I woke up in an unusual bed. I stood up, stretched, curled my tail, and spread my wings. I was looking around the room when I noticed that laying on the floor next to the bed was my Master, so I leaned over the edge of the bed and nudged him with a paw.

“Nnh? What am I doing on the floor? Did you push me out of bed, you silly dragon?” That’s right: I’m a dragon.

“Of course not! At least, not intentionally. You probably scooted away from me until you fell off, trying to give me room. Even in your sleep, you’d do stuff like that, I bet.” I mean, I would too, but I had a wall on my side to keep me from falling off. This bed wasn’t as big as our bed back home. We were staying in a guest room at the Mage’s Guild.

Master got up and sat on the edge of the bed, the sunlight starting to creep through the windows telling us that it was too late to try to go back to sleep now. I sat next to him and rested my head on his shoulder.

Having a room to stow most of our stuff, I didn’t have to wear the harness to carry everything today. It’s not too uncomfortable, but it’s nice to be able to enjoy myself without it. Our first stop was breakfast. The Dining Hall ran three meals a day, but they were a bit expensive, and we had a large dinner last night after everything was done, so we opted for something lighter. There were street vendors around in the area, and we got a snack from one of them. A sandwich for Master, and a meat skewer for me.

Next up, we were to meet with Master Korrigan, Leader of Academics and essentially head of this entire branch of the Guild. After a lot of discussion in our room last night, we’d decided to accept his offer to join. The potential access to resources was simply too much to pass up, even if we were certain there’d be strings attached in order to pull us along. So, we sat on a bench outside of his office, waiting for him to be finished with whatever piece of paperwork currently demanded his attention.

I barely had enough time to start to doze off when the door opened, and Magister Yenturan exited. He seemed surprised to see us, but stayed polite, making a little bit of chit-chat before hurrying off to his next task. Master stood at the open door and knocked gently, letting Korrigan invite us in rather than simply entering. We closed the door behind us, so we’d have privacy just in case I’d end up needing to speak.

“I do hope you bring me pleasant news, it’s been a bear of a morning already and I could use something uplifting.” Korrigan idly arranged a pile of papers on his desk.

“Well, you might be pleased to know that Princess and I have decided to accept your invitation to join the Guild. You did seem to indicate yesterday that you hoped we would.”

His eyebrow raised a little at the phrasing, then I guess he remembered there was more to me than meets the eye, giving a nod to himself. “That is good news, actually. Expanding our coverage allows us to better serve the community, and we both benefit the stronger the Guild becomes. Some of our rank tend to view this as a one-way exchange, seeking to take as much as they can and give as little in return as possible…”

“Honestly, I was expecting to be mostly, ah, hands-off? You did imply I’d be mostly allowed to do as I see fit back home, not asking for much, not being asked for much?”

“I like to think the Guild asks for rather little from most of our members, but some act like even the smallest request is a grand imposition. Forgive me, I don’t actually know what sort of… perception you have of us already. What you’ve heard. Especially if you’ve had dealings with Elimaio. He used to be one of us, around ten years ago.”

Master’s face soured a little at the name. “I wouldn’t say I had ‘dealings’ with him. We didn’t talk much, between his interrogations, baseless accusations, and attempts to kill me.”

“Ah, good. Er, not the things he did, just that he didn’t get a chance to paint an inaccurate portrait of us. Somehow, he got the notion that we were somehow ‘holding him back’, simply because we tried to tell him his proposed experiments were pointless. Or we’d ask him to take care of some matters for us when he was the closest available Mage. Or we’d ask him to return materials he took from our libraries without permission. He got the idea that the rules didn’t apply to him, simply because he didn’t want them to anymore.”

“I’m… familiar with the type, yeah. Are there any books in my collection that still belong to you? I can return them.”

“Hm? Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything. No, we already reclaimed those after his death, while the Crown was still auctioning off items. Before you claimed ownership. But thank you for your willingness, it helps me believe I’m making the right choice with my offer.”

At this point, I spoke up. “You do seem rather distracted, sir. Is there something you had in mind that you wanted to ask us? Your tone of voice sounds… hesitantly cautious, I guess I’d say?” Really, why was nobody else ever pointing this kind of thing out?

Korrigan chuckled softly. “You see right through me, don’t you? Yes, I’d been debating whether to make this an ‘official request of the guild’ or simply a favor, but I was hoping for your help in dealing with this business about the Scales you told me of yesterday.”

“Either way you choose, we’d be glad to help.” Master patted my head. “Everything I’ve learned about them so far makes me reluctant to allow them to spread.”

“It is such a relief to hear you say that. Good news indeed. For starters, could you two tell me again everything you know about this?” Korrigan picked up a blank piece of paper and got ready to write notes.

“It’s mostly Princess who knows, I wasn’t present after all.”

“I might paraphrase some of the exact words, but essentially…” I recounted my time in the animal pens as best I could.

“Hm, I think if we can find the student in question, we could extract more information. We can’t guarantee the keeper still has the scale or if we could even find it, and a search based solely on that would more likely raise suspicions than put them to rest.” Korrigan looked over the notes he had taken.

“Unfortunately, he didn’t say his name. I could probably recognize the voice?” My tail flicked a little in irritation. I wanted to be able to do more.

“Maybe. First, let’s see if we can match him by description.” Korrigan trailed his fingers over a crystal sphere of some sort on his desk. After a moment of focus, a soft glow appeared within it. “Professor Elwarn, do you have a moment? I’d see you in my office, if that’s all right.” The glow faded after the words were spoken.

Master raised an eyebrow. “That looks handy.”

Korrigan puffed his chest a little. “Oh yes, Artificer Botolf has really outdone himself on this one. It’s a set of scrying enchantments that share many of the same aspects, allowing them to all be usable in a single object. They are linked to each other, and can send simple messages back and forth. If two people use theirs at the same time, they can even form a link that lets them see each other! We’re still testing them, so we only have them available here at the Guild grounds, but we’re hoping to be able to produce more of them. It would be wonderful if every Guild Mage had one, we could communicate so much more effectively!”

Master winced a little. I guess some “innovations” were bound to happen even without technology. I metaphorically bit my tongue to keep from making jokes about cell phones.

After a bit of time where Korrigan rambled about the ball and Master politely listened, there was a knock on the door. Professor Elwarn had arrived, slipping inside, and closing the door when Korrigan gestured at him to do so. “You requested my presence, Master Korrigan?” It was still weird to hear someone say “Master”, and not mean my owner.

“Ah yes, I was hoping you could help me with a matter. You remember yesterday, with Mage Tola’s accusation towards our animal keeper?”

Elwarn looked Master over, a stern but evaluating look in his eye. “Yes, I remember. I’ve heard a rumor that he has a witness?”

“Rumors travel fast. Yes, and I have spoken with this witness. I would like to ask you to help me make sense of some of the information.”

Elwarn stiffened a little, a momentary bristling, before settling back in his composed posture. “Of course, Master Korrigan.”

“Good. The part that concerns me is the student mentioned, the one seeking to make the purchase. Do you have one who has spoken about becoming the next Archmage?” Korrigan went on to describe more of what the kid had said.

“There’s always one in every class, isn’t there? Yes, I think I know him. If he paid half as much effort to studying as he did to bragging, he might well reach the heights he claims. Duke Winselton’s boy, Roffil.”

Master let out a choked laugh, and I had to fight not to.

“Do you know him, Mage Tola?” Elwarn gave that stern look of a teacher being interrupted mid-lecture.

“No, no, sorry. I, ah, was amused by your phrasing. About his boasting.” Nice save. “That’s… really his name, is it?”

“Yes…? Is there an issue with it?”

“Ah, no, sir.” Master was still struggling to keep a straight face. At least they weren’t looking at me. Then again, my face didn’t really react the same way a human’s did, the muscles were all different and such.

Korrigan cleared his throat. “If you could get what information you can out of him, what he knows, how he knew the keeper sold his items, that sort of thing? Ask an Enforcer to assist you if you need to? I want this entire operation dealt with, not just a single bud nipped.”

“Right away, Master Korrigan.” Elwarn bowed lightly before heading back out.

“Well, then. I suppose the rest of the day is yours, Mage Tola. Here, one moment.” Korrigan retrieved a fresh paper, writing a message on it before signing it with a flourish, and using a metal stamp to emboss a seal into the paper. “Until we’ve had a chance to let people know of your joining, this should serve as proof.”

The letter was a simple affair. “Let it be known that Mage Tola is a member of the Mage’s Guild in good standing, and is to be afforded all rights and privileges that accompany such standing. Signed, Master Korrigan.” More or less, anyway.

“Thank you, Master Korrigan. I think I’d like to talk with some of the professors, or visit the library if they’re not available.” Master carefully stowed the letter in his satchel.

“If I have need of you, I will send for you. Unfortunately, I have a lot of work ahead of me, so we’ll have to talk later, perhaps over dinner.”

“Understood. Hope it, ah, goes well, I suppose.” Master didn’t know what else to say, so he opened the door and we slipped out into the hall.

Master had gotten a map at some point when I wasn’t paying attention, it seems, or maybe it was while I was in the pens. Either way, he knew where to go, so I just trotted along at his side. I overheard a few surprised conversations as we made our way through the streets. It seems that even in a magic university city thing, someone with a pet dragon still stands out.

We stopped at a door in a long hallway. There were a lot of strong scents coming from underneath, but I didn’t recognize them. Master knocked, and we waited only a few moments before it opened. Professor Dweli was the one that greeted us, seemingly lighting up in delight at the sight of me.

“Hello, Professor, I was hoping–” Master could barely even start to talk before Dweli knelt down in front of me, looking close into my eye and examining my head.

“Oh, I’m so glad you brought her! I’ve been hoping to get a chance to give her an examination! I’ve already catalogued nearly everything I could about the ones we have in our pens. They sold the one female they had before I even had a chance to watch the process of laying eggs! Can you believe it?”

I let out a soft whine, trying to pull away a little. She was… intense, and it was hard to stay calm. I tried looking up to Master and hoping he’d get the hint and rescue me.

“I don’t… know if you’ll be able to… watch that part. I mean, we can’t stay here long, and I don’t know how long it’ll be…” Master awkwardly tried to undo the excited anticipation, without being accidentally insulting.

“Well, you’ll just have to document absolutely everything for me, won’t you?” Dweli was scritching under my chin, lifting my head to try to look at the scales there, I suppose.

“I… think I can do that? Should we come inside?”

“Oh! Oh, yes, I suppose, better than examining her out in the hallway, isn’t it? I’m sorry, I just get so excited!” She ushered us into her combination office and laboratory, with a metal-topped table in the center, shelves and cabinets lining the walls, and a desk in the corner. She patted the table as she passed it, and I figured I might as well get this over with. So I jumped up onto the table, claws clicking against the metal.

“I have to admit that despite living with her for several months, I worry I know distressingly little about dragons. Their needs, their care, that sort of thing. She makes it pretty easy to tell if she likes something or doesn’t, but…” Master patted along my back, and I rolled over so I could get some belly rubs. I really liked belly rubs. The warm hand over the tightness there felt nice, and I purred deeply. If I was going to put up with poking and prodding, I was gonna get something nice first.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Dweli’s eyes were huge as she watched in awe, her voice barely above a whisper. “She… lets you touch her belly…? Oh my goodness, that’s so… Oh wow, she must really trust you! I didn’t think it was possible to get to that level of trust!” She reached a hand out and stopped, clearly hoping she could join in, but not wanting to risk it.

“Oh, ah, yeah, like I said, we’ve been a pair for… I want to say five months now? I rescued her from Elimaio, though she saved me too. If you’re gentle, maybe she’ll let you rub her belly?” The last question was phrased as if he was talking to Dweli, but he was looking down at me. I gave a soft wurf and flicked my tail to the side, rolling a little to offer my belly to the professor. I was blushing a bit under my scales, but I figured she wouldn’t do anything dangerous. It might be good to let an expert make sure everything was… as it should be?

Her hand first stroked my cheek, then was held in front of my face for me to sniff, so I acted as expected. Then she started stroking my chest, downward motions following the direction of my plates, my chest and underside having broad scutes instead of the smaller scales. She carefully made her way down slowly, little by little, watching intently for a reaction to tell her she should stop. But I let her make her way to the swollen belly, giving a soft purr. She used a gentle but firm touch, seeming to be prodding lightly in different spots.

“It seems she’s carrying five eggs… That’s not bad, especially for her first clutch. Well, maybe it’s not her first? Do you know how many she’s had before?” Dweli was still talking in quiet tones, and I could tell that if she had a tail, it would be wagging like mad.

“Oh, no, this is definitely her first.” Master chuckled nervously, and I blushed a little deeper. At least the professor was completely focused on the egg-heavy belly instead.

“She’s coming along nicely, it’ll probably be another month before she lays, though. Oh, I’d love to be able to get one of the hatchlings! Do you know the sire?”

“Er, not… really? I think he was… green?” I nodded slightly, blushing more and turning my head away. “Yeah, green. I saw that in, ah, Elimaio’s notes. He didn’t write more than that, though.”

“That’s a shame, I’d love to be able to trace their lineage. Princess here seems to be pretty good stock herself, do you know anything about her bloodline?” She was poking around the area, and her fingers were getting close to the hidden opening under my tail. I let out a yelp and pulled away, blushing more. Without my tail being raised, the overlapping plates hid the opening completely, but that area was still not one I wanted a stranger poking at.

“Ah, no, there’s no notes about that. I think Elimaio might have… captured her from the wild?” This was quickly becoming awkward in more ways than one.

“A wild dragon, being as docile as her? That’s incredible, you must have quite a gift!”

Master chuckled a little sheepishly. “Just lucky, I suppose. She’s an incredible girl.”

Dweli stroked along my tail lightly, clearly debating whether it was worth trying to pull it upward, but I’m glad she decided to be satisfied without that. Instead, she examined my twin ridges that ran along the top of the limb, the cartilage extending all the way down to the tip of my tail, which sported an arrowhead-shaped spade that was also made of stiff cartilage. “She’s quite a healthy specimen, you must be feeding her well.”

“I probably spoil her, but she earns it, really.” Master scritched lightly behind my horns, and I purred softly.

“Well, keep it up. Proper feeding is vital when they’re carrying eggs. Are you keeping them, or selling them?”

“Ah? Oh, well, I haven’t… really planned that far ahead yet? I don’t know if I could keep them, I only have so much space in the tower.” The question had caught Master completely by surprise. I didn’t fare much better, I’d been avoiding thinking of the future, or thinking about the eggs at all. It was hard enough to face the fact they were in me, as a former human male, and these questions were making me face that they’d have to come out, and we’d have to handle them. I have to admit, though, the thought of seeing little hatchlings gave me a warm feeling that I liked more than I expected to… All climbing over each other and playing, wagging their little tails and squeaking for food… I found myself purring without even realizing it, snapping out of the thoughts and blushing deeper. This was going to be a lot to unpack later…

“Oh, you simply MUST sell one of them to me! I’ll make sure to visit when they’re due to hatch, it’ll be about two months after she lays them. She’ll be pretty protective of them until then, I don’t think you’ll be able to travel much. At least without arranging a sitter. Be sure to ask me, if you have the chance.” I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of being left alone with this woman.

“I… admit I hadn’t thought about that. Hm. If I have to travel, I’ll make sure to make arrangements.”

Professor Dweli continued her examination, opening my mouth to inspect the inside, my teeth and gums. Her hands explored my wings, making sure they functioned properly, poking at the muscles involved. The whole time, she was asking Master questions, who did his best to answer them. It was an awkward experience and I was glad once it was over.

I was shuddering when we left. “I can’t believe you let her do all that.”

“I’m sorry, I had no idea she’d be so… enthusiastic. I just wanted an expert opinion, we can’t exactly find you a vet here. She’s the closest thing we have, except maybe the keeper.”

I shuddered more. “Okay, I’ll concede that point. Still, that was… Ugh. At least you didn’t let her inspect my… Under my tail.”

“Yeah, I’m glad she didn’t push. It would’ve been hard to explain why you were upset.”

“I hope we don’t have to have her as a sitter. I can imagine her poking and prodding and–Oop.” I cut myself off as we reached the end of the hall, the door we were at leading outside where there could be people. I had sort of lost track of my surroundings in my ranting, and it would’ve been bad if I’d gotten caught speaking.

Once outside, it was a short trip to the library. At first, the librarian didn’t want to let us in, but Master showed off his letter of membership.

“Well, I guess if Master Korrigan says so… You sure it’s safe to bring in your pet?”

“She’s safe, she won’t cause any problems. You have more to worry about from the students than you do from her.”

“That’s not saying too much, but fine. Just let me know if there’s anything specific you need.” The person at the desk sat back down, satisfied enough.

Once we were inside the library itself, we wandered the shelves a little bit. Something caught Master’s eye, as he collected a book from a shelf with a smile. “Oh, this should come in handy.” He held it out for me to read the cover, as he looked for a table where he could sit and read. “A Guide to Illusions”? What was Master planning?

Master sat down at the table, pulling a workbook out of his satchel. It started as one of the blank books, but had already been partially filled with sketched runes and diagrams. It wasn’t the same book as his spellbook, which was mainly used for holding shorthand versions of finished spells. Cluttering that up with in-progress stuff wasn’t ideal, after all.

I was curled up at his feet, settling in to snooze. Any peace was shattered, however, when a loud voice I’d heard before loudly interrupted.

“What is that beast doing here, without any restraints? Who do you think you are?” It was the student from the pens, the one Professor Elwarn had identified as Roffil.

“Princess isn’t causing any trouble. I have permission to have her with me.”

“You call such a fearsome creature ‘Princess’? If he could understand that, he’d be right to claw your face off. Hmph. How much do you want for it?” Ugh, was he still on about that?

Master set the book down, sighing heavily. “Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but SHE is not for sale. Is there something else I can help you with?”

“Don’t give me that! Do you have any idea who I am? I’m going to be the next Archmage, you know! You would do well to get into my good graces while you still can! I don’t know how a new student like you managed to get such special permission, anyway.”

“‘The next’…?” Master looked down at me and I nodded lightly. “Ah, you must be the one I’ve heard about, Roffil?”

The kid’s chest puffed up. I didn’t think it was possible for him to get any more arrogant, but he managed. “I’m glad news of my worthiness has reached you already. Now you know why you shouldn’t cross me. Such a creature is wasted on an Initiate like you, I demand you surrender him to me immediately!”

“I’m not an Initiate, I joined the Guild as a full Mage. And Princess is neither male nor yours. She stays with me. If you have nothing useful to say, please leave me to my research. I only have a couple days left before I head back to Hammerfell.”

Roffil was taken aback, stammering for a moment before he finally managed to speak. “Wh…? N-no, that’s impossible! Hammerfell is going to be MY area! I have my tower picked out and everything! Especially after some peasant managed to defeat Elimaio for me!”

Master sighed again. “You know that ‘some peasant’ is me, right? I took over that tower, I’ve been Hammerfell’s mage since. I guess you’ll have to find another posting, kid.”

“Absolutely not! I’ll… I’ll have my father evict you! I am not letting some… some… Ugh, whatever you are, keep MY tower and MY dragon!”

“Neither are yours in the first place. And I don’t appreciate the threat, especially from someone with a name as silly as ‘Roffil’.”

His face grew even redder. “What are you talking about? Roffil is a perfectly fine name! Why you…! You have made an enemy this day, and you will regret it!” With that, he stormed off.

We just watched his departure in silence, before Master let out a long sigh, releasing the tension that had built up during the exchange.

“I wonder if he was so wound up because he’s been through questioning, or if his day is about to get even worse.” I mused out loud, since we were alone again.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ll have to ask about the proper way to resolve disputes, I think. I don’t want to risk ending up in some kind of duel situation. Last thing I need is to be forced to defend myself and find out I’ve broken some kind of law, especially if he goes crying to Daddy Winselton. That threat of eviction might not be idle, either, what with our debt and all.”

I grimaced, my head dipping a bit. “Oof, I hadn’t even thought about that. Yeah, this could end up a lot worse before it’s over…”

Master put his hand down, petting over my head. “Well, worst case, maybe we can get a new place through the Guild or something. As long as I’ve got you, I don’t mind where we end up. Whether that’s a Guild assignment, or even just living in some town on our own.”

I gave a deep purr, closing my eyes. “I still wanna bite him.”

“If it was up to me, I’d let you.”

We arrived at the dining hall with dinner already in full swing. We had almost missed it, as Master was wrapped up in his studying and I was simply dozing at his feet. We weren’t sure where to sit, but we saw Professor Dweli wave us towards the table she was at, along with the rest of the group we met last night. It seems she had saved us a pair of seats, though I noticed that this time, she was next to them. Clearly, the price for that consideration was that I’d sit next to her, so I obliged.

Artificer Botolf nodded as we sat down. “Heard you decided to join. Good.” He reminded me a little of Arlond, viewing words as raw materials and not wishing to use more than was necessary to get the job done.

“Ah, yeah, this is a really impressive place, after all. I don’t know how much help I can provide, but I couldn’t turn down the opportunities.”

Professor Elwarn gave a sort of smile, as much as one as stern as him smiled. “I hope your day was more pleasant than yesterday.”

“Oh, well, no missing scales, anyway. Did have a run-in with that Roffil kid. Apparently he has his eye on my tower as well as Princess.” Master leaned back as one of the kitchen staff set down plates for the two of us. I guess the others had signaled them somehow? I couldn’t tell with the chaos and noise of the hall.

“Your tower? I thought he was planning to stay near Winselton, so he could continue to lean on his father to get his way.”

Botolf grunted. “Hammerfell’s just south of there, remember?”

Elwarn looked thoughtful for a moment. “I thought that was still held by that Elimaio fellow? A shame what he did before he left…”

Master poked at his meal lightly. “I, ah, defeated him. I thought you knew?”

At this, Elwarn nodded. “Forgive me. I was aware you had only recently started studies, but I did not know the full details. This sounds like a sensitive subject, however.”

Master Korrigan spoke up. “I can tell you the details later, Professor. There’s not much more to tell, but I’ll be happy to answer any questions I can about our newest Mage. But yes, Mage Tola is going to keep his position in the tower at Hammerfell.” After a short pause, he added, “Don’t mind us, we can be a gossipy sort. You don’t learn magic by not wanting to know everything about everything, after all.”

Master finished chewing his bite of dinner and swallowed. “It’s all right, I don’t mind answering questions either. I just sort of thought everyone already knew at this point. Seems like just about everyone does, sometimes.”

Dweli, meanwhile, had abandoned any pretense of following the conversation, instead intently watching me daintily eat my meal, including drinking from the bowl of water that was provided for me. I guess they were able to make better arrangements for me today, with a bit of advance notice. That was nice of them.

There was minor small talk being made, with Master mostly listening as they talked about students, or about matters of bureaucracy, or weather, or other topics.

“There is something I need to ask, though. This Roffil kid… I don’t know if he’d actually try anything, but I’d rather be prepared. What should I do if he tries anything towards myself or Princess? Like trying to steal her, or attack me, or something?”

There was a bit of quiet after that. Korrigan was the first to talk. “Generally, we prefer disputes to be resolved with words before anything else. But, as you said, he is a bit of a hothead. You said you told him you were a Mage, so I doubt he’d actually challenge you to a duel. And I don’t think you’d have any problem if he did. If he tries to attack your dragon when you’re not there, well… You can’t exactly be liable for her defending herself, can you?” The grin on his face was almost scary. “If he tries to go through proper channels, all of us will support you. If he tries to go outside of proper channels, he gets what he gets, and the other students get a reminder that they should go through proper channels.”

Professor Elwarn nodded at that. “I’ll ask Magister Yenturan to speak to the legal professionals regarding Roffil’s threat, as well. I doubt he has any actual grounds, but it is best to guard against all angles.”

Master sighed softly. “I appreciate the support, everyone. Maybe I’m worried over nothing, but I prefer not to take chances. After all, I only had a broken table leg when I stood against Elimaio, and hadn’t studied any magic at all. I got lucky and made an opening for Princess to be able to save me. I don’t want to get unlucky if Roffil tries something.”

There was some murmured agreement and awkward silence. I suppose Dweli thought she’d try to break it with something more pleasant.

“Speaking of Princess, I was hoping I could talk the guild into buying her clutch? I wanted to buy one for myself, but since we’re down to only two dragons and they’re both male, we could use more specimens for my studies. And I’m sure Mage Tola could use the funding.”

“I don’t know if we’ll choose to purchase all of them, but I’m sure we could arrange one or two? I don’t know how many dragons we need, though we could sell them later, I suppose.” Korrigan nodded, stroking his chin.

It felt uncomfortably like being tallied up by a butcher, the casual conversation of my offspring being bought and sold as commodities. Combined with the reminder that said offspring would be animals. I tried to put it out of my head and focus on my meal.

“I don’t exactly have a buyer lined up, so I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed. I’d have to, ah, think about it, though?” I think Korrigan caught the look Master gave me, but I could be imagining it.

“No need for an answer right away. After all, I don’t have one for you.”

At least with the ice broken, conversation was nice again, with Master talking about how he’d been spending the day in the library. With dinner finished, the day was essentially over.

Master and I were back in our room that night, with Master sitting heavily on the bed and sighing. I climbed up next to him and rested my head on his chest, tucking my nose in under his chin. “I’d say the day was mostly good. Heck, compared to Roffil, I’d take Professor Dweli any day. I’d even let her do a full inspection.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t make you deal with either any more than necessary. Hopefully this Roffil turns out to be more hot air than anything else.” He wrapped his arms around me, stroking along my sides gently.

“Hopefully. Still, we’ve got one more day, and then we head back home the morning after, right?” I let out a huge yawn.

“Yeah. I plan to spend most of it in the library, maybe I’ll ask about borrowing the book I was studying today. Still, we should get some rest.” He laid down and I curled up with him, this time letting him be closer to the wall, just in case.