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A Dragon In Suburbia, Part 2: Nixi's Favorite Toy

"Will that be all, sir?"

"Hm?"

Kyle blinked as his attention was ripped away from the dragon in his apartment. He briefly surveyed the items in front of the cash register:

A bottle of painkillers. An athletic shoulder brace. Several hefty packages of fresh chuck beef. A short leash. A dog toy. A flavored rawhide bone. A large food dish.

Kyle glanced up at the cashier. She was a pretty thing, with a cute face and shoulder-length blond hair. Probably just out of high school. On her chest was a badge that had the name "Stacy" stenciled on it. She flashed a cordial smile when he met her gaze.

"Uh... yeah-no, wait." Biting his tongue in hesitation, Kyle sheepishly placed a hefty bottle of personal lubricant amongst the collection of pet supplies. He pursed his lips and waited as Stacy rang his items up.

"That'll be thirty-six fifty."

"Right," Kyle mumbled. He fumbled around in his pants pockets and pulled out his wallet. "Debit," he said, and swiped his card in the reader. Stacy turned to bag his items. She picked up the bottle of lubricant in one hand and the dog leash in the other, and for a moment a bemused smile formed on her face.

"I hope these items aren't for the same individual," she joked, placing the items in the bag.

Kyle did his absolute best to look at her with a completely straight face. "The lube's for my significant other. The rest of that stuff is for my dragon."

Stacy raised an eyebrow as she handed Kyle his bag of items. "A dragon? Isn't it illegal to own a dragon for a pet?"

"Not if you get a license," Kyle smiled, grabbing his purchases. "Have a good one," he waved. And with that he turned and made his way to the store's exit. As he passed into the parking lot, he fought the urge to break out in a grin.

Technically, he hadn't lied to her about the lube.

-=-=-

Kyle couldn't help but feel anxious on the short drive home. The department store wasn't even a five minute drive from his apartment, but the necessary decision to leave Nixi in there, alone and unsupervised, worried him. There was no other way around it: he needed to get the dragon fed somehow. Plus, he didn't have much hydrocodone left, so buying a bottle of ibuprofen was an absolute necessity. The pain in his shoulder was ever-present due to the recent dislocation, and it likely wouldn't be going away anytime soon.

"Tomorrow..." Kyle mumbled aloud to himself. "She'll have to go back on the ranch."

He could take her this evening, assuming he'd be able to lift Nixi into the truck and somehow keep her there for the duration of the ride, but something told him that his shoulder probably wasn't up to the task just yet. But even so, his instinct told him that there was about a hundred different reasons why he shouldn't be keeping her any longer... god forbid if one of his neighbors or even the landlord found out. And though he worked on the ranch, he didn't actually own a dragon ownership license, which made getting caught doubly dangerous. But in spite of all the warning bells ringing faintly in the back of his mind, a part of Kyle felt an impulse to ignore the warnings, using his shoulder as the most prominent excuse.

Because... all in all, he had to admit it was fun keeping a dragon in his apartment.

If only just for a little while.

Parking his dusty blue pickup in the apartment parking lot, Kyle threw his shopping bags in his canvas backpack (the one with a duct-taped hole from a certain Yellowtail biting through it) and slung the thing over his good shoulder. A hot, stiff breeze met him in the face as he exited his vehicle, and Kyle took in a deep breath, smelling the fresh Colorado summer air. Maybe he'd be able to take Nixi outside for some exercise late at night, when everyone else would be sleeping...

The clack! of the bolt being thrown, The _ca-chink!_of the keys turning in the lock, and one door knob twist later, Kyle let himself inside his apartment on the third floor. There was no dragon to meet him; Kyle had locked her in his bedroom, where he figured she'd be able to get into the least amount of mischief. After taking off his shoes he made a bee-line for the refrigerator, tucked away the packaged beef inside, and tossed the bottle of lube on the bathroom counter down the hall. And then, after mentally bracing himself for a potential mess, Kyle let himself into his bedroom.

There, on his bed, curled up in a ball with a single wing covering her head, was a jaguar-sized dragon called a Yellowtail, measuring about a meter tall at the shoulder. The afternoon sun was peeking through the blinds of his window, casting rays of horizontal golden light over her earthy and muted green topcoat of scales, highlighting the mottled blue and purple flecks that were spread out here and there. Her underbelly was a pleasant sky blue, which made the dragon hard to spot for the fish they preyed on in the wild. A pair of dark grey horns sprouted from the back of her head, curving gently downward. A large, webby blue fin trailed down the length of the dragon's back and one more lined each cheek. They were supported by soft, flexible yellow spines that ended in bulbous tips. The dragon's tail - for which Nixi's species got their name - stood out in contrast, being a golden-yellow hue at the tip, and embellished with a spoon-shaped swimming fin. Kyle had always thought the tail's color was very out-of-place, but his cousin and ranch-owner Emily had told him long ago that it was a desirable breeding trait, similar to a peacock's plumage.

Kyle was pleasantly surprised to find the dragon taking a nap instead of doing... well, who knows what a curious and inquisitive dragon could get into when unsupervised! At the sound of the door being opened, Nixi stirred and roused herself to look at the human that had just entered her new lair.

"Hey, Nix. I'm back already. Sorry I didn't give you much time to sleep," he spoke to her, sitting down on the bed. If the Yellowtail was groggy, she didn't show it: her golden irises shone with an alert and inquisitive stare as Kyle sat his backpack on his lap. She crawled over to him and laid a single forepaw on his thigh, letting out a quiet, curious trill. Kyle gave the dragon a warm smile and a quick rub along the cheek. His thumb slid over the dragon's scales nearly effortlessly: Yellowtail scales were smooth and waxy to the touch.

"I got you a few things," he began, taking out each item and showing it to the dragon in turn. "A dish for water and food, a leash for the next time we go outside, and a bone in case you want something to chew on.

Like many other predators, dragons were known to occasionally gnaw on the bones of their meals, though not quite as often as dogs. Kyle held it out for Nixi to smell, but she appeared disinterested for now. Her attention was focused on the backpack on his lap. She leaned in close to examine it.

"And, oh, look at this toy!" With a proud excitement, Kyle pulled out a red, hollow contraption made out of hard and durable rubber. "See, you put food in here, and then as you play with it, pieces will occasionally fall out."

Being intelligent creatures, dragons in captivity of any kind required toys to keep them entertained. Emily owned a number of similar toys back on the ranch, though they were much larger and designed for raw meat to be slowly licked and nibbled out of the holes and crevices. The Yellowtail glanced at the strange device but again, appeared disinterested. Kyle frowned.

"No? Ah, well..." Kyle shrugged. "Maybe later."

Nixi scooted closer to Kyle. Curiously, she nosed around his canvas backpack, nudging the top flap open with her snout. Perhaps she was acting so curious because she could smell the beef that used to be inside...

Kyle frowned. "That and some food is all I got for y-"

As Nixi pushed her snout into the interior of his backpack, something immediately clicked for Kyle and his eyes grew wide. There was something else in that backpack. Something that Nixi knew was in there.

"Ah, wait!"

At that moment Nixi immediately sprung up and lunged, pulling out her prize from the very bottom of the bag with a triumphant trill. Reacting quickly, Kyle made a grab for the object in her jaws. He could not secure his grip, however, and when Nixi yanked her head back with a growl, he felt his fingers slip. As soon as she had sole possession of it, the dragon leapt off the bed.

"Hey!" Kyle jumped to his feet, but it was too late to make a lunge for her. The Yellowtail was out the door of his bedroom in a flash. Kyle shook his head in bewilderment.

"That dragon..." he rolled his eyes and let out a half-amused, half-exasperated sigh as he followed her out.

The object Nixi had stolen happened to be a large, black, silicone vibrating dildo with studs that ran down the length. It had come packaged in this goofy spy-themed box, bearing the title "The Infiltrator: unlock the secrets of passion!", which was a tagline Kyle was pretty sure he'd never be able to forget. He had tentatively purchased the thing for Nixi and Relia a while back, and although Kyle enjoyed seeing Nixi and Relia play with his little gift, he always struggled with getting the thing back from them once they were done. Once the dragons discovered what it did, they both had decided that the delightful item should be theirs and had made multiple attempts to keep it. Nixi knew that he tended to carry it discretely in his backpack and had even at one point stolen the backpack and ran off with it. By the time he found the Yellowtail she had torn a snout-sized hole in the thing and was trying to remove the vibrator with her jaws. Kyle, having not gotten around to buying a new backpack yet, had since patched the hole with duct tape as a temporary fix.

Kyle chastised himself for not seeing this coming. He had forgotten the Infiltrator was even in there!

Kyle walked into the family room to find Nixi lying on the floor. She was turning the contraption over with her forepaws, having still not figured out how to turn the thing on. She looked when Kyle approached and immediately sat up, keeping the vibrator laying between her forepaws for safe keeping. Hovering her head low to the ground, she gave Kyle a glare and hunched her shoulders in a clear defensive posture. Kyle merely gave the dragon a snide look.

"Nixi, you know I can't let you keep that," Kyle began. At this point, he felt adamant that the dragon not have her way, if only because she had turned it into such a point of contention. But there was another reason, too...

"That's Relia's, too, you know."

The Yellowtail merely stared at him, stone-faced, and Kyle found himself beginning to smile in amusement. Dragons were jealous and self-centered creatures by nature. Kyle wasn't quite sure if they even understood the concept of sharing possessions; It seemed to be an altogether unfamiliar, unnatural, and unpleasant act for them.

Slowly, Kyle approached. As still as a statue, Nixi fixated her gaze upon him. When he got within a few feet, the Yellowtail let out a growl, stopping Kyle in his tracks. Had this happened several months ago, Kyle would have been afraid of the dragon's demeanor, but by now he felt that he knew Nixi well enough to know how much he could push the dragon. One thing he had learned on the ranch was that as a general rule, dragons were quick to anger but slow to action, preferring to put on an aggressive display rather than use physical force to confront a threat.

A threat... was that all what Kyle was to her now, he wondered? Just because he was going to take away her favorite toy?

"Nixi," Kyle began, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know I'm gonna get that thing back one way or another, right?"

Stepping forward, Nixi wriggled her hips and made a show of sticking her haunches out before plopping them down right on top of the infiltrator, causing Kyle to laugh. He knew from experience that sitting on something or standing over it was how dragons expressed ownership of items. Similarly, placing the haunches or paws on top of another to "claim" them was an expression of dominance, which made so much sense to Kyle after seeing female Cresties on the ranch sit and lie on their mates' tails, chests, and even heads for apparently inexplicable reasons. This made it particularly dangerous to work with larger dragons, which had to be trained to discourage this type of behavior with their trainers. Even so, Kyle had been sat on more than once during his months on the ranch. Thankfully, Nixi didn't weigh that much due to her small size and lightweight frame.

Kyle wasn't sure how he'd get the infiltrator back now. He'd have to somehow get the dragon to move, but something told him that even if he did the Yellowtail would be keen to not let the thing out of her sight. Nixi let out a snort and stamped the carpet with her left forepaw, almost as if she was daring Kyle to try and take it from under her. It was clear the dragon was not budging any time soon.

While months ago Kyle might have been annoyed or angry at her, he was learning to take the dragon's grumpy and uncooperative moments with a grain of salt. That lesson had been a slow and gradual one, but it was an absolute necessity with so many dragons (and their egos) on one ranch.

"Alright, alright," half-mockingly, Kyle bowed out and stepped away. "You win for now, dragon." Slowly, he backed down the hallway, with Nixi watching his every move, until he retreated back into his bedroom. Pausing for a brief minute, Kyle then peeked his head back out, snickering under his breath when he saw the dragon had still not moved. Her eyes were fixated down the hallway, staring at him.

"That dragon..." Kyle rolled his eyes as he turned away and fell back into his wheeled desk chair.

"Ow!"

Kyle grabbed his shoulder in reflex. He had moved something the wrong way, causing a spike of pain in the shoulder that had been dislocated the day before. Grumbling to himself, he leaned back and kicked off with one foot, sending the chair spinning around in a lazy circle.

-=-=-

Some time had passed. Kyle felt the next round of hydrocodone and ibuprofen was just now starting to kick in, and the athletic shoulder brace he had bought from the department store was helping to support the recently dislocated joint. Combined, the treatment was working wonders, lessening the agony to a dull ache and reducing the frequency of painful spasms.

Despite a little voice in his mind telling him it was a horrible, irresponsible idea, Kyle had decided to leave Nixi unsupervised, hoping she would be occupied with her toy and wouldn't get into any trouble while he indulged himself with a bit of personal time to surf the internet and forget about his shoulder. He wondered in the back of his mind if the Yellowtail had figured out how to turn the Infiltrator on by now, and if she could get the thing inside of her without the help of his hands. Maybe one of these days he should toss the toy to her, sit back a while, and watch what would happen....

A while later, the sound of the bedroom door being nudged open followed by an inquisitive trill caused Kyle to glance away from the computer screen. Standing on the threshold of his bedroom stood Nixi, whose head came to about doorknob-level in his apartment. She looked to be cautiously peering within.

"What is it, Nix? Infiltrated any secret passages, yet?" He flashed a cheeky grin.

The Yellowtail withdrew from the doorway and reappeared a few seconds later. Kyle couldn't help but laugh when he saw her re-enter grasping the infiltrator in her mouth. So she had decided to carry it with her for safekeeping. Nixi immediately made for Kyle's bed, where she hopped up on it and curled into a comfy ball amongst his crumpled bedsheets. She dropped the infiltrator and pulled it to her chest with a forepaw, guarding it jealously.

"Looks like you haven't figured how to turn it on." Kyle leaned forward a bit, curious to see if Nixi had even used her toy. The surface looked dry, which told him the answer was a no. Nixi stared at him, and, after a while, untucked one of her paws to wrap it around the dildo and clutch it closer. Her flat ears told him the dragon was not in the best of moods.

"Heh, don't trust me one bit, do ya?" Kyle smiled. Feeling a bit mischievous, he slowly reached out for the vibrator with his good arm, which caused Nixi to rear her head back and let out a terse growl. As he crept closer, Nixi lunged and snapped at his hand with her teeth, causing Kyle to immediately jerk back with a laugh. Judging from her tail, Nixi did not appear amused: the tail fin was collapsed flat against her scales and the tip was twitching and slapping against the bedsheets, which was a clear sign of agitation.

Kyle remembered learning that from the dragon handling book Emily had given to him. Tail tips were important communicating tools for some of the smaller species, which tended to be more social and gregarious than the larger breeds that typically lead solitary lives. An active tail usually conveyed high-energy emotions such as anxiousness, excitement, or anger, while a lax tail indicated calmer and more placid moods.

Kyle grinned. "You know, I could turn it on for you if you only would let me-"

Another toothy snap at his extending fingers, and Kyle chuckled. "Fine, have it your way." As he turned his chair back toward the computer screen he heard a rather grumpy grunt out of the Yellowtail, followed by a loud huff. Amused at her behavior, Kyle wondered if the dragon was telling him off. She had probably spent a good while fumbling with the thing, trying to turn it on or get it inside of her, Kyle mused. And since she had been unsuccessful, it was no wonder she was gouchy.

As time passed Kyle occasionally glanced back at the dragon, who appeared to be brooding. He was glad she decided to stay where he could keep an eye on her. And even better, there was nothing in here (that Kyle could think of) that the dragon could get into and cause mischief.

It was only later, when Kyle had clicked on a link to a video clip that the dragon stirred. At the sound of the sudden noise coming from his computer speakers the Yellowtail lifted her head and let out a curious warble. Kyle glanced her way, and as he did an idea came to mind.

"I'm watching a video, Nix. Wanna see? Come here," Kyle encouraged, motioning to her with his hand. Initially reluctant, after several more attempts by Kyle the Yellowtail finally decided to listen, making sure to grab the infiltrator before getting up slowly and hopping down to the floor. She sat down next to Kyle, keeping her head just above desk-height. The black dildo was still between her jaws. Kyle couldn't help but grin.

"Here, let's look up something a dragon would want to watch." Biting his tongue in hesitation as to what exactly that would be, Kyle eventually decided to simply type in "Yellowtail Dragon" into the search bar. Nixi watched curiously, the moving mouse cursor on the screen catching her eye. The first video he pulled appeared to be from a nature documentary of some kind. The beginning showed only people talking, which quickly lost the Yellowtail's attention, and Kyle had to skip around a bit to get to the parts where the dragons were being shown.

The thick droll of the narrator gave way to the expressive cries and soft warbles of wild dragons as on-screen, a male Yellowtail, clutching a good-sized fish in his mouth, was returning to his den. Immediately, Nixi's ears swiveled in the direction of the speakers (with her snout following soon after) and Kyle watched as her gaze fixated back on the screen. Letting out a curious trill, the dragon cocked her head and scooted closer to the computer desk, watching with mesmerized curiosity.

The secluded burrow was nestled along the riverbed of some far-off tropical rainforest, hidden by ferns and reeds. Somehow, the show's research team had installed a tiny camera inside the dragon's den, allowing Kyle to see what went on inside. After dipping between the reeds and entering the claustrophobic burrow, the male was met with his mate and a clutch of eggs nesting amongst soft earth and collected grass. The male dropped the still-gasping fish at the female's feet, and the two briefly touched muzzles. The narrator continued to talk as the pair of dragons began to interact:

"...the male returns to the den bearing a gift: much needed nourishment for his tired and weary mate. The pair will take turns guarding the eggs in the coming months, with each hunting for the other and eventually hunting for the hatchlings as well. Since they lack the milk glands of their distant relatives, the mammals, dragons instead rear their young on fresh kills shortly after birth. As they grow stronger and more independent, the parents will teach their hatchlings to hunt practice targets such as frogs and lizards. These Yellowtails will continue to operate as a family until the hatchlings are able to fly, whereupon the female will oust her mate, and the whelps, from her den. Oftentimes, young whelps will stick together with their brothers and sisters in groups of two to four until they reach sexual maturity and begin to feel the urge to seek out their own mates. As for the father, he will return to the life of a bachelor once more. However, if he is lucky and his mate finds him favorable, she will permit him to stay and together, the pair will attempt to rear a second clutch. In the coming months-"

Kyle's attention was ripped from the video as Nixi leaned forward. Curiously, she peeked her head behind the mysterious monitor, and, finding nothing, she returned to her original sitting position with a quizzical warble. She briefly looked Kyle's way, who was wearing a grin of amusement as he watched the Yellowtail attempt to figure the flat, glowy box out.

The documentary moved on to feature an interview with some apparently famous biologist Kyle had never heard of, which quickly lost Nixi's attention. A mischievous grin then spread across Kyle's face as another idea came to mind, and he began to snicker.

"Ooh, you'll like this one," he mumbled. Biting his lip in hesitation, he then clicked on the search bar and surreptitiously typed in a new phrase:

"Yellowtail dragon mating"

The first video that came up was some tourist's recording of two male Yellowtails at a zoo being rather amorous with each other, but the camera was shaky and the audio was drowned out with the sounds of talking crowds, prompting Kyle to search for something better. After a moment of browsing, he settled upon a home video titled "Why we can never find Duchess and Duke", which looked promising.

"Here ya go, Nixi-girl," Kyle said, leaning back a bit and putting the video in full screen. The movie clip wasted no time in capturing the moment: the sounds of two quietly snickering observers could be heard as the camera centered in on a pair of Yellowtails going at it on what looked to be a back porch of some sort of cabin. The surrounding foliage were not ferns and vines, but birch trees, which immediately told Kyle the video was taken on a ranch probably not too different from the one he worked on.

The male Yellowtail was hunched over the female, with his forelegs wrapped around her waist in the classic doggystyle... or perhaps in this case it should be "draggystyle," Kyle mused. The pair were going at it quite enthusiastically. A yowl sounded out from the speakers, catching Nixi's attention. She let out an inquisitive chirp as her eyes fixated back on the screen. The two observers were talking in quiet, hushed voices as the video progressed.

"Cathy, I know you're watching this video, and well... I think we solved the mystery of our regular Yellowtail disappearances."

There was the sound of some giggling, followed by a second voice speaking up in a distinctly feminine tone. "God, Hank... this cabin isn't currently rented out, is it?"

"Yeah, it is." Hank laughed. "But the family's not here to see it. I think they went out to fish at the lake. But remember that one time, Becky... during the dragon performance show? That mother with her kids in the front row?"

"Oh, god," Becky replied, and the two started laughing.

The pair went silent for a moment, and the only noises heard were the sounds of growls and yowls coming from the pair of amorous dragons. The male paused briefly to get a better grip around the female's waist, before starting right up again.

From the sound of things, it seemed to Kyle that the pair of dragons lived on a guest ranch, or a "dude ranch," which caters to tourists with services such as rental cabins, camping sites, dragon-back trail riding, fishing, and in the case of this particular ranch, some kind of show where the dragons perform tricks. More opulent ranches often had dining halls, outdoor auditoriums, gift shops, and sometimes even a spa or a steam house. Emily had at one point said she was considering building a couple cabins and turning her ranch into a guest ranch, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for all the extra work. For now the only tourist attractions she offered were guided canter trails, riding lessons, and a few other miscellaneous services. Every so often she'd allow a family to rent out one of her tame dragons for a child's birthday party... with a rancher on-hand to supervise, of course!

Kyle's eyes darted down and to the right to glance at Nixi. She was staring intently at the screen while the two ranchers continued talking.

"That awkward moment when you come back to your rental cabin to find two really happy dragons on your back porch lying next to some unusual puddles," Hank remarked.

"Do think we should break them up?"

"What, and spoil their fun? Nah. They probably won't be at it for much longer, anyway."

A chipper trill filled Kyle's ears, but not from the speakers, and Kyle flinched in surprise as Nixi jumped halfway onto his lap. She then drew her snout close to the screen until it was practically touching. Laughing, Kyle wrapped an arm around her scaly shoulders and steadied her as she watched. Nixi was transfixed: Kyle glanced at her golden-yellow irises, seeing them glued onto the screen as the two dragons continued to mate. Kyle saw she had dropped the vibrator at some point. He made a mental note to collect it later.

Kyle had to duck around Nixi's shoulders to get a better view of the screen. "Man, they're really going at it," he remarked. Kyle never imagined they'd be going that fast! Nixi's claws begun to dig into his thighs painfully as the sounds of trilling and growling blared from the computer's speakers. After a moment, Nixi let out her own throaty growl, causing Kyle to laugh. A part of him was surprised: he had never heard of an animal reacting to watching sex like this... but then again, Nixi had done quite a lot of things he had never heard of any animal doing before.

"I guess this would be porn for a dragon, wouldn't it?" Kyle observed. "Only, without the porn stars and the cheesy music." He gave the dragon a playful squeeze on the shoulder, but the Yellowtail was distracted.

It was there, with his face at Nixi's flank that Kyle's attention came to the wounds on the dragon's side. He wasn't sure how the dragon received her injuries; he figured she must have gotten them sometime last night in between Mitka thrashing around in the trailer and her escape through the broken cage door.

Looking closer, it seemed that the Yellowtail had a collected a series of long, jagged gashes on her side. Dry, crusted blood had filled in between the spaces of her cracked scales, creating jagged lines of red against the blue and green hues. Her right wing was also gashed along her bony arm. After carefully pulling her dactyls apart to examine the leathery wing membrane, Kyle thought it seemed fine. Nixi lightly fussed and fidgeted as she was touched. She, like most dragons, did not like any prodding and handling of her wings.

The wounds didn't look particularly deep, but they were jagged and painful looking, as if something not quite sharp enough to cut cleanly had ripped the skin apart. They were also dirty: dust and general debris had collected along the cracked and ripped scales. Kyle's mind wandered to his bedsheets all speckled with spots and smears of blood from Nixi sleeping there last night, and frowned at the thought of having to replace them.

He put a finger close to the edge of one of the wounds and lightly touched, resulting in Nixi flinching away. Another light prod was met with a short growl. He frowned.

"I think we're gonna need to clean those cuts a bit, Nix."

The dragon looked at him briefly before going back to the video.

"Might need to get you in the bathtub after this."

Nixi paid Kyle little attention, and, with the dragon half-way on his lap and nowhere to move, Kyle simply decided to watch along with her for the time being. Nixi was animated and alert: every so often she'd duck or jerk her head in some way, and it took Kyle a while before figuring out that she was trying to adjust her viewing angle as if the screen was merely a window.

The clip was only a few minutes in length, and it didn't take much longer before the male Yellowtail on screen appeared to be finishing, as he slowed down his thrusts and let out a loud growl. The female on bottom stayed put, with her chest to the ground, rump high in the air, and tail bent up and back as far as it could go. He couldn't see her face due to the camera angle, but Kyle could only imagine it probably wasn't much different from Nixi's expression, which was to say an almost goofy open-mouthed grin with her tongue flopping out.

Kyle smirked. "Heh... looks like the males don't last too long. Is that why you like being with me, Nix? Are humans better than dragons in bed?" Looking for an answer, he began to gently guide her face to meet his, but she wormed out of his grasp in an instant to fixate her eyes back on the screen, prompting Kyle to let out a dismissive "Humph."

After finishing, the male on top rested a moment, trying to catch his breath as the two ranchers joked amongst themselves. Then, as he pulled out and dismounted, a drip of pale whitish fluids oozed out from between the females legs where it pooled onto the wooden floor of the back porch. Nixi let out a long, low growl of approval at the sight, but Kyle reared back in surprise.

"Woah, the males give out a lot, don't they?"

The camera zoomed in on the spattering of whitish fluids on the wooden floor, which was followed with a bit more choice commentary by the two ranchers recording the act:

"This is some gen-u-ine discovery channel quality material, right here. I'm tellin' ya, the folks in cabin eight are missing out."

Becky laughed. "Hank, you're such a doof."

The female Yellowtail got up from her leaning position and stretched her neck and legs before turning around and sitting down. She lifted a hind leg to lick herself clean of the mess her mate had left her. And though his back was to the camera, the male appeared to be doing the same between his own legs, and from a standing position, too, impressively enough. When he had finished, the male then approached the female and joined her in licking her vent clean. Churring affectionately, the female began to lick and nuzzle the male's face in response.

The woman in the video spoke up: "Aw, look, he's helping her clean up. That's actually kinda cute."

"Yeah, how come you don't do that for me?" came the retort from the guy, which was quickly followed by an "Ooph!" as the camera shook around violently, and Kyle could only assume he had received a playful jab in the stomach for the comment.

"Hey!" he said, laughing. "Watch it, I almost dropped my phone!"

"Alright, alright... we should get back to work.

"Yeah, yeah... Lets clean that up and bring the Yellowtails back to the pens."

"Clean it up? Ew, Hank. You mean-"

"Hey, nobody wants to come home to find dragon jizz on their back porch."

"Eugh..."

"I don't think this is what Cathy has in mind when she advertises 'the authentic dragon riding experience.' "

"Oh god, Hank!" Becky cried as she broke out in sniggering laughter. The screen then went blank as the video ended.

Nixi flinched in surprise, letting out a warble of confusion and ducking her head closer. Kyle watched her eyes dart to and fro as she scanned the screen, and after a few moments she leaned in to bump the monitor with her snout a few times. When that didn't work, she stamped a foot on Kyle's lap and snorted. Kyle chuckled.

"Alright, Nix," Kyle paused to stretch his arms with a groan. "Video is over, time to get off." With his good arm, Kyle slid a hand under her scaly chest and lifted the dragon off of him before returning her to all fours. Looking clearly unhappy, Nixi folded her ears back and let out a huff as she sat back on her haunches. The dragon reached up to grab Kyle's thigh with a webbed forepaw and looked up at him with an odd expression.

"What, you wanna watch more?" Kyle asked, amused. Chuckling, he brought his hands to the dragon's cheeks and cradled her head gently as he looked into her golden eyes. "Well, instead of just watching other dragons, why not get the real thing with me instead?"

Kyle blinked as he had a moment of self awareness. He could hardly believe he just said that out loud! Once again he felt incredibly grateful for the privacy of his own apartment.

Nixi leaned in to nudge him on the nose with her snout, eliciting a warm smile out of him. "Oh, is that your way of saying yes? Heh." He gave the dragon an affectionate rub on the top of her snout and cheeks. "Well, we'll have to see about that later. Before we do anything else, I wanna get you in the tub and wash that dried blood off of you."

-=-=-

The bathroom.

As soon as Kyle crossed the threshold from carpet to linoleum tiling, he realized that this room would quickly become Nixi's favorite part of the apartment. Perhaps even more than his bed.

Kyle's bathroom, like the rest of his singles apartment, was small and cramped. A full bathtub was in the back, hiding behind some classic shower curtains that came in the manliest shade of blue Kyle could find. On the left wall was the sink and a toilet, whose seat was always left up. Wedged between the two was a small, narrow bin filled with some select reading materials for extended stays on the toilet seat. On the opposite side was a chest-high cabinet built into the wall, some hanging towels, and a too-full dirty clothes hamper. In true bachelor fashion, instead of a proper bathmat (which seemed to be an unnecessary purchase to Kyle) was a twice-folded cream-colored towel for standing on after leaving the shower. Kyle couldn't remember if he had ever washed that thing since first moving to Colorado.

It had to have been washed at least once. Probably.

Kyle flicked the light switch on and let Nixi inside. The click click click of dragon claws on linoleum tiling sounded out as the Yellowtail entered. She turned in a circle to investigate, dragging her long tail in the room with her, and Kyle followed, quietly shutting the door behind him. There wasn't much space to move around with the dragon in here, especially with her tail in the way. Kyle had to step over it several times as Nixi moved around.

Nixi had briefly ducked her head in this room last night while exploring, but the Yellowtail hadn't given the area a good look. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the room, as there didn't seem to be much in it. Strange and unpleasant chemical smells wafted from under the sink, mixing with the scent of mildew coming from unseen dank drains. The only object that stood out to the dragon's sharp, inquisitive eyes was the porcelain contraption against the left wall. The Yellowtail peeked into the bowl, holding up a tentative forepaw to her chest.

After looking back at Kyle with a suspicious glare, the dragon then tentatively placed the vibrator on the floor to to better examine the bowl. She sniffed around the rim and inside, the faint and sterile smell very unfamiliar to her nose. Then, before Kyle could even react she extended her paw and dunked it into the cold water with a gleeful trill.

"Ah, no no no! That's not water to play in!" he gasped.

Kyle lunged at the dragon, pulling her away despite Nixi's verbal protest. Tweaking his injured shoulder in the process, Kyle cried out in pain, but he managed to keep hold of her nonetheless.

Kyle ripped a towel off the wall hook and quickly patted the dragon's foot dry. That's now one perfectly clean towel that needs to be washed, he grumpily thought. Looking clearly unhappy, Nixi tried to yank her foot away from his grasp.

"Oh, cut it out," he admonished the dragon, giving her a glare.

A moment of irony hit him as Kyle realized this must be what Emily had to go through with the water troughs in the Yellowtail pens every day. Though he had never really worried about the problem himself, he had heard his cousin complain many times how having a natural pond on the ranch property still wasn't enough to prevent the aquatic dragons from playing with their drinking water as well.

"This isn't a water dish," Kyle explained despite the dragon not paying him one bit of attention at the moment. "You don't drink from it, and you don't play with it, either. Actually, this is where I-"

And then, Kyle had a crazy thought.

Maybe he could get Nixi to use the toilet instead of having to take her outside during the day. He wondered if that could that actually work. Kyle's brow immediately furrowed as he realized he had no idea how to go about doing such a thing. He didn't even know to potty train a dog, let alone a dragon!

... but perhaps there was no harm in trying.

"Hey, Nix." He snapped his fingers twice to get the dragon's attention. After a pause, she turned from the bowl and looked his way.

Seeing her eyes on him, he turned to the toilet and unzipped his pants. "Watch this."

He was not expecting the dragon's reaction, but the Yellowtail was accustomed to the sound of the zipper meaning exactly one thing. She immediately pressed against Kyle's side and leaned in close to his crotch, letting out a draconic trill of excitement and giving him a nudge on the front of his pants.

Kyle laughed and tried to push her away.

"Hey, not that! Nixi, no. No!"

Nixi was used to Kyle telling her no, and the dragon was also used to ignoring him for it. With a playful growl, the dragon wormed her body between Kyle and the toilet. She reached up and nipped at the opened flap of his jeans and pulled at them with a playful growl, wanting the denim to drop even lower. Kyle frowned and pushed the dragon away again, but Nixi did her best to get close, thinking this to be some game of keepaway.

"Hey!" Kyle complained. Trying to shield his body from the incessant dragon, he turned from her as he pulled his trousers down. Seeing Kyle's manhood flop out only encouraged the Yellowtail more. With his good arm, he held her prodding snout at bay, denying her even as the dragon pushed back adamantly. Kyle couldn't help but laugh. Nixi grasped his foream with a paw as she wrapped a wing around his back, pulling herself in closer. Kyle felt the thumb claw on her wing hook on the back of his jeans. Leaning forward, Nixi lashed out her tongue, trying to reach his flaccid manhood. She managed to get in a few licks before Kyle was able to shake the dragon off, which seemed to take much more effort than it should have. Finally backing off for now, Nixi let out a confused warble.

"No. Not this time, and I mean it." Kyle assured her, turning away the front of his body from her.

Though understanding Kyle's response, the dragon nonetheless wore a look of disappointment with drooping fins and ears.

"You crazy little horndog of a dragon ..." he muttered under his breath. "Sheesh. Pay attention, Nix, okay?"

Kyle stood in front of the bowl, but at the last minute he decided instead to sit down and lean forward until his hands touched the floor, thinking the dragon might get the hint if he assumed a more familiar four-legged position for the deed.

"A toilet isn't a water dish, see? Watch."

The Yellowtail jerked her head down at the sound of trickling liquid, and then recoiled violently when she realized what Kyle was doing.

"What?" he asked, laughing.

The semi-aquatic Yellowtail squawked in dismay. She seemed mortified to Kyle that he was relieving himself in perfectly good water. Nixi backed up against the opposite wall and regarded him with an upset, flat-eared expression. In seeing this, Kyle reached forward and gave her a pat of reassurance on the cheek. Then, when he was finished, he stood and rezipped his jeans.

"Now watch this," Kyle said with an air of excitement. After making sure he had the dragon's attention, he then pressed down on the flushing handle.

At once, the roar of rushing water filled the bathroom and Nixi, flinching in surprise, watched in astonishment as the water in the toilet bowl churn and swirl in a stunning, swirling vortex. Kyle held the dragon back as she attempted to put her head into the bowl once more. She seemed fascinated by the disappearing water, and Kyle, amused at the dragon's reaction, flushed again for her, delighting the Yellowtail once more. Nixi watched with alert eyes and perky, upright ears, her golden irises mesmerized by the rushing, sloshing whirlpool.

As the excitement died down once more, Nixi looked up at Kyle to see if he would flush again. When he did not, she began to examine the porcelain contraption closely, dipping her head in the bowl once more with great curiosity. Sniffing and nosing about, Nixi came to the flush handle and gave it an experimental nudge with her snout, only to find the upward push did nothing. After a few more attempts, the dragon's attention suddenly turned to lid of the water reservoir. Curiously, she nudged the heavy lid with her snout, forcing Kyle to gently pull her away before she slid the thing off.

"Well, what do you think?" Kyle asked.

The dragon looked up at Kyle, cocking her head slightly, then looked down at the bowl once more.

"The wonders of modern technology, huh, Nix?"

As if agreeing wholeheartedly, the dragon immediately stuck her paws back in the bowl of her new toy and splashed the water around with another delighted trill.

Panicky, Kyle lunged for the dragon once more. "Ah-ah, no! Not again!"

Kyle grunted in pain from his shoulder as he lifted Nixi back and out and quickly wiped her feet off once more. As soon as he was done the dragon turned back to the toilet bowl, inspecting it from where she stood, she then looked back at Kyle and let out a huff, frustrated that he wouldn't let her play.

Kyle figured the time might be as good a chance as any. He took in a deep breath, feeling unsure. "Okay, well, um.... Your turn, I guess?"

-=-=-

Kyle was sitting on the floor of the bathroom, knees tucked to his chest and his chin buried in his folded arms. He breathed out a sigh. Another minute had passed by.

And still, nothing.

The first few minutes with the toilet were spent getting Nixi to actually sit down on the thing, which had proved to be much harder than he realized. It was like trying to hold down a fidgety six-year-old with bigger teeth, sharper nails, and two extra limbs to grab and push you away with. To make matters worse, her long tail provided to be more of a nuisance than the dragon's own unwillingness. No matter how he got the Yellowtail to maneuver, it seemed to get in the way. In the end, the least awkward spot for the dragon seemed to be straddling the the bowl the wrong way, with her forepaws holding onto the water resivoir. Nixi spent the time fussing and trying to look more unhappy and miserable than she really was. Kyle was constantly doing a mixture of encouraging the dragon and holding her down. But as the clock continued to tick, still nothing happened. He sighed.

"You got nothing? Seriously?"

Kyle wondered for a brief moment what his co-worker Rachel would do if she was here. Kyle grimaced as he imagined the black-haired dragon tamer bending over to squish Nixi's cheeks in her hands and coo to the Yellowtail in that disgustingly sappy baby-talk voice of hers. Aww, can the widdle dwaggie be a good girl for Rachie and use the potty wotty?

"Ugh." Kyle wrinkled his nose. He wanted to retch the cute right out of his system.

Nixi looked back, staring at him with ears pulled flat against her head and cheek fins folded against her jaw. Her raised, curled tail swayed and twitched, with the yellow-hued, finned tip smacking anxiously against the floor with a steady _thunk! _on the carpet.

"Well, maybe we'll try again next time you have to go..." He sighed and stood up.

Nixi, in seeing Kyle move, took this as her cue to move as well, and the dragon immediately backed up and returned to all fours, seeming relieved. The first thing she did upon dismounting the toilet was snatch the Infiltrator up in her jaws. Kyle chuckled.

"Alright, well..." He turned his gaze to the bathtub and bit his lip in hesitation. Better now than never, he thought. Kyle clapped his hands together in a show of readiness.

"Let's get this party started."

Kyle swished aside the blue shower curtain with a noisy shhhink! and reached down to start up the bath water. At the turn of the handle, the sound of sputtering water from cold metal pipes rushed to Nixi's ears, which perked up immediately. At once she knew what this place was for ...

It was bath time!

Kyle suddenly had the dragon's full attention. Trilling exuberantly, the Yellowtail came to his side, looking into the tub with eager expectation as water spewed from the bath spout and circled the drain below it. At once she dropped the Infiltrator, which rolled forward until it came to a stop against the bottom of the tub. Kyle laughed at her exuberance.

"Not quite what you have back on the ranch, but it'll do, I think."

While a lack of fur and sweat glands meant they didn't require bathing as often as other creatures, all dragons have scent glands and need a bath once in a while to avoid smelling too musky. Back on the ranch, Emily had an open concrete shower deck--large enough to park a car on--for hosing off her dragons. While he quickly learned that some species dislike water, Kyle had found that the naturally aquatic Yellowtails tend to get frisky and excitable when brought to that place for a wash. They enjoyed the attention, relished the soothing, massaging scrubbing, and delighted themselves with the steady jets of water. Kyle once watched Kobal, another Yellowtail, snatch the hose right out of Emily's hands to frolic around with it in his mouth, inadvertently soaking everyone else on deck in the process.

Without needing any encouragement from Kyle, Nixi attempted to jump into the tub. She had only gotten two feet in when the sound of scratching claws caused Kyle to wince.

"Woah, woah, woah! Not yet!" he spattered in distress. Lunging for the Yellowtail, he pulled a very reluctant dragon out of the bathtub, suppressing a cry as his injured shoulder protested by sending out a stabbing pain. Kyle had never thought to take her claws into account until just now... god forbid the landlord find claw marks all over the tub some day! Thinking quickly, he grabbed the towel on the floor and unfolded it, laying it down on the bottom of the tub as flat as he could. Then, after adjusting the water temperature to a pleasant, mild warmth, he flipped the shower switch. Streams of water began to sputter and flow from the shower head up above, soaking the towel thoroughly. It was probably the best he could do, Kyle reasoned.

"Okay, Nixi," he said to the dragon.

The words were barely out of his mouth when the Yellowtail hopped into the tub on her own accord. Finding little room to move, the dragon struggled to maneuver yet expressed no desire to keep still, turning around a few times to situate herself and get all sides of her body wet. Several times she attempted to sit down, with her thick tail base proving to make that difficult. Kyle thought she looked like a cat trying to fit in a too-small cardboard box.

It did not take long for the dragon to figure out a solution. She draped her tail over the side of the tub, allowing more room for the rest of her body before sitting down. Then, having finally situated herself, the dragon attempted to spread her wings to get those wet as well. Kyle recoiled in surprise as her spreading wings took up most of the bathroom, making the area feel twice as cramped as it did before. Streams of water sprayed against her wing webbing, amplifying the sound of splashing water into a hollow roar.

"Ack, no! Not the wings!"

Kyle scrambled to his feet as water streams ricocheted off her extending wings, spraying water in all directions... including the walls, the floor, and Kyle's face. Sputtering, he wrapped his arms around the top of her wings and carefully guided them back down where he folded them flat against her back once more. Nixi looked back at him in mild confusion, cocking her head.

Kyle wiped some wet brown hair out of his vision with the back of his arm. It hadn't even been more than a few seconds and already his face and arms were soaked, his shirt was wet, the floor had puddles of water, and the walls were dripping. Kyle surveyed the mess and frowned.

"Alright," he began, pausing to spit out some water that had dribbled onto his lips. "... Clearly, I didn't think this through."

Having some forethought, he quickly decided to remove his shirt before it got even more soaked, which he did while keeping at least one hand on Nixi's back the entire time to discourage more wing mishaps. Taking his time on removing his shoulder brace as well, he then threw both items on the sink counter and turned his attention back to the dragon, who was busy dipping her snout in and out of the shower stream with delight.

Kyle sat there on his knees, and put a hand out to hold Nixi's wings down.

"Let's... let's keep the wing activity to a minimum in here, okay?"

Kyle quietly assessed the situation as warm water washed over his arm and the dragon's back. First, the shower curtain. He hadn't even had a chance to close that yet. With that fixed, his attention turned to soap. Kyle internally swore as he hadn't even realized until now that he couldn't use any of his own body washes on the dragon. Those contained chemical fragrants like "Artic Mist" and "Hurricane" and other sorts of scents with vaguely masculine names that Kyle was pretty sure smelled nothing like the real things. Back on the ranch, Emily used a special soap formulated for dragon skin which was made with no scents or harmful chemicals, though she did once say that hypoallergenic "no-tears" baby soap could work as well. Dragon soap often had emollients in them, which was a word Kyle wasn't familiar with, but according to the bottles they apparently hydrated the skin and kept scales looking glossy and smooth. The closest thing that Kyle had in his apartment was the bottle of plain liquid hand soap on the sink counter. He looked over his shoulder. Biting his lip in hesitation, he leaned back and made a grab for it, ignoring the pain in his injured shoulder.

"Shoot," Kyle mumbled. It was just out of arm's reach. Resigning himself to having to get up, Kyle closed the shower curtain completely before grabbing the hand soap, along with a washcloth from the cabinet. He inspected the bottle's ingredient label, confirming that there were no scents that the dragon might find unpleasant or irritating, and didn't see any strange chemical ingredients. That should do, he thought. Kyle returned to the tub and cast aside the curtain. What he saw inside made him smile.

Having turned her back to the shower, Nixi had closed her eyes, arched her neck back, pointed her chin to the ceiling, and was letting the water stream against her face. Her long and cumbersome tail was still draped over the side of the tub. Even without it to get in the way, the shower wasn't quite long enough for her (from chest to hip she took up more than three quarters of the tub), but the dragon seemed not to mind in the slightest.

"Enjoying yourself, girl?" Kyle asked. At the sound of his voice, Nixi withdrew her head and gazed up at him, bearing a look that couldn't be mistaken for anything other than the dragon equivalent of a grin. Chuckling, he kneeled down aside the Yellowtail and gave her a rub on the cheek.

"Alright," he began, leaning forward to soak the cloth in warm water. "You may not like this next part, but let's wash all the dried blood and caked dust off of you."

-=-=-

Only about twenty minutes later, Kyle let out an exhausted sigh. He was going at a slow and gingerly pace, but most of the time was spent getting the dragon to stop fidgeting and trying to limit the amount of water she splashed out of the tub. The floor had become soaked, necessitating the removal of his socks and jeans before they caught up to his shirt in wetness. He wiped his brow, which was damp with a mixture of bath water and sweat, and scanned Nixi's flank. The dust and dirt was gone, and the dried blood caked between her scales was, too... for the most part. The wounds were now clean, and Nixi hadn't even complained much. Perhaps, Kyle thought, she was too distracted by the water to be bothered by the pain.

"Looks pretty good..." he muttered.

His eyes glanced to the grated shower drain, where a couple of loose scales had collected. Dragons were not like lizards, who shed their skin all at once. Instead, they grow their scales individually, like hair or feathers. Nixi had lost a few along the edges of her wounds, which exposed little patches of reddish-pink skin underneath. Kyle picked the scales up and turned them over in his hand, noting the rough and bumpy base where they attached to the dragon's body.

"Hm. I suppose I got a little Nixi souvenir, now," Kyle mumbled to himself. He placed the scales on the sink counter behind him before turning his attention back to the dragon.

Nixi looked up at him briefly, before leaning back into the shower stream and attempting to spread her wings in the cramped shower for at least the tenth time, which Kyle once again discouraged by holding them down. Getting the dragon to sit still was practically impossible: the rushing water had her riled up and hyperactive. Kyle sucked on his tongue briefly before making a decision on what to do next. As he paused in thought, Nixi reared up on her hind legs and, putting her paws against the shower wall for balance, she stuck her head directly into the stream of water. The dragon opened her mouth wide, catching the water on her tongue, and delightfully swallowed some of it down. Kyle found himself smiling as he watched her.

"Okay, dragon, I think we're done," he began, coaxing her back down onto all fours. "Here, play with this."

Playfully, Kyle tossed the soaked washcloth on Nixi's snout, where it draped over her face with a wet slap. Nixi shook her head a few times before bending down to swipe the thing off with a paw, causing Kyle to laugh. He leaned in to give her a rough pat on the head, but the Yellowtail ducked and playfully nipped his hand. The two began to roughhouse for a few minutes, but after several attempts by the Yellowtail to put her paws up on the side of the tub and jump out, Kyle felt the need to tone things down a bit.

"Alright, alright... you've already splashed enough water on the floor!" He laughed as he gently, but firmly, pushed her back in and sat her on all fours. As he did, Nixi reached out with her forepaws. Latching onto Kyle's forearm with a strong, almost-painful grip, the dragon let out a playful growl and began to pull hard.

"Hey, hey... don't drag me in with you!"

The two began an impromptu tug of war with his arm, but, after regarding the dragon's bright and hopeful expression, Kyle began to feel an urge to acquiesce.

"Oh, why the heck not?" he mumbled as he let the dragon win, shutting his eyes tight as his head and the back of his neck were pulled into the stream of warm water.

"No point in trying to stay any drier. Here, scootch to the front a bit." He crawled into the shower with what little clothing he still had on.

After much maneuvering and fussing in the already claustrophobic shower space, Kyle managed to lay down against the back of the tub. Nixi wasted no time in curling up in his lap, resting her chest against his and meeting him face-to-face. Kyle had long ago noticed that the dragon enjoyed sitting on his lap and chest. Laying on top of him seemed to be some sort of comfort issue for the Yellowtail, and Kyle was content to let her do it. Being able to get this close and intimate with a dangerous, exotic creature like a dragon carried with it an odd thrill that he couldn't really put into words.

Looking up, Kyle gave Nixi a warm smile and brought a hand to her frilled cheek. Warm streams of water fell on all sides of the dragon, dripping off the tips of her horns and frills, running in between the spaces of her waxy scales like tiny little rivers. Churring affectionately, the Yellowtail leaned in and began to nuzzle his nose. Kyle put his arms around her, where he felt the hot spray of cascading water wash over her back and folded wings.

"Yeah, I love you too, girl." Kyle smiled warmly. He bent forward to plant a kiss on the tip of her snout.

Kyle reached up to rub the dragon's ears and forehead. Kyle wasn't sure if dragons liked those spots being rubbed as much as they did their cheeks and chin, but he figured it was a safe bet. Bending down, Nixi began to churr softly back in her throat as she nibbled Kyle's neck, ears, and cheeks. He gave her a gentle squeeze as she rubbed her snout against the underside of his chin. It wasn't often that Kyle had had a chance to bond with the Yellowtail like this, and the young rancher savored the moment, taking time to massage her neck and cheeks, stroke her ears, and run his fingers across the webby fins on her chinline and neck. All the while, warm streams of water washed over the two, soaking what little clothes Kyle had elected to keep on.

"We should do more of this, Nix," Kyle began, blinking a few times as a drop of bath water dripped from a lock of wet hair into his eye. "Less causing-mischief-and-being-bothersome moments, and more acting-affectionate-and-cute moments. What do you say, huh?" He cocked his head as he looked up at the creature resting upon his chest.

Above him, Nixi leaned her head down to brush her snout against his face, and Kyle grinned. He breathed out a quiet sigh of satisfaction and held the dragon close, content to let the cascades of warm water envelope the pair in their embrace.

TO BE CONTINUED

This chapter was commissioned by Sprout. Although there was no Nixi/Kyle adult scenes in this chapter, there will be plenty in the next one, I promise! If you guys would like to see more, please send me a private message about commissioning or donating for the next chapter!