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"I do not think I have much in the way of clothing." Arh piped up as a furrow became rooted on his brow.

"It isn't all that necessary to get dressed up in your best clothing." I said, trying to assuage his growing anxiety. "Besides, I didn't bring much in the way of a wardrobe either. Just a change of clothes."

"I understand. However, if a date requires some measure of formality as what you describe, I ought to respect that." He said while darting his head around, looking for something.

"Dates don't necessarily need to be formal." I shrugged. That seemed to be a relief to the fretting dragon, but now my curiosity was piqued. "Do dragons wear clothing at all?"

"Yes." He huffed while continuing his hunt. "though I have not quite understood why. There is little need for modesty when your genitalia is hidden."

"Then why would dragons wear clothing?" I asked.

"The most often reason I have heard is usually because of their position in society, or if it is a requirement of their employment."

"A job?" That's something I hadn't had to think about for a while.

"Of course." He said, tilting his head. "Did you think that dragons were indolent and lazy?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I just never expected to hear of a dragon holding down a job." I replied as I hooked my thumbs in my pockets. "Do you have one?"

"Yes. I am trained in the art of cultivating, harvesting, extracting, preparing, and administering medicines to dragons in need."

"So you're a doctor?"

"I am not a physician, and certainly not a barber." He reached for a bag hanging from a peg on the wall, and then sighed. "To be honest with you, I prefer to avoid the sight of blood. It... leaves me feeling quite uncomfortable." He took a breath as his eyes looked upwards in thought. "The most accurate term for what I do is apothecary."

He threaded his head through the loop of the bag, and the strap, which was quite long, shrank around him to hang down across his chest.

He moved his head around, looking in the small carved alcoves for something.

"Ah, there it is. Excellent." He said as he reached into one and pulled out a leather satchel cinched shut with a tasseled cord.

"What's that?" I asked, my curiousity piqued.

"A gift for Duul'ohra. Depending on the nature of the visit, it is often considered rude to come empty handed." He winnowed a claw into the neck of the bag and pulled it open, making sure it contained what he expected it to. "He is an older wyvern and his eyesight is slowly betraying his age. This herb will help alleviate the pressure in his eyes, and dull any pain."

He brought it over to show me, the opening allowing the intensely pungeant aroma to leap into my nostrils. It was a scent I hadn't smelled in years since my younger days.

"This is..." My nose wrinkled and I blinked from the stench. "Wow, that's strong."

"It is. This particular medicinal was selectively bred to increase the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties." He turned to me with a wry grin as he pulled the drawstring closed. "However, it also provides an uplifting effect on the psyche."

All this talk had distracted me from the unease within me which returned in a flash. "Should I bring a gift as well?"

Arh lifted his head and turned to look me in the eyes. "Do you have something that would be a worthy gift?"

I was about to shrug, but then I remembered the books I brought with me. "I think I might have something."

I began rummaging through the bag I brought with me.

Trying to find a book among the few that I remembered to bring wasn't easy. But after a while I saw the cover for one that I enjoyed, but didn't mind parting with. It was a romantic series about werewolves and vampires. I initially bought it on a lark to see what all the excitement surrounding it was about.

"Would this be alright?" I asked, pulling it out to show him.

When he pried his attention from his preparation to see, his eyes shot open like saucers.

"You... How did... No, you could not have known." His mouth was hanging agape. "A gift like that is certain to endear you to him... quite heavily."

"This?" I was surprised. "Why?"

"Duul's hoard is literature. And offering a dragon a gift that they can add to their collection is considered a gift in high esteem."

"So, he's going to like it?" I asked him to confirm.

"Yes. He is most certainly going to like it."

After finishing the rest of our preparations, we set out on our first official date. When we were in the air, he flew quickly through the sky towards the horizon the sun had started to tilt towards.

The building that Arh circled after some time in the air was larger than I expected, but still looked cozy.

Landing with a thump, he used his wing to help me climb down from his back.

The door to the cottage soon opened and figure came scampering out. He seemed so much smaller than Arh'eoban, but he still towered above me.

His scales were a deep purple, and on his head was a red mane of sorts framed in by two horns that curved much like a ram's, and on his face were a pair of brass-rimmed spectacles sitting on a snout that looked to be peppered with greying scales.

"Ah! It has been so long." Duul exclaimed as he hopped toward Arh excitedly to wrap his arms... his wings... around Arh's neck. "How have things been for you lately my little sprout?"

"Please, Master, I am a grown dragon." Arh protested.

"You are not standing before me as a student, Arh'eoban." He said with a parental tone that quickly melted away. "You will forgive an old dragon his quirks. I have known you since you were a whelpling."

Then, spying me as I stood next to Arh, nearly hidden behind Arh's front leg, his demeanor changed from familiarity, to intense curiosity. "And what do we have here? Is that..." He squinted and leaned closer. Then, not a moment later his eyes burst open in shock. "Gods above and below. A hyoom?!"

"Yes, this is indeed a hyoom." Arh said with pride. "I would like you to meet William."

"How... This is..." Duul sputtered, falling over his words as he scrambled toward me "There has not been a hyoom in these lands since..." He shoved his angular muzzle in my face to sniff me. "Goodness, I do not recall hyooms being so..." he stopped himself, then bowed his head in my direction. "Please forgive me. I must have lost my manners. I am Duul'orha. But you may call me Duul."

"It's nice to meet you, Duul." I said, returning the bow.

"A dryad said you would be visiting with someone important." Duul stopped himself, looked me up and down "He is a he, is he not?" to which Arh and I both nodded. "Ahh, I am glad to have met you..."

He was waiting for me. "William Avers." I reflexively offered him my hand as a formal greeting.

Duul at first looked at me, then my hand with a puzzled look. But after a moment his expression changed and he took my hand in both his hands and shook it excitedly.

"Yes... Thank you, William." Then he brought his head just close enough to catch the scent from my armpit. It had been a few days since I had showered and I knew my body was smelling ripe. When the smell hit his nose, he wrinkled it harshly. "Yes, that confirms what I had suspected from my research. Glands underneath the arms?"

"Master!" Arh piped up in shock. "There is a purpose to our visit."

"Oh?" Duul turned to look up at his past apprentice.

"He is not here as a gift to study. We are here together on a date."

"A... date?" he looked between the two of us. "Clearly you do not mean the number of the day. So, what is this date you speak of?"

"I believe it to a form of courtship." Arh's said, failing to stifle a giddy smirk.

"Ahh, courtship. Yes... wait, so that means he... and you..." Duul said, his mouth slowly growing wider.

"Yes, Duul. It does." Arh replied, pulling me closer to him with his foreleg. "We will be entering into the joining ritual together."

Duul'orha leapt off the ground with a raspy squeal to wrap his winged arms around Arh's neck, his tail writhing behind him joyfully. "Oh, I am so very glad to hear of this. It has been so long."

Letting go of Arh's neck, Duul fell back to the ground then bowed deeply towards me.

"Duul, there is no need--" Arh tried to interrupt.

"Tut, tut, little sprout. I know quite well how things have been for you." he trailed off, then focused his attention on me as he leaned upright. "No, this is not the time for such a tale. This should be a celebration." He hopped to the door and opened it wide enough for us to enter. "Please, I hope you will forgive the untidy state. I had not expect this would be such an auspicious meeting."

The room he led us to was large, but not as cluttered as Duul had warned. Along the walls there were shelves with many stacks of books scattered around, and racks lining some of them with scrolls jutting out. Clearly he had somehow managed to find a way to keep his library under control. I was not so fortunate. The shelves I had proved to be their own kind of fantasy; the fantasy of an organized library.

"I shall put a kettle over the fire." Duul began rummaging around in the next room. "I recently came into possession of some lovely tea last week. Purchased from a band of scamps during the spring festival. It has quite a lovely bouquet, though you may find the taste to be... unique."

"That would be lovely." Arh said as he climbed on to an upholstered bench at the front of the parlour.

"Excellent. And you, William?" Duul poked his head out to look towards me.

"Umm, yes please." I offered meekly.

I had to hoist myself up, with Arh's help, so I could join him on the massive bench.

Duul continued his scrambling in the next room as the sounds of pots and pans clattered rang out.

I took the opportunity to look around the room. Every spare inch of the walls were crammed full of shelves and racks full of tomes of all kinds.

"I may have forgotten to tell you this, but Duul..." Arh said, his mouth close to my ear "Duul can be a bit excitable at times. He means well and he truly is a gentle, caring soul."

I nodded. My throat may have been dry, but I was mostly comfortable where I was.

"And the tea is ready." Duul announced as he burst into the sitting room carrying a tray in claws at the top of his wings. Placing the tray on a table in the center of the room, he handed me what looked like a giant thimble. "I hope you can forgive my need to be creative. I do not often find myself with the privilege of entertaining guests of your size."

"It's okay." I said, graciously accepting the make-shift cup.

The tea's was heady and soft when I took a sniff. And when I sipped, the taste was subtly sweet, but with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Duul watched with an expectant look. But, shaking himself from his staring, he handed Arh a larger mug which he accepted with a nod.

"Mmm, I do believe I have tasted this before. An excellent blend."

"Yes. Fermented black tea. I have grown quite fond of it since I discovered it in my travels." Duul said as he settled on to an upholstered bench that showed signs that it was his preferred spot. "Though tell me about how the two of you met. I am curious to see how you managed to cross the bridge."

Arh told him of our meeting. He appeared to be filled with an endless energy when recounting how he settled in to wait for the one that answered the call. He mentioned our conversation, and how he was fearful that I would not return, but when he had finished he asked Duul how his retirement had been treating him.

"Oh, the academy has made sure to provide me with a generous stipend in my elderly years."

"Surely so. You have taught more generations of dragons than most dragons could count on their toes." Arh grinned.

"That may be so, but there are times when I miss it." He mused through a sip of tea. "Though I imagine it would be far more difficult to do now that..." he trailed off while tapping his glasses with a claw.

"Has the pain been difficult?"

"Of course not. I am a master apothecary. I have centuries of experience treating such ailments."

Arh brightened and reached into the bag hung from his neck. "Oh, I nearly forgot. I brought you something."

"Medicine, I assume?" Duul said from behind his mug of tea, and with an eyebrow held up.

"I..." Arh seemed surprised. "Yes, it is. How did you?"

"I scented it when we embraced." He grinned.

"Ahh, well, in any case, here. This cultivar should suit your needs far better than the usual varieties."

Duul hopped over and accepted the satchel with a bow.

"I brought a gift as well." I said, unsure what sort of social mores I should abide. "I'm sorry it isn't in the best condition, It's..."

When I held it up, he froze and his voice trembled. "Is... Is that?"

Scrambling over to me quickly, he brought his face to within inches of the dog-eared novel in my hands. He was quicker than I expected, and I felt a jolt of cold well up in my gut.

"I... Oh, this is..." he was gasping so much that I thought he would faint.

The fingers of his wings twitched and trembled. He wanted to snatch it out of my hands. A pang of guilt rose up when I tilted it in offering to which he grasped it like a holy relic.

"I have never seen a tome quite like this." His gaze turning to me. He grabbed and engulfed me in his wings. "Thank you thank you, oh I thank you dearly!"

He was so careful and the book was tiny in his grasp, but he stared at it for a few moments after letting me down. He dragged ihis unning the pad of a finger over the embossed cover.

He shivered when he ran his finger across the side, letting the pages flip softly. When he tapped the cover, making it give off that familiar soft thump, a ragged purr erupted from his throat.

"This binding. I have never seen one so... so perfect." He opened it to look closer. "Though I see no stitching. How?" He looked at me.

I could feel it. That antsy feeling in my body from being put on the spot like this. "It... It's glued on." I managed to stammer out.

"An adhesive!" he gasped. "Brilliant! How did I not think of that?" he placed it down next to his tea and leapt over to give me another hug. "I thank you from the deepest part of my spirit, William."

"I hope you like the story. It's about--"

"No." He interrupted me. "I will not have you spoiling the thrill of discovery for me."

I nodded sheepishly, to which he grinned.

"Oh, before I forget, Arh. Have you spoken with your parents recently?" Duul asked as he took a sip of his tea.

"Of course." Arh quipped. "I make sure to visit them on the anniversary of them becoming keo'vah."

I could feel it coming. I knew what he was going to say when Duul's eyes landed on me.

"And you? William?" Duul asked.

"I... Uh... I haven't" I tried to force out.

"Duul, you forget yourself." Arh interrupted. "You know that he was not to speak of coming here. We would not want to revisit that loathesome era."

Duul nodded low. "Yes, you are correct. My apologies. I am sorry for bringing that up. I can only imagine that they would be wondering about your absence. But rules are rules."

But it was too late. My mind was now circling around the subject. I could hear their words in my mind again. And I was feeling the familiar sting of being called the black sheep of the family. And as I had come to expect, the impulse to run started tow ell up within me.

They continued their chatting, catching up on each other's life as old friends often did.

I was sitting there, rubbing the rim of the make-shift teacup with my thumb, fiddling with the way it sat in my hands, shifting it around and around, and trying my best to distract me from the whirlpool in my guts threatening to pull me under.

"William?" I heard Arh's voice call to me, breaking me out of my rumination. "Duul asked you something."

"Oh? I-I'm sorry. I... W-w-what was it y-you wantted to-to-to know?" I said. Duul's face when he noticed my stuttering only strengthened the whirlpool's grip on me.

"I wanted to ask you how the gods above and below called to you. What it felt like." He said.

"I..." Hesitation. Infernal hesitation. Why was I having such a hard time finding the right words to speak? Stupid, stupid me. Of course I would trip up. I was doing so well these past few days. I should have known that it would never be so easy.

"It is not important." Duul tried to assure me as his eyes started to show concern. "It has been some time since the bridge has been opened that perhaps I could learn more about how the urgings of the gods would manifest. But I am being insistent."

I tried to nod before going back to thumbing the rim of my teacup. I stared into the tea within, trying to focus on the ways the bits of leaves in the bottom swayed with the growing turbulence as my trembling intensified.

"I... May I be excused?" I said. "I n-need to use the bathroom."

Duul's looked at me, unsure what I meant. Arh broke the silence. "I believe he means to tend to nature."

"Ahh, yes. Down the hall, past the kitchen. There is an alcove. Though it may be large... for a hyoom."

I nodded and slithered out of Arh's embrace down to the floor.

Making a bee-line to where I was directed, I stopped in the hall when I was out of sight to try to breathe.

Slow in, slow out. Like how I was taught.

Then I heard them. Whispers from the other room. I did not hear all of what was said, but I was able to make out a few words; Ritual, sex, and love.

Those words, and the hushed tone of their conversation... they were talking about me. Surely they must have been questioning why I was the one that heard the call, and not someone more deserving.

Fuck, I was shaking now. I was past the point where I could control it with psychological trickery. I would have to take one. A pill. It would turn me into a muddled mess, but at least it would force me to relax.

I reached into my pocket to feel the bottle's familiar shape.

I had it in my hands and the tablets inside, small and numerous, were rattling.

Working my hand along the cap, pressing down and turning, it snagged on something.

Fuck, what now?

The cap had jammed. It didn't happen often, but when it did, I knew I would have to use brute-force.

I was hyperventilating. My hands were now shaking so hard that I had to attempt to grip the cap a few times before my thumb managed to gain purchase. And with one jerk, it flew off... and the pills followed.

No, not this. Not now. Such a clumsy fool that couldn't even control my own body when I most needed to.

My fingers were tingling and my head started to swim.

Then... with a quiet shriek the world turned askew and all I remember was a shock to my head, then nothing.

Only darkness.

I don't know how long I was out, but I remember hearing Arh's voice, thick and muffled as I was crawling back to wakefulness.

I didn't know what he was saying but I recognized the emotion in his voice.

It was an emotion I was intimately familiar hearing, though not just from him.

Concern. Fear.

"Remember your training." Duul's voice came through.

"You do not need to remind me." Arh was harsh and quick as he snapped at his master. I'd never heard him speak like this before. His tone of voice was high and strained. Less a dialog, and almost a pained whine.

"I will forgive your outburst, Arh'eoban, but need I remind you--" Duul shot back.

"Yes... My apologies, master. I am aware." I heard shuffling and the sound of glass lids clinking. "I do not know if these will work for a hyoom. He is so small, I do not know what dosage would--"

"Arh..." Duul's voice again. Lower this time, and more paternal.

My heart leaped up into my throat. A rush of adrenaline coursed through my body as I started to see what I was waking up to; An unfamiliar place and an unfamiliar face staring down at me. I wanted to get up and run but I felt Duul's hand on my shoulder restraining me.

"William." I heard Duul's voice. "Can you hear me?"

I nodded, though saying it was a nod as opposed to a tremble would be stretching the truth somewhat.

Duul's face was now completely in focus. Arh was behind him, his face twisted and bunched, fighting to hold himself together.

"Do you know where you are at this very moment?" Duul's voice cooed at me again, raspy at the edges, but kind.

I moved my head around to look. It was the same room as before.

"You are in my library. My home." He placed a hand on my leg, his two clawed fingers massive on my body and his thumb stretching up and laying against my hips. "You are safe here. You are with Arh and I." He said, his voice never losing the serenity like a doctor coaxing a patient down from a ledge.

I tried to shift upright, jerkily. There was little strength in my body. It was muted, drained of energy from earlier. A familiar sensation as I was now no longer caught in panic and no longer having the strength to fight. Serenity after a vicious storm.

Duul leaned over, moving his hand behind my shoulder to help lift me into a sitting position.

"You gave us a fright. I did not know what happened. You were--" Arh spoke quickly.

"Arh." Duul interrupted. "Remember what I taught you."

"Yes, I am sorry." He meekly said, and moved back a few steps to close his eyes to focus on his breathing.

"What happened?" I asked, knowing full well that I had lost consciousness, but nothing past that.

"You lost consciousness shortly after leaving to relieve yourself." Duul said.

Arh, his eyes bunched at the corners with a trail of moisture adding a sheen to his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Only a half-breath that seemed to wilt his posture.

"If I may ask." Duul said, bringing his paw closer to open it, revealing a few of the pills that had scattered. "What are these?"

"M-m" I stopped soon to prevent my tongue from tripping over itself again. "It is medicine."

"This medicine, do these treat your fainting condition?" Duul said as he furrowed his brow.

"I... No, I don't... N-no. Not that."

"Fainting as a symptom rather than a cause." He mused as he placed the few pills on the table, the tablets clattering on the polished wood.

He held a hand up and extended two of his three claws. "Do you know how to count? How many claws am I holding up?"

"Y-yes. T-t-two." I said to Duul.

"Good. Cognitive faculties seem unaffected. Though speech patterns are broken, labored." He sighed, turning to Arh. "You can rest easy."

"What is it, master?" Arh asked of his old teacher.

"He is not injured. At least not in a manner that would require a physician." Turning back to me, he had a wide grin on his face. "In the absence of any other symptoms, this is likely cognitive. Solely of the mind."

"Is it--" Arh's voice wavered, his brow furrowed.

"I doubt it" Duul cut him off. "Though if that is part of it, then the gods have a devilish sense of humor."

"Please, master." Arh protested with a cracking voice.

"Do what? Lighten the mood? Goodness, little sprout. You have much to learn about the value of humor."

"Will he...?" Arh asked, stepping forward.

"Yes, I do believe he will survive. As I said, cognitive, rather than physiological." Duul turned his head to meet the eyes of the greater dragon behind him that was standing, withdrawn into himself, while his tail quivered and jerked at the tip. "Sprout, I need something of you. I would like you to put a kettle of water to boil and fetch the bottle of dried blue-damsel flowers. It should be on the shelf in the kitchen."

"Yes, master." He nodded quickly. When he stepped out, Duul sighed and brought his head close to me. "Be good to him. If you are to become keo'vah, know that he has dealt with more... Hmm. How do I say this delicately? He has faced more hardship than most."

"What happened?" I asked him, his face trying to remain positive but failing.

"I should let him be the one to tell you. I am certain he will when he is ready." He cooed. "Though if I may ask you one thing... why would you have such a visceral response that led to... this?"

The million dollar question. Did I want to tell him?

No, I shouldn't. It would be better to let him think I was simply unhinged, rather than burden him with my life's story.

"I-I... Just needed to use the b-b-bathroom." I sputtered.

His face hung in the air, mouth closed, and blinked before he stroked my head and smiled. "Very well." He leaned in to whisper. "However, if you will accept the wisdom of an old dragon such as myself... if you have shadows chasing you, shutting your eyes will not make them vanish."

Shit, he knew I lied. But rather than lecture me, he smiled.

"Though these tablets." Duul said. "What do they do?"

"T-They calm me down."

"Ahh, interesting. Do you mind if I take a few to study?" he asked, but rather than letting me think too long on his request, he continued. "It would give an old dragon something to do in his retirement. There are only so many libraries and festivals that one can visit before their remaining centuries become dull and routine."

I nodded. I had a feeling I would need them, especially if I was going to feel like this again, but I could spare a few. The bottle had more than enough in it to last a few weeks, even if I took them regularly. But I didn't know if they would even work on a dragon.

"It is ready." Arh chimed in, carrying a large cast-iron teapot.

"Good. Drink some of it before pouring." Duul said to Arh's chagrin.

But he poured some for himself, and then poured some for the rest of us.

"Now then. What with that moment behind us, how about we all settle in for a proper conversation." Duul announced as he went back to his seat and sipped at the fresh cup of tea.

We spent the rest of the night like that; sipping tea, trading stories, and eating some food Duul brought out when he noticed my stomach growling.

All in all it wasn't the best first date ever, but it wasn't the worst.