FSE

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Meegi's gaze flicked momentarily towards the countless digital signs that circled the rim of the stadium's roof. Each one went black for a moment before an animated photo of Cresties players zoomed around the linked displays and then vanished, only to emerge once more standing side by side as a team. The image captured the three primary claimers and brooders standing together with the Cresties flag behind them. The outline of the logo was still gold, however it lacked the red background and instead looked etched onto a black backdrop that oozed a sense of sophistication and style. In the gaps between the repeated images of the team, a crystal glass full of golden-brown liquid emerged from the inky blackness, followed by the well-known brand of liquor. The sight of it gave Meegi a sour taste in his mouth and brought back the tense conversations he had with Haanith about his disagreement with promoting alcohol.

He knew that trying to get the team's owner to reconsider was going to be difficult. However, the drake's decision had clearly already been made and a deal had been signed. Short of threatening to try and break his contract, there was nothing Meegi could do, and they had even used an image from a previous brand deal when Meegi hadn't looked enthusiastic enough in the shoot. His reluctance to fall in line had made it impossible for him to try and convince Haanith that Looran shouldn't be put into reserves, and now not only was his image plastered next to a glass of whisky, but the dragoness wasn't next to him. Instead, Riian, the team's most promising reserve claimer, had taken her place as a primary.

Compared to Looran, Riian lacked the brawn and violent strength that the dragoness brought to every engagement. Instead, he flew very similarly to Fiital, a great all-rounder, but didn't specialise in speed, agility, or stopping power. Tactically, Riian knew all of the team's plays and executed them brilliantly, which only made it harder for Meegi to disagree with the new roster. Having players swapped out for reserves was nothing new, although in Meegi's experience it had only been a permanent swap when it had either been at the end of the player's contract, when they were being traded, or due to injury. Having Looran still train with them and watch from the sidelines felt as though she was being punished for her mistakes. She seemed to think the same, as during training she was often paired to play against Riian, and against him she was ferocious. Her tackles against her replacement often bordered on dangerous, and Meegi wondered if she was trying to knock out Riian to earn her spot back. He didn't want to believe she would go to such lengths, however her words about doing anything to stay on the team still hung in his memory. Thankfully, she didn't seem to direct the same level of ferocity towards him, and whenever she had tackled him in training, she lacked the commitment and he didn't feel like she was trying to hurt him. He guessed that at some level he was still of use to the dragoness, or perhaps she thought that the club's owner wouldn't look fondly on his daughter's mate being taken out of action off the field.

A unified cheer from below snapped Meegi's attention back to the present, and he quickly refocused on the game. Flying high in the midfield, Meegi had a good view of the match and was poised to assist either Riian or Fiital if needed. Flicking his eyes from one end of the pitch to the other, he quickly took stock of the players and confirmed why the crowd had cheered. Fiital, the captain of the Cresties, had just entered the furthest nesting zones after circling for what Meegi thought had been too long. With a quick beat of his wings, Meegi began to move deeper into the Nixies' half of the field and looked back to see how Riian was faring. The claimer was bullying one of the Nixies' claimers and deliberately flying in their path while they looked to dive into one of the Cresties' nesting zones.

The Nixies' claimers were spread across the field almost identically to the Cresties, with one looking to steal an egg, another waiting to intercept Fiital should he succeed in getting the ball, and their third circling close to Meegi. Having studied his opponents for months leading up to this game, Meegi could recite every tactic, strength, and weakness of the players, including the brooder that Fiital was now trying to outmanoeuvre. Compared to the other two, she was significantly lighter, and if she had been standing side by side with Fiital, their profiles would have been almost identical. Both were equally athletic and fast, which to some fans would have made her a good opponent for Fiital. However, Meegi saw it differently. The bigger the brooder, the slower they were, usually, and therefore the easier they were to get the ball off. The lighter and faster brooders were better suited for a claimer like Looran, who could try to use her strength to overpower them. For Fiital to take on this brooder was risky and not ideal when so much was riding on this game.

The Cresties had a lead of two points, with only fifteen minutes of play left, which meant the Nixies weren't out of the running and the crowd knew it. Additionally, the semi-finals were only two weeks away, and the Nixies had already accrued enough points throughout the season to be eligible. Meanwhile, the Cresties desperately needed this victory to stay in the running. Their hunger for victory had seen the Cresties perform spectacularly in the first half, but now the Nixies were starting to play dirty. They had played a clean season and had only received four penalties, meaning they still had eight left for the season and could afford to play dirty if it meant weakening the Cresties team for the finals. Additionally, the quickly upcoming semi-finals meant that even a badly bruised flight muscle could be disastrous, and Meegi had already been on the receiving end of a sharp kick when he had snatched an egg.

A rhythmic pounding rang out from the Nixies' half of the stadium as Fiital swooped and dove down to try and tackle the brooder off her nest. The sound felt like a war drum being pounded, as the entire crowd stomped their feet or beat their wings against their sides. However, the strikingly yellow-scaled claimer didn't seem to notice it as he overshot the brooder and swooped down under the platform of the elevated nesting pole, pulling up on the other side. Meegi recognised the tactic and beat his wings to move closer, glancing back only when the Nixie claimer who had been lingering near him began to give chase. Marked with a number three on her wings, the green dragoness' body was wrapped in countless violet stripes that gave her a poisonous look. Kiineh was known for her straight-line speed and her tendency to attack another claimer's wings to force them to submit. Meegi knew that he could outmanoeuvre her, even at high speeds, but in a straight line it would only be a matter of time before she caught him.

Flying towards the zone that Fiital was trying to steal from, Meegi knew that Kiineh could have overtaken him and tried to get between Meegi and Fiital if she wanted to, but instead she was deliberately hanging back. He guessed that she knew he could outmanoeuvre her, and her trying to harass him would only see her getting tired more quickly. Instead, she stayed in a high rearward position and poised to swoop down with both a height and speed advantage if Fiital went to pass the ball. That was, if Fiital was even successful in stealing and could get past the other claimer who now lingered just on the edge of the nesting zone, ready to try to intercept a pass. As per the rules, the claimer would have to wait until Fiital had left the zone before he could intercept. However, he could still be ready.

Watching Fiital closely, Meegi's chest tightened when the team captain performed a feint and rolled out of the way of a swipe from the brooder's forepaw, only to dive down under the platform and pull up on the other side once again. This time however, the brooder was ready for the move, and as Fiital had momentarily disappeared from sight, the dragoness spun on her paws. In a blink of an eye, she jumped while spinning around in a tight arc. Landing on one forepaw before the other, she turned while curling her tail around herself and then extended it like a whip, swinging in a wide arc. With an almighty crack that made the crowd roar in approval, Fiital was struck in the hip as he pulled up behind the brooder. The sheer force of the hit sent his hind end careening in one direction and spun him around so that his head was now facing downwards and his tail overtook him.

Meegi's lips curled back in a sympathetic snarl, and knew that the hit would have hurt, yet the team's captain didn't seem to pay any attention to the strike. Instead, his eyes locked onto the dragoness, who was now mid-turn and had her back exposed to him. Hauling his wings out and then back, Fiital drove downwards and extended his forepaws. Landing heavily on the root of her right wing, he didn't stop, even when she roared with pain, and instead latched onto the large wing with both forepaws. Rolling to one side, Fiital lashed out with a hind leg to kick into her knee before deliberately leaning to one side. The combination of leverage and his kick sent them both rolling head over tail as he tore the dragoness from the nest. In a scramble of paws and snapping jaws, the brooder tried to latch onto anything she could, but as soon as she began to fall, Fiital had already disengaged and kicked off from her back to take flight once more.

The stadium erupted in a mixture of cheers and cries of dismay as Fiital spread his wings and twisted in the air to snatch the now-exposed ball from the middle of the nest while the brooder tried to correct her fall. Meegi caught the captain's gaze and knew from the tense glance that Fiital was going to need help. Beating his wings twice, Meegi surged ahead and tried to make some distance between himself and Kiineh behind him while Fiital took a direct line towards the claimer who had been waiting to intercept him. It was an irregular play and one that seemed to catch the Nixie claimer off guard, as he faltered in the air before swishing his wings back to angle himself for a head-on intercept. Glancing back over the top of his wing, Meegi saw Kiineh closing the distance quickly and mentally prepared himself to catch the ball from Fiital.

Time seemed to slow as adrenaline rushed through Meegi's body. Ahead of him, Fiital let go of the ball from between his hind paws as he collided chest-first into the Nixie claimer. But Meegi wasn't focused on the captain's strike. Instead, he locked his gaze on the white ball that fell down, only to be hit hard by Fiital's tail as it whipped under the grappling dragons. Moments after the ball was struck, Meegi had calculated where it was going to go and cropped his wings while tucking himself into a tight ball. Fiital had deliberately struck the ball to make it shoot towards Meegi, but at a far lower altitude. Curling his back down in a tight arch until his snout was pointed towards the ground and his tail was in the air, Meegi momentarily flared his wings to halt his momentum and, in the corner of his vision, saw Kiineh try to make the same tight dive but overshoot wildly.

Stretching his wings as wide as he could, Meegi caught the air in the large pale membranes and heaved them backwards to propel himself down. His pursuers shadow passed over him, and he felt the air from her body rush past as he dove as hard as he could. The wind tore through his mane, and his stomach tensed as he accelerated downward. He looked to one side and saw the white ball coming into his path, just as he knew it would. His gaze remained fixed on it as it tumbled through the air, and with a series of hard, fast flaps while diving, he closed the gap until he could make out the individual stitches on the ball's leather. Latching onto it with both forepaws, Meegi pulled the ball tight against his chest and angled his wings. Blood rushed to his feet as the g-forces tugged at every fibre of his body, but after only two seconds of the crushing weight, Meegi levelled out and was now facing towards the Cresties' half of the field.

The distance between himself and the goals seemed to stretch on forever, and across the pitch he saw Riian give up harassing the third claimer and begin to move towards Meegi. Using the speed he had created while falling, Meegi began to pound his wings relentlessly. He had thought it would take a few seconds for Kiineh to circle around, but when he glanced back over his wing, his stomach sank as he saw that she was already facing him and now accelerating. Mentally measuring the distance and the rate at which she was closing in on him, Meegi looked ahead and knew that he was going to be in danger. He simply would not be able to make it all the way back to the goals before Kiineh caught up with him, meaning that he would have to rely on his agility to avoid her.

Something which she would surely expect.

The obvious play was to aim towards the closest Cresties nesting pole, which Riian was flying past on his way to help. However, Meegi banked sharply, drawing a confused roar from the crowd. Instead, he angled himself towards the furthest one and continued to rapidly beat his wings to gain as much speed as possible. His lungs burned, and the muscles around his chest ached with strain, but he snarled through the pain and continued to sprint while slowly gaining altitude. If he had any chance of avoiding Kiineh, some height would be welcome, even if it meant that the dragoness would close the distance faster.

To his left, he saw Riian adjust his course to intercept and begin to climb aggressively. The drake had already understood the play that Meegi was going for and looked back to see the claimer he had been harassing enter the nesting zone behind them. It would be up to the brooder to defend the egg now and stall for as much time as possible while Riian was out of position to help Meegi. Glancing back over his wing once more, Meegi's jaw clenched as he saw just how close Kiineh was. He could make out the individual violet stripes on her neck and chest and estimated it was only a matter of seconds before she was on him. The rise of noise from the crowd grew with every foot she closed in on him until it became a defining roar of giddy excitement and anticipation.

Meegi deliberately swished his tail to one side as Kiineh came barreling down on him. It was a clear and obvious tell that he was going to bank left to avoid her. He timed it early and held it for half a second before extending his wings to turn. However, despite spreading them to turn left, he rotated his shoulder joints in the opposite direction and let the top sides of his wing membranes catch the air to suddenly turn right. A green and violet blur rushed over the top of him, only a yard away, and he saw the dragoness' paws stretch out to try and catch him, but miss by an inch.

His victory was short-lived, though, as a sudden and blinding pain shot through his left wing. Kiineh had whipped her tail downwards and caught him halfway along the trailing edge of his wing. The mass of the dragoness' rushing tail striking his wing finger caused the first joint to bend sideways and the next to fold upwards as it absorbed the blow. Neither were directions they were meant to bend. Hissing in pain, Meegi snapped his wing closed and fell away from her as she overshot. The crowd's gasp was white noise to Meegi, who tumbled over himself twice before lashing his tail around himself and counteracting his spin. Stretching his wings out once more, the pain in his left wing lanced through his body as the broken wing finger was forced to pull the membrane taut once more. Concentrating on just moving his flight muscles and trying to ignore the pain as much as possible, Meegi flapped quickly to regain the lost altitude and changed course to begin closing the gap with Riian. Glancing to his right, he saw Kiineh circling around in a wide arc to preserve her speed as much as possible.

Every beat sent another bolt of pain through his left wing, but Meegi forced himself to continue. Riian was still a fair distance away and far too high to pass to. Even if he was closer and Meegi passed now, Kiineh would simply move to intercept Riian, and Meegi wouldn't be able to assist. He needed Kiineh to overshoot one last time to give himself enough time to pass the ball and for Riian to get away. However, now the dragoness would be expecting a similar feint, and Meegi wasn't confident that he could trick her a second time. With a quick look towards the heart of the Nixies' territory, he could see that Fiital was moving quickly towards him, although he was still a long way away and was bringing another claimer with him. Meegi knew that the hit to his wing had caused significant damage, not just through the pain, but because with every third flap of his wings he needed to swish his tail into the air current to correct his course. Meegi knew that he was slower now and flew like an injured sparrow trying to escape a hawk swooping down on him. He needed to buy time for Riian to get closer, and as Kiineh straightened out to hurl towards him, Meegi clenched his teeth and pulled up into a climb.

What straight-line speed he had had quickly washed off as he pulled himself upwards in an almost vertical climb. Every stroke of his wings clawed him higher, and the broken wing finger bent back and forth with each movement, sending sharp, agonising stabs of pain through his limb. By losing so much speed, his options for quick manoeuvring were severely limited. He knew itand, more importantly, Kiineh knew it too. The faster dragoness adjusted her course and, instead of attacking him from straight on, spent a few seconds well below him before pulling up. By engaging him from below, she effectively cut off any chance he had of diving under her again.

With a final glance over his damaged wing, Meegi saw the dragoness directly below him and adjusted his grip on the precious ball so that it was held between his hind legs. With Kiineh’s increased speed and his damaged wing, she was closing in on him quickly, and after looking towards Riian only to see that he was still a dozen yards away, Meegi did the one thing that no one saw coming. Pulling his tail back, he snapped his wings tight against his sides and then flicked his tail under himself as hard as he could. Using the long tail's weight and momentum to pull him around in the air, Meegi only extended his wings once he was aimed vertically downwards and directly at the intercepting claimer. Cupping the air in his large membranous wings, he heaved both wings backwards once and then tucked them tight against his sides to minimise drag. Like a dart, he hurtled downwards directly at the dragoness, whose eyes widened in surprise.

Meegi's descent towards the green and violet dragoness was as brief as it was rapid. He guessed correctly that she would try to anticipate a last-minute turn from him as they closed together. Given his injured left wing, it only made sense that at the last moment she banked towards his right. However, Meegi didn't turn, nor bank, nor evade. Instead, he kept his wings tucked and drove into her at full speed, her last-second decision to turn allowing him to collide where her neck joined her shoulders. The thud of their pads colliding was like a thunderclap, and the wind would have been driven out of Meegi's chest if he hadn't exhaled just before the hit. Unprepared to be struck, the dragoness momentarily froze, and as their colliding speed halted them briefly in the air, Meegi tried to latch his forepaws around her body so he could pull her around and get her back under his chest. With his weight offset against hers, they careened to one side before they both began to fall. Instinctively, Meegi went to flare his wings to create drag and stabilise himself, but the sharp pang from his broken wing finger caused his left wing to only partially unfurl.

That single momentary fault in his plan was all Kiineh needed, and Meegi howled in pain as the dragoness lashed out with a forepaw and struck him on the elbow of his left wing. Retracting it tight against his body defensively only made them roll so that she was on top, and with a slight extension of her wings, she gained control of their descent. The look in the dragoness' eye was one of predatory victory as she latched her other forepaw under the strap of his chest plate and delivered another blow to the base of his neck. Still holding the ball between his hind paws, Meegi tried to push away with his front legs, only to find her grip like iron around his protective harness. Pressing both of his forepaws against her, Meegi was unable to defend himself from the barrage of strikes the dragoness rained down on him. His pads protected the vital parts of his body, and dulled her hits to heavy thuds. Even through the pads, he knew he would be sporting some new bruises in the morning. Thrashing from side to side he tried to make his unprotected areas as hard to hit as possible and felt her attempts be absorbed by his protective uniform. Coiling his head back in pain, as she struck his elbow with the heel of her forepaw, Meegi roared in agony before lunging forwards and driving his head towards the dragoness' throat. He expected to feel the thud of his helmet striking her scales, but instead felt nothing but open air as she leaned her neck out of the way and then flapped her wings hard, causing his head to reel back.

The lurch made Meegi's tail and neck fall backwards and almost touch, and in doing so exposed the underside of his neck to her. Thankfully she didn't deliver a blow to his windpipe, and instead brought the heel of her paw down on the pads that protected the keel of his chest. The crack of the carbon fibre breaking under the strike sounded like the bone under it was being broken, and the blow landed just as he went to draw breath, halting it in his throat. He knew that the pain would stop if he simply dropped the ball, but he stubbornly clung tight to the leather orb and weathered the hits despite how much it hurt. Using her wings to hold herself in the air, the dragoness pulled him around with her forepaws and, before Meegi could realise what had happened, he felt her grip onto his spine protector. Her weight pressed down into his back as she pulled her wings back and dove with Meegi held under her. His back arched as she slammed her forepaw into the root of his right wing with enough force to make his wing go instantly numb and he snarled a venomous hiss as he tried to get out of her grasp. She was taking her strikes too far, but the referees hadn’t sounded the siren for them to part and now Meegi knew that she was trying to knock him out of the finals.

They were falling fast now, and the ground rushed up towards them. In the corner of his eye, he saw the flash of crimson pads coming towards him and knew Riian was close. Snapping his tail to the right, Meegi tried desperately to roll so that she was behind him when he faced Riian, even going as far as to extend his injured left wing into the airstream. Meegi felt the dragoness' hind paws wrap around his waist and try to reach the ball he still held tightly between his hind legs. Her attempts were clumsy and, other than scratching the inside of his thigh with her protected talons, failed to reach the ball when Meegi stretched out his hind legs to keep it out of reach. Snarling in frustration, the dragoness didn't slam her paw into his injured wing, but instead gripped it by the wing root and heaved backwards with all her strength to rotate him around so that he couldn’t pass. Meegi's eyes went wide with pain as he felt a tension in his wing like he had just pulled up from a high g-force dive. However, instead of being a brief flash of pain, it was a long, continuous pull that grew tighter and tighter.

“Let it go!” snarled Kiineh as she continued to pull back on his wing, her voice layered with strain and commitment. Meegi's hind paws tightened on the ball, and in the corner of his eyes he saw Riian diving towards him at full speed. He was still too far to pass to, and Meegi yowled in pain as the pressure on his wing joint increased. He was completely at the mercy of the dragoness, and as much as he knew the pain would stop if he dropped the ball, he prayed that he could hold on for just a few moments longer.

Reeling his head back in panic, Meegi pulled his body from left to right to try and escape her grip as his wing was pulled further back and twisted at an unnatural angle. She seemed to have been expecting this clumsy attempt and, instead of hitting her, his horn glanced off the underside of her helmet. “Oh no you don't!” Kiineh growled while coiling her neck back and, with a bang, slamming her protective helmet into the side of Meegi's neck. The blow made Meegi's whole body convulse, and for a split second the ball almost fell from his clutches. His vision lost all focus, and the stadium became a wash of colours and blurs.

Unable to judge his height, Meegi panicked and tried in vain to thrash his way out of her grip, even if it meant twisting his wing further. He couldn't make out Riian as his vision swam and prayed that he was close. He guessed that they were near the penalty height, where the dragoness would have to pull away from him, but the pain throughout his wing and shoulder overwhelmed logic and sent a wave of fear through his body. What if she didn't let go?

“Meegi!” a voice called out to his right, loud, desperate, and distinctly male. Without hesitating, Meegi rolled the ball between his hind paws and squeezed it tight. The inflated skin within the ball became rock hard as it stored the potential energy of his crushing grip and then, with a rapid extension of his hind legs, Meegi sent the ball flying in the direction of Riian’s voice. The rapid kick of his hind legs rotated his body in Kiineh's grasp, applying even more tension across his twisted wing joint. The pressure became unbearable until, with an ear-splitting pop, he felt something give in his wing. The stretching tension shifted instantly to raw, unadulterated pain. Every fibre of his body was consumed with white-hot agony that made his vision go white. He didn't hear the wail of pain that rang out across the stadium, or see the way his wing went from being at his side to suddenly folding over his back, and the additional punch the dragoness gave to his dislocated wing joint was lost in the mind bending pain that enveloped him.

Then Kiineh's weight was gone. One moment she had a death grip on his wing joint and then she vanished from his back. Her dominant hold was suddenly replaced by the rushing wind that caught in his broken wing and folded it at angles that made everyone in the crowd rise to their feet and gasp. His one working wing extended in vain to try to slow his descent, but instead sent him into an uncontrollable roll. Like a leaf on the wind, he was helpless to stop his fall as the whole stadium spun around him at a dizzying rate. Instincts urged him to spread his left wing to steady himself, but the limb failed to cooperate and flailed uselessly around his body. It was disorientating and confusing, as if the laws of flight he had known for his entire life had suddenly changed, and now the only fact he could rely on was that the green grass lining the field was coming at him very quickly.

---

“See? Hang with me and there are perks,” Tiizome chuckled and politely smiled at the winged drake who balanced a tray between his wing wrist and his brown-scaled shoulder. “Thank you,” Tiizome added politely once the waiter had deposited the drinks on the table.

“I could have just gotten them,” Reeva retorted and reached forwards to take her cocktail from the waiter. Dipping her head in thanks, she caught the curious glance from the drake and retreated back with her tall, conical glass held between the digits of her forepaw. It was only normal, of course, to receive the odd look while sitting alone with the handicapped dragon and something she had come to expect. “And I could have paid. People will start to get the wrong impression,” she added, just loud enough for the departing waiter to hear. Her forced tone earned her a smirk from the drake, who looked between her and the waiter.

“Girl, I know how much I pay you. I've got this,” Tiizome teased and laughed when Reeva glared at him, her frill flattening against her neck. Visiting the bar after payday had become somewhat of a company ritual, and although the entire organisation was invited, many only stayed for one drink to appear polite before leaving. Compared to the other bars in the city, it was incredibly old and tired-looking inside, the sort that only those who were desperate or didn't know better would enter. However, for all of its shortcomings, it was only two doors down from the office and close enough for Tiizome to walk to on his wings, while leaving his wheel brace back in the office for Monday.

“And I know how much the organisation has. You should let me pay from time to time,” Reeva retorted with a wide smile. Despite her parents' fortune and willingness to share it with her, Reeva tried not to rely on them for every expense. “Especially when you're going to order… that,” she added, flicking her eyes towards his jug-like glass of amber liquid and ice, complete with a tall straw that curled around itself a dozen times in a complex pattern.

“Hey, don't you be sayin' a word against my spiked sweet tea,” Tiizome replied with a southern twang in his voice. “It's almost as good as my ol’ maama used to make it, but it's still not as sweet as–”

“You asked for a cup of sugar in it!” Reeva exclaimed and recoiled her neck back in disgust. “A whole cup! And you want it sweeter?” she asked, shaking her head as the drake lowered his head to hold the straw in his mouth and suck. Her eyes tracked the liquid as it spun around the network of turns and loops on its way to the drake's mouth and waited until he had swallowed.

“Yeah, it could be sweeter,” he concluded after letting go of the straw and rocking his head from side to side. “But they don't skimp on the gin here, so they get that bit right. Besides, don't you be drink-shaming me just because I can't hold a glass like your basic bitch-ass drink,” he added in jest, making Reeva laugh.

“Basic bitch? Do I need to call HR over?” Reeva scoffed and tilted her head to one side while her boss snickered. “And besides, it's called a martini. It's sophisticated and professional, thank you very much,” she added while shuffling her wings and curling her neck into a more regal curve. “Not all of us need to have a special straw to enjoy their drink,” Reeva teased while lifting up the glass in her forepaws to take a sip. The act was deliberate and exaggerated, and she grinned as it became his turn to glare at her.

“Ma'am, it's called an accessibility device,” he replied flatly. “I'm gonna sign you up for some sensitivity training on Monday,” he threatened without a hint of sincerity in his voice. Reeva’s giggle made the drake shake his head before lowering it again to take another long sip of his tea.

Movement behind her boss caught Reeva's attention, and she couldn't help but lean to one side and focus on the flat-screen television mounted at the far end of the bar. The Cresties were playing against the Nixies tonight, and while it was set to be a stiff battle, she hadn't been able to justify the cost of tickets. She told herself that she would spring for tickets to the finals if the Cresties were playing nearby, and judging by the score, there was a good chance they would be. They were up by two points and Fiital had just managed to steal the ball from the Nixies' nesting zone. Seeing Tiizome turn his head to follow her gaze made Reeva sit back on her haunches and take another sip of her drink. Despite wanting to watch the game, she knew it was rude to ignore the present company.

“Any luck with your Dragonball friend?” Tiizome asked while looking at the television before turning back to face her. “It was Meegi, right?” he asked before Reeva could reply.

Nodding briefly before shaking her head, Reeva reset her wings by her side and exhaled softly through her nose. “No, I think that's a dead end,” she replied with more than a hint of defeat in her voice. Subconsciously, her tail found its way around her hind paws as she sat on the large, flat cushion. “I got a postmaster fail when I sent him another email, so I think he has blocked me or something,” she added when her boss looked at her quizzically.

“Damn, that's pretty cold,” Tiizome mused before leaning in and taking another drink through his straw. “You think he is against mixed marriages or something?” he asked, and before he had even finished his sentence, Reeva was already shaking her head.

“No…” she started before her words drifted off. Truth be told, she had no idea how the drake really felt about the idea of dragons marrying one another or marrying humans. All she knew was that he was raised in a single-parent household, but that didn't mean anything. Ultimately, she caught herself wanting him to be open to the idea, but she really didn't know. “I don't think he would be against it, otherwise he wouldn't have reached out the way that he did. But it's weird that he blocked me,” she added softly before shrugging her wings in defeat. “I'm just glad it wasn't hate mail. Gods know we get enough of that.”

“Hate mail is good. It means we are doing our job,” Tiizome mused before leaning back on his haunches and tail to lift his wings from the floor. Keeping his wing fingers tucked close together, he stretched his wing arms out to full extension and then rolled his shoulders to relieve his sore muscles. “Corrupting innocent minds with our devilish ways, all part of the nine to five,” he continued, reciting a common and unimaginative response that they had received time and time again. Many people, both dragons and humans alike, believed that marriage was meant to be an exclusively human tradition and one that shouldn't be extended. Additionally, many dragons were opposed to the idea, as they felt that their identity would somehow be further diluted by adopting a human custom.

“Yup, but gods, it will be worth it if we… when we pull it off,” Reeva mused softly and was momentarily distracted as she saw the television behind Tiizome show Meegi flying quickly, with one of his wings not quite flapping the same as the other. A pang of annoyance caused her lip to twitch as she realised he was hurt and she hadn't seen what had happened. Making a mental note to watch the replay when she got home, she tried to focus on her boss, who now looked at her with a raised eyeridge.

“Oh? Is there a special someone in your life?” Tiizome asked with a growing smile and a playful look in his eye. “You've never mentioned anyone before. I had you down as professionally single,” he continued, his smile fading to something more respectful.

Looking at her boss, Reeva tried hard to keep a neutral expression, even if her crimson neck frill lifted slightly. “Professionally single… really?” she asked and, when he nodded, shook her head in disbelief. “All those late nights and coming in on the weekend. You think I'd be here if there wasn't someone?” Reeva asked critically and broke his gaze to look down at her drink.

“Well… yeah, people with partners don't tend to throw themselves at their work like you do. And I distinctly remember that in your interview you mentioned something about being here because it's the right thing to do,” Tiizome started before lowering his head closer to his tall straw. Pausing an inch above the plastic tube, his expression turned more genuine as he looked up at her. “I didn't realise that you were dating someone. What's their name?”

“Oh, we aren't dating…” Reeva replied with a coy smile, her crimson frill perking up in amusement. “He is just a special someone I met a while ago. And this equality thing means a lot to him,” Reeva continued before lifting her glass and rocking it slowly from side to side while watching the clear liquid move.

“Okay, so it's a him? Damn, I was hoping for something juicy,” Tiizome chuckled while shuffling closer to the table and looking at her intently. “So? A drake or a man? I thought you would be someone who liked drakes, but hell, I don't know if I know you at all now.”

“Tiizy, really? You work for equality in marriage and you are still focused on whether he is a dragon or not?” Reeva countered and adjusted her posture so that she was relaxing more across the cushion than sitting upright. “I thought you were above all that,” she continued while scratching absentmindedly at her foreleg. Having spent most of the day bouncing around the office, she hadn't had a chance to take her phone from her wrist, and now the scales felt as though they had been pressed out of alignment.

“No, you're right. I should be better,” Tiizome replied while pulling his neck back into a more professional posture. “So, how many legs has he got?” he asked, making Reeva snort in amusement before snickering further. “Hey now, it's a fair question. I once knew a ‘ness who only dated wheelchair guys. Something about them never walking out on her….”

“How long were you two dating?” Reeva asked flatly. He glared at her, and her lips pulled back into a maniacal grin. “Oh, really? You weren't her type at all? That is specific,” she continued and pouted sympathetically when Tiizome rolled his eyes.

“Let's not change the subject. We were talking about your man of mystery. So tell me, how many legs was he rocking?”

Dragging her glass across the table, Reeva inhaled softly as if the conversation was too personal, but continued anyway. “Two, but again, and I have to stress this, we aren't dating. One, he isn't my type, and two… well, it just wouldn't be proper,” she said softly and cryptically. Seeing his eyes narrow in thought made her tail twitch with excitement, and her frill slowly rose and fell in anticipation of when he would work it out.

“So he is just a friend, eh? Does he know that?” the drake asked, and when she nodded, he chewed on the inside of his lip before shrugging. “Well, if you're gonna be cryptic, I'm gonna call him Steve from now on,” he said with a chuckle and lifted his head to grin at her. “Reeva and Steve, totes not dating, but I bet he holds your wing wrist while walking in the park,” he started and paused to gauge her reaction. “Not Steve? Maybe Timothy. Yeah, Tim. Two-legged Tim. He has a moustache, doesn't he? A big curly French one–”

“I'm talking about you, silly!” Reeva retorted with a blurt of laughter that turned into a genuine giggle when his face dropped. “You're my special two-legged friend!” she added, her whole body shaking as her boss recoiled back as if he had been stung.

“Oh my god, that's all I am to you, isn't it?!” exclaimed Tiizome while beginning to laugh. “I didn't know I hired an ableist–”

“Hey, I called you a friend! That's got to count for some points,” Reeva countered and lifted her glass while lowering her snout to take another sip. “Besides, my auntie lost her wings, and we get along just fine.”

“And I have heaps of human friends,” the green drake added, making Reeva snicker at his poor attempt to sound inclusive. “Well, thank you, I guess… Special friend has got to be above boss and work friend, right?” he asked, and when Reeva nodded, he grinned while puffing out his chest slightly. “Go me! Usually I just get called special, so I'm glad that I've earned friend. I'm guessing ‘besties’ is off the table?”

“Oh, let's not get ahead of ourselves,” Reeva retorted quickly and collected her glass. “I already hang out with you for eight hours a day, and on some weekends, and at galas, and fundraising dinners…” she continued, much to the drake's amusement.

“That's fair. But seriously though, what drew you to applying here?”

Reeva couldn't help the lopsided smirk forming on her snout as she nodded towards the drake. “Like I said, you did. I was in my final year and you gave a speech at my university. Remember?” Reeva asked, and when the drake shook his head, she rolled her eyes. “Well, it was a good speech. About leaving our mark on history and living a life with–”

“Purpose, yes, I remember that one!” Tiizome cut her off and nodded with enthusiasm. “You liked that speech enough to come work for me, did you?” he asked, and when she nodded, he looked genuinely concerned. “Reev, I remember you blew the competition out of the water and Tracy from HR bet me lunch that you’d be so bored you'd quit within the two months, or at least move on to somewhere that could pay you better.”

“Ha, well… was the lunch good?” Reeva replied with a hint of arrogance in her voice before dipping her snout to her glass and taking a sip. “And I applied knowing the money wasn't going to be great. When we win, that will be the real payday,” she added with sincerity.

“Well, I guess it's a bad time to tell you I've got to cut your pay, then, isn't it? But don't worry, when we win it will all be worth it,” he said with a smirk that made it clear he was joking. “So, you liked the words of Tiizy so much you decided to work for him. Well, how about that?”

“It wasn't just your speech. I have some family who are in mixed relationships, and I think it would be nice to know I helped make it all possible. You know what I mean?” Reeva asked, and when the drake nodded, she shrugged her wings. “It's not like I want my name in history books or anything, but I'd like to at least be remembered in some way as making the world a better place, and well… when I started looking at ways I could help, I saw that you were hiring.”

“Well, I for one am very glad that you joined, even if the pay is shit.”

“Eh, it's really not that bad,” Reeva replied and waved her paw to dismiss the drake. Despite joking about the pay, Reeva knew that it wasn't as bad as they made it out to be and liked that Tiizome took the benefits side of the remuneration very seriously. “Besides, I always steal food from the fundraising dinners.”

“Oh, I know,” Tiizome chuckled and shrugged his wings. “That's why I always over-cater. It's tax-free if it's leftovers,” he continued, making Reeva laugh and shake her head. “So, you've got family that's mixed, do you? Not your parents, I take it?”

“No, it's my uncle Teeslah and auntie Teeba. He is gay and has a man. And Teeba, well… she isn't really my auntie, kind of a family friend, if you know what I mean. She has a man as well,” Reeva explained and frowned as a collective gasp came from the far end of the bar, where a small crowd had gathered around the television. Briefly glancing past her boss, she tried to make out what had happened, but the feed was now only showing Riian flying at full speed towards the goals with a Nixie claimer on his tail and the ball tucked between his forepaws. Reeva continued to watch as the newest member of the Cresties' primary claimers managed to get the ball back to the goals and plant it on their nest before the Nixie claimer could catch him. “Get in,” she hissed under her breath as she saw the score tick up by one and the Cresties extend their lead.

“Cresties winning still?” Tiizome asked as he turned his head to glance at the screen. “Shame,” he added flatly and turned back to face her with a cheeky look on his snout. “Getting the Warblers kicked from the league was a low blow–”

“Getting them kicked?” Reeva scoffed and refocused on the green drake. “Your boy straight up choked another player with magic!” she exclaimed, her jaw parting when the drake shrugged nonchalantly. “He cheated and got caught. Don't go blaming my Cresties for their gryphonshit.”

“Oh, don't tell me you're one of those magic-register types? I thought you were cool,” Tiizome teased, deliberately redirecting the conversation in a way that wasn't missed by Reeva. She knew he wasn't being serious and was just trying to rile her up, and she couldn't help but chuckle at his attempts.

“Yeah, you got me. Reeva the anti-magic bigot. Put ’em on a list, all of ’em. We register them, then we force them into human marriages, and then they won't be dragons anymore. All part of my evil master plan,” she replied in a deeper and more sinister voice that made the drake laugh. “Pffft, no. I owe a lot to those who can do magic, and putting magic users on a register is only one step closer to forcing us to have a flying licence. So hell no,” she clarified and took a deep sip of her martini.

“Well… maybe some sort of flying test would be worth it. I've seen how you fly–” Tiizome’s words were cut off by her glare as she shot daggers over her raised glass and took another sip.

“I've seen how you walk.”

“Hey, I hatched with fucked legs–”

“And I hatched with fucked wings,” Reeva countered before shrugging them against her sides. “The difference is, I just got better,” she added and grinned when her boss's jaw opened and closed in an attempt at rebuttal. “Have you tried exercising more? Maybe eating healthier? That helped me–”

“Nup, that's it. I'm going to have to let you go,” Tiizome laughed before shaking his head in defeat. “Can't be having that sort of ableist talk in the workplace. It's totes against our core values–”

“Please… you wouldn't go two days without my help,” Reeva countered before finishing her drink. “And that's assuming someone else disarmed the alarm for the building,” she added and giggled at the memory of the drake discovering that he couldn't remember the code and had locked himself out while she had been working from home.

“First of all, that was one time. Second of all… I have people for that–”

“Uh-huh,” Reeva replied and shifted her paws so they were under her, then stood up. “I need another. You still going?” she asked and nodded towards his tall glass. Most of the ice had already melted, but the glass was still a third full of the dark amber liquid.

“Mmmm, maybe get me another. I'm already half legless,” the drake replied with a snort and lowered his head to drink heavily from his straw. Shaking her head at his poor joke, Reeva stepped down from the cushioned booth and collected her glass with a forepaw. “Can you ask for less ice, though?” Tiizome asked after quickly swallowing.

With a bob of her head in acknowledgement, Reeva began to make her way towards the bar on three legs while holding the conical glass in her free paw. Just past the bartender, a group of dragons and humans had gathered around the large television as it showed replays of part of the game. A part of her wanted to avoid looking and to save the experience for tomorrow, when she would sit down and watch the entire game from start to finish. However, having already caught a glimpse of the score, she found her gaze wandering while she waited to be served.

There must have been a lull in the game, or a timeout had been called, as the video feed alternated between an angle inside the commentators' box and replays of Meegi flying with the ball while a Nixie claimer was hot on his tail. She couldn't make out the words of the commentators and lifted her head as high as she could to look over the gathered audience to watch as he climbed aggressively while holding the ball before rotating in mid-air and beginning to dive straight at the chasing claimer. Reeva frowned as she recognised the move. It was a bold strategy and a risky one for a drake like Meegi. One of the qualities she liked about his performance was that he almost always avoided a scrap, instead leveraging his uncanny agility and nimbleness in the air. Taking a direct, head-on approach to a claimer was something she'd come to expect from Looran, who could rely on her strength and ferocity to overcome an opponent.

Watching on, her chest tightened as Meegi collided with the dragoness and quickly became overwhelmed by her superior strength. The tan drake did well to maintain control of the ball, but Reeva's wings tucked tight against her sides as she watched in slow motion the Nixie claimer begin to pull back on Meegi's left wing to spin him around. The footage paused briefly in the moments after Meegi had launched the ball away, at the exact moment his wing had become dislocated. Like chalking up a crime scene, a white pen overlaid the footage as the commentators drew the direction the ball had travelled, the direction the Nixie claimer had been trying to spin him and then circled the obvious injury to Meegi's wing.

She wanted to move closer to the screen to hear what was being said, but her legs remained rooted in place and felt as though they were one with the sticky floor. The look of anguish on Meegi's face as he roared in pain was captured in perfect detail and frozen while the commentators continued to dissect what had happened. The stream momentarily switched back to the commentators as they discussed something about Meegi's technique and why he had come off second best, before switching to a replay of the drake falling from the sky with his broken wing pulled back around himself. The Nixie claimer was nowhere to be seen as he fell alone, and it looked as though he was going to hit the ground before Fiital darted into frame and latched onto him with his claws. Together, the pair hit the ground hard, tumbling over one another in a blur of yellow and tan scales and crimson uniforms until they eventually separated.

Reeva's jaw dropped in horror as she watched her classmate lying lifeless on the grassy pitch, his wing bent at an unnatural angle and his throat exposed to the world. Fiital seemed to recover quickly, and Reeva watched as he leapt to Meegi's prone body before the footage shifted back again to show Riian with the ball in play, scoring the goal for the Cresties.

---

Gliding indoors.

That was the best Meegi's mind could comprehend as the world moved around him. He couldn't find his balance in the disorienting haze of pale blue and white, but he was sure that he was on his back. Or at least he felt as though he should be on his back. A repeating bright light streaked across his vision every second or so, and it was surely above him, yet he couldn't feel what was below him, and he was sure his wings were… try as he might, he couldn't feel them, or anything. He wasn't flying, he knew that much. The wind didn't feel right, and his flight muscles should have been supporting his weight. Nothing he could see was in focus, and the colours bled into one another to create a sterile blue-grey haze.

Confusion washed over him as he tried to process what was happening, but everything felt murky and vague as though he was half way between the real world and a dream. He tried to move. If he could roll onto his front, he could stand up and get his bearings, work out how he was moving, but other than a small jerk of his paws, his body didn't cooperate. His attempt seemed to trigger something, as a series of muffled sounds rumbled through his ears. Was he swimming? Everything sounded as though it was underwater. The more he tried to think about it, the harder it was to make sense. He was breathing, so he couldn't be underwater. Although even that felt somehow wrong. The air was cold, unnaturally cold and devoid of the scents of the world, and somehow he only felt it in his throat, not his nose. His throat felt wrong too, as though he had half swallowed something and it was now lodged, yet when he swallowed, it wasn't blocked. Trying to call out, a pang of panic shot through his body as he found his jaw clamped shut, and when he tried to focus on his snout, he began to make out something wrapped around it. His groggy mind failed to comprehend the clear plastic contraption that bound his muzzle, and his voice came out as nothing more than a pained whine as he tried to call for help.

Trying to move his wings to roll himself over, he wheezed a low groan and felt something press firmly against his shoulder. Or at least it should have felt firm. It was as though his entire body was numb, but not in the same way his leg might go after lying on it wrong. Instead, it was as though every fibre in his body was crying out with him, yet he could hardly feel it. Like watching a raging storm from behind thick panes of glass, he knew it was raging but couldnt feel its effects. Scrunching his eyes closed, or as tightly as he could, Meegi attempted to focus his mind and, when he opened them again, began to make out more details of the world sliding past him. He thought for a moment he was in the corridors of the stadium, however instead of the barren concrete walls, multiple notice boards, flyers and other signage broke up the grey walls. It almost felt as though he was back at school and passing through the hallways, except cleaner and more modern.

Beginning to realise that he was moving through a corridor, he tried to turn his head to look forwards but met the same resistance he had felt when he tried to roll over. It was unyielding, and the small attempt made his consciousness waver, as if the movement sapped his strength like a vacuum. Shifting just his eyes, he managed to look upwards and, as the world rotated, began to comprehend that he was lying on his side. The corridor swirled like a vortex in front of him as a new wave of dizziness sank its claws into his stomach and pulled it to one side. Unable to keep track of the walls and floor as they bent like a writhing tentacle, he instead tried to focus on the figure closest to him. Her colour was striking, a pale blue like the midday sky on a summer's day, and from her head, a flourish of crimson moved with a slight delay as she turned to look at him.

Reeva.

His delirious mind grappled with the idea of his former classmate leading him down a hallway. It didn't make sense, yet he couldn't remember why he was here or even where he was. Thoughts of the afterlife drifted through his half-consciousness. What did this mean? Why was she here? Was this even real? He tried to call out to her, but his words were a choked rasp that sounded more like a croak than anything intelligible. His efforts, though, weren't in vain, as the blurry outline of Reeva shifted and turned to look at him. She said something, but he couldn't make out the words, only the tone. It was layered with concern, but smooth, as though trying to reassure him. They didn't stop moving, even when she leaned closer to him and he tried to focus on her until a bright light came from her paw and made his eyelids snap shut to protect his vision. In some form of sick torture, his eyes were forced open by her paw and the blinding light moved across his vision. The hiss of discomfort that left his bound maw sounded pathetic, and as his pupils contracted tight, he caught a glimpse of a narrow band of the world in focus. It wasn't the dragoness he had once known holding his eyes open, but instead a woman with a troubled look in her eyes. She wore clothes of sky-blue cloth, and what he had thought was a crimson neck frill was her flaming, shaggy red hair cascading down to her shoulders.

“Meegi? Meegi, can you hear me?” came a voice, and it took Meegi a moment to understand it was the woman speaking. Her voice still sounded strange and further away than it should have been. Concentrating as best he could, he tried to focus on her voice as she continued to talk, this time not to him but to others around her. He tried again to speak, but between the lump lodged in his throat and the sluggish fog that blanketed his mind, he could do nothing more than grunt low in his chest.

“Good, you're okay,” the woman replied, her words coming more clearly now along with the cacophony of noises around him. So many people were talking around him, but they seemed to be speaking in another language. He began to identify a constant beeping and whooping coming from behind him, like a code being played that sounded urgent. “Got his next of kin?” the woman asked someone as they turned a corner, and another voice called something in reply. Her voice was strangely calm and instructive, and when she looked back down at Meegi, he felt her hand gently rest against his snout. “You're okay, champ. Everything is going to be okay,” she added with an almost sad smile before looking up and across Meegi's body.

“Page Doctor Keenis. We are going to need him.”