"Oh my god, just have his eggs already!" Kaarif exclaimed in mock frustration, while he drove a fry around his plate with a talon to collect the sauce, Reeva sat next to him with her lunch and diary in front of her.

Reeva's frill flicked up and she swatted Kaarif with a wing when he broke out laughing. "Shut up, it wasn't like that!" She retorted loudly, before shrinking down as the heads of the few classmates within earshot turned to see what the commotion was. Despite the school's vast grounds,  many were seeking shelter under the trees that dotted the campus during the warm summer day.

Keeping his voice down to protect his friend's dignity, Kaarif adopted a nasal voice and gently swayed his head from side to side as he mocked her. "Oh Meegi, your wings are so strong. Help me do a barrel roll, grab my hips and flip me over and make my head spin!"

Reeva couldn't help her smile pulling at her snout as she opened her mouth to retort. Seeing her friend's impression of her and how he interpreted her story made her blush and chuckle. "It's not like that at all. It's a perfectly normal thing to do when teaching someone to fly." she said, but averted her gaze to her own food, the collection of meats and cheeses all packed with love by her parents, including a lump of pork that had been trimmed to look like a heart.

"Oh, perfectly normal is it? So I could ask you to show me?" Kaarif said with a raised eyeridge. When Reeva opened and closed her mouth trying to find the right words to retort, he smiled. "I thought so too. He just wanted an excuse to put his paws around you."

"He was just helping!" Reeva protested. "He is a really good flier, and my wings are nowhere near as developed as his." she added, before biting into a piece of meat.

"Oh, thank you Meegi, I'm just lil ol’ weak-winged Reeva! I just need a big strong drake to carry me back to the nest and-" his words were cut off as her wing flicked out and smacked him across the snout. "Ow!"

"It's a perfectly normal thing, nothing naughty about it," Reeva explained, "It's how all dragons learn to fly, their parents carrying them under them and feeling the wind."

"Except, he ain't your parent." Kaarif teased and smiled as she became focused on her lunch. "And we all know he wanted you to feel something more than wind-"

"You wouldn't understand, I promise. It was not like that." Reeva said firmly and tucked her wings close to her sides before pointing a paw at the aquatic drake suddenly. "And that's not a wingless joke!" she added and caught him with his mouth open and a guilty smile on his snout. "Ya wet noodle."

"I'm a wet noodle? What about your noodles? Taking him back to your cave, make him some food, then homework and chill?-"

"Hey, hold up, I've invited you back to my place for homework all the time! And I've made food for us before." Reeva exclaimed before lowering her head to peer into his amethyst colored eyes. "You aren't jealous, are you?" She asked playfully.

"Pfft, of Meegi?! No way!" Kaarif retorted and waved a paw to dismiss the idea. "Please, how could I be jealous of him? With his dirty brown scales while I'm over here looking magnificent."

Reeva shook her head while giggling at his response before leaning her neck to exaggerate the motion of looking down his pearlescent body. "Yeah, how could you be jealous? You are quite the… catch." she said while looking him in the eye with a very poor attempt at keeping a straight face.

"An aquatic joke, how original!" Kaarif exclaimed dramatically, before chuckling as she broke out in laughter at her own joke. "Between wingless jokes and aquatic ones, your range of humor knows no bounds." he added and shook his head while smiling. "So, did you get your assignment done? Or were you too busy tonguing each other's throats?"

Reeva's frill flicked up at the thought, a detail that did not go unnoticed by Kaarif. "We did get our assignment done, thank you very much." she said and saw him flinch as she mantled and stretched her wings.

With a shrug, Kaarif stabbed a talon into another fry before inspecting it. "Well, that's a shame." he said cryptically and saw her cock her head in his peripheral vision. "So I guess there is no need to hang out with him after school or anything, is there?" He said and smirked when her eyes widened slightly. "Like, if you're all done and you ain't dating, because 'it's not like that,' then you two probs don't have a reason to hang out, right?"

Reeva's jaw clenched as she remembered Meegi's asking questions at the end of their session, each one she had shut down as she thought the assignment was done. Her chest tightened, and she snapped her head around to try and spot Meegi amongst the others, but he was nowhere to be found. Her claws dug into the grass as she looked down at her school diary and confirmed that she had no classes with him today.

Seeing his friend panic, Kaarif couldn't help but smirk. "Well, if there were any errors or things you weren't sure about, I overheard from Tiiphani that he’s working at the café after school today." he said casually and grinned at her when she nodded in relief. "But like, you don't make mistakes, do you?" He added with a shrug and returned to his meal. "And like, it wasn't a date or anything."

"Well… maybe I might fly by for a coffee or something." Reeva said with a small smile.

"Don't let him keep you up all night." Kaarif said, before tossing the fry into his mouth with a grin. "School night for you, little 'ness."

Reeva shook her head and tried to change the subject. "You got your assignment all done?" she asked. When he nodded but didn't explain further, she lowered her head to his level. "Care to tell me what you are doing yours on?"

Swallowing his mouthful, Kaarif shrugged. "Dragonball," he said simply with a coy smile. "And the effects their owners have had on players over the course of the sport."

Reeva tilted her head and sighed. "So, let me guess, Tiiphani's family will get mentioned?"

Forcing his frill to flare, he pretended to be surprised at the idea. "Reeva! The sport has such a dark history, with players being treated as nothing more than property and assets, tortured, abused, manipulated, through every horrible way imaginable. To associate Tiiphani and her family with that horrible sport would be un-gentledrake-like of me." he said with a broad grin. "Do you really think that I would go that low?" His words were cut short by Reeva's unimpressed look.

"Yeah, I think you would do something like that." she said with a smirk. "I think you would do exactly that. But, are you sure that's a good idea? Tiiphani won't be impressed, even if you get a good grade."

Kaarif shrugged. "Eh, I think Mister Siigma will know exactly who did all the work. But I'll be sure to say Tiiphani did her equal share, that way if she wants to start some shit, I'll tell Mr S that I lied and it was me all along."

"What a web you weave." Reeva said, while picking at her food. "Just don't get yourself hurt, okay?" She added before giving him a playful nudge. "Cause I really don't want to have to find a new best friend."

"Nawww..." Kaarif said with a cheeky smile. "You think we are friends." He added and leaned over to nudge her back.

She knew he was joking but played along with a dignified shuffle of her wings and curled her neck into a graceful arch. "Let's not put labels on our relationship, Kaarif. You provide the good seats for the next Dragonball game and I'll keep you company on our lunches so you don't look like a loser."

"Pfft, me?! Look like a loser?" He said before shaking his head in disbelief. "With my sexy scales, sick frill, and non-threatening height I'm amazing! No idea what you’re going on about, I could pull any of the 'nesses here if I wanted to." he said with genuine sincerity. "And here I was thinking you were the smart one." he added, before poking his pink tongue out at her as she giggled louder than he would have liked.

"Alright, Casanova. Keep telling yourself that." she said playfully, before waving a paw dismissively at his exaggerated crestfallen expression. "Nah, you're okay. You could 'pull' any ‘ness you want," she added with a giggle.

"Oh, you know I can!" he said before swatting her tail with his. "You just watch," he added before stabbing another fry with his talon. "I'll have to get one of those turnstiles installed for all the ‘nesses that are waiting their turn."

Reeva rolled her eyes and chuckled at the imagery. "One day, little drake, one day. I believe in you."

"Thanks, babe." he said playfully, with a wink and a grin. "So what about your assignment? Dragon riding, right? Did aquatics get a mention?"

Reeva swallowed her mouthful before shrugging. "We kinda focused on the flying dragons." she said and saw the exaggerated look of disbelief on his snout. "Oh, it's not like that. It's just I never heard of humans riding aquatics before. Like, no offense, but aren't you a little short to ride?" she asked. She had met his parents on numerous occasions and even fully grown, an aquatic dragon's shoulders would only be at chest height for a human.

"Oh my god, really?" Kaarif said and shook his head from side to side. "You are truly a trickster god. I really thought you were bright." he exclaimed, before tilting his head. "How do you think humans fixed their boats, huh? Or fixed their bridges, or fishing nets?" he asked and saw her eyes widen. "Just 'cause we don't have wings or breathe fire, you don't think we're real dragons, do you?" he said in a mock accusatory tone.

"Hey, hold up! I don't breathe fire." Reeva retorted, desperately trying to regain some sort of moral high ground.

"Well, that's 'cause you ain't a dragon, you're just a flying lizard." he snapped back with a grin.

"Flying lizard! That would make you a walking fish!" Reeva replied and pointed a paw at his purple frill. "We all know you have the gills."

"Hey, don't be body-shaming something I can't change." he retorted and fluttered his neck frill. Just behind his jaw and protected by his frill lay his gills. Aware that many found them gross to look at, he always tried to keep them covered with his frill.

"Okay, fine." Reeva said with a grin. "So humans really rode your kind? Like, in the water, I take it?"

"Yup! Though, we kinda had a different relationship with humans. Because we could always just dive down and drown them, we were treated a bit better. Remember, you have to land some time, but my people don't need to come near land if we don't want to."

"What about when scuba gear was invented? Did they still treat you well then?" Reeva asked and pulled a thick pen out of her harness to begin taking notes.

Kaarif nodded. "I think so, that was kinda when you lot were beginning to get vocal about your struggles, so when we didn't need to keep coming up for the riders to breathe, we just kinda did bigger dives and were seen to be more useful." He explained. "Hell, offshore oil rigs love us. Unless the water is full of oil, we will dive down and make bank."

"But, do they still let humans ride them? Or is that taboo."

Kaarif shrugged. "Some get all uppity about it, but nowhere near as much as you winged folk. Often if the money is good, we will do it." Picking up a fry, he inspected it before tossing it into his maw and talking while chewing. "And before you go taking the high ground on us only being driven by money, remember you are a dragon too, it's in our blood." he added with a smile.

Reeva chuckled and made some notes, smiling now that she had something about their assignment to go to Meegi about. "Would you ever do it? Have a human ride you?" She asked knowing that his family already had a vast fortune.

"Ride me?! Hell nah!" Kaarif exclaimed. "No one rides little Kaarif unless it's a thick-hipped dragoness." He added with a wide smile.

"Oh my god." Reeva exclaimed while blushing. "Way too much information."

"Hey, you asked." Kaarif replied with a frill-to-frill grin.

Meegi's lungs burned as he pushed the door to the café open after his high speed flight from school. The happy ring of the bell mocked his heavy breathing as he tried to control his racing heart.

“That's gotta be a record.” called Meegi's boss, Mike, from behind the large coffee machine. “Or did you get let out of class early?” The man asked while working the knobs of the machine to fill a customer's flask with aromatic coffee.

Taking a deep breath, Meegi held it to slow his heart and shook his head before slowly exhaling. “Coach said we need to do more cardio.” he said, while trotting around the counter to don his apron and wash his paws.

Sliding the customer's full flask over to them and bidding them farewell, Mike waited until the customer had left before turning to face the tan drake. “Did it go that bad, did it?”

“What?” Meegi asked while drying his front paws on a rag, his head cocked in confusion. With the drake sitting on his haunches behind the counter, there was thankfully still enough room to move around.

"Your weekend? Did it go badly or something?" Mike asked, before beginning to wipe down the coffee machine ahead of their next order.

"No, it went well!" Meegi said and scanned the counter for something to do. When he noticed the hopper above the coffee grinder was almost empty of beans, he stepped into the store room to collect a fresh bag. "Great even!" He called back over his shoulder before picking up the bag in his jaws.

Mike preemptively opened the bean hopper, as the drake approached and moved aside so Meegi could lift the full bag up and place it inside the hopper. Rearing onto his hind legs, Meegi dropped the bag into the hopper before he sliced the bottom of the bag. The sound of the beans cascading into the hopper filled the café and the drake lifted the bag as the beans filled the container. "We managed to get our assignment done. Reeva and I, I mean. Had some amazing food at her place and then yesterday was mostly stuff around the house. Why?"

"Didn't you have a Dragonball game or something?" Mike asked and chuckled as the young drake’s eyes widened.

"Oh yeah! That happened." He said before arching his neck and tugging on the bag a few times with his jaws to make sure they all drained out of the pack. "We won! It was a good game too. Reeva was there and it was her first game, I think she really enjoyed it." he said, out of the corner of his mouth as he lifted the empty bag out of the hopper and tossed it in the trash.

"Oh no, I know that feeling." Mike chuckled and placed the lid on the hopper again, but seeing the look of confusion on his face, he explained. "After every training session or even after you watch a game, you give me a blow-by-blow on everything Dragonball. But now it's all about a dragoness, eh?" Mike teased and saw the drake's snout darken.

"I mean…" Meegi said, as he tried to defend himself. "The game was good, I can tell you all about that if you want." He added with a sheepish smile, knowing full well that he had been caught. "But like, it was just a homework thing, nothing special."

Mike shook his head and laughed. "It's okay, I'm just yanking your tail." He said and tossed the drake a cloth to start wiping down the counter as they waited for their next customer. "It’s only normal at your age, just don't lose sight of your schooling, okay?"

"Well, see, that's the best bit!" Meegi said with a grin. "She is helping me with my schoolwork, so nothing can go wrong!" He added with a playful grin and an excited stamp of his hind paws while he dragged the cloth over the counter with a forepaw.

"You know what I mean." Mike said with a raised eyebrow. "But I'm happy for you. So, are you guys actually dating or something?" He asked, while stepping over Meegi's tail and beginning to wash cups in the sink.

Meegi's paw slowed as he rubbed the counter with a cloth, tilting his head from side to side. “No, we aren't, it's strictly a homework thing, I think… But she is pretty cool.” he mused quietly, seeing Mike looking over his shoulder with a knowing grin. The drake resumed scrubbing the counter of a coffee stain. “I mean, she is easy to hang out with, I can really be myself. Which isn't always the case with others.” he added, before curling his digits and using the back of a talon to dislodge a stubborn mark. “...And my god, she can cook.”

Mike's sudden laughter made Meegi jump before snapping his head around and smiling weakly. “Oh Meegi, don't change.” Mike laughed, his face becoming redder with merriment. “I mean, being able to cook is good. But don't be blinded by your stomach.”

“I'm not!” Meegi retorted, although he would be lying if he said that he hadn't spent most of Sunday searching for recipes, to work out what it was that Reeva had made. “It's just a bonus,” he added quickly.

“Uh-huh,” Mike said in an unconvinced tone. “Look, can I give you some advice?” He asked, but paused as the bell above the front entrance rang and a dragoness Meegi's age stepped in. The pair ceased their conversation and Mike watched on as Meegi's eyes widened slightly.

“Oh, hi!” Meegi said politely, trying to bury his uncertain feelings for Reeva. “Welcome to Claws on Coffee. What can I get you?” He asked the smiling dragoness.

“Oh, Hi Meegi, fancy seeing you here.” the red dragoness giggled, her long, bleached, ivory horns almost glowing under the café's lights. She held herself confidently, with her chest forward and neck curved into an elegant ‘S’ shape as she scanned the room to show off her graceful proportions. As she took a step forward, her red scales shimmered like rubies and when she adjusted her wings to sit tight against her body, the subtle movement emphasized the thin harness that she wore. While it included the school's colors, they must have been tailored to be so narrow and yet hold tight against her slender body. “I was looking for something hot.” she said and dipped her snout while holding his gaze. “Any ideas?”

Meegi's mouth suddenly became dry and his words failed him as he opened and closed his mouth. He found himself pinned to the spot, his eyes entranced by hers as she slowly approached the counter with a graceful sway of her body. Seeing the young drake frozen in place, Mike moved to the espresso machine and provided a gentle kick to Meegi's hind legs. With a jolt, Meegi focused on what she had said and nodded. “Um, well. We do coffee, and uh… hot chocolate if that's more your thing.” he said quickly with a weak smile.

Tiiphani elegantly lowered her head to peer into the display case full of cakes and pastries, making a not so subtle display of her smooth-scaled neck. “Ah, well. You have so many choices here, what do you like?” She asked and tilted her head to look up at him with a small smile, knowing full well that his heart was racing.

"The um... banana bread is... good," he said stiffly, trying to ignore the quiet snort of amusement from Mike, who was beginning to make a coffee for himself.

"Mmmm, I can't say no to a good banana... bread," she said softly, before lifting her head and holding his gaze. "And it looks so moist," she said, smiling as his jaw clenched. Between her figure, her words and the way she smiled, she knew she could get what she wanted from the young drake. "That will do me, I think." she said, when he nodded, gently placing her paw next to the payment machine. Strapped to her wrist in a holster that matched her harness design was her phone.

"That will be $6.90." Mike said, when Meegi stared down at her paw without saying a word, the young drake clearly stunned by her display. "You got that, Meegi?" he added, nodding to the register when the drake looked at him in confusion.

"Uh... um... yup! I've got this." he said, his snout burning. Tapping at the screen of the register, the payment machine beeped loudly as it took her money. Focusing on the task at hand, Meegi tried to smile politely and retrieved a long slice of banana bread from the cabinet, slipping it into a bag with shaky paws.

"Hey, so, Meegi," Tiiphani said, watching him work. "Do you have much on Friday night?" she asked, glancing briefly at the human behind the counter who was smiling while filling his cup. "My father has an empty spot in his box for a game. Would you like to come?" she asked, seeing the drake's eyes widen and jaw open slightly. "Daddy hasn't stopped talking about you since the game." she added, practically seeing the cogs turning in the tan drake's mind.

The drake's mind raced in a million different directions, thoughts of what that would mean if he said no and whether that would somehow ruin his chances for the future. But at the same time, he knew he needed the money from working and, with his boss next to him, he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. "I, um... I think I'm meant to be..." Meegi stammered, looking over towards Mike for help.

"This Friday? Oh, I was meaning to talk to you about that, Meegi." said Mike, giving a subtle nod. "I think I can manage the café by myself." he said, seeing the drake breathe a subtle sigh of relief, even though his tail was still stiff.

"Oh, thanks." Meegi said to Mike before turning his head to smile at Tiiphani. "I think I'm free, yeah. I would love to see the game."

"Awesome, I'll get a pass for you. It might be good for you to meet the team." she said, flicking her gaze from his eyes to the paper bag in his paw. Realizing his awkwardness, he quickly lifted it over the counter to her and was surprised when she lowered her snout and took it from him with her jaws. With a smile and a wink, she turned and walked towards the door with an exaggerated sway of her hips and the bag dangling from her mouth.

Mike waited until the café door had closed and the bell above it stopped ringing before he slurped loudly on his coffee. Leaning against the counter, he smiled broadly at the young drake who suddenly became busy cleaning the counter again. “Oh, come on,” he said with a chuckle. “Who was that!? That wasn't Reeva, was it?”

Meegi's cheeks and snout felt like they were on fire as he looked to Mike and then double-checked that Tiiphani was no longer out the front door. “Um, no… That's just a friend from school.” he said shortly, but could tell the human wasn't convinced with his answer. “Her name is Tiiphani. I think she has a thing for me.”

“Duh, you think?” Mike laughed. “She was practically throwing herself at you!”

“Oh… was she?” Meegi replied with a weak smile and laughed when the man rolled his eyes. “Okay, yeah, I know she has a thing for me,” he said with a bashful smile. “But I don't know if I like her.”

“Oh, woe is Meegi! Just all these dragonesses throwing themselves at him, what is a dude to do.” Mike teased and wiped down the espresso machine. “One that can cook, one that invites him out to games and to a private box at that!”

“Oh, shush, it's not like that.” Meegi chuckled. “She is nice enough, but I don't know. She can be a bit up herself sometimes.”

“But not enough to turn down tickets to the game?” Mike retorted and unhooked the portafilla from the large machine to point at the drake. “One mention of watching the game and your eyes went as wide as those saucers.” he said and gestured to the stacks of cups and saucers. “I hope you ain't just leading her on or using her.”

“I'm not!” Meegi exclaimed loudly, his tail flicking in annoyance at his remark. “I'm really not. It's just…” he said, before waving a paw to dismiss the man. “Never mind. It's complicated.”

“With dragonesses, it often always is.” Mike mused with a knowing nod. “So Reeva or Tiiphani, eh? How is a drake to choose-” his words were cut off and he laughed when Meegi's damp cloth flew into the side of his face. “Oh, come on! Humour me, spill a little tea, won't you? It's a café after all.”

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Meegi knew that Mike’s mate wouldn't be arriving for another few minutes to walk home with the man. “Fine.” Meegi said and sat on his haunches to rearrange the display case and fill any holes in the assortment of treats. “So, Tiiphani has been talking to me on and off for like… a year now. She is kinda… determined.” he said and saw the man's sides vibrate with stifled laughter. “I ain't going to keep going if you're going to laugh,” he said and smiled as the man mimed zipping his lips. “To be honest, though, she is kinda nice, and very pretty. But then I got paired up with Reeva last week, and she is pretty nice too.” he explained. “Reeva is fun to hang out with, kinda a bit awkward sometimes, but I really enjoyed hanging out with her.”

"Okay, but it sounds like you prefer hanging out with Reeva over Tiiphani." Mike said, before sipping his drink. "So why did you agree to go on a date with Tiiphani?"

"It's not really a date, is it? Like with her father there, it's going to be a bit of a weird date." Meegi asked, looking back towards the door for any sign of her when Mike buried his head in his hand.

"Yes, Meegi, that was her asking you out on a date. How many dragonesses invite you to watch a game in a private box?" Mike exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"No, no, it's not like that. Well, maybe." Meegi stammered. "Her father owns the Cresties team. We met after the game and he kinda took an interest in me." he explained, frowning when Mike’s expression changed. "So, I kinda wanted to go to make a good impression with him. I would kill to be on their team, so I need to go for these sorts of opportunities."

"Meegi, wait." Mike said, placing his coffee cup down on the counter. "Just because her father has your dream job... I mean, eugh... sorry." he said, looking at an old crystal dragon trinket that stood proudly on the top of the coffee machine. "Trust me, keep your love life and work life separate when it comes to things like this. Okay? Promise me this." he said firmly, turning to the young drake.

"But like... She isn't that bad, and I need to be in her father's good graces if there is any chance I could make the cut. So, it’s a bad look if I turn down an invitation to watch a game with him." he explained, trying to defend his actions, but seeing that Mike wasn't impressed. "I’m just saying, I've always dreamed of being on a team in the top leagues. This could be my way to get close."

"Look, you are a young drake who has their whole life ahead of you and I can't tell you what to do or not to do, okay?" Mike asked, waiting for Meegi to nod before continuing. "If hanging out with this Tiiphani 'ness is a good move for your career, then make it clear to her that it's just a friend's thing. Don't lead her on with a relationship if that's not what you want. I've heard you are a good flier and if the Cresties want you on their team, it won't matter who you are dating. Okay?" Mike said, noticing that although the drake nodded, he wasn't convinced. "Look, I don't know what's involved with owning a Dragonball team, other than a lot of money is getting thrown around. So, if you play well and keep your snout clean, I'm sure a team will pick you up. Get there on talent, not for being with the boss' daughter, okay?"

Meegi nodded and closed the display cabinet. “Yeah, I guess you are right. I'm still going to go to this game though. It would be rude not to.”

Mike shook his head and sighed. “You be you, champ. I'm just your boss, not your life coach.” He said with a smirk and laughed when Meegi chuckled. “See, I had it the opposite. I liked the ‘ness, but the father was the one I didn't like.”

Meegi raised an eyebrow and looked at the man, he had often been quite quiet about his past and it was rare to hear him open up. “Oh? What happened?” he asked and watched the man continue to clean the coffee machine while looking distant.

“Absolute hell.” Mike said and looked up as the door to the cafe opened with another ring of the bell. “But it got a lot better.” He added with a smile to the lavender colored dragoness who strode in. Her wingless body was covered in dense fur, over which she wore a tidy black leather harness, which served as a perfect bed for the young wyrmling that lay sprawled asleep over her shoulders.

“I take it your folks have gone home.” Meegi said while lowering his voice to a low whisper as Liiria approached the counter. The small, winged dragon’s head dangled low over its mother's neck, with the tip of its tongue lolling out of its mouth while it slept. Its big eyes scrunched closed and paws tucked under its mother's harness straps to keep from falling.

"Yup, they flew home this morning. It was nice of them to take care of the little one, but now it's back to the routine." remarked Liiria, while turning her head to check on their hatchling. Hearing its mother's voice, the small dragon stirred slightly, but only to close its mouth and nuzzle its head into her thick fur to continue sleeping. "You all finished, Mike?"

With a nod, the man quickly washed his hands, before slipping his apron off over his head and hung it on a hook. "Alright, the shop is yours, Meegi. Also, we have more pumpkin pasties coming in tomorrow morning, so if you can get rid of the old ones before then, that would be good." he said in a low voice to not disturb his child. "And think about what I told you, okay?" He added with a stern look to the young drake.

Touching down on her hind legs before dropping to all fours, Reeva quickly folded her wings and trotted out of the landing area outside the café Meegi worked at. Taking a deep breath of the stale city air, she composed herself and approached the front door. As she went to press her snout against the door to open it, she saw figures approaching and quickly stepped aside. As it opened and a familiar man and purple dragoness stepped out, Reeva's gaze snapped to the small dragon on the dragoness’ back and felt her heart melt as the little wyrmling was carried while it slept. With a fuzzy mane of purple fur, it was no doubt that the little dragon was related to the dragoness, however its leathery wings that dangled limply down its Liiria's side made Reeva wonder who the father might be.

With a small nod and polite smile, she greeted the man and dragoness before pushing the door back open and stepping inside. Her smile broadened as she saw Meegi behind the counter with his orange apron around his neck; his smile matched hers as he recognized her. “Oh my god, how cute!” She exclaimed and stamped her feet before turning back to press her snout to the glass and watch the couple begin to walk down the sidewalk.

“Only when asleep.” Meegi laughed and sat down on his haunches behind the counter while watching his friend try and steal another glance at the wyrmling. “I took care of their little nipper for a couple of hours once, but damn… nothing is safe from those jaws.”

“Wait, so it's theirs!?” Reeva asked and her frill flicked up in surprise. She had seen many mixed-race couples but, due to genetics, no offspring could come of their relationships.

“Yup, and no idea.” Meegi replied with a knowing smirk. “I've tried asking Mike how, or who the father is, but he just keeps changing the subject.”

“They are still so cute though!” Reeva squealed and used a paw to open the door just enough to poke her head through and watch the couple disappear around the corner of the building.

“What can I get you?” He asked with a polite smile, as she closed the door but continued to look through the glass in case they came back.

It took Reeva longer than she would admit to realize he was talking to her, but she quickly snapped her head around. "Oh, oh! Yes, sorry. Um…" her words drifted off while looking at the menu boards hanging from the ceiling. "I wasn't really… actually, a milkshake like before?" She stammered and felt her frill perk up involuntarily. She had rehearsed on the flight over how she would try to saunter into the cafe all cool like, but now felt her snout burn in embarrassment. "But, actually, I was wondering if I could run a part of the assignment past you." she said quickly, her nerves causing her words to mix together.

Meegi's smile faded slightly, as he realized the reason for her visit was simply school related and cocked his head, "Really, I thought we had everything." he said before padding his way over towards the small fridge nestled under the counter and began pulling out ingredients. "What did we forget?"

"Um, well…" Reeva said, trying to remember why exactly she had come to the cafe. "I think we kinda focused on humans riding winged dragons, but not so much on wingless, or aquatic." she explained, while watching him work.

"I thought we were mostly focusing on the western cultures." Meegi replied before turning on the blender to begin mixing the milkshake, the sudden and obnoxiously loud noise ruining all chances to speak until he finally finished. "But, no. You are right." he added once he had thought about her remark and hoped that this was a chance to continue his assignment with her. "Western culture doesn't mean just our culture, we have Europe to think about too."

Reeva nodded cheerfully. "That's it! I think we need to be a bit more broad." she said and nodded towards the stack of cushions in the corner. "Can we work on it a little more?"

"Of course, yes, please! Take a seat," he said quickly. "Are you hungry? I have some pasties that need to be eaten, if you want."

"Well aren't you a gentle-drake? Thanks!" She exclaimed and began pulling out her books from the many pouches attached to her harness.

"Eh, don't thank me yet." Meegi said while carrying one milkshake over in a paw and setting it down on the low table next to her cushion. "I doubt they can compete with your cooking."

Reeva was grateful that he had turned back to the counter as her frill lay flat as she felt like she had somehow deceived him by cooking the meal her mother had helped prepare. "I'm sure they will be great." she said cheerfully. "Are you sore from the game?" She asked, before taking a sip of her milkshake.

"Eh, a little." he called back over his shoulder while fishing out a collection of pastries from the display case. "But not too bad. I spent most of Sunday resting and stretching." he added, as he carried a large plate of pastries towards her. "Hey, um. Your folks are all cool with you being here, right?" he asked, watching as her frill flattened in embarrassment.

"Oh, um… yeah, I should probably tell them." she said, beginning to tap away at her phone. "Dad got a serving after last time, so I doubt they will mind." she explained, smiling when her phone made a swoop sound, confirming the message had been sent. "Done, no interruptions now." she said with a smile, waiting for him to return to her with his own milkshake in paw.

"So, western dragons, not just winged dragons." Meegi said, while laying down on the cushion adjacent to the dragoness. Slipping a paw under his apron, he rummaged around in a pouch while poking his tongue out in concentration before pulling his notepad out. "Gotcha!" he announced, catching himself grinning as she giggled at his antics. "So, what should we add?"

Meegi didn't bother to turn on the light as he stepped into his home. Even though it was dark outside, he could navigate his home with his eyes closed. Pressing the sliding door closed with his tail, he heard the lock latch and trotted towards his bedroom. His claws clicking against the timber floors and the merry tune he hummed were the only sounds in the silent building. With his mother working yet another evening shift, he had to take care of himself.

After sharing the pumpkin pasties with Reeva, he skipped dinner and closed his bedroom door with a gentle flick of his tail. The comforting scents of his bedroom made him relax and he closed his eyes to try and use a claw to unbuckle his school harness. While fidgeting with the troublesome clasp, he reached out with his magic to turn on a cheap wireless speaker that sat beside the collection of old, large pillows he called a bed. With his eyes closed, he could sense the inanimate speaker, its outline hazy against the ground as he fumbled with it with invisible tendrils of magic. Scrunching his eyes closed tighter, he tried to focus on it while also undoing his harness. Multitasking and performing under pressure required the greatest skills, yet he was determined to develop the gifts he had, even if it meant he could never share his secret with anyone but his mother. He knew that despite it being researched greatly, there were still many superstitions hovering around his gifts and, if found out, playing Dragonball competitively would be difficult.

As he fumbled for the play button on his speaker, he managed to unlatch his harness and smiled when music began streaming from his phone. “Let's go.” he muttered to himself, before finding his feet unsteady under him as he released his grasp on his magic. Letting his harness fall to the ground, he flicked it with a paw close to his makeshift bed and began to stretch his back. Holding his breath, he kept his hind legs planted and walked forwards with just his front paws to roll his hips and felt the tension slowly ease in his back. Then as the song changed, he kept his front paws anchored to the ground. He leaned back and felt the muscles in his forelegs burn before yawning and bounding into his nest of pillows.

The faint moonlight streamed through his window as he made himself comfortable, with his tail curled around his body. He reached forward and pulled his harness closer. It was still too early to go to sleep, but he knew he had to work on his assignments. His lips twitched in a faint smile as he thought back to the café and how much he had enjoyed spending time with Reeva again, her smile and laugh making his heart soar. Leaning to his side, he stretched out a wing towards a small pedestal lamp and tapped the button at the base, causing a warm yellow glow to illuminate his room.

Hanging on his wall was a collection of photos, but while Reeva's were mostly of her and her loving family, his were either him standing alone next to local attractions his mother had taken him to or posters of Dragonball players. His eyes flicked to one of his most prized possessions, a large red flag with the emblem of the Coastal Cresties Dragonball team embroidered in gold sequins. He didn't care that it wasn't official merchandise, as it meant so much more to him. He could still remember the day his mother had taken him to his first game. While their assigned seats were less than ideal, there was no better place for the wyrmling than perched atop his mother's shoulders with the homemade flag draped over them both and eyes filled with wonder as he watched his heroes race through the air. Even back then, he knew that he wanted nothing more than to play on the top teams and the Cresties were the best.

Pulling a thick pen out of a pouch in his harness, he then began flipping through his notebook to where he had brainstormed revisions to their presentation. Humming along to the music that played from his speaker, he began thinking of ways that he could incorporate their new ideas with his existing presentation without rewriting it all. Deep in his mind, he knew that he had a decision to make as he remembered his boss' warning. Glancing back up at the flag, he felt giddy at the idea of being in one of the VIP boxes and brushing wings with the owner of his dream team. But at the same time, he knew that he would have to stay as just friends with Reeva if he were to pursue anything with Tiiphani. Taking a deep breath, he sighed at his boss' joke. “Woe is me, indeed.” he muttered before putting pen to paper. “One problem at a time.” he added as he began to make corrections.