Reeva smiled as Meegi finished serving another customer and began walking back to the two cushions they had dragged together. Sprawled across the padded surface was a collection of notebooks, thick pens and textbooks.
Despite the occasional customer, the café had indeed been quite quiet which should have allowed them to get started on their homework. However, after an hour of talking they were still no closer to finishing than they had been when they arrived.
“Okay, we really need to pick something." Meegi announced as he walked on three legs, his forepaw carefully balancing two plates with slices of banana bread to share. “Your call, what does Reeva want to write about?"
Her crimson frill perked up in surprise. “Oh, I don't know hey? Something traditional that has changed over time. That's like anything really."
Settling down on the cushion across from her, he placed the plates within reach of them both. “What would you write about if it was a solo assignment?" He asked and broke off a chunk of the moist bread to eat.
Reeva's eyes flicked from his sharp claws to his relaxed wings, her eyes focusing on the small weaving green streaks that networked his tan scales. Shaking her head as her gaze lingered on his toned wing arms. “I-um. I don't know." She repeated while her snout became darker, before quickly realizing he may be trying to find out more about her. “I guess considering it's kinda a social studies assignment too, maybe something like how dragons in workplaces have kinda changed? But I don't know if that's too obvious."
Meegi nodded while eating. “I'm not sure if I would say obvious, but I can already hear Mr. Siigma asking about specific industries to try and prove a point." Seeing her look intently at him he looked down and shrugged his wings, “Maybe we should be more focused on a specific job or something. Like, what do you want to do when you finish school? We could write about that."
Reeva frowned and looked down at her food, nudging the crust of the bread with a claw before pulling it apart gently. “Is it weird that I don't know what I want to do?" She asked softly, her voice conveying how insecure she was on the subject.
“Wait, really?" Meegi asked and saw her gaze flick up to meet his. “I mean, you are like the hardest working student in the class. I just assumed you were working to be a lawyer or something."
Reeva giggled and shook her head. “Pfft, a lawyer? Can you imagine? I wouldn't want to defend criminals all day." Looking up she couldn't help but smile at the drake's suggestion.
Meegi grinned and shook his head. “Nah, you are thinking about it all wrong. It's not just defending criminals, but taking their money too. I hear they get paid heaps to just use fancy words."
“I think there is a bit more to it than that." Reeva retorted with a laugh, her frill perking up, “and what do you mean by fancy words?"
Meegi shrugged, “I don't know, all the cases I see on TV are just people saying stuff like: “objection" and “hearsay"."
“That's not fancy words, that just means that what the person is saying has no facts behind it and isn't backed up by evidence."
Meegi broke off another chunk of banana bread and lifted it to his mouth, “Sounds like a fancy way to say, gryphon-shit." he said with a broad grin and tossed the chunk into his maw. “Your honor." He added with a wink.
“That's a judge!" Reeva exclaimed with a giggle.
“Well, maybe you should be a judge!" Meegi countered with a playful grin. “I could see you, the honorable Reeva with her little hammer thingy."
“Now you are just being silly." Reeva chuckled, finding herself relaxing in his presence more. “There is no way I could listen to lawyers argue all day." She said and plucked a piece of banana bread up as he cocked his head. “Nah, not for me. I would rather do something more constructive."
“Such as….?" Meegi asked while rolling his wrist to gesture for her to continue. Something about talking to the dragoness made him slightly giddy, yet also somehow relaxed. While other classmates talked about their families' wealth and what they were doing in their free time, Reeva seemed more genuine and he found himself engrossed in her company.
“I really wish I knew. Maybe something in property? But I feel like that's kinda a greedy industry." Reeva explained and saw his smile broaden. “Nah-nah-nah, let's not make this assignment about me. I don't want to be writing all of it." She joked, knowing full well she was ready to do it all of it if needed. “What about you, what does Meegi want to be when he grows up? Dragonball star?"
The tan drake shuffled his yellow wings nervously and shrugged, “Well, yeah. But I need to have a back up plan, in case the scouts don't pick me."
“What do you mean? Apparently you are the best on the team!"
Meegi smiled and looked down at his food, “Thanks… are you coming to the game this weekend?" He asked and saw her frill flatten against her neck.
Reeva looked up at him sheepishly, “I kinda haven't actually seen a game, I don't really know the rules."
Meegi's eyes widened in surprise, everyone he knew was so passionate about the sport, he found it odd that she didn't at least know the rules. “Well, if you can, you should come this Saturday!" He said cheerfully. His mind was divided at the idea of explaining the rules to her but held back for the risk of drakesplaining. “It's a big game, so it would be a good one to watch."
“I'll have to check with my folks, but I think that would be good." Reeva's stomach tightened at the idea of asking her mother to watch the game, or worse, explaining to her father why she wanted to go.
“Well, I hope they let you come. We are going up against the Western Wyverns, they are from one of the public schools across town." He explained and saw her smile at his enthusiasm. “What they lack in tactics they make up for in sheer muscle. It should be a close game."
Reeva smiled and nodded along. “You really like Dragonball, don't you?"
Nodding enthusiastically, Meegi explained. “It's so much fun! the rush of adrenaline when you have the egg and try to avoid their team while getting it back to your nest, likewise hunting their claimers when they get one of our eggs. It's amazing!" Finding his cheeks flushed in embarrassment he grinned sheepishly. “But, I need to be realistic. Even if the scouts like what they see, I will still need to get through college and keep my grades up. Hell, there may not be a position for me until someone gets rotated out, so I'll probably have to work a normal job and keep up with training unless I get lucky."
Reeva nodded along until she paused and cocked her head. “Rotated out? What does that mean?"
“Each team is allowed 6 subs per season and will put them in when their primary members get hurt. But during mid season, if a team has no subs, they are allowed to rotate out injured players and bring in fresh blood." Meegi said and smiled proudly, “and that's where I could come in… well, hopefully I make the first draft, but rookie players rarely get picked first."
Reeva tried to hide her concern as she smiled nervously. “How often do teams run out of subs?"
He noticed her eyes narrow and shook his head. “Oh, don't worry. That is pretty rare, and only in the big leagues do teams completely run out of subs." Seeing her eye ridge twitch slightly he tried to give her a reassuring smile. “It's fine, we get pretty good pads and wing strikes are banned."
She began to agree with Kaarif's description of the sport being brutal. “So, what is your plan if you get injured and have to be rotated out?"
He gave a small shrug, “I think it depends, if it's a big injury I'll probably have to get a normal job. But if it's just that I can't play, maybe I'll join the military or something."
Reeva's eyes widened, “No, please don't do that!" She said quickly, startling the young drake. “I mean, sorry. If you want to, sure, follow your heart. It's just, my uncle was in the military and the pay isn't worth it."
Meegi saw a strange look in her eyes as she looked down at her slice of banana bread, her claws beginning to pull it apart mindlessly. “When you say 'was', do you mean he retired, or he didn't come back?" Meegi asked and lowered his head to see the look in her eyes, the brief flick of her gaze to his told him her answer before she spoke.
“He didn't come back, but I never met him either. It all happened before I was hatched." She explained. “Just mom says she hates that she let him go."
“I'm sorry to hear that." Meegi said softly.
“It's okay, like I said, happened way before I hatched. Besides, would you even need the money?" Reeva asked, everyone in her grade came from some form of wealth and she found it strange he would take that career path.
Meegi swallowed and lied, “Nah, of course not. It was a silly idea, but I think helping others and keeping busy was what appealed to me. Being idle would drive me nuts."
Reeva nodded with a smirk. “My mom says the same thing all the time."
“I heard she works in the markets or something?" Meegi asked while breaking off a piece of banana bread to reward himself for his deceit.
Nodding, Reeva hastily explained. “She does, but she really doesn't have to. Like you said, she can't stay idle without going mad."
“Yeah totally, I think it's cool she is working." Meegi said while using another lump of banana bread to collect the crumbs off of his plate. “So many of the other parents don't work and I think it makes them all a bit stuck up." His jaw snapped shut and guiltily looked to her for approval, afraid of possibly insulting her father and her friends.
Reeva burst out laughing and nodded,"Oh my god! Right?! Some of them I wonder if they even buckle their own harnesses!"
Sensing a common topic, Meegi continued with a smile. “Pfft! Yes! Like, I swear. Half our class thinks that they are important because their parents are!" He said and chuckled as she nodded enthusiastically while giggling. “Like, I don't care who your parents own, or what they do. It's just sooo tiring!"
Reeva grinned and tried to compose herself. “Wait, so you don't want to be just like your father? I could see it now, Meegi taking over his father's business and continuing his legacy." Reeva asked and chuckled, her smile fading as she realized he wasn't laughing as hard. “Am I right?"
Meegi nodded and cleared his throat, “Yeah, I don't think I'll be doing that." He said with a weak smile, “I don't know who he is."
Her eyes went wide and her frill flattened against her neck in embarrassment. “Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
Shrugging Meegi gave a pained smile, “It's okay, I didn't tell you. I was apparently a happy accident."
“Really?" Reeva asked with a grin, her smile broadening as he glanced at her with a look of shame. “Me too!"
Meegi's smile returned at the enthusiastic 'ness. “Wait, what? Really?"
“Yup! Apparently my mom's heat suppressors were either defective or past their expiration date..." Reeva explained.
The young drake snorted loudly. “Gryphon-shit! Really? Same for me, mom said they had expired or something too." He shook his head as Reeva giggled, her laughter bringing a genuine smile to his snout.
“That's crazy!" Reeva exclaimed. “I guess you can never be too careful." She added and felt her cheeks burn.
His own cheeks felt warmer at discussing the intimacies of his mother and mysterious father, as a silence began to fall he quickly changed the topic. “So, what exactly do your parents do?" he asked before pausing, “oh my god. I sound like our classmates, ignore me."
With a dismissive wave of her paw, she smiled. “Nah it's okay. My dad is kinda retired, and my mom, well, you know she works in the eastern markets."
Cocking his head Meegi lowered his voice to just above a whisper. “So are you also on a scholarship?"
Her head recoiled back as if she was stung. “Scholarship? No, what makes you say that?" She asked and noticed his smile vanish quickly.
“Oh, nothing! It's just, I know the school fees are steep and I didn't think the market would pay very… Never mind, sorry. Not my place." Meegi hastily backpedaled, his gaze flicking to his empty plate and suddenly wishing he had more food to distract himself with.
Seeing the drake suddenly withdraw she tried to give him a reassuring smile. “You know Grub-Wyrm right? The food delivery service?" Reeva asked gently.
Meegi cocked his head and looked her in the eyes, noticing how their blue color seemed to almost sparkle in the café lights. “Yeah, um- sorry. Yeah, the Drag'n'Drop food thing right?"
Nodding, Reeva explained. “My father made the company, and sold it to Drag'n'Drop. That's why he is retired, Mom kinda has always worked in the markets and really loves it."
With the pieces falling into place, Meegi began to understand her grounded attitude and frugal nature. “Ah! That makes sense!" He smiled, “I mean, wow! That would have been a pay out."
Reeva shrugged, “I don't know really, my folks don't like talking about money." She said simply while plucking the last of her banana bread apart. “Wait, what do you mean 'also' on a scholarship?" She said and looked at him as he shrunk back.
“Oh, I mean, nah- like surely some of the students are on a free ticket, right?" Meegi said, his smile trying to reassure her while his eyes said otherwise.
“Meegi, are you on one?" Reeva asked, when his paw reached for her plate she intercepted it. With her paw against his, she felt his strong digits under her delicate ones and looked him in the eyes.
“Please, don't tell anyone." Meegi whispered, looking down at her light blue scaled paw on his, as a wave of shame and guilt washed over him.
“Why? I think it's kinda cool." Reeva said reassuringly, trying to smile warmly as she watched his lip twitch and his eyes meet hers. “Sports scholarship?" She asked and he nodded. “Wow! You must be good." She added, her enthusiasm caused him to smile again.
“Please don't tell anyone. Everything hinges on Dragonball and I don't want the team being weird."
Hearing the vulnerability in his voice and seeing the desperation in his eyes she found herself nodding. “I- I won't. But… why is a scholarship a bad thing, it means you are good right?"
Meegi swallowed and tried to put his words together. “I-ah, it's hard to explain." He said and noticed the look she gave him, it wasn't of judgment but of genuine concern. “The team- well, everyone really. Kinda thinks scholarships are cheating. Like they are a hand out or something to people who don't deserve them. Normally, I wouldn't care, but Dragonball is a team sport. I need them to like me, on and off the field."
“Oh… so, no one knows?" Reeva asked and frowned when he cocked his head.
“The teachers do, they don't care. Mr. Daanic is our coach and he gets why the team shouldn't know. Other than that, no one knows, except well.. You." He explained and gave her a weak smile. “I just really don't need them to know, like… I don't want to graduate as the poor egg who got handouts, does that make sense?"
“Oh, I think I know what you mean. I won't tell anyone." She said and saw his eyes look into hers to see if she was genuine. “I think it's kinda cool." She added encouragingly. “I mean, their parents are throwing big money at their education and you are there because you are better than them."
Meegi's smirk grew. “Thanks Reeva. I appreciate that."
She found her own smile matching his, feeling like a barrier between them had come down and they were somehow closer. She opened her mouth to ask a question but closed it again when she realized she risked ruining the moment.
He smiled and shook his head, “Okay, you have follow up questions, don't you?"
“I'm just curious, like how does no one else know?"
Meegi chuckled and shook his head. “It's an expensive school that is full of the wealthiest dragons from across the country. No one expects someone like me to be there."
“But, surely you have had friends over to your place, right?" Reeva said hastily.
“Ah, yeah well… I would have invited you over, but you see it's spring, the gardens at my place are getting remodeled, and the pollen is hitting me hard." He said, scratching the base of his neck with a paw as he repeated the rehearsed lie.
“Oh, you say that so smoothly, for a sec I thought you were serious." Reeva chuckled.
“It's amazing how much upkeep my imaginary family estate needs, especially the gardens." He added with a playful smirk. “Usually when I say that something is being done, it changes the conversation to how they have the same or better at their place. So it's an easy out."
Reeva's tail twitched as she nodded, “Well sorry, I live in an apartment, so no big flashy gardens." She said with a playful smirk, “The only plants we have are the ones my dad has on the balcony."
Meegi chuckled to himself. “Oh so like a little hobby garden yeah? That's cool, I imagine they would be efficient. We should see them next time, I would love to see what a proper setup looks like."
Reeva's frill twitched up as she found herself captivated by his smile, the idea of showing off her father's plants becoming something she was suddenly proud of. Finding herself nodding she quickly shook her head. “Wait! That's not fair!" Reeva exclaimed as his smile went from horn to horn. “That doesn't count, I was saying we don't have a garden!"
Meegi laughed merrily, finding that revealing his secrets to her oddly relaxing, like a burden was lifted from his back.“Of course, of course. But see what I mean? Most of our class are so eager to show off their stuff, I always end up at their place." He explained with a guilty grin.
“Well, I don't care that you don't have some fancy gardens." Reeva said with a smile. “Fancy gardens don't make a person a good egg, but your secret is safe with me."
“Thanks, Reeva." Meegi said with sincerity.
She found herself trapped in his eyes, as he looked intently into hers. The sound of the bell above the door caused her to glance towards the front of the shop. Her whole body tensing as a large white drake stepped into the café, her eyes went wide as she realized that it was her father.
Neebis scanned the empty café quickly, until he saw the pair on the two large cushions his expression shifted as he saw the empty milkshake glasses next to them and a few plates between his daughter and the tan drake. His eyes played tricks on him as he found himself not seeing the small hatchling she once was and instead the almost adult dragoness she had become. His chest became tight at the realization of how much she had grown but his jaw still tensed as he eyed the drake near her.
“Dad?!" Reeva exclaimed as Meegi quickly got to his feet. “What are you doing here?"
Neebis' red frill flattened against his neck. He had hoped the café would have been busy so he could sneak in unnoticed, but now he paused like a stunned deer. “Oh-um. Hi Reeva. I was just getting, um- a coffee?" He stammered, his head tracking the tan drake who was now retreating behind the counter. “What are you doing here?" He asked, looking back towards Reeva now that Meegi was away from her.
Reeva had only seen her father lie a few times, but she could tell by his flattened neck frill that he was not telling the truth. “Homework dad, I'm doing homework! I told mom that I would be home late."
Neebis swallowed, the wide eyes of his daughter cutting into him like a knife. “Oh, that was today? Here?" He said with a flicker of a forced smile. “I mean, I heard that this was a good place and I wanted to check it out." His hastily formed lie clearly not being believed by Reeva and the look of betrayal she gave him quickly eroded his confidence.
A heavy silence fell between them all, Reeva too embarrassed to say anything, Meegi feeling like anything he said would be taken out of context and Neebis who just stood there looking between the pair.
Clearing his throat, Neebis tried again to give a friendly smile. “This is a nice place you've got here. Has it been busy?" He asked Meegi.
“Um, no sir. Nothing has been happening." Meegi stammered. “Just been working on our assignment." He added quickly, his wings tucked tight against his sides.
“Ah yes, assignments… Those are important." The large drake mused while he nodded in approval and continued to stand in the café, looking around the many photos on the walls. Glancing between Reeva and her father, Meegi felt like he was caught in the crossfire. With the tension in the air palpable, he chuckled nervously. “Well um, Can I get you anything? Mister…?" His words drifted off as he saw a teal coloured shape outside rush towards the frosted glass door.
Neebis' mouth was half open when the large door flew open, crashing loudly against the wall as Reevian stormed in, small droplets of water still dripping from her body. “Neebis!" Shouted the teal dragoness, “Home, now!" she scolded, her breathing was heavy and ragged while her pupils were narrow slits as she glared at the white drake.
Neebis looked at his mate and smiled weakly, “I uh, was just getting a coffee-"
“Nope! No you weren't." She snapped, taking a step towards him she latched a forepaw into his harness and began pulling him back towards the large front door. “Reeva has homework, come on."
Reeva sat up straight and began hastily packing her harness pouches, while normally she would make sure what her textbooks were stored safely, she wasn't wasting any time for fear of her mother's wrath.
Seeing her daughter packing her harness, Reevian paused and shook her head. “No honey, you can stay. You are not in trouble, he is." She snapped.
Reeva and Meegi watched with wide eyes as the teal dragoness walked on three legs while she half dragged and half led her mate outside. “Sorry sweetie! Come home before dark." She called back over her shoulder as the door swung back closed with a merry chime of the bell.
The pair could hear the teal dragoness shouting at her mate before they both took the sky, their voices quickly fading into the distance. Reeva felt so small and embarrassed, her tail tucked around her paws tightly, as she shuffled her wings and tried to focus on the fluffy cushion she sat on.
Meegi swallowed and tried to smile. “Sooo, your mom seems nice." He said and chuckled. His smile broadened as a smirk pulled at the corner of her lips.
“She isn't normally like that." Reeva mumbled, “I kinda didn't tell dad where I was, and he can be a bit of a downdraft dad."
Meegi nodded, a pang of envy running through him as he wished he had something similar. “I guess he means well."
“It's still really embarrassing!" Reeva exclaimed before remembering Meegi didn't have the same fatherly experience. “Sorry, I shouldn't complain. He can just be a bit overprotective, only egg and all that."
Nodding, Meegi came back around the counter to their cushions before pausing mid stride. “Wait, this was just an assignment thing right?" He asked and noticed her frill lift slightly.
“What? Yeah-oh-yeah. This was an assignment thing." Reeva hastily answered, “but try telling him that."
Meegi swallowed and smiled to hide his emotions. “Cool, cool-cool-cool. Yeah, that's what I thought." He said and settled back down on the cushions. “So, yeah, this assignment. Where were we exactly?"
Reeva blushed, despite his words she felt giddy at how he said them, she waited for Meegi to get comfortable before smiling at him. “Oh, well. I think we were about to agree not to tell anyone about my parents dropping in."
Meegi laughed and nodded. “Ah yup, that's right, and you were not going to tell anyone about me being on a scholarship."
“Yeah! That's right." Reeva smiled, “I think that's a fair division of labor." The pair chuckled and turned a fresh page in their notebooks, “So, a tradition that has changed…"
Reeva's wings burned as she flew home with a smile on her snout, beating her wings hard she climbed in altitude as she saw her home come into view. While the city below was already in darkness and lit up by the city lights, the top few floors of the Spires apartments still glowed orange as it reflected the last rays of the setting Sun's light as it drifted below the horizon.
Her heart beat hard, as it sent blood around her body and provided her fatigued wing muscles with fresh oxygen. Her stomach felt like it had butterflies in it but the rest of the afternoon with Meegi had gone well. They had a topic to work on and, as Meegi had locked up the shop, they had committed to a follow up session after the game on the weekend.
As she came closer to the apartment building, she knew she would need to talk to her father about her afternoon. Looking around she confirmed no one was flying near her but rocked her wings anyway to indicate she was slowing down. With a dip of her tail and a few heavy flaps of her sore wings, she grit her teeth and slowed her speed down to land on the large oak table that was on her balcony.
Folding her wings, she jumped down from the table and made her way towards the large sliding door. The amber reflection of the Sun made it impossible to see inside and she stopped mid stride as the door opened for her.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she could see her father sitting on his haunches, his posture slumped and tail curled tightly around his feet. Her mother held one paw on the door and motioned for Reeva to come inside with a twitch of her head. “Welcome home. Your father has something he would like to say to you." She said warmly with a hint of firmness.
Stepping inside, Reeva reset her wings. The warmth of her home seemed absent and the silence was deafening. She looked at her father, his eyes cast down and crimson neck frill flat against his neck like a scolded hatchling. “I want to apologize to you Reeva." He said softly.
Reeva swallowed and glanced back as her mother closed the glass door, the sounds of the wind and city life suddenly being snuffed out, leaving them in silence.
“I was worried about you and overreacted. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Neebis continued, his gaze flicking up to his mate who moved to stand next to her daughter. “But, you are a big 'ness now, and I should have trusted you. I'm sorry."
Reeva nodded in understanding, sitting back on her haunches she fidgeted with her harness straps. “It's okay, I probably should have told you where I was."
“No, you told your mother. That should have been enough." Neebis said and looked his daughter in the eyes. “Did it go okay? I didn't ruin anything, did I?"
Shaking her head Reeva smiled weakly. “Nah, it was just a homework thing. We have a topic to work on now, and well… I was wondering if we could work on it here after the game on Saturday?"
“Of course you can." Smiled Reevian, wrapping a reassuring wing around her daughter. “We won't get in the way of your assignment, will we honey?" She said firmly to Neebis.
“No, no I won't." Neebis said and stood up to walk closer to his daughter. Lowering his head down to her level she could see the pain in his eyes. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
“It's fine, really-"
“Your father was about to get some pizza for dinner, have you eaten?" Reevian asked, the surprise on his face not going unnoticed by their daughter, who couldn't help but smile.
“Only snacks, pizza would be good."
“Do you mind honey? Thank you." Reevian said with a smile and squeezed her daughter gently with a wing, to tell her she had more to say to her.
Neebis nodded, “Of course, coming right up." He said hastily and made his way past the two dragonesses, his claws clicking on the tiled floor as he made his way towards the sliding door.
The pair waited until he had slid the door closed and taken off from the balcony before Reevian shook her head. “I am so sorry, he can be so thick sometimes." When her daughter chuckled she guided her towards the deep couch with her wing. “Come, sit! Tell me all about it."
Under her mother's wing, she couldn't help but feel like a hatchling once more. Stepping up onto the couch she settled against a large thick pillow and got comfortable while her mother did the same. “I promise, it was just a homework thing. We have to do an oral presentation on something that used to be traditional but has changed over time."
Her mother snorted a laugh and grinned at her daughter. “Well, you have a good partner for that." She said cryptically and waited for Reeva to cock her head in confusion. “Cos he is traditionally handsome!"
“Mom!" Reeva exclaimed in disbelief, her lips curling back in a wide smile as she blushed profusely. “It's not like that!"
Waving a forepaw dismissively, the large dragoness grinned, “Please, I was your age once, little egg. He looks good! He had a bit of a stunned expression though."
“Only because a rabid dragoness burst in and dragged a customer out by the harness!" Reeva exclaimed with a laugh as her mother giggled.
“Oh, I was so furious with him. He made up some gryphon-shit about being out of milk while I was in the shower. I knew straight away he was lying and tried to chase him down." She explained, “Me and him are sooo not done talking about this."
“Don't go too hard on him, it was embarrassing but we kinda had a laugh about it." Reeva said while slipping a claw into the buckles of her harness. Due to their design they needed to become tighter to unlatch themselves and she started to struggle with them.
“You have outgrown that, haven't you?" Reevian said and reached with a forepaw to help.
“It's fine, I won't need it at the end of the year anyway." Reeva said and turned her shoulder to let her mother help.
Slipping a claw into the buckle, Reevian tugged it once and then twice to unlatch it. With a metallic clink the buckle became loose and her harness became slack, the other buckles not putting up much of a fight as Reeva did the rest. “You need a new one-"
“It's fine, it's my final year and then I won't need a school one." Reeva explained. Due to the unique school's colors and strict harness requirements, it was recommended to purchase the harness through the school rather than purchase one elsewhere. With a captive market of wealthy students, the prices were eye watering.
“I'll fly with you tomorrow and we will get you a new one before school starts." Reevian said warmly. “I won't have my daughter feeling uncomfortable for her final year. You have enough on your plate."
“Thanks, but tomorrow is Friday." Reeva said with a hint of sadness. “Markets? Isn't that a busy day for you?"
“Fuck the markets." Reevian said flatly and smiled at her daughter's shocked expression. “You are more important."
Reeva's heart warmed, knowing how much her mother's stall meant to her. “Thanks, that would be good."
“But! It comes at a cost." Her mother grinned, “you have to tell me how today went. Up to when your father burst in." she added with a giggle.
Reeva returned her smile, feeling nervous but excited to confide in her mother. “He IS pretty cute."
“Right?!" Reevian exclaimed loudly, smiling wide, “but what is he like? Is he funny? Funnier than Kaarif?" She asked, the joy of being able to talk 'ness to 'ness with her daughter evident in her voice.
“Funnier than Kaarif? I don't know about that. But he is really… normal?" She said hesitantly as her frill found itself perking upwards.
Reevian placed a larger paw on her daughter's. “Honey, I have dated a fair few drakes in my time and normal is by far the rarest and the best."
“I mean, like, he isn't boring. Quite the opposite, he seems kind and really honest. At least, that's how I feel. I don't know." Reeva said, while fidgeting with her claws. “But I promise, this is just a homework thing. He probably won't be my partner for other stuff."
“Oh, I know- I know. But you will still share some classes together, right? And you can always hang out outside of school." Reevian said and saw her daughter had become lost in thought.
“I guess, yeah." Reeva said slowly. “Um, hey. So if we are going to study after the Dragonball game on Saturday, could I watch the game as well?"
Reevian nodded, grateful that her daughter would still ask permission. “Honestly sweetie, after we crashed your date today. You could ask for a pet hippogryph and we would make it happen."
“It wasn't a date!" Reeva giggled. “But thanks Mom. I think it would be good to be there and see him perform, apparently he is really good."
“So you have told me." Reevian chuckled. “I'll tell your dad to take you, he would enjoy the trip out." She said with a warm smile, her smile turning into a guilty grin as Reeva looked up in shock. “I'm kidding, is Kaarif going?"
Reeva shook her head in disbelief at her mother's joke before shrugging, “I can ask him. I think he would be keen."
“Good, I know the crowds can get pretty wild. Then, do you want to bring Meegi back here? I can make sure you guys have study snacks."
Reeva looked up at her smiling mother, “Would that be okay?"
“It's okay sweetie, it's just a homework thing, remember." She said with a playful wink. “But living room only, I'll make sure your dad clears out and we will be back just before sundown. Deal?"
“Thanks Mom." Reeva said with a warm smile. “You are being really cool about this."
Reevian's heart soared at her daughter thinking so highly of her, blinking back a happy tear she smiled. “Thanks little egg." She said and patted Reeva's paw with her own. “You are the most precious thing in the world, and I want you to be happy." She said warmly, suddenly becoming aware of how her daughter's paw, while still smaller yet, was nearing her own in size. “Besides, I saw how terrified he looked, so I know he won't try anything funny." She added with a smirk.
Reeva chuckled and nodded. “You looked kinda scary. Not gonna lie."
“Sorry you had to see that, I was just so mad." She said while giving her daughter's paw a reassuring squeeze. “But it turned out okay? You said you have a topic for your assignment?"
“Yup, we have a topic and a few talking points, but we should be able to get it all sorted after the game."
Meegi touched down on three legs, landing silently on the large timber deck that extended out from the back of the house his mother rented. With one paw clutching a glowing white spherical light, he awkwardly walked towards the dark back door. The sounds of laughter next door made him smile and glanced over the low fence that served more as a property boundary than any form of security.
His neighbors were having yet another cookout, the delightful aroma of smoked meats filling the air and wafting towards the hungry tan drake. His mouth watered at the smell and found himself looking longingly over the fence at the three dragons he called neighbors. Two large almost identical black dragons lounged on outdoor cushions, occasionally dipping their snouts in large buckets of some sort of alcohol while a smaller gray drake tended to the expensive looking smoker and grill.
Meegi smiled as the two black siblings laughed at some joke and he turned back to face his sliding glass door. Placing the white light he had used for flying on the ground he began tapping in a code on a mechanical keypad. With a happy click, the door unlocked and he heaved it sideways. The rollers hidden in the door protesting as they reluctantly let the door slide open.
Inside his home was quiet and dark, his mother wouldn't be home until the early hours of the morning. As he slid the door closed behind him, the sounds of his neighbors became more muted with only the cackle of the female black dragon's laugh coming through the walls.
Slipping a claw under each buckle of his harness he let it slide off him before opening his side pouch and retrieving an old worn lunch box. After hooking his school harness on the wall he turned on the lights and headed to the kitchen with his lunch box carried in his jaws.
Dropping the plastic box into the sink, he rinsed it out and placed it next to the sink to dry. Turning around, he made sure to tuck his tail close to his body and opened the fridge to look for something to eat. A flicker of a smile pulled at his snout as he found a plate with a note on it, a collection of leftover meats that his mother had brought home for him from work.
Lifting the plate he closed the fridge with his tail and walked towards the tired looking couch in the living room. With a few presses of buttons on the remote, the TV came to life and began playing the highlights of a Dragonball game that had happened that day on the other side of the globe. His eyes flicked to the screen as he set about arranging the cushions, picking each one up in his mouth to make a cozy little nest for him to snuggle in.
The clatter of an empty glass bottle against the timber floor made Meegi jump, turning his head he saw that his tail had sent one of the many empty wine bottles spinning across the floor. With a sigh and a clench of his jaws he headed back to the kitchen to retrieve a plastic bag, holding it in one paw he collected the half dozen bottles with his mouth, the smell of stale wine stinging his nose and mouth. One by one he collected them all and placed the bag near the backdoor for when he would take the rest of the trash out.
Cheers from the television made his head snap to the screen, a slow motion replay, captured in high definition, showed a dragoness almost frozen in time banking hard. With the egg in one paw her wings were cropped and tail elegantly curved as she stretched out her paw to place the egg on her teams nest to score a point.
The camera's fast shutter speed captured the dragon's face, her eyes focused on the goal while an opposing team's claimer loomed right above her. A flicker of a smile pulled at the dragoness' lips as the egg was placed, then suddenly, her eyes closed and mouth opened in pain as her back was rammed into by the intercepting player.
The slow motion ended and cut to a zoomed in angle from across the pitch, the two dragons spiraling towards the ground before separating at the last second and regaining altitude. The commentators remarked at how resilient the player was and how she would be sore in the morning followed by a crude joke about her being used to drakes on her back.
Meegi closed his open jaw and trotted back to the couch. Jumping up, he made himself comfortable in his tight nest of pillows and brought his plate of leftovers closer. His eyes became transfixed on the television until a stream of ads started to play.
Looking down at his food he began picking at it with a claw, thinking of how his afternoon with Reeva had gone and what she had said. Anxiety nagged at his mind at revealing to her his financial shame, thoughts of what the team would say if they found out. Taking a deep breath he tried to push the thoughts away to little effect, his imagination creating images of his teammates looking down at him with disgust. Closing his eyes he tried to focus on slowing his heartbeat, and smiled softly when he found Reeva's face filling his mind. Her kind eyes and cute frill pushed away the haunting thoughts of being found out. Opening his eyes he sighed. “She said it was just a homework thing. Don't make it weird." He mumbled to himself.
Closing his eyes, Meegi calmed himself and reached out with his mind. Slowly, the room around him began to materialize in a network of small spider web-like dots. Magic was far from common, after years of it being bred or beaten out of dragons the extent of their gifts was far from stellar. Even just feeling the room around him, he could already feel the toll it was having on his body as his limbs became limp. With a tendril of his consciousness, he reached out across the room and turned the lights off before relaxing and letting his grasp on magic slip from his mind.
Opening his eyes again he let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and looked down at the plate of food, he plucked a piece of spicy meat out from the rest and took a bite. While he knew that lean meat was a good source of protein for his muscles, he would be lying if he said he wasn't over turkish food.
LSH 4: Cushions, Confrontation and Comfort food
With her father en-route to spoil the moment, Reeva and Meegi try to work on their assignment while discovering they have more in common than they thought.
And for those who are speculating who Meegi's parents are at the end of this, You are atleast half correct...
...Maybe fully correct too.
A big thanks to: :IconLyssy: , :IconKougar: and :IconVer123: for all coming together to help polish this one up.
This story, like all others are available 1 week early to my discord, its free, fun and the link is in my profile bio.
And for those who are speculating who Meegi's parents are at the end of this, You are atleast half correct...
...Maybe fully correct too.
A big thanks to: :IconLyssy: , :IconKougar: and :IconVer123: for all coming together to help polish this one up.
This story, like all others are available 1 week early to my discord, its free, fun and the link is in my profile bio.
10 months ago
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31 Minutes
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