Night the Amethyst Dragon

I could hardly contain my excitement as I rushed through the wide, short, silvery halls of the science wing. My tunic fluttered behind me, and my cloak threatened to wrap around my tail and ruin my first impression. I was on my way to one of the school’s Alchemy Labs. The new semester had started, and because I was a second year, almost every class in my field was practical.

I was the second to arrive. Outside the door I adjusted my clothing, took a few breaths to not seem so winded, and walked into the laboratory. The professor nodded at me as I found a table to sit at. Glass beakers, burners, sample vials, and measurement equipment filled the walls below the high windows, densely furnishing the lab. The tables for the students were all geared towards experiments as well. They had a raised platform before each seat for papers and recording results, but the rest of each table was a grid of metal mesh that was designed for equipment to clip into for extra safety.

“You’re…” the professor glanced at the sundial embedded in the window. “Almost half an hour early.”

“Yes, uh…”

“Sir.”

“Yes, sir.” I chirped. “I’m just excited to be here.”

“Good, I hope you bring that excitement with you every day. Also, I appreciate the gusto, but we have assigned seating. What is your name?”

“Night, sir.” I said.

“Ahh, you’re on the two person team. Our class size isn’t a multiple of three, so I put you with a transfer student who is also an Alchemist.”

He directed me to my correct seat. Then, I dropped my bag and overcoat, wrapping my tail around me to get comfortable. I pulled out the alchemical reference tome we’d be using for this class and began looking through the pages. It wasn’t the most exciting thing in the world, but the reference diagrams and figures held my interest long enough for the other students to arrive and make their way to their seats.

“Alright class,” the professor began. I looked around the room, and I saw my lab partner hadn’t arrived. I met eyes with the professor and he just shrugged.

“This is the lab course for extraction of uncleftish elements and typed mana. I expect that you all read the syllabus, so we will be beginning now.”

At that moment, a charcoal grey dragon entered; most of their stinkingly dark scales covered by a coat, sweatshirt, and form fitting leggings. They surveyed the seats as the professor continued his preamble, and locked eyes with me. After dropping their own coat and sitting on it, they turned to me.

“Did I miss anything good?”

“Just a ‘you better have read the syllabus’ and what the course is about.” I turned to them. “I’m Night, by the way. I use he.”

They raised their claw to shake mine, and I instinctively took it in response.

Their eyes were cobalt, and sliced me to pieces; cooly examining each cross section with… interest, maybe? Curiosity? They had horn scrimshaw - a trellis with thorny vines and flowers at the base of their left horn. Delicately stained to have each flower and stem be its correct color. It drew my eye for a moment before they spoke.

“I’m Ash” they finally said. “They, for me, please.”.

They let go of my claw, and I realized how strangely long the claw shake was. Perplexed, I nodded and turned back to the lecturer.

My eyes wanted to drift, and look at their striking color, or their incredibly keen eyes, but I forced myself to remain focused and successfully fought back control of my attention.

“As you all know, there are several types of alchemical reagents. Uncleftish elements, compounds, and solutions. This class will focus on reacting mundane chemicals to extract mana and uncleftish elements for use and study…”

***

Natural philosophy was the core passion of my life, but I also loved art.

The little sculptures, drawings, and projects were all for me though. I figured if people were going to know my name for some reason, it would be for my professional pursuits, not the little crafts I did for the simple pleasure of doing it.

I sketched with a pencil on some loose paper I had in my room. Long quick strokes marked the edges of a flask on a bunsen burner. I paused for a moment, unsure of how to draw a liquid boiling.

The pause gave my mind time to wander, and quickly I found myself imagining Ash’s face. Still in drawing mode, my brain worked to remember the shapes and patterns. The gentle lines of their jaw, the decorated but still smooth curve of their horns, and their eyes. Their striking blue eyes.

I shook my head, blinked, and continued sketching the scientific equipment, all the while perturbed by how easily this dragon had slipped into my mind.

***

Extractions was a tri-weekly class, and once Wednesday arrived, I found myself seated next to the curious gray dragon again. Words stuck in my throat, and my mouth refused to form the vowels and consonants of even the basic sentences scurrying around my mind. A cursory ‘good morning’ was all I could manage, but felt strange, and I was suddenly overly aware of my voice.

Ash leaned over to whisper to me.

“I have it on good authority that there is a lab safety pop quiz at the end of the week.”

“Kinda defeats the purpose of a pop quiz.” Why in all the hells did I say that?

They looked at me, and once again I felt flayed open.

“You don’t seem like the type to be fooled by pop quizzes.”

“How do you mean?” It’s ‘what do you mean’ you rural bumpkin.

“What is the maximum length for jewelry in the lab?”

“You can’t have jewelry in the lab.” I turned to look at them, and Ash wore a knowing smirk. “Point taken.”

“I don’t like when classes feel the need to punish their students like that. We were supposed to read the safety manual, and we should be tested on the safety manual. No need for mean spirited surprises.”

I tilted my head, thinking about it for a moment. I’d never considered a pop quiz to be a warning shot before, but I saw where Ash was coming from.

“Good point. I think I agree.”

The professor’s voice filtered back into my awareness.

“Alright, we’re almost done here. You all need to meet with your lab groups before Friday, and sign off each other’s safety manuals. Any questions?”

Then, after a few moments of silence,

“We are starting lab work on Friday. So be prepared. Dismissed.”

Ash looked at me with an expression that read as “see, what did I tell you?”. It made sense, though. Safety was important here, and having a pop quiz to disqualify the people who just rubber stamped one another seemed like a reasonable strategy. Still, why not just tell us we'd be tested on it?

“I don’t have anything before lunch. Do you want to go ahead and do this?” Ash asked.

“Sure! I don’t have anything either. Let's do the safety stuff in the dining hall, and then we'll be there for lunch!”

They looked at me, a curious spark in their eye. A moment of consideration passed before they spoke again.

“I like that plan. Let’s go.”

The environment on the way to the large dining halls of our school had become fascinating. At least, that was the impression I must have given Ash. I looked everywhere but at them, and it became increasingly obvious as I walked past a turn they stopped at. A few steps later, I noticed their absent presence and turned back to look at them.

“The transfer student is showing the way to the sophomore?” They teased.

“I - uh, I was lost in thought. Sorry.”

I joined them, and we began walking again. “What is a sophomore?”

“It’s what mixed species universities call a second year.”

“Oh, that’s… interesting. Where did you transfer from?”

“The Grande Capital School of Magic.” They replied.

“Why did you leave?” I asked. They glanced at me, and I quickly added, “if it’s something you don’t mind talking about, that is.”

“I don’t, I’m just curious about something.”

We arrived at the dining room, and we sat at the end of one of the long stone tables, across from one another.

“What about?”

“Why do you want to know?”

Their face was friendly, but their eyes remained analytical. Glancing at them, I saw no malice, only a curious gaze. Its earnestness disarmed me and spurred me to honesty, as that same curiosity bloomed in me.

“I like talking to you, and I want to know more about you.”

They looked pleased at my response. “Most folks would say, ‘I’m just curious.’. I appreciate you not deflecting.”. They pulled out their copy of the lab safety manual. “I transferred here to get away from where I grew up.”

“Capital City?”

“Yes. I figured a few hours flight would be good enough to experience something new.”

We went over the lab manual and chatted intermittently until the growing swell of dragons signaled that lunch was about to be served.

“Do you want the main entree today? I can go get it if you keep our seats.”

“Yes, and thank you. you’re quite the gentleman outside of class.”

As I walked to the serving area, I wondered if that was a joke about Common. Did they also speak a draconic dialect that was gender neutral? My “home town” tongue was, but I wondered if they chose gender neutral Common pronouns because they didn’t identify with gender, or because they were traditionalist about not referring to another dragon’s sex directly.

Thinking about the dragon themselves, though, I highly doubted it was for traditional reasons. Scrimshaw was considered profaning “dragon pride”. I rolled my eyes at the traditionalist babble.

Common helped unite disparate communities of dragons, but it was a human invention. An invention that imposed gender onto a people who traditionally kept that as a private interpersonal matter.

I retrieved the plates of… something… it could have been a plate of raw mice for as much as I was paying attention. I returned to the table on my back legs, carefully holding the plates. They were once more pursuing the manual.

“Did we miss anything?”

“Nope, all that’s left is to sign each other’s flyleaf and we’ll be done.”

***

Friday came and went with its predicted bloodbath. A little under half the class was dismissed and told to return Saturday for a makeup test.

We began with simple experiments, like mixing sour wine and soda ash to produce fixed air and then absorbing the product in slaked lime.

Ash and I were riveted by the process, and our mutual excitement drew eye rolls from the less enthusiastic students.

***

Monday saw me staring off into the chalkboard as Ash, once more, silently appeared at my side.

“Everything okay?” They asked.

“Huh.” Startled from my stupor, I responded loud enough that the professor stopped to glance at me before continuing. I pinched the top of my snout and rubbed my eyes with my talon for a moment before finishing my response. “Uh, yeah. Can we hang out after class again?”

“Sure!” they said, sounding happy. I felt watched, however, as they glanced at me in my gloomy mood.

***

“So, what’s got you in your head?” Ash asked me as we found an empty balcony to sit upon.

“I finally got out to a total combat competition this weekend. I now realize that it’s… uh… not my thing.”

They looked at me sympathetically. “I’m not big on it either, and I know it can be rough to see for the first time.”

“Total honesty?” I asked.

“Total honesty.” They repeated.

“I hated it. It was barbaric. I felt sick to my stomach seeing that green dragon covered in blood, but the part that really bothered me was the crowd. They cheered for him, they were so proud and excited and I just… I couldn’t handle seeing that citrine dragon with their neck split open like that. It...” I trailed off.

They put a claw on my shoulder and spoke. “I don’t like what it says about dragons that the fans are so into such a literally violent sport.” They paused and sighed. “But I disagree with people calling for it to be banned.”

“Why’s that?”

“Fundamentally, I want my life to be about experiences.” I cocked my head at their indirect answer. “That is an experience that two fully consenting adults go into, and presumably get something positive from. I don’t want anyone limiting the experiences I want to have because they had a bad reaction.”

“That’s a pretty interesting way of viewing life.” I said.

“What do you get from going here?”

“Do you mean ‘why am I here’?”

“We can start with that.”

“I want to be an alchemist. I want to be one of the dragons making discoveries and inventing things at a research university.”

“So you get an education, but that doesn’t say anything about why you are sticking it out. Do you like learning? Do you enjoy the life of a student? Or is it all just forward to that objective?”

I thought for a moment. I hadn’t really considered anything beyond the long-term reason I was here. Did I enjoy school? I hadn’t considered it. Had I never, in the entire year I’ve been here, considered if I’ve been having a good time?

“Hmm.” was my elegant response. They chuckled, but continued to wait for my consideration.

“I - I haven’t cared if I enjoyed it or not. I didn’t even realize I was overlooking that.”

“Well, you don’t have to answer that for me. But, I think it’s important to answer that for yourself, though.”

“Yeah.”

“I mentioned I want experiences. I want to be an alchemist too, but I don’t like the game that education is. I don’t care about my grades as long as I am passing. I truly just want to learn as much as I can here. About Alchemy, other dragons, myself…”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I haven’t even asked myself if I liked it here.”

They smiled at me and spoke. “Well, you are certainly one of the dragons I want to learn more about.”

***

I sat in my nest room and stared at a pile of wood shavings. I started with blocks of balsa and had reduced one of them to various sizes of slivers and chips. For the other, I carved the edges off of it so that I was left with a roughly tapered rod. I pulled out a bottle of wood glue and began layering the various sized wood slivers back on the rod, or trunk more accurately; I was making a little pine tree. If my plan worked correctly, then I would go back in after the glue dried and split the slivers into rough pine tree needle-shaped leaves.

After getting about half of the material on the trunk, I stood to stretch out. My hips felt great as I pressed them towards the ground, relieving the tension of sitting for so long. As I pushed my chest down, I caught sight of one of the alchemy tomes, and my mind went to Ash. My eyes went wide. I should make them something! What though…

***

My grin must have been obvious because the professor gave me a strange look as I walked into the lab, my usual fifteen minutes early. I had showed some restraint and began arriving closer to the time the other students arrived.

As usual, the professor began, and moments later Ash arrived.

I smiled at Ash as they took their seat next to me.

“Good morning.” I whispered.

“You’re in a good mood this morning.”

I nodded goofily at them.

After class, I asked Ash if they wanted to spend time together again, and we found a balcony to sit and chat on. It was a garden. Hardy evergreen bushes and young trees were the only botanicals that could survive at this altitude, so that was a large part of our external decor.

“I made you something. I know the Grande Capitol University’s mascot is a Wolf…” I pulled the small carved wolf from my bag and presented it to them.

“Oh, Gods that’s adorable. Did you really make this?” they asked.

“Yep. I - “

A sudden hug interrupted me. They were warm against me in the chilly mountain air, and I embraced them back after a moment.

They, keeping their claws on my shoulders, looked me in the eye and spoke.

“I want to say thank you. Do you feel like a quick flight to lunch?”

“In town?”

“Yes.”

“Absolutely.”

***

Even though Silver Talon Springs was directly below the college, it was rather difficult to get to. Daredevils would just fold their wings, make the several hundred foot drop, and then spread their wings in time to not become Dragon tartar.

Sane dragons have to deal with the famously strong updraft. It comes up with the sheer face and can push a dragon above the University itself. From there, dragons switch back and forth, losing altitude until they arrive in a field outside of town.

We opted for the latter technique, and I followed Ash as they made aggressive cuts in elevation. They didn’t tell me where we were going, but before long we touched down in a field just outside of town that I knew was jokingly called “port dragon”.

The index claw of the Silver Talon Mountains formed the western boundary of the town. To the north, between what would be the index and middle talons of the range, was a waterfall that fed into a large lake.

We stopped at a lake-view restaurant. Its patio backed up to a small landing where people could launch smaller, portable boats. I smelled the savory aroma of cooking meats, baking bread, and wood smoke. Silvia pooled in my mouth.

“What kind of restaurant is this?” I asked.

“I heard there was a new human place in town. They serve these flatbread dishes with meat and cheese on them. I don’t remember what they are called.”

I was having trouble keeping my tongue in my mouth as we walked inside. The staff were all either human or beastpeople. Unsurprisingly, the human restaurant’s accommodations were bipedal focused, but they were happy to serve us, and apologized that they could not provide inside seating. After we ordered, we carefully navigated the close tables and chairs. Then we walked out and sat on a patio that looked out at the water, side-by-side. The tables were a little low, but a staff member helped by removing the chairs, so we were comfortable.

Fishermen and pleasure-craft floated about on the vast lake. The nearby pier was bustling with people loading in and out of faeries, workers bringing in catches, and merchants looking to score the best fish. The smell of cooking, coffee, and food was all around, and it coalesced into something beautiful. I looked at Ash, and we shared a contented smile for a second before I spoke.

“This is so nice, thank you for bringing me here.”

“Like I said, I’m all about new experiences, and I figured the best return gift I could give you was exactly that.”

“I think your philosophy is growing - “

I was interrupted by the waiter arriving with our food.

“A cheese and sauce pinsa for you.” He put the large round flatbread in front of me. “And the herb and olive oil for you.” He said, placing the pinsa in front of Ash. After he sat the platters down, he pulled out a large mezzaluna and cut the flatbreads into triangles, through their centers.

“Gods, this looks so good.” Ash said. I just hungrily nodded.

“Enjoy, you two.” He said and went back inside.

I picked up a slice, but immediately dropped it back into place.

“Hot!” I cried, shaking my claw to air the mild burns.

They nodded and stared off at the water. A few comfortable moments of quiet passed, and then Ash broke the silence.

“I already miss it…”

“What’s that?” I asked, picking up a slice. It had cooled enough.

“Grande Capital University. Or just the Capital. It is a beautiful city, but… I just had to move on.”

“Why?” I asked.

“It was just -” they sighed and picked up their own slice. ”Every day was exactly the same. The classes, the nightlife, the… well, everything. I needed to experience something else. Over the summer I traveled, and I saw these mountains, and that’s when I knew I couldn’t stay in the Capitol. Your gift means a lot because it’s something tangible to remember my time there.”

“Did coming here help?”

“Yes. I don’t actually want to change schools every year, but I knew I couldn’t finish there. There’s enough extracurricular activities and new dragons here that I know I’ll be able to sate this craving.”

“I - “ I began, but it struck me how I’d taken my varied experience for granted. “My family moved a lot when I was growing up. It felt like every three or four years we were on the wing to some other town. I got used to the opposite.” I took a bite, and it was incredible. The cheese and the peppery, herby tomato sauce combined to sing with flavor. “Oh, gods this is good.”

They looked at their slice suspiciously and took a small bite. “Oh, wow.”

“Do you want to try mine?” I asked

“Yeah, let’s trade these pieces.”

I took a bite from their slice and was, again, floored. The grassy bright herbs and the oil seemed to have the same “better than the sum of its parts” effect as the tomatoes and cheese.

“This is incredible.” I said to them, turning to see them looking guilty, with a single corner of the crust sticking out of their mouth. I laughed, and after a moment of chewing, they joined me.

We continued our meal, trading pieces as often as we ate our own and chatting easily the whole time, effortless jokes coming from both of us like old friends.

While Ash was distracted, I paid the tab and got a playful wing slap for it. “Hey, this date was supposed to be my treat!”

Date? My mouth hung open for a second as that statement processed in my mind. They looked just as flustered as I, at their slip of the tongue. After a silent moment of us looking at one another wide eyed, they spoke up. “Damn it, you know what? I do want this to be a date.”

“I - I’d like that too.”

“Come on, then. Let’s walk around the lake.”

We walked along, and despite the supposedly raised stakes of our outing, conversation with Ash remained as easy as it ever was. The only difference being that we walked with tails brushing one another and we would accent jokes with hip bumps.

A lot of our trek was in low plains grasses, but after about half an hour we crested a hill, and were suddenly looking at a freshwater beach. The sand was a beautiful, dark silvery gray.

“Wow.” We spoke simultaneously.

“What is this?” They asked.

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen it before. Even from above. It looks like rock dust from the mountain, though. Maybe this is where they dumped it, and it somehow became a beach?”

“There’s a great view of the waterfall here.” They said and gestured that I should follow. I did, and we ran down the steep dune of sand towards the water.

“The sand feels fantastic.” I said, claws sinking into the softness of the ground.

“I know! I haven’t been to a beach since I was little.”

We had picked up momentum running down the hill, and both stopped with some wing parachuting before we hit the water.

“Wanna swim?” They asked.

“It’s way too cold for me. That water usually has a thin sheet of ice in the mornings.”

They gazed at the water, and I seized my chance. I put the end of my tail in the water and waited a breath for them to look back my way. Once they did, I splashed them with some of the frigid water. They gasped indignantly and jumped at me.

“Oh! You son of a…“ they playfully chided.

I took the tackle by rolling back, and without realizing it, I brought them over me. We were snout to snout, with them standing above me. Their mischievous grin faded, and a serious look entered their eyes. I reached up with my foreclaw, and touched their cheek. Then, they brought their head down, and we kissed.

The kiss wasn’t overly intimate or familiar. It felt more like a question. My answer was yes, and the forks of our tongues played for a moment before they brought their head back up.

“Is this okay?” They asked.

“Of course.”

They brought themself lower to resume the kiss, and that time I held their face with both of my foreclaws. Our tongues played and danced as Ash laid on my chest and then moved their foreclaws to hold my face as well. We stayed close, enjoying each other’s warmth and the natural beauty surrounding us.

We separated again, and this time they looked down at me hungrily.

“Do you have any classes after this?” I asked.

“Not any that I’m unwilling to skip.”

“Same.” I replied with a sly smirk.

“Do you want to take this back to your room?”

“Absolutely.”

The mountainous air currents brought us back up to the university without the effort of flying straight up hundreds of feet. We soared with my spirits, and I realized I had an answer to Ash’s question from the other day. I was having fun here.

***

We found our way back to my den, and it was empty.

Ash stood, put both foreclaws on the wall, and then undid their cloak. It fell to the floor, and my heart skipped a beat. Their lithe, but gently muscled back captured my eyes. My gaze traced their figure, and stuck on their hips. The sight transfixed me. They looked back, and suggestively swished their tail back and forth.

They giggled. “You like what you see?”

“Ash, you are gorgeous.” I said with awe in my voice.

Turning back to me, they held my shoulders and kissed me on the nose.

“I’d like to go slow, so we can savor this.”

I responded by gently taking their face in my claw, and kissing from their cheek to their ear. “I like that idea.”

I laid on my side, and Ash curled up in front of me in the nest, snout to snout, and wrapped their tail around mine. Our claws found each others under the blanket of wings we made. I pushed my head forward to kiss them again.

We kissed slowly, and comfortably, urgency tempered with the desire to enjoy every step of this process, just as they had said. Their philosophy was growing on me, and I couldn’t help but marvel at how much it changed the little day-to-day experiences of my life. A kiss wasn’t just a transition to intimate moments, but an opportunity to feel their warmth, to taste the spices still on their breath, and to experience them as they experienced me.

Once it ended, we looked into one another’s eyes, and their free claw traced little circles on my tunic over my chest. My grin grew as their touch moved lower, and the mischievous look in their eye turned to want. I let go of their claw, and caressed their side, tracing a line from their shoulders all the way to their hip. They helped me as I pulled their hips closer to mine, tangling our legs so that we could be closer to one another.

“I’ve not asked before now, and I’m sorry if it’s awkward, but… uh… what equipment do you have?”

They smiled and responded. “One thing I appreciate about this school’s culture, and you, is that now is the only time it’s mattered, so now is the only time it’s come up.”

They took my claw from their hip and slid it under the waistband of their pants between their legs. It was warm, wet, and smooth.

“Do you want me to wear protection?” I asked.

“I’m still several months out.” They said.

Then, using one digit, I began teasing around their slit, brushing over it slowly.

“Oooh.” they cooed, bringing their head into my shoulder. They lifted their leg, and I could touch inside without applying pressure. After a moment, I gently stroked their clit, and they gasped into my shoulder. My member throbbed with excitement.

I remembered our conversation and focused on the moment, realizing how much I liked the feeling of their breath on my chest and all the little sounds they were making. I wanted to hear more.

“I’d like to switch to using my tongue.”

They giggled at my playful formality, and responded in kind.

“I would be delighted to accommodate your desires.”

They rolled onto their back, and I followed, standing over them. I pushed their tunic up, and my lips brushed the scales of their chest, before trailing down to their belly. My heartbeat quickened as I pulled down their leggings, and I continued kissing from their belly to between their legs. They kicked their pants the rest of the way off, and I grabbed their thighs as I laid my chest on their tail. They were looking down at me, so I unfurled my tongue, slowly demonstrating its length. They shivered in anticipation. I grinned deviously. My tongue pressed at the lowest part of their slit, and I trailed its length over the soft curve, stopping just before their clit. I repeated the slow action on the other side, and they let out a shaky sigh.

Next, I dragged my tongue through the center of where I had teased, and they groaned. This time I did not ignore the little nub, and wrapped the very end of my tongue around it. They gasped and braced the ground with their forelegs.

I pressed my tongue in, and they moaned. After folding it over inside them, my tongue’s fork brushed my lips, and I used its length to stroke inside.

“Gods, Night. Keep doing that!”

I continued, and they squirmed in my grasp, gasping at each of my slow machinations. With the loop I had inside them, I could stroke both front and back at the same time, so I did. The sounds they made drove longing deeper into me. My member - almost painfully hard - pressed against their tail. Slowly, I withdrew my tongue, and smirked up at them. They were still panting as they sat up, grabbed my face, and pulled me over them.

“I guess you liked that.” I said.

“You damn tease! I was about to cum from just that.”

They kissed me, wrapping my tongue in theirs for a moment. Once they broke the kiss, they grabbed my shoulders, rolled to the side, and switched our positions.

“Oh… uh, I've never done it this way before.”

Stepping back, they pulled my own trousers down to my ankles, and I kicked them to the side of the nest. They sauntered as they stepped back over me.

“Guide yourself in.” They spoke directly into my ear. I held myself up, and they brought their hips to mine.

We both groaned as Ash adjusted their weight to accommodate the new position. They put their claws on my chest, and then began.

“Gods, you feel so good Ash.”

I started pushing back, upwards with my hips, in rhythm with them. Their breaths became moans as I did, and my own joined theirs as we settled into a pace.

We kissed again, tongues swirling and playing to the rhythm. I focused on the sensations, on how Ash’s weight pressing into my chest and hips felt, how their tongue wrapping mine felt, and how their lovely warmth embraced my own. It was ecstasy.

Ash's legs began to shake, and I brought my foreclaws to their rear to… help out. We sped up, breathing growing even more ragged as our thrusts became faster and harder.

“Gods, just like that.” They gasped out.

I kept the rhythm, and their claws started to kneed my chest through my shirt. They closed their eyes, focusing on a few more pumps, before laying down over my chest, and pressing their face into my neck.

“Oh, oh gods.” Their voice mixed with a growl, and I felt a spasm run through them. I pulled them forward, so our chests were even, and I was no longer inside them. The sudden cold air was enough stimulation for me to complete as well. I ground my member into the underside of their tail as I came. At the same time, I brought my forelegs up, and held them around their shoulders, pressing my face into the top of their head. I wanted to feel their warmth with as much of my body as I could. My nose brushed the scrimshaw on their horn, and the texture tickled as I nuzzled them into me.

We lay panting in a heap beside my nest, lost in the afterglow, and awash in the sensations we had provided for one another.

“That was incredible.” I said.

“I was going to try and make some ‘not bad’ kind of joke, but I've never came at the same time as someone else before.” They replied, panting.

I stroked their neck, going from the base of their horns down to their shoulder.

“I'm so glad I met you.”

They brought their head up, and looked me in the eyes. Those colbalt irises, ineffable as ever, filled my heart and etched themselves into my mind. We kissed again, gently, our mutual hunger abaited, and lost ourselves in one another once more.

***

“I wanna show you my place, come on!”

After we napped, cleaned up, and got dressed, Ash and I sat by the unlit fire pit in the den room and chat for a while. The rest of the curtains to each nest room were open, so it appeared we were still alone.

“Okay, what floor is it?” I asked.

“I live in town.” They said.

Then it all clicked in my head. That's why they were always a minute or so late for class, and why they rarely wore flowy clothing like cloaks. They had to fly up every morning.

We landed in “port Dragon” a few minutes later, and walked into town with the ends of our tails intertwined; tips flicking playfully at the another's.

The harder corners and flatter walls of a normal building felt strange to me for a moment. I was used to the rounded carving of stone magic and the texture of granite surrounding me from being at the school so long. I really need to get out more. I thought to myself.

I looked around their apartment. It was modest, just like the dorm nests, but clearly built with species modularity in mind. The doors were tall, to accommodate bypeds, and the furniture was wide to accommodate quadrupeds and not have bypeds sitting on the floor. They had hung a few paintings on the walls of famous inventors and alchemists, most of whom were historical figures at this point.

A bookshelf was the focal point of the sitting room their front door led into, and my attention was immediately drawn by the collection of old and new looking books, scrolls, and loose leaf. Technical manuals and references mixed evenly with fiction and poetry.

“Ahh, a fellow bookwyrm.” They said, observing me as I perused their shelves. I looked back into their cool analytical eyes and saw approval. “Inspecting my hoard.”

“I always do.” I smirked. “It tells you a lot about a person.”

“Hmm…” They moved to the bookshelf and placed the small wooden wolf figurine I had given them on a shelf at eye level. “What does my collection say?”

I could tell that they were going to get as much about me from my answer, as I could ever hope to glean from a bookshelf.

“I see balance.” I answered, honestly.

“Oh?”

“Yes, you have the technical books of someone who does the amount of self study our profession demands, but you also have a lot of fiction. I see classics, modern books, and poetry.” I paused and brought a claw up to stroke my chin. “All in all I see someone who loves experiencing life, but not so hedonistically as to get themselves in trouble.” then I grinned at them. “How'd I do?”

They walked up and kissed my nose as I looked down at them. Their eyes held affection as they looked up at me. I could tell they found comfort in me, but I didn't know what I had done to warrant it from them. Every impression they gave me was of an exceptionally keen and cautious person; the kind of person whose trust was hard earned and easily lost. I had almost forgotten we were talking by the time they spoke again.

“Okay. I'm sorry, but it's time for a serious question. What kind of relationship do you want this to be?”

***

I stared at the disks of deer antler on my desk. One or two of them may have been large enough for a portrait, but I didn't have the confidence to attempt such a feat with my limited supplies.

I only got to do this once or twice a year. A friend I made in secondary school would mail me his sheds, and I would mail him back some of the pieces of scrimshaw I did with them.

Part of me resisted the intuition, though. I probably could do a portrait, and I knew exactly who it would be.

Ash’s face came to mind. I have a partner now. The thought had yet to fail to bring a smile to my face. Their strikingly dark scales lent to the monochromatic ink I had available.

I smirked and picked up the stylus.