“How do I look?" Meegi asked, while adjusting the straps on the burgundy red leather harness he wore. It seemed that no matter how much he adjusted the straps, he couldn't get it to sit right across his shoulders. Turning his body from side to side, he looked in the tall mirror and tried to make sure he hadn't missed any price tags and that all the buckles were even.

His mother watched from the doorway with a warm smile on her snout as her one and only son fussed over the troublesome straps. “You look great," she said, but her voice carried a hint of hesitation, something that was not missed by the tan drake who tilted his head. “I'm just not sure if red is your color," she explained and saw his jaw clench, “What about that light blue one I got you last year? That looks better on you."

Meegi shook his head and lifted his folded wings to inspect himself further in the mirror. “It was Tiiphani's decision; it matches her scales," he explained and, once satisfied that the harness wasn't going to slip, turned his attention to his horns. He had spent hours poring over videos on how to polish his horns with products around the house. Fortunately, the advice and products from the drakes next door had proven invaluable, as now his white horns were free of blemishes and the tips were filed into sharp points. Opening his jaws, he tilted his head at various angles while smiling to make sure nothing from his early dinner was caught in his teeth, before closing his mouth and smiling sheepishly at his mother's reflection. “Is the red really that bad?"

Shaking her head, the dragoness stepped into his bedroom so she could see his reflection along with hers. “No, you look dashing, regardless of what you wear," she said warmly. Lifting a wing, she draped it over her son and pulled him into an embrace. His wings felt soft and supple under hers and she smiled, knowing that he had likely used some of her wing moisturizer during the hour-long shower he had taken that nigh; not that she minded. Holding him close and looking at him in the mirror, she was glad that his scales were closer to her earthy brown than the vibrant green of his father's.

“Thanks, Mom," Meegi said and leaned into his mother's embrace. Despite being as large as her, he wasn't against enjoying the moment and when he didn't smell the scents of stale alcohol, he felt even better.

Her eyes became moist, but she held her son tight to savor the moment before blinking quickly and giving him a smile in the mirror. With a lift of her wing, she let go of him and took a step so she was between him and the mirror. Sitting down on the old carpet, she looked him in the eyes. “Now, real talk-" she chuckled when Meegi sighed and rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. But this is important," she added and waited for him to look at her with a small smirk. “I know this is your prom night; it's a big moment for you. You have a beautiful 'ness, there will be music and dancing, and there is probably going to be alcohol-"

Meegi shook his head. “It's at the school; they aren't going to be serving alcohol," he explained and saw his mother's smile broaden.

“And I was your age once too. So I know that there is probably going to be alcohol, okay?" she said and moved her head so she could look him in the eyes as he averted his gaze. “I want you to have fun, enjoy yourself. But keep your snout clean, okay?"

“Okay."

“Good boy, those scholarships you've applied for aren't going to want you if you get done for indecency or hurting yourself drunk flying. You hear me?"

“Yes, Mom," Meegi replied in a monotone voice, but smirked as his mother glared at him with a matching small smile.

“And please, this is important, for all things holy, please, promise me that you won't—"

“Get a 'ness pregnant," Meegi said in unison with his mother. “I know, I won't. She isn't due for months and we aren't doing that till we are eighteen, at least!"

“And I should think so too. But even still, I don't want any grand eggs to take care of yet and you have your whole life ahead of you," she said and stepped towards him to press her neck against his, “Not that you haven't been a brilliant egg, I just want you to make better choices than I made, okay?"

“I know," Meegi said warmly and leaned into his mother. He was well aware that he was the result of a lapse of judgment from his mother, but she never held that against him and loved him all the same. As he looked at himself with his mother, he felt a question digging at the edges of his mind and had to ask. “Hey, mom?"

“Mmm?"

“Do you still talk to your old classmates?" Meegi asked and frowned when he saw a flicker of nostalgia and a playful smirk pull at his mother's snout.

“First of all, what do you mean by 'old', young drake?" she teased but pulled him in closer to show she meant no malice. After thinking for a moment she shook her head. “Not really, we tried to meet up once a year or so, but then we kinda just… didn't," she mused and thought back to the last gathering she had been invited too, heavy with her egg and no drake to support her, she had made an excuse about traveling for work to make herself feel better. “Why's that?"

Meegi shrugged, but deep down he had a knot in his stomach at how he had seen Miikalah and Tiiphani act lately. Before he had started spending time with Tiiphani, he had thought that the pair were close, but now the larger dragoness had been excluded from a few meet ups by the red dragoness and he was starting to worry this was the end of their friendship. “Oh, I was just wondering. I think It will feel weird not seeing them all every week."

“Well, before you went to that school, you didn't know them at all," his mother mused and knew she had confused her son more than helped. “What I mean is, friends come and go. As you grow up, you will make new ones. Once you get into college, I'm sure you will find more people to hang out with," she said, before a playful smirk pulled at her lips and she held him tighter. “But don't worry, I ain't going anywhere!" she giggled, as Meegi snorted in a mixture of embarrassment and laughter, “Also, what are you on about, not seeing your classmates? You've got Tiiphani!"

Meegi grunted in acknowledgement, “Well, that's true." But even as he said the words he couldn't shake the dark thoughts clouding his mind. The beautiful dragoness was clearly invested in him, but he found himself wondering why. She could have anything she wanted, and despite Riikal's words of wisdom saying that she wanted to be with a Dragonball player to impress her father, he didn't believe it. She would be rubbing wings with the whole team regularly, so it made little sense to Meegi that his athleticism would be the reason and, despite the warning from Miikalah, he failed to see what the dragoness' angle could be. “What do you think about her?" He asked and pulled away from his mother when she retracted her wing and turned her head to look at him. 

“Meegi," she said warmly while looking deep into his eyes. “She is a fine young dragoness. But…" she added and hesitated when Meegi looked away. “If she isn't for you, then she isn't for you. But for the sake of all things holy; don't you dare break up with her on prom night! You hear me?"

“I wasn't thinking of breaking up with her!" Meegi retorted with a nervous chuckle. “I just wanted to know what your read on her was," he explained and was relieved when his mother pulled him back into a hug. 

“Well… aren't you a wise drake," she mused and was filled with pride that her son not only felt comfortable enough that he would come to her, but also that he wanted her advice. “She is alright. A bit stuck up, but everyone at that school of yours kinda is," she added softly, “I'm glad that you didn't turn into one of them." The pair enjoyed the moment for a bit longer, before she pulled back away and took a step back to look him up and down again. “But try to have fun, okay? You only get to do this once and I'm super proud of you."

“Thanks, Mom," Meegi said and tugged at a strap that seemed to be beginning to ride up his shoulder, “I should get going. I'm meeting Tiiph at her place before going to the event."

With a gentle paw, she reached and adjusted the troublesome strap before giving him a playful grin. “Oh, you aren't going anywhere until I get a picture of you, young drake," she teased.

The sound of dance music was muffled from outside the school grounds, but that didn't stop Kaarif from walking with a spring in his step alongside Reeva. As the pair passed through the school's gates, they could see beams of multicolored lights shining and waving up into the night sky, with some of their classmates already weaving through them in aerial dances.

"I told you we would be late," Reeva protested. Even in the dim light, the ornate gold stitching on her new slender harness seemed to shimmer and accentuate her lithe figure.

Kaarif chuckled and shook his head. "Late? Nah, we are right on time! We just missed all the boring speeches and awkward small talk," he explained and bobbed his head to the rhythm of the bass. "Now is prime Kaarif time," he added, ignoring the snort of amusement from Reeva. As they approached the main building, he looked up to the roof where their prom was being hosted and glanced at Reeva. "Want to meet me up there?"

It would only take a few beats of her wings to climb to the roof, but she shook her head. "I'll take the stairs with you," she said. Despite Kaarif's reassurances, she didn't want to be seen arriving alone.

When the pair approached the glass doors of the main school building, Kaarif skipped ahead and opened the door for her. Despite her smirk, he gave a gracious bow for her to enter. "After you, babe," he added as she stepped inside.

She knew he was joking, but that did little to stop her frill from perking up at his chivalrous gesture. Her claws clicked and the sound echoed off the polished concrete floors and empty halls. The deep thudding of bass could be heard resonating through the building, but otherwise the hallways were devoid of the chaos she was used to. "It feels weird, doesn't it? Coming here after hours?"

Kaarif's frill fluttered in his version of a shrug while he trotted beside her, "I guess. I'm glad it's almost over though." With their final exams and assessments done, there were only two more weeks of classes, which were more of a formality than actual lessons.

"Me too," Reeva mused. A small smile crept across her snout as they passed one of the administration offices. She remembered the first day she had met Kaarif; she had been sent to the office during class and panicked, thinking she had done something wrong.  When she entered however, the principal introduced her to the wingless drake. Once introduced, the principal had asked her to show Kaarif around the school and at first she had agreed because the principal had asked, but after getting to know one another they had become good friends. Her stomach tightened at the idea of drifting away from Kaarif after finishing school, when the next chapter of their lives took them on different paths, but she tried to bury the feeling and looked down at the smaller dragon. "Heard back from any colleges yet?"

Shaking his head, Kaarif looked up at her, "Nah, you?" When she shook her head too, he simply smiled, "Eh, any day now, I reckon. Although, I've been trying to get father to let me have a gap year, take a break, and then work it all out."

Reeva's lip twitched, but she tried to keep a straight face, “A gap year? Take a break? From what?"

“Oh my god—"

“I'm kidding!" Reeva laughed and nudged him with a wing, as they approached the building's large staircase.

“Some friend you are!" Kaarif retorted with a grin. “Not all of us are as uptight as you are," he added and began to climb the stairs with her. Each flight was wide enough to accommodate multiple dragons walking side by side and thankfully the treads were deep enough for their larger paws.

“I'm not uptight, I just want to do something... anything," Reeva mused, “So what will you do on a gap year, if your folks let you?"

Sarcasm dripped from his words as he nudged her. “Oh, you know, find myself," he said with a grin, “Nah, I want to see the world a little bit. Go to Vegas, get a frill tattoo…"

“You wouldn't!" Reeva exclaimed and pulled Kaarif aside with a wing while a group of humans came down the stairs with empty platters in hand.

“I might," Kaarif retorted as they began to scale the stairs again. “I'm thinking of getting flames around my face," he joked and smiled broadly at Reeva so she knew he wasn't serious, “Nah, but I do want to check out Vegas. I went there when I was younger, but I couldn't do anything fun."

Reeva nodded in understanding. After spending almost two weeks with Kaarif in London on a family vacation, she knew that seeing the world would definitely be something the drake would love to do. “I'm not sure if Vegas is ready for you," she said and had to raise her voice over the music as they approached the door to the roof of the building.

Kaarif grinned in reply and leapt forward to press his two front paws against the crash bar to open the door. The music was loud but not deafening, as the speakers were angled upwards to project music upwards for the dragons dancing in the sky.

The large rooftop had been decorated with string lights that hung high enough not to be in the way, but still cast a warm yellow glow over half of the rooftop to still allow room for dragons to land on the other half. Dragons could be seen at the far end of the rooftop, either launching into the sky for dancing or coming back in, to land and take a break at the long bar that had been erected. A crew of well-dressed humans worked quickly to take orders of mocktails and other appropriate drinks from the dragons while others flitted around the graduating students with platters of smoked meats and other hors d'oeuvres.

“Come on, let me buy you a drink!" Kaarif said with a cheeky grin and trotted happily past a scattering of low cushions and the occasional party game that the organizers had set up for the students.

Smiling, Reeva followed his lead towards the bar and found her tail swaying to the beat of the music. Looking up, past the strings of lights, she could see her classmates soaring above. The powerful spotlights roamed the flock and occasionally tracked a couple pirouetting through the sky, before moving to others who were trying to fly less noticed and, through the power of peer pressure, encourage them to join in.

Meegi spun in an elegant roll while holding Tiiphani's paws, before they let go and flew wingtip to wingtip. With a nod from her, he effortlessly flapped one wing and rolled over her back while tracing his other wing across her back. Like silk, his delicate membranes slipped across her scales and their smiles broadened as he executed the move with unparalleled grace. With a twist of his tail and a quick angle of his wings righted himself to begin a tight spiral upwards with his partner, the laws of gravity seemed to have no hold on the tan drake as he rolled, spun and pitched while he timed his wing beats with the music.

Circling and spinning past their classmates, their wings beat to the rhythm of the music, sending them soaring past other members of the class. “Slow down, you're doing it too fast!" Tiiphani commanded through her gritted teeth. Despite the smile on her snout, she shot Meegi a stern look.

Leading up to prom, Tiiphani had insisted that they attend dance classes to ensure that Meegi wouldn't 'embarrass her in front of the class'. However, to her dismay and his secret amusement, his mother's training had paid off and Meegi was able to keep pace with the instructor. After their first lesson, Meegi had been asked if he wanted to move to a more advanced class but refused to continue with Tiiphani, something she had insisted was because the instructor favored him and not his skill.

Not wanting to embarrass her more, he deliberately missed a beat and began moving off rhythm so that he would match her moves instead. They twisted and turned, beams of light from the spotlights illuminating them, and he found himself forgetting his frustration with her clunky maneuvers and instead admired her beautiful physique. It was clear that she had spent countless hours and probably thousands of dollars getting herself ready for the evening. Her already pristine red scales had been covered in a clear lacquer with hidden flakes of crimson throughout, resulting in her appearance shimmering when near the lights and a deep gloss.

She wore no harness, but instead opted for an elegant gold chain necklace complete with a red ruby against her breastbone. As they dove and spun, he mused that the links of the necklace must have been fused to hold their shape as the jewelry didn't seem to move as she did. He wasn't going to complain though; without her harness or phone to distract his eye, she appeared wild and free. As one of the powerful spotlights locked onto them, he saw her eyes widen and he quickly swooped in closer to hold her outstretched paws. As the music built to a faster rhythm, Tiiphani folded her wings and let Meegi fly for both of them. His muscles strained and his breathing became labored, but as she curled her tail around his, he held her close and pulled backward to flip them over and dive towards the rooftop. Curling his neck to match hers, he held his nose just an inch from hers while angling his wings into a rapid spin. Despite the world swirling around them, his gaze was locked on her amber eyes while they plummeted downwards. Centrifugal forces pulled at them, but Meegi still held her close as the beat of the music increased further ahead of a drop.

"Meegi…" Tiiphani said sternly, relaxing her grip on him and looking ahead at the oncoming rooftop. Her heart pounded in her chest and her eyes were little more than slits as she looked down at the bright lights shining up at them.

Meegi smiled and, as the bass dropped in the song, he let go of her and pulled back sharply with his wings. She tried to mirror the move; however, her wings strained to arrest her momentum and by the time she had pulled up into a vertical climb, Meegi was already several feet ahead of her.

With the spotlights still focused on them, Meegi adjusted his wings to slow his rate of climb. Once she was level with him, he smiled as she pulled him into an embrace. “Show off," she teased with a smile of her own, pressing her lips to his. With her tail curled around his once more, they continued until their speed slowed and they stalled. Releasing one another, they beat their wings as the next song changed and began a slow descent back towards the rooftop to catch their breaths.

Tiiphani's paws were unsteady as they landed; exhaustion from dancing had clearly taken a toll, but Meegi was quick to fold his wings around her and help keep her from falling to the ground.

“You guys looked so good together!" exclaimed Riikal, the large, burly drake standing with the rest of the Dragonball team between the landing area and the bar. With a wave of his wing, he gestured for the pair to join them and Meegi smiled proudly. “Who knew the claimer could dance?!" added Miikalah with a hint of envy.

Meegi shared a glance with Tiiphani and caught the subtle widening of her eyes. “Oh, well… Tiiphani is a great teacher," he lied, but was rewarded with a soft nuzzle from Tiiphani.

“Well, it sure paid off. You two looked amazing up there," Riikal remarked while swaying his hips to the beat. “Could you teach me sometime, Tiiph?" he asked playfully, despite the glare she gave him.

Meegi chuckled and looked at Tiiphani as if he supported the idea, only to pout dramatically as she extracted herself from under his wing with a loud scoff.

“How about you be a good drake and get your 'ness a drink?" Tiiphani ordered, batting her eyelids at the tan drake. “Just lemonade and ice," she added and looked at the rest of the team. “I'm sure someone brought vodka, right?" she asked and was rewarded by a chuckle from the group.

Riikal grinned and patted the clear pouch of liquid that hung around his neck on a flimsy nylon cord, “yeah, if they 'accidentally' split, they reseal them," he explained with a wink and followed by sipping from his straw.

Meegi tried not to let his emotions show as he nodded and trotted past the team to fetch them drinks. After exerting himself in the sky, he held his wings partially raised to help cool his body but swayed them to the beat of the and approached the bar. With the string lights above, the atmosphere was cozy and warm, even though the night air still brought a refreshing chill. Not that he was complaining as he felt himself cooling down and waved a wing to get the barkeeper's attention . “Two lemonades, please. Thanks," he said and one of the barkeeps squeezed behind his colleague to get new pouches. He watched as the staff worked quickly and efficiently, each order of a mocktail was made in a polished stainless shaker, as if it was the real deal, before being poured into a clear plastic pouch and the opening pressed into a machine that sealed it tight. With a nylon cord tied to two corners of the pouch, it allowed the dragons to walk and dance without the need to hold their drink in the paws. 

His head moved to the rhythm of the music and he softly sang along under his breath. His words failed him however, when he spotted Reeva at the far end of the bar. The sky-blue dragoness looked stunning with her glossy scales, black harness with gold trim and her crimson frill that laid flat against her neck. She was in mid-conversation with Kaarif while drinking from a pouch, but when her eyes glanced in Meegi's direction, her frill lifted slightly and she smiled warmly.

With a quick glance at the bartenders, who were still busy with his orders, he slinked away from where he was waiting and approached the dragoness. As he came closer, Kaarif said something Meegi couldn't hear and left her side to party elsewhere. “Reeva. Hey! How's things?" Meegi said and immediately hated himself for sounding so casual. “I mean, you look—you look amazing!" he added and felt his confidence waver slightly as he overcorrected.

Reeva's frill raised further as the drake flustered nervously in front of her. “Thank you, Meegi, that means a lot," she said and held his gaze. “You are looking pretty good yourself," she added and lifted her pouch with a paw to finish her drink.

Seeing the last of the liquid disappear up the straw and the pouch become empty, Meegi was worried she would leave and quickly tried to continue the conversation. “So that's pretty much it, is it? School, I mean, we are almost free," he said and was glad that she didn't leave after she placed the empty pouch on the bar to be collected.

“It feels weird, doesn't it?" Reeva asked. She could have raised her voice, but instead took the opportunity to lean closer to him.

“Any idea what you are going to do?" Meegi asked and glanced towards the barkeep who was finishing the drinks for Tiiphani and himself.

“No idea. What about you?" Reeva asked when he looked back at her. “What is the next big adventure for Meegi?"

Meegi forced a smile and shrugged. Tiiphani's parents had asked him the same question and at the time he had simply turned the question around into pretending to ask for Haanith's guidance. The drake was more than happy to explain what he would do in Meegi's situation, but now, as he became lost in Reeva's warm, understanding eyes, he felt no need to lie to her or deflect the question. “I really don't know. I have a few scholarships in the works, but if they fall through, I don't know what I'll do," he explained with a hint of vulnerability in his voice.

She gave him a warm smile and a nod of understanding, before gently pressing a paw pad against her empty drink pouch to play with the air bubble inside. “And I thought school was meant to get us ready for the real world," she mused just loud enough for him to hear. Looking up from her empty drink pouch with a coy smile, she held his gaze and together they broke out into laughter.

The rest of the prom seemed to fade away from Meegi's mind as they laughed. After he composed himself, he gently nudged her with a wing, “Hey, I wanted to thank you for all the help on that assignment. It was the best grade I got."

Reeva shrugged her wings and focused back on her glass. “You did half the work, remember," she said and nudged him back with her own wing. “So thank you too—"

“Two lemonades," interrupted the barkeeper, placing the two plump pouches of clear fizzy liquid with straws between the pair, before collecting Reeva's empty one.

Reeva's neck coiled back slightly, as she realized the man had placed the two pouches between her and Meegi, the positioning suggesting that they were for the two of them. She knew that she hadn't ordered the drink and her heart skipped a beat at the idea of Meegi ordering for her. However, as she saw Meegi with his jaw tense and eyes flicking between the pouches, she knew that there had been a mistake. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to explain what had just happened but, when his words failed him, Reeva pushed through the pain and gestured to her pouch, “This isn't for me, is it?"

“That's mine!" announced Tiiphani as she crashed into Meegi with a broad hug of her wings. “Oh! You forgot the ice. Ah well, next time," she said and reached past Meegi to snatch the pouch of lemonade away from Reeva. “Mmmm, it will do," she added after taking a quick sip from the straw and nuzzled her snout under Meegi's.

Reeva's breath hitched at the display and she tucked her wings close to her sides defensively. Up close, it was clear that the sparkle in Tiiphani's scales was a facade, but it did little to quell the feeling of inadequacy that washed through Reeva like a tidal wave. Her eyes flicked to the burgundy harness that Meegi wore. Its color almost matched hers and gave him the appearance of him being tangled in crimson tendrils, of a demonic creature.

“What were you two talking about?" Tiiphani asked, her amber eyes flicking to Reeva while nibbling his jawline. “Something secret?" she added with a subtle, stern edge to her voice and retracted her head to stare at Meegi.

The tan drake's voice was polite but missing any warmth as he looked her in the eyes. “Just talking about school being over—"

“Oh, I really don't care," Tiiphani giggled as if she meant nothing by her question. “Come on, Meegi, you gotta be with winners to win. Come!" she added quickly and coiled her tail around his before walking away.

Reeva thought that she had seen a flicker of anger in his eyes and she had hoped he would resist Tiiphani. She wished he would tell the crimson 'ness to get lost, see her for what she was and choose her instead. But when he quickly snatched his drink pouch from the bar and let himself be dragged away by Tiiphani without another word, her heart shattered once again and her chest tightened to the point that she felt faint.

Kaarif's frill drooped against his neck as he saw the exchange and his lip twitched in sympathy for his friend. He plucked the last hors d'oeuvre from a passing silver platter with a paw and walked towards Reeva as she turned from the bar to approach him. He could tell that she was on the verge of tears and, once she was close enough, he offered her the tasty pastry. “I know, just eat it," he said, as she went to dismiss his offer.

With a sigh, Reeva looked over her shoulder to see Meegi with his back to her, talking with the rest of his team and Tiiphani. “Fine," she said in defeat as Kaarif wiggled the flaky pastry between his talons. Taking the treat from him, she placed it in her maw and bit down, but the melting delicacy did nothing to help. “This isn't for me," she said with her mouth full;though not elegant, she didn't care anymore. “I thought I was over him, but…" she added and swallowed, before looking past Kaarif at the inky blackness of the night sky.

Leaning back on his haunches, he placed a reassuring paw on his friend's shoulder to get her attention and gave her a sympathetic look. “Want to dip?" he asked and nodded his head back towards the party. “This is kinda lame anyway," he added, although both of them knew that he was torn between staying and leaving.

“You stay, I need to fly and clear my head," Reeva said, but could tell that he was unconvinced. “I'll be back in a bit," she lied, her eyes flicking to the phone on his wrist, intending to send him a message once home.

Kaarif nodded in understanding and withdrew his paw. “Alright. You take care of yourself," he said and gave a subtle nod towards the edge of the rooftop behind him. “I'll catch you later," he added, knowing she that likely wouldn't return.

Reeva gave him a weak smile and walked past him. Stepping off of the rooftop, she dropped for a floor before she spread her wings and, with a series of rapid flaps, disappeared into the night.

Taking a deep breath of the cool night air, Kaarif reminded himself to check in with her in a few hours and turned back to the party. His frill fluttered and he moved with a skip in his step once more as a familiar song began playing through the speakers. He caught a glimpse of some of the Dragonball team watching him, but he pushed their judgment aside and began to move to the beat.

As the music shifted to a chorus, he began to lift his paws further and flicked his tail to the clash of the cymbals. It was a well-known song and he began to sing along to the lyrics while dancing all by himself, but he didn't mind. His heart began to beat faster as he alternated lifting opposite paws, only to place them down again as if he was running on the spot, but with a subtle shift of his toes, he began to turn in a tight circle. While he would never be able to compete with the moves of his winged classmates in the air, the smooth polished floor of the temporary dance floor became his canvas.

Bouncing his head and tail to the beat, he noticed that some dragons were watching and others were beginning to join in, electing to rest their tired wings and dance on the rooftop instead. With a sway of his hips, he backed up and flinched as he felt his rump knock into another dragon, but when he whipped his head around to apologize, his frill pinned itself against his neck. Towering above him, stood Miikalah with a smile that revealed their sharp ivory teeth.

She looked down at the wingless drake and tilted her head to try to appear less intimidating. “Pretty smooth moves, can you show me how to do that turning on the spot one?" she asked, and her smile broadened as the drake's purple frill suddenly flicked out in surprise.

Kaarif could feel his snout burning and his frill straining as he tried to think of something to say. He opened his mouth and closed it again, before giving her a sheepish smile and a nod. His heart hammered in his chest as the larger 'ness stepped beside him and lowered a wing around him. With a subtle twitch of her wing, she encouraged him to walk beside her to the middle of the dance floor.

Lifting her wing off of him, she turned to face him and lowered her head to his height. “I'm not very good, so take it slow," she said just loud enough for only him to hear over the music.

Kaarif nodded and held a pose. “Okay, start like this," he instructed and, when she tried to match his pose, he reached out with a paw to adjust the position of one of hers. “And now you want to move it to here, but roll your shoulders like you are walking forwards," he instructed and gave an example.

Miikalah snorted in amusement as she tried to match his movements but stumbled clumsily. “Don't worry, I'll get this," she said and returned back to the first pose. It took her a few attempts and a few guiding touches by Kaarif but, before she knew it, she had managed to do a passable imitation of his stationary walk.

“There you go!" encouraged Kaarif as the song changed to one that would suit the move she had just learned. “Oh! Let's do it together!" he added and stepped closer beside her. As the classic pop song belted out into the sky, the two of them began to move together in a somewhat clunky rhythm. Alternating between different moves, their size difference was not missed by either of them, but neither they didn't care. Both giggled as the heavy-pawed, Clydesdale-sized dragoness tried to match the pony-sized aquatic drake's moves.

As the music shifted to a lull, Kaarif stepped closer and rocked in time with the beat as it slowly built back up again. “I forgot to thank you for the phone. You didn't have to," Kaarif said as he smiled up at the blue dragoness.

A flash of guilt swept through Miikalah's expression as she glanced towards the rest of the Dragonball team who seemed distracted by something Tiiphani was saying. “It was the least I could do," she said, lowering her voice, “I'm still sorry she did that to you; that wasn't right."

Kaarif's tail flicked from side to side and he smiled in thanks. “I probably shouldn't have done a whole presentation about how terrible her family is," he said, his grin broadening as she snorted with a deep laugh.

“Oh Kaarif, you have no idea," she chuckled, turning so her back was to the Dragonball team. “You should have heard her complaining about you to Meegi and me afterwards. You really struck a nerve," she added, noticing Kaarif's frill indicating his enjoyment of that fact. “Although, I kinda made a mistake when I gave you the phone," her voice turned serious as she paused and Kaarif's dancing slowed.

“Oh? What do you mean?"

Lowering her head, Miikalah leaned closer to him and smiled. “I should have put my details in it first," she said, nudging his shoulder with her snout, before lifting it back up as the music shifted to a faster tempo.

Kaarif almost tripped over his feet as his jaw dropped but, when the dragoness chuckled, he quickly closed it and began to dance with more enthusiasm. “Well, we will have to fix that, won't we?!" Kaarif retorted finally, moving closer to her as they danced.

“I guess we can get it all sorted when you take me out; I think I'm free tomorrow," Miikalah said with a grin, mantling her folded wings to keep her balance as the music built even further.

Kaarif laughed and nodded. “Oh, I think I'm free too!" he said, moving closer to her side to mirror her steps while bobbing his head. Together they swayed their hips in time and flicked their tails from side to side. Feeling giddy and excited, Kaarif flicked his tail up and against hers, but when she turned to look back, he dove under her and reappeared on her other side with a playful grin.

Miikalah giggled and stretched her legs to lift herself as high as possible while dancing so the smaller drake could dance and weave between her muscular limbs. At first, she was worried that she would accidentally step on his paws, but seeing how nimble he was, that fear quickly faded to give way to pure enjoyment, as the two bonded over music.

“Oh my god!" came a shrill voice that made Kaarif tense and Miikalah sigh. “Miikalah's dancing with the fish! What the heck!" squawked Tiiphani with a gleeful expression on her snout and an accusing paw pointed at the pair.

Kaarif immediately went to leave Miikalah's side, but was surprised when her dark blue wing stopped him and held him close to her muscular body. Looking up to the larger dragoness' face, he saw her jaw clench and lip twitch in a snarl.

“He dances better than you!" Miikalah snapped and whipped her head around to glare at the red dragoness. “You could learn a lot from him, trashy horns" she added, loud enough to draw the attention of the rest of the class who weren't flying above.

“Trashy? Bitch, please," Tiiphani retorted and wrinkled her snout as if she had just smelled something bad. “At least I stop traffic, not block traffic when I land," she added and coiled her neck back into an elegant 'S' shape in an attempt to to look down her nose but still had to angle her head up to hold the blue dragoness' gaze.

Lifting her wing off of Kaarif, Miikalah slowly turned and began to walk towards Tiiphani. Each paw landed in line with one another and her powerful shoulders rolled with every step in a predatory fashion. “What are you saying, Trash tips?" she snarled and was surprised that, despite Meegi's attempts to move between them, the red dragoness shrugged past him to meet Miikalah with her half-full pouch of lemonade hanging from her neck.

Tiiphani tried to look past Miikalah to Kaarif, but the larger dragoness blocked her view to make it clear that her quarrel was with her. Undeterred, the red dragoness drew herself up to full height and partially unfolded her wings to try and appear bigger. “What I'm saying is you are a perfect fit for the fish. A whale like you wouldn't be touched by a drake with a two-inch prick. So it's only fitting that you are with someone as… fugly as you," she said, before taking a deliberately loud sip from the straw that dangled out of her vodka and lemonade.

Miikalah looked down at the crimson dragoness with unblinking eyes, only to be met by the smug expression of Tiiphani holding her gaze. It was no secret between them that Tiiphani's family donated heavily to the school and, as such, could influence Miikalah's graduation if she were to do something violent. With a deep inhale, the large blue dragoness smiled with a deranged grin at Tiiphani before glancing at the pouch around the dragoness' neck and then lifted her head to address Meegi. “Meegi, Tiiphani likes ice with her drinks. I suggest you get some," she said with a sternness that gave him pause. “A whale, you say," Miikalah said while turning her murderous gaze down towards the dragoness before her.

“Uh-" was all Tiiphani could say before a blue paw struck the side of her neck faster than Miikalah's size should have allowed.

Like a collection of rocks in a sack, the red dragoness crumpled sideways onto the dance floor, but before she could register what had happened, Miikalah was atop her with claws out and fangs bared. Using her bulk, the larger dragoness quickly crushed Tiiphani against the floor and the pair tumbled in a tangle of wings and tails. “A fucking whale!" bellowed Miikalah as she kicked with both her hind legs into Tiiphani's tight belly, causing the red dragoness to roar in pain. As the members of the dragon ball team watched in surprise, while their teammate landed blow after blow, Meegi leapt forward to help. His aid was short lived however, when an errant red tail swiped him across the head and he was sent sideways, seeing stars.

With the lithe dragoness pinned beneath her paws, Miikalah snapped her jaws around one of Tiiphani's horns and with a repeating lunge towards the ground, smashed Tiiphani's head into the hard floor again and again. Using her muscular neck and chest, she thrashed the red dragoness' head from side to side, as she released years of pent-up anger on the insufferable ponce until she heard a crack and quickly stumbled back.

Huune, Jaalaphin, and Riikal all shoved Miikalah away from the prone dragoness with looks of horror in their eyes, but Miikalah didn't resist and trotted back away from them with one of Tiiphani's horns still in her jaws. Rearing up on her powerful hind legs, she looked over her teammates at the whimpering dragoness and spat out the ivory horn. “Whoops, you dropped something," she teased as the horn extension clattered to the ground with part of the dragoness' real horn still embedded inside its hollow cavity.

With her bloodlust sated, she saw her classmates looking at her as if she were a wild animal and snarled in frustration. However, when she turned around she paused mid stride upon seeing Kaarif. The small drake stood in front of her with the phone she gave him in paw and a look of glee on his snout.

“That. Was. Fucking. Amazing!!!" Kaarif cheered. “You're awesome!" he added when she gave a smile.

“Miikalah, come here!" came a stern voice from behind her, and, when she turned, she saw one of the teachers staring at her.

Ignoring the command, she looked back at Kaarif and nodded towards the evening sky. “Want to get out of here?"

Kaarif nodded enthusiastically and tucked his phone into his harness. “Hell yea," he said and turned to face the edge of the roof. A gasp escaped his lips as the large dragoness wrapped her forepaws around his waist and launched them both into the sky. Her grip was firm, reassuring and he wasn't scared at all as the ground fell away from them and her wings beat with loud thuds. His forepaws wrapped around hers, as she held him close to her underside and together they soared above the city skyline. While being carried by Reeva had been somewhat terrifying, now he dangled his hind legs in the wind with glee. 

“I never liked parties." Miikalah stated and looked at the excited drake under her. His purple frills fluttered wildly in the wind and she adjusted her grip so she held him around his chest and around his waist. 

“It was pretty lame, until you made it cool." Kaarif replied and stroked his small webbed paw against her larger muscular digits. “Want to get some ice cream?" 

Reeva and friends will return in a future series. Hopefully late 2024