FSE

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"It's not going to work" said Mike defeatedly while looking at the large drafting table he shared with his university partner.

"It will be fine; the central beam is plenty strong enough to support the load" replied Leena while sitting in her haunches. The shoulders of the orange dragoness came up to Mike's, but her long neck and tail gave her a few extra feet over his human stature. But he didn't feel intimidated by her presence, they had been partnered up for their final university project as they were both trying to complete their masters and secretly, he was glad she was paired with him.

Mike pulled out a calculator and tapped away, comparing the dimensions she had drawn with his own assessments. "It's going to be tight." He admitted as he realised her working was correct.

Leena smiled, knowing she was right. "Hey, the brief said to design the building with efficiency in mind. This should use the least amount of material and still support the building just fine."

Mike walked around to his chair, tapping a pencil against his cheek as he thought. "I would love to make it bigger" he said deep in thought, his brown hair messy with the stress of their final assignment.

"You humans always think it's the size that matters" she said with a smirk as he looked up at her with wide eyes. "It's what you do with your.... Span, that matters" she added making him blush. Something about his friendly and nerdy demeanour made him endearing to Leena, a far cry from the boisterous and demanding attitudes of most the dragons she had dated.

Mike smiled at her joke; he couldn't help but admire her work. There were not many dragons who studied architecture or structural engineering, most dragons in the industry worked on the construction itself. But Mike knew that Leena's family owned a large development firm that specialized in designs that suited dragons and humans. Many other students assumed she was here due to a hefty donation by her father, and while that may be true, he knew that she had the talent to back it up.

"Well sorry if I'm not as gifted in the span department as a drake" he teased causing her to smile. "Well, does that mean we are done? Submissions need to be in by 8pm and we have an hour."

The fluorescent lights of the campuses drafting room gave adequate lighting for their work, but it had become easy for them to lose track of time. Leena ran her dark paws over the paper to remove some eraser marks and nodded. "I think so, I'm sure they will tell us if it's wrong."

Mike's nervous laugh caught her attention. "Oh, please at least pretend that you need this pass" he said causing her to frown.

"What does that mean?" She scoffed.

"I mean, not all of us have a job lined up after graduation. I kinda need this if I'm ever going to get a gig that isn't sharpening pencils."

Leena shook her head, "I don't have a job lined up. In fact, I have been rejected by a few places already." She retorted.

"What!? You have better grades than me! Why are they rejecting you?" Mikes voice betrayed with panic. He was always playing second fiddle to her in their assessments and the thought of her being rejected filled him with dread.

Leena scowled at him before turning her attention back to their drawings. Using her large dark paws, she gently unclipped the paper and started rolling it up before answering Mike softly. "Not many people want to hire the daughter of their competition."

"But what about working at your father's firm?" Mike always assumed she would join the family business. But he could tell by her tense body language he had touched a nerve.

"So what! I can be paraded around as the daughter prodigy? Always in his shadow? I already have his black paws!" She said and rustled her large dark wings at her sides. "I think not." She added as she pulled out a tube for their drawing and inserted the rolled-up paper.

"Sorry, I didn't think-"

"What did you think? Rich daddy pays for her grades, only to get her life paved out for them!" She snapped and looked to his shocked face. Looking down at the tube she could see her claws had dug into it causing it to buckle and she quickly relaxed her grip.

"Leena, sorry, I didn't mean it like that." He said genuinely and she sighed, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry, I've just been a bit stressed is all." She said softly and held out the tube to him to carry. "My parents are organising a dinner party after graduation. And my mother won't shut up about this drake she wants me to talk to."

Mike took the tube from her and looked up at her face. Her peach-coloured scales were always smooth and well groomed. "Not your kind of party then?" He said and caught a glimpse of her smile. He waited to see if she would elaborate but when she didn't, he interrupted her thoughts "Come on. Let's turn this in."

She nodded and followed him out of the drafting room, with a flick of her tail she turned off the lights, plunging the room into darkness as she closed the door behind her.

Leena always appreciated how different the campus looked at night, the pavement between the glass buildings were cast in an artificial white glow from the hundreds of lamp posts that dotted around the university. Ahead of them lay the rest of Liberty Scales city, it's sprawling collection of high-rises and industrial buildings dotted the landscape. Streams of dragons flying in lines across the skyline as they returned home for the night while humans drove in the streets.

They walked in silence to the exterior wall of the library where a chute and terminal were located for students to hand in their assessments. Mike tapped away at the terminal, and it printed out a label which he put in the tube and opened the chute.

"Come on, let's send it in together" he said and placed the tube in the hatch. Leena smiled and shuffled closer, placing a large paw on the hatch and together they send the tube tumbling into a collection tray.

"Done." Mike said with a slight smile.

"Done." Leena repeated and let out a deep sigh.

They stood in silence for a moment staring at the closed chute, thinking about areas they could have improved their design. "You are sure that column is strong enough?" Mike teased causing her to snap her gaze to him, only to see he was joking.

She smirked and made it obvious as she looked him up and down. Before focusing on his groin, "Maybe its width is smaller than normal.... But I'm sure it will suffice" she said with a smirk as he went beat red in the cheeks. "Come on big span, let's get something to eat. Before the markets close." She added before turning and walking down the path, looking back at him with a friendly smile.

Mike couldn't find his words; he had always found himself drawn to Leena's playful and strong personality but sometimes she said things which made him wonder if she was advertising herself to him. He quickly caught up to her, her large gait causing him to walk quickly.

As they left the campus they walked to the nearby eastern markets, timber stalls littered the large courtyard, offering all sorts of wares and food for both human and dragon alike. Leena smiled as she took in the sights, sounds and smells of the real world, a far cry from the sterile air-conditioned rooms at the University or at home. The hustle of people moving through the crowds, the vendors advertising their wares and the scents of fresh produce being cooked made her mouth water.

"Thoughts?" Leena asked, turning her head to Mike who was following in her wake.

"Honestly, I'm good with instant noodles." Mike said, having to raise his voice to be heard.

"Bleh, come on. I'll show you good noodles." She said and led them across the courtyard to one of her favourite vendors.

"Reevian! What's good!" Leena said as they approached a teal-colored dragoness who was busily moving about her stall, a flustered expression on her face. She looked up as her name was called and smiled at Leena.

"Everything is good Leena. As always." Reevian said with a desperate smile and noticed Mike following the peach-colored dragoness. "You brought a friend?"

"Reevian, meet Mike. We share classes together. Reevian makes the meanest hot noodles this side of the city." Leena said loudly so others in the market could hear.

"You are too kind Leena." She said and pulled out two bowls before filling them. "I just wish I would find a hot noodle for myself" she said under her breath.

"Don't worry Reevian, some hunk of a drake is looking just for you." Lena smiled as she took the bowls and passed some money across the counter. "Keep it" Leena said with a smile and nodded politely to the teal dragoness and passed both bowls to Mike.

Mike and Leena sat down in a quieter corner of the marketplace, the atmosphere was alive, and Leena couldn't help but relax, while at home and at Uni she would often receive judgmental looks from others but while she was in a crowd, she became anonymous. She breathed in the scents and exhaled slowly, something about the chaos just made her feel at home.

"Damn, you're not wrong" Mike said as he finished a mouthful causing Leena to smile and start on hers.

Considering she came from a wealthy household she was not dainty as she devoured hers. Slurping the noodles with a smile at his shocked look. Mike chuckled and shook his head gently. "Got any plans for tomorrow?" He asked while she chewed.

"Game.... Game day" she said between mouthfuls. "it's Dragonball day. So I'll be at home trying not to disturb mother to much." Her voice dripping with venom when she mentioned her mother.

"What does your mother do?" Mike asked, she had only been mentioned a few times by Leena and each time he only learnt a bit more about her family.

"Nothing" Leena said and elaborated when he looked at her "she used to be a harness model. But now her full-time job is getting on my nerves it seems" Leena added and straightened her posture while looking down her nose at Mike. "Leena! You can't go out looking like that! Your scales are too dull, too bright, too shiny, not shiny enough.... You get the picture".

Mike smirked as she gave her impression of her mother. "Sounds like you love her very much" he said and caught a glare from her.

"What about you? What are your plans for the weekend?" She asked while she ate.

"Working again, probably a double shift because I need the money."

Leena knew that he worked at a local sports bar which paid dismally and had offered to help him out a few times with money, but he always declined. She smiled as she thought about the similarities between a dragon's ego and his pride.

As Leena ate, she saw a military recruiter handing out flyers approach them, and she tried to look busy with her food. But it was too late, his tight formal uniform giving him a smart look as he put on his charming smile. "Hey there! Well, aren't you two just fine specimens of young fit people".

Leena looked to Mike's lanky body with hardly a muscle on him at all and stifled a laugh, by her mother's standards she was too large to be called attractive, but the drakes she had dated didn't seem to think so.

"Are you tired of your current job?" The recruiter asked, his questions were pre-crafted by a marketing team to entice fresh meat to sign their lives away.

"We are students" Leena said flatly while trying to eat her noodles.

"Well perfect, tell me more! What are you studying and when do you graduate?" He said while pulling out some flyers, his posture stiff and proper.

Mike became busy with his noodles, trying to hide away from the recruiter's gaze.

"Two weeks' time, masters of architecture and structural design" Leena said trying to not be rude but keep her answers short.

"Two weeks! That is perfect. In the force there are many opportunities to design and build structures. Troops need bridges and barracks." He said cheerfully, but noticed her cold stare not being impressed. "How about this, take this flyer and have a read. We have an office on the corner here, come say hi if you want to know more." He said and thrust a flyer against her chest.

Leena was stunned as it took a brave man to invade the personal space of a dragon and she couldn't help but instinctively intercept the flyer that was given to her with a large paw.

The recruiter gave a nod and moved on, repeating his opening line to another group who were eating.

"Desperate much" mumbled Mike with a smirk.

Leena smiled and looked at the flyer briefly, the cover showing dragons and humans dressed in clean fatigues and kit falling out the back of a large aircraft, powerful expressions on their face as they dove as a team. A slogan read "say Tally-ho and join today"

"It doesn't even rhyme" Leena said softly, she looked around for a bin and when she couldn't see one, she stuffed it under the strap of her harness to be thrown out later.

Mike sat up straight in his chair and put on his best pompous accent "oh? it doesn't rhyme? Join today and you can tell us how it should read!" Which caused Leena to laugh. Her laugher infectious and he joined in. "Although, if you ever wanted to piss your folks off..." He added jokingly.

"Oh god! My mother would have my head" Leena chuckled. "Building bridges and barracks... Sure...." She said under her breath. "I wonder what the most obscure thing you could say to them, and then they still come up with a way to twist it into a recruitment line?".

Mike chuckled, "alright, how about 'I'm a pacifist' " he said

It was Leena's turn to sit up straight, her chest puffed out and her neck gracefully curved as she looked to the horizon. "In the military we want peace for everyone, and we believe we should fight hard for everyone to have the opportunity. If you joined you can help, bring peace to those who need it most-" she spluttered laughing, unable to keep her impression up.

Her laughter causing him to smile, "I forgot you were good at the marketing wank."

Leena smiled. "Not as good as my father, jeez, you should hear him prattle on about how the Spires 'engage the community' or 'inspire success in those that look to them' bleh. Total bullshit. He only designed those monstrosities because mother wanted a bigger house than her friends."

Mike's jaw opened slightly in shock. "Wait, your father deigned the Spires? Those giant flash buildings for dragons and humans?" He asked and Leena nodded while eating more of her noodles. "That's some pretty impressive work" Mike said as he leaned back. Even from where he sat, he could see the tips of the Spire apartment complex crowning over the tops of the other buildings. Four large angular shafts reaching out to the sky in a cardinal formation. Being the tallest buildings in the city they had become a landmark for most of the city folk, and they were known for their wealth and opulence.

"Eh, he didn't do it by himself." dismissed Leena with a wave of her paw. "But yes, 'Large Scale Developments' oversaw the design and construction. The petty shit is my dad put forward a partition to stop buildings like it being built."

"But he built it, why try and stop it?" Mike asked as he finished his noodles.

"Simple, he did it after construction finished, and now it stops anyone doing anything like it. His design is now the tallest structure in the city..... Like I said, petty" Leena explained, a slight smile on her face as she saw Mike start to realize how manipulative her family could be.

"That is some serious alpha dragon energy." Mike mused. "You sure you're not adopted?" He added with a smirk.

"Oi! I'm not some submissive hen buddy!" She said, acting offended.

"I just mean you are nice, and friendly.... Not really the petty type. "

Leena smiled at the complement, "oh yeah? What else do you think about me?" She said and fluttered her eyes at Mike who swallowed hard, blushing slightly.

Mike felt like a deer in the headlights as she looked down at him with her piercing eyes and kind smile. He always had a thing for dragons and enjoyed being partnered up with one for his assignment, but now with her in front of him he wasn't sure what to say. "I...I like you...your..your scales. I mean I like your scales." He finally spat out.

Leena was enjoying every minute of him floundering and with a smirk egged him on. "Oh? What about my scales do you like? Hmmm?" She said softly as she brought her head down to his.

Her nostrils flared slightly, and he felt her warmth radiating on his face as her long snout was just inches away from him. "Their color?" He said, his voice nervous and a bit more undignified than he wanted.

"Is that a question?" she said with a smile.

"No?" He said, his voice ending in an inflection.

She pulled back and smiled as she saw him take a breath "Well they are my parents' colors, and horribly pale at the moment."

Mike cleared his throat and adjusted his position in his chair, he would never admit it, but her closeness had caused his pants to be a little tighter in the front. "Pale...why are they pale?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, just stress. I'm usually a bit more vibrant." She said while relaxing her gaze and posture.

"Well, I think you look good." Mike admitted, not able to maintain eye contact while she smiled down at him.

She knew that he had a thing for dragons and a part of her wanted him to make the first move, the other part of her wanted to take the first step and see where it would take them. Her mind fought with the idea, now that their project was finished, they would not have to see each other if things became awkward.

She opened her mouth to ask him but was interrupted, "I think it's getting late. I'll probably head back to my dorm." He announced and tossed his utensils into the bowl, she was tempted to ask if she could join him but he stood up and the moment didn't feel right.

"Yes, of course" she said softly a hint of sadness in her voice.

Mike noticed her tone and looked up to her, "hey. It's ok. If your parents cause you trouble you can come find me" he said, miss reading her thoughts.

She gave a weak smile, "I might hold you to that". With that said, they gave each other a polite nod and he went one way in the marketplace while she got up and headed to the launch area where dragons were coming and going. Due to the closeness of buildings and many accidents of dragons colliding with pedestrians, dragons were encouraged to take off and land in designated zones.

Leena stepped into the zone which was little more than a carpark marked with a bright red symbol of a dragon and crouched slightly, her powerful legs poised and ready to leap. “Why didn't you just fucking ask him, Leena" she muttered to herself as she took to the sky, her strong legs thrusting her up before she flapped her black wings and continued above the rooftops.

As she climbed into the night air, Leena rummaged in a pouch on her harness for a small light. It wasn't flattering but with the sun gone it was necessary so other flyers could see her and was second nature for her to attach it to a horn. It's white light shining a soft glow in all directions.

As she flew she could see the whole university beside her, it's large buildings appearing to be caught in a web of pavements and small parks that were made for students to gather, she scanned the pavements and spotted Mike making his way to his student dorm room. "Just land and tell him" Leena muttered to herself. "Hi Mike, hey, I was wondering if....." She struggled to answer exactly what she wanted.

She clenched her jaw and glided high above him, her black wings invisible in the night sky, at this time of day even her light orange scales that covered her body wouldn't be able to be seen by his human eyes. Leena dipped a wing and slowly circled him, he was completely oblivious to her presence as she tried to work up the courage to say something.

As Mike walked, he couldn't help but shake the feeling he was being watched as he headed home. A part of him wishing he had Leena by his side, it would take a very desperate person to mug a someone with a dragon nearby. He moved with purpose to the building that houses the student accommodation and fished his ID card out of his wallet.

He held the card up to the reader and with a cheerful beep it unlocked the door to the building. As he stepped in he made sure to close the door behind him, and couldn't help but look back out across the campus trying to see if he was followed or if it was his imagination.