The two friends, Darian and Joley, sat outside beside their favorite dinner. They had made it a habit to at least meet each other at that dinner once a week, if not more when time permitted. However, a week had passed since the last time they had a chance like they had now. Darian wasn't just unavailable; he had gone missing. He wouldn't answer Joley's messages, nor was he at his house. Joley filed a missing persons report, but Darian showed up at the tail end of the week. Joley called off the search for him, and Darian asked her to meet him at the dinner so he could explain what had happened to him.

Joley was consumed in the tale Darian told her, leading to neither ordering anything. She was slacked-jawed by everything Darian told her, and if he wasn't a straightforward man, Joley may not have believed a word.

"...and now I'm engaged to a dragon," said Darian at the end of his explanation.

"You've been gone for a week. How did you manage that?" asked Joley.

"Well, like I said, I was whisked away somewhere on earth and found by a clan of dragons. I was able to prove my worth, and the Chief gave his daughter's claw to me in marriage."

"But how? You know what? I have too many questions and don't know where to begin. Scratch that. How are you calm about all this?"

"It kind of just happened to me, and it's not like I can go back on it now."

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"So you were forced into this?"

"How could I say no? The Chief had so much pride in his eyes, and also, he's a dragon older than my grandfather. Besides, my fiancée is nice."

"And you're just okay with this?"

"I don't see a problem with this."

"Saint Above All. Okay, I can't talk you out of this, and as your friend, if you are okay with it, I'll support you. So what now?"

"Well, before anything else, I must turn into a dragon.

"What?"

Turn into a dragon? This man couldn't be serious. Even if it was by a dragon's request, surely such a thing was impossible.

Darian continued the conversation. "Humans and dragons are biologically different, and the clan would rather have a dragon heir. At first, I thought it was a bit racist, but I can't say it matters too much to me in the end."

"I feel like I have to ask again how you are so comfortable with all this. To be fair, I'm not you and wasn't there." Whatever Darian got himself into was outside of Joley's influence. She could be losing her best friend to these strangers, and she couldn't give any advice. Regardless, if this was to be the last time she saw him, she wanted to help him through the inevitable rather than reject his decisions. "So, how do you go about this?"

"Well, there's this gem I must wear for a few days without taking it off. After the time is up, I become a dragon."

"Well, that doesn't seem too hard."

"Because that's the easy part."