As I see the waitress coming over, I ask Alicia and Dhargana to give me a chance to explain after we’ve ordered our food. Alicia narrows her eyes at me, letting me know that I’d better have a good explanation for selling our homeworld out to a foreign power. While Dhargana focuses on Kathy instead, appearing lost in thoughts. This leaves me to face a different dilemma. What to order for lunch? I’d love to try everything on the menu, but that would take weeks. The waitress notices, however, and tells me they have a dish with many tiny pieces of meat, all prepared differently. I thank her and order it without further thought. While Kathy goes for the largest slab of meat on the menu. When I return my attention to the other 2 women, Dhargana has already resumed eating without a care in the world, but Alicia is still staring at me. “So”, she says, “please elaborate on why you’d consider it a good thing for Miss Kathy Irthos Darastrix over there to conquer earth?” She does not hide her suspicion of the noble outsider at our table. “I’m more interested in if she has the power to make it happen.”, Dhargana pipes in. Earning her a scowl from Alicia. Unsure, I look at Kathy. Having spilled the beans two times in a row is more than enough for one evening. So I’ll let her take the lead on how she wants to handle this. “It’s a purely hypothetical question at this point in time.” She says. I do my best not to smirk, yeah, until she has regained the powers that were stolen from her. If she could hold dominion over multiple continents in the past, I’m pretty sure she’ll try to add earth to that collection given the chance.
Dhargana looks disappointed and focuses on her meat again, murmuring about it being cooked too long. Alicia, however, is not looking convinced. “While I don’t want to go back, my mom still lives there, and I care a lot about what happens to her”. I smile. If that’s all she cares about, there isn’t much to worry. I tell her that, hypothetically of course, if an ancient dragon would take over earth, her mom would barely notice it. She has nothing that warrants their interest, so she wouldn’t lose anything. And since dragons are less greedy than human politicians - they are just more open about it - there would be more resources for everyone to go around after the takeover. Alicia considers my words for a while, but agrees it wouldn’t be worse than America’s and Russia’s current leadership.
Alice tells Kathy that she’s looking down on earth’s forces too much. Not having magic doesn’t mean they’re defenseless. Kathy dismisses her concerns. Nothing is greater than true magic. But by the time our food arrives, they are talking animated about how expansion and compression can generate heat or cold. The inner workings of refrigeration captured Kathy’s interest. Which Alicia seems more than happy to elaborate on in great detail.
The food is delicious. While Kathy is gorging on hers like she’s still a dragon, I’m taking my time and savoring all of it. Getting a little mental nudge of approval from Carnelia. I send back if she’d like to take control of our body for a while, but she declines. Kathy is the only one who even knows about her existence. And she hasn’t decided yet if she even wants to talk to that psychopath. Dhargana is also behaving strangely right now. Making it even less appealing for her to take over. That comment pulls me back from inside myself into reality. Where I find Dhargana staring at me. Or more accurate, at the plate of food between us. She snaps out of it after I wave my hand in front of her a few times. “What is that?” she asks in awe, and points to something that looks like a little piece of charcoal. I don’t have a clue, so I slice a small bit of it. Under the black crust, the inside of the meat looks like it’s made from galatine. However, when I chew it, the structure is still that of meat. Dhargana looks with such intensity that I can’t help but smile. It’s not bad, but also not my favorite. “If you want to take the rest of it, go ahead”, I tell her. And her face lights up like a kid’s on Christmas morning. She takes the remaining piece and studies it before putting it in her mouth. Closing her eyes and moaning like she’s in heaven.
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It doesn’t take her long to come back to her senses, and she pushes the plate of meat she was eating away. And calls the waitress to order the biggest piece of whatever that black thing was they have. Kathy eyes her old plate, “aren’t you going to finish that?”, she asks. “No way”, Dhargana exclaims, “I don’t want to fill up on that overcooked stuff when there’s such an amazing alternative”. I frown. Her original dish looks like raw meat to me. But then again, I’m not an expert. Although Carnelia confirms it is indeed raw. Kathy doesn’t seem to mind though, and adds it to her own pile of meat. I do not know how she does it, but at the speed she’s eating, it looks like she’ll be able to finish all of it.
Suddenly, Kathy yells out in surprise and looks furiously at Dhargana. “Excuse you?!” she says with barely constrained rage. After pulling something from her leg, she brings her hand back above the table, revealing a fork. “You are excused,” Dhargana answers cheerfully, her missing fork obvious. Kathy slams the fork into the table with such force that it shatters. “What are you trying, morsel?!” Kathy yells, “Attacking me? PROBING MY MIND!”.
“I just wanted to see what would happen,” Dhargana counters with no remorse.
“A word of advice, DON’T attack a sleeping dragon,” Kathy growls as she gets up and walks away.
Only after Kathy walks away from the table does my mind process what just happened. I can’t believe Dhargana. I thought she was a nice, chill woman. Why would she do this? And I’m amazed that Kathy didn’t rip her head right off. Looks like she’s worked a lot on improving her self control. Cause I can feel the rage inside of her erupting like a volcano. The waitress is trying to intercept her before she reaches the door, probably to remind her she hasn’t paid yet and ask for compensation for the damaged table. I panic and jump from the table towards Kathy, gathering my magic into a calming spell. You do not get in front of a raging dragon, even if she inhabits a human body right now. Luckily, I get there just in time, pulling back the waitress with one hand, telling her I’ll pay. While touching Kathy with the other and releasing my spell. Thankfully, I overcome her resistance, and she calms down instantly. Giving me a small nod before walking out the door.
When I return to the table, Dhargana is still looking unbothered, like this was of no concern to her. But I can feel a kernel of fear inside her now. While I used my magic to calm Kathy’s emotions. I’m still raging inside as well, and since I’m all out of magic, I decide to vent it at the cause of all of this. “What the FUCK Dhargana?”, I yell across the inn. “Attacking someone out of the blue, and even violating their mind, just because you were curious? You do not know how lucky you are that she didn’t rip your head off. If you ever pull shit like this again, I will not stop her when she does.”
I sit down again and finish my food quietly. Before paying and leaving as well. Informing the waitress that Dhargana will pay for all the damages she caused today. I don’t stay in town, but go straight into the forest. And spend a few hours there to let go of my anger. Afterwards, I decide to return to the inn. Peeping in first to ensure Dhargana has left, I enter and repair the table using my magic. Telling the owner they can keep the money for the repairs as compensation for the troubles we caused. After which I return to the forest for a good night’s sleep.