TMPDA: Last One In The Nest

by Myriad of Failure

A Past Long Forgotten

I took one last glance around, and ducked out of the tent.

Everypony else was out negotiating; I had even sent Spike off with instructions to watch Crater closely. So, with the camp empty, I was searching the two tents I hadn't snooped around yet. I had just finished looking in the stallions' tent, and was moving over the the mares'. As you could probably guess, I found nothing of importance from Sombre Muse or Chronology - heavy bound volumes of previous trade deals, a little light reading, and a surprisingly feminine journal bound with pink flowery paper. It had a messy, though carefully crafted, glittery title of 'World BesT Unkle' - so I assumed Chronology had a niece (or nephew) with a fondness for arts and crafts. Sombre Muse would never have kept something like that on him.

Inside the mares' tent, I found an untidier living arrangement. There was a clear divide between each pony's side, but neither would be considered organised. Secret's side (noticeable by the abundance of pink blankets, doodles of bat ponies, and scatter cushions) was the standard heap of creative disorder expected in a teenage filly's room. Heat Haze, on the other hoof, had left tomes out around her simple sleeping bag, some open, some book-marked. There were even diagrams and maps of the route here. Oddly, it looked like most of it was organised carefully - it was just the books that had been thrown down in a rush. Some last minute revision, perhaps?

Beginning with Secret's side, I carefully turned over the colourful abundance, ensuring that it didn't look like anything had moved. Some ponies could be very particular about their mess.

Except for a few notes that she'd gathered yesterday, there was nothing to worry about. As long as she never published the 'Attitudes of Dragons in Concern with Bat Ponies - written with the contributions of a dragon named Puff', the world would be safe from her criminally naive mind.

Then there was Heat Haze's half.

I opened each book to where it had been marked, and read all of the open ones. What struck me as unusual was that her whole collection was made up of all the books ever written on dragons - so only four ancient volumes by the same writer. I knew they were the only books by the declaration on the covers. Surely, she would have already known all of this information - or would have written a couple of them herself? While it was impossible to memorise everything here, it seemed too much effort to haul them around everywhere she travelled.

The next red flag was what she had highlighted.

Contained on the pages, rather than information on dragons, were scrawled notes or letters. The letters must have been written on a typewriter, but even they had notes squeezed in between the lines and encasing the paragraphs. Before I read them, I inspected the paper. Some of it was old - yellowing and crumpled - others were newer, fresher paper, but equally as battered. Fluid had caused some of the ink to run - instead of being water damage from the elements, it was splodges on the paper. Spots that had fallen from the reader.

I took the newest letter I could find, and unfolded it carefully. The writing, while in Equestrian lettering, was not in that language. Possibly it was some strange way of writing in the Cave Tongue, although I couldn't be sure. The Dragons' dialect, while close enough to my own language, did differ in a few places. Another problem was that I had never seen the Cave Tongue written out in Equestrian. Sounding out the words phonetically didn't work, or at least not sounding them in terms of the normal pronunciations.

Looking instead at the notes, I found that they had been translated; instead they were in the lettering of the Cave Tongue, but written in Equestrian. It would seem that these scrawls were the basic translation. Somepony was desperate for them to be difficult to read - you would need a close knowledge of both languages, not just how they were spoken. Apparently, Heat Haze found it easier to note it out in Equestrian. Squinting closely, I read:

Follow the usual - but stay without being caught. If suspected, flee immediately. If another is suspected, encourage suspicion. If all are suspected, flee at the first opportunity. If you fail to bring it, you know what will happen to her. A reward waits if you go beyond your duty.

I put down the letter, tucking it back into the book where I found it.

There it was - the evidence. Heat Haze was our egg thief. Foolishly, she had kept all of the instructions with her - assuming the code would disguise it from the curious eye. Unfortunately for her, she hadn't expected to have me looking through her things - as Spike had explained, I was a late addition to the party - difficult to plan for.

Nevertheless, I didn't immediately run out into the meeting to declare my findings.

Firstly, Heat Haze would make a run for it. Knowing now that it was her who had attacked me, I knew it would be difficult to catch her if she had a head start. Wait - how did she attack me - they arrived the next morning? I got to my hooves, shaking my head. At the speed she flew at, it wouldn't have been much of an ask to have her fly here and back in one night. I had overheard Chronology say that they had camped overnight in between the train and the plateau - that would certainly make the journey easier. It would also make her look less suspicious if she was still in the middle of nowhere when the egg was stolen.

Anyway, where was I... Ah - secondly - it would be a real help if I knew where she had hidden the egg. Being able to return that was possibly more important than uncovering the culprit. I took a quick second to turn over the rest of her things (so a set of saddle bags and her bed) but found nothing.

Finally, just because she stole the egg doesn't make her the main villain in this piece. There was still whoever hired her to steal it.

Looking at the sheer amount of letters, it was quite possible that this wasn't the only crime Heat Haze had committed. Whether this meant it was always the same people hiring her or that she acted as an agent for hire, I couldn't tell. No - it was unlikely this was even done willingly. I recalled the notes 'you know what will happen to her'. Blackmail.

So who blackmailed her?

They had a knowledge of Equestrian and the Cave Tongue, they wanted the summit to fail, and they needed somepony else to carry out the deed.

I just hoped I had the stomach to confront him.

---

Before that, however, I needed to find Heat Haze. If she had any suspicion that I was onto her, she would have gone in a flash - it was safer to confront her now, fast, before anything could leak out. I would tell her I knew about the blackmail - that way I might be able to help her, but only if she could trust me not to arrest her. Or worse - I could give her over to Magma.

I was just approaching the meeting just as ponies began trailing back; already it was midday and time for a food break. Perfect. All I would need to do was draw her away quietly, and then...

"Nocturne!" Spike spotted me and waddled over. With a sly look, a quick salute, and a conspiratorial grin, he hissed, "Nothing to report - the mother bird is away from the nest."

"Wait - what, Spike?" I had been glancing past his green scales in search of Heat Haze, but even if I had been paying attention, I doubted I would have understood.

"The target wasn't there." He frowned. "Honestly - what use is being a detective if you don't use code words?"

"Much more straight forwards." It was then that Heat Haze passed both of us, quietly murmuring to Dust Trail. I was about to run after them when my brain caught up. "Did you say he wasn't there? Are you sure he wasn't just lurking behind you or-"

"He wasn't there. Maybe after yesterday he's not allowed back - or he could be embarrassed." Spike stroked his scaly chin with a claw. "I would be very embarrassed if I were him."

Or he could be scheming again.

"Look, Spike - something's just come to me. I'll be back in a second!"

"Wait! Can't I come?"

"Just make sure everypony sticks together over lunch - nopony leaves camp alone!" With that I forced myself into the air, speeding close to the ground. Heading straight towards the nests.

Where would he be? Why would he try something during the day? Could he be stealing another egg, planting it on somepony, meeting with Heat Haze...? Or was he just ashamed.

No, no that couldn't be it. He wouldn't cower - he would prove himself. I may have hurt his pride, nevertheless, that didn't mean it wasn't going to recover. Unless... I was the only pony not at the meeting - no alibi, no witnesses - just my word that I was snooping through the camp. If another egg went missing now, I would be the suspect.

Crater could get revenge on me, ruin the treaty, and still have both eggs completely safe.

What about the Dragon Law? Claim something from the thief - well, that depended on who the first egg was planted on. If both were to be aimed at blackening my name, what would a dragon want from an impoverished, bat pony detective?

"Thestral?"

Catching the air full in my wings, I jarred to a halt. Skidding across the sand and grit, it felt like all of the fur had been scraped from my shoulder.

I looked around for the source.

"Crater."

He crouched low to the ground, his wings raised so that the curled thumb stuck out from his side. I steadied my legs. Any second now, he could leap at me, accuse me of the thefts, confess...

"Mind of mine, pain." Scowling, he drew closer, shaking his head. A mouth opened, closed. Smoke was snorted. This was going to be big. I said nothing, waiting impatiently. His discomfort grew. Frozen like this, I couldn't help but be reminded that, while older than me by decades, this was a young dragon. He had only just broken into adulthood. Nervous agitations, awkward shuffling, regrets - while not commonly associated with dragons, were all displayed on his face.

It had to be a guilty confession.

"There is something I must speak to you of." Crater rumbled, his Equestrian (as I had suspected) spoked with a perfectly refined accent. Despite it being the first time I heard him speak like this, I refused to be surprised. Instead I nodded, waiting for him to admit everything.

"I believe I knew your father."

"... What?" My cool demeanour broke. It wasn't the confession I had been expecting.

"When I say knew, I should clarify that I once met him." Crater tilted his head, observing me in that spine-crawlingly uncomfortable way. "His name was Echo - he was tall, strong; his mane was the deep navy of the Great Depth, yet calm as the surface of a lake, and his eyes the darkest amethyst. I am correct?"

It was my turn to stand, mouth open like a baffled fish, waiting for words to come. He was right, of course - that was my father... but - how would he have known this dragon? He never left the colony to go travelling; he hated the idea. That's why we only came to Canterlot after he died.

"How... how did you - know him?" I fell back to my haunches, rubbing my forehead with a hoof. There were too many confusing thoughts swirling around my head. "He... I mean - I'm sorry - but - he died nearly twenty years ago."

"I believe it was just over eighteen years, actually." Crater sat down with me, curling his tail around him neatly. In explanation, he lifted a wing to reveal that ragged scar, saying, "I was with him when he died." I stared at it blankly, and would have continued to do so until he lowered it again. In contrast, my mind was not blank. To have a scar like that... did my own father do that? Could he do that? I knew him as a gentle stallion - he loved us dearly, even if he did argue with Ma sometimes (every pony argued with our mother). He was afraid of change. That was his only fault.

Nevertheless... he was fiercely protective of us. Maybe he loved us too much.

I was only eight when he died - I could very easily be wrong.

"They told me a manticore killed him."

"It did." Crater shifted uncomfortably. Slowly, despite my vacant expression, I was putting it together. They never told me why he was trying to fight the beast - I guess I just accepted it after so many years - even so, here was the evidence. Crater's wound could easily have been caused by a manticore. A quick swipe of the paw, a jab of the tail, suddenly there's a gaping wound. My father wasn't attacking a manticore - he was defending a young dragon.

"Why... why tell me this?" An imploring look at the dragon in question told me that he probably didn't know himself. "You didn't have to - I would never have known."

Taking a deep breath, he expelled the air as smoke rising from his nostrils. "Your father saved my life. I never gave him my thanks, and never thought I would; I have lived half my life in his debt. Then I meet you." His eyes hardened, transforming to into the bright gems that surrounded us. Grimacing, he continued, "He mentioned a wife, two daughters, from the Lonely Colony - and your appearance is so akin to his. I have spent the last few days trying to decide whether I was correct in assuming you his daughter, and whether I am to admit my past." With the slightest softness to his tone, he faced me, allowing the muscles in his face to relax out of their scowl. "This is all I can do to thank him."

I nodded - I couldn't think of what else to do. My throat felt like it was trying to strangle itself. I was biting through my lip to try and stop any involuntary noise escaping, while my eyes focused off into the distance. There's no reason for this, I scolded myself, he's been dead for years - the only difference is you now have a reason. How can it upset you now?

"Tell me." I blinked and coughed. "Please - tell me."

For a second, I thought he was going to clam up and refuse to say anything. Nevertheless, he nodded reluctantly, and his story went thus:

"I was a young dragon. I had no wings, and had just arrived in Equestria for the first time. My own mother resided in an Equestrian cave while I had been raised in the Dragon Islands, so we were visiting her. However, with my parents wishing for privacy, I was sent out into the valley to occupy myself.

"I wandered into a large forest - having never seen the likes of it on the Islands - and began exploring.

"I wish to say, in my defence, that being a young dragon, raised in the safety of the Horde, on an island so protected that no thought was ever given to dangers, that I was naive. Inexperienced. The thought of something being dangerous in this lush green land was unimaginable. So I took no care for my safety. In my foolish, childish mind, I believed nothing could harm a dragon.

"It came out, a predator searching for prey, and saw me. I confess that I was aware of it; only I chose not to care. I was curious, yes, so I approached it. To me, I assumed this strange beast was a large griffon. It was thin, tattered, and all of its bones showed beneath the fur. Perhaps that is why I approached - curiosity. I had grown up on tales about griffons, and while they were not our allies, I had been told that a griffon is no match for a dragon.

"The next thing I was aware of was that I could not stand.

"No - I could not breathe. I was on my side, numb from neck to tail, vaguely conscious of the wetness growing around me. The pain was too distant to realise. All I knew was that it was stalking towards me.

"Calling for help, no one answered. I had strayed so far from the cave, my parents would never hear me. So I watched this half-starved beast advance on me, still shouting. As a child, it is difficult to believe that some situations are hopeless.

"It was then that the shadows seemed to spring upon the creature. Knocking it back, battering it down, forcing it away. This shadow came to me. I confess, I tried to shuffle away. Anything that could attack this strange creature could easily kill me - or so I thought. Coming closer, I saw that it was the face of a Thestral, as my mother had spoken of.

"He told me not to be afraid, in a strange accent, and that his name was Echo. He was going to take me back with him.

"But he had also ignored the beast, assuming it beaten. In this brief period, it had risen, striking him across his open wings.

"In desperation, I forced myself to his side. His wings carried huge gashes - too large to fly with, although, perhaps they would have healed in time. Not that time was given to him. Pulling me out of harm's way, he instructed me to run - being unable to carry me himself. He promised to follow when the beast was no longer a threat to us.

"Now, while naive, a child knows a lie when they hear one. And so, I knew he did not mean to follow. In hindsight, it would have been impossible. Starving, the creature would never have left us until its death. Your father was hurt too severely to kill it. It was either both die, or one attempts survival.

"Inspired, possibly, by his kindness, I swore I would not leave. So maybe it is not wrong of me to say that what killed your father was his heart being too large. For he sent me away, asking only that I go to his family and explain the events which had taken place.

"In my fear, in my confusion, I did not know the Lonely Colony - I could not find the family. So I lost myself in the woods, until I stumbled out into my own father's anger. I cannot tell you what happened after that. However, I do not believe that you would wish to know, even if I was able to."

Surrounded by rocks, secluded at the edge of the plateau, silence fell between us. It made sense. My father had been out hunting, he didn't come home, and then they brought him home the next night. They could never explain why he didn't fly away. There hadn't been much left to go on.

"I am truly sorry." Crater turned his head to the ground. "You must despise me." When the silence continued, he made to get up. His wings raised defensively while his tail flicked this way and that. He would not meet my gaze. "I have never spoken of this to anyone else, and do not mean to. It is best that this remains the only occasion."

He began to walk away, cursing himself in the Cave Tongue.

Remembering how to move, I freed myself from my frozen statue. Suddenly, my hooves were wrapped around his neck, my wings enveloped him, and I had buried my face under his chin.

"Thank you."

Stunned, Crater didn't answer. All of his body had stiffened so much that it felt like hugging a boulder, only less soft. "I do not understand. I am the reason for the death of your father."

"At least there is a reason." I snorted, glad that like this he wasn't able to see my tears. "If my father thought you were good enough to save, I'm not going to want you dead."

"It feels as if you are trying to strangle me."

"It's called a hug, you grumpy sod." I tightened my grip - I needed to in order to stop myself falling to the floor. "Friends like to give them."

He hesitated, after a second extending his own wing across my back. It was possibly one of the most awkward hugs in Equestrian history - not that that made it a bad hug.

Eventually, he placed me back on the floor, pretending that he hadn't flushed the colour of an over-ripe tomato. My eyes had also turned a similar colour, so I wasn't about to judge him. Stood there, unsure of what to say, I gave a nervous laugh and admitted that I had actually come to accuse him of organising the egg theft. I had forgotten about it until then.

He looked astonished, in his sulky, brooding way. "Why would I steal eggs from my own horde?"

"You just seem to have something against the ponies - it would have been a good way to frame them and ruin the deal. Heck - I half expected you to frame me! The way you seemed to be stalking me around."

"I dislike ponies because they are hypocrites." His lips pursed slightly. "They preach love and tolerance, yet fear a great many creatures, and are quick to remove what they dislike. They lack honour." He shook his head. "I do not wish for dragons to stoop to their levels, but this does not mean that I dislike the treaty. Perhaps it will improve them."

"Perhaps it will..." I shrugged my wings. "Sorry about that - oh, and for punching you yesterday. I was a bit tense, but I think that's all sorted now. Can you forgive me?"

"It seems that after your understanding, I shall have to forgive you anything."

"Then if we meet again, will it be as friends?" I smiled hopefully. For some reason, I wanted to reach out to this dragon. We had argued, fought, disagreed - however, I'd done all of those things with my own sister. Having been saved by my father, I felt that I could regard him as a brother. A sulky, difficult brother who infuriated you; but that didn't stop you loving him. It didn't break that shared bond.

Crater swirled the word around his mouth, even more unused to it than I, before grimacing. "If that happens, yes - we will be friends."

---

"Heat Haze?"

The mare jumped. Negotiations had finished early, the final documents were being written up, everypony was in agreement. All it was going to take was a signature, and the first treaty between ponies and dragons would be established. That signature was only being given when the egg was found.

"Nocturne?" She hesitated, glancing back at the camp. I had caught her returning in the afternoon sunshine, trailing a little behind everypony else. I made sure I only got her attention while we were hidden by a large jut in the rock. This way, we couldn't be seen or overheard easily, while there was a nice open space in case she tried to bolt.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

"Okay...?" Her posture relaxed, despite her wings tensing. Anything happened, I said something wrong, she would be out of here in a shot.

"What sort of research have you conducted in the Dragon Islands?"

Heat Haze shrugged her wings, attempting to appear as uncaring as the other morning. "Observation, tracking - I've never gotten too close. Just watched from a distance."

"You must have liked to be pretty far away," I said, "big, dangerous, fire-breathing beasts - this meeting must be quite unusual for you." I held up a hoof before she could give a huffy reply. "Because the truth is, you've never been to the Dragon Islands."

As expected, she leapt. This time, however, I was ready. With extra space, my wings unfurled fully. I pulled against the air as she beat desperately. Before she was ten feet up I had caught her, forced her wings down, and wrestled her against the rock. Making it harder for her, I pinned her several feet up, using the hooks on my wings to keep me hanging on the rock face - if she tried to escape, she'd be facing a fall before her wings would work.

Kicking angrily, she tried to disentangle herself. I pressed down a little harder, keeping her face firmly pressed against the stone.

"So... tell me, Heat Haze - if you haven't been to the Dragon Islands, where have you been?"

"Like I'd tell you."

"Now that isn't very helpful, Hazy. You don't mind if I call you that, do you? Good." I readjusted my hold. We'd been taught how to do this in the Guard, so now I had the upper hoof I could have stayed like this for hours. Not that I wanted to - that was the good thing about being a detective; you could chat to the ponies you were accosting. It made the work much less boring. "Let's try a different question. Where have you put the egg?"

Hazy growled into the wall.

"I see this is going to be harder than I thought..." Taking a second to grin slowly, I edged my hoof to a nerve cluster just between her wings. Pressing gently, it causes mild discomfort. Not pressing gently, it makes the wings cramp and go into spasm. Trying the former availed few results - nevertheless, she did squirm a little more, so she clearly knew what it would do. "Okay, here's another one - who hired you, Hazy?"

"I can't tell you that."

"You don't know?"

"Like I'd tell you anything!" She snapped. At that moment, I may have nudged the nerve cluster. I hadn't heard a squeal like that in ages. "Alright! Alright! I can't say. Don't make me. You don't know what they'd do!"

I removed my hoof deliberately, making sure she knew I wouldn't do it again. Not that I loosened the hold - she could still try to wriggle out. "What if I offered you help? Protection - from your employees and the dragons - in exchange for a few simple answers?" No reply. "Look at this reasonably, Hazy - I know you stole the egg, I know somepony hired you, and I know you don't want to tell me anything. However, I also know that all I have to do is call over the dragon king, tell him that you're the thief, and leave you to return with them - letting them do whatever they like with you. I'm sure your knowledge of the Dragon Law gives you a pretty good idea." I softened my tone. "Surely admitting who hired you is better than that?"

"I'm not afraid of dragons."

"Really? We could test that - if you want to."

Exfoliating the skin from her cheek, she shook her head. "I don't care what the dragons do to me - I don't care what anypony does to me. I have more to consider than myself."

"Ah..." I recalled the letter. "So there's her to consider? Come on, Hazy, we were doing so well for a second there. Who is she?"

"... My daughter." Her emerald green eyes closed in defeat. "I wouldn't let anything happen to her."

"She would get protection too," I offered, giving a small smile, despite her being unable to see it, "I have quite a few connections - I could make sure both of you are looked after."

"It wouldn't be enough."

Sighing, I tried a different approach. "You won't let anything happen to her? From mother to daughter, you'd look after her, no matter what? Go to the end of the world, steal, risk your life - anything. Heat Haze - by stealing this egg, you are stopping another mother protecting her child. What you would do for your daughter, the dragon you stole from would do the same - so would any mother. If you don't fear the dragon king, do you fear the mother?

"Even if you refuse to tell me, even if the dragons swear there isn't enough evidence, even if you leave here a free pony and someone else is accused - I will find you, and I will make sure you never steal again. Who knows how many children you've taken? How many mothers despair for lost children?

"How can you ever go back to your own daughter, knowing you've separated so many other families?"

A feeble whimper escaped from the rock. So soft, so quietly, the faintest whisper followed, "They would kill her..."

"And she will grow up motherless if you let her go like this." I took her silence as an opportunity to add, "And if you go on stealing, who's to say that who employs you won't employ her? Do you want her to live like you do?"

Silence cocooned us in our secluded corner, but I was happy to enveloped by it. Heat Haze needed time to think. I turned away. From this end of the plateau, you could look out over the sanded plains that covered the southern half of Equestria. On a clear day like this, you were even able to make out the tiny, snow-capped pinnacle of Canterlot Mountain. To either side ran the jagged mountain ranges, looking like the two halves of a zip, pulled apart and lain bare. The ancestral homeland of the bat ponies.

"I've never been to the Dragon Islands." Heat Haze muttered into the wall, turning her tear streaked face away from mine. "Everything I know about dragons was learnt in the Griffon Empire." I made no reaction to this information - I didn't want to interrupt her now that she was talking. Internally, however, my mind was a-flutter. The Griffon Empire - no wonder I wasn't able to read some of her letters! Who knows what language they used?

"I had just finished university, and was travelling to the Islands - via the Empire. I heard that they had more information on the species, so was going to do a little research there before continuing." She took a deep a breath as possible, exhaling shakily. "They caught me as I was boarding the boat out. Gave me money, promised more - all they wanted was an egg. To a poor graduate, it was hard to refuse. Before I knew it, they had me stealing eggs, not for money, but for my own protection.

"I never had to go to the Dragon Islands. It was safer not to - you weren't as easily suspected. Instead, I was sent around caves in Equestria, to remote mountain ranges in the Empire - I even went to the distant lands of the zebra. I am a scholar, by rights - no other pony knows as much as I do on the subject of dragons. So being summoned here... my employers saw an opportunity. Dangerous, yes - but I guess it wasn't them coming out here."

She stopped speaking. All of her body had slumped where I pinned it. Obviously, suspecting a possible trap, I kept her there. Nevertheless, it seemed I had everything I needed. Smuggling. Griffons working against the dragons (nothing new there) - only they were using this poor mare. Nothing to do with the treaty at all; it was just a good opportunity to catch a large nest in Equestria.

"Where are you taking the egg to?"

"They'll be waiting. There's this hideout on the east coast - I have to take it there. They've been there since this whole thing started. Close enough to know if the dragons leave, and the negotiations end."

"Where's your daughter?"

"Staying with my mother in Canterlot - but they already know where that is. If I don't turn up without good reason - or I don't have it - within a week, they'll send thugs to get... to get her, and they'll - they'll..."

"I know." I nodded slowly, looking around to make sure nopony was watching us. Heat Haze was sniffling quietly to herself. All of a sudden, the situation became more than a little awkward. Luckily, I had thought of a plan by then, so was ready to move on. "Listen to me, Heat Haze; I am going to help you - I'm not promising that you won't be charged, but I'll make sure it isn't in the Dragon Islands, and that you're given a little leniency. But I can't help you if you don't cooperate." I nudged her so that she craned her neck to look at me. "If you try to run away - or don't do what I say - I will find you, and I will give you over to the dragons, and your daughter over to the griffons. Understand?"

Instantaneously, Heat Haze bobbed her head up and down. In those deep eyes there was the first glimmer of hope I'd seen.

"Then listen carefully..."

Author's Note:

Sorry this is so late! I think I was a little optimistic about scheduling, seeing as I've just moved into uni. From now, I'm hoping the next chapters will be out on Saturdays only (there's only a couple more to go!), when I have more time to post.

Comments

[RadicalDishonesty]

Lots of revelations this chapter.

Interesting to see Crater is just an awkwardly social dragon, wondering if he should say anything, rather than bitter or angry.

[reader238]

omg yay everything is coming together