into the back where I had yet to journey.

"Do you know how to use this? What trays mean what?" Asked Max as he began to undo his apron and step away.

"Yeah, most of them, but, uh, which is the select and which is the spicy? I haven't used it in a little while."

He tapped the trays that were already in the heater. "Big red is select, little grey is spicy. Little yellow is premium. Black for mayo, small red for chicken sandwiches. You get all that?"

"Yes."

As soon as he was more than a meter away from me, I forgot every word he said. Somehow, however, I managed not to entirely mess up the system, which was likely bolstered by the lateness of the shift.

Big red for selects, little red for sandwiches. Big red for selects, little red for sandwiches. Big red for selects, little for... for sandwiches.

I was getting faster at getting batches out, and against all odds, I kept up with the pace of the restaurant for once. I pondered idly, however, just how much better my work could have been had I been allowed access to both of my limbs.

Two hours passed, and the orders--as I initially expected--slowed down even further. I managed to get an early break, one that was coincidentally timed with James' departure. Truly, it seemed that the gods were doing their best to make sure we were able to see one another: first in town, then his break, and lastly my own break.

"Hey, you want to have a little pre-courting snack?" I ask jokingly as we once again sit opposite one another. We were in the main area of the restaurant, close to the tills. He flinches and looks up at me, not fully understanding what I'd said but still able to rationalise enough to get the general tone of what I'd implied.

"A what?" He eloquently said, seemingly not quite believing what I'd said.

"A, uh, pre-courting snack? You know, for the... energy," I explained, ears growing hot with embarrassment. "I-I'm kidding. I, uh, meant, do you want to have some food?" I licked my ever-dry lips and glanced away. It was made that much worse by the fact that, due to him being a human, there had been enough of a delay in understanding for me to realise how uncomfortable of a joke it might have been for him.

A dragon would have laughed and said yes.

"Ah... I get it, and, sure, yeah." He tapped the table. "You can eat if you want; I won't stop you, but I'm kind of broke, so I'll just be sitting here and staring."

I got up from the table. "I'll be sure to eat very loudly," I said as I plodded over to a nearby kiosk to order from. "Very loudly. If you're good, I might throw you a chip, though." I was beyond relieved that he'd brushed past my blunder, not bothering to rip into me for my poor courting skills as others had.

He laughed. "Yes, mistress Alys, I promise I'll be good, mistress Alys."

I also laugh, but mine was usually loud and notably screechy, so I held most of it in so I wouldn't bother anybody nearby.

When the food was ready, I picked up from the worryingly young worker and sat back down opposite my friend. I'd already eaten, but the food was free and therefore that much more delicious.

"Mistress Alys, can I have a chip, please?"

"Of course, my dear human."

"Fuck me, you guys are cute."

I jump at the interjection of an unfamiliar voice, as well as the realisation that we were not in fact in our own little world. Behind me, with his hands in his pockets, was a human of average build with yellow hair and dark blue eyes.

"Ha-ha, y-yeah," I whimper. We both don't say anything, each of us stuck on how to respond to the sudden presence.

"Nah, nah, don't let me stop you. I'm just surprised is all." He checked something on his rather expensive-looking phone before turning his attention towards James, whose expression was visibly duller and more neutral than it had been moments ago. "James, man, are you two going out or something?"

James hesitates. "No, we're just friends. I know her brother." I appreciated him being the one to clear up any misunderstandings, as I knew for a fact that I would have somehow made the situation infinitely worse.

"Seriously? Nah, you guys were mad flirting. No way are you calling her mistress and still walking home separately. Ah, wait, I get why you two are quiet now! Don't worry, lad, I won't go telling no-one about youse."

I feel my ears get hotter, more from annoyance than embarrassment, but there was definitely both present. Once again, I was too cowardly to speak up and was therefore forced to rely on James to answer.

"We're just messing about, Michael; we're not dating or anything. Why are you grilling us so hard, man?" He expressed himself in a relaxed manner, but there was a tension in his voice, one my more sophisticated hearing could detect. He sounded resigned, frustrated, like he'd done this more than once.

"I'm not!" He laughed. "It's just banter. Anyways, I'm off to my bird; I'll see you two later, alright?" He buttoned the rest of his coat up and left the restaurant, all the while his proud grin did not once drop.

"Prick," I hear James mutter.

His reaction to the whole situation worried me. Sure, Michael seemed a bit pushy for my liking, but aside from that, he didn't seem all that bad. In the kitchen, a week or so ago, he had told me to make sure I didn't harm the cleaning equipment, so at least he was a professional.

I began to wonder if his suggestion of us courting was what made James so upset. The idea of us dating was ludicrous, an impossibility, but his expressions during the talk... they made me feel self-conscious. Were I him, or braver, I would have lightly turned Michael's assumption down.

"I didn't know you were so speciesist, James!" I fake laugh, trying to scrape away the layers of his reaction and deduce his true thoughts. I was too weak and too fragile to outright ask him, so I had to beat around the shrub and joke with him first. At his lost expression, I internally beamed and said, "You looked very offended when he said we were courting."

"Wh- Oh! No, no, it's not that. That guy just--he's just a bit of a dick, is all."

I was glad he looked nervous, as to me it proved his innocence, as cruel as that felt to think.

I shrugged, gave him a nugget, and said, "Good human." My reaction was slick, sarcastic, but inside I was dancing. Truly, I could not imagine us together, but him being opposed to the possibility would not have been a good sign.

He chuckled. "It's a free chicken nugget; no price is too high, and a bit of servitude is definitely not beneath me. I'll polish your horns for half a chip if you're looking for a servant."

"Half a chip? Good skies above, James, does this place really give us so little coin?" I mock gasp. "But, no. You'd probably mess it up. No offence, but you'd have absolutely no idea how to do it."

"I could learn; maybe even go up to a full chip per job."

"And have you as my personal groomer?" I tapped a talon to the underside of my snout, entertained by the idea of a human servant. "Tempting, but I don't think it would work out. I'm far too selfish when it comes to food. Besides... I doubt it would help the rumours Michael has of us, would it?"

"Ah, that's too bad."

James pulled the sleeve of his hoodie up and clicked his tongue at an apparently displeasing sight. "Half past midnight. I'm going to have to walk. Right, Alys, I'll see you later, alright?"

"Wait!" I go to grab him, but stop when he flinches at the sudden attempt at contact. "Sorry, but, um, do you want to come to my brother's party? It'll be kind of lame, but I promise that other, uh, adults will be there." I lick my lips. "We could have some drinks afterwards."

Humans loved alcohol; the internet had told me so.

"Um," he stammered, taken aback by what was likely my sudden forwardness. "Sure... When is it? I've got a family thing this Saturday, so that's off limits."

"It's this Tuesday, so you should be safe. Like I said, it'll be a bit boring, but there's free food if you're interested in that kind of thing." I smile, but it was strained. I didn't understand why I wanted him to come so badly. He was a friend; yes, I definitely counted him as a friend, but I had put less effort into inviting closer companions.

"Yeah, I'll come." He nodded. "Let me, um... gimme a second." He dug around his coat but failed to find whatever he was looking for and instead turned to his backpack, where he was at last successful. He retrieved his phone, a small black thing with visible cracks along the glass. "I've got a crap memory, so I'll write it in my notes. Okay, okay... Tuesday, the 20th of August. Where did you say it was, again?"

"It's called the-" I paused to make sure I got the name right. "East End Park working man. Near the Yorkshire road. A friend of a friend recommended it to me."

He types for a bit before stopping to look up at me. "You mean working men on York Road?" At my nod, he finishes typing. "Wicked. What time should I show up? Oh, um, do you want me to bring a present? He's ten, right? Am I allowed to bring a present or..."?

"No, no, no, it's fine; you really don't have to bring anything. Oh, actually, if you do want to, you could maybe bring cupcakes? I haven't tried them, but Jarys says he really likes them. Cupcakes aren't expensive, are they? It starts at five-thirty by the way."

He chuckled. "Nah, they're pretty cheap. I'll bring a big box for everyone and a smaller, nicer one for your brother. Is that cool?"

I give him a few salty fries. "Perfect. This'll show him..."

"Show who?"

I laugh. "My brother said I only get one invite because apparently I only have one friend."

James smirks. "Don't you?"

"Well, yeah, you. Relatives and stuff don't count."

"Wait, so how is this showing him?" He questions, smiling, "It would basically be admitting that you do only have one friend."

I clasp my forepaws together fiendishly. "Because you will lie and say I've got a ton. It's a fool proof plan, trust me."

"Yep, totally fool proof. I definitely promise to do exactly that." He nods. "Right... Yeah, it's getting seriously late, so I'll need to go like now-ish. Alys, I'll see you later, and if not, then at the party."

"Okay, nice; see you later, James!" I wave him off, glad that I managed to invite him, and even more glad that he accepted. Despite having known him for a relatively short amount of time, James was fast becoming a near-essential part of my work life. In the best way possible, he was a distraction--a fun, sarcastic distraction that made work a bit more bearable.

I wondered how my family would react to him.

A few humans would be there, but by and large the majority would be dragons. Older, more traditional dragons, and this fact gave me pause. Would they say something? Would I be forced to pick between his or their approval? Whose would I pick?

On reflex, on instant reflex, I picked James. A week and a half of knowing him, and already I'd have picked him. Great-aunties were blood-bound kin, but they hadn't done much in the way of affection or enjoyment. Neither had James, in truth, but that was down to time constraints, not a lack of effort.

I ate my meal in silence, quietly deliberating with myself on our relationship.