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Other Earths, Axis City

Anthology of Short Stories

Saurian Earth - Ilsit Major, Part 2

copyright comidacomida 2025

The break for lunch at the lab was always a time of socialization for the Humans. The laboratory was home to over twenty research teams and, as far as Dymryn understood, the majority of them had their mid-day break at noon. The term 'mid-day', from what the Ilsit gathered, was a reference to the time of day: 12'o'clock. Based on his understanding, most of the scientists worked ten hour days and, if the day started for them at 8am, their lunch should technically have been later than noon.

The scientists spent most of their day observing him in the lab, so he used the lunch break to spend his time observing them. Most talked freely among one another-- sometimes among their own work groups and sometimes between teams, but the one constant was that, more often than not, their talk had nothing to do with work. It only made sense then, as far as he was concerned, that they did not speak much with him; most of the discussion with him in the lab was work-related, and lunch break was not the time for that.

Lunch was not all that bad though; honestly, he didn't mind being left alone since the rest of the day was him being the center of attention. It was nice to blend into the background and just watch the Humans in their natural habitat, acting as though he wasn't there. If he was honest, he also liked the food they had to offer-- his Companion Humans had only ever put forth a basic effort to make sure he had food at his condo, but the meals served at the laboratory were ones that he could appreciate, and they always had a selection from which he could choose, so lunch was almost always a treat.

The one hour passed quickly however and, once it was up, they returned to work. Thankfully, the afternoon was full of time in the wind tunnel, and that was Dymryn's favorite place to be in the Laboratory. There was something liberating about the wind flowing across his scales; the Humans pushed enough air pressure through the tunnel to make it easy for the dragon to soar, using very little energy and, for all intents and purposes, carrying on the sensation of flying high in the sky... even if he was barely 2 feet off the metal grate serving as a floor in the chamber.

The morning had been an incredibly interactive time for him as the scientists made numerous requests, combining various asks as to how he released the three different chemicals involved in his fiery breath but, for the most part, his task that afternoon was to move as little as possible, letting the wind tunnel do all the work as the observers took note. Every ten minutes or so one of the scientists would ask him to make a minute adjustment to the way he was holding a wing or to raise or lower his head, or to do a slow back-and-forth with his tail so they could record the way it affected his ability to maintain a steady soar but, other than that he was free to let his mind wander, enjoying the feel of flying. That, and listen in on the off-topic conversations going on outside the wind tunnel.

Dymryn didn't know if the Humans realized he could hear their discussions or not, but he did recall something about Ilsit hearing better than Humans when it came to picking up on sounds transferring through solid objects as conducted vibrations. He enjoyed the quiet moment of flying for the sake of providing them a topic of study, but, after a few hours, he also didn't mind hearing about the various things that Humans dealt with in their lives. Family issues, as it turned out, were apparently a problem all species had to face.

Dr. Huber had responded to an inquiry from one of the junior researchers about his son, at which point Klaus responded that his son, Tomas by name, was still trying to figure things out and, as such, was having issues again. The junior scientist expressed sorrow over hearing the news, and Klaus simply noted that life doesn't always turn out the way people expect, and that Tomas would persevere-- he had faith in his son's ability to get up again after being knocked down, even if he faced significant setbacks.

Samantha, at that point, interjected, pointing out that Tomas was doing remarkably well after losing his spot at the Centre. Dymryn maintained an even angle of his wings despite his surprise; the 'Centre' he knew of was for those enrolled in the Unity Programme, and, based on what he knew about it, those who attended classes there were some of the brightest among their races. Had Klaus' son tried to join?

Despite how much he tried to not let his focus on the outside conversation affect his concentration, something must have read as different; Samantha pressed the communication button. "Everything alright in there, Dymryn?"

The Ilsit knew that truth was important for the data they were collecting and he felt no reason to be evasive. "Yes, Dr. Blake-- I was just wondering about Dr. Huber's son's recent eviction. That does not sound like a pleasant experience."

Looking out through the plastic tube containing the wind tunnel, Dymryn saw Samantha's smirk as she glanced to the other scientists. "See? Enhanced auracular perception of acoustic wave propegation through vibration of solid material."

Klaus cleared his throat. "Es tut mir leid." he set down his data pad. "Sorry. The topic of discussion was not appropriate considering the subject matter of our study, Dymryn. You did not need to be involved in my personal matters."

Dymryn's gaze migrated from Klaus to Samantha when he saw what he recognized as her response to one of her often-discussed 'brilliant ideas'. A second later, it was given voice. "Klaus... your son is rated for cohabitation with an Ilsit Major... right?"

Dr. Huber cleared his throat, eyes moving from his datapad to glance sidelong at Dr. Blake. He is, yes. He did not manage to complete his fist year in the programme, but he did well enough that he was able to qualify for an Axis visa without a processing delay."

The Sorrow Scale had heard many stories about the Unity Programme and knew that the studies were rigorous; the entire subject left him curious. Since the two-way intercom was still on, he added in his own thoughts. "I would not be opposed to an introduction, presuming your son agrees and would not be considered a confict of interest."

The senior scientist pressed a button on his data pad then set it down. "It would resolve many issues at once and, no, I believe there would be no cause for concern with regard to a conflict of interest. We are at a good place to pause for now-- please excuse me; I will go check in with Tomas and find out his thoughts on the matter."

Samantha watched him go, a bemused expression on her lips. The other scientsts moved to their workstations, leaving her alone with Dymryn. She slowly disengaged the airflow and, once the fans were off and the Ilsit had touched down on the grate, she opened the door and walked in to join him. "He may not show it, but he's been really worried about his son for the past few days... this could be a big win all around."

Dymryn folded his wings, blinking his membranes. "Please explain, Dr. Blake. Are you suggesting that the resolution is good for everyone?"

She smirked; he was getting better at reading Human expressions, and figured that she was self-satisfied with the possible outcome. "I've met Tomas. He's a good kid. And, yeah... I think giving him a chance to join the commission as a Major's Companion would be helpful for him getting out of his rut."

The dragon picked at the grate with a talon. "That is a turn-of-phrase, I understand, but I am unfamiliar with it."

Samantha leaned against the door frame. "After he exited the Programme he has had trouble finding a good direction for his life to take... when someone is 'in a rut' it means that they aren't able to find a path forward. His father encouraged him to come to Axis, hoping it would spur some interest in something related to what he'd tried to do at the Unity Centre, but it may have just been reminding him on what he'd lost."

Dymryn figured he started to understand the issue, but he wasn't convinced. "Are you certain that cohabitating with an Ilsit Major will not magnify that feeling?"

She shrugged in response. "Maybe... or maybe not. I think spending time with you would be good for him, and vice versa. It's hard to tell what might happen until everyone gives it a chance. If it doesn't work out, then no harm, no foul. If it DOES work out then your case worker's job is a little easier."

The Ilsit found Samantha's argument compelling. "Very well. If Dr. Huber's son is amenable to meeting then it would be worthwhile to do so."

The break went a little longer than Dymryn had expected. Samantha continued engaging with him, the topic transitioning from Tomas to Dymryn himself and how he was doing with the experiments; she'd expressed some concern over him spending too much time in the air tunnel after so much breath work in the morning. He ahd to remind her that the expulsion of chemicals were of little concern when it came to flying; so long as he didn't actually use too much gas from his reserves he would be fine.

From there, the two transitioned to talking about breath control, Dymryn's (and Ilsit Majors in generally) ability to refill the thoratic air bladders that simultaneously added bouyancy for flying and the flammible gas that created their impressive exhalation of fire. The Sorrow Scale was not one to brag, but he did explain that his breath control was considered on the more skilled side of his species; he had a natural talent for it, which was one of many reasons he was excited to experience flight on Land Earth. The topic changed yet again after that as the two compared and contrast the atmosphere of Land Earth and other Earths where flight was easier.

Dymryn offered up what little insight he had on the topic. "I believe I heard somewhere that the Earths in the third tier like Land Earth deviated from the second tier Earths like Saurian Earth and Plateau Earth in that yours experienced a large number of meteor strikes, which is why most have a significantly less dense atmosphere."

Samantha raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you heard that, did you? Usually that's a topic most people don't learn about unless they're part of the Unity Programme but, yes; that is currently one of several theories posed by some of the research teams. Tier two Earths are the only Earths we know of that missed catastrophic meteor impacts-- the Ilsit, Viddin, Agak, and Creer all have significantly heavy atmospheres on their versions of Earth."

The Ilsit considered the statement for several long moments. "I have also heard that the Creer are unable to visit Tier three Earths because their metabolism cannot handle the lighter density. Is that the case?"

Samantha shook her head. "No. They get altitude sickness for several days but they're fine. They tend to stay on Burrow Earth because of societal expectations."

Dymryn gave his tail a flick. "Ah. I see. I have never encountered one here in Axis, so I was not certain."

The conversation was cut short when Klaus returned. He move directly to his data pad, his professionalism almost hiding the relief in his voice as he said. "Tomas will stop by for a visit this afternoon. In the meantime, let us return to flight dynamics."

* * * * *

When the science team was done with him for the day Dymryn headed down to the ground floor accompanied by Samantha. She checked her data pad as they descended, announcing "Reception just sent a message to let us know that Tomas is waiting in the lobby."

Having considered meeting Dr. Huber's son had been a future issue to address during the entirety of the day but, as the lift finished its final floors of descent, Dymryn began to find himself a little apprehensive. His prior Companion Humans had not worked out well, with each seeming to be worse than the last; he ardently hoped that the cycle would break at some point but, facing the prospect of meeting the progeny of one of the scientists interacting with him a professional capacity added a certain concern that wasn't there with prior applicants.

As the elevator doors opened, Dymryn peered over Dr. Blake's head. Seated in the lobby was a young man who looked in many ways similar to Klaus Huber, but was decidedly numerous years his junior... and he didn't have the large, shaggy mustache of the scientist; the lack of facial hair was a relief-- something about it always made the dragon uneasy. As quickly as he caught sight of the young male, however, he also saw another visitor-- she saw him as well. Jessica raised a hand, waving his way. "Dymryn! Over here!"

Dymryn made his way over to the seating area flanked by Samantha. The doctor took a seat beside an Ilsit lounging sofa and he flopped down in it when she padded on the head-rest. She spoke up to the others. "Dr Samantha Blake. I'm part of the team of specialists working with Dymryn along with Dr Huber."

Tomas, the young Human male with sandy brown hair and a hesitant smile glanced betwen the two women before looking to Jessica... then to Dymryn, addressing him directly. "You must be Dymryn. Ms. Costa told me about you."

Jessia quickly spoke up. "Dymryn, this is Tomas Huber."

The dragon looked to each of them in turn before speaking to the woman. "You two... know one another?"

His caseworker offered a nod and a smile, placing a hand on the young male Human's shoulder "As a matter of fact, Tomas here was in one of the classes I taught as an adjunct professor for a semester at the Unity Centre."

The young man offered a grin in return. "If more of the instructors there were more like Ms. Costa I probably would have had better grades."

Dymryn blinked, looking to Tomas. "Your father had said you spent some time in the Unity Programme but did not continue."

Tomas offered an obviously forced smile when he said "I turned out to be a bad fit for the curriculum."

Jessica threw a balled-up tissue at him. "More students fail to finish their degrees that succeed, Tom-- the fact that you're here in Axis shows that you still have a lot left to give to the cause."

Samantha, who had remained standing beside Dymryn, slid his data pad into his wing pouch for him. "Well... it looks like you're in good hands, Dymryn. I have a few more things to take care up in the lab, but I'll see you tomorrow."

The Ilsit Major dipped his closest wing in her direction. "Until tomorrow, Doctor Blake. Thank you."

As Samantha departed, Jessica stood up from beside Tomas. "Well... seeing as it's still early, what does everyone think about dinner? There's a wonderful restauraunt just around the corner from here that has an outdoor seating area with space set aside for Viddin and Majors. My treat."

Tomas had no objections and, considering the purpose of the get together was for Dymryn's benefit, the dragon didn't mind. "I find that acceptable. It will provide us more time to talk."

The walk to the eatery was as brief as Jessica had indicated; the building shared a wall with the structure directly behind the research campus, making it, as she had stated, literally 'just around the corner'. The serving staff quickly sat the three of them, choosing a long table that accomidated two human chairs and an Ilsit Major lounging sofa.

Dymryn spent the first part of the dinner watching the interactions between Tomas and Jennifer, content to get a good feel of his potential Human Comanion by assessing him without intervention. Tomas was thin like a Drone, but tall like a Greater drone. He seemed animated, and had no trouble carrying on a conversation with Jessica. What the Major found strange was how the Human male's eyes occasionally migrated his way but, rather than simply gawking or looking away awakwardly, every time their eyes met Tomas would direct a question at Dymryn to include him in the conversation.

The questions were not invasive nor were they overtly personal; they were casual, such as what Dymryn thought of Land Earth so far, or if he'd found any places like the one they were at to spend time outside his condo, or how things were going at the science center. It wasn't until their ordered meals arrived that Tomas' casual questions really caught Dymryn's attention because the next one was asked in the Ilsit language, and translated to "May I ask why your name doesn't end in an 's'?"

The dragon cocked his head to the side to regard Tomas with a single eye appraisingly. He knew exactly what the Human meant, but had no compunctions with making him expand on his question. "Correct. My name does not end in an s. Should it?"

Rather than shirk away in embarrassment or double-down with certaintly, Tomas switched over to English and responded in a different way. "In the classes I took we were always taught that male Ilsit Majors had names that end in 's'. Yours doesn't."

It could have been considered an invasive question if Dymryn hadn't realized the discrepancy; he chose not to be insulted. "That is an exception for Sorrow Scales."

The Human seemed to take it in stride, and even asked a further-clarifying question. "Oh... I hadn't known that. Then what about female Sorrow Scales-- do their names not end in 'kj' then?"

Something about Tomas' precocious presumption pleased Dymryn. "Correct. Male Sorrow Scale names end in 'n' and female Sorrow Scale names end in 'x'."

The young man took that in stride. "Thanks. That's new. I'm sorry if anything I said was insulting-- I hadn't known."

Dymryn found it difficult to keep his tail stil; Tomas' matter-of-fact dialogue was refreshing, and he found it bemusing. "I am not offended, Tomas. Asking questions is one of the best ways to increase your knowledge."

Dinner continued to go well and Dymryn was much more relaxed as their main courses concluded. No specifics about the reason for Tomas' visit had been discussed until the plates were cleared and, ultimately, it was the young male Human who brought it up. "Ms. Costa, my Dad said something about a possible opening in the Ilsit Hosting Program... I guess the opening involves Dymryn?" He turned directly toward the dragon. "Is this a meet-and-greet, or more like an interview?"

Before Dymryn could answer, Jessica spoke. "A little of both, really. At the end of the day, the choice is up to Dymryn but, if he's willing to give you a chance as his Human Companion I can't see a reason to deny an approval. Based on what I know about both of you, and what I've observed this evening, I think it would be a good fit. Dymryn... what are YOUR thoughts?"

The Major glanced first to Jessica then to Tomas, then back to Jessica. "I have a few questions before I can make that decision."

She waved him onward. "Alright."

Looking back to Tomas, Dymryn licked the back of his teeth as he thought of how to phrase his first question. "You are Klaus Huber's son, correct?"

Tomas nodded. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

Dymryn made a point of shaking his head in a Human gesture for no; he didn't particularly like the emote but Humans seemed to appreciate it. "It is not... but I wish to know about your German fluency."

Out of the corner of his eye Dymryn saw Jessica lower her face into her hand; he was familiar enough with that body language but he focused more on Tomas, who answered in a matter of fact tone. "I could probably get by if I had to, but my mom is French and we spoke mostly French and English at home since those are the languages most commonly used in the Programme."

The dragon continued onward. "You seem to be receptive to correction. You would not be insulted if I were to point out mistakes you make?"

Tomas seemed confused by the question and glanced to Jessica who, with a shrug, gestured back toward Dymryn; the Ilsit Major didn't quite understand the non-verbal exchange, but it did ultimately result in an answer from the young Human. "As long as criticism is constructive I don't have a problem with it, no. I like learning."

With the first concern put to rest, Dymryn dove straight into the second one. "What is your opinion of dysecdysis?"

The Human's immediate and seemingly visceral response created a moment of apprehension from Dymryn, but Thomas' response put things into perspective. "Dysecdysis? That's horrible. I know it's something a lot of Ilsit worry about, but, assuming Humans are doing their job with humidity and temperature control it's not something that any Ilsit should have to worry about when traveling to Land Earth."

Jessica spoke up for the first time since the 'interrogation' began. "You'd be surprised how common it is, Tomas... a lot of Human Companions don't understand the importance of climate control for Ilsit acclimating to Land Earth."

Tomas stared at her for a few seconds before returning his gaze to Dymryn. "Did YOU have to deal with that, Dymryn?"

The Major nodded. "Yes. In the end, Jessica had to call in a specialist to assist me with clearing the shed around my eye caps. It was... unpleasant."

The young Human nodded thoughtfully. "Well, even if climate control doesn't fix the problem, usually a warm soak or a heated compress can fix the issue if caught early."

Dymryn raised an eyeridge. "The prospect of an Ilsit shedding scales is not unappealing to you?"

Tomas shot right back. "The idea of a Human shedding skin or hair doesn't make you uneasy?"

The dragon found himelf appreciating the lack of an answer. He proceeded to his final point of discussion. "What are your thoughts on Dragon Butter Scotch?"

Jessica, who'd been taking a drink of water, very nearly spewed it out in surprise at the question. She coughed, wiping at her lips with a napkin, and had just opened her mouth to interject when Tomas provided his own answer. "It's a stupid practice local bars use to swindle tourists. It's a scam, really, since that's not how Murmur works."

Dymryn licked the back of his teeth, hesitating only a faction of a second before offering the correction. "Myrmyr."

Tomas repeated himself. "It's not how Myrmyr works."

Before Jessica could entirely recover from her potential water inhalation, Dymryn turned to her. "I am unopposed to having Tomas as my Human Companion, and would approve his placement if you can complete the necessary paperwork."

Clearing her throat, Jessica acknowledged the decision. "Dymryn, when you brought up Dragon Butter Scotch, would I be correct in assuming that--"

The dragon spoke over her, looking back to Tomas. "Tomas... would you be willing to be my Human Companion then? You will receive a room in my condo and a stipend to see to your personal expenses."

The Human smiled. "Yeah! That would be great, actually..." he turned to look at Jessica. "Does that mean I get the job, Ms. Costa?"

Jessica, to Dymryn's approval, set the issue of his last Companion aside and addressed Tomas' question. "Alright then... I can have everything drawn up tomorrow."

Tomas' smile widened. "That's great! I'll head back to the hotel and wait to hear from you then."

Dymryn opened his muzzle, but the words didn't quite connect due to the confusion. He tried again a second time to better effect. "Your father lives here in Axis. Is there a reason why you are staying in a hotel rather than with him?"

The young man shrugged. "There's some... 'complications'... so, no... I'm not staying with my dad."

The dragon looked back to Jessica. "If Tomas is a transient at present is there a problem with him moving in tonight?"

Jessica glanced between the two of them. "I can't see a problem with that... Tomas?"

Tomas smiled. "Sure!"

Once the meal was paid for, Dymryn and Tomas parted ways with Jessica, the dragon promising to get the Human back to the apartment safely. One the two were alone, Dymryn surprised himself by immediately engaging the young man in conversation. "You said that you speak very little German? It is your father's native language."

Tomas addressed the question with no defensiveness, providing the same direct response that Dymryn would normally not have expected from a Human. "Like I said, both my parents were really encouaging about my desire to join the Unity Programme so I was speaking English and French from an early age more than German. I could probably bungle my way through it if I had to, but I'm more fluent in Oolou, Viddin, and Ilsit."

Dymryn had heard Humans call themselves fluent in Ilsit before so he was reluctant to take Tomas' words at face value despite hearing him say a few sentences during dinner. Switching over to his native language, Dymrun asked "And how did you learn Ilsit?"

The Human hesitated for only a moment before answering in a halting answer. "I learned at class. It was... optional class. I took class and learned some. I am not speaking Ilsit for a time though so I need practice."

Dymryn didn't hesitate to correct him. "You 'have not spoken Ilsit'."

Tomas actually smiled. "I have not spoken Ilsit for a time so I need practice."

The dragon offered a slight tilt of his wing toward the human, switching back to English. "It is not perfect, but I can understand you. We can work on it."

The young man's face lit up. "You'll let me practice with you?"

Dymryn found himself, despite being cautiously optimistic, smiling. "We are to be room mates, Tomas. You will be helping me a great deal and relationships should be give-and-take. We will help one another."

Tomas' smile grew into an all out laugh. "Then this sounds like the best opportunity ever!"

The Human's enthusiasm was encouraging.