Licasteria - Ohh... Shiny.

[Licasteria]

This is the third part to the story of the journey Licasteria has taken. For the first part, look in the Veldon forest, and for the second look in the Tringar plains.

The hard brown grass had thinned into soft green grass that felt good on her feet after the plains. After she had first sighted the trees that led into Spirda, and saw all the dragons circling above, it was almost as if she had tapped into an unknown energy source when her muscles had stopped stiffening, and her head had stopped aching. Now resting under one of the first trees she came to, she decided to make herself look more presentable. With a couple quick spells, she cleaned her clothes, her hair, and her body. Amazed at how little of her energy it drained, she headed deeper into the forest. Following a small trail she had found, Licasteria headed towards Spirda with her head held high, and her stride graceful. Once she reached the city, she gasped. So much had changed! There were more dragons, less elves, and lots of other creatures that she didn't recognize. Walking over to a tree and stepping inside, she was surprised to see a human fiddling with parchment at a desk.
"Um, excuse me, sir," Licasteria said, her voice crackly and hoarse, for she hadn't used it in who-knows-how-many-years. When he looked up she cleared her throat and asked, "Do you know where the tree house rentals are?"
He looked Licasteria up and down, then answered, "Yes, yes, it's two trees down to the left, little missy."
Licasteria thanked him and headed out. Two trees down and to the left, Licasteria found the tree house rental and slid through the small doorway. Inside was an odd woman who brown fur, fangs, and claws, Licasteria guessed she was a werewolf. The lady looked friendly enough so Licasteria smiled and stated, "I need to rent a tree house, please."
The werewolf smiled kindly and said, "Of course, you do sweet heart." She turned her back and looked at a piece of paper. When she spun back around she asked, "Do you have any money, sweet heart? It'll be one copper coin every day."
Grabbing her leather bag attached to her belt, Licasteria dumped what money she had brought with her after she ran away into her palm. She had 12 copper coins, 8 silver coins, and 2 gold coins. As she handed the werewolf a copper coin, and tied her coin pouch back onto her belt the lady led her to a rather small, empty tree house. Licasteria thanked the lady and walked inside the tree house. She found the bed and jumped onto it. I did it! Licasteria exclaimed in her mind. Soon went to sleep, nestled in a bed for the first time since she ran away.

[To be continued later...]

[Licasteria]

This is the fourth part to the story of the journey Licasteria has taken.

When she awoke, Licasteria smiled and threw the covers off her body. She took a deep breath and jumped onto the wooden floor of her tree house. Her bare feet made shuffling noises as she ran to the wardrobe across the room. She quickly threw on her silver shirt and pulled up her black leggings. Buckling her shining sword to her leather belt, and attaching her small coin purse next to it, she looked over herself in the mirror. Satisfied, she headed out the doorway, but the second she felt the cold, wet morning dew on the grass with her bare feet, she bolted back inside to slip on her shoes. Now that she was wide awake and ready Licasteria ran out the door, faster that a jack-rabbit, and went strait to the most active part of the city, the marketplace. When she arrived, she saw dragons and other creatures everywhere, weird enough, there were barley any elves. Cautiously, Licasteria studied each tree, and the store inside; some had food, some had weapons, and some had strange nik-naks that she couldn't name. Eventually, she found what she was looking for; a help wanted sign. She rushed into the store to find it had dragon eggs and dragon hearts wall to wall. Let me confirm that; dragon eggs and dragon hearts. When Licasteria had ran away from this city there had barley been any dragons, so Licasteria just guessed they bred quicker than she thought. An elderly human woman, and a young man stood by the counter with gentle smiles.
Licasteria couldn't help but smile back and ask, "Hey, there. I was wondering if I could get a job here. I'm a very hard worker and I don't ask for a large pay, just enough for me to pay my tree house rent and buy food."
The woman spoke in a raspy voice, "You seem like a very lovely young woman. I'll give you a job here. To start off, your pay will be 3 copper coins a day."
That was more than she expected. "Thank you so much! When do I start?" Licasteria asked.
"Now, if you feel up to it. And, by the way, you can call me Mrs. Marslie," the woman smiled. She motioned to the younger man and explained, "This is Justek. He will show you how things work around here, be warned, he is mute, but he can hear perfectly fine."
Licasteria nodded and said, "Yes, ma'am." Then the Mrs. Marslie left the room and climbed up the stairs, Licasteria guessed the second floor was her bedroom.
Turning toward Justek, Licasteria smiled. He had jet-black hair, pale skin, and dark pink lips. When he smiled back, Licasteria saw a pair of pearl-white fangs, and was only shocked for a second before she recovered. Licasteria shook her head, making her blonde locks sway from side to side, and slid toward Justek. "So, are you gonna show me around?" she asked, and Justek took her around the whole store, explaining things with surprising detail using only his hands. Licasteria understood everything he meant, and didn't even ask a lot of questions. When the first few customer came in to buy dragon eggs to see if they would hatch, or dragon hearts for extra power, Licasteria knew exactly what to do. Justek helped the customers Licasteria didn't get to, which wasn't a lot, and at the end of the day Licasteria and Justek hung around the store.
When Mrs. Marslie pushed herself back down the stairs, and saw that everything was perfect, she gave Licasteria her 3 copper coins of pay, and bid her farewell until tomorrow. Licasteria said she wouldn't miss a day of work at this place for ten golden coins, and that she would surely be back the next day. Licasteria soon arrived back at her tree house after paying her rent, and after stripping into her undergarments, she crawled into bed, eager for the sun to rise the next morning.

[Licasteria]

This is the fifth part to the story of the journey Licasteria has taken.

The next day Licasteria awoke, she was slower to get ready. She took her time putting on her clothes, but at least she remembered her shoes. Her breakfast was a strange mixture of an orange and a cantaloupe, it tastes better than it sounds. She ate it on her way to the marketplace. When she got to the Dragon Egg and Heart store, Licasteria waved at Justek, who was sitting in a chair in a corner. After he waved back, Licasteria started studying the dragon eggs, in awe of how beautiful they all were; but one stood out from the rest.
It was silver, a beautiful sheen. It sparkled and gleamed as the sun's rays fed it light. Licasteria wondered what the dragon within looked like. Could it be as beautiful as its egg? Probably even more glorious, but Licasteria couldn't imagine it.
Licasteria snapped back to reality as a customer strode inside the store. Licasteria groaned in her mind as she strode over to the wanted to go back and touch the egg, to cradle it in her arms, but she had to work. So with a smile, she went to greet the customer. And so, the day went on, and on.
When, finally, the people stopped coming into the store, Licasteria skipped back over to the silver egg, and placed her hand over it. She stroked it gently for a long time, and then picked it up. It felt warm in her hands after the long day. And as she looked over the shell, Licasteria noticed a small crack. Her eyes widened as she considered the three possibilities. One, someone could have dropped it. Two, the dragon might be hatching. Or three, the dragon might be hatching for her.
Licasteria ran to Justek and showed him the crack, which was growing. Justek banged on the wall, which meant he wanted Mrs. Marslie to come down. When she had rushed down the stairs, the crack in the egg had turned into a hole. Licasteria could see the dragon's tiny teeth trying to pry open the shell. No one talked. No one needed to talk. They all just stared, open-mouthed, at the dragon breaking free from its egg in Licasteria's arms.
Before long there was a magnificent reptile snuggled in Licasteria's arms. Although she couldn't tell the gender, Licasteria suspected it was male by its looks. The hatchling had silver scales, that were more glorious than the egg it had been imprisoned inside, had that been possible. Down its neck, to the tip of its tail were charcoal-black spikes, that, at the moment were soft and bendable. Its eyes and claws were the same, gleaming liquid-midnight as its spikes.
Mrs. Marslie broke the silence. "Remember, Licasteria, if it doesn't give you the mark, it probably isn't your dragon, and should be freed back into the wild. We will give it a day, if it does, you can have it free, since you are such a hard worker."
And so, Licasteria thanked Mrs. Marslie, and went back to her tree house, payed her rent, and fell into a gentle sleep, with a dragon curled into the curve of her belly.

[To be continued later...]

[Eslakon]

Chara's nostrils flared as she and Eslakon paused to look inside one of the only stores that sold dragon hearts and eggs; The only thing keeping her from razing it to the ground was the beautiful and exotic eggs within. lowering her head until her neck was parallel to the ground, she looked over the eggs within the building, marveling at the dark reds, light greens, and even shiny blacks; None of which had any signs of hatching soon.

Eslakon's brows pressed together as he spotted silver shards scattered across the floor, and immediately began to think the worst. He was just looking at that egg yesterday. Had the egg been accidentally knocked off the table, which was highly unlikely. His trail of thought ended when a obvious answer came to mind; The egg had hatched. A wave of happiness washed over him as he glanced around for the silver, judging by the color of the egg, dragon. Yet he didn't spot it.

"Where is she?" Chara asked, raising her head until it stood erect to allow her better vision, but she already knew that it wasn't around. He gaping maw opened, allowing air to pass through the holes in the top of her mouth, which increased her since of smell.

Nothing new.

"How do you know that it is a she?" Eslakon asked, puzzled. For he could not think of any way to tell without seeing the dragon first. His eyes returned to the egg shards on the wooden floor, slightly obstructed by the elves and travelers that passed by. They separated the walkway of the market like a large rock would separate a stream. The glossy surface looked nothing more than a shattered egg, forcing him to discard the thought.

"By the scent." Her jaw shut, her sharp teeth clashed together with a click. "The dragon is not here, Eslakon. Shall we continue and obtain what you came here to get?" Her solid eyes drilled into his back.

"Very well." Eslakon sighed. He was wanting to go inside and ask who had taken the egg, if someone had, but instead turned and walked off. Chara followed closely.


In the next few hours, he managed to find a sword decent enough to buy, and spent almost all of the remaining money on it. It was dark now, and almost all of the dragons had bedded down in the walkway, making it difficult to navigate.

Exhausted, Chara lied down in front of the shop in which they had been at before, though she was still disgusted being around dragon hearts. She felt if was odd them bringing dragons to life, and then killing them and selling their hearts.

Unable to make it back to his home, Eslakon lied against chara's belly, which had already warmed the once cold ground and then him when he was close enough. Setting his head on her foreleg, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

[Licasteria]

Licasteria yawned, and rubbed the crust from her eyes as she slowly sat up on her warm bed. Noticing a strange weight to the left of her body, she jerked her head to look at it. What she saw made her gasp. So it wasn't a dream, she thought, amazed. The tiny silver bundle of scales was piled next to her. It's chest barely rising and falling as it breathed.
Slowly and quietly, as to not wake the dragon, Licasteria got ready for her day at work. When she was finished, Licasteria grabbed a banana, and her hatchling, who was still asleep, as she headed out the door.
Not in any real rush, Licasteria took her time getting to the Dragon Egg and Heart store. She marveled at the little creature in her arms, and smiled warmly. She was almost to work when it awoke. Shaking its little head, the dragon started looking around, and sniffing the air.
That's a little strange, Licasteria thought. The dragon looked like it was worried. Why would it be worried? There was almost nothing to fear in this quiet elf city, except for adult dragon with issues. When Licasteria rounded the last curb to the store she stopped. There was a huge dragon and a young-looking man outside the shop. There was another dragon and rider in the city. She smiled and rushed to him.
He looked friendly enough, and his dragon didn't look too hostile. When Licasteria was a few feet in front of him, she halted and asked, "Who are you?"

[Eslakon]

Eslakon snorted and coughed, and then held his hands over his eyes to block the morning sun as he sat up. With his hand on the hilt of his newly bought sword he stood, glancing to Chara to find that she was still asleep.

Eslakon slowly lowered his had from his face when he spotted a sliver dragon in the elf's arms. Slightly awed, his gaze flicked to the elf's face. With his heel, he jabbed Chara's right foreleg, not sure what to do next.

With a low growl, she raised her massive head off of her paws, shaking before starting at Eslakon with a cruel glare, and then slowly lifted her bulky body onto her paws. Forced to stand sideways as she stretched her massive wings, casting a dark silhouette over Eslakon and the female in front of him. Her massive claws kneaded the ground as she yawned.

"I'm Eslakon." He said with a slight smile, diverting Chara's attention to whom he was speaking to. Seeing that there was no reason to keep their names hidden, he addressed Chara's name as well.

"I see the silver egg hatched for you." He glanced to Chara. "What is her name? Or. . . have you named her yet?" Elves seemed to always be quick with names.

Eslakon paused, he had not seen her before until now, which was odd, for the elves who traveled hardly ever came back to the city. "What is your name?" Chara cut him off before he could say the same.

[Licasteria]

As he was speaking, Licasteria looked him over. He was young, she noted, and human. His clothes and hair didn't look too dirty, and she noticed what looked like a new sword. However young he may be he has a fully grown dragon, and he could probably teach me a few things, Licasteria told herself.

Her gaze turned second to the dragon. It was obviously a female, or a male with a very feminine body. Licasteria was mildly amused by the thought, but kept it to herself. The dragon's gleaming scales were solid black, and by her size, looked fully grown. Licasteria sighed and looked at her own dragon, who was now squirming restlessly in her arms. Licasteria then set it down and smiled as it curled up by her feet.

Again looking at the other rider she said, "Yes, the egg hatched for me, and I haven't named it yet, because I didn't know if it was male or female. I can't judge by this voice because it's too young to speak to me." Licasteria then looked at the rider - Eslakon - with a look of curiosity on her face. "You referred to my dragon as a female. Were you guessing, or did you know for sure?"

Licasteria was startled by the dragon as it spoke to her in that strange telepathic way. The shock faded within a split second and she shook her head. Quickly answering the dragon's question, she said, "Licasteria. My name is Licasteria."

[Eslakon]

Chara crouched down, her massive tail swiping across the leaf covered ground. She paused as she accidentally tripped Zidane, who muttered a curse before walking off, his hair tainted with dirt, clearly not noticing who had tripped him. Her chin barely touched the ground as she studied the hatch-ling with a amused look, for her head alone was bigger than the baby dragon.

Eslakon smiled as he watched the tiny dragon, unsure of how big it was going to be. For dragons these days were many different sizes. "I don't know." He said, looking back up at Licasteria, and with a thumb, pointed at Chara. "But she does."

A traveler running by distracted him for a second, for the man's face was wrought with fear and he had a horrified expression. His cape billowed in the wind caused by his speed. He must have stepped on the wrong dragon's tail or worse. Tough, out of curiosity he glanced up the pathway; All there was were the confused faces of elves, travelers, and even dragons staring in his direction.

After a few moments, everything returned to their normal state.

Chara hadn't even lifted her head from the dirt,"Yes, I am sure now," she continued to watch the hatch-ling with a solid glare,"She will be very strong, like me, but I'm not sure if she will be as big." Fascinated by the thought that she was once that size. With a sharp exhale, accidentally let two jets of flame shot from her nostrils and set the leaves right next to the hatch-ling on fire.

With a embarrassed expression, Eslakon stamped out the fire with his boots.

[Licasteria]

Licasteria smiled, amused by the sight of Eslakon stamping out the small flames. And then crouched down to stroke her dragon. I simply must think up a name soon, she thought. Gazing hard at her dragon, and thinking it's name would have to have something black, and something silver in it, she remembered something; her job.

Just because she was a rider now, didn't mean she could slack off on work. Worried she might be late, she gazed inside the store from the doorway. Mrs. Marslie and Justek were communicating with each other as the first couple customers strolled inside; Mrs. Marslie speaking in a quiet but urgent voice, and Justek with his many hand signals.

She groaned and looked back at Eslakon. She really wanted to talk to him more, but she had responsibilities. She couldn't disappoint Mrs. Marslie after she practically gave her a free dragon egg and a job. And she could disappoint Justek, because her sympathy for him simply wouldn't let her.

Speaking quickly, Licasteria explained, "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I can't be late for work," Licasteria's voice slowed. "Maybe you could meet me outside here after my shift. I'd love to learn more about how to care for my little dragon, and you seem like you might know a few handy tips. What do you say?"

[Eslakon]

"Uhh. . . Sure." Eslakon noted "I'm sure Chara would have some good advice, because who would know what a dragon likes better than a dragon." He kicked the ground with the front of his boot to try and get the ash off, by to no avail. A almost unnoticeable frown crossed his face as he glanced into the shop beside him, and then to the 'Help Wanted' sign. "I see, do you work here?" He asked, curious.

Chara grunted as she lifted he head off of the ground, he face was no longer covered in almost glowing scales but instead a dark brown. She would most likely have him give her a bath later. "If you do work here, I don't see how you can stand it. You are a elf,and a dragon rider. Perhaps the eggs grant your tolerance as they do mine, but please ask them to get rid of the dragon hearts."

Eslakon's frown grew. "I'm sorry, she always gets worked up over petty things." Chara's growl severed his train of thought, as did his stomach. "I wouldn't want you to get fired because of me. Besides, we were going to go get something to eat. Oh yeah! when will you be done?"

[Licasteria]

Licasteria picked up her dragon and sighed. "Yes, I work there. I get out whenever the last customer leaves. The time is almost never the same." An idea popped into her mind and she said, "You could probably rest at my tree house until I leave work. I always go directly back home after work, anyway. You could teach me stuff about dragons there." She told him the directions quickly, "Unless you want to wait here who-knows-how-long after sunset."

Picking up a different subject she added, "I don't exactly like the fact that Mrs. Marslie sells dragon hearts, but... I mainly took the job because it has those beautiful little dragon eggs and, well, it pays pretty good." She blushed and quickly added, "I'll say something to Mrs. Marslie about the hearts, although I don't know what she would do with them otherwise."

Suddenly Licasteria was aware of someone behind her, and turned to see Mrs. Marslie. "There you are, child!" She exclaimed. "I've been waiting for you. The first customers came in a while ago and you weren't there. I'd thought you ran off with your little dragon... has it marked you yet?"

Licasteria blushed even more, and looked down at her hands. That's weird, Licasteria thought as she gazed at her palm. To her surprise, there was a shinning swirl from her right wrist to the base of her fingers. She didn't remember her dragon giving it to her, but wordlessly showed Mrs. Marslie her hand.

All Mrs. Marslie did was grunt in return and say, "Get to work." So that's exactly what she did. For the most part of the day her dragon sat on her shoulder while she talked with the customers. It was a pretty normal work-day. Nothing really popped out. It was just... boring. And so, when the day was over, she stepped out of the store.

[Eslakon]

"Very well." Eslakon replied, and then stepped back when the shop owner Licasteria. Ignoring what the owner said, Eslakon looked at the hatch-ling in the elf's arms, yet something caught his attention.

On the elf's palm was a strange scar, a mark. Which was odd, for a small tuft of magic rose from the center that looked similar to a cloud of dust, though he doubted that she could see it. The common mark of a rider was a scar caused by the rider allowing the dragon to bite their arm, therefore leaving a half circle of marks on both sides of their arm or leg. Eslakon's scar was located on his forearm, which was jagged and torn from Chara's serrated teeth.

Glancing at his arm, he remembered the magic it took to stitch his veins back together before he bled to death, and then looked up to Chara. The black dragon stretched her massive wingspan once more, "I am hungry, Eslakon. I wish to hunt."

After getting approval from Eslakon, which was a mere nod of his head, Chara raised her wings slightly further than normal, and with a powerful thrust downward, she leaped into flight, leaving a massive cloud of dust which enveloped him and anyone nearby.

He waved his goodbye to Licasteria before departing, walking up the hill in the direction of the elven gardens. The elves rarely ate meat, and only when traveling, which is why they built a massive courtyard to house their many fruits and vegetables.

As he walked, the travelers and pedestrians thinned as did the shops, letting him know that he had left the market. Gazing up into the sky, he spotted a white cloud the size of a mountain, and marveled at it while he continued walking. He hated when Chara hunted, for he felt alone and weak, even though he had just bought a new blade.

Chara had not hunted in close to two days, so she would draw this hunt out and eat her fill of the wild animals that inhabited the forest. Though having met another dragon rider, she would most likely return quickly to see if everything was normal.

As Eslakon entered the garden, he stopped to study the many trees that lined the cobblestone walkway, and then made his way to the large fountain in the middle that fed the streams to keep the plants alive and healthy. This took much of the hard work out of maintaining the garden, that was certain.

Snatching a peach and apple from the ground, he approached the fountain, washed the fruit clean of any dirt and then cut them into quarters with his pocket knife. The fruit tasted delicious, though he had been craving something more filling, he continued to eat.


After a few hours, he had eaten his second meal and entered the small home that Licasteria had rented without Chara, whom was still hunting. With a sigh, he sat in a nearby chair and rested his chin on his hand, waiting for the thunderous boom of Chara's landing, but he slowly dozed off after a hour passed, and drifted off into a light sleep.

[Licasteria]

Licasteria was holding her dragon in one arm, and letting her other arm dangle. While walking to her home, Licasteria had been thinking hard on what to name her little she-dragon. Licasteria had thought of a few good names, but none of which fitted the dragon perfectly.

Sighing, Licasteria looked up at the sky. The sun had already slunk below the horizon, and most of the stars were already shining. There was no moon tonight, only the beautiful stars, radiating a beautiful silver against the midnight black sky. And then it struck her.

A perfect name for her dragon was within her grasp. Midnight Star. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Licasteria smiled and said it aloud to her dragon, "Midnight Star, my sweet. Your name is Midnight Star!"

The dragon was apparently pleased with the name. Midnight Star made a strange churring noise, like a cat's purr, and Licasteria laughed. Her laugh chimed through the forest and somewhere in the distance, a flock of birds started chirping in reply.

With a new, happier smile on her face, Licasteria continued to her tree house. When she arrived, she walked inside and found a sleeping Eslakon. Now warming her smile into something almost motherly, Licasteria placed her dragon on her bed, sat beside it, and waited patiently for Eslakon to awaken.

She stared at him for some time. Even though Eslakon was obviously young, he had a feel of wisdom and leadership around him. It was as if he had seen and done more than any boy his age should have. Wait, what was she talking about? She was the same age!

Or, she looked the same age. With that thought, she looked down at herself. How old am I, She wondered, how long was I in the forest? Shaking her head, Licasteria cleared her mind. She knew she couldn't be that old... But how could she know for sure?

Licasteria sighed. She shouldn't be thinking about things like that. They were in the past. Yes, she originally wanted to find out her age, but back then she thought she had only been gone a few years. Now, no one she used to know was even here, and elves live a long time.

Eslakon moved slightly, and Licasteria's mind cleared. Impatiently, she watched as he stopped moving and went back into a deep sleep. She groaned, and suddenly noticed that Eslakon's dragon wasn't there. Probably hunting, she thought, and lay on her bed right next to her little Midnight Star, who was fast asleep in dreamland.

[Eslakon]

A thunderous boom shook Eslakon awake, along with several others, whom said nothing for fear of retaliation. In his sudden movement, the chair rocked and finally toppled over, with him still inside. He landed hard on his shoulder, which sent a sharp sting through his arm. Yet he was thankful his head didn’t hit the floor.

The sudden fall had distracted him from why he was in Licasteria’s home or what had even woken him. As several softer thuds approached the door, he remembered. With haste, he picked up the chair, dusted off his shoulder, and then approached the doorway, not noticing Licasteria on the bed on the other side of the room. A smile crossed his face as Chara nuzzled him by sticking her head through the doorway, though there was the stench of blood on her breath.

Chara’s shining eyes glanced around as she diligently scanned the room, and then snaked her head further into the room, nearly scraping the top of the doorway with her horns. “Well? How did it go?” Eslakon’s voice turned her attention back to him.

”It went very well, for I managed to catch both a doe and a buck. The doe was the hardest to catch, for she would dart between the trees as I approached,” Chara growled, remembering the frustration that had been welling in her gut, and then continued, ”Exacerbating her inevitable death. I had to burn her, which tasted better, but the smell was terrible.”

“I see, so did you bring back any for me? I could cook it with magic if you did?” Eslakon asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, though he was slightly hungry. He was glad merely by Chara being beside him.

”I did not know that you preferred raw meat, you have been forced to eat it before,” Eslakon grimaced, setting a flick of amusement in her eyes. That was an unpleasant night. For the meat could not be cooked because any sign of fire would reveal their location, even magic could not be cast. ”Now, should we get back to the reason we are here?”

Eslakon turned, and then jumped when he saw Licasteria sitting on the bed, the baby dragon asleep at her side. Its bright scales reflected light onto the ceiling as if a thousand tiny mirrors covered her body. She must have been there the whole time, for he and Chara had been blocking the doorway.

His face flushed, and he looked back at Chara with a slight frown. He had revealed, if even slightly, his ability to cast magic. He had kept it a secret to avoid the almost impossible questions that would be asked, which he wanted to avoid in his home city. His ability to cast magic was granted by the angel shard Feya, and the demon orb Flare, named so by the elder’s in the city. He was able to cast magic, which was a rare feature for a human, but only if his emotions were strong enough for the spell.

He removed his expression as he turned to face Licasteria once again, he strode to the chair he had fallen asleep in and attempted to change the subject, if there was one. “Hello,” He whispered, because her dragon was asleep. “How was your day?”

[Licasteria]

Midnight Star squirmed as Chara thundered to the tree. She let out an agitated squeal as Chara landed, and nuzzled closer to Licasteria. Midnight Star was beginning to care more about her surroundings, and understand what others were doing. Some of them annoyed her, but she knew Licasteria would always protect her.

Licasteria noticed Eslakon waking with the sound. Apparently, when he figured out it was his dragon, he rushed to the doorway, toppling over his chair. Licasteria watched in amusement as he scrambled over to greet Chara. Licasteria wasn't surprised that he didn't notice her, he obviously missed his dragon those few hours, and Licasteria didn't blame him for it.

Adverting her gaze to the window, so she didn't interfere in their greetings, Licasteria started to count the stars. When she got to 46, she stopped. The trees and clouds were blocking all the other stars from view. Disappointed that there wasn't anymore stars to count, she looked back at Eslakon and Chara. They were talking about meat, or something.

Sighing, Licasteria looked down at Midnight Star, who was trying to get back to sleep after Chara's landing. With a gentle smile, and soft hands, Licasteria scooped up her little hatchling. Midnight Star made no struggle; she liked it when her rider held her. Licasteria also repositioned her bodice to make herself and her dragon a bit more comfortable. One leg was now tucked beneath her, and the other was dangling off the foot of the bed. Midnight Star was now almost back asleep in Licasteria's lap.

With a yawn, Licasteria started stroking her dragon, and Midnight Star made that strange churring noise. The purr vibrated the entire front half of Midnight Star's body, which was about the size of a small dog now. Sweet little Midnight Star is growing fast, Licasteria thought, still petting the dragon.

It was then that Licasteria noticed Eslakon scanning the room. When he saw her, he went back to his chair. Licasteria smiled politely, and waited for him to speak to her. She only started conversations on occasion. After he greeted her, and asked how her day was, Licasteria tried to think of and answer to his question.

Yes, today had been a good day. The shop was filled with customers, and none made any rude comments to her, at least. The bad thing was, she had been filled with anticipation to get back home and talk to Eslakon and Chara about dragons. When would Midnight Star be able to fly? When will she breath fire? Could Eslakon and Chara be able to answer all her questions?

With a small, uncertain smile, Licasteria answered as most others would. "Fine," she said simply, "my day was fine." Wondering if she should say something more, she tried to go through every detail of her day at work. Mostly, she just remembered an especially pretty egg that had gone for a good price, but there had to be something more interesting than that.

Just then, she remembered something, and smiled happily to Chara. "I asked Mrs. Marslie about getting rid of all the dragon hearts, and she finally decided to open a Dragon Heart Safety Haven!" Quickly, Licasteria explained about how Mrs. Marslie would buy an old tree store in the marketplace, and move all the dragon hearts there, were they would be safely stored, so their power wouldn't be used for wrongdoing. For a small fee, people could come and look at the dragon hearts, but not buy them.

With a satisfied smile, Licasteria leaned back. She was happy she had asked Mrs. Marslie to move the hearts. Licasteria never thought Mrs. Marslie would give in so easily, maybe it was the thought of an angry Chara with giant teeth and claws, but who really knows? Midnight Star's tail twitched, and her wings rustled as she lifted her tiny head to look around.

Midnight Star stood up and started aimlessly walking around the bed. She stumbled and tripped a few times, but considering her short little legs weren't far from the ground, it didn't slow her pace much. The little dragon jumped up and flapped its wings a few times, but fell right back down. Midnight Star really wanted to fly, but she guessed she would have to wait a bit longer, and strode back to Licasteria, who patted her head.