FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Wait! You gave her your apron?" Geevin asked, his smile going from horn to horn as Mike nodded. "Oh, 100% she slept with that on her pillow." He added with a chuckle.

"What? Why?" Mike stammered while wiping the counter down after the morning rush.

"Your scent, man!" The brown drake explained and continued when Mike shook his head in disbelief. "Hey, don't be like that. It's a dragon thing! Taking something that belongs to another back home is a big deal."

"That's not a thing... Is it?" Mike asked before looking at the brown drake who was stretched out on two cushions in the corner of the cafe.

Geevin nodded enthusiastically. "It's in our DNA, dragons used to be very territorial, so inviting someone over or keeping something that smells of them is, like, the first step."

"Oh come on, that's a stretch. It was just so she wouldn't get wet."

"Oh, I bet that didn't work." Geevin smiled and laughed when Mike blushed. "A twenty says she used it as a pillow."

"First of all, how would we know for sure?" Mike asked with his hands on his hips. He quickly continued when Geevin opened his mouth with a knowing smile. "Oh let me guess, I should ask her when we go on a date?" He said and shook his head again in disbelief when the drake nodded frantically. "You really think she did?".

"It's in our nature, Mike. We can't change it like we can't change the color of our scales."

Mike chuckled before retorting. "Oh, I know scale paint exists, and in case you haven't noticed, she has fur."

"Oh, I noticed that! Doesn't make her any less of a dragon," Geevin said smugly, "and I bet she would be great to snuggle up to, on a cold winter's night. Maybe in a cave."

"Geevin, she is more than just a fluffy pillow." Mike chastised and collected a mop and bucket from behind the counter to begin cleaning the front of the store.

"Oh! I know. But look me in the eye and say you haven't thought about it." Geevin challenged before laughing loudly when Mike couldn't find a rebuttal.

Pausing his mopping, Mike leaned on the broom and focused on the drake. "One of these days, I'll put something in your drink to shut you up."

Smiling, Geevin looked around the otherwise empty coffee shop. "And lose your most regular customer?"

"Customers pay money, Geevin." Mike retorted and continued to mop the floor.

"Customers don't give you relationship advice." The drake teased and waited for Mike to look up. "Like if you are going to go through the trouble of cleaning the store, at least make sure the floor is dry before a furred dragon comes in, no one likes damp paws."

"Oh, shut up. A clean cafe is a good cafe," he said before he returned the mop to the bucket, rinsed it and wrung it out tighter than usual. "And if I'm being honest, I'm still not sold on the dating again thing."

"Bullshit." Geevin said flatly. "You were super friendly with her when she came in."

Mike shrugged and found himself focusing on the floor. "Just good customer service."

"Liar." Geevin retorted, "I've just seen you do your customer service routine to drakes and 'nesses all morning. What I saw yesterday was not that!"

Mike smirked when he felt his cheeks begin to become rosy. "Yeah, okay. Maybe at the time, but now thinking back… I just don't know."

Sighing deeply, the brown dragon closed his notebook and placed his pen down on the cushion. "Look, I don't want to sound like a broken record, but you need to let it go. You tried to bring her home, and she didn't want to."

"Then why is she still sending me her pay?"

"Maybe she forgot?" Geevin offered and shrugged when Mike glared at him, "I'm just saying, you shouldn't be waiting for her to come back after she dumped you like that."

"She didn't dump-" Mike paused when he saw the brown drake looking at him with a raised eyeridge. "Okay, maybe she did. But she was upset."

"Yeah, and she has had so long to calm down. Do you really think she is gonna come back?" Geevin asked, focusing his full attention on Mike who continued mopping. "So what, you keep your love life on pause? Just in case? That sounds pretty fucked if you ask me."

Mike dunked the mop back into the bucket while he thought. On many occasions Taalli had said she didn't want his life to be on pause while she was away, yet now he was finding himself stuck waiting again.

"Have you thought about writing to her?" Geevin asked.

Mike nodded softly, "I have. But I don't really know what to say. Like, Hey Taalli, remember me? You're still sending me your pay, I don't know what that means." Mike said under his breath, "Oh, by the way, wondering if it's cool to date others."

Seeing Mike grapple with his thoughts, the brown dragon patted the cushion he rested on. "Come here, see if this helps."

Skeptical, Mike looked at Geevin who had a serious expression on his face. "Come here, trust me," he repeated.

Reluctantly, Mike propped the mop up in the bucket and walked over to the lounging dragon. "Okay, what?"

"Now, close your eyes." Seeing Mike's glare he smiled. "Oh, you wish. Close your eyes and trust me."

With a deep sigh, Mike closed his eyes with his back to the front door.

Waving a paw in front of Mike's face, Geevin confirmed he couldn't see. "Okay, someone is going to come through that door. The bell will ring, and it's going to be either Taalli, or Liiria. Either of them are excited to see you and have bought you flowers-"

"Flowers? Really?" Mike asked and opened an eye.

"I don't know, what do straight humans like?" Geevin asked before waiting for Mike to close his eyes. "They come into the cafe and are all 'oh Mike, you look so handsome, you are so smart and made such an awesome cafe,'" Geevin said, adopting a feminine voice, much to the amusement of Mike. "I couldn't stop thinking about you, let's do something together. Please won't you let me suck your cock.'" He added and smiled when Mike burst out laughing. "Okay, now open your eyes and look at me. Who did you want that to be?"

"Hey, it's not that simple!" Mike exclaimed before going to turn away, stopping when Geevin's paw caught his shoulder. Sighing and knowing the drake would not accept a proper answer. "If it was Taalli, I would have so many questions. Why is she back now? Where has she been all this time? Is she okay?" Mike said, feeling his hands clench. "But if it was Liiria…"

"Oh? What if it was Liiria?" Geevin probed, lowering his head down to below Mike's to look up at him.

"Well… I doubt she would want to suck my cock." Mike mused.

Geevin tilted his head to look past Mike before smiling. "Well, how about you ask her," he said smugly as the doorbell rang, causing Mike's eyes to widen and a smile to appear.

Quickly turning around, Mike's smile faltered as a medium sized gray drake stepped into the cafe. "Oh! It's you. Hey Nuut." Mike said, his smile turning from genuine to polite.

Geevin's head moved close to whisper softly into Mike's ear. "Liiria made you smile though."

Nuut stood in the doorway of the cafe with a startled look on his face as he saw the pair staring at him. "Howdy." He said awkwardly, clearly having walked in on something. "Sorry, are you open?" He added as he saw how close the other dragon was to his favorite barista.

"Of course!" Mike said happily and quickly grabbed the mop and bucket on his way back behind the counter. "What can I get you?"

Nuut gave a polite nod and detached the two flasks that hung from his harness. "The usual for me, and maybe something stronger for the other."

Mike nodded as he took the two flasks to the espresso machine and cracked the lids. "Oh! So how is the deck going with your neighbor?" Mike asked cheerfully, his hands turning the dials on the machine to begin the process.

"Great!" Nuut exclaimed happily, "we didn't get much done yesterday." He said his words trailing off before he shook his head, "because of the rain, but those plans you made were really good, thank you again."

Mike nodded in appreciation. "It's fine, I just drew it. Is your neighbor the one who is going to build it?"

The gray drake shuffled his wings closer to his sides and sat on his haunches. "We both are. Although, I guess I'm going to be more holding things and passing tools… and getting coffee." Nuut said, looking slightly crestfallen.

"Hey, coffee is a critical part of the building process." Mike said with a smile. "Are you paying your neighbor?"

"I offered! But he said he was just happy to sit on my deck once he was done-" Nuut stopped and turned to the brown drake who snorted with a laugh.

"Sorry, thought of something else." Geevin said and waved a paw dismissively before pulling out his notepad and returned to scribbling.

"Well, isn't he kind?" Mike said with a subtle glare to Geevin. "So he likes it a bit stronger than you?"

Nuut blushed and nodded as he realized what Zuurah had meant by sitting on his finished deck. "Yes, please."

Mike nodded, adjusted the grind on the machine to make it stronger and began to fill the second flask with the rich coffee. In his peripheral vision he could see the gray drake rocking from side to side slightly as he stared past the back wall, clearly deep in thought.

"Anything other than the coffees, Nuut?" Mike asked while leaving the second flask to fill. "Can't tempt you with a pastry or anything?"

Nuut shook his head again to clear his mind and smiled. "No, I'll be good," he replied and began fishing out a collection of bills from his harness. "Hey, Mike. So you know about carpentry stuff, right?"

Mike cocked his head. "Not really. More of the design of buildings, rather than on the tools. If that makes sense. Why?"

"Hmmmm, I was wanting to get something for him as a way of saying thanks. I like this drake, and I want to really say thank you," Nuut said while passing over his cash, "but I don't know anything about carpentry, and his shed is already full of tools."

Accepting the money, Mike opened the register and thought. "I'm probably not the best person to ask to be honest, sorry. Maybe a gift voucher or something to the hardware store?" Mike suggested.

Nuut nodded in understanding and held a paw out for his change.

"Give him some wood!" Geevin called out from across the cafe, making them both turn. His head tilted down while he wrote in his notepad once again. Without looking up he continued. "You said he does woodworking, give him some nice hardwood, not like store bought stuff but something for him to get creative with."

Mike raised an eyebrow in surprise at the idea and looked back at Nuut. "That's not a bad idea."

Nuut nodded while thinking. "Do you know where to find a good piece of hardwood?" He said, smiling as Geevin snorted with another laugh. "Okay! I got it that time." Nuut chuckled to the brown drake before turning to Mike.

Screwing the caps back into the two flasks, Mike then slid them across the counter to the gray drake. "Honestly, no. But Geevin here seems to be an expert in relationship advice. Where would you find a piece of timber for a drake?" Mike asked, turning to the lounging drake.

Looking up from his paper, the brown drake smiled. "Oh, finding wood is easy, it literally grows on trees. But if it was me, I would cut it down myself. Probably from somewhere that meant something to me and him," he said before shrugging. "But maybe I'm too much of a soft touch."

Nuut nodded in understanding. "Something that means something… I like it. Thanks!" Collecting his flasks, he clipped them both to his harness before nodding farewell.

Mike waited until the door closed before turning to Geevin. "So, are we just going to start offering relationship advice to customers now? Like I'll take a long black with a shot of therapy?"

Geevin smiled broadly while writing in his notepad. "Please, you are not in any position to give relationship advice… no offense."

"Oh? Well you are a stud after all aren't you!" Exclaimed Mike with a thick layer of sarcasm.

Fidgeting with his thick pen Geevin looked at Mike. "I don't know about 'stud', but I'm not the one who's single, am I?" He retorted playfully.

"Oi, low blow man." Mike replied and pulled out a cloth from beneath the counter to begin cleaning the espresso machine once again. "So are you going to actually ever finish that book?" Mike asked and pointed to the notepad the dragon was writing in.

"One day, I think I'll have all the characters sorted out." Geevin replied while writing.

"Care to tell me what it's about?"

The brown drake lifted his head with a glimmer of pride in his eyes. "Oh, it's about a man who comes to a sandy desert town. Falls in love with the mayor's daughter, which is forbidden. So they run off together with nothing but their love. But our main character is Ben, the Sheriff, and his loyal deputy Geevin, and how they have to decide to bring the couple to justice or let them live free-"

"-Wait! Hold up." Mike said with a look of disbelief. "You are writing a story where you and Ben are the main characters?"

Geevin chuckled, "Well, yes, he is a human called Ben, and the deputy is a dragon called Geevin. But they are totally different from us."

"Uh-huh," Mike said, not trying to hide the doubt in his tone. "Isn't that called a self insert?"

Geevin shrugged. "Every character is a self insert of an aspect of the author, so why not give them the same name?"

Mike shook his head with a smile. "You do you."

Geevin's eyes flicked to the glass door and back to Mike. "Speaking of doing you, and inserting oneself." He said with a broad grin. The bell of the door opening was timed perfectly with Mike opening his mouth.

"Liiria!" Mike said happily, stopping himself from laughing at Geevin's joke as the purple furred dragon stepped into the store, his smile fading quickly as he noticed her frown and long ears pinned back against her head. "What's wrong?"

Liiria kept her eyes down at the counter as she shuffled forwards, "I think I've made a mistake." She said softly.

"Oh? What happened?"

"So, I took your apron home." She started and it took every fiber of Mike's self control to not look at the brown drake who was smiling in the corner of his eye. "It got pretty wet so I tried to wash it in my sink so it would dry overnight. But it was still wet this morning." She said sadly.

"Oh? That's fine, I can dry it easily enough."

"Well, that's just it, I don't have one of those clothes dryers so I put it in the oven to try and get the water out." She said and sat back on her haunches to open a pouch with her furred paws, slowly revealing the aftermath of her attempt. "I got distracted and I think I overcooked it." She said weakly and placed the charred orange apron onto the counter. The once crisp screen printed logo was now a blurred mess as the plastic had melted along with the singed remains of the straps.

"Oh." Mike said softly. Seeing her unable to hold his gaze, he smiled. "And here I was thinking something bad happened!" He added cheerfully. "You didn't burn yourself or anything, right?"

Shaking her head, she looked up at the friendly barista. "But I ruined it. I'm so sorry!"

"Eh… I've got others." Mike said dismissively. "I doubt it will be the last one I buy. But I appreciate you trying to clean it," he added hopefully.

Liiria felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders as she looked Mike in the eyes to ensure he was genuine. "I still feel bad."

"Well, you have come to the right place. Would a coffee cheer you up?" Mike beamed. "Or, sorry, a hot chocolate, right?" He added, remembering her order from yesterday.

Liiria smiled back and nodded, her eyes sparkling in the overhead light. "Well, I was also going to ask if I could have it here? I've got to apply for more jobs, plus I need to get out of my apartment." Turning her side, she showed a leather bound folio that was strapped to her side and a pair of professional looking black headphones. "Is that okay?"

"Of course! That's why I bought the cushions!" Mike exclaimed happily, trying to avoid eye contact with the brown drake in the background who seemed to be smiling from horn to horn again. "Take a seat and I'll bring it out."

Liiria gave a polite nod in thanks and walked over to the pile of cushions, missing the rude gesture Mike gave the other dragon who simply mimed that he was innocent once Liiria had her back to him.

Dragging the cushion with her jaws, she positioned it so she had her back to the wall and lay down facing Mike so she could watch him work.

Mike shook his head with a smile and began filling a large ceramic mug suitable for dragons with milk and drinking chocolate powder. Lifting it to the machine, he began heating the milk to perfection.

"Hey, can I have the password for the wifi?" Liiria asked as she unfolded the leather folio case to reveal a large tablet with keyboard. Flipping it over, she used a claw to set up a stand and then used two paws to set the device up on the floor so she could tap away at the keys.

Mike looked over at Liiria and saw her setup. It was common for dragons to have specially designed keyboards and mice for desktop computers, but he had never seen a dragon use a tablet. While large for a human, it did seem a bit too small for the lithe dragoness. "Of course! All one word, no caps, 'spoons are a fiddle'," he replied and quickly turned back to the machine when he realized why he had set that passphrase, the memory of sharing an ice cream sundae with Taalli coming back to him.

"Oh my god, they are such a pain!" Liiria replied happily, ignorant of the pained expression on Mike's face. "Or at least for us dragon folk." She added and smiled when Mike nodded, her eyes looking over the back of his head and shoulders for a little longer than usual.

Looking down to her tablet, she squinted, and began typing in the password. Smiling to herself when she successfully got it right the first time. With a few taps on the screen with her claws, she began to get to work with her long fluffy tail curling around her.

Mike finished making the hot drink for Liiria and looked at the orange crystal figurine on top of the coffee machine before taking a deep breath. Looking down at the brown beverage, he reached into a jar and dropped a handful of large marshmallows into the drink. Pushing aside the memory of Taalli, he smiled and carried the large mug across the cafe.

Liiria was focused on the screen, forepaws resting on the edge of the cushion with toes curled except for two that pecked at the keys steadily. As Mike approached, she smiled and looked up at him in appreciation, her eyes widening and ears flicking outwards when he placed the large bowl of a mug down beside her tablet. "Marshmallows too!"

Mike chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Of course! Dining in has its perks. Enjoy!"

"Aww, you're too kind Mike!" Liiria exclaimed, "Do you prefer Mike or Michael?"

"Michael only if I'm in trouble," he said with a smile. "Otherwise, Mike."

"Well, thank you. Mike." Liiria said warmly before turning back to her tablet. "Right, let's find a job!" She said to psych herself up.

"Oh, there is something perfect out there just waiting for you. I bet," Mike added and turned to collect the empty mug from the smiling brown dragon who nudged it close to Mike with a claw.

Geevin lowered his head down to Mike's ear as he bent down to pick up the heavy mug. "Where is my marshmallow, Michael?" he whispered just loud enough for Mike to hear.

Mike pushed the drake's head back with his palm and stood up again. "One refill coming up," he said with a smile and returned behind the counter.

Glancing across to Liiria, Mike could see her focused once again on her tablet. Her eyes almost crossed as she peered at the small screen, occasionally tapping on the glass with a claw and then pecking at the keys again.

After washing the drake's mug in the sink, Mike began the process of working the espresso machine to make another frothy coffee for the dragon. A playful smirk appeared in his face as he prepared to try and draw a specific hand gesture in the foam. As he adjusted the knobs, he could see the drake looking intently at him and gave a nod towards Liiria when Mike looked up.

Mike glanced towards Liiria who was diligently working on her tablet. When he shook his head, the brown drake simply nodded enthusiastically. With a smile, Mike shook his head once again.

A sinister grin emerged on the brown drake's snout before he cleared his throat. "Hey Mike, have you done something with your hair?" He asked loud enough for Liiria to hear.

Mike frowned as he turned off the machine and carefully swirled the needle of the milk thermometer through the foam. "No? Why's that?"

Geevin glanced quickly to Liiria who had paused typing. "I mean, do you use products or anything?"

"Just shampoo and conditioner, a little wax," Mike replied confused; dragons rarely took an interest in human hair other than color. "... why?" Lifting the coffee with two hands, he began carrying it over to the curious drake.

"Oh, it looks good, healthy, like you know what you are doing." Geevin said smugly, noticing in the corner of his eye Liiria look up at him and then to Mike.

Placing the drink down in front of Geevin, Mike turned it to reveal the crude shape of a middle finger he had drawn in the foam and smiled politely as he realized what the drake was trying to do.

Looking down at the drink, Geevin chuckled. Lowering his snout, he took a sip before gasping dramatically. "Oh, you do know how to take care of a dragon. Why no 'ness has snapped you up, I'll never-"

"-Oh, sorry Geevin. I forgot to ask." Mike interrupted the drake while his cheeks burned red. "Did you want that to go?"

The brown drake frowned and kneaded the cushions he lay on with his large paws. "Nah, I'm happy here. Comfy cushions, great coffee, aircon seems cooler than usual, but otherwise I'm fine."

"Well, don't let me stop you from writing your book."

Geevin opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a joyous melody from Liiria's tablet. The pair turned to see Liiria's eyes widen and begin fumbling with the headphones that were still attached to her harness. The loop of leather that secured the headband to her harness became knotted as she blindly tried to detach them.

A firm paw pressed against Mike's back as he was turned and shoved towards Liiria by Geevin, stumbling forwards, he saw the dragoness look up with a desperate look in her eyes. "Need a hand?" Mike asked and stepped closer when she nodded.

Rolling slightly, she adjusted her position on the cushions to give Mike access to the side of her harness. The human's hands made short work of the strap while her tablet continued to ring with an incoming video call. Extracting the black pair of headphones, he held them out for her to stick her head through, her long ears becoming pinned by the earpieces as she gave a smile of thanks.

As Mike stepped away, he saw the icon on the screen, a similarly purple dragoness peering down her snout at the camera with the name "mom" vibrating next to the accept button.

Liiria pressed a claw against the accept icon and jolted in surprise when the audio came from the tablet instead of her headphones.

"Ah, Mishka! There you are!" Came a warm feminine voice from the tablet. Mike turned as he was returning to the counter while Liiria began frantically swiping down on the tablet to adjust settings. Cocking his head, Mike tried to work out the thick foreign accent Liiria's mother had.

"Hold on ma-ma, my headphones are-"

"Oh, it's good to see you dry again. I take it the weather is better, it's been snowing again here which has kept us busy." Her mother continued while Liiria continued to fluster with the headphones, taking them off her head to peer at the indicator light and return them to her ears.

"Ma-ma, wait." Liiria said and looked guiltily towards Mike and Geevin. "Let me fix my headphones."

Mike gave a dismissive wave and mouthed. "It's fine." To Liiria who smiled and nodded in return.

"Oh, you are having troubles with technology, that's refreshing. Your father and I had to buy more wifi the other day, the look the salesman gave us! So rude." Her mother continued, "But he was a handsome man. Very much your age, next time you are back I will take you to him-"

"Ma!" Liiria exclaimed, her inner ears becoming bright red. Glancing up to Mike, she saw he had become busy with the coffee machine, wiping it down with a cloth.

"Oh, I know I know. But I worry about you Mishka! All alone in that big city. Have you talked to Miguel again? He seemed nice."

"Who?" Liiria asked, fumbling with the small volume switch to turn down her mother's voice.

"What do you mean who? The nice man who gave you his apron, the one you talked non stop about this morning-"

Mike turned his head at the sound of the tablet being knocked over, the purple dragoness' paw mashed against the end call button. Her ears lay flat against her neck as she stared down at her tablet, unable to look up at Mike who would have clearly overheard.

The silence that hung in the air was palpable, Liiria and Mike were frozen in place and only after what felt like ages was the awkwardness interrupted by the loud slurp of Geevin drinking his coffee.

"I don't suppose we can just all pretend we didn't hear that, can we?" Liiria asked weakly, her voice only just audible. Finally finding the courage, she lifted her head to see Mike smiling.

"Hear what?" Mike said with a chuckle and returned to cleaning the coffee machine.

"I-I think I'm going to go home, curl up and die now." Liiria said softly and picked up her tablet, folding the keyboard over the screen and attaching it to her harness in defeat.

Mike chuckled until he saw the orange dragoness statue perched on top of his coffee machine. Taking a deep breath, he turned his head to the dragoness as she stood up. "Hey, Liiria."

Liiria froze with her head and tail low and looked across to Mike.

"Do-do you want to do something?" Mike asked. "Like, after work, I mean once I close, as a date?"

"I-um… yeah." Liiria said weakly.

"Cool, this afternoon work for you?" He asked and smiled when she nodded. "Meet you here?" He asked and she nodded again with a smile.

"I would like that, yeah." She said and took a deep breath. "That's not exactly how I imagined that would go. So, I'm going to go home now and come back once I put my pride back together. If that's cool."

"Well, I'll see you this afternoon." Mike replied happily.

With a small nod, Liiria walked across to the exit. As soon as the door closed behind her, she took off down the street at a run, much to the amusement of Geevin who burst out laughing once she was out of sight.

"Oh shut up!" Mike said and threw the damp cloth across at the drake, the rag falling short and landing at his feet.

"Oh, come on!" he retorted, "That was cute! Also, what happened to Mr. 'I don't know if I want to date again.' Huh? Mr. 'I'm just going to wait for Taalli a bit longer'. Where did he go?" Geevin asked while Mike leaned against the back wall. Adopting a high pitched nasal voice he continued his mockery, "Oh, Liiria, do you like, um, want to like, um go on a date or something?" Two talons coming together as he spoke.

"Oh, I do not sound like that!" Mike retorted, laughing at the big drake's impersonation of him. "And I thought you would be happy for me."

"Oh I am! It was just adorable!" Geevin replied. "Well-done mate, I'm proud of you, it's about time you got back out there."

"Thanks." Muttered Mike softly and held out his hand for Geevin to toss the cloth back to him.

Hearing the doubt creeping back in his voice, Geevin picked up the cloth. "She said to find someone right? You found someone." He said and tossed it back. "Dragoness' can be illogical sometimes, but she had her chance."

"I know, it's just Taalli was the first dragoness that I really clicked with. You know?" Taking the cloth and running it under the tap, he couldn't bring himself to look at the crystal statue next to him.

"I'll be real with you Mike. I thought my ex was the one. He was kind, funny and could do things with his tongue that…" He paused and shook his head to clear his thoughts. "What I'm trying to say is, life is not like one of those romance novels, or a rom-com movie. The first person you love isn't always your 'one true love'. Destined to spend eternity together, with a white picket fence and a gold colored dog. Hell, I don't know if I will spend forever with Ben." He said and saw Mike turn his head to look at him. "I hope I do. I'll do my best to make it work. But I thought the same about my ex, and if we didn't break up, I would never have met Ben. Do you get me?"

Mike nodded slowly as he listened to the brown drake.

"Sometimes, things just don't work out, sometimes it leads to better things. Liiria seems cute, but if it doesn't work, someone else will. I'm not sure if that makes sense." Geevin added.

Mike resumed cleaning the coffee machine as he mulled over Geevin's words. After a minute, he leant around the machine to look at the brown drake. "You read romance novels?" He asked with a smirk, smiling as the drake's snout became darker. "You totally do! Don't you!"

"Oh shut up!" Geevin retorted, "Research! Simply for research reasons."

"Uh-huh." Mike said sarcastically. "I bet you do a lot of research."

"Maybe I do!"

Chuckling, Mike finished wiping down the machine and saw Liiria had left her half full mug by the cushion she had been sitting on.

"So? Where are you going on your little date?" Geevin asked as Mike walked past to collect the mug.

Mike pursed his lips, not having thought that far ahead. "I don't know. There is a good noodle shop in the eastern markets. Taalli and I used to go there-"

"No! Gods, no!" Geevin said loudly. "She isn't Taalli, take her somewhere else."

"What? It's a nice marketplace." Mike retorted with the mug against his chest.

"I'm sure it's lovely, with pretty lights, music and food. But if you go there, you are going to be all mopey and sad." Geevin said firmly. "This is a big city, with so many things to see and do. Think of it as turning a new leaf."

Nodding, Mike agreed. "Where would you go then, Mr. 'Reads romance books for research'?" Mike asked with a smile.

Geevin chuckled loudly and shrugged. "Sexy skydiving probably isn't the play, is it?"

"Ben told you about that, didn't he!" Mike exclaimed. "Is nothing secret between you two?"

"Not when it comes to you!" Geevin smiled broadly. "Maybe ask her, but have a backup plan just in case. Generally speaking, a 'ness likes a drake who has a plan."

Mike nodded in understanding and washed the mug under the sink. "So, what's your read on her? Do you know what fur dragons like to do?"

Geevin placed his pen back down on his notepad and looked at Mike while he thought. "Ignore the fur for a bit, as you said, she is more than just a fluffy pillow." He mused and cocked his head. "She is definitely your type, I'm sure you can think of something."

"That's a cop out if I've ever heard one. What do you mean she is my type? She isn't like Taalli at all."

"Well, she is smart, good looking, and clearly comes from money." Geevin said with a smirk. "Oh come on, leather harness not nylon, all black, matching, between the large phone on her wrist and tablet. She clearly isn't worried about carrying expensive gear on her. So yeah, she is your type."

Mike thought back to her comment about him being unable to afford her if she worked for him and nodded. "Okay, maybe I do have a type." He said finally. "So where should I go tonight?"

Geevin shrugged. "Hey, you landed the last one just fine. I'm sure you will think of something."

---

Mike clicked the large power switch on the wall with a sigh of finality and watched the power light on the espresso machine slowly dim to black. Turning off half the lights, he gave himself enough light to wrap up but also signal to prospective customers that he was closed. The afternoon rush had seemed endless, but it was finally time to lock up. A part of him hoped Liiria would have come earlier, but he also knew he needed a few minutes to get freshened up before their date. Walking around the counter, he flicked the switch on the open sign and looked out the glass for Liiria. "Maybe she is just running late," he muttered to himself and began the process of tidying up the cushions the customers had left lying on the floor.

Returning back to the counter, he fetched a clean cloth out and ran it under the sink. Scrubbing his face, he felt rejuvenated and awake once more. Lifting his head from the sink, he saw the familiar orange statue of Taalli looking at him, silently judging him. "I think you have seen enough." He said and unrolled the cloth to dry over the sink's edge.

Turning, he carefully picked up the crystal statue and looked at the large bin next to the coffee machine. Looking back at the statue he could see the incredible craftsmanship of whoever had made the piece. Not a tool mark or blemish on any facet, other than the black sharpie lines he had drawn on the paws and wing arms to make it look more like Taalli.

With a sigh, he placed it down on the counter before opening a cupboard and crouching to look underneath in search of a place to store the figurine. If she ever came back, he would never forgive himself for throwing it out.

Mike stood up again when he heard a gentle tapping on the glass. A relieved smile pulled at his lips as he saw Liiria outside with a cheesy grin on her snout. With a wave he gestured her to come in and she gently pressed the door open.

"You came!" Mike said happily, a wave of relief washing over him as she trotted inside.

"Sorry I'm late, I got tied up with a thing. But thankfully the traffic lights liked me, I got all greens!" She said merrily. "Oh, that's pretty!" She exclaimed as she spotted the orange dragoness statue on the counter.

Mike's chest tightened and smiled nervously. "Oh, thanks. I was just putting it away. I, ah, don't want people to see it if I was broken into." He lied.

Liiria lowered her head down to the counter to take a closer look. "It's gorgeous. Where did you get it?" She asked, her bright eyes captivated with how even the dim light seemed to make it sparkle.

"It's, ah, a long story. It actually belongs to my business partner. I've been meaning to give it back to them." Mike said and carefully lifted it to turn it around.

Liiria's eyes focused on the blackened paws and frowned. Looking back at Mike she saw the similarities in his uniform to the dragon's colors. "Oh. That's why your apron is orange, I always thought that was a bold choice. I mean, stains have gotta suck."

Mike nodded. "Yeah, getting the stains out is a mission. Especially when they are baked in." He said with a smirk, smiling when her mouth opened in a broad smile.

"Oh you are not gonna let me forget that are you?" Liiria laughed. "Again, I am so sorry."

"And again, it's okay." He replied and crouched behind the counter to put the statue away in the cupboard. Standing up, he looked at Liiria and found himself feeling better. "So, shall we head out?"

Nodding, Liiria couldn't help her ears from perking slightly with excitement. "What's the plan? I'm still kinda new to the city." She said with a hint of vulnerability in her voice.

"Well, I was thinking maybe we could walk along the river, see if we find somewhere nice to eat. Maybe have dinner or something?" Mike said and began undoing his orange apron.

"I like the sound of that." She replied happily.

Lifting the apron off of his neck, he folded it in half and placed it on the counter to reveal his smart black business shirt and pants, with a simple stainless buckle on his belt. "Alright, let me just finish up here and we will be on our way."

Liiria waited outside while he set the alarms and crouched down to engage the lock at the bottom of the front door. "Done!" He said cheerfully and spun the keys around his finger before slipping them into his pocket.

"Yay!" Liiria added, her dense fur catching the late afternoon sun that reflected off the buildings to give her a slight glow.

Walking side by side, Mike smiled as he realized their heads were at similar heights. "So, how did job hunting go?"

"Not bad, I've applied for half a dozen today, some I'm a bit bleh on, others look good." She said hopefully. "There was a good one with Drag'n'Drop that looked promising."

Mike frowned, the large e-commerce company had recently established a distribution center in the city and was aggressively ramping up advertising. So far he had not needed to use the service as he would often send Geevin to fetch things for him in exchange for a coffee.

"Drag'n'Drop? But I thought you would need…" he cut himself off as he saw her look across at him.

"Wings?" Liiria finished and smiled. "Nah, trust me, I wouldn't be delivering packages. The job was for more of their back office stuff, working with developers to make an interface that was both dragon and human friendly." Her voice was filled with excitement.

"That's neat!" Mike said, Geevin's words about her being smart ringing true. "Fingers crossed!"

"Thanks!" Liiria said with a slight skip in her step. "How about you? How was work?" She asked as they paused for a traffic light to change.

"It was good! Had this really pretty dragoness come in, it really made my day." He teased, finding himself smiling as she looked happily back at him.

"Oh, did she talk on her phone without headphones? Some people are so inconsiderate." She smiled and leaned slightly to give him a friendly nudge with her shoulder.

"Oh, so rude. Didn't even pay for their drink-"

"-Oh my god! I didn't, did I!" Liiria exclaimed. "I am so sorry, I completely forgot."

"Don't worry about it." Mike said as the lights changed and they crossed the street. "You had a lot on your mind." He added with a smile.

"I'll make it up to you, dinner is on me." Liiria said happily.

"You don't need to do that. Besides, it's traditional that the guy pays for the first date." Mike retorted.

"Oh, I didn't have you pegged as the traditional type." Liiria teased and nudged him gently.

Smiling, Mike shrugged. "Well, I was going to ask your parents for permission to date their daughter… but I think I've already got that."

"Oh my god!" Liiria exclaimed as they rounded the corner and the river came into sight. "That was so embarrassing! I really need to get a better pair of headphones. They are always getting confused between my tablet and phone."

"Well, I for one am glad they stuffed up." Mike said cheerfully and they continued walking to the wooden boardwalk that ran along the side of the river.

"Me too." Liiria said warmly, the worn timber much more pleasing under her furred paws. "My mother can be a bit much sometimes, but she means well."

"How so?" Mike asked, swallowing as his smile faltered. Memories of how Taalli's parents tried to manipulate her and use him to get what they wanted from her came rushing back.

"Oh, I'm an only child and she wants me to be happy and healthy, is all. You get that, right?"

Mike nodded in understanding, remembering Seelena's words about the medication Taalli was taking, unsure if there was any weight behind her words or if it was just another attempt to control her daughter.

Blinking, he realized he hadn't replied yet. He quickly pushed aside the thoughts of Taalli and tried to focus on the present. "Is she going to be okay with, you know…" Mike said, pointing between them, "us?"

Liiria's eyes widened. "Oh! No, I mean, yes. She is fine with me dating a human, hell she has had a few in her time." She said cheerfully and smiled when she saw Mike breathe a sigh of relief.

"Oh that's good to hear." Mike mused and looked across the water. The setting sun caused the winding river to shimmer like a golden ribbon as they continued to walk. "So you are close with your folks?" He asked and felt relieved when she nodded. The thought of less tension on her side of the relationship made him breathe easier.

"But don't worry, I won't spring them on you." She promised. "They both live overseas."

"Right! That makes sense now." Mike exclaimed, "I remember your mother saying you spoke to her this morning and I was slightly confused."

"Yes, morning for her, last night for me." Liiria explained.

"Gotcha. Well she seems nice." Mike mused, "But I have to ask, she called you something, Mishka? Was it?"

"Oh, that's just a name she calls me." Liiria said and looked away, her ears tucking close to her neck. "It's silly."

"I think it's sweet… Mishka." Mike said with a smirk.

Liiria nudged him firmly with her shoulder, causing him to stumble and laugh. "Oh no, don't you start calling me that." She retorted. "You don't even know what it means!" She added with a smile.

Mike got his balance and returned to her side. "Alright, alright. Just Liiria it is then."

As a woman on a bicycle came towards them, he moved closer to the dragoness to let her pass. "So what made Liiria decide to come all the way out here?"

"To be honest, them." She said and nodded towards the four largest skyscrapers that dominated the skyline. "As a fledgling, I used to see pictures of its construction in magazines. I'm not sure if you got the ads here, but they used to say stuff like 'anyone who is anyone, aspires to live in the spires.' I know it was cheesy but I kind of always wanted to live there."

Mike nodded, "They are impressive, I give them that."

"I bet the view from the top is to die for." Liiria added while looking up at the top of the northern spire.

Mike nodded. "It is memorable, that's for sure," he murmured, feeling his chest tighten at the memory.

"You've been up there? How high?"

Mike swallowed, "The owner of Large Scale Developments owns the penthouse."

"Oh!" Liiria said and realized what he was saying. "You really dated his daughter?" She asked and saw Mike nod.

"But that was ages ago, besides. It's not polite to talk about exes on a first date." Mike said with a pained smile. "Tonight is all about you." He added trying to sound casual.

"Naww." Liiria said and brushed her side against him. "You're cute!"

"You're beautiful!" Mike replied quickly and was rewarded with her walking closer next to him with a smile on her snout. He could feel her fur brushing against his arm and instinctively lifted a hand to stroke her shoulder. "Wow, your fur is so soft!" He exclaimed.

"Thanks! I made it myself!" She giggled and laughed with him.

"Okay, I'm going to remember that one." He said once he had composed himself. Looking at her bright eyes, he could see she was enjoying his company. "So, what does Liiria the lovely lavender dragoness want to eat tonight?" Mike asked with a smile, the boardwalk slowly expanding to a large entertainment area full of tourist traps and restaurants.

Liiria's laugh made him smile and blush slightly. "Oh, whatever you want, I'm easy… wait, that came out wrong." She said before giggling again. "I mean, I'll eat anything!" She quickly corrected herself. "Maybe not seafood though. If that's okay?"

Mike nodded with a smile. Looking around the food court area he spotted a quiet looking restaurant that seemed to cater for dragons and humans alike. "What about there? Do you like Turkish food?"

Liiria followed his gaze and spotted the restaurant, a combination of gold and red decor giving the establishment a cozy warm atmosphere. "Ooo, I have not had Turkish in years!"

"Then Turkish it is." Mike announced and began to lead Liiria across the busy courtyard. As they walked, Mike couldn't help but notice a few glances from other dragons and humans towards himself and Liiria.

She walked behind him and lowered her head down to his ear. "Don't worry, I'm used to the looks." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

Mike turned his head to whisper back, "I think they are just jealous of your fur." Which made her beam. "If they knew how soft it was, I would have to fend them off," he added, which made her giggle.

Approaching the restaurant, they were greeted by a server wearing a white shirt and similar pants to Mike. "Welcome! A party of two?" He asked politely.

"Please," Mike replied and the pair were led inside.

The aroma of fresh spices and incense sticks filled the air which made Mike smile. Turning to Liiria, he saw her eyes narrowed in concern before catching herself and smiling in return. "Everything okay?"

Liiria nodded. "Yup, just remembered something I'll need to do tomorrow." She replied, silently hoping the smells wouldn't cling to her fur too much. With a reassuring nod, she followed behind Mike towards a collection of cushions in a quiet section of the restaurant.

The waiter produced two menus for the couple as they sat down. The large embroidered cushions were placed in such a way that they were encouraged to share one together and have an unobstructed view to the center of the restaurant.

"Well, this is cozy." Mike remarked and watched as she adjusted her position on the cushion before sitting down on the corner.

"It's nice, isn't it. I like the walls, they are really pretty." She replied, nodding towards the tapestries that had been hung up, each one depicting a different landscape of a distant land.

Shuffling on the cushion, Liiria spotted a cylindrical canister of wet wipes and plucked two out and began rubbing them between her front paws. "City streets, am I right?" She said sheepishly.

"Need a hand?"

"I've got this." She replied quickly before realizing what he was offering as she worked the towellet between her paw pads. "I mean, actually. I can never get between my toes. Do you mind?" She asked softly.

"Not at all!"

Liiria placed the used towelettes on the ground,collected another two fresh ones and passed them to Mike.

With a smile, he shuffled closer to her large paws and placed one on his lap. Taking the offered damp cloth, he gently rubbed the underside of her paw, trusting the feeling of his fingers as he rubbed the sensitive areas between her digits and her curved ivory talons.

The scent of the chemicals in the cloth stung Liiria's sensitive nose, a stark contrast to the fragrant incense and spices that hung in the air. Looking down, she watched him finish with one paw and crossed her forearms to offer him her other paw. "You have really gentle hands." She remarked softly.

Looking up, Mike smiled and continued to wipe her other paw, making sure not to get the fuzzy fur that framed her paws too damp. As he finished, he placed the used towelettes with the others and looked up again noticing her ears were a bit redder than usual.

"You're not too warm?"

Liiria shook her head, "I'll be okay. But thanks." As she lowered her head down to look at the menu, she couldn't help but glance at the other patrons. A mix of dragon couples with a scattering of dragon and human couples sprawled out on the cushions, some affectionately snuggled against one another while they ate.

"Do you want to get something to share?" Mike offered while looking at his menu.

"That would be nice, yes!" Liiria replied and looked to his menu before skipping a few pages to see what he was looking at.

"I'm vegan by the way," she said flatly while running a claw down the menu.

"Wait, what, really?" Mike looked up at her in shock.

Liiria kept a blank expression before smiling slowly. "Pfft, no, can you imagine? But your face was priceless."

Mike chuckled and shook his head, "I was going to say, I've been giving you milk in your hot chocolates." He said and looked down at the menu again.

"What about this one?" She asked and pressed a talon against an item.

"King Ashan's assortment, hey?" Mike said and looked to his menu to read what was in it. "Actually, that looks really good, a bit of everything."

"Done!" She announced and turned the menu over to view the drinks. "Oh, they have a good list of wines."

"Are you a red or white kinda 'ness?" Mike asked and followed along on his menu.

"Reds mostly. I don't think there is much that can beat a big glass of Merlot next to a roaring fireplace," she said dreamily. "Especially if it's cold outside." Looking at Mike, she grinned sheepishly.

"That sounds amazing, what are we doing here?" Mike joked and grinned when she laughed. His eyes traveled to her thick fur and found himself longing to run his hands through it.

Seeing his eyes look down her forearm she wiggled slightly in the cushion, moving to make less room between them. With a nod towards the other couples in the restaurant, she lowered her head slightly to whisper to him "If you want, it's okay if you-" she started only to be interrupted as the waiter came back around to take their orders.

She sat politely as Mike ordered for them along with a glass of Merlot for each of them. With a bow, the waiter left the pair and Mike looked up to her. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Liiria smiled, "I was just going to say, this cushion is hardly big enough for the both of us, are you sure you are comfortable?" Her voice gentle and she added a subtle roll of her shoulder.

Mike glanced at her shoulder and then looked back up at her warm smile. "What are you suggesting?" He asked with a small smile.

"Well, you see. I'm an expert on human and dragon ergonomics," she said playfully while lifting her front and shuffling herself so she was directly behind him. With him between her forelegs she shuffled closer and made herself comfortable. The white fur on her throat and chest tickling the back of his neck before she pulled him against her gently with a paw. "I know you humans like a back rest on your seats," she added.

Mike couldn't find his words as he was guided to lean against her front. Her soft fur felt cool to the touch until he was pressed against her and could feel her warmth. "I-I, this is nice," he stammered and was rewarded with her turning her neck to look back at him with a smile.

"It's a stereotype that us fur dragons like hugs. But there is some truth behind it." She explained.

Liiria let go of him and placed her forepaws next to him once again, and smiled when he began gently stroking her paw. "So, fireplace, Merlot, hugs. With nothing but the cold outside?"

"You had me at Merlot." She giggled and laughed along with Mike. "But if it was snowing too…" she said dreamily. "Not like city snow, where it's slushy and salty, but proper fresh powder."

"I will take your word on it, I've only ever been in the city when it's snowed," Mike said and ran his fingers through her fur slowly, imagining her large paws at home in the icy conditions.

"Okay, that's something we will have to fix."

"Oh?" Mike asked and saw her nod enthusiastically. "I've always wanted to go snowboarding or something but keep hearing the horror stories of people breaking legs and things."

Her bright ivory teeth were revealed with her broad grin. "Oh Mike, no one gets hurt snowboarding." She said in a matter of fact tone, pausing for him to frown. "It's the transition from snowboarding to rock climbing that hurts people." She added and giggled playfully when he chuckled.

"Or tree climbing." Mike added, much to her amusement. "I take it you have spent time on a slope?"

"Oh, only my whole life," she said with a hint of nostalgia in her voice. "My first job was helping people get onto the ski lifts."

"That's cool, did you like it?" Mike asked, his mind wondering what that would look like exactly.

"The pay was okay, but watching people stack it was always a highlight," she said and saw his eyes widen. "As long as they weren't hurt. Of course." She added quickly. "Although sometimes…"

"Liiria!" Mike exclaimed with a smile, playfully pushing his hand against her forearm.

"What! Sometimes they deserve it!" she retorted. "Like, hold on. Let me explain, so I was working one of the double black diamond slopes. I see this dude and his girlfriend approaching, all the gear but no idea. So I tell them that it's one of the harder courses, the dickhead goes off at me, saying I wouldn't know anything about skiing, etc, etc." Liiria paused as the waiter approached with the two glasses of wine, one larger one for herself and a smaller one for Mike. With a nod of thanks, she lowered her head down and took a sip before she continued her story.

"Oh, that's pretty good. So anyway, this dickhead is clearly trying to impress his girlfriend. He gives me a serving, I tell him it's not an easy slope, he says he has done steeper. Starts belittling me etc, so I say fuck it. And let him go on his way," she said and looked back to him with a smirk. "Up next, I'm dragging his ass down the rest of the run on a sled, I think his pride was more broken than his leg," she said and took another sip of her wine while Mike chuckled. "And it was a shame I didn't have any pain meds on me," she added with a wink before her smile broadened further. "Oh! And the best bit, I met his now ex-girlfriend in the lodge. She bought me a drink to apologize!"

"Okay, that's pretty funny." Mike said and took a sip of his wine. "This is good."

Spotting the waiter approaching with a large platter of food, Mike quickly placed his glass onto the floor. "Oh wow, I think we got enough," Liiria chuckled as the waiter placed the large meal down in front of the pair. The single large plate was almost overflowing with a collection of smaller plates full of an assortment of breads, meats, salads and dips.

Mike nodded. "I wasn't expecting this much. But it looks amazing," he said and gestured for her to start first.

Lowering her head over his shoulder, she inhaled the scents of the perfectly cooked food and used a claw to pluck out a piece of tender meat and bread before taking a bite. "Oh GAWD," she exclaimed with a paw on her lips, "this is amazing!"

Looking for a fork, Mike glanced around at the other patrons and quickly discovered it was more traditional to use one's fingers. Selecting a piece of flatbread, he picked up a piece of meat with it and bit into the combo. "Oh damn," he exclaimed; the meat must have been marinating for hours before being cooked to perfection, with the fat melting through the meat and combining with the garlic butter. "We are definitely coming back here." He said between mouthfuls.

"Indeed." Liiria said happily before plucking another piece of meat. She had it almost in her mouth as the lights began to dim and a hushed silence fell upon the patrons. "What's happening?"

Mike shrugged and looked around. It seemed that the other patrons knew what was about to happen as he could make out the figures sit up straighter.

From the speakers hidden in the ceiling, a sultry, rhythmic melody from a distant land began to play, its harmony quickly enveloping the restaurant and captivating the patrons in its mystery and hypnotic beat.

"I think there is a show," Mike whispered and watched as a spotlight illuminated the middle of the restaurant. The lithe brown dragoness that stepped into the light caused Mike's jaw to drop when her wings adorned with countless coloured dots and lines fluttered open to reveal the ceremonial harness she was wearing. Made of excotic silks and gold thread, the harness offered little in the way of practicality, and with the countless small bells that were sewn into the straps, he struggled to see their purpose until she began to move with the beat.

Mike's eyes widened as she rolled her hips seductively, the bells jangling and sparkling under the focused light highlighting her angular lines. Slowly moving around the tables of the restaurant, she would jiggle and gyrate her hips while flicking her tail from side to side for the guests and occasionally lift both her wings high above her to clash together the small cymbals she had strapped on her wing knuckles. With a bashful smile, she continued to make the rounds, often giving the guests an almost unobstructed view of areas that were normally well hidden between her thighs.

"Oh my." Mike said softly, his eyes drawn to the spectacle before him. The dragoness' body moved effortlessly and seductively as she performed her routine. Her long legs were absent of any fat and her scales had clearly been polished so they would shimmer under the lights as she worked. Mike's eyes traced the curve of her chest and how her lines curved steeply up to her midsection before being blocked by her hind legs.

Looking down subtly, Liiria looked at Mike and her heart sank when she saw how captivated he was at the skinny dragoness before them, her purple tail flicking back and forth slowly as she too found herself looking at the dragoness' elegant form. She used her long wings to obscure parts of her body to the audience in her seductive dance while the other patrons enjoyed the show.

Mike felt Liiria's paw tense under his hand and gently stroked her fur. Looking up he could see a glimmer of doubt in the smaller purple dragoness' eyes and playfully patted her paw to get her attention. As Liiria looked down, Mike collected a piece of meat from their plate and offered it to her. His eyes focussed on hers as the scantily dressed dragoness circled past them, waving her hips and tail in their direction.

Liiria could see the struggle in Mike's eyes as he tried to ignore the scaled dragoness right next to them and smiled. She lowered her head to let him feed her some of their meal and gave a small smile of thanks.

As the dragoness finished her routine, the guests gave a round of applause by either beating their wings against their sides or putting their hands together. Mike paused for a moment before politely clapping as the dragoness took a bow and the lights came back on.

"Well, that was something."

Mike chuckled and looked down at the large plate of food in front of them. "Should we send some of this back for her?" He said quietly, just loud enough for Liiria to hear before picking up another piece of meat for Liiria. "She looked like she doesn't get much meat."

"Michael!" Liiria exclaimed and lowered her head to let him place it in between her smiling jaws.

"I'm just saying, she probably needs to make sure there isn't any wind before flying." He added and smiled when Liiria laughed with her mouth full.

"Let's not body shame, Mike… but damn." Liiria said softly and giggled along with him.

"I bet It would be like hugging a bunch of sticks," he said and stroked the fur on her neck reassuringly and smiled when she looked back at him with a warm glint in her eyes.

---

"Yup, I shouldn't have had that last piece." Mike groaned as they walked slowly out of the restaurant and into the evening air. The wooden boardwalk was illuminated by the warm amber glow of the streetlights while small insects mingled around their bulbs.

"I told you," Liiria teased and gently pressed herself against him with a slight stumble. "Though that wine is catching up to me now," she added with a smirk.

Mike nodded, his own cheeks feeling slightly flushed as the alcohol ran through his body. Lifting an arm, he placed it over her shoulders and held her close while they walked. "Maybe next time, we get takeaway. That way we skip the awkward dance bit."

Liiria found herself smiling broadly. "What awkward dance?" she teased. "Oh, you mean the one where a 'ness flashed her bits at everyone!"

"That's the one! Trust me, that was not what I expected when we walked in there. I don't care if it's traditional."

"Oh, but I thought you were a traditional type of guy?" Liiria teased. "Maybe if we get takeaway, we will have to do the dance ourselves."

Mike stumbled slightly at the mental image, much to the amusement of Liiria who roared laughing before snorting and laughing even harder along with him.

"Don't get your hopes up, those bells would 100% get tangled in my fur. And I don't want to jingle when I walk."

"Okay, so I'll wear the bells," Mike said and tried to keep a straight face as she snapped her head around to look at him before he broke out in laughter with her.

"That I would need to see to believe." She chuckled and led them down the boardwalk towards her place. Feeling comfortable with his arm around her shoulders, the initial awkwardness of their date seemed long gone with the help of the wine.

Mike knew it was getting late but didn't care. Walking alongside Liiria, he discovered himself becoming more and more at ease talking to her and found himself wanting to continue as Liiria nodded towards a street, "This is me."

They waited for a traffic light to change before crossing the road and walked towards a set of large town houses which were tall enough to have an unobscured view of the river. "Nice place," Mike remarked, the words of Geevin about her being well off ringing true.

"Thanks! My folks own it, so I got a good deal on rent," Liiria said. "It's not the penthouse of the spires, but it's home."

"I think it's great. Well, the outside at least." Mike said before realizing what he had said. "Not that I need to see the inside! I mean, not right away."

"Of course." Liiria smiled and reached into her harness to fish out an access card and pressed it against the buzzer that was mounted next to the front door. A loud click rang out as the door unlocked. "I had a really good time tonight Mike." She said while turning to face him. Her fluffy tail held the door open while she looked at him under the dim street light.

"Me too! Even with the awkward dance." Mike mused and smiled along with her. "Will I see you tomorrow? For a hot chocolate?" He asked hopefully.

Nodding, Liiria smiled. "Of course! But I have a few things to do in the morning."

"Well, I'll look forward to seeing you." Mike said, his eyes looking from hers to her snout and back again. His heart started beating faster as he found himself unsure if he should kiss, hug or shake her paw goodbye.

"Me too! Thanks again for tonight!" Liiria said happily. A long pause hung between them as they stood alone in the street. Mike's mind raced with possibilities the longer he waited; clearly she expected something, but he didn't want to ruin a good night by overshooting. He opened his mouth and leaned forwards on the balls of his feet, her head lowering slightly before the door gave a buzz in protest.

"Okay! I'll let you get in." Mike said with a forced smile, his confidence shattering, and gave a nod goodbye. "Catch you tomorrow." He added before turning. He had made it to the house next door before hearing the door click closed, his heart sinking as he realized he had missed his shot.

The sound of soft paws on the concrete caused him to turn. His eyes went wide as Liiria's snout filled his vision, her lips meeting his as she turned her head slightly to align their lips. His hands quickly moved to behind her jaw, his heart soaring as she moaned softly into their kiss, his delightful fingers stroking a sensitive area just below her long ears.

Pulling away, she opened the eyes she didn't realize she had closed and smiled sheepishly. Looking down at his flustered expression, she giggled. "Catch you tomorrow," she whispered and quickly turned, disappearing into her home before Mike could process what had just happened.

Smiling, Mike turned and continued walking down the street, eager to see his new dragoness tomorrow.