"So, they won… right?" Reeva said, as the speakers in the stadium played a solid tone and the crowd simultaneously roared and booed at the same time. Sitting up, she watched as the reserve players leave their team's pen to join Meegi and the rest of the Harpies in a victory lap around the field.

"Yup! That's it! We thrashed them," Kaarif said happily with a broad grin. While the Harpies were up 10-4 by halftime, by the end of the ninety minutes, the Wyverns had shown exceptional endurance and closed the gap to 12-10. The crowd had been on edge for the entire second half of the game, as the Wyverns had tried to claw back a victory.

"We thrashed them?" Reeva asked with a raised eyebrow. "I think it was pretty tight, but I'm confused… who were you actually rooting for?" As she turned to her smaller friend, she began to grin as he smiled sheepishly. "You wear the Wyverns' colors, but you put money on the Harpies. Let me guess, that way you can't lose?"

Kaarif placed a paw on his chest in mock offense and drew his head back dramatically as if he had been stung. "Reeva, you wound me! Just because I'm wearing their colors doesn't mean I'm one of them. And I thought you were above that whole solid scale color racism nonsense."

"Solid scale color?!" Reeva retorted and playfully shoved him with a wing. Because it was natural for a hatchling to have a mix of colors from their parents, there was a small niche of dragons that prided themselves on finding mates of the same color to 'preserve their bloodline'. "Buddy, I've got blue scales, teal wings, and a red frill! How on earth would I be one of them!? Besides, I'm talking about your harness!" she added with a laugh.

Kaarif laughed along with her and gave her a playful shove back. "Yeah, okay, that doesn't work on you. Probs would work on Tiiphani though," he said and nodded towards the pair of red dragons sitting a few cushions away from them. The dragoness looked just like her father but with more feminine features and a smaller overall size.

With the two of them sitting next to one another, Reeva found the dragoness' horns almost comically long as they were close to her father's length, yet her body was a third smaller. "Yeah, I could see her being like that," she said, but felt a lump of anxiety in her gut about the whispers she had overheard between them. Everyone had said that Meegi was good and after watching him dance through the sky effortlessly, she believed them. But Tiiphani's father owned one of the best teams and Reeva couldn't help but feel that something larger was at play. Her gaze flicked up as the winning team flew overhead before circling onto the oval with Meegi leading the 'V'. He brought the team around in a tight bank, before heading towards their holding pen.

He tried not to let his fatigue show as he flared his wings and touched down, quickly moving towards the back of the holding pen so others could land behind him. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Jaalaphin touching down with less grace than the others. Despite the grey drakes' protests, coach Daanic had swapped Jaalaphin out before the halftime, due to the clawing he had received on his wing shoulder. The wounds were thankfully not deep, but they all knew he would need to fly gently over the next few days to ensure they healed quickly.

"You crushed it out there, Meegi," Riikal said, the large brooder slapping his wing into the thinner drake's rump. "You scored what? 6 of our points?" He asked while loosening his padding with a claw.

Meegi nodded. "Yeah, something like that," he said modestly. He had scored seven of the team's points and had even managed to steal an eighth egg from a nest but wasn't able to score, due to losing a clash with their lead claimer. Spotting his pouch nestled against the back wall of the pen, he trotted over and plucked out a brown flask with a green lid. While it was required for their padding to have a built-in water bladder across their shoulders with a thin tube to bring water to their mouths, it was rare that a player would fill them with water, as any weight they didn't have to fly with was an advantage. Instead, the teams would only hydrate during the halftime break and after the game.

Unscrewing the lid with his paws, Meegi held the neck of the metal bottle in his jaws and tilted back his head to drink the last of the cool water. As the flask emptied, he heard his coach clear his throat and quickly put the bottle down and turned around.

"Alright Harpies, well done," Coach Daanic said and looked between the dragons with a critical eye. "We won, but that doesn't mean we can rest on our laurels. Where could we improve?" He asked and sat down on his haunches.

"Ryylark could get his claws out for once," murmured Jaalaphin, as he rolled his injured wing shoulder.

"Hey! I tried, alright?" Ryylark retorted with a snarl. "What about Meegi? He didn't take down any of the brooders," he added, trying to deflect blame to someone else.

"The difference is that Meegi scored points," added Huune, the large, black drake's deep voice commanding their attention. "Sorry, Ryylark, but I've seen you do better."

"What about us as a team?" Offered Daanic, as tensions flared between his primary players. "We did well in the first half, but they almost had us in the second. Why?"

"They conserved their energy," answered Riikal, while wrapping his phone's straps around his foreleg. "We hit them hard in the beginning, but they were playing the midfield, so they didn't have to fly as much. That, and the amount of penalties we racked up, we were flying laps while they were biding their time," he explained.

"We still beat them though," shrugged Miikalah. "A win is a win, right?" She added with a smirk. The dragoness had done well for her first game; the Wyverns' claimers had repeatedly entered her nest, but every time they discovered that the dragoness was not shy of using her claws. Even after a cursory washing, flecks of red could be seen on her blue scales.

"We beat them now, but don't be surprised if there are people in the crowd that saw how sloppy we were in the second half. We play the Gryphs in two weeks; they would be idiots to not adjust their tactics," coach Daanic explained and saw his team give small nods of understanding. "For now, enjoy the weekend. But I'll be sending you all a new training schedule on Monday. Spoiler warning, expect more cardio."

A soft grumble resonated throughout the team, as they turned back to their pouches and fitted them to their padding. Meegi knew his coach was right; he had spent a lot of time avoiding contact with the Wyvern claimers and was now, consequently, exhausted. As he looked out the side of the holding pen, he saw the crowd file out of the stadium. If he unfocused his eyes, it looked  like a liquid draining through the exits, like a sieve. With a paw, he pulled his phone out of his pouch and strapped it to his leg. The Velcro bands held it firmly against his foreleg and as he tapped the screen, he frowned when he saw no new messages. Thinking back, he was sure that he had agreed to meet Reeva at the holding pen after the game and hoped they were still on for the afternoon.

Picking up his water bottle again, he could hear that a small amount was still inside it and tilted it up in his jaws to try and get the last drop out. As he did, he noticed a small wave of a wing above him, which made him smile and focus on the lithe dragoness. With her head peering over the edge to look down into the players pen, he realized she had been perched above him the whole time. Realizing he still had his bottle in his mouth, he quickly spat it out and let it clatter to the floor. “Hey! Reeva, hi," he said quickly while tucking his tired wings close to his body. “You got the best seats in the house!"

Reeva grinned, her frill perked up at full height. “Um, yeah, Kaarif hooked me up," she said and turned to her aquatic friend, who was walking off while looking back with a grin on his snout. “Oh, bye Kaarif!" She called out after him.

“Did you like your first game?" He asked, while sitting down on the concrete floor and looking up at her. “It was probably a bit dull compared to the final."

“Dull? No, you—uh, I mean it was incredible," she replied and smiled sheepishly. “Ninety minutes never went by so quickly, I loved it," she added, and her chest warmed as he smiled, clearly glad that she had enjoyed the spectacle.

“I'm glad you liked it, I am pretty much done here—"

“Meegi, a moment," called coach Daanic as the rest of the team flew out of the team's pen. “There is someone here I would like you to meet," he added when Meegi turned around.

Beside his coach stood a red drake along with Tiiphani. Despite all three being red dragons, Tiiphani's father stood out amongst all three and effortlessly commanded the attention of the pen. His body was thick, with stocky legs, a tidy black harness, bleached white horns, and a stern expression on his face, the older drake waited for Meegi to approach.

Despite his aching muscles, Meegi tucked his wings close to his body and trotted over to the trio while the rest of the team became busy with their pouches for longer than necessary so they could eavesdrop.

“Meegi, I would like you to meet Haanith; he is the—"

“Owner of the Coastal Cresties, hello. It's a pleasure." Meegi said politely and nodded in greeting to the older drake. “But I also understand that you have a wing in the hospital named after you." he added with a slight bow. 

"Well, someone has done their homework," Haanith said warmly with a smirk. "When you do so much for the community, they tend to name things after you," he added and looked down at the young drake.

Despite the difference in wealth and power between them, Meegi tried not to let his insecurity show as he sat down in front of them. The red drake's amber eyes burned into him as if he were measuring him up, but Meegi didn't look away. "I trust that you enjoyed the show?"

"You flew well today, Meegi. I can see a lot of Daanic in you," Haanith said, his words carefully measured and eyes scanning Meegi's features. Despite his praise, the older drake was eager to try to determine how desperate he was for an opportunity, every decision in his life had a price and Meegi's fate would be no exception.

"Thank you, he is a great coach and has taught me a lot. But I can't take all the credit; the team did well," Meegi replied politely and saw his coach give him a subtle nod of approval.

"Of course, but I am talking about when you were in their nests. You literally flew circles around their brooders," Haanith remarked and glanced down at his daughter. "Tiiphani here said you were good, but you move like gravity doesn't affect you; I was impressed."

Meegi tilted his neck in a curt bow and thanked him. "You are very kind. This being a presentation game, I wanted to give the audience a good show."

"And that you did. Well done," Haanith said curtly, before staring down at the tan drake. "Athleticism is important, but understanding the showmanship of the sport is a talent that many overlook. You will develop a reputation for being a nimble nuisance to your opponents. Be careful that they don't try to take you out of the game permanently," he warned with a polite yet calculated smile. 

"I understand, but don't think I cannot fight," Meegi said calmly and politely. "I aimed to put on a show, not reveal all my cards," he added and held the large drake's gaze.

A smirk pulled at Haanith's snout, as he looked down at the confident claimer. He had met players who would do anything for a chance to play and had pushed them to see what they were willing to do. But Meegi showed a resilience that intrigued the older drake. "You have a good head on you, Meegi. Tell me, where are your parents? I would simply love to meet them."

Meegi knew this was yet another game to size him up and glanced between the three of them, seeing Tiiphani staring intently at him with a sickly sweet smile. "Ah, unfortunately they couldn't make it. My mother is in the international food game and couldn't make it," he said; while not a complete lie, his mother had simply been unable to get the shift off from the Turkish restaurant she worked at. "And my father is out of town too," he added with a small nod, which allowed him to avoid eye contact.

"Smart, fast, and worldly. Perhaps my Tiiphani was right about you," Haanith said while glancing at his daughter, who beamed up at him.

"Unfortunately, my stand-up career has taken a back seat, otherwise, I would be the complete package," Meegi said with a grin, shuffling his wings tighter against his body.

Haanith snorted in amusement and shook his head. "Very good, very good," he chuckled. "Keep it up, Meegi. I am eager to see how you perform this season," he added with a small nod.

"I won't disappoint," Meegi replied, giving him a polite nod back.

Turning to Daanic, Haanith gave his former star a similar nod of approval and stepped out of the holding pen to join the rest of the crowd leaving. As Tiiphani followed her father, she looked back over her shoulder to smile at Meegi.

Once Haanith and Tiiphani had left, Daanic gave Meegi a wink before addressing the rest of the team. "Alright, Harpies, you should have your gear together by now," he said with a chuckle. "Take the weekend easy, especially you, Jaalaphin. I don't want you hurting your wing any further. Go on, get!" He said with a flutter of his wings, hurrying them out of the holding pen.

As the team filed out of the pen and took to the sky, Meegi turned around and looked up at Reeva, who was pretending she hadn't witnessed the whole exchange. "Hey, um, are you ready to fly?" he asked, noticing the mixed expression in her eyes.

With a quick nod, she forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm ready." Seeing the team fly out of the stadium roof and the guests leaving via the exits, she cocked her head. "Want me to meet you outside?"

"Nah, we can fly out together if you want," Meegi said, nodding towards the top of the stadium.

"I- um, are you sure I'm allowed?" Reeva asked, with guests still filing out of the bleachers, thinking it would be forbidden to fly out with the players.

"It's fine, players and their families are allowed to. Perks of the job," he replied with a smile. Seeing her smile but still hesitate, he gave another nod towards the sky. "Come on, it's fine, trust me," he added with a reassuring smile.

When Reeva nodded and mantled her wings, he turned and leapt out of the team's pen, into the sky. Lunging after him, she spread her wings and quickly came alongside him as they soared up and across the field. Flapping her wings, she found that he was flying a lot slower than he had when they met after school and even found herself gliding as they cleared the roof of the stadium and turned towards the heart of the city.

"Hey, so... Tiiphani's father..." Meegi said and glanced over to Reeva, who was staring straight ahead. "You heard what he said, didn't you?"

Reeva opened her mouth to lie and say she didn't, but her frill flattened against her neck and the look he gave her cut the idea short. "Um... yeah, what was that all about?" Reeva asked.

"I-I don't know. It was weird, wasn't it?" Meegi asked and saw her nod. "Like..." he paused to look around them and make sure there was no one within earshot before continuing. "Like, I am hoping that there is a chance to get a college scholarship and play while studying. But he is kinda the level above all that."

Reeva nodded in understanding, before taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling as she tried to find the words. "There was something else too," she said and looked him in the eye while flying alongside him. "Tiiphani and him were talking about you at the start of the game; he had stuff on his tablet about you and everything."

"Really?" Meegi said excitedly but saw her frown. "I mean, that's odd. I wouldn't think I would make the cut for the Cresties, or at least not until I got a few college games under my harness."

Reeva shrugged; something about the way Tiiphani had interacted with her father about Meegi made her feel uneasy. "Would you take it if they offered?"

Meegi lifted his head to nod, before hesitating and rocking it from side to side. "I don't know, it would be huge. I would be the youngest player on the roster, even as a reserve player, that would be life-changing," he said enthusiastically. "But at the same time, I would be playing against fully trained and tested dragons. Also, I should really have something to fall back on should I get hurt or something."

Reeva smiled at his thoughtfulness. "That's probably a good idea. Also, it's Tiiphani's family after all," she said before snapping her jaws shut at her off-paw remark.

Meegi smirked and turned his head to look at the dragoness. "Oh? What's so bad about Tiiphani's family?" he asked and watched her look ahead again. "She can be a bit... assertive, I'll give you that."

"Assertive... not the word I would use," Reeva muttered and smiled when Meegi snorted in amusement. "I don't like her," she added.

"Well, she has always been nice to me," Meegi said with a smile and flapped his wings to keep up with Reeva, who sped up slightly. "She has nice horns-"

"Oh my god, no she doesn't! They are fake-" Reeva exclaimed and turned her head to see his mouth open in a playful smile. "You know... don't you?"

"Of course I know!" Meegi retorted, "Every drake does. Doesn't mean they aren't nice though," he added with a grin and laughed when she rolled her eyes.

"Can we talk about something else?" Reeva asked and was grateful when he nodded. Beating their wings together, they soared over the rooftops of the city and continued towards The Spires, the four tall apartment buildings that reached high above the city skyline.

"So… how about this weather?" Meegi asked, grinning as she glanced at him, his charming smile causing her lips to pull back into a small smirk. "It's a great day to be working on some homework," he added sarcastically before tucking one wing and flipping onto his back, then righting himself again.

"Don't you ever get dizzy?" Reeva asked as she watched him flap once to regain the little altitude he had lost.

"Doing what?" He asked, looking at her in confusion. "You don't do rolls?" He asked as she shook her head. "Spins? Flips?" He asked as she shook her head again and again. "Are you sure you are a dragon?" He asked playfully, before pitching up and rolling once more, settling alongside her effortlessly.

"Pretty sure I am a dragon."

Looking over at her, he nodded. "You look like one, but maybe you are a couple of humans in a fancy costume," he said and smiled when she cracked up laughing. "Come on, dragons are masters of the sky! You can do it."

Reeva shook her head and looked down. "Nah, I'm good. We are too close to the ground," she said, rolling her eyes when he brushed his wingtip against hers before climbing higher into the sky.

"Come on then! Let's go higher," Meegi called out, grinning when she gave chase.

"How is it that you still have energy?" She asked, as she climbed after him, breathing through her mouth as her flight muscles burned.

Meegi shrugged. "Sun's out, weather's good, won a game. I'll be sore tomorrow, but that's future Meegi's problem." Levelling off, he waited for her to catch up before tilting his head with a smile to encourage her to do a roll.

Reeva sighed, knowing that he wouldn't stop until she tried one. Tucking one wing, she flapped her other and spiralled over onto her back before righting herself, only to find herself well below Meegi and flying in a different direction. With a few heavy flaps, she adjusted her course and came back up to Meegi's altitude.

"That was good!" Meegi lied and, when she looked at him with a raised eyebrow, he grinned. "I mean, it wasn't the worst I've seen."

"Yeah, I never could do a roll and keep a straight line," she said sadly, shaking her head to try and fight off the wave of dizziness that still lingered in her head.

"I-um…" he started before hesitating, afraid he might sound like he was drakesplaining to her. "If you wanted, I could give you a few tips."

Reeva looked across at him before glancing ahead toward her home. They still had a fair distance ahead of them, and when she nodded, she saw a brief look of relief on his face. “I wasn't a strong flyer growing up, so… yeah, any help would be good."

Nodding in understanding, he knew her chest muscles were not as defined as others and tried to reassure her. “Hey, it's okay. I think you can do it." Seeing her smile filled him with confidence. “When you do a roll, what do you focus on?" He asked, and saw her frown.

“Um, not crashing?" She offered, thinking back to the world rolling around her when she did perform a roll; she couldn't think of anything she was focusing on.

Meegi cackled in amusement before shaking his head. “I mean, what do you look at?" He asked, and when she shrugged, he smiled in understanding. “That's probably the first lesson then! Look ahead and find a building, something easy to spot."

“Okay," she said as she looked ahead at her home. “Now what?"

“When you roll, start with your hips," Meegi said, moving ahead of her so she could watch him. “Keep focused on the building and roll your hips," he said, demonstrating ahead of her.

Her concentration on the building ahead faltered as she watched his rump roll to one side and tail whip around. In the blink of an eye, he had folded a wing and completed a roll without losing any altitude. “Show off," she teased and smiled when he grinned back at her.

“Your turn then. Focus on the building, roll your hips and then fold a wing and whip your tail," he explained, “But! Keep looking at the building, that's key."

Taking a deep breath, Reeva beat her wings twice to gain a little more altitude before trying another roll. Keeping her eyes on the building, she tried to roll her hips, but when she folded a wing, she found herself failing to go inverted and fell a dozen feet before righting herself and soaring back up to his level. “Rolling with your hips… that feels so wrong, like, with my shoulders makes more sense," she explained.

“Trust me! Do as I do," Meegi said, moving ahead of her. Exaggerating the motions and moving slower, he rolled his hips and bent his tail, while adjusting his wings to stop himself from going off course. “Like this, and then roll more and whip your tail. Your tail gives you momentum."

Unconvinced, she tried again. Focusing on the building ahead, she twisted her body and tried to roll inverted; again, her body protested, and this time she banked off course. Snapping her jaws, she pulled back alongside Meegi and shook her head. “I think my first attempt was better," she said in defeat.

Meegi nodded in understanding, “Can I try something? It was how my mother taught me how to do it," he asked and glided above her when she nodded. With his body above hers, he kept his wing beats in sync with hers and lowered his legs. “Let me hold onto your harness," he said and saw her neck frill perk up fully.

With his body casting a shadow over hers, she felt oddly safe and nodded only to flinch as his paws rested on her shoulders and hips. When she had learnt to fly, her parents had held her like this, but it felt strange for someone her age to do the same.

"It's okay, trust me," he said and hooked his toes under the straps. He felt giddy at the touch of his paw pads on her scales and tried to focus. "Okay, still got your bearings? Still focusing on that building?" he asked and saw her nod.

Her heart beat hard at their close proximity. With his paws on her body, she could feel his warmth as he lowered his body so it was close to hers. Keeping her gaze locked ahead, she focused on her home. "Yeah, I still have it—"

Before she finished, Meegi folded one wing over hers and used his hind legs to roll her hips to one side. With a yelp, her whole world rotated upside down and she quickly whipped her tail around in a wide arc to help flip her body over and right herself. "What the heck!" she exclaimed, as he quickly let go and moved to fly alongside her. Looking from him to her home still in front of her, she realized she had managed to do a roll without changing course. "Wait… I did it!" she exclaimed and smiled when he laughed.

"Yup, you did it. Want to try again?" he offered and was grateful when she nodded. "Though, you will know it's happening now, so try not to overthink it." Maneuvering over her once more to hold onto her harness, he lowered his head down next to hers. "Okay, you roll your hips, I'll help with the rest," he said and felt her tilt her hips to one side. "Further," he instructed. Once she had rolled them as far as possible, he used his tail and body to pull her over and tucked her wing against her side with his own. Together they rolled over, and Reeva giggled as she righted herself.

"Okay, focusing on the building helps, like a lot," she said and realized he was still holding onto her harness. "Again?"

"Yup!" Meegi said and felt her roll her hips. This time, however, he gently brushed his wing against hers for her to fold it, and when she whipped her tail around, he let go of her completely. Looking down, he watched her roll over and right herself with a rock of her wings. "There you go!" he exclaimed happily and moved to one side so she could pull up beside him. "I knew you could do it!"

"I did it!" she said before rolling her hips and performing a tight roll by herself. With a few flaps, she regained altitude and grinned from horn to horn. "And, I'm not dizzy!"

"Well done!"

"So wait, your mother taught you how to do this?" Reeva asked, and her eyes widened as he nodded. "My mother only taught me how to cook!" she added with a laugh.

"Hey, cooking is an important skill for a dragoness," he winked with a chuckle at the look she gave him. "And drakes too!"

"Uh-huh," Reeva said with a small nod, "I told you she taught me how to cook; I didn't say I was a good cook."

"Eh, I'm used to leftovers anyway," Meegi said with a laugh.

"Oh yeah, from the international food game?" Reeva asked with a raised eyebrow and giggled as his snout became darker.

"Yeah well, being a dancer at a Turkish restaurant didn't sound appropriate in the moment," Meegi said with a weak smile and looked ahead before glancing at her to judge her reaction.

Seeing the vulnerability in his eyes, she shrugged, "Well, she is in the international food game I guess. So is my mom, she makes noodles in the market," she replied and was glad to see his paws relax. "So… dancer?" She asked and saw him nod sheepishly. "That's cool, I guess that explains how well you move in the sky."

"Thanks… but please don't tell-"

"Oh no-no-no! Don't worry. Secret is safe with me," Reeva said hastily and gave him an honest nod to show her sincerity.

"Thanks Reeva, I appreciate it."

As they flew, a silence began to form between them until Reeva suddenly performed a tight roll to make sure she could still do it. He chuckled and nodded with an exaggerated, impressed expression on his face as she only had to beat her wings twice to regain her altitude.

Banking slightly to brush her wing against his, she giggled, "Watch out Meegi, I'll be on the Dragonball team in no time!"

With a playful smirk, Meegi beat his wings hard, while dipping down, before pulling sharply up and rolling inverted over the top of her, His horns brushed against her erect neck frill as he passed over her by a few inches and rolled again to end at her other wingtip. Grinning at her shocked expression, he playfully slapped her wingtip with his.

"Okay, now you have to show me how to do that!" Reeva exclaimed.

"Wow, you live so high up!" Meegi exclaimed, as he waited for Reeva to unlock the balcony door of her apartment. While he had flown higher, there was something primally satisfying about being perched high above the landscape and surveying the world below.

"Thanks!" Reeva said and smirked when she turned her head and saw his neck over the handrail, the drake curiously taking in the view. She had unlocked the door already but took a moment to watch him scanning the vista. "Sometimes in the morning, there is like a low cloud over the city that makes it look like we are in a floating city. Kind of like we are in the… ah," her words drifted off, as she blushed and pulled the door open.

"City of Wings?" Meegi offered and saw her smile sheepishly. "It's a good series," he said simply and trotted over to her. As she stepped inside, he followed her and the combination of scents made him smile. He had visited many of his teammates' homes and estates, but while theirs were often flashy, clean, or historically old, Reeva's apartment smelled like a home. With the lingering and telltale scents of someone who enjoys cooking along with some clutter on the tables, he quickly felt more at ease.

"This is really nice," he said politely. The balcony joined the large open plan living room, complete with large, low couches and a kitchen on the far wall. On either side of the living room were hallways, which he assumed would lead to sleeping areas or bathrooms.

"Thanks!" Reeva said proudly and trotted towards the kitchen. "Mom said we can work on our assignment here," she said and gestured to the couches with a twitch of her wing. "But did you want some food first?"

After having a light breakfast and a big game, he nodded. "If that's okay."

Reeva nodded and trotted to the kitchen. When she opened the fridge, she smiled. Sitting neatly in a row was a collection of bowls with clear film over them, each with a number and brief instructions written on them in sharpie by her mother. "I'll make something for us, do you like noodles?"

"Oh, um yeah!" he said, his voice clearly showing his excitement, but as she began pulling bowl after bowl of ingredients out of the fridge, he quickly added, "But like, only if it's something simple."

Reeva shrugged and looked back over her shoulder with a grin. "Noodles are simple," she said, before rearing up on her hind legs to pluck a large wok off of the wall above the stove.

Meegi felt awkward as he stood on the other side of the kitchen island while Reeva began heating the wok, the scents of the fresh ingredients making his mouth water even before she had started cooking. "Hey, do you mind if I take off my pads?"

"Go for it," Reeva said, while pouring some spice-infused oil into the wok and swirling it around. "Do you like it spicy or mild?"

Meegi shrugged as he unbuckled the shoulder straps of his pads. "Either is fine, whatever you prefer," he said, not wanting to be difficult. As he stripped off his pads, he separated the single pouch which had his school notepad in it and went to place his pads beside the couch only to find a stash of pouches already there.

Glancing over at the dragoness, he only now noticed that her harness was missing the usual bulk and instead had two neat pouches on her waist. The lack of bulk helped to accentuate her lithe figure and he found himself staring.

Reeva saw him quickly look away, as she turned to look at him and felt her neck frill twitch upwards. The tan drake now seemed to be very focused on forming his pads into a neat pile near the closest side of the couch. Turning back to the wok, she added in the meat and enjoyed the sizzle it made as the pieces quickly seared.

Seeing her attention back on the stove, he slowly padded around the living room and smiled as he saw a collection of photos hanging proudly on the wall. Many of his classmates would decorate their walls with expensive paintings or art that they commissioned, but it seemed that Reeva's family was more interested in capturing precious memories.

A photo of Reeva and her father caught his eye. Under the shade of an apple tree, the young dragoness was only a hatchling but had climbed her father's neck to reach up as high as she could to try and snatch a ripe red apple. The proud smile on the white drake's snout made Meegi wish he had shared a similar experience with his own father.

He snorted in amusement at the next photo of Reeva, the sky blue hatchling standing proudly next to a grey and purple adult dragoness. The pair of them holding a majestic pose with their necks curled back in elegant 'S' shapes with one forepaw lifted and wings mantled to show off their forms. They would have looked regal, if it was not for the cheeky grins they had on their snouts, clearly neither of them were taking the photoshoot seriously. As he looked at the adult dragoness, he couldn't see any color or feature similarities between the pair and wondered who she might be. She looked to be a few years younger than how Reeva's parents should have been at the time of the photo, but with silvery gray scales and with her paws and tail looking like they had been dipped in purple paint, he was sure they were not related.

Another photo showed her much older, holding onto her teal mother's harness while she flew. The young Reeva holding her own wings out to practice flying with a broad grin on her face. Looking at Reeva's mother, he could see the scars around the dragoness' eye more clearly and wondered what the cause was.

The loud hiss of fresh vegetables being added to the wok pulled Meegi's attention away from the photos, and he found himself smiling at the aromatic scents filling the apartment. “That smells amazing, is there anything I can do to help?" He asked and padded his way back towards the kitchen island.

Reeva felt confident that she had everything under control and scrunched up the last sheet of clear film to hide the instructions and turned her head to say no to him. However, she could see that he was trying to be helpful and gestured towards the cupboards with a flick of her tail. “There should be some bowls in the top cupboard."

With a nod, he quickly trotted over to the bank of cupboards that she had gestured to and reared up on his hind legs. Opening the first cupboard, he immediately knew he had made a mistake, but his jaw dropped. Stacked neatly as if it was a shrine to all things delicious, was a dense collection of sweets and snacks. Bags and bags of all sorts of licorice, brightly colored hard candy, plump pouches of preserved jerky, and tubs of trail mix lined the shelves. Sitting proudly on the middle shelf, however, was a stuffed dragon guarding the hoard. The same size as a newly hatched dragon, the toy looked like it had been through hell and back. Its once silvery fur had long since turned grey,one eye was missing and the rest of its plastic features looked like they had melted in some sort of accident. “That is a lot of snacks," Meegi said softly.

Turning her head, Reeva's eyes went wide. "Oh, no, those aren't for eating. Next cupboard has the bowls," she said hastily.

"Not for eating?" Meegi asked, while taking one more look at the collection of snacks. "Are they for a special occasion or something?"

Reeva cocked her head. "Mom doesn't explain it, but we have some in the fridge if you're feeling peckish later," she said and returned to tossing the wok full of ingredients to keep mixing them together. When she glanced over to Meegi, she could see the look of confusion on his face as he softly closed the cupboard door and stepped across on his hind legs to open the next one. "Yup, those ones," she added, when he placed a paw next to a stack of simple white ceramic bowls.

Meegi was confused as he took two bowls from the stack and closed the cupboard. Riikals parents always had an arrangement of fruits on their table and he had made the mistake of eating one only to discover they were for decoration. But he couldn't comprehend why such a stockpile of treats would not be on display if they were not to be eaten. He wondered if this was some sort of wealthy people custom, although his musings were pushed aside as Reeva turned off the electric stove and, using her jaws, lifted the wok by the handle to fill the bowls he had set out. "Sure I can't help?" He offered and saw that she just smiled as she tilted her head to pour the contents into each bowl.

With the wok now empty and the bowls filled with steaming hot noodles, meats, and vegetables, Reeva placed the wok back down on an unused burner on the stove. "Ta-da!" She announced proudly and made sure she had turned off the stove as her mother had repeatedly taught her.

"This smells absolutely amazing," Meegi said honestly. He had always enjoyed the few times his mother cooked while at home and found himself having to swallow as his mouth watered, looking at the delicious meal.

"Thanks!" Reeva replied proudly and slipped one paw under her bowl to carry it over to the low table near the couches.

Following her with his own bowl, he placed his meal down across from her and laid down on the ground as she did. While the couches looked comfortable, the noodles looked like they could be messy. He waited for her to get comfortable and, when she gave a small smile and nod, he dipped his snout down to the bowl and inhaled the delicious smell before taking a bite. "Mmmnngh, oh damn, okay!" He moaned as his taste buds were treated to an exceptional culinary experience.

Reeva grinned at his reaction, her chest swelling with pride as she took a small bite and watched the drake take another. She stifled a giggle as he closed his eyes and lifted his head up to the ceiling to savour the mouthful. As she watched on, she made a mental note to thank her mother for helping with the preparation. “So, our assignment—" she stopped mid-sentence as Meegi held a paw up with a digit extended to silence her and enjoy the moment.

“Sorry. This is too damn good," he said once he had swallowed. Opening his eyes, he saw her sides vibrating as she tried to hold back a laugh. “Holy… damn… yes!" he said, as he tried to articulate his enjoyment. “And you said you weren't a good cook? This is the best thing I've ever eaten."

Reeva beamed and waved a paw dismissively. “Oh, please. But thank you," she said and took another bite herself. After years of enjoying her mother's cooking, she could tell that there was a unique combination of spices her mother had added to this dish, that made it taste complex yet homely.

Swallowing another mouthful, Meegi took a deep breath and tried to concentrate. “Okay, assignment, yes," he said before looking down at his food longingly. “Something traditional that has changed over time, we were going to do dragon riders, right?"

Reeva nodded. “Yeah, that's right, or rather, humans riding dragons, not strictly the dragon riders of old."

“Yeah! That's right," Meegi said, before taking another small mouthful and rocking his head from side to side as he ate. “So… should we… Should we just focus on western culture? Or more worldly?"

Reeva stood up and reached beside the couch to find the pouch with her notepad before returning back to the table. “Honestly, I think five minutes would be too short if we were going to do how it's different around the world. So maybe let's just focus on western societies, what do you think?"

“Nah, it's a good call. Also, dragons in some cultures still have riders, so there's not exactly a tradition that's changed," he replied and took another bite of food and licked his snout clean after he swallowed. “Also, I did a bit of searching for who was the first human to ride a dragon, but I couldn't find anything."

“I looked too and came up with nothing, but also I looked to see who was the first human to ride a horse and got nothing either. I think because back then we weren't seen as much more than horses, it probably wasn't something the humans didn't care for writing down. That, or it was just lost in time."

Nodding, Meegi agreed while swallowing another mouthful of the delicious dish. “I think we will have to skim over those details, but we should have enough to talk about for how things have changed since the freescale movement."

“For sure! I think that's a good place to start, with the great grounding and how the dragons refused to fly in protest," Reeva suggested, while writing down dot points in her notepad.

"Yes, but while we should mention the punishments they faced, I don't think we should get bogged down on it," Meegi replied. They both knew full well of the horrors the dragon masters inflicted on their dragons when they refused to fly and the thoughts of dragons being dewinged as punishment sent a shiver down his spine.

"Totes agree, mention it, acknowledge it and move on. I think we will have plenty to talk about the modern stuff now too, how some dragons now actually let humans ride them," Reeva said, before holding her pen off the page and taking another mouthful of food.

Meegi nodded while finishing his last mouthful of noodles before looking down at the empty bowl with a pang of sadness that it was all gone. "That was really good," he said, the warmth and fullness in his stomach making him feel slightly sluggish. Looking at Reeva, he saw her watching him with a happy smile, clearly his enjoyment of her meal meant a lot to her. "Um, would you ever do it? Let a human fly with you?"

Reeva shrugged. "My wings are not really strong enough for an added person. Humans are really heavy for their size, or at least, that's what my auntie says," Reeva explained.

"Your auntie has a human?" Meegi asked as he contemplated licking the bowl but hesitated, unsure if that was acceptable. Looking over at Reeva, he saw her finish her meal and waited to see what she did.

Finishing her mouthful, Reeva nodded. "Yeah, Auntie T has had a couple," she said, before lowering her snout to lick the bowl clean. "But that is a whole other story."

“Okay, I think that does it!" Reeva said happily, while looking down at her notes. The pair had made good progress on their presentation and had even been able to do a few rehearsals of their speech. Glancing out of the floor to ceiling windows that connected the living room to the balcony, she could see that the sun was setting and knew her parents would be home soon. 

“Yeah, I think we have it down." Meegi agreed, “Though, are you sure we covered enough reasons why humans rode us? We kind of focused on the war and convenience side of stuff, but what about the practical stuff?" 

Reeva cocked her head from side to side as she thought, before plucking a sweet from the bowl she had placed between them. Rolling it in her digits, she wondered what more could be said and if they had time in their presentation to cover it. “I think we kinda covered the practical side by having the convenience stuff in there. Like sure they rode us while farming, but most of what we did could be done by then anyway. So it's kinda already covered." She explained.

Meegi nodded and hid his disappointment. He had hoped that his question could spark a need for a follow up homework session. As he opened his mouth to try another question, the sounds of wings beating outside pulled his attention away from Reeva and towards her parents' landing. 

“Oh! Mom and dad are here." Reeva said and quickly began tidying up the bowl of snacks and notepads that were scattered across the low table.

Realizing how close he was lying next to Reeva, Meegi quickly got to his feet and began helping her tidy up as her parents opened the balcony door. 

“Oh stop it!" Reevian giggled to her mate and swatted him with her tail, as she walked ahead of him. Spotting Meegi standing with his pouch in hand and a somewhat timid look in his eyes, she smiled warmly at him. “Meegi! Hello, good to see you again." She said with a small laugh, as she remembered how they had met at the café a few days previous. “How was the game?"

Clearing his throat, Meegi nodded at the large teal dragoness as her mate closed the balcony door behind them. “Ah, good! We won. But it was just a presentation game, so it doesn't count for the season."

“Meegi is being modest, they thrashed them. He even scored the most points out of the claimers." Reeva chimed in, while carrying the bowl of snacks back to the fridge. 

“Well done!" Reevian exclaimed, her eyes scanning the table and couch briefly for any evidence, before smiling happily at the few pens and crumbs on the table. “Would you like to stay for dinner, Meegi?" She asked, before she walked towards the kitchen. 

As she passed him, the young drake could smell the faint scent of stale popcorn and the masculine musk of Neebis coming from Reeva's mother. Meegi turned his head to follow her and saw Reeva's frill perk up at the question, but glanced back at her father without turning his head to try and read his expression. The white drake looked more relaxed than he was when he entered the café and even gave Meegi a friendly smile.

“You are more than welcome to. To celebrate a game well played." Added Neebis with a polite smile, while unbuckling his harness and hanging it on a series of hooks on the wall.

He had been offered to stay longer at many of his teammates' houses, but the idea of spending longer than necessary with their parents had always made his chest tighten, knowing that one slip of the tongue could reveal his living situation. With Reeva and her parents however, he was sure they wouldn't care, but the idea of her parents asking questions about their relationship made him tense at the thought.. “Thank you, but I should really be heading back. I appreciate the offer though." He said with a curt bow and turned to retrieve his pads from beside the door. In the corner of his eye, he saw Reeva exchange a look with her mother while he slipped his paws through the gaps in the pads and began clipping the buckles together. 

“Are you sure? It's really no trouble, I'm going to be cooking something special." Reevian added kindly and gave her mate a quick glance. 

Following her silent command, the white drake nodded. “She really is the best cook in the city." Neebis added quickly and sat down to try to appear less intimidating. “Please stay, you can tell me about your game, oh! And the assignment! How did you guys go?"

Meegi swallowed, the memory of what Reeva cooked was still fresh in his mind and the thought of tasting something from the one who taught her made his mouth water. “The assignment is all done and thank you for the offer, but it wouldn't be fair on my mother. She wasn't able to make the game so I want to make sure I'm home for dinner." He explained, knowing full well that she was on a double shift and wouldn't be home until the early hours of the morning. Even as he said the words, he regretted them when he saw the crestfallen look Reeva gave him.

“Maybe next time then?" Reeva asked and found herself smiling when he nodded with a polite smile. 

Collecting the last of his effects into his pouch and clipping it to his padding, he made his way towards the balcony door. Stepping quickly to help, Neebis opened the door for him and they all bid him farewell. 

With a polite nod of thanks and a promise to see Reeva at school on Monday, he stepped out onto the balcony and inhaled the cool evening air. Padding closer to the handrail, he mantled his wings and, as he heard the balcony door close behind him, he looked back to see Reeva talking with her parents. Unable to hear them, he watched her smile and lean into her mother's side while her father walked over to join them. A wave of emotions filled Meegi's heart as he watched the family and he found himself smiling as the two dragonesses' laughed at something her father said. A hint of jealousy nagged at his mind as he bounded off the balcony and into the cool evening sky, knowing full well that he was returning to an empty home.