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[center][u]A Blue's Jealousy[/u]

By Green[/center]

It was early autumn, and I was up in the refurbished scout tower that had become my home, sitting on the edge of the village of Basil's Crossing next to one of the two roads into town. I was leaned back in a comfortable chair in my bedroom up on the top floor, watching Yajondra fussing with her outfit.

"Why don't you wear that yellow dress I got you after the bandit raid?" I suggested, idly bouncing my foot on the opposite knee. She glanced at me and made a face.

"Oh, it's nice, Jack, but I've worn it a hundred times since then," she said, "I want to look special tonight." Shrugging, I ran my eyes up and down the woman as she stood there, fists on hips, clad only in her underwear, as she looked through her clothes.

"Well, that's kind of the way life is in a small Human village," I pointed out, "I think I was thirteen years old before I owned a shirt that hadn't belonged to my brother Thomas when he was my age." She shrugged, but sadly I couldn't observe the delightful effect this often had on her breasts.

"Okay, so I want to look special... and it's getting [i]cold [/i]out there," she admitted, "I don't think a sundress would be much fun in this weather. What are you [i]doing[/i] over there, anyway? Shouldn't you be getting ready yourself?" I chuckled softly and patted myself on the chest.

"Oh, I'm fine with this outfit, Blue, I'm good to go already," I assured her, "I'm just doing what you [i]should[/i] do from time to time when you live in a tower... sit back and enjoy the view." She turned and gave me a dirty look, which was betrayed by the wide smile beneath it. And oh yes, what a view it was! In her underwear, I could see just about her entire body, and my eyes roamed over her smoothly formed calves and thighs, her shapely curves, her long, sinuous tail, the folded, leathery wings that grew out of her shoulder blades, all the way up to the smooth white horns that flowed gracefully out of the back of her head. Oh, did I forget to mention that she was a Dragon? My apologies. I usually lead with that.

She came over and bent down, using one hand to caress my cheek with the backs of her fingers. Those fingers were covered in summer-sky-blue scales, just like most of the rest of her body, and they ended in sharp talons she could extend at will, but having known her for so long, I didn't even think about them, I just smiled up at her.

"Jackson, do we really have to go out tonight?" she asked, gently, kneeling down next to the chair since she couldn't exactly perch on my knee the way a Human girl could, thanks to her size (Not that you're [i]fat [/i]or anything, if you're reading this!) and, after wincing as her legs came into contact with the cold stone, she smiled at me with bedroom eyes.

"Why don't we stay here, start a nice fire going in the fireplace, and make tonight all about you..." Her hand trailed down and took hold of my own as she added "...and me." As I watched, she slipped my hand under her bra, to cup the smooth curve of her breast. I swallowed nervously, wanting [i]desperately[/i] in that moment to agree, to take Yajondra to bed and not come out until the sun came up. But the moment passed, and I averted my eyes, even as I tried to ignore the nipple pressing into my palm.

"We - we can't, Yajondra, they're making a big deal out of it, and you're the guest of honour," I forced myself to say, feeling proud of my strength as I did so, "Normally, you [i]know[/i] I'd say yes, but... You're the town hero now. I'm not really knowledgeable about, um, etiquette, but I understand it's poor form to not show up when people name a building after you." When I turned back, she was pouting, her yellow eyes big and sad, but she was also nodding.

"I know," she admitted, "but if [i]you [/i]wanted to do it too, we could be guilty together. Ah, I suppose it's just as well, the [i]last [/i]time we were intimate, you tried to do it Dragon-style again, and Doctor Forrest had [i]such [/i]a smile on his face as he treated you..." I blushed at the memory of both the incident and the knowing look in the healer's eyes as he stitched that cut closed.

"It's - it's [i]Doc[/i] Forrest," I said, avoiding the real point of that sentence, "he prefers to be called Doc." With that, and a knowing smile of her own, Yajondra let go of my hand and let me somewhat reluctantly remove it from her bra so she could go back to the wardrobe. Dragons aren't just bigger than Humans, they're stronger and tougher too; if Yajondra wanted, she could use that one hand to hold my palm against her breast until the cows came home, and there wouldn't be much I could do about it outside of asking nicely. It's funny, though, for such a physically imposing, purely powerful creature, Yajondra gives such an impression of soft-spoken gentleness, it's hard to even imagine her using force. Except when she's angry, of course. I've [i]seen [/i]her do it when she was angry, and believe me, after seeing what happened to Thorne, I'd [i]never[/i] want to be on the receiving end.

Eventually, she decided on her newest robe. After we met and hit it off in the capital city of Levintide, Yajondra accompanied me to Basil's Crossing in a brown, shapeless, honestly somewhat unflattering robe, the simplest article of clothing she could get made in her size while she was staying in the city as a scholar of Humanity (literally, since as a Dragon, she finds studying the foreign culture of Humans to be endlessly fascinating). That robe had been damaged and ruined when she was fending off Thorne, the leader of a group of bandits who had raided the town several months ago in the summer; she took a pretty serious hit to the leg from Thorne's combat scythe, but knocked him out cold, scaring his minions off and saving the town and its people in the process. (That punctuation mark I've been using is called a semi-colon, by the way, Blue taught me how to use those recently. At least, I [i]think [/i]I did it right...) I'd replaced the garment with the yellow sundress mentioned earlier, but as the temperatures had started dropping, she had the village tailor make her a nice, thick, ivory white robe that was somewhat more flattering to her figure than the first one. I thought the white - what was the word - [i]contrasted[/i] her blue scales beautifully, and had never shied away from telling her so. We headed off towards the town just as the sky was beginning to bruise, hailing the beginning of sunset. She brought with her the walking staff, topped with a Dragon head in her own image, that Daryl the wood-carver had made her out of gratitude for saving his life in the raid, but thanks both to Doc Forrest's tender mercies and some salves and powders she'd sent away for, Yajondra's leg had almost completely healed, and she mostly only took the staff as a fashionable accessory. She thought it made her look sage and wise. I disagreed, as I [i]already [/i]thought she looked like the wisest person I'd ever met, though I admitted it helped with the effect.

We followed the path away from my tower towards the rest of the village, getting a great view of the forested valley down the slope from the road as we walked along, hand in hand. Gazing over the trees in their flurry of reds, oranges, and yellows, Yajondra smiled.

"The forest is so beautiful this time of year," she said, "The only trees that grow up in the mountains near my home are evergreens, we never got this kind of colour." I shrugged.

"There's something to be said for evergreens," I replied, "They sure look a whole lot better in the winter, when all those colourful leaves fall off and you're left with bare branches." The Dragoness turned to respond, but a cool breeze blew by and she visibly shivered, grimacing until it ended. Seeing her discomfort, I gave her hand a squeeze.

"There'll be a roaring firepit going at the Bla- uh, at the tavern," I said, still not used to the change, "It'll be nice and toasty long after we leave. And, ah, I promise to warm you up after the walk home tonight." As a Dragon, Yajondra was actually cold-blooded, and unlike the red flight, whose magical inner fire makes their bodies run hotter than those of other races, the blue flight are particularly susceptible to the cold. Of course, her smirk revealed that she'd seen straight through my chivalry; my favourite method of warming her up, and hers for that matter, was through lovemaking. Before long, we came to the cluster of humble homes and shops that made up the bulk of the town of Basil's Crossing, and came upon a few people leaving their homes and heading in the same direction we were. When they saw us, they mostly smiled and nodded, though I have to admit, I did feel a little self-conscious from the occasional stares we received, walking through the middle of town holding hands. Perhaps sensing this, Yajondra squeezed my hand back, and gave me a warm smile when I looked up at her, and though I was still self-conscious of all the leering gazes, I didn't feel [i]bad [/i]about it anymore. It became more like the kind of self-conscious you get when people are staring at you because you got an especially nice new jacket, or something... I'm gonna ask Yajondra for a better metaphor later.

As we walked up to the village tavern, Yajondra giggled delightedly to herself as she saw the new sign, hanging proudly from a pole above the door. The old one had stuck out of the ground, but I think I like this one better. There had been surprisingly little damage to the village during that raid that Yajondra foiled back in the summer, mostly a few broken windows, but someone had also destroyed the only sign showing the name of our local pub, the Blazing Dragon. When word got out that Yajondra wasn't actually a warrior, but a scholar, the townsfolk hailed her bravery even more, and the bar's owner Georg announced he was officially renaming it in her honour. Uncharacteristically, the man himself stood out front, greeting people as they arrived. When he saw us approaching, his face absolutely lit up with delight.

"Ah! The woman of the hour is here!" he said, spreading his arms as if asking for a hug, "Jack, Yaj- uh, it's [i]Yajondra[/i], right? S-sorry, need a bit of practice." He cleared his throat and tried again, blushing a little, "[i]Ahem. [/i]Jack, Yajondra, welcome to the Freezing Dragoness."

He ushered us inside and moved to put his arm around Yajondra's shoulders, failing because she was much taller than he was and because he wasn't sure what to do about her wings. Giving up and gesturing to her grandly instead, he raised his voice.

"Ladies, gents, can I have your attention?" he called, "Announcing the guest of honour, the saviour of Basil's Crossing, Yajondra of Clan Trel!" The Dragoness blushed, her cheeks turning that shade of purple I always find so adorable as literally everyone in the room cheered and applauded, raising mugs or glasses in salute or drinking in her honour. She smiled and waved, but I realized that she was actually a little uncomfortable for a change with so much focused attention, so I drew some of it onto myself by raising my voice.

"If you're being official, Georg, it's Yajondraniirkelkenahjah of Clan Trel," I said, and there were a few chuckles, and one man who laughed and raised a drink in [i]my [/i]honour for remembering so many syllables. Georg gave me a wry smile and ran a hand through his beard. Gesturing to me, he turned back to the crowd and spoke up again.

"...And her [i]official[/i] consort, Jackson Midden." It was my turn to blush as there were hoots and whistles from the crowd, and even one confused voice asking 'what's a consort?' which brought some more laughs. Waving them off, Georg placed one hand on Yajondra's shoulder, even though it meant he had to reach upwards to do it.

"Jokes aside, this woman saved my bar from bandit torches back in the summer, nine hells, may even have saved my life, and all of yours, too," he said, earnestly, "This town owes her so much, and naming the bar after her was the [i]least [/i]I could do." There was more applause, which I joined, and cried 'hear, hear', for good measure. Turning his back on the crowd, the barman firmly shook Yajondra's hand and smiled happily.

"[i]Thank you[/i], miss," he said, "From the bottom of my heart." Then, looking back at the townsfolk with a faked look of confusion on his face, he raised both his arms.

"Well? What are you lot waiting for? Let's celebrate!"

Amidst the cheering, Yajondra took my hand and lead me through the crowd, her impressive size allowing her to form a path through her adoring fans just as much as her awe-inspiring presence; before she'd come here, some of these people hadn't thought Dragons were [i]real[/i], so having her right here among them was almost like a visit from an avatar of one of the Seven Gods of Rilodell. I looked up at her and smiled, feeling immensely proud of her, and immensely proud to be the man holding her hand, but there was something about her grin that made me hesitate instead of saying whatever it was I'd been planning to say. I'd seen that grin before, it wasn't exactly condescending so much as it was endeared, to use words I'd learned from the scholar herself. The kind of smile a parent puts on when their child does something stupid but adorable.

"What?" I asked, catching on before she could answer, "Don't tell me it's your name again..." Her smile widened and she leaned in close to whisper into my ear.

"I'm sorry Jack," she said, "You did so well this time, but it ends ahj-[i]rah[/i], not ahj-[i]ah[/i]." I frowned, blushing again, and sighed.

"Man, I'm never going to get it right," I muttered. She gave my hand a squeeze and nodded towards the bar.

"You're getting so close, Farmer," she assured me, using a nickname she'd given me back in Levintide, "Come on, let's get a drink and sit by the fire."

Walking up to the bar, I nodded to Baerl Cobb, the grey-bearded town butcher. Once upon a time, he'd been the commanding officer of the local militia, and even those of us born after the militia had been disbanded and he'd retired to a less dangerous occupation still called him by his old title.

"Captain Cobb, good to see you," I said. He smirked and raised his tankard.

"I hear they've got you on as an advisor for this new militia they're organizing," I said, "Anything like the old days?" He made a face and shrugged.

"Aye, just the parts that were a right pain in the arse, though," he said, "Never was one for the fancy organization bits, I'd rather they put a sword in m' hand and put me to work." Yajondra chuckled, as she often did when speaking with Cobb, though as usual, I'm pretty sure he wasn't joking. Aside from giving her a strange look, though, he didn't seem to take offence. For the most part, Baerl is fairly laid-back, but more than that, he's really not much of a conversationalist, and knew from experience that saying almost anything to Yajondra was likely to invite curious questions in return. I sat down at the stool next to him, and briefly tensed up as Yajondra laid both hands on my shoulders and began to rub and knead. Gods above, it felt good... I feel like if she'd kept it up, I would have gotten hard from her ministrations, but she thankfully stopped as Georg came up, giving me priority because of my VIP companion.

"Hey you two," he greeted us, "I forgot to ask outside, what'd you think of the new sign?" The man directly to my right let out a rather forceful [i]hmph![/i] at that, and looking over I saw that it was Daryl, the town woodcarver. Georg frowned.

"Oh, don't mind him," he said, "He's still grumpy because I sent away for the sign instead of getting [i]him [/i]to do it." Lifting his head and pouting like a child, Daryl glared at the barman, clearly feeling that his craftsmanship had been insulted.

"I still don't see what was so fancy about it that you had to get [i]Elves[/i] to do it!" he grumbled, showing no indication of letting go of his grudge. As I understood it, it was something about the exotic dyes used in the image of the bar's new namesake, but that's not what Georg said. Glancing at Yajondra with a grin even as he faced Daryl, he made a sweeping gesture towards the Dragoness.

"I thought they could do the lovely lady justice!" he insisted, "You do some fine work, Daryl, but for our saviour, I could take nothing but the best." Yajondra seemed amused, and Captain Cobb let out a rare snicker, but Daryl was unmoved. When he failed to so much as crack a smile, Georg sighed and leaned over towards him.

"Okay. I hurt your feelings, I get it, and I'm sorry," he said, somewhat self-consciously, "If I give you a beer on the house, will you quit giving me grief about the sign and stop bringing down the mood?" Daryl gave him a long, unreadable stare for a while, and then narrowed his eyes.

"Two beers," he countered. Georg laughed and nodded.

"It's a deal." Immediately, Daryl sat up straight and brightened up. The change was so sudden and his smile so natural that I couldn't help but wonder if he'd been faking his annoyance all this time for this exact reason. Georg turned to me as he went for the glasses, and I asked for a couple of meads, being in a mood for it that night.

"You know, it really [i]is [/i]a great likeness," Daryl admitted, looking towards the scholar, "I don't know how they did it without meeting you." Yajondra grinned.

"Elves are good that way," she said, cheerily, "And if it helps, I feel that this walking staff is an [i]excellent[/i] depiction." The woodcarver raised his tankard as soon as it was given to him, and proceeded to finally start enjoying himself.

Meads in hand, we went to take a load off on the benches next to the firepit. When we got there, there was a couple already there, though I have to admit their presence somewhat surprised me. It was my cousin, Cedric Dullan, and his wife Ellen, the town bakers, sitting close together and gazing at each other with bedroom eyes over a pair of ales. Their moods seemed to sour a bit as we approached, but they were quick to hide it behind polite smiles. Cedric is something of a racist, you see, picked it up from his father, and isn't terribly fond of anyone who isn't Human. He'll be [i]polite[/i] to their faces, even do business with them if they want to buy his pies or something, but he's not above saying nasty things behind peoples' backs. And there's nothing he hates more than seeing a Human in a relationship with, well, anything else; he didn't speak to his own older brother for more than a year after he married a Dwarven woman, and I had a hunch that he wasn't on board with, ah, with whatever it is Yajondra and I have between us either. Ellen wasn't quite as bad as Cedric, but she wasn't exactly in a hurry to get her husband to change his opinions.

"Jack!" he said, warmly, "Fancy seeing you here." His expression cooled down significantly as he looked over to Yajondra and nodded politely.

"Dragon." After she'd saved the village, Cedric had been moved enough to at least be [i]civil[/i] with her, and I'd considered that a major victory, but things were still rather uncomfortable between us. For her part, Yajondra's gaze was just as cool, and I felt the muscles in her hand tensing up. Blue [i]really [/i]didn't like the man, and even though he was my cousin, my flesh and blood, I couldn't really blame her.

"Baker," she replied, before turning her attention towards his wife.

"I don't believe we've met," the scholar said, somewhat cautiously - for her, anyway - "You must be Ellen. I'm Yajondra, as I'm sure you heard from Georg's flattery at the entrance." As Yajondra extended her hand, Ellen briefly looked at it in dismay, no doubt intimidated by the scales and the claws, but quickly returned to her look of polite calm and shook the Dragoness' hand without so much as a tremor of discomfort appearing on her face.

"Charmed," she replied, a little stiffly, "Ah, I wasn't in town when the bandits came, but... thank you for saving my husband and my home. Really. I... don't know what I would do without this man in my life." Cedric averted his eyes and smiled slightly, but said nothing. Next to me, Yajondra relaxed, and so did I, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"You're welcome, Ellen," she replied, gently, "Truth be told, I'm a bit embarrassed the town is making such a big deal out of it... it was mostly luck, I don't know that I would have taken the risk if J- ah, if I'd stopped to think about it." I swallowed, resisting the urge to stare at her, study her face. There were only so many words that started with that sound. Had she been about to say 'if Jack hadn't been in danger'? That brought a warmth to my chest that had nothing to do with the fire.

As if she was reading my mind, the scholar eased herself down into the bench at a right angle from the one the Dullans were sitting in.

"Ahhh..." she sighed, shivering, "This feels [i]so [/i]much better... I'd better get some cold-weather clothing, soon, or I swear, I really [i]will [/i]be a 'freezing dragoness'!" The new name of the tavern actually referred to the fact that as a member of the blue flight, Yajondra was gifted with magical [i]ice [/i]breath, not the more well-known fire breath of the red flight that had lead to the original 'Blazing Dragon' name. She'd put it to good use against Thorne, which had rather caught the attention of the townsfolk. Taking another swig of his ale, Cedric stood up and offered his hand to his wife.

"Well, I'm feeling nice and warm now," he said, "so what do you say we go enjoy the moonlight by the east window, muffin?" She beamed at him and accepted his hand as she stood up.

"Oh, that sounds [i]wonderful[/i], my little biscuit." To their credit, if they were lying and just wanted to distance themselves from the non-Human, they did a [i]great [/i]job of selling it. I was occupied rolling my eyes at their nicknames for each other, as I often did.

"Bakers..." I muttered, lifting my mead to my lips as they walked away. As I swallowed the sweet drink, Yajondra chuckled, looking around.

"Isn't this wonderful?" she asked, softly, "The whole town, joined together in celebration! I admit it's somewhat surreal that they're celebrating [i]me[/i], but it's a wonderful opportunity to observe their social dynamics..." Taking a drink of her own mead, she casually put her arm around my shoulder and pulled me against her, then ran her hand up and down my side, churring slightly. I shuddered and blushed; I'd forgotten in my preoccupation with the event that increasing Yajondra's temperature tended to turn her on, which was [i]great [/i]when we were cuddling in front of the fireplace at home, but right here in the open? In front of almost everyone in town? I suddenly imagined Yajondra getting so worked up that she threw caution to the wind and had her wicked way with me right then and there.

Taking my mind off this lewd train of thought, a voice drew my attention from behind.

"Is that stick in the mud gone? Great." I turned to see my older brother Thomas sit himself down next to me on the bench, a big smile on his face and red on his cheeks that had nothing to do with embarrassment. He didn't seem the slightest bit unsteady, which didn't surprise me. Ever since we came of age, I'd envied him his ability to hold his liquor. Raising his drink, some kind of mixed concoction, he grinned at us.

"Thanks for saving the town, Yajondra. Cheers!" The Dragoness giggled before she joined us in a swig. Thom always [i]had[/i] been a bit on the informal side.

"Evening, brother," I said, "Sorry I haven't been around. It's good to see you without that cast." He snickered and nodded.

"Let me tell you, as glad as I am to get back to work," he replied, "spending all that time on those damned crutches has got me a bit more cautious around the horses than I used to be." Grinning at that, I looked around and saw no one coming to join us.

"Annabelle around?" I asked, "Bit odd seeing one of you without the other." At that, his smile faltered slightly, and he shook his head.

"'Fraid not, Jack, Rory's taken ill from playing in the rain, and Anna insisted on staying home to watch over him," he said, "He'll be fine, but Sentinels know you shouldn't even try telling a mother not to worry." After taking a drink, Thom looked at me sideways, and his smile returned.

"Why?" he asked, "Hoping to ogle another man's wife? I would have thought you'd have your hands full already..." He said it pretty low, so at first I thought Yajondra wouldn't have heard, but she giggled quietly on my other side and slipped her hand under my shirt before rubbing it up and down along my ribs. I blushed fiercely, unable to meet my brother's eyes, and he cleared his throat. To this day, I'm not sure if he somehow sensed the situation, that the heat was having more effect on Yajondra than the booze, or if he genuinely wanted to deliver the message, but it was welcome either way.

"By the way, Bart and Durna wanted to talk to you," he said, casually, "they're over in the corner, by the deer head." The Dragoness made an unhappy noise and frowned, sighing through her nostrils and sending snowflakes dancing into the fire.

"Awww," she said, "But it's so [i]nice [/i]over here, and I only just sat down!" I smiled at her reassuringly and patted her hand as I gently removed it from my shirt.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Blue," I replied, "you stay here and get nice and toasty, and I'll go see what my cousin wants." Raising his glass, Thomas winked at Yajondra.

"I'll keep you company, my dear, and don't worry, I'm [i]almost[/i] as charming as my brother here!"

Leaving the Dragoness with my brother, I was immediately surprised by how cold the air of the rest of the tavern seemed after sitting next to the fire, shivering as I headed over to the corner. I was surprised for the second time in thirty seconds as I saw that my cousin Bartilin, Cedric's more laid-back brother, and his wife Durna, the only Dwarf in the village, weren't alone at their table. Durna was gently rocking a swaddled infant back and forth in her arms, gazing at it adoringly.

"Hey guys," I said, "You, uh, you brought the baby?" Rubbing a slightly stubby finger against her child's cheek, Durna nodded without looking at me.

"Mmm-hmm!" Across the room, another burst of raucous laughter exploded forth, and that's when I realized what had been itching at me about this scene.

"Sleeping pretty peacefully for all this noise," I observed. Durna giggled, and Bart happily grinned at me.

"Oh, she's right at home around tavern ruckus, gets that from her mama's people," he said, winking at his wife, "But we're sitting here, enjoying the ambience, and we realize that my beloved cousin Jack hasn't come down from his high tower - [i]y'see what I did there, Durna? [/i]- to meet my new daughter yet!" Put on the spot, I sat down next to Durna and tried to act casual, but I could see her amusement at my embarrassment. It was true, of course, and I didn't really have a good excuse, but sometimes time just gets away from you, you know? I love my home, and I usually love the quiet it brings, but sometimes I really wish I didn't have to walk so far to check in with my loved ones.

"Sorry about that, guys, really," I said, "I've had my hands full with -"

"The Dragoness?" suggested Durna, and she and her husband chortled in delight as my face reddened.

"...Well, I'm here [i]now[/i]," I continued, ignoring that in what Yajondra would call a 'diplomatic' way, "And let me say, she's [i]adorable[/i]. Even smiles in her sleep! Ah, I was wondering... with you two being so, uh, different in [i]height[/i]..." Bart snickered into his beer and came back having to wipe off his moustache. When he'd been staying in Thunderhold to learn blacksmithing techniques from Dwarven artisans (and met Durna somewhere along the way), Bartilin had grown the bushy beard and moustache that were so popular among the mountain-dwellers, and he'd never gotten rid of the look.

"It's hard t' say," Durna replied, as her husband cleaned himself up, "Dwarf and Human babies don't actually look so different at first, we'll just have'ta wait and see once she starts walkin'. But enough silliness... Jackson, I'd like ye to meet Winifred Tirna Dullan-Trollbane!"

Really looking at the baby instead of being distracted by her parents poking fun at me, I found myself smiling. I remembered putting my hand on Durna's belly and feeling the baby kicking, and now here she was, sleeping like a little angel, and already I could see she'd inherited her mother's round nose and her father's blond hair. Gingerly reaching out and laying my hand on the warm bundle, not yet daring to touch her skin in case she awoke, I couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's good to meet you, Winnie," I whispered, before glancing up at her mother and grinning, adding "Or does she prefer Fred?" The three of us finally laughed together at something that wasn't me, and Bart proposed a toast to their new baby girl.

"To Winifred!" I happily agreed, and we clanked our tankards together. Durna chuckled afterwards, gazing at her mug with almost as much love as she had at the baby.

"Ahh, the weight was bad, but the thing I'm happiest about is that after all that time, I can finally [i]drink [/i]again," she said, wistfully, "Ach, a Dwarf without ale is like a summer without the sun! Oh, sure, it's this watery [i]Human[/i] swill, but after all those months, it tastes like the Seven themselves gave it t' me!" Bart shook his head in amusement.

"This [i]isn't [/i]the first time she's had a tipple since she had the young'un," he said, "She just likes to bring it up when she drinks, remind me of the great burden she endured." Durna gave him a playful swat and then lit up for a second.

"Oh, that reminds me! Husband, the next time yer in Jack's store, pick us up some more formula mixture," she said, "Jackson, yer an angel for stockin' that just for us." Shrugging, I put on a benevolent expression and took a drink of mead.

"Anything to help a new family," I said, "Especially when the parents are as ridiculous as [i]you [/i]two!"

We talked about this and that, how my general store was doing, how Bart had finally caught up on the smithing orders he'd let slide during the first days of fatherhood, before Durna gave me a sideways grin that caught me off-guard with how much it reminded me of my own brother.

"She can be a little hellion when she's awake and screaming for her bottle, o' course," she said, "But I've known enough kids in me life to prepare me for this..." Chuckling, she winked at the man she loved before looking back at me, that sly grin considerably wider.

"Of course, yerself and Yajondra are a bit lucky in that respect," she said, innocently, "After all, [i]yer[/i] kids are gonna be [i]eggs! [/i]She won't even have'ta [i]carry [/i]them for long!" Both Durna and Bart burst out laughing from the look on my face as I briefly panicked, wondering if Yajondra was somehow pregnant, despite not even being warm-blooded like me. I have to admit it, it didn't hit me that Yajondra would never have told them before me until [i]after [/i]the laughter started. I couldn't help but smirk at their obvious delight, as embarrassing as it had been, but that fell away before I could manage a comeback as Winifred stirred from her parents' laughter. Bart looked mildly alarmed, but Durna just lifted her baby up and cooed to her.

"Oop, sorry, me dear, don't mind us, yer papa and I are just being silly grown-ups," she said, before she started rubbing the baby's back and quietly singing to her in Dwarvish. Nodding to Bartilin, I picked up my mead and took my leave.

I stood and finished off the mug, intending to go back to the bar and get a new one, and as I glanced over at my brother and my lover, I tried to work out how to get Yajondra's attention and ask her if she wanted one too, from across the room, using hand gestures. I hadn't gotten far on that problem, and only taken about five paces, before the front door unexpectedly swung open quite violently, thanks to the wind. Everyone turned to look as a gust of cold wind flushed through the room, and the bard who'd been plucking away at the lute in the corner paused in his music-making. Made a silhouette by the light of the full moon, there was a figure standing in the doorway wearing a riding cloak, so all I could tell was that he or she was just under my height and that they had two legs, which didn't exactly narrow things down much. The shortbow slung around their shoulders, on the other hand, didn't really seem to fit with anyone I knew in town. I was standing directly between the bar and the door, but for some reason, as the newcomer strode forward without closing the door, I couldn't bring myself to move, I could just [i]feel [/i]the hooded figure's eyes locked onto me. Swallowing nervously, I just stood there as the distance between us was closed, and at the last second, the hood was thrown back, revealing a cascade of golden hair, and I actually gasped out loud.

"Jackson Midden. Aren't [i]you[/i] a sight for sore eyes?" she said, confidently, flashing me a smile I had once dreamed about. Before I could say a single word, though, she stepped forward, threw her arms around me, and kissed me.

There were several audible gasps around us as I froze in place, caught [i]totally [/i]off-guard. Gods forgive me, she was so soft, and she smelled so good, just like I remembered... and with a head full of Georg's potent mead, I actually kissed her back for a second or two before my mind caught up with my treacherous tongue. I pushed her away, filled with conflicting emotions, and tried to find words to address her, but my mind was a whirlwind, and I just stared at her.

"Oh Jack," she said, as someone finally went and closed the door, "I heard about the bandit attack, there were so many stories, I - I thought you might have been hurt, or worse, I had to know you were okay..." At that point, both of us became aware of the shadow suddenly looming over us, and as we looked to the side, we were greeted with the sight of Yajondra, arms crossed over her chest, wings halfway extended straight out to the sides. I didn't have to be a scholar to realize that was rather aggressive body language for a Dragon. Remember what I said earlier, about never wanting to be on the receiving end of an angry Yajondra using force? The whirlwind had stopped, and suddenly those were the [i]only [/i]thoughts in my mind... The scholar's eyes, normally a gentle golden yellow, blazed like miniature suns as her gaze twitched between the two of us. The woman in my arms broke the silence first, her voice tinged with innocent confusion.

"...When did a small dragon move to Basil's Crossing?" she asked. Yajondra inhaled deeply instead of replying, and as she let it all out in a long huff, a flurry of snowflakes swirled out with her breath, which was so, so much colder than the air outside as it teased across my skin. Even as I wondered what the hell was going to happen, I couldn't help but think; if she carried this cold inside her all the time, no [i]wonder [/i]she was always trying to get warm!

"Jack," she said, her voice dead calm, "I don't believe you've [i]introduced[/i] me to..." With her focus on me, I was suddenly spurred into action, and stepped out of the newcomer's embrace as quickly and as firmly as I could without blatantly shoving her away. To be clear, I wasn't actually afraid that Yajondra was going to [i]attack [/i]me, I was just afraid that she'd get upset, act without thinking, do something rash with her draconic strength... and I was even [i]more [/i]afraid that her feelings for me might sour, and I'd lose the most incredible thing that had ever happened to me.

"Blue!" I said, blushing harder than I had when I'd been named the 'official consort', "Ah, I was just going to come get you, th-this is an old friend of mine, had no [i]idea [/i]she was coming into town..."

Clearing my throat, I gestured from one to the other.

"Yajondra, this is Alyssa Hayward. Alyssa, this is Yajondra," I said, pleasantly, "Alyssa hasn't lived in Basil's Crossing for [i]years [/i]now, and Yajondra only came here recently..." Yajondra extended her hand, and with only a little hesitation, Alyssa took it and gave it a firm shake. I suspected very strongly that she could squeeze it as hard as she could and it wouldn't hurt, the Dragoness was [i]very [/i]durable.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Yajondra said, evenly. I swear she wasn't blinking. Alyssa seemed a bit put off, but not intimidated.

"Uhh, charmed," she responded, "I'll be honest, I thought the stories about a Dragon saving the village were, you know... [i]exaggerated[/i]." As their hands fell to their sides, Alyssa nodded to me, and I felt the sudden urge to run out into the night and never stop. It passed quickly.

"Jack and I used to be real close back in the day," she said, helpfully, "I don't exactly make a habit of smooching strangers." When that bit of light-heartedness had the same reaction on Yajondra it would have on a brick wall, Alyssa tried again.

"Soooo... what brings you to town?" she asked, "Hunting those bandits or something?" Yajondra smiled, showing off the dagger points of her teeth. I'm fully aware that she has a lot more lip control than you might expect, and she usually avoids reminding humans how sharp her teeth are. This didn't bode well.

"Anthropology," she said, smirking as if it were amusing.

"Come again?" asked Alyssa. Yajondra made a dismissive gesture.

"Never mind. I'm a scholar, you see, and I'm fascinated by the cultures of the non-draconic races, so I came to Levintide to study Human society close-up." The Dragoness reached out and gently placed a hand on my shoulder, giving it a pat.

"That's where I met Jack." Both women looked to me, and I blushed and smiled bashfully.

"We kinda hit it off talking about old country fairy tales, of all things," I said, "We had a few drinks together, talked about life, and, uh, we were really hitting it off, so..." I trailed off as Alyssa's eyes slowly widened and an incredulous look came over her face. Rubbing at the back of my neck, I reached up with my other hand and put a hand on the back of Blue's shoulder, just above her wingbase.

"Next thing you know, I'm inviting her to come see Basil's Crossing and, how did you put it, 'observe a rural Human community'."

Alyssa smiled and nodded.

"So you just happened to be here already when - wait, you're a [i]scholar?[/i]" She frowned. "You're a scholar and you took out [i]Thorne the Blade [/i]singlehandedly?!" Running a hand through her golden locks, Alyssa actually laughed.

"Wow! That's crazy. Thorne and his band of goons have been making trouble in my neck of the woods for ages, but no one could ever get their hands on the man himself," she said, "Well, at least not without [i]dying[/i]. That's really impressive - I'm sorry, was it 'Yajondra'?" Blue actually seemed a bit taken aback that someone had gotten even the short form of her name right on the first try.

"Y-yes, actually..." she replied, "But to be fair, I don't know how many dragons he's fought if he got that close of his own volition." Alyssa frowned and said she didn't understand. Grinning, Yajondra let go of me and turned to the wooden support pillar next to us, taking a deep breath. She then forced the air out of her lungs and - and did whatever it is Dragons do to make their innate magic kick in, I guess. In this case, her breath came rushing out in a white stream that formed into rigid, crackling ice the instant it made contact with the wood. Alyssa stepped back, startled, but quickly started laughing.

"Yes, I imagine that [i]would [/i]make him easier to take on in a fight!"

When Yajondra turned back to us, I patted her on the shoulder again.

"She actually took a pretty bad hit, all the same, but she saved the town from those goons, and Doc Forrest patched her up good as new," I said, proudly, "Hell, it was only a couple months ago that you could barely stand for this long without your leg hurting real bad, right? You've recovered so well, I'd [i]swear [/i]it's magic if I hadn't seen it myself." Yajondra beamed at me, and made a move like she was about to duck down and give me a peck on the lips before a voice called out from across the room.

"Ah, Miss Dragon?" called Georg, "Unless they're plottin' to attack the village, could you please not freeze any more parts of my bar?" Everyone around started laughing, and Yajondra blushed that pleasing shade of purple as she waved apologetically to the bartender.

"Sorry! J-just showing off a bit!" Alyssa and I began to snicker, and soon Yajondra herself was joining us, and I felt a lot of the stress begin to boil away.

"So, Alyssa, you gonna drop in on your father?" I asked, "I'm sure he'd be glad to see you." She nodded slowly and grinned.

"So am I, but you know Dad, he's a teetotaller, I bet he's at home right now, already asleep," she said, before blushing slightly and adding "Jack? I'm sorry about, ah, about greeting you so [i]enthusiastically[/i]. It's just that ever since I heard Basil's Crossing was attacked by bandits, I was afraid for the people I cared for. I mean, I [i]guess [/i]the rumours we heard were true, but you have to understand, when you hear that a small town out in the woods was attacked, and a [i]Dragon[/i] saved it before a single person died, it kinda sounds too good to be true." She let out a sigh and looked down at the floor.

"So I guess that while I was on the way here, my thoughts got kinda stuck on how much worse it could really be," she said, "When I got here, and there was a party in the tavern, I figured everyone would be there, and when I walk in the door, and of all people, [i]you're [/i]right there, and you're okay... I sort of got overwhelmed." I nodded, since I had to admit that if I hadn't been here, hadn't been [i]involved[/i], it would have sounded impossible to me. I nodded towards the bar.

"It's, ah, alright, Alyssa, I understand," I said, tactfully, though not without glancing to Yajondra to make sure she wasn't glaring at me.

"Hey, I'm sure I'm not the [i]only [/i]person here who'd like to say hello," I continued, "So Yajondra and I are gonna go back to warming up by the firepit, and you can make the rounds, since you're back in town. Sentinels, it really [i]is[/i] good to see you..." She smiled at that, and tipped an imaginary hat.

"Right back at you, Jackie boy, right back at you." And with that, she turned and wandered off into the crowded bar, and the rest of the night went more or less smoothly, though I have to admit, I was walking on eggshells around the Dragoness, unsure how she felt about that 'accidental' kiss Alyssa had given me...

A few hours and a few drinks later, the party was dispersing, and Yajondra and I headed out the door to go home. I'll admit it, I looked for her, but Alyssa was nowhere to be seen. She must have gone home earlier, or disappeared into the crowd. I felt a little bit buzzed (though I'd held back tonight, afraid of being unprepared if things went pear-shaped), but Yajondra seemed just as serene and graceful as always. Given her impressive size, she could easily drink the average Human under the table. She [i]was[/i] leaning on her walking staff a little more than when we'd arrived, but that could just be the cold, or fatigue. After we said our goodnights to the people staggering out of the newly renamed Freezing Dragoness, the two of us started on the path back to the tower, and Yajondra didn't keep me waiting long. Still looking straight forward, her face composed and peaceful, she spoke as casually as if she was discussing the weather.

"She seems... [i]forward[/i]," the Dragoness observed, "Exactly what kind of manners do they teach the kids around here?" Swallowing, knowing I had to tread carefully, I rubbed a hand along my chin, wishing my stubble were my biggest problem tonight.

"Alyssa's not usually like that," I replied, "At least, she wasn't when she [i]left[/i], but that was almost a decade ago. Maybe she picked it up in Chester's Glen, that's the closest town to where she lives these days." Shrugging, I glanced at my companion and managed a grin.

"Or maybe she got that way from living in the woods," I suggested, "She's a ranger, protects a... a more [i]interesting [/i]forest than this one." Yajondra made a [i]hmmm [/i]noise and fell silent for a few minutes before looking over at me again. I couldn't help but be struck by how [i]beautiful [/i]she looked in the cold Autumn night, with her eyes so bright they practically glowed, and the moonlight reflecting off her scales... but I was afraid if I said anything about it, she'd think it was empty flattery to get on her good side.

"You [i]know [/i]you're going to have to give me the whole story about that woman, right?" she asked, just as casually as before. I actually snickered, to my own surprise.

"Oh yes," I replied, "There was no doubt in my mind..."

Soon enough, we found ourselves at home, and as I started a fire going in my bedroom hearth, which seemed downright humble after several hours spent around the tavern's firepit, Yajondra sat down on my bed and stretched.

"Ahhh, socializing can take a lot out of me," she said, "But it's so worth it, don't you think?" Once I was satisfied that the flames weren't going to go out, I stood up again and turned, to find the scholar staring at me intently. This was something I was never [i]entirely [/i]comfortable with, since it gave me the impression that I was something she was experimenting on, and she was eagerly awaiting the results. Well, that, or she was trying to read my thoughts, which was an equally unpleasant possibility.

"Right. The story," I said, rubbing the back of my neck, "Well, let's see... I was born here in Basil's Crossing, but Alyssa wasn't. Her family moved here when we were very young, so that her father could pursue work I think. He was a hunter, and nobody was buying back home, so they moved here. She was alone, I was kind of an awkward kid, so I guess we hit it off pretty quickly." I went and sat down in the chair where only a few hours earlier, I'd been ogling the Dragoness as she changed, happy and carefree.

"What can I say? We grew up together," I continued, "Spent time helping out our parents, went for walks in the woods, shared our hopes and dreams with each other..." I sighed and forced myself to look her in the eyes. "I... I don't want to lie to you, Blue, we were always close, but we got even closer as the years passed, and when we were in our teens, one day we were in the forest, when out of nowhere Alyssa confronts me with the fact that I had feelings for her. She'd known for a while, and she was tired of waiting for me to say something. So I kissed her, real spur of the moment like, and that was that. Yajondra... Alyssa Hayward was my first love." There was a long moment of silence, and then I leaned back in the chair, relieved that Blue at least hadn't gotten upset, as I'd feared she might, not having seen her around 'competition' before. Her face was unreadable, but she nodded, silently asking me to continue.

"Everyone in town thought we were a great couple, our families liked each other... I really thought she was going to be my wife some day, the mother of my kids," I admitted, "But about a year and a half after her mother passed away - from sickness, it was a black day for the whole village - she starts talking to me about wanting to do more with life than 'live in one or two little towns'. Ever since she was little, her father had been showing her all the tricks of his trade, how to move silently through the forest, how to identify herbs and follow animal tracks, all that stuff. He even taught her how to shoot a bow when she was old enough. He used a longbow that she had trouble with, so he had the woodcarver make her a shortbow that would be more comfortable for someone her size; I think it was Daryl's first job after taking over, actually..." Gazing into the fire, old memories dancing fresh before my eyes, I couldn't stop now.

"But it wasn't just about the thrill of the hunt or the pride of bringing meat and furs back to make a living for her," I said, watching the flames lick at the logs, "She loved the forest itself, talked about it like it was a living thing. I swear some days I thought she loved the woods more than she loved me..." I coughed, realizing maybe that wasn't the best thought to add here.

"Ah, my point is, eventually, without telling anyone, Alyssa started sending letters back and forth to... I never actually knew where, come to think of it. She was applying to be a ranger, a Forest Guardian. Protects frontier forests that are in danger of poaching, illegal clear-cutting, uh, infestation by dangerous monsters, that kind of thing. She finally told me after she got a chance to talk to whoever is in charge of the position for the kingdom, or at least the local countryside, you know, a sort of audition. She wanted me to run away with her, leave Basil's Crossing behind and go far away, do something more interesting with our lives." I shook my head slowly, remembering a conversation I'd played over in my head so many times I had every word, every inflection memorized. "I asked her what we'd do if she didn't get the position, and we were miles away from anything we knew. And she kissed me and told me that we'd improvise, we'd find something to keep us afloat in a nearby town until we thought of a new plan of action. She... she wanted it to be our [i]elopement[/i]."

"And you said no?" murmured Yajondra, almost startling me by breaking her silence. I sort of shrugged and nodded at the same time.

"I told myself it was responsibilities," I whispered, "Mom wanted to retire from shopkeeping soon, and, well... I told you that my store was originally opened by my great-great-grandfather? Well, it had been in the family ever since, all the way down to my mother, his great-granddaughter, and Thomas had already started working with horses and cows, so Mom wanted to leave the place to me so it could stay in the family. It was that, and the fact that unlike Alyssa, I was [i]born [/i]in Basil's Crossing, I was fourteen years old before I saw another town, so literally everything I'd ever known was here!" I closed my eyes and grimaced.

"...Yes, I was afraid," I breathed, "I said no because of fear and because of responsibilities, and Alyssa told me it was something she [i]had [/i]to do with her life... we said goodbye one sunrise, before the village woke up, and she left on a horse she'd bought from Thomas... I thought - hoped, maybe - that she might give up or change her mind, that she might return, that maybe we could be together [i]and [/i]stay in Basil's Crossing, but... that sunrise was nine years ago, and I never saw her again until tonight."

When I opened my eyes, I was taken aback to see Yajondra kneeling before me, examining me curiously, her expression a lot softer than I was expecting.

"Jackson... are you trying to say you want to go back to her?" she asked, quietly, "I mean, you've only been apart for nine years. That's hardly..." She blinked a few times, and then blushed.

"...Never mind, sorry, thinking in the wrong terms," she muttered, before clearing her throat and trying again, "But how [i]do [/i]you feel about her, Jack? Do - do you still love her?" I reached out and took her hands, and I just sort of gazed into her eyes. I wonder if she could see the pain in mine, the confusion...

"Gods above, Blue, I - I don't know!" I finally admitted, "I never want to lie to you, but the truth is, when she left, it [i]hurt [/i]me, and I honestly never thought I'd see her again, so maybe I just... pushed that hurt aside until I could go a day without thinking about it, maybe I never really got over her..." I took a deep breath, and cursed the shuddery feeling to it, [i]demanding [/i]silently to myself that I not cry in front of Yajondra. To my surprise, I felt her hand touching my cheek, and opened my eyes to find the Dragoness looking at me not with betrayal or disgust, as I'd feared, but with a gentle sympathy in her sun-golden eyes.

"It's... it's okay, Jack," she whispered, and I started stammering a protest, thinking she was giving her blessing for me to leave her and go be with Alyssa. But she continued, speaking over me.

"I didn't agree to come to Basil's Crossing with you, to share my body and my he- my feelings with you, because I was under the impression that you were [i]perfect[/i], born without flaw like the Seven above," she continued, "I came here with you, I'm attracted to you because... you're [i]you[/i]. You're Jackson Midden, a humble man, an honest man, and a [i]good [/i]man. It's perfectly okay if you have complicated feelings about a woman from your past, you're... what's the phrase the professor used to use... you're 'only Human'." Coming from any other Dragon, that Human saying would sound extremely demeaning, insulting me and my entire species in one breath. But I could hear the light-heartedness in Yajondra's voice, see the nervous grin on her face, and I knew it for the joke it was. I smiled at that and leaned forward, giving the scholar a hug. Maybe things were gonna be okay after all... When we leaned back, our hands still on each other at about the elbows, Yajondra looked more nervous than before.

"...As long as we're being open with each other like this, Jack, I... I'm going to admit that I f-feel [i]extremely [/i]intimidated by Alyssa," she said. I didn't want to ruin the moment, but I had a problem with that sentence. Fortunately, she read the confusion on my face, and coughed self-consciously, quickly addressing it.

"Oh, intimidated, it means... Gah, the exact meaning doesn't matter, I'm trying to say she makes me [i]nervous[/i], Farmer. She [i]worries[/i] me." She blushed, tilting her head down and avoiding eye contact in what I'd gathered was Draconic body language for shame or embarrassment.

"I know you're a grown man, I know you're a [i]good [/i]man, but ever since I met that woman, ever since I saw her kiss you, I've been afraid that... afraid that she'll steal you away from me. And now that I know you two have a past, I can't help but worry that your feelings for her will come back as strong as before and you'll leave me, because she's so much more exciting than a scholar, because you've known her for so much longer... because you're both Human and I'm not."

I leaned back in and held her tight, which seemed to surprise her, as her wings fluttered a little behind her back and her tail flitted off from one side of her body to the other. One of the things I like about Yajondra is that I never have to worry about hugging too hard. I'm kind of a big guy as far as Humans are concerned, so it's a novelty for me to be able to just give a girl a good squeeze without worrying about hurting something.

"I'm sorry, Yajondra," I whispered, "ever since she showed up, I've been terrified that you were going to get angry, to leave me, because of her. I never thought about how hard it must be [i]for [/i]you to have her around." By now she was returning the hug, and after letting out a deep huff of a breath, which I realized was a sigh of relief, Blue started churring and nuzzling against me.

"I guess it's understandable for us to be a little nervous about this," she said, "Our, ah, our 'whatever-you-would-call-this', to use your amusing term, is still rather new..." I leaned back and smiled.

"Yeah, let's just relax and take this one step at a time," I said, feeling better already, "I mean, it's not like Alyssa was still trying to get back in my pants after she met you, after all, I'm sure that kiss was just like she said, being overwhelmed with relief that someone she cared about was fine after a bandit attack." Remembering another thing Alyssa had said, I suddenly frowned, blinking.

"...Yajondra, what did Alyssa mean when she saw you?" I asked, "You know, she said something like 'oh, a small Dragon has moved to town'. You're a [i]small [/i]Dragon?" Yajondra tilted her head to the side and grinned at me.

"You didn't know?" she asked, brightly, "You're a hatchery-snatcher!" I assumed the phrase meant the same thing as 'cradle-robber' to Humans. "When I'm fully grown, my shadow will cover this entire town!" I gaped at the mental image, somewhat horrified.

"Y- you're kidding..." I managed. She narrowed her eyes and clicked her tongue.

"Jack, do you [i]really[/i] think there would be legends of Dragons the size of mountains just because we stand a foot or two taller than most races?" she asked, in her 'chiding teacher' voice. I felt a little lightheaded until she suddenly burst out laughing.

"Orange's [i]chariot[/i], Jack," she laughed, naming the mischief-making sun goddess, "You should see the look on your face!" My cheeks burned, but I shuddered in hard relief, both that I hadn't accidentally been sleeping with a child and that this 'child' wouldn't grow up into a titan someday.

"Ohhhh, mercy, Blue, you [i]really [/i]had me going..." I chuckled, seeing how amused she was. But I wanted to make sure...

"S-so you were joking?" I asked, "Dragons don't overshadow towns? You're, um, [i]of age[/i]?" She touched her finger to her chin thoughtfully.

"Well, yes and no," the scholar replied, "[i]Yes[/i], I'm considered a full adult, but... there [i]is [/i]a reason for those old tales. Don't worry, though, those only apply to the quadrupeds, the Dragons who walk on four legs, not two. Even the [i]most [/i]ancient of us bipedal Dragons are only as tall as, oh, say, this tower we're standing in." I narrowed my eyes.

"That's another joke, right?" She giggled and winked at me.

"Maybe. You'll just have to stay with me a while longer to find out!" We both chuckled at that, and just held each other for a while, content. Seeing how much happier the room felt, I nodded towards the bed.

"So..." I whispered, "You wanna snuggle?" I yelped as Yajondra suddenly stood up straight and took me with her, lifting me in her powerful arms like I was a child.

"[i]Do[/i] I?!" she asked, an exaggerated delight in her eyes. I laughed gleefully as she gracefully tossed me onto the bed and hurried after me, shucking her robe as she slipped under the covers and took me in her arms.

"Yajondra!" I gasped, "You're freezing cold!" Rolling her eyes with a smirk, the Dragoness kissed my cheek.

"That's what I've been [i]saying![/i]" she scolded. Belatedly kicking my shoes off and pushing them off the bed, I squirmed in mild discomfort.

"And I'm still wearing all my clothes..." I muttered. Churring again, Yajondra licked my nose.

"Then let me take care of [i]both [/i]of those problems..." she whispered, and suddenly worry was the last thing on my mind.

[center]* * *[/center]

Just so you don't feel robbed of the juicy details, we didn't actually have sex that night, we just spent a lot of time nuzzling and cuddling, and alright, there was a fair amount of kissing, too. Yajondra [i]did [/i]surprise me with a pretty hard bite to the shoulder and neck, though, left a wicked mark. At any rate, the next morning, I found myself in a refreshingly normal situation, sitting in my chair behind the counter at Midden's, waiting on customers. Running the general store isn't the most exciting job in the world, but it does help you feel useful. Mrs. Rhanson, the tailor, came in to take a look at some new tools that had come in, but in the end she was on the fence on whether they were precise enough for her work, and left to think it over. Bart showed up to pick up that formula Durna had asked for the night before. Annabelle Midden, my sister-in-law, came in for some gardening tools with Rory, who, despite looking somewhat paler than usual, was clearly feeling better than he had been last night. I was really feeling myself again, the awkwardness of the party a distant memory, when things took an unexpected turn. I was dusting off a very large pot I'd just taken out of storage to replace one I'd just sold, since those don't move very often (I want to call it a 'cauldron', but to me that sounds like something only a witch would use, and not for stew), when the bell above the door jingled to let me know a customer had entered, and I turned to find Alyssa Hayward strolling into my store, an amused grin on her face as she looked around curiously.

"Wow, it's practically just like I remember, but at the same time..." She looked over at me and her smile widened. "So, 'Midden's', huh? Doesn't feel like that long ago that it was 'Audra's', and your mom was running the place." Despite knowing how much more exciting her life must have become than mine, I couldn't help but grin back proudly as she approached the counter.

"And we were always coming in to try and mooch free candy off her," I said, before tossing her a caramel with a wink.

"Turns out it's easier when your name's over the door," I joked, making her chuckle, and then added "You know, Alyssa, even if last night was a little unexpected, it's good to see you again." Walking up and leaning against the counter, Alyssa replaced her grin with a dazzling smile that showed me that her time spent living in the woods hadn't harmed her pearly teeth one bit.

"I'm glad the feeling is mutual, then," she said, casually brushing a lock of golden hair out of her eyes, "You know... don't get me wrong, I [i]love[/i] what I do, I love taking care of the forest, but... Sometimes I miss having people around to talk to, people to laugh with, just... people who make me happy." I had instinctively leaned in as well, and as she spoke, Alyssa casually laid her hand atop mine, catching me off-guard.

"I wish I'd been able to come sooner, this valley is so beautiful in the summer..." she said, softly, "Do you remember that year when we went skinny-dipping in the river on the summer solstice, and those raccoons stole our clothes?" She laughed softly, shaking her head.

"Gods above, I thought we'd have to walk back to the village [i]naked[/i] before we found them in that bush!" she giggled, "We didn't even [i]do it [/i]that time, but I'm pretty sure my father would have made us get married." As she giggled, she gave my hand a very, very subtle squeeze, and I felt a pleasant shiver run down my spine. I found myself chuckling along with her; how could I [i]not?[/i] That [i]was [/i]a happy memory, after all... Her hand was so warm, so soft, and her smile was so gentle and inviting, but as my cheeks reddened and my pulse quickened, I forced my mind back to the present instead of lingering on the old days. I leaned back, taking my hand away from hers, and tried to be casual about it. If anything, her grin widened. When we were younger, Alyssa could read me like a book, much to my embarrassment. Like I said, she'd called me out on my feelings for her so easily, it was like she'd known I was attracted to her before [I]I [/I]did. And in this moment, with her standing right there in front of me, I couldn't help but hope that she was a bit out of practice...

Clearing my throat, I avoided her gaze and tried to sound businesslike. I'm pretty sure I failed.

"So, ah, as much fun as just spending time together and chatting about old times is, did... were you looking to actually pick something up here?" I asked, politely indicating the shelves, "I'd b-be happy to help..." Standing up straight, giving her hair a toss, Alyssa regarded the items I was selling, her smile remaining right where it was. I looked over at the somewhat crude wooden dragon sculpture hanging above the door. The same great-great-grandfather who had opened the store had carved it and put it there, and even though it looked [i]nothing [/i]like her, I couldn't help but think of Yajondra every time I saw it. That helped me to focus on the present, not the past, but boy was it hard... After examining the shelves, Alyssa strolled back over.

"Actually, maybe you [i]can [/i]help me, Jack..." she said, with a strange twinkle in her eyes, "See, I was wondering if I could find a certain something here. A little something I might have left behind when I went to become a ranger, only to find out that [i]this[/i] was the only place I could find it." Behind her, the door jingled open, and I swallowed as Yajondra walked in, her pleasant smile faltering just slightly as her eyes fell upon Alyssa, who paid no mind to the door.

"I didn't even realize what I was leaving behind," Alyssa continued, "Oh, sure, I could find a [i]different[/i] kind that was mostly the same in any old town, but it just wouldn't be the same as the one here in Basil's Crossing." She hit me with that dazzling smile again, and I tried not to squirm.

"Think you've got anything like that in your inventory, shopkeep?" I very carefully kept my eyes locked on Alyssa as I responded, as I didn't want the dragoness to think I was only saying this for her benefit.

"Hmmm... S-sorry, I'll have to put that on back order," I said, trying to sound casual. If this bothered the ranger in any way, she sure didn't show it, and just nodded pleasantly.

"Well, I'm staying at the inn," she replied, "so let me know if you find anything like that, okay?" Turning smoothly, she headed out, pausing only to nod politely to Yajondra, who watched Alyssa go with a mildly suspicious look on her face until the door closed behind her.

When we were alone again, Yajondra turned back to me, one hairless brow arched slightly.

"Well, she certainly seems happy today," she observed, dryly. I blushed and leaned back in my seat.

"She's just... glad to be back in town," I said, somewhat lamely, "Must be like taking a trip through your memories." The truth was, I wasn't sure [i]what [/i]to make of what Alyssa had said. Sure, at [i]first[/i] we'd just been talking about old times, but that had been pretty heavy flirting, even if it was playful and indirect... just Alyssa's style. Or was she just messing with me? That was [i]also [/i]something she was good at, playing mind games with me. Yajondra didn't seem entirely convinced, and shrugged her shoulders, which made her wings spread just slightly for a moment.

"Well, whether she's feeling nostalgic or not," she replied, "the next time someone tries to make an order like [i]that[/i], you'll find that the correct response is 'I'm sorry, but our current stock of that item has already been claimed.'" I blushed and winced. I had been hoping that Yajondra hadn't noticed the innuendo from that conversation, the innuendo I'd been hoping I'd been imagining myself. Shaking my head, I forced myself to look at her even as she grinned at my sheepishness.

"I'm gonna pay for not shutting that idea down on the spot, aren't I?" I asked. She patted me on the head and chuckled.

"Yes, but just a little," she replied, "You're lucky you're so damned handsome, Farmer." Grinning at that shameless flattery, I felt a little better, and leaned forward onto my elbows against the countertop.

"So, assuming you're not just following Alyssa around," I said, only about two-thirds joking, "What brings you to my humble store today?" She raised a small bundle wrapped in cloth and laid it down on the counter, and for just a moment I wondered if she'd found something she wanted to sell, which felt rather unlike her.

"Actually, I made you some lunch," she said, "I was thinking of you, and I wanted to help make up for last night being a little awkward, so I whipped up a human recipe I read about in a book once." I unwrapped the bundle a little dubiously, but what I found inside was hardly the amateurish, foreign attempt I'd been worried about.

"They're called grilled cheese sandwiches, but you didn't have a proper grill, so I just held them over the fire," she said, pleased by my reaction, "Might as well get nice and toasty while I'm cooking, right?"

"Hey, I was getting hungry, now that you mention it, and these look [i]delicious![/i]" I replied, eagerly, "Thank you so much!" For a moment, the Dragoness looked bashful, and waved dismissively.

"Well, I've been observing the townsfolk lately," she said, "and I saw a lot of the local women making lunches for their husbands and boyfriends over at the lumber mill down the valley, and it seemed such a meaningful gesture for such a simple act, I wanted to try it." I swallowed, and not just because my mouth was watering. Despite how quickly we'd grown so close, Yajondra and I had never actually defined exactly [i]what [/i]our relationship was. The thing my mind kept coming back to was that we'd never used the L-word with each other. Did our relationship 'count'? Was it too early for Blue to be bringing me food? Or was this just one more thing that Jackson Midden was thinking too much about?

I reached out and took Yajondra's hand, giving it a squeeze and smiling at her.

"Again... [i]thank you[/i], Yajondra," I murmured, "This means a lot to me. I... I'm happy." I silently cursed myself for wussing out of saying the words, but there would be other opportunities. She blushed and grinned at that, her tail fidgeting back and forth as I took the first bite and found it more than worthy.

"Oh, this is soooo good..." I moaned, between bites. She giggled and mussed her fingers through my hair, something she quite enjoyed doing since she had none of her own.

"I'm so very glad to hear that," she replied. As I thoughtfully chewed the warm deliciousness, I looked up at her thoughtfully.

"Hey, I've been wondering, aside from this little trip, what exactly do you do all day when I'm at work?" I asked, "I hope living in Basil's Crossing isn't too boring for you..." She made a dismissive wave and chuckled.

"Oh, heavens no," she said, "I spend a lot of time just people-watching, observing the townsfolk. They're so different from the Humans of Levintide, everybody knows everybody else, people will stop each other in the street to have a chat, it's so much friendlier... I admit I haven't been doing as much of that since the weather got so damned [i]cold[/i], but it's all been very fascinating from an anthropological standpoint."

"What about now, when it's too cold to leave the tower?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh, that," she said, nodding, "I find masturbation to be quite an effective time-waster." I very nearly choked on my sandwich, which she didn't seem to notice.

"Why, just today I spent [i]hours [/i]pleasuring myself on your bed," Yajondra deadpanned, "Fantasizing about you ravishing me, crying out your name as I succumbed to climax again and again, it was quite the workout. Left your sheets soaking wet, but don't worry, I gave them a good wash and hung them out to dry, by the time you get home, you'll never notice the difference." Blushing as hard as I could ever remember blushing, I reached down and adjusted my suddenly hard prick inside my pants. The fact that it was obvious she was just teasing me didn't make it any less effective.

"...That was because of the 'special order' thing with Alyssa, wasn't it?" I quietly asked after a moment. The Dragoness shook her head gently, the rubbery spines atop her head and neck swaying just a little as she did so.

"Oh heavens, no," she replied, "[i]this [/i]was just because you Human men are [i]adorable [/i]when you're embarrassed."

Clearing her throat, Yajondra poked me as I resumed eating her lunch.

"Speaking of that, though... Kidding aside, Jack, I really would have appreciated a more [i]definitive [/i]'no' to that, ah, [i]offer[/i], it made me very uncomfortable." I nodded understandingly and sighed.

"I don't really get it myself, truth be told," I replied, "It isn't[i] like[/i] Alyssa to hit on a man in a relationship, she was always super respectful of that kind of thing. She would be the girl giving other girls shit for flirting with taken guys, not the one doing the flirting, and [i]especially [/i]not with you [i]right there [/i]listening to her do it!" I frowned, rubbing my forehead as I tried to understand, and Yajondra nodded sympathetically.

"You [i]did [/i]say this was the first time you'd seen her in almost ten years, Jack," she said, softly, "Maybe all that time Alyssa spent in the woods by herself has changed her." Frowning slightly, I shook my head.

"It's not like she spent the whole nine years all alone in full survival mode," I said, "I told you, there was a town on the edge of the forest, Chester's Glen, where she could go for supplies and information. I don't know, Blue, I feel like I'm missing something, but I don't know what." Leaning in close, Yajondra nuzzled against my cheek.

"Maybe you're missing your friend, Jack," she said, softly, "Maybe you miss the woman she used to be, the woman you loved, but maybe she's changed, and she's someone different now." I put my free hand on the scholar's shoulder and looked straight into her soulful golden eyes.

"I appreciate your insight, Blue, but please, give her the benefit of the doubt," I said, "Seeing me again after all these years has got to be as strange for her as it was for me, especially with me dating a certain winged, scaly town saviour. Maybe she's just having trouble dealing with it or accepting it or something... usually you're the one giving insightful speeches, I'm not that good at this." As I took another bite, Yajondra scratched at her chin thoughtfully.

"Well, you [i]could[/i] use some practice..." she joked, before she sighed and nodded begrudgingly.

"Alright, when you put it that way, I suppose it makes sense," she allowed, "You do know her a lot better than I do, and... as much as it pains me to admit, I'm probably biased against her by a bad first impression. Just a little." I grinned and held two fingers close together.

"Just a smidge," I agreed. As she chuckled, I finished off the last of her delicious offering, and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"That was great, really hit the spot," I said, patting my belly. She leaned in and gave me a quick kiss, and then smacked her lips as she pulled back.

"Mmm, cheesy," she giggled, and I couldn't help but snicker with her.

Yajondra was leaning in for another kiss when the door jingled, so sadly I had to put off the taste of her lips in favour of doing my job. She straightened up and started intently at a chest of drawers someone from Anchorfield had pawned off the other day. I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to [i]do[/i] with it if it didn't sell, as it took up a lot of room. I put on what I hoped was a natural smile and turned to face Dennis Forrest as he walked in.

"Hey, Doc, what brings you here today?" I asked, cheerily. He smiled thinly as he approached.

"Afternoon, Jack. Just looking for some more herbs. Cold season is starting, and I really need to stock up, I don't suppose you're making a trip to the capital any time soon?" As he approached the counter, he turned to the Dragoness, who was doing a fairly terrible job of looking inconspicuous, but both the Humans in the room were too polite to point that out.

"Yajondra," he said, nodding, a clinical greeting for a clinical man.

"Doctor," she responded, with a nod of her own. I leaned against the counter with one elbow, in my mind the very picture of professionalism, not at all the kind of man who would make out with his lady on the job, but as the only practicing healer of a full village, Forrest was very, [i]very[/i] good at seeing past such shallow deceptions, and he was already smirking with poorly-concealed amusement. It seemed he wasn't going to comment on it, though, until he looked over at me, opened his mouth to say something, and then frowned, leaning closer. Gesturing to my neck, which had been exposed as I leaned over onto my arm, Forrest raised an eyebrow.

"That looks pretty painful, Jack," he said, "I suppose you're going to tell me you got [i]that [/i]one trimming the shrubbery?" Yajondra let out a cough, sounding suspiciously to me like a suppressed giggle, and I blushed.

"What's that supposed to mean, Doc?" I asked, defensively. The easy smirk returned, and he shook his head.

"Jack, you're always coming in with bruises and scratches, with a certain [i]someone [/i]close behind you, blushing a shade of purple I didn't know intelligent beings could become without choking," he said, "And it's always 'I fell down the stairs' or 'A shelf fell over on me', or one memorable occasion where you were 'caught in a small rockslide' that mysteriously cleaned up after itself." By now, Yajondra was actually biting her scaly hand to keep from laughing, though Forrest wouldn't be able to see that since they had their backs to each other. He gestured to me again.

"And now here you are with something that looks suspiciously like a [i]bite mark[/i] on your neck, and wouldn't you know it, you-know-who happens to be hovering around the shop."

Beet red by now, I frowned.

"I'll have you know that I did [i]not [/i]get this mark from - from what you're insinuating!" I snapped, using a word Yajondra had taught me just the other day, when it was in a book I was reading. And it was true! There had been no sex involved at all in that mark. We were just snuggling at the time. In bed. Naked. And okay, I might have gotten hard because we were pressed together and it was warm and fun, but I can't help that! Forrest held up both hands in front of him.

"Hey, I'm just making observations, Jack, it's my job," he said, "Now do you want me to take a look at that to make sure it's not infected, or not?" Pouting, I leaned over to the side and pulled my collar down, and he leaned in and poked his fingers near it.

"Hmmm... does it still hurt?"

"No, it was fine when I woke up today." He nodded and poked near it some more.

"Alright, you're probably in the clear," the doctor said, "If it changes colour or starts hurting, put some of that salve I gave you [i]last [/i]time on it and come see me." As he leaned back, I stepped away from the counter to get him the herbs he wanted. He was still smirking when I returned, but it wasn't in a mocking way; Forrest was good like that.

"Hey, relax," he said, as though he'd heard that, "There's no need to be embarrassed, it's a perfectly natural part of life." He blinked and frowned ever so slightly.

"Okay, maybe the part where you walk away scratched and bruised isn't totally natural, but, ah, I suppose there would be some things to work out in a, a relationship as unique as yours..." he said, before chuckling and adding "Honestly, I've heard and seen how strong Dragons can be, so if you two are as amorous as you seem, I'm kind of relieved you haven't broken anything [i]serious[/i]." Handing over the herbs, I sat back down and gave him a look.

"[i]Thank you[/i] Doc," I said, stiffly, "but contrary to popular local belief, Yajondra and I don't spend [i]all [/i]our free time having our wicked way with each other." I inhaled sharply as I felt Yajondra's soft, strong arms encircling me as she bent over and hugged me from behind. Had I really been so embarrassed I hadn't noticed her walking behind me? She leaned forward so her face was just next to mine and smiled at the doctor.

"That's right," she agreed, happily, "just [i]most [/i]of our free time!" As Forrest laughed and I blushed even harder, she gave me a big old smooch on the cheek and then nuzzled against me, churring affectionately. I remained stunned silent as the Doc dropped a few silver coins on the counter and turned to leave.

"Thanks, Jack," he said, at the doorway, "I'd wish you a good evening, but it seems you don't need my wishes for that one!" He turned and left, laughing delightedly, and I sank forward until my forehead was resting on the cool, friction-smoothed wood of the countertop. Yajondra, still hugging me, moved forward again and cooed in my ear playfully.

"[i]That [/i]was for not turning Alyssa down more confidently," she said, "Just so we're clear." It was a strange sensation, gentle readers. Her laughter made me groan with embarrassment, since I was already blushing as hard as I could... but the sound of it was so musical, so beautiful, I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my chest, and smile at her happiness.

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly, aside from the occasional embarrassing moment when my mind would wander and suddenly I'd be thinking about Yajondra pleasuring herself again. I know, you'd think I'd be running home at top speed after that, but I was still a bit troubled, and I needed to think. Ever since I was old enough to go by myself, I've made a habit of walking through the local woods to do my best thinking, since the fresh air and the isolation are usually such a big help. Even now, I could feel my anxiety over Alyssa's return fading again. I had perhaps somewhat foolishly hoped that it would be like any ex I had remained friends with, that what we'd once held for each other would just make us closer friends. But not only had Alyssa thrown that plan out the window, the truth was... a part of me was tempted by her offer, wanted to pick things up with her again, and damn the consequences. But the [i]rest [/i]of me wanted to resist, to stay with this good thing I had going with Yajondra, [i]whatever[/i] term we called ourselves... and the fact that there was temptation at all was giving me no end of stress. As I tried to focus on the problem, I couldn't help but think about [i]why[/i] I was tempted, and it was distressingly easy to find reasons, remembering how happy Alyssa had made me, how much I had enjoyed talking to her, spending time with her, and yes, the way she felt in my arms when I held her as we fell asleep. I have to admit, I still haven't quite gotten used to being the little spoon when I'm with Yajondra. I was walking without thinking about it, just staring off into space and seeing my thoughts instead of the leaves and trees around me, to better sort through what was bothering me. I understand this is a [i]great [/i]way to get yourself killed in bigger, more exciting forests, which could be home to everything from lashers to swamp trolls, with all kinds of unpleasant things in between. Around [i]here[/i], I wasn't likely to find anything more dangerous than a badger or the occasional fox, maybe a lost bear from another region. The only life I'd seen today, as the cold season began, was a few scattered birds and a sipmunk burrowing into the soil next to his stream, to hibernate the winter away. I had been pondering it for quite a while without ever really getting anywhere when I heard a [i]snap [/i]and was startled back into reality. It came from another path that forked into the one I was on, forming a single path further into the forest. I couldn't see anything as the trees between the two paths were too dense, but it was only a couple of seconds before a pair of people walked out into the open just ahead of me.

"...See, there's some tracks, I told you I spotted them east of here," said one of them, before looking over her shoulder.

"Jack?" called Alyssa, surprised. Her companion turned as well, and revealed himself as a man named Duncan, one of the village hunters. I swallowed as she walked over, and he slowly followed. It was [i]just [/i]my luck to try and isolate myself for a while, only to run into the very woman I was so troubled over in the first place!

"Alyssa?" I asked, shocked, "What are you doing out here?" She gave me that smirk again, and I felt a warm, guilty sensation in my chest. She nodded behind her as she crossed her arms.

"Duncan here lost track of a herd of deer, and I caught sight of them while I was patrolling the woods this morning," she said, "So I'm helping him get caught up. What are [i]you [/i]doing out here?" Rubbing the back of my neck, I made a vague gesture that encompassed the area.

"I'm just on a walk, needed to get some thinking done," I said, "I never ran into anyone out here before!" Alyssa took a good, long look at me, raising her eyebrows for a moment as she caught sight of something unexpected.

"That mark on your neck looks nasty," she observed, "You okay, Jack?" Blushing, I nodded and avoided her gaze.

"It's alright, I had Doc Forrest take a look at it and he says it'll be fine..." I muttered, wishing I were anywhere else. Alyssa nodded and then turned to Duncan.

"Hey, could you please go on ahead for a bit?" she asked, politely, "Jack and I have something we [i]really [/i]need to discuss." I shivered as Duncan nodded and left us alone, following the path at a slow, casual pace. Once he was around the corner, Alyssa turned to me with a gentle smile.

"This is about what you said in the store, isn't it?" I asked, gently. She nodded.

"Mmm-hmm. Done much thinking about it?" she replied, "I'm [i]really [/i]hoping that order gets filled." The sparkle in her eye, the amusement in her dimples, Gods above she was beautiful... but that wasn't the point, right?

"Alyssa, I - I can't believe you'd come into my shop and just [i]say [/i]those things..." I said, not mentioning the part where she'd said it right in front of Yajondra. I wanted to let her off gently, and accusing her of stuff wasn't the right way to do that. She nodded and raised her hands in apology.

"I know, I know, it's [i]crazy[/i], it's been nine years, we haven't seen each other in forever, and I just got back into town," she said, "But there's something else I know." She stepped forward and took hold of the lapels on my coat, tugging me in close before I could respond.

"I know that after all this time, I still have feelings for you," she whispered, earnestly, "I've missed you so badly, Jackson Midden, and I'd say 'you have [i]no [/i]idea'... except that I can see from the way you look at me that you [i]do[/i]. I can tell you still have feelings for me too." Smiling almost shyly, looking me straight in the eyes, Alyssa levelled with me.

"I want you, Roots. I need you back in my life," she whispered, "Come back to the frontier with me... Let's run away together."

I stepped back, gently pulling out of her grip, my face no doubt slack with surprise. There it was, her intentions spelled out in plain English.

"A-Alyssa..." I whispered, not sure where to [i]start [/i]with this. No one had ever asked me to abandon one life for another before. So I hedged my bets and focused on the least important part of what she'd said.

"Roots, huh?" I asked, staring at my boots, "You haven't called me [i]that[/i] since we were ten years old." She chuckled.

"I suppose I haven't," the ranger acknowledged, "It's just that being back in town and seeing everyone, and now being alone in the woods with you, it's got me feeling nostalgic." There isn't a clever story behind the nickname, by the way. I was Roots and she was Sticks, and that was about as far as explanations went.

"You - you just want to recapture the past," I said, playing off that comment, "Because we were so good while it lasted."

"Is that so wrong?" she asked, seriously, "Jack, I'm not just lonely, it's... I've been with a few men in the last decade, and I never felt half as close to any of them as I did to you. Hell, I [i]still [/i]feel closer to you than to my last ex. And every time I was in a relationship, I would... I realized after a while I was comparing them all to you."

"Favourably, I assume," I said. Alyssa didn't seem to appreciate the humour.

"Jack, this is important to me," she said, putting her hands on her hips. I winced and nodded.

"Sorry. You, ah, made that kind of clear when you asked me to run away with you," I replied, "Alyssa, I know it's not the most exciting one in the world, but I've made a [i]life [/i]for myself here. I've got a good home, a good job... people who love me." I put it delicately, to avoid potentially building resentment for Yajondra. Alyssa nodded, frowning, but she didn't seem especially put off.

"I know that, Jack, and I didn't ask back then because I knew how important it was to you..." she replied, "But these last few years, a part of me has wondered, deep down, whether you were the best thing that ever happened to me, and I was a fool for walking away. Just [i]think [/i]about it, Jack, that's all I ask, don't just ignore the idea because it's scary and new." She smiled at me, and despite the situation, I couldn't help but smile back, just a little. It didn't last long, though, as I shook my head and closed my eyes, like I was afraid she was trying to cast a spell on me.

"I know we were great together," I admitted, "but that was the past, Lyssa, and I'm... I'm not interested in bringing back the past." Her voice came from within arm's reach, and my eyes snapped open, startled.

"If that's the case," she started, "Then how come your little walk in the woods has brought you straight to [i]this [/i]tree?" I blushed even as I looked, realizing what I would see. The tree at the fork in the road was rather large and very old, and carved into the trunk in still-legible letters was 'J.M. + A.H.' inside a heart. I'd carved that there myself after Alyssa and I had shared our mutual first kiss together right where we were now standing. I realized that without thinking about it, this [i]was [/i]where I'd been heading since I entered the forest, and I struggled to find words to explain that away, falling silent as I felt the ranger's hand on my shoulder. She turned me back to face her, her expression warm and gentle.

"I can help you get settled in Chester's Glen," Alyssa said, "They could use a shopkeeper of your talents just like Basil's Crossing, and we can stay in touch with the hometown. I've been sending letters back and forth to my father for years." Somehow, despite her reassuring words, I wasn't entirely convinced.

"Alyssa..." I started, not even sure what to say. She just patted me on the shoulder and smiled again.

"Just think about it," she repeated, "I gotta go catch up with Duncan, but I promise we'll talk some more about this, okay? I'll see you later." With that, she leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, a favourite goodbye of hers from back in the day, and hurried off after the hunter while I shuddered from head to toe. Alone again, even more confused than when I arrived, I buried my face in my hands and groaned. Wasn't life in a tiny village supposed to be simple?

When I got home, I didn't tell Yajondra what Alyssa had said, didn't even mention that I'd seen the ranger again. I couldn't believe Alyssa Hayward was actually asking me to abandon the new woman in my life to come back to her. It seemed so unlike her! So either something important in Alyssa had changed in the last nine years... or she truly was still in love with me, and wanted me back desperately enough to make the request anyway. Even without my saying anything, Yajondra could tell that something was bothering me. I reassured her that I'd be fine after a good night's sleep, but things were a little tense and quiet in the tower that night, and I couldn't help but feel strange as I went to bed in the Dragoness' arms, since tension or no tension, she still needed to keep warm. My dreams were jumbled and confused that night, but I think the gist was that Yajondra and Alyssa were fighting over me, and I was guilty and afraid and I wasn't sure who I wanted to win. The next day, thankfully, was a lot more straightforward, though I'll admit that a big part of that was that I didn't see Alyssa. So I just went to work, buying and selling things for the fine people of Basil's Crossing. I had to make my own lunch that day, which was my usual practice and yet seemed much more boring than usual. Ah well, ham, cheese, and bread gets the job done. After work, I came straight back to the tower, where I told Yajondra that I didn't feel like cooking that day, and invited her to the pub for dinner.

As we came down that narrow path again, Yajondra had her arm around me, holding me against her side. It would look like a romantic gesture if it weren't for the way she kept shivering.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, "We can go back home, I'll make a nice fire..." The Dragoness frowned and shook her head.

"N-nonsense, I wouldn't make you do that," she insisted, "I sent an order for a nice thick c-coat along with that last message to my family, so I'll j-just grin and bear it until it shows up..." I nodded, but the stuttering still had me a bit worried. As we grew closer, I looked up at her.

"I hope the tavern is okay," I whispered, "I realize that it's not exactly the classiest place to eat in the world..." She gave my shoulder a squeeze and nodded.

"It's alright, Jack," she said, "Basil's Crossing doesn't have a d-dedicated restaurant, s-so the tavern is a fine choice for date night." I liked that phrase, 'date night', and decided to use it more often, smiling at my companion as we approached the Freezing Dragoness.

The menu wasn't the most varied you'll find in Rilodell, so we both ordered a bowl of chicken stew and sat down at a booth just off the firepit to wait for Georg to wave us over. While we were relaxing, Yajondra looked over at me, now seeming much more comfortable in the warmth, but troubled nonetheless.

"...Jack? Can I ask you a serious question?" she started, "We still haven't, ah, haven't exactly [i]defined [/i]what our relationship with each other is, and it's got me thinking... are you... would you be more comfortable with me if I was Human?" I frowned slightly, not sure what she was getting at.

"Yajondra, if you were Human, you... you'd be an entirely different person," I said, "I mean, I met you because you're a scholar studying Humans for your people back home, you wouldn't exactly be making [i]that [/i]your life's work if you were one of us." After a moment, I grinned slightly and added "And I don't think you'd be scary enough to intimidate a horde of bandit marauders." She didn't seem to find it funny, though, shaking her head and sighing.

"But at the same time, I'd be, as you put it, 'one of us'," she pointed out, "No matter how well I settle myself here, I'll always be 'the Dragoness', the outsider. Jackson, there are... there is a certain type of spellcaster who can rearrange or alter the features on a person's body to make them look different. They're called 'Fleshcrafters', and they're not all that well known because people don't exactly like that they allow anyone with the money to completely disguise their appearance." Even as my heart sank, she looked up to me, and the uncertainty and the stress in those golden eyes shocked me, as it finally sank in exactly how much this whole situation with Alyssa was bothering the Dragoness.

"...Inside, I would still be a Dragon, cold-blooded with the breath of winter," she went on, "But on the outside, I would look just like... one of you. No horns, no tail, no wings." Now genuinely alarmed, I leaned forward and took hold of her hands. In my mind, when we had just met, they had started out as 'her scaly hands' or 'her taloned hands' or even just 'her [i]blue [/i]hands', and I'll admit that one still pops up from time to time. But these days, to me, they're just 'her hands'. And I realized that was kind of what she needed me to tell her.

"Yajondra, don't you dare," I said, letting the worry show through in my voice, "Are you serious? You'd change [i]everything [/i]about yourself, just to - just to be with [i]me?[/i]" She frowned slightly and looked away, turning her proud face at an angle, which I think is some kind of Draconic body language about the way the four-legged ones scrap with each other. She was being defensive, is what I'm saying.

"Jack, do you think I can't see the confusion in your eyes?" she asked, pouting, "I told you, I understand... you never worked through your feelings for her, and now that she's back..." She trailed off and sighed.

"I told you I understood," she repeated, "I never said anything about being [i]comfortable [/i]with it. So I thought, maybe if the two of us were equal, and my heritage didn't have to play into it..." I stood up from my seat and walked around the table. I moved to drop to one knee, then vaguely remembered the people around us, and caught myself before the entire town was gossiping that Audra Midden's son was marrying a Dragon.

Reaching down, I took hold of one of her hands and bent over, clasping both of mine on either side of hers. The scales felt cool and slightly rough against my skin, but all I cared about was her eyes.

"You're really telling me you would abandon your heritage just like that?" I asked, "Yajondraniirkelkenahjrah of Clan Trel would really turn her back on her people in order to be with the guy who runs the general store in a town no one's ever heard of?" She turned to face me then, wary, and I smiled at her.

"Well, you'd be wasting your money," I finished, matter-of-factly, "Blue, I've [i]seen [/i]the look on your face when you're flying. The way you purr, or whatever you guys call that noise, when I scratch that one spot on your tail, or help you scrub the scales on your back. You [i]love [/i]who you are, and I'm [i]not [/i]going to let me be the reason you throw it all away. Because... because I like you best just the way you are, Scholar, and giving your identity up for me would only make me guilty." She swallowed and then swallowed again, and I couldn't help but wonder if she was a little choked up.

"Jack... Do you really feel that way?" she whispered, "You're not just saying that because..." I moved to sit back down without releasing her hand.

"Because I think it's what you want to hear? I'm not quick-witted enough for that," I replied, "I meant every word. The feelings I have for you aren't [i]in spite [/i]of you being a Dragon, Blue... That's in there with everything else, it's just a part of you, and I, ah, have these feelings for you because you're... you." She giggled into her free hand and smiled at me.

"Oh, Jack, it's [i]so [/i]good to hear that..." she said, "It was a great little speech, by the way, I was proud. Okay, the ending could have used some work, but..." Emboldened by how well the moment was going, I pushed forward while I still had the courage.

"Speaking of which, um... I've been meaning to say this for a while now, Yajondra," I murmured, blushing, "And I guess now is as good a time as any, so... I just want you to know that I lo-" Suddenly a figure appeared next to our table, and my heart nearly skipped a beat as I realized who the blonde woman clad in green was.

Leaning over the table, shattering the moment like hot glass dropped on cold stone, Alyssa smiled nervously at the two of us.

"Look, I don't want to interrupt, but I saw you guys were getting dinner here too, and I wanted to say that I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused since I got here," she said, innocently, "I know that me dropping in out of the blue has got to be throwing a real big wrench into the works." Yajondra looked pretty annoyed, so I just smiled politely and nodded.

"Th-that's great, Lyssa, and it's okay, uh, keeps life interesting," I replied, lamely, and as I tried to come up with the politest way possible to ask her to go away, she bit her lip and turned more directly towards me.

"Actually, Jack, while I'm here, can we talk, just for a second?" she asked, "Like in private?" I heard a series of quiet taps and realized that Yajondra had just unsheathed her talons and then pulled them back in. This was really starting to get to her. I knew instinctively that if I agreed to speak with Alyssa in private on date night, catastrophe would follow, so I just shook my head sternly and gestured across the table.

"Alyssa, anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of Yajondra." At the time, I thought that would help the ranger rein it in and act at least discreet. This wasn't my [i]cleverest [/i]moment, in hindsight. Sighing and nodding, Alyssa squatted a little and got in cozy next to me, the way I just had with Yajondra.

"Jack, I wanted to let you know that I've been doing a lot of thinking, and maybe you were right, and what I asked you was unfair," she said, reaching out to take hold of my hand. I was stunned by this blatant action, and before I could recover enough to say anything, she flashed that wonderful smile of hers my way again and said

"If it's the only way, I'm willing to move back to Basil's Crossing, or at least a nearby town, and use my skills to patrol the forests [i]here[/i]. I can be a - a scout for the militia, watch for bandits, or something, there are always jobs in the forest. The important thing is, we can work out the details later, I just wanted to let you know that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to be with you." As I grew dizzy, she touched my cheek.

"Because I still [i]love[/i] you, Roots," she added, "And I -" [i]Crack![/i] Her words were interrupted by the sound of the wooden tabletop fracturing into a spiderweb of splintery cracks, thanks to Yajondra's hands being brought down onto the table as hard as she could swing them.

First Yajondra hissed something incredibly nasty in Draconic at Alyssa, who stepped away from me, alarmed. Then she stood up and spread her wings to their full extension, which made the angry Dragoness look about a hundred times more intimidating. Even the little points on the end of the weird 'thumbs' on her wings looked deadly when they were next to that face. I had never [i]seen [/i]her so angry, not even when facing off against Thorne.

"You little [i]bitch![/i]" she rasped, shuddering with rage, "I took you for a woman of honour, not some [i]common harlot! [/i]Have you [i]no [/i]sense of morality?! Red Raver's blades, I don't know how he [i]ever [/i]saw anything in you!" Incredibly, Alyssa didn't take this well.

"My land, what in the nine hells is [i]wrong [/i]with you?" she snapped, unafraid, which impressed me, "Here, I am, pouring my heart out to the man I love -" Without letting her get another word out, Yajondra gripped the table with one hand and flipped it off to the side of the room, where it shattered like kindling. Even as she did it, she was moving forward, reaching out with her other hand and grabbing Alyssa by the throat with a snarled Draconic insult that really, really doesn't bear translating. The ranger's feet dangled a full foot and a half off the floor as the Dragoness slammed her back-first into the nearest support column. Alyssa grabbed Yajondra's wrist with both hands, but with Yajondra [i]this[/i] angry, I was afraid that every Human in the bar working together wouldn't be enough to pull her off Alyssa if she didn't want to go.

"You [i]vermin![/i]" she screeched, "Breaking his heart once wasn't enough, now you've got to tear it away from another? I ought to freeze you solid and [i]break you in half![/i]" For my part, I was busy lying on my back on the floor, next to my chair, having toppled over backwards when leaning away from the table that Yajondra had destroyed. Neither woman seemed to notice as I managed to get to my feet. The first thing that greeted my eyes afterwards was Alyssa raising one leg away from the pillar and kicking out hard, directly against the Dragoness' right thigh. I'm not sure how Alyssa knew exactly where Yajondra had been hurt, but it was a direct hit. Snarling in pain, Yajondra staggered backwards and let go of the ranger, grabbing hold of her agonized bad leg with both hands. Alyssa drew a short knife and stepped back, holding it ahead of her in a defensive posture.

"Dragon, I am [i]warning[/i] you..." she said, her voice almost as cold as Yajondra's. The scholar's head snapped up, and she narrowed her eyes at her enemy.

"I [i]challenge [/i]you!" she yelled, prying one hand away from her leg long enough to point at the other woman, "I challenge you to my people's ancient Ritual of Decision! We [i]will[/i] settle this, Alyssa Hayward! One way... or the other."

Reaching behind her, Yajondra grabbed her walking staff from where it was still leaning against the railing behind our table - or where the table had been, anyway - and pulled herself up straight, leaning on it more heavily than she had since she'd been able to stop wearing bandages. I distantly wondered if that kick had re-opened the wound.

"Well, Human?" Yajondra spat, "Do you accept my challenge? Is there [i]any [/i]honour within you at all?" My mind was reeling, so much it almost hurt. Was this really happening?! Yajondra and Alyssa fighting in some ancient Draconic ritual, over [i]me?[/i] As a parade of terrible possibilities flew before my eyes, I found myself rushing forward, acting on pure emotion. I stepped between the enraged females and reached up, taking hold of handfuls of the Dragoness' robes.

"Yajondra, [i]stop![/i]" I cried, "Don't do this! I - I know she's smaller than you, but Alyssa has combat training as a Forest Guardian! If you go through with this ritual combat thing, she'll - she'll [i]kill [/i]you!" Leaning back, seemingly surprised, Yajondra stared at me with what looked like [i]curiosity[/i] in her eyes, which made zero sense to me at the time.

"...Jack, the Ritual of Decision isn't some kind of deathmatch!" she said, perplexed, "The Ritual of [i]Bloodletting[/i] is the one where you fight to the death, everybody knows that!" She blinked and then blushed, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"...Every [i]Dragon [/i]knows that," she corrected, quietly. Alyssa spoke behind me, and I turned to face her. Looking at her, I think I finally understood the word 'crestfallen', which Yajondra likes to use when telling stories.

"...But he [i]thought [/i]you were talking about you and me getting into a battle to the death," she said, quietly, "And [i]you [/i]were the one he tried to talk out of it. Jack, I - I don't understand... I thought..." Turning to her, I felt... actually, I just felt [i]exhausted[/i], after dealing with so much stress for so long. I shook my head and just looked at her.

"You thought what, Alyssa? That if you agreed to live here, I'd leave her and go to you?" I asked, "What is [i]with [/i]you? What the hell changed that you think it's alright to behave like this?" She frowned and blushed, confusion dancing across her fair features.

"Wh- Jack, what the hell are you talking about?" she said, uncertainly. Fed up, I took a step towards her, now giving her my full attention.

"Alyssa, you've been hitting on me ever since you came back, and now you're asking me to come back to you [i]in front of my girlfriend![/i]" I yelled, making a sweeping gesture towards the Dragoness without looking, "Even those girls you hated when we were younger, the ones who'd always try and steal each others' men, even [i]they[/i] didn't do it right in front of each other!"

Alyssa just stared at me, that anxious, confused look etched across her face, for a long, silent moment, and then she shook her head, slowly.

"In front of your..." Her eyes darted over to Yajondra and then snapped back to mine.

"Jack, are you..." The ranger's lips worked silently for a few moments before she tried again.

"...You're [i]dating [/i]the Dragoness?" she finally asked, her eyes growing wide, "You mean, this whole time, you and her..." I blinked a few times, now feeling more than a little confused myself.

"Of [i]course [/i]I'm dating Yajondra!" I cried, "I was at the tavern with Yajondra the night you got back to town! You didn't [i]know?[/i]" The Dragoness in question said nothing, but her expression was tense, focused; 'analytical', to use her word. Alyssa's eyes lost focus as, presumably, she reviewed every conversation we'd had since she got back.

"S-so every time I flirted with you, teased you, whatever, you... you were thinking about her, and I..." she winced as a particular moment returned to her, and she muttered "Oh, gods above, she was right there in the store!" Suddenly, she tensed up from head to toe and looked with a start at Yajondra.

"Griever's tears!" Alyssa gasped, naming the goddess of sorrow, "This whole time, you thought I was trying to steal your boyfriend away! Oh, Sentinels, when I kissed him that first night... P-please! I didn't know! Don't kill me!" Yajondra blushed a little, put off by this turn of events.

"Why does everyone think I want to [i]kill [/i]you?" she mumbled, crossing her arms, "You [i]really [/i]didn't know? There's nothing this town loves to gossip about more!" Alyssa reached over to the side and carefully put her knife down on a table as a sign of good faith.

"I [i]swear [/i]I didn't know, on the forests of my home!" she replied, earnestly, "I j-just thought the townspeople were being lewd! I swear, it never occurred to me that..." she shook her head, apparently having trouble even saying the words.

"All our lives, Jack was the stable one, the dependable one, the, uh, no offence, Jack, but you were kind of the boring one. He didn't even like trying new [i]foods[/i], I never thought he'd get into a relationship with a non-Human!" Letting out a deep breath, Alyssa slumped down into a nearby chair.

"I'm so, so sorry, Jack, if I'd had any idea, I [i]never [/i]would have acted that way, you know that..." she said, burying her face in her hands, "I - I'm just having a little trouble suddenly getting used to the idea that I lost my big 'second chance' before I even got [i]back[/i] here... I had so much hope, and now..."

There was a long, awkward quiet. The tavern-goers who hadn't fled the scene slowly came out of hiding, and Yajondra waved to the bartender, who had suddenly produced a battered old chestplate and a small mace from somewhere.

"I'm sorry, Georg," the Dragoness called, "It was a - a misunderstanding that's now been cleared up. I'll, ah, I'll pay to replace the table..." Slowly standing up straight behind his bar, but keeping his bludgeon in hand, Georg nodded carefully.

"A-alright, as long as there's n-no more trouble tonight," he replied, before thinking for a moment and adding, "Ah, take your time with that table charge, n-no need to rush anything..." I helped Yajondra down into a seat, and she pulled up her robe to take a look at the injury. The flesh and scales around the scar seemed a little bruised, which was actually kind of impressive for a desperate, flailing kick coming from a Human, but visually she seemed fine.

"S-sorry about that, by the way," Alyssa muttered, looking over from her table, "I thought you were going to, you know, 'freeze me solid and break me in half'." Bowing her head and scratching just below the horns, Yajondra shrugged.

"No, you were just defending yourself, [i]I'm [/i]sorry I attacked you," she replied, politely, "It's just - first I thought you were trying to destroy my relationship, and then you ignored it when I claimed Jack just to be sure, and..." Alyssa (cautiously) interrupted that, frowning slightly.

"Wait, what do you mean, you [i]claimed[/i] Jack?" she asked, "Do - do I [i]want[/i] to know?" Frowning back, Yajondra reached over and tugged my shirt collar to the side, exposing the fading mark on my neck.

"I bit him on the neck and shoulders with my frontmost teeth without breaking the skin," she said, matter-of-factly, "That's a sign to everyone that sees it that he's already claimed by a Dragon female, who will be ready and willing to fight potential suitors for him." She looked between me and Alyssa and blushed again. "...For the second time in a night, I guess I have to correct that to 'a sign to every [i]Dragon[/i] who sees it'. I'm sorry, Alyssa, I thought such [i]terrible [/i]things about you when I heard you kept flirting with him after that..." Self-consciously rubbing at the mark, I was doing a fair amount of blushing of my own.

"You did that on purpose?" I asked, "And all this time, I've been walking around with 'Property of Yajondra' written on my neck? D-does anyone [i]else[/i] in town know that?" The two women actually chuckled at that, and I was, distantly, at least relieved that my embarrassment was helping them feel better. Giving a sideways look to the Dragoness, I asked a question that was suddenly burning in my mind.

"You really [i]bite[/i] each other to show that you care?" I asked. Yajondra nodded.

"Unless you're male, then you use your foreclaw, of course," she added, thoughtfully, "Though in one flight, the males have poisonous claws, and I have no idea what [i]they[/i] do." I grinned at that, amazed.

"What happens when you get [i]married?[/i]" I asked, amused, "You kill each other?"

"Oh heavens, no," she replied, smiling, "You exchange hands, kiss, and then bite off each other's little finger. On the non-dominant hand, of course!" That last little bit kinda lost me, but whatever it meant, the rest of it kinda took the colour out of me. Seeing that, and a similar expression on Alyssa's face, Yajondra shook her head and raised her hands.

"Kidding! I'm kidding! It was a joke!" she said, blushing, "There is no mutilation whatsoever during a Draconic mateship ritual!" With that, Alyssa looked at me and actually smiled, jerking a thumb towards Yajondra.

"Hey, Jackie boy," she said, "Your new woman seems charming and all, and I like that she's willing to go to war over you, but you [i]really [/i]need to help her with that sense of humour!" With that, there was actual, honest-to-goodness laughter between the three of us, and after the week I'd had, it was the best feeling in the world.

The rest of the night went by pretty smoothly, once we convinced the rest of the tavern that Yajondra wasn't going to 'go berserk' and wreck anything else. She, Alyssa, and I had a really earnest conversation about this new relationship I found myself in... over a few drinks and some of that chicken stew. Thanks to this, I realized that I'd been working so hard not to hurt anybody's feelings that I'd mislead Alyssa into thinking I was just reluctant to leave town, since I'd just assumed that she knew Yajondra and I were together, and I'd been so vague whenever I talked about it with Alyssa. The night was unusually warm for that time of year, so after a few drinks, Yajondra and I excused ourselves to just lean against the fence that surrounded the Freezing Dragoness and look at the stars. Yajondra [i]loves [/i]looking at the sky at night, finds it immensely calming. We didn't discuss anything particularly important there, she just pointed out some of the many, many pictures I didn't know were hiding in the sky, and I was appropriately impressed and amused. Eventually, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to find Alyssa there. I didn't realize it then, but the fact that I couldn't tell she was approaching just from the look on Yajondra's face was a good sign. For the first time, a moment between me and Blue was interrupted by the ranger, and I wasn't the least bit stressed out about it.

"Jack, can we talk for a moment?" she asked, glancing to Yajondra as she added "I [i]swear [/i]I'm not trying to seduce him!" The Dragoness nodded civilly. She didn't seem [i]happy[/i], but it was night and day from the anger and distrust she'd been showing off before.

"Alright, I'm trusting you, now that we've set the record straight," she said, "Farmer, when you're ready, I'll be by the firepit." She took a couple of steps and then stopped.

"Alyssa, I was wondering," she said, "Ah, back inside, during the - the unpleasantness. You swore that you didn't know about our relationship 'on the forests of my home'. That's an [i]Elven[/i] vow, I was a little surprised to hear it coming from you." Alyssa smiled and nodded.

"Well, you know what they say, you spend enough time living in a forest, you're gonna get to know the Elves," she replied, "There's a small Wood Elf village deep in the forests I overlook. They're pretty good about keeping things calm, so I usually leave them to themselves, but there's nothing they love more than capturing poachers on their land and making the proper authorities send me over to bring them back in chains, make a big production out of it... Anyway, they say it a lot, and I always figured it applies to me too, since the town I was born in is right in the middle of a forest, so why not?" Smiling slightly and nodding, Yajondra resumed walking back to the bar.

"You're a more interesting woman than I gave you credit for, Alyssa Hayward," she observed, "I hope the next time we meet, it's as friends, not... competition."

As the door closed behind the Dragoness, I turned back to Alyssa.

"So you're leaving, then?" I asked. Yajondra was usually pretty observant about things like that. Alyssa nodded.

"She probably noticed the gear," she replied, and I belatedly recognized that Alyssa was wearing the full hooded cloak she'd been in that night she kissed me, and her bow was once again slung over her shoulder. I realized it should have been [i]obvious[/i] that she was leaving, and blushed.

"In your defence, Jack," said Alyssa, reading my mind, "You've had a hell of a week. But yeah, I'm heading back tonight. To be blunt, my reasons for coming back were all about making sure you were okay, and, well, trying to get back together with you. I - I've just got to take some time to get used to the idea that I missed my chance. Spend some time by myself in the forest, doing some real good for the kingdom." I nodded sympathetically.

"If it helps," I whispered, "I'm gonna need some time to get over you, too, it's just..." She raised a gloved hand and smiled slightly.

"Jack, I understand. You don't need to defend your relationship to me," she said, "I'm just sorry I made such a mess of things... I hate the feeling that you really thought I was trying to steal you away from another woman, but I don't blame you - what else [i]could [/i]you have thought? So, just another reason I want to spend some time by myself." Looking up at the same starry sky, Alyssa smiled and shook her head, causing her hood to fall backwards and reveal her soft, golden hair. It pained me to recognize how beautiful she was...

"I am such an idiot," Alyssa whispered, "I can't [i]believe [/i]I didn't notice the way you two look at each other. You know, I was even thinking to myself last night, 'It's so nice to see Jack getting out of his old comfort zone and making friends with a Dragon, they seem so close already!' Ohhh, Sentinels give me strength..." Down the road, I saw one of my brother's stablehands appear from around a corner with a saddled horse. Alyssa waved to him to show that she saw him, and I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Lyssa, I didn't think you were an idiot, I just didn't know [i]what [/i]to think," I replied, "I know you never would have done any of that if you'd known. I... I hope we can stay on good terms. I'd hate for this to be the last time we ever see each other, it's kind of a down note, to be honest." She chuckled at that.

"That it is, old friend, that it is. But don't worry, Roots. You haven't seen the last of me, I [i]know [/i]it. You spend enough time in the forest, and Elves aren't all you find. You get a sense for these things..." She started walking towards her horse, and stopped, turning back to me.

"Jack? I - I don't know how this will sound..." she started, "And I'm not saying I'm not gonna try and move on, and I'm not saying [i]you [/i]shouldn't try and move on, but someday..." She trailed off, hesitated, and I grinned. You know, I'd been pretty good at reading [i]her [/i]sometimes, too.

"...But if things don't work out between me and Yajondra in the long run, maybe I should send you a letter?" I suggested, "And you weren't sure how to say it because you thought it would sound like you hope[i] [/i]that our relationship will fall apart?" Blushing again, she nodded.

"Gods forbid that happen, of course!" she said, quickly, "But, umm... yes." Unable to keep a straight face, she snickered.

"Ahhh, I'm glad we're still on the same wavelength, Jack... By the way, before I go, answer me one question: Have you told her you love her yet?" I was so taken aback that I actually took a step away from her without thinking about it.

"I - I don't know that I'd use [i]that[/i] word quite yet..." I mumbled, unenthusiastically. I trailed off into silence as it became obvious from the smile on her face that she'd seen right through me.

"Say whatever you need to feel comfortable, Jack, I get it. Relationships are complicated. Don't worry, it's not obvious, I only picked up on it because I know you so well, I promise," she assured me, "But you should. Tell her, I mean. I think you mean more to her than you think, 'Farmer'." With that, before I could come up with a witty reply, she winked and put her hood back up, and with her back to the moon, her face almost completely disappeared into shadow again. Only her eyes, twinkling in the light of the torches outside the tavern's doors, were visible.

"'Til next we meet, Jack Midden," she said, "May you and your Yajondra find something special together." I grinned and waved as she turned to go.

"Fare thee well, Alyssa Hayward," I replied, being just as formal, "May the road rise to meet your feet, and the forest treat you well." I stood there, watching silently, as she walked down the path, climbed atop her horse, and with one last look over at me, spurred the beast on and rode out of sight, disappearing into the cool autumn night.

After Alyssa left town, I slowly strode back into the bar with the words of that last conversation, and alright, maybe a few lingering daydreams about what might have been, dancing through my mind. I headed over to the firepit, knowing I would find Yajondra there, and sure enough, she was in the middle of a conversation with my cousin Bart, who'd dropped in for a brief respite from the rigours of being a new parent. As I walked up, the Dragoness looked up at me, and where I was expecting a polite glance full of barely-hidden jealousy, instead the scholar's face lit up into a warm, genuine smile. I think I knew then what it really felt like to have someone's trust.

"Jack!" she greeted me as I sat next to them, "I was just telling Bart about the, ah, failure in communication between Alyssa and I."

"Aye," he laughed, shaking his head, "Durna's gonna be [i]so [/i]pissed she missed that, sounds much more excitin' than this town's used to!" Yajondra blushed and shook her head bashfully.

"Oh, I'd really rather not dwell on this..." she said, feebly. I reached up and carefully put my arm around her back, just under the spots where her wings met her body.

"Sorry, sweetheart," I said, feeling calmer and happier just sitting next to her, "A town this small needs every source of gossip it can get! I'll try to keep the more ridiculous versions in line, so nobody thinks you [i]ate [/i]poor Alyssa or something." Smirking at that, she glanced behind us, indicating the back door with the thumb on one wing.

"Speaking of which, was I right? Did you see her off?" she asked, politely. I nodded.

"Yeah, she's gone," I replied, "We had words, and things were a little awkward... but I think next time they'll be better. She did too." I paused a moment to smile, and dared to add "It really was nice to see her again." In response, Yajondra put her arm around me and smiled.

"Then I'm glad you got to see your friend, Jack," she said, "Though I'd be okay with not seeing her again for a while..." We grinned at that, and Bart cleared his throat.

"Uh, that whole exchange wasn't code for Jack buryin' her body in the woods or somethin', was it?" he asked, "Because I really don't wanna be part of that..." He seemed totally sincere, which just made it funnier, and the Dragoness and I burst out laughing, a long, happy moment to enjoy after all that stress.

Eventually, with mead and dinner warming our bellies, we found ourselves heading home. We were unusually quiet, perhaps thoughtful, on the path out of town, but as my tower came into view, I caught Yajondra just watching, smiling at me out of the corner of my eye, and not for the first time that night. This time, I looked over at her with a question in my eyes, and that smile just widened a little.

"You called me your girlfriend," she said, by way of explanation. I blinked.

"I what?" I asked, then; "When?" She jutted her head backwards, indicating the way we'd came with her horns.

"After I confronted Alyssa, when things were getting somewhat heated," she said, "You told her 'you're trying to get me to run away with you, right in front of my girlfriend.' I don't think you even noticed it yourself, things were pretty emotional." She put her arm around my shoulder and hugged me against her side.

"I thought it was about time that we define ourselves as something, so I'm glad," she finished, "I'd be [i]delighted [/i]to be your girlfriend, Jack!" As she giggled, I grinned and shook my head, mildly amused.

"I didn't realize that one word would make you so happy," I said, "But I'm glad. Because I - I like it too. Making things official, I mean." Yajondra laughed at that and shook her head.

"Oh, Jack, it wasn't [i]just [/i]that," she said, "It was more about what you said [i]before [/i]that, actually, before date night got interrupted." I thought back carefully.

"You mean the speech about how I don't need you to make yourself Human for me to care about you?" I suggested. She shook her head.

"More specifically than that," she insisted, "Right at the end, you said 'Yajondraniirkelkenahjrah of Clan Trel would really turn her back on her people?'" She fell silent, and I was about to ask her to stop dancing around the answer when it hit me.

"...Did I get it right this time?" I asked. She let out a single delighted laugh.

"Every last syllable!" she giggled, and suddenly I was grinning just as hard, laughing along with her as we reached the door to my home. As I unlocked the latch, she looked to the sky, an innocent expression on her face.

"As for whether Yajondraniirkelkenahjrah would turn her back on her people," she mused, "Well, if it was the only way she could 'be with the guy who runs the general store in a town no one's ever heard of'... Who knows? People have done stranger things."

The scene was a familiar one by now, but not an unwelcome one; Yajondra stretching out to her full seven-foot height on my spacious bed while I encouraged the fireplace to give us a roaring fire. Once I got it going, I stood and turned back towards her.

"Hey, Blue," I started, "I've kinda been wondering this whole time, if the Ritual of Bloodletting is the one where somebody dies, what [i]is [/i]this Ritual of Decision you challenged Alyssa to?" She grinned as she rubbed her thick tail to help the muscles relax.

"Well, it can be almost anything, really," she said, "The challenger names anything that can be interpreted as even a little bit competitive, and the challenged can either accept the challenge or surrender on the spot." She loosened her belt, and my attention was suddenly split between her words and the casual way she was disrobing in front of me.

"I've seen it made into a spontaneous musical contest, that was an entertaining night," the Dragoness said, as her robe fell open, revealing much of her body, "But it's usually something physical, like carrying the most weight or diving the deepest, or holding your breath the longest. I, uh, I was planning on challenging Alyssa to see who could produce the best [i]ice sculpture[/i] in a two-hour time limit."

"Never mind the fact that she has no way of getting ice within two hours, right?" I asked, grinning. She shrugged, smiling politely.

"Well, if she was foolish enough to [i]agree[/i] to a challenge she had no way of winning, she'd still be considered the loser at the end," she assured me, "And I was afraid I was going to lose you!" I smiled at her ingenuity, and then brought up part of that explanation that had intrigued me.

"...Dragons really ritually challenge each other to see who can [i]hold their breath [/i]the longest?" I asked. Nodding, Yajondra slipped the robe off her shoulders, letting it pool on the bed as she stood there a moment in just her underwear.

"Oh, sure," she said, "I used to be pretty good when I was younger." With that, she staged a sudden demonstration, sucking in deep lungfuls of air - and throwing back her head and letting out a blast of frigid ice breath, sending the whirling white mist blowing into the room and dissipating into rapidly-melting snowflakes as she kept it flowing for a good fifteen straight seconds. Breaking into coughs as she ran out of air, she frowned.

"Bah, I used to be better when I was a kid..." she muttered. Shivering in the sudden chill, I shook my head and grinned.

"Apparently, Humans and Dragons have [i]very[/i] different meanings for the phrase 'holding your breath'," I observed. She frowned, tilting her head to one side curiously.

"What do you mean?" she asked, but I just waved a hand.

"I'll tell you later, but for now..." I replied, "I just wanna lie in bed with your arms around me, if that sounds good to you." By way of answer, she leaned forward from where she was sitting, grabbed me by the arms, and yanked me bodily into the bed with her. A few giggles later, the rest of our clothes were suddenly lying in a heap on the floor.

We stayed like that for a while, Yajondra flat on her back, wings outstretched, me lying atop her, snuggling against her. At the moment, I was burying my face in her cleavage, which was quite impressive by human standards. As she stroked my hair, something both of us found calming, we nattered on about the unimportant topics of the day, like who'd bought what at the store, or what Yajondra's studies of the local wildlife had discovered. A lot of the time, the stuff she says about her studies goes right over my head, but she appreciates that I listen, all the same.

"Rory's been picking berries in the woods again, his teeth were purple when he got home today," I mentioned, something I'd picked up from Annabelle, "Thom's thinking of just teaching him which berries are good and bad so at least he won't poison himself."

"Seems responsible to me," nodded Yajondra, "Your brother's a good father, from what I've seen, I'm sure he'll make the right decision." Glancing down at me, she stopped scratching for just a moment.

"Have you ever wondered if you'd make a good parent?" she asked, innocently. My eyes snapped open as I wondered what the hell [i]that[/i] meant. When I looked up at her, she smiled and resumed stroking my hair.

"I like to think I'd do a good job of raising a brood, teaching them right from wrong, setting a good example," she mused, "But they say you never really know until you actually start a family." I nodded carefully.

"Humans say pretty much the same thing," I replied, "Well, maybe not with the word 'brood', but yeah, they say nothing can prepare you for having a baby until you've done it once." After a moment of silence, I adjusted the breast I'd been using as a pillow and looked down at the fireplace, where the flames danced and flickered.

"And I'd like to think I'd make a good dad, like to have kids someday, but uh, I just don't know when I'll be ready..." I said, cautiously. Yajondra chuckled and caressed my cheek.

"Oh, Farmer, that wasn't an [i]invitation[/i], I was just making conversation," she chuckled, "But it's good to hear you're open to the idea." Another long, warm silence followed.

"...It'll make it easier when the eggs hatch," Yajondra added. I snorted.

"Nope! Not getting me this time!" I cried, without moving an inch, "You being underage and growing to mountain size was a joke, biting off fingers at weddings was a joke, there's no way that one's not a joke!" Yajondra burst out laughing, a most curious and enjoyable sensation as I lay atop her, and then she leaned down and nuzzled against me.

"Darn, finally caught on," she giggled, "I'll have to try harder next time!" Amused, I lifted my head from her bust and moved north, reaching out to put my hand on the back of her head as I leaned in and kissed her. The Dragoness sighed happily as our lips met, and warmly embraced me. Her lips were a little tougher than those of any Human woman I'd been with, but they were still smooth and gentle, and as our tongues met, I shivered in sheer relief at how good I felt after near-constant worrying over the last few days.

We kissed for a long, blissful while, our hands beginning to wander each others' bodies, but teasingly sticking to the less fun areas. When we broke off the liplock, Yajondra gave me a look that told me she was already starting to warm up, both from the fire that still blazed across the room, and from my body heat. I couldn't help but smile. It had been a while since I'd seen that look... She licked my chest with a snap of her long, flexible tongue, but as she started to move southwards, I stopped her.

"Wait, Blue," I said, "you always do that first, let me return the favour." But as I started crawling backwards, positioning myself between her legs, the Dragoness let out a low, dissatisfied noise and pouted.

"But I [i]like[/i] starting things off with a blowjob!" she protested, for a change using a word that [i]I'd [/i]taught [i]her[/i], "Your seed is so creamy and [i]hot[/i]..." That wasn't a metaphor; Yajondra had referred to my come in the past as 'pure liquid heat', and she'd freely told me that just swallowing it, feeling it running down her throat as it warmed her body from the inside, was an [i]immense [/i]turn-on. Naturally, I felt like the luckiest man alive when she told me that, but I was still a little surprised to see her actually complaining that she didn't get to suck me off right away. Before I could say a word, she leaned forward and grabbed hold of my ankles.

"Tell you what, Jack," she said, "Let's compromise!" I cried out in surprise as she swivelled me around, so that I was facing the foot of the bed.

"You told me once that Humans sometimes do both at the same time!" she said, enthusiastically, "Let's give that a try, shall we?" This time, as I reached down to touch her legs, she obediently spread them for me. Grinning, I adjusted my position to make it easier to lean into her cleft. As my hand slid along her leg, I caught a rough spot, and glanced up to see the scar on her left thigh. I ran a single finger over it, briefly reminded of her heroism, and then looked over my shoulder.

"After saving this town [i]and [/i]putting up with my ex-girlfriend visiting?" I said, "We can do whatever you want!" Similarly to my unconsciously granting Yajondra the official title, that was the first time I'd ever referred to Alyssa as my ex; privately, I'd always thought of her as a 'lost love', or 'the girl who left', but the significance of that was somewhat lost on me, as immediately after I said it, the Dragoness lifted up my rump with her hands on my hips, her flexible neck enabling her to make up the difference in our heights and take my flaccid cock into her mouth.

"[i]Gods above![/i]" I cried, overwhelmed as always by the feeling of that hot, wet muzzle wrapped around my flesh, that sinuous tongue licking and embracing my rigid prick... Frankly, dear reader, sometimes it makes me worry that my stubby Human tongue just doesn't cut it. Eager to do my part, I leaned down and forward, burying my face between her legs, and immediately started licking at her upside-down vulva, planting playful kisses on her glistening lips and just barely teasing my tongue between them as I moved up and down. When I moved to the top of her slit and gave her stubby purple clitoris a good lick, I could feel her legs tensing up, and she moaned around her mouthful. Just in case that had been too subtle for me, her thick, meaty tail flicked and lashed lightly against the bed, too. Grinning from ear to ear, I moved in still closer, nuzzling my lips against her soft labia and slipping my tongue inside her. I shivered at the familiar taste of her nectar as I teased my tongue along her inner walls. She let my prick slip out of her mouth in order to whimper my name in pleasure.

"Oh, [i]Jack[/i]..." she groaned, "Ohhh, I [i]needed[/i] this..." I felt one of her hands close around my cock and begin to stroke my rigid flesh, using her own saliva as lubricant. Then I tensed up as I felt her tongue teasing at my dangling balls. As I tried to focus on what I was doing, the Dragoness bathed my scrotum with her tongue, finding every nook and cranny and licking up my sweat, something she often enjoyed when she went down on me. My dick throbbed once in her gentle grip, and I felt rather than saw a drop of pre-come leaking out of me. Imagining it drooling down towards her body, I suddenly wondered if the way she was stroking my cock made it look like she was milking me like a cow. [i]That [/i]ridiculous thought was quickly brushed aside as that tongue slipped up from my balls and teasingly licked across my, ah, my back entrance. Leaning up, my chin and mouth coated in her juices, I cried out in surprise.

"Ahh, Yajondra!" I gasped, "That's my - that's my..." She chuckled softly and gave my ass a spirited groping.

"I know very well what it is, Jack, I've got one too," she teased, "You act like I didn't do that entirely on purpose..." Giggling again, she gave the back of my sac a loving kiss, and then took my erection back into the loving embrace of her muzzle.

Wanting to increase my efforts, I returned to licking at her tight, slick channel, this time bringing in one hand to rub and stroke at her clit. She shivered silently as I began to rub her love button, and I felt her pussy clench down on my probing tongue. I'll be honest, friends, the first time I shared a bed with this vision of loveliness, I was deeply afraid that the difference between our species' sizes would render my cock too small to satisfy her, but her vagina feels just as tight as any Human woman I've ever spent the night with, just... blue and purple. Yajondra began to squirm as I kept licking and rubbing and working her, seeking out the more sensitive spots inside her and relentlessly teasing her clitoris, and I closed my eyes, the better to focus on her taste, her growing warmth, the way she moved under me... and the way her tongue and lips felt on my aching prick. We lost ourselves in each other for some time, and soon both of us were twitching and shaking, the pleasure growing and growing. It was particularly hard to focus on pleasuring Yajondra and fighting my own impending orgasm at the same time, but she was so delicious, and I felt so damned good, that I found a way to make it work. She didn't tease at my back door again, much to my relief, but she did raise a hand to squeeze and fondle my sac. She'd gotten much better at that, too; Dragon males have internal testicles, or so she tells me, so with a complete lack of experience, the first time she'd curiously taken my balls in hand, she'd given my poor boys a rather powerful squeeze. Don't worry, she quickly made it up to me. I continued slurping and lapping at her fleshy inner walls, enjoying the way they flexed and moved around my tongue almost as much as I was enjoying her slightly bitter, mostly sweet taste. When I throbbed in her mouth again, and she churred at the taste of my pre, I decided to switch things up, and started working my fingers in and out of her wet cunny while kissing and licking at her love button. She briefly tensed up and moaned, swearing in Draconic as pleasure tickled along her nerves, and then returned to gently suckling on my cock like she'd never tasted anything so delicious.

It wasn't long after that before I was squirming and breathing hard, leaking pre-come like I was overflowing with the stuff. I groaned into Yajondra's pussy, unsure how much longer I could fight the pleasure. But just as I felt the first warning shudder, the Dragoness gasped and cried out, tearing her mouth away from my cock.

"Oh, Hermit's Rags, Jack, I'm so c-close!" she whimpered, calling to the curiously unsociable god of love, "Oh p-please, make me come, I [i]need[/i] to come..." With that, I switched places again; as much as I enjoy the feeling of her clitoris throbbing against my lips as she climaxes, I love the taste of her nectar spilling into my mouth as she comes even more. So I returned my lips to her vulva and greedily burrowed my tongue into her, while my fingers began to stroke her love button, my every move trying to push her over the edge into pleasure before I succumbed myself. It wasn't easy, either, as she'd redoubled her own efforts as soon as she took me back into her mouth. I have to say, in the end it was too close to call; out of nowhere, Yajondra cried out in pleasure around my dick as she came, hard, tensing up beneath me, squirming and shaking as her cunny squeezed down on my tongue again and again, painting my face with a gush of her juices, and her clit throbbed and shook against my fingertips in time with the twitching of her feet and tail. Meanwhile, at what felt like the very same instant, orgasmic pleasure [i]exploded [/i]throughout my body and I groaned into her slit, feeling my toes curling up as my prick throbbed and spasmed against her lips again and again, spurting the warm, gooey seed she loved so much onto her eager tongue, which continued licking at my manhood even now, encouraging me to come and come, as much as I could... I guess I really [i]was [/i]being milked.

Once I had finished spilling my love into the Dragoness' welcoming mouth, and Yajondra had relaxed, hungrily swallowing the last of my seed, I went limp atop her and sighed, laying my cheek against her thigh and smiling as I took a moment to relax, basking both in my own afterglow and in the scent of her arousal, still lingering in the air. This lasted about two seconds before I felt hands slip under my chest and start to lift me.

"C'mere, you!" Yajondra said, churring, as she turned me around and pulled me against her again. Snuggling against her naked body, I moved to wrap my arms around her, found that her wings were in the way, and adjusted the positioning of my hands to make it easier. As I did this, I had apparently reminded her that she'd spread out her wings, and she stretched them all the way and drew them forward. I nuzzled against her chest and smiled as her leathery wings closed in around us; I love it when she does this, embraces me in a way only a Dragon can, makes it feel like the two of us are alone in our own little private world. As she began to rub my back, I pressed my ear against her scales, and shivered a little as I listened to her heartbeat. It was going a bit faster than usual, which was natural given what we'd just been up to, but it was strong and steady, and sounded just like a Human heartbeat, at least to my untrained ear. Maybe I'd ask Doc Forrest about that sometime... Having just climaxed, I almost dozed off in the warmth of her embrace, listening to the soothing sound of her heart, but soon I felt her prodding at me with her snout, which I'm [i]told [/i]is a very intimate bit of body language between Dragons, even if it feels a little odd to me, so I lifted my head and kissed her, knowing what she wanted. Reaching up and back, I ran my hand up her supple neck, teasing my fingertips along the rubbery spines growing out of the back of her head and neck, her rough equivalent of hair. I have [i]absolutely no idea [/i]what they are, to be honest, but I like to toy with them while we kiss, and she seems to like it well enough. When we broke off the kiss, she smiled up at me and giggled tiredly. Coming always seems to take a lot out of her, but experience had taught me that she recovers quickly enough.

"Mmmm... I love kissing you right afterwards, Jack," she said, softly, "Sometimes I can still taste myself on your lips." I swallowed and shivered with pleasure, not even sure how to respond, and she giggled again, being able to feel every movement of my body.

"I take it you enjoyed yourself, then," I said, once I'd finished blushing. I moved my hand from the back of her head to her cheek, gently stroking the backs of my fingers along her scales. The shape of her face was so unlike mine, yet it was so lovely to me; I'd never really been attracted to Ani-men females of any species, which were rather common in the lowlands (if not in Basil's Crossing specifically) and were downright abundant in Levintide. A big part of that had been the muzzles, the strange, inhuman shapes of their heads, and yet, somehow, once I'd gotten past the instinctive fear of a Dragon I'd felt the first time I'd laid eyes on Yajondra, once I'd spent even a few minutes getting to know her, there was just something about the way her smooth blue scales gracefully followed the curves of her face, how her mouth could so easily turn into a smirk, and of course her eyes, those gorgeous golden eyes that sparkled like stars when she was happy and burned like the sun when she was upset. Even after that very first conversation, I couldn't take my eyes off her, and it wasn't just because she was so different from everyone I'd met, it was because...

"By the Seven, Yajondra..." I breathed, looking into those eyes now, "You're so, so beautiful." She smiled, and I began to rub her cheek with my thumb.

"I don't suppose your studies would explain that, would they?" I asked, playfully, "Why a Human would be so helplessly attracted to a completely different species? I mean, Dwarves and Elves look [i]more or less [/i]like us, but..." She reached up and cupped her hand over mine, holding it against her face.

"You know, now that you mention it, I [i]did [/i]have a working theory about that," she replied, her eyes already laughing.

"Do tell," I responded, as I moved my other hand to her chest to tease one of her nipples, "I'm all ears." Putting on a solemn face, Yajondra nodded sagely and closed her eyes as if lost in thought.

"Well, Mr. Midden, from all my research and observations, I would have to say that your attraction to a cold-blooded reptilian woman can only mean..." She opened her eyes again and grinned.

"That you're a real [i]weirdo[/i], you know?" As I laughed, she hugged me tight and raised her voice.

"There's no cure for your condition, Mr. Midden!" she giggled, as we squirmed around together, "I'm afraid you're just going to have to [i]stay [/i]with your Dragoness!"

When we'd finished giggling (and playfully teasing our fingers into exciting places), we just held each other for a while, but even though I opened my mouth to say something witty, my words melted away, and we just gazed into each other's eyes for a long, silent moment, our faces just barely lit up by the light coming in through the gaps between Yajondra's wings. There was a much more serious look on the scholar's face as she mirrored my gesture from earlier and reached up to touch my fleshy, unshaven face.

"Jack..." she whispered, starting to blush, "I..." She trailed off, and an uncharacteristic hesitation came into her eyes.

"You...?" I prompted, but she just blushed harder and looked away.

"I... think the fire is dying out," she finished. There was no way that was what she was going to say, but she seemed a little uncomfortable now, so I let it slide.

"Oh, okay, I'll, uh, go throw some more wood on," I replied, nodding. Yajondra somewhat reluctantly unfolded her wings, and I rolled off her and plodded over to the hearth. She was right, the fire had been on its last breaths, and I felt slightly uncomfortable being naked and covered in sweat in the slightly chill air of the room. It helped that a gorgeous woman lay naked on the bed behind me, watching me with an expression that could only mean she wanted me back in her arms.

"You know, Jack," she said, as I fed the fire and made sure not to smother it, "now that you mention it, it's kind of strange that I like your ass so much. I mean, yes, it's soft and perky and fun to squeeze, but you've got no tail at all! Not even like those dog-kin who have a useless little stub! Maybe you're not the only weirdo around here..." Grinning, I raised my butt and gave it a little wiggle in her direction.

"Feast your eyes, sweetheart!" I called over my shoulder, waggling my eyebrows lewdly. She laughed at that and patted the sheets next to her, and I wanted to just turn and dive straight back into bed, but I didn't want the fire to go out in the middle of sex, so I made myself stay long enough to really get a strong blaze going, and then stood and turned back to the bed. Seeing this, Yajondra grinned and spread her arms, inviting me back into her embrace. I shivered, despite the intense heat behind me, and smiled.

"Mmmm, I can't imagine a more inviting sight, Blue..." I whispered. Chuckling, the Dragoness cocked her head to one side and put her hands on her hips.

"Oh no?" she asked, as if she'd taken that as a challenge. Slipping the blanket off herself, she turned over onto all fours, rump pointing my way, and raised her tail, showing off her tight anus and slick vulva. Then, with my gaze firmly glued to her rear, she did a wiggle of her own and slipped a hand between her legs, teasing a single digit into her cleft. Even across the room, I could see the juices running onto her hand. My mouth suddenly too dry to reply, I swallowed, and realized I could feel my prick twitching and pulsing, coming back to life.

"...I stand corrected!"

My eyes locked on the treasures under her tail as if I were enchanted, I blindly walked forward and managed to get to the bed without tripping over the clothes scattered on the floor. But as moved up behind her and reached out to touch her perfect ass, Yajondra leaned away.

"Wait, Jack, uh..." Rolling onto her back, she patted her stomach and spread her legs.

"I'd rather do it like this. Well, actually, I'd rather do it with [i]you [/i]on the bottom, but I'm afraid I might..." she blushed and trailed off, embarrassed. Yajondra wasn't at all self-conscious about the size difference between us, but admitting that she could hurt me if she slipped up and rested too much weight on me was so awkward it made [i]me [/i]blush too.

"R-right, I understand," I said, tactfully. Normally when Yajondra trails off like that, I would finish the thought for her, but in this case, I decided to use that old military saying I heard somewhere, that sometimes discretion is the better part of valour. Besides, I like making love to Yajondra like this, we can look in each other's eyes and kiss, and she can close her wings around us when we're sweaty and tired, cuddling after the fact. Actually, that's my [i]favourite [/i]time for her to do that... So I moved forward and lay down, sighing happily as she took me into her arms. Immediately, she leaned in and kissed me with a hunger that made me shiver with indecent pleasure. It was like she captured my lips with her own, and I would have moaned if my mouth hadn't suddenly been full of dragon tongue. I felt both of her hands beginning to wander my back, just sliding up and down my skin, getting a feel for me. Sometimes, in our quiet moments, she likes to just touch me and marvel at how soft and smooth my skin is, wonders how we Humans ever trust [i]anyone[/i] if our bodies are so fragile. I usually counter with some comment about how much my people have accomplished in our history, and that generally gets me daydreaming about what [i]her [/i]people would have accomplished if they'd had our numbers... but as interesting as it can be, that topic was the furthest thing from my head at that moment, given that I was about to get lucky. I kissed her back with a hunger that was growing to match hers, but she lead the dance with her longer, more flexible tongue, and I didn't mind one bit. I moved one of my hands off her shoulders and down to her breasts, groping and squeezing one as I continued kissing her, and as I teased my fingertip over her nipple, giving it a nice tweak afterwards for good measure, the Dragoness shuddered beneath me and groaned into my mouth, letting out a deep breath through her nostrils that was much warmer than I expected. In return, she started fondling my ass, gripping a cheek in each hand and running her thumbs over the taut flesh. That didn't last long, though, before she took a much bolder approach and slid one of those hands underneath me, taking hold of my cock, which was still only at half-mast. As she squeezed and kneaded my tool, she continued to caress my ass, teasing me by starting to slip a finger between my cheeks every now and then. Eventually, she broke off the kiss and groaned with need.

"Gods above, Jack, stop teasing me," she pouted, taking my free hand, "I need you... [i]feel [/i]how much I need you!" Yajondra pushed my hand between her legs, closing her thighs a little to trap my palm against her slit.

"Oh, mercy, you're so wet..." I breathed, teasing a couple of fingers inside her, "I just got you off, and you're already dripping, you dirty girl..." Huffing indignantly, the scholar blushed harder than she already was and gave me a look. Remembering how she liked to be talked to in bed, I quickly backpedaled.

"Guh, apologies, o lady dragon!" I said, in my most official tone, "T-touching you like this has - has driven me mad with lust, and so I humbly implore you, let this modest trader lie with you, that he may be cured of this affliction!" The Dragoness giggled delightedly and opened her legs, 'freeing' my hand.

"You've been practicing, haven't you?" she replied, obviously intensely flattered. She'd once told me that as a general rule, Dragon culture doesn't put a whole lot of emphasis on being romantic, and that the emotion carried in Human love songs and poetry was one of the things that sparked her interest in my people in the first place. I nodded at her question, winking.

"I was saving that one for a special occasion," I teased. She adjusted her position so that she was slightly leaning against the back bedframe and spread her legs even wider, her intentions obvious.

"Then let me reward your efforts, o noble shopkeeper, that you may slumber peacefully tonight!" she replied, playfully, "Oh, Jack, I'm all yours..."

By now, my prick was proudly rigid again, and I moved myself into position, taking hold of my manhood and hunching forward to line myself up with Yajondra's wet, hungry slit, only to feel something unexpected in the midst of all this joy - a pang of guilt. Seeing my hesitation, Yajondra touched my face.

"Jack?" she whispered. I blushed and looked away, then forced myself to face her.

"Gods above - I'm sorry, Blue, but I - I can't, not until I come clean about something. It wouldn't feel right," I said, and then barged forward before I lost the nerve, saying "That night when Alyssa came back to town, and she kissed me as soon as she saw me? It was - it was only for a moment but I... kissed her back." I didn't add that I'd been drinking, or that she'd caught me off-guard, as they felt like lame excuses. But as I braced myself to be thrown out of bed by an angry or tearful Dragon, Yajondra smiled slightly and stroked a finger along my stubble.

"I know," she said, simply.

"You [i]know?[/i]" I replied, incredulously, "How [i]long[/i] have you known?" She actually chuckled, and then clicked her tongue.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Jackson, do you really know so little about females?" she teased, and then counted her points on three fingers.

"I'm a woman, you're my boyfriend, and she was beautiful. The instant she walked into that bar, I watched you like a gryphon. Why do you think I was so angry when I walked over?" she said, calmly, "But you looked so guilty, almost upset over it, that I could see you didn't mean to do it, so I held off for a while to see what you'd do. And what do you know? You proved your loyalty to me in [i]abundance[/i]." I reached back and rubbed self-consciously at my neck.

"S-so you're not mad?" I asked, cautiously. She chuckled again.

"Farmer, if I was [i]mad[/i] at you, I wouldn't have sucked you off earlier, would I?" she commented, "In fact, by telling me about it when you could have kept silent and just [i]had [/i]me, you've earned yourself a fair amount of respect... I'll have to reward that later." I grinned bashfully and blushed as she waggled her hairless brows at me. I found her hands on my shoulders, and suddenly she was pulling me closer with a surprising amount of muscle.

"Now then, Jack. You're going to relax. You're going to stop worrying about Alyssa's visit. You're [i]going [/i]to make love to me. And we're both [i]going[/i] to have such good orgasms, we won't be able to walk until morning," she said, almost like an order, "Do you follow me?" I nodded, stunned.

"Yajondra..." I breathed, "I - I didn't know you could [i]be [/i]so... dominant!" She gave me a look and grinned.

"Dragon," she deadpanned. I laughed and nodded again.

"Right, how silly of me."

With that weight off my chest, I took hold of my prick and pressed the head between Yajondra's sodden lips, feeling her quiver with anticipation. Glancing up to her eyes and winking, I shoved my hips forward, letting out my breath as a hiss between clenched teeth as her hot, slick walls engulfed me, gripping my dick and squeezing it tight for a moment, while the Dragoness gasped with pleasure.

"Sentinels, yes, [i]yes[/i]," she moaned, "Oh, [i]Jackson[/i]..." Leaning in impulsively, I bit at the spot where her shoulder met her neck, hard. Well, hard for Humans, but it didn't even dent her scales. She [i]could [/i]feel it, though, and the significance was not lost on her. She whimpered, shuddering in my arms, and I felt her tight cunny rippling along my shaft. When I pulled away, leaving nothing on the spot except saliva, I growled in an approximation of the noise she'd made as she left the mark on me, and squeezed her tight in both arms.

"[i]Mine[/i]," I hissed, as possessively as possible, and Yajondra ate it up, turning her face away demurely and tilting her head down submissively. We both knew that I couldn't really have overpowered her if my life depended on it, of course, so we didn't keep up the charade for very long, but we were both smiling when I pulled back so I could start thrusting. Before long at all, I was driving my hard prick into her wet warmth again and again, our bodies wetly slapping together every time I sheathed myself in the Dragoness, and her hands had returned to my ass, pulling on me as I moved, helping to give my every thrust a little more power. For my part, I was holding onto her with one arm and using the other to lift one of her breasts up just enough that I could reach it with my mouth, and I was suckling and licking, occasionally tugging at the nipple with my lips, making Yajondra squirm and moan with pleasure. Every once in a while, she would tense up for a moment and cry out loud enough to make me feel better about living on the edge of town. For my part, I mostly just panted from the exercise of hilting myself in a beautiful woman over and over, and grunted every now and then when her inner walls would clench down on me, trying to keep my own cries contained. But the delicious reactions of her supple body did a fantastic job of distracting me from the parts of her I couldn't see. Now, her legs were harmless enough, mostly just twitching and shivering, so it didn't matter that they were out of my sight, but as I focused on driving myself home, I failed to realize that the Dragoness' hands were gently spreading my cheeks... at least until I felt the end of her tail suddenly wedge itself between my buttocks, pressing against me almost exactly like I used to press my hard-on against the butts of Human girls I was with. She even started grinding it back and forth as I paused in my thrusting to look at her with embarrassment.

"B-Blue..." I whispered, but she leaned in and licked my face.

"Shhhh..." she whispered, "Just relax, Jack, we've done this before, remember?" I nodded and blushed.

"W-well, yeah," I allowed, "but I'd kinda hoped that meant you got it out of your system and didn't need to do it anymore..." She giggled at that and shook her head.

"You Human males and your obsession with your rumps," she said, amused, "Look, I liked doing it and you liked having it done to you, right? So just relax and we'll have our way with [i]each other[/i] at the same time." I swallowed, blushing harder.

"Well... okay, but don't go talking about this in town," I muttered, "Last thing I need is to give those guys making 'official consort' jokes more ammo..."

I somewhat reluctantly pulled out and moved to the side so Yajondra could slip her tail into her own pussy, sliding it back and forth and getting the tip nice and slick with her abundant juices. I protested having to wait with an aching, glistening hard-on, but she just cheerily suggested she could try going in totally [i]dry [/i]instead, and I quietly waited for her like a good boy. She... wasn't entirely wrong about me enjoying it the last time we'd tried this, it's just that I had trouble getting past what a [i]strange[/i] experience it was. So I was still a little nervous as she let her tail slip free again and beckoned me back into her arms. And yet, with that gentle smile on her face, the warmth I saw in her eyes, it didn't even occur to me not to trust her in this. So I managed a grin I didn't [i]entirely [/i]feel and moved back into Yajondra's embrace, sighing contentedly as her arms closed around me. I moved back into position, effortlessly burying my prick inside her again, and then waited while the scholar took her tail in hand - since it wasn't a very nimble limb on its own - and slowly, carefully (or was that teasingly?) slipped the rounded tip of it between my cheeks, nudging against my back door - which, until relatively recently, had been of the 'exit only' variety. I looked up into her eyes, and she gently stroked my cheek again.

"[i]Czir na-mach[/i], Jackson," she whispered, dipping into her native tongue, "Relax, darling, let Yajondra take care of you..." She began cooing to me gently, and somehow, as I gazed into her eyes, I actually found myself feeling calmer, more comfortable, and as my tense muscles relaxed, (mostly) letting go of the nervousness that had filled me, the Dragoness smiled at me again.

"Are you ready?" she whispered.

"Uh-huh..." I replied, about the best answer I was able to give at the time. She nodded.

"Then try not to squeeze down, dear, it'll make it harder. Here we go..." With that, I felt the pressure increasing, and started taking deep breaths as I felt the tapered tip of Yajondra's tail slowly but surely overcome my defences, until suddenly, without warning, she overcame the obstruction and pushed inside me. I yelped at a brief spasm of pain, but it quickly began to pass as Yajondra whispered to me in Draconic; I didn't understand the words, but the tone was so soothing, they were still effective. Either that, of course, or she was enchanting me, but she doesn't seem the type. Wiggling the tail around, she slowly, gently eased it into my rear, bit by bit, and I just clung to her and shivered with the exertion of forcing myself [i]not[/i] to[i] [/i]clench down on it.

"G-gods above, it f-feels so b-[i]big[/i]..." I whimpered, as she continued petting my hair.

"I know it does, sweetie," she said, somehow managing not to sound demeaning at all, "Trust a female, Jack, [i]everything [/i]feels bigger once it's inside you." Looking up at her, I just barely managed a smile.

"Y-yeah, but I bet my d-dick doesn't [i]wiggle [/i]when it's in you!" I muttered, squirming as the tip of her tail teased along my insides. Yajondra's tail starts out no wider than my thumb, but it thickens as it goes along, and Blue stopped soon enough, not wanting to go until I was stretched to my limit.

"There we are, Jack, how do you feel?" she whispered, kissing the crown of my head. I groaned and shuddered.

"So full... so strange..." I murmured. The Dragoness chuckled slightly, and clenched her inner walls down on me. I was honestly kind of stunned to realize that this tail in my rear had actually managed to make me forget for a few minutes that I was buried balls-deep in a beautiful woman. I'd halfway lost my erection by this point, but the discomfort was rapidly fading, and as Yajondra started to roll her hips to encourage me, I could feel the life returning to the old boy.

"Well then, Farmer, where were we?" she teased. Grinning a little more naturally than before, I started thrusting again, using a fraction of the strength at first, unused to moving with something up my ass, but before long at all, I was fully hard again, driving home with the usual enthusiasm, feeling great. Once the meeting of our bodies became audible again, Yajondra churred to me.

"That's it, darling, that's it, don't stop..." she sighed, shuddering with pleasure, "I'm - I'm going to start moving now, s-so just tell me if it hurts, okay?"

Behind me, I felt the tail stir, and sure enough it began sliding back and forth in my rear, pushing into me and teasing my - my inner walls? It feels strange to use the same words as I use for Yajondra's velvety insides... But whatever they're called, I could feel her scales rubbing gently against them, and the tip teasing and pushing against specific spots each time she slid back inside, almost like she was looking for something. It was hard to keep up a rhythm at first, get our movements working together; I would get a few solid thrusts in, but then the tail would push me too far forward and I would lose my balance trying to lean away from the discomfort, or I would thrust as she was trying to draw back, and the tail would almost slip out of me. But we were dedicated to the task, and soon enough, we had a nice, easy back-and-forth pace worked out, and were humping and grinding against each other like we'd been born to do it. Trying to focus on pleasing my lady, I took her breast into my mouth again, this time doting on the other one, so as not to play favourites, and slipped my other hand down to play with her long-neglected clitoris. She clearly appreciated this, moaning and shuddering beneath me as I teased my fingertips along her pulsing little nub. And then I felt a pulse of pleasure from my rump, and blushed, clenching my teeth to keep any embarrassing noises from escaping.

"Oooh, I think I'm g-getting close..." Yajondra teased, chuckling. She didn't look like she was going to come soon, so I wasn't sure what she meant, but before I could ask, she demonstrated it; the next time she pushed inside me, the tip of her tail pressed against a specific spot, and suddenly intense pleasure burst through my lower body, leaving a pleasant tingle in its wake. This time, I couldn't fight it, and tensed up, moaning helplessly and then groaning in embarrassment.

"Mmmm, [i]there's[/i] the sexy voice I remember," Blue laughed, "I do so like it when you d-don't hide it inside you..." I tried to give her a dirty look, but suddenly I couldn't [i]stop [/i]smiling. Go figure. From there, I captured her mouth for a change, and we frantically kissed as I drove myself into her sopping wet cunny again and again, her hips eagerly rocking up to meet me in each of my thrusts, and she pushed her tail in and out of my rear, teasing me with those embarrassing but powerful bursts of bliss. I briefly wondered if this was what the gays found so appealing about this particular act, but with everything happening around me, I was finding it difficult to hold onto any one thought for very long. Between Yajondra's walls lovingly kneading my tool, my tongue teasing and licking at her nipple, the pleasing way her love button was throbbing against my fingertips, and yes, oh yes, the way this vision of beauty was fucking me back with her tail, I was lost in the panting and the moaning and the pleasure, until all of Rilodell had faded away and only this moment, this woman, mattered. Orange Goddess, I could have stayed that way for the rest of time...

Eventually, I found myself coming out of the haze, and looked up at the woman I was making love to. As if she could sense my gaze, Yajondra opened her eyes and smiled adoringly at me.

"Mmmm..." she sighed, "Harder, Jack, harder... You - you know I can take it!" I shuddered with indecent pleasure and laughed softly.

"Seven Gods, do I ever," I replied, "I'm m-more likely to [i]nnngh![/i] ...I'm more likely to b-bruise my balls before I hurt you this way..." As Yajondra laughed, I did as she asked, and started thrusting faster, deeper, driving my prick deep inside her warm, accepting body like it was the base of a flag and I was claiming her as my territory. Actually, discarding the more idiotic parts of that, that wasn't a bad thought...

"You like this, Blue?" I asked, my voice deep and husky, "When a Human c-claims you as his own?" I stretched up and nipped at her shoulder again, and she shivered.

"Ohhh..." she moaned, reaching up to grope and squeeze one of her own breasts, "Oh, [i]yes[/i], Jack, I... I [i]want[/i] you to do it, c-come inside me, make me [i]yours[/i], I want to feel your [i]heat[/i] f-filling me up..." As the scholar nudged against that damnable spot inside me again, I moaned with her, feeling my dick throbbing deep inside her, probably leaking some pre into her tight warmth.

"Fuck, your, your t-tail feels so fucking good..." I admitted with a groan, "I - I feel like I'm gonna come so hard... You're g-gonna be mine, Yajondra, my - [i]aaah[/i] - my very own Dragoness..." From the squeal she let out as she squirmed beneath me, she really, really [i]liked[/i] the idea of being my very own Dragoness. Throwing caution to the wind, and briefly praying for the safety of my boys, I began giving her everything I had, practically [i]attacking [/i]her with thrusts of my hips, and my scaly demigoddess just cried out wordlessly in overwhelming pleasure, raising her hips to meet mine. The next time she looked at me, the benevolent glow in her eyes was gone, replaced by lust and desperation.

"Orange's chariot, Jack," she gasped, as the sun Goddess was also associated with happiness and beauty, "I - I'm so [i]close[/i], but - but I want to f-feel your seed inside me first, feel that [i]heat[/i], p-please don't hold back, j-just let it happen, come for me, come [i]inside[/i] me, Farmer, just close your eyes and [i]give it to me![/i]"

I was rather unused to hearing the cultured Dragoness speak so wantonly, and it overwhelmed the resistance I was putting up at that point.

"Oh - oh fuck, that's so... I - I'm gonna come!" I yelped, feeling the moment race upon me, "Ohhh, [i]Yajondra![/i]" Drawing back until only the head of my cock was still inside her, I [i]slammed [/i]my hips forward, burying myself in her tight cunny with enough force to make even the Dragoness gasp from the impact - and yes, it made my sac sting for just a second, but I barely noticed, because just at that moment, Yajondra's tail pressed on that curious little spot inside me, [i]hard[/i]. I arched my back and gave my best Human attempt at a roar as pleasure exploded inside me, spreading throughout my body like lightning crackling across the surface of a pond. As I stiffened in her arms, Yajondra lifted her legs and crossed her heels behind my calves, as if making sure I couldn't get away. I can't fathom a universe in which I would be in that moment and [i]want [/i]to pull out, but then, I couldn't think about anything [i]at all [/i]just then except for the way my prick was throbbing and pulsing deep inside Yajondra, spurting an unusually large load of my thick, gooey seed into her feminine depths, painting her walls with my desire for her. For her part, the scholar tensed up around me and sucked in a shuddery breath as I started to come, and as I moaned and gasped my way through emptying my balls into her, she threw back her head, nearly stabbing her horns into the wall as she did so, and cried out her own ecstasy into the night - along with a burst of ice breath that sent beautiful snowflakes dancing around us as she climaxed. Suddenly, her slick inner walls squeezed down so hard I actually [i]couldn't [/i]have pulled out at that moment, but they quickly released me and began to ripple and clench along my shaft, kneading my dick and encouraging it to keep spilling my come. As we rode out our pleasures together, aside from holding onto her for dear life, I was rubbing and stroking her throbbing clitoris, wanting to make it as good for her as possible, and she returned the favour by endlessly wiggling the tip of her tail against that mysterious spot inside me. Somehow, in all of this, our lips met, and so we kissed with a frantic enthusiasm I've only rarely since encountered, shuddering and whimpering our way through a pair of orgasms for the record books.

When the spots had stopped dancing before my eyes, I found that I lay atop Yajondra, panting and trembling uncontrollably. That one had taken a [i]lot [/i]out of me, it almost [i]hurt [/i]it felt so good. I tried to ask her if it was as good for her, but as soon as I lifted my head I became dizzy.

"Ohhh... Ohhh..." I groaned, closing my eyes and laying my head back down on her chest. She began to stroke my hot, sweaty back, cooing to me gently, just 'Shhhh, shhhh...', so I think she was having similar problems trying to talk at the moment. I nuzzled against her girls and made myself comfortable. It wasn't hard. I remembered the conversation we'd been having at the pub when Alyssa interrupted us, what I'd been about to tell Blue. In this moment, I wanted to say the words so badly, but... I was afraid it wouldn't sound genuine if I did it right after we had sex. Worse, a part of me was afraid that... that it was just the afterglow talking, and I'd regret it later if I did. I'm not especially fond of that part of me. So I just lay there, basking in the moment, and Yajondra kept petting my back. Eventually, I tried lifting my head again, and this time found more success.

"Nine hells, Yajondra..." I whispered, "That was... that was fucking [i]incredible[/i]." She smiled tiredly at me.

"Oh good, I was worried it was just me," she teased, "Gods above, if only [i]all [/i]the females of my species could experience this... perhaps we could find some kind of enchantment to make the men warm and toasty inside, just like Humans..." She laughed happily and winked at me.

"Then again, if everyone was having sex [i]this [/i]good," the scholar mused, "All we'd ever do is lie around the roost fucking each other's brains out!" She laughed again, and I joined her, first because of her rare profanity, and then because it just felt good to laugh with this wonderful woman. Afterwards, she glanced beyond me and smiled.

"Well, at least the fire's still doing okay." I nodded idly and sighed.

"I might as well get up, throw a couple more logs on," I said, reluctantly, "We want the room to be nice and toasty for a while after we've fallen asleep, right? Remind me tomorrow to chop some more wood. Going through it awfully fast... I wish we had a better way to heat things up, this winter's gonna be [i]cold[/i]..." She touched my cheek and I looked back up.

"Jack?" Yajondra whispered, gently, "Don't worry about the future. Not tonight. Just feed the fire and then come back and lie with me. It'll be alright, I promise." I felt a warm shiver run through my body, and couldn't help but smile again.

"You know, when [i]you[/i] say it, Blue? I believe you."

The smile didn't last long, admittedly, as I yelped embarrassingly as Yajondra pulled her tail free of my backside with an even more embarrassing slurping sound. I can't believe it's possible to forget that something is stuck up your ass... After briefly examining her tail to, ah, make sure it wasn't in need of a wash, Yajondra leaned back against the bedframe and churred. I pulled my mostly soft cock out of her and stood up, stretching out my back.

"Hey, what's up with that thing you did, anyway?" I asked, as I worked my tired muscles, "With the end of your tail, and making me feel crazy good." She chuckled and winked.

"Maybe I'll tell you some time, maybe I won't," she teased. I crossed my arms and snickered, shaking my head.

"Hmmm... I bet you stuck a finger up my rear when I was sleeping, drew some kind of glyph inside me," I suggested, "So that you could make me helpless with pleasure through my ass!" She laughed at that, clapping her hands once in delight.

"Goodness, Jack, that's not it [i]at all![/i]" she giggled, "Though I do like the creativity!" I hadn't [i]really [/i]thought she drew a sigil up my butt, and making her laugh was why I said it, so I wasn't at all put off, and just winked back before turning towards the fire. I took about half a step, though, before she caught my arm and turned me back towards her.

"Wait a second..." she whispered, "Let me... let me clean you up." Placing her hands on my hips, she pulled me in close before I could speak, and took my cock - which was coated in her juices and my own come - into her mouth. I shuddered at the unexpected feeling, grunting and gasping without managing to say anything that qualified as 'words' as Yajondra swept her long, warm tongue around my flaccid penis, teasing the tip into every wrinkle and cranny, licking up every last drop of my seed she could, along with a coating of her own nectar. I quickly discovered that my manhood was [i]incredibly [/i]sensitive this soon after coming, and hunched forward with a whimper, holding on to her horns and trembling as she finished her 'cleaning'. All the while, though, she was looking straight up at me, her gaze warm and strong, and I couldn't look away. She knew exactly what she was doing to me, and she liked it. Eventually, my dick throbbed, drooling a little more come into her mouth, and after she licked it away, she had mercy and released my tender flesh.

"Mmmmm..." she said, licking her lips exaggeratedly, "There you go, [i]much [/i]better, clean as a crystal." It continues to surprise me how similar and yet how different Human and Dragon sayings are.

"Shit, Blue, it makes me so hot when you do that," I admitted, "tasting both of us on me, looking me in the eye... I wish we had a potion or something so I could recover instantly and go for another round, because it's kind of a let-down that you can only do it [i]after [/i]we finish." She chuckled at that and then leaned back, spreading her legs. She looked down at her cleft, and my eyes couldn't help but follow, taking in the sight of her slack lips spread slightly apart, my cream slowly leaking out. Human or Dragon, it never fails to amaze me the way a woman's vulva looks so tired after sex, and then always bounces back to look nice and tight after she's had a good rest. After a moment of admiring my handiwork, a thought occurred to me, and I inhaled sharply, mildly alarmed. Glancing up at me curiously, Yajondra took one look at my face and snickered.

"Oh, relax, Jack, I'm not going to ask you to clean me up," she said, waving dismissively, "I mean, it would be nice if you did, but it's okay if you're uncomfortable with it... I'm just remembering my homeland. See, quadrupedal Dragons are much more flexible than we are, and..." She grinned somewhat self-consciously.

"...It's not [i]entirely [/i]uncommon for a quadrupedal female to clean [i]herself [/i]out after mating, since their tongues can reach down there. Sometimes I wish I could do the same, so I could feel your heat inside me [i]and [/i]taste it too. Oh well, the price you pay for a figure like this, I suppose." She said something else, too, but I didn't hear it, as I was distracted by the mental image of Yajondra going down on herself and savouring the taste of my come.

"...I'm gonna go f-feed the fire now," I managed, after swallowing to wet my dry mouth, and Yajondra chuckled, seeing how her words had affected me. Slipping a single finger down her body, she gathered up some of the come leaking from her pussy and licked it off her finger with a snap of her tongue.

"Take your time, darling..." she teased, "Take your time."

A few minutes later, we lay in bed, having put the lanterns out, the room lit only by the flickering flames in the hearth. As usual after sex, we didn't bother putting on our nightclothes, and just lay under the sheets naked, in each other's arms. At first, we said nothing, we just held each other and kissed slowly, tenderly. Then, after laying in warm silence for a while, Yajondra sighed contentedly and gave me a squeeze.

"Thank you, Jack," she whispered, rubbing my back. I looked up at her curiously.

"For what?" I asked, feeling sleep starting to affect me. She smiled, looking a little self-conscious.

"For... for staying with me instead of going back to Alyssa," she breathed, "I know it had to be tempting..." Leaning up slightly so I could comfortably hold her gaze, I sighed.

"Oh, Blue... I won't lie, a part of me wanted to, the same part that wanted to uproot my life and run off with her nine years ago," I said, "But just because the thought was [i]there [/i]doesn't mean it was [i]right[/i]." I took her hand between my own and looked down at it nervously, idly tracing the seams of her scales as I spoke.

"[i]She[/i] chose to leave [i]me[/i], Yajondra. I'm not saying she didn't love me enough or that she should have picked me over the chance to become a ranger, just that... in the end, her path and mine didn't go in the same direction. She wasn't my true love after all." The Dragoness' hand twitched and I heard her suck in a surprised breath.

"Yajondra, I... I..." I swallowed, hearing my heart pounding in my ears.

"...Y-yes, Jack?" she prodded, almost too quietly to hear. Inside my head, I screamed at myself. [i]Say it, you coward, say the words![/i] But then came all the [i]other[/i] voices, and...

"...I c-can't put my feelings for you into words," I said, chickening out, "But I [i]care[/i] for you, more than I think you realize..." I forced myself to look her in the eyes, and almost felt guilty when there was no judgement there, no disappointment. Just... a tenderness, a warmth, that was very familiar to me... because I was feeling it right now.

"I've never felt this way before, Blue," I breathed, shivering, "Not for anyone... not even Alyssa." She said nothing, but moved her free hand to her chest unconsciously, cupping it over her heart.

"With her, it was easy," I continued, "We were childhood friends, childhood sweethearts. From the time we were nine years old, everyone in the village assumed we'd be married someday, and running one of the shops in town. It was like she could read my thoughts, and I could read hers... but in the end, whatever we had, it wasn't strong enough." Swallowing, I looked back down at her hand.

"But with you... with you, I have to work so hard for this, everyone in town thought I was crazy when I brought you back from Levintide, and there are [i]still [/i]some people who think it's strange or wrong for us to be together. Hell, sometimes, I have to work hard just to keep up with you in a conversation! But... maybe I feel this way about you [i]because[/i] I have to work so hard for this, Yajondra... because the way I feel when I'm with you, when you look at me... it's [i]worth[/i] it."

There was a moment of silence as I tried to pluck more words out of the mess of feelings in my head, but before I could get any, I heard a sniffle.

"Oh, Jack..." Yajondra whispered, sounding emotional, and as I looked up, she suddenly lunged across the bed and threw her arms around me, yanking me back over and holding me tight.

"That was the s-sweetest thing you've ever said to me!" she whimpered, trembling against me, "I - I don't even know what to [i]say![/i]" I looked up at her and grinned, feeling a little caught up in the moment myself.

"What?" I replied, pretending to be shocked, "You mean you don't have some Draconic poetry ready?" She laughed and hugged me tighter, while staying careful not to squish me. After a moment, I gave her a more serious look.

"Say you'll stay with me, Blue," I whispered, "And that you'll keep letting me warm you up when it's cold." She leaned in and nuzzled against me, churring.

"Of course, Jack, I promise!" she said, "With you in my arms, it can [i]never [/i]get too cold." With that (well, maybe there was a little more kissing first), we said our goodnights, and snuggled in tight against each other. Dear reader, I don't think I'd ever felt as happy as I did just then. I'd taken a big step towards finally working through my feelings for Alyssa, even though it would probably take a while to get over her completely, and with my relationship with Yajondra having survived this harsh little 'test', it felt stronger and closer than ever. Frankly, that night, in Yajondra's arms, this common little shopkeeper felt like a King, like he could do anything. I'd survived a blue's jealousy... and that's more than some people can say.