The air is chilly, and the wind is bitter. You walk along the street with a brisk pace to match, and the only thing on your mind is getting home.
Unfortunately you have to take the subway again, hopefully things’ll go much smoother today…
You hold all your possessions tight as you descend the staircase! Crowds of dragons surround you, a few look down at you with contempt but luckily it’s just a few… You hold your things tighter.
Since your eyes are a bit preoccupied, looking back and forth at all the dragons clinging to the edges of the staircase and the corridors, you don’t notice the figure in front of you until you run right into them!
You
“ACK! Sorry! I was in your way, I’m so sorry,”
You can never be too polite with the dragons of the North, especially when you’re a human… But… this dragon seems more amused than anything?!
???
“Psh. Don’t worry about it.”
They slide to the side, placing a hand lightly on your shoulder for the half second that they’re beside you.
And then… gone! Like a phantom in the wind. You make a ‘hmm’ noise, then continue down the corridor to your stop.
They’re gone, but you still feel that lingering touch on your shoulder through the whole—thankfully uneventful!—train ride. Even as you’re leaving the station and heading home, you feel as if they’re right there, behind you.
You can’t help but look behind you every so often… Ah, but of course, no one’s there. Still though…
You get home, and you throw some food in the microwave, and you fall onto the couch in a heap.
A savory smell fills the air, mixing with the salty ocean air from outside and the sweaty smell from inside. One of these days you should really clean up the place… though, it’s not like you ever have any visitors worth tidying up for.
???
“Damn bitch, you live like this? I never would have guessed.”
Shit, speak of the devil. Wait, was that voice coming from the window?!
???
“You should really clean up at some point. Living in your own filth can’t be healthy.”
As if their voice wasn’t dripping with that same filth. You glare over at the window, and…
Holy shit!! It’s that dragon you ran into at the station!
“What do you mean, ‘living in my own filth?!’ It’s hardly messy here at all!”
That was… a bit of a lie. You struggle not to look directly at the pile of clothes not too far from your feet.
???
“Hmhmhm… yeah… If you say so.”
Meanwhile, they look directly at the clothes. Their sarcastic smile only grows, and they look back at you, making direct eye contact. Scary…
???
“Even so, it never hurts to clean more! You can never be too clean!”
You
"I feel like you definitely can.”
???
“Well, our feelings aren’t always correct, are they? Think on it a bit more, perhaps.”
So serious! And for what, they don’t even live here!! You frown.
You
“Sorry, I was just about to start cleaning… I like to let things pile up and then do it all in one big burst.”
???
“You look incredibly motivated! I was gonna offer to help, but I think you’ve got it.”
You almost regret saying that, but then the sarcasm in their voice makes you rethink that regret.
You
“Well I can’t clean with you here, so I’ll have to put it off a bit more.”
???
“Awwww, why not? I’ll be quiet.”
Acting so familiar… they don’t even know you! You grimace slightly.
You
“I don’t want you looking through all my things.”
???
“No? It’s not like you have anything to hide.”
That… was true, actually. You live a simple life. But how did they know that…?
You
“…”
???
“…”
???
“…Excuse me. That was in poor taste.”
It really was. You don’t have anything to say to that.
???
“I’m just not partial to dirty spaces, they remind me of… ah, I’ll spare you the details; we’ve only just met.”
???
“…Hm. But I suppose I’m in no place to tell you how to live. In any case…”
Mira
“My name’s Mira. Mostly use she pronouns, but you can use whatever. You’ll be seeing a lot more of me for the next few days.”
You hesitantly return the greeting, more out of habit than anything. But then you catch yourself and shake your head… You don’t owe this dragon anything.
Mira
“Heh. You do owe me, though.”
You
“You—huh?!”
That was… definitely something you thought, right? You didn’t say that out loud…?
Mira
“You’re correct! Sorry, I slipped up. It’s a Truesight thing. You’re a human, right? I wouldn’t blame you for not understanding.”
Ugh… Dragons… Ah-wait, she’s a mind reader, you gotta control your thoughts…
You
“Why are you here?”
Mira
“I have a favor to ask.”
You
“You’ve only known my name for a few minutes, if even.”
Mira
“And? It’s an important favor, and there’s something in it for you.”
crabstronaut
Mira
