Crackerjack II

Chpt. 24: Mandatory Recess

"I haven't even gotten through the first chapter, and there is already so much information!" Kristen flipped through a few pages. "It's just hard to read the way she writes."

Drea cocked her head. "What, her handwriting? I think it's pretty."

"No, no, the way she writes it." Kristen shook her head. "Like listen to this: 'Dragons are majestic, many have proclaimed, and yet with all the increased awareness regarding them, I have found, in my thorough and extensive investigation into the subject, not a single reputable or even common resource on which to draw a basis for my current undertaking.'" She sucked in a breath. "And that's only one sentence!"

"Wow." Drea sipped her tea. "I mean, she was writing what she considered an important research report. All important documents sound like that."

Kristen groaned. "But she wasn't writin' it f'r a bankin' official! Us common riders need simpler language."

"Oh, stop complaining." Drea set her cup on the table and rested her elbow on the edge. "You're getting loads of good information."

"I know." Kristen tapped a page. "Like here, it says she's bonded with a plains dragon, too. And she bonded at nineteen."

"It's like you're twins."

"He's bigger than Scorch, though, I think." Kristen paused. "How big is 48 hands, exactly?"

Drea thoughtfully sipped. "Roughly 16 feet, I believe."

"Whoa." Kristen shook her head. "Yeah, Scorch can't be more than fourteen."

"That's just two feet. How much of a difference can that make?"

Kristen chuckled. "When you're standin' next to one, you notice."

Drea grunted and reached for Kristen's cup. "So I guess the journal's helping, then?"

Kristen hesitated, her mind darting to this morning's hasty and awkward drop-off.

"Is that a yes?"

"Um..." Kristen winced. "Well, she's told me a lot about the background of plains dragons' social construct and all, but she hasn't really gotten to the actual interpretation of emotion yet."

Drea shrugged. "Well, even knowing how Scorch grew up will help you understand his mindset. How old was he when you bonded?"

"Uh..."

The librarian glanced over her shoulder. "You do know, right?"

"Well, it's not like he can tell me!"

"Calm down; I'm just asking." Drea dried the cups and returned to the table. "Let's see. He must've been pretty young for the herders to leave him behind."

Kristen nodded.

"So if he was young, and he wasn't missed by the dragons, he must've been separated from his parents, right?"

"Sure."

Drea pursed her lips. "So he's surrounded by humans, who have just ripped him from his life, and he bonds with you."

Kristen blinked.

"Have you ever thought about those days from his perspective?"

Heat crept across Kristen's cheeks and lowered her neck.

"Well..."

Drea cocked her head. "I think that's an excellent place to start. Having a foundation to build a relationship on is always a better idea than winging it."

Kristen stared. "You know, that's really good advice."

"Thanks." Drea adjusted her hair so that it didn't hang over her glasses. "Occasionally, I make enough sense to impart some wisdom."