Moonborn

Do you love her?

"I still don't understand the reason for the silent treatment," Seraphine proclaimed, doing her best to look hurt, even though Marvin could feel from their mind connection that she was as smug and sassy as ever.

Marvin continued pounding at the wooden dummy in front of him with his fists, occasionally dodging as his foe took an imaginary swipe at him. There was something soothing about a heavy workout that always drew him to the practice arena in times of stress. Maybe it was the exhaustion afterward that left him to tired to worry, or perhaps relying solely on muscle memory gave him an opportunity to separate himself from the problem for a few hours. Whatever it was, it worked, and the arena was the first place he had gone to after his encounter with Evelyn.

Of course, the method worked a lot better without the world's most annoying dragon over his shoulder.

"If you face it today, it might go away," she sang, angling her head so that it I came around and rested on top of the dummy's. She fluttered her eyelashes in a manner that she probably thought was seductive, but only made her look like she had dust in her eyes.

Marvin signed and stepped away form had dummy, wiped the sweat from his brow and sat down on a nearby bench. Up until a year ago, the arena had always been occupied, whatever time of day. Now he often had the whole place to himself, allowing his tiresome dragon to follow him in without bothering anybody else.

"I'm not tiresome!" she protested, picking up on that last thought. "And it's only for your sake that I'm here in this dusty arena instead of out there sunning my scales." She sniffed imperiously and settled herself down in front of him. "Anyway, on to the matter at hand. What did I do this time?"

Marvin felt his irritation wane at Serpahine's theatrics. He couldn't stay mad at her for very long at all, not matter what crazy idea she had gotten into her head. "You know exactly what you did," he reprimanded, taking a huge gulp of water from a flask beside him.

"Oh?"  She arched an eye ridge. "What can I say? You and Evelyn needed some time alone. Are my matchmaking skills unappreciated?"

"Yes, actually." Marvin stood up and began to walk out of the arena, all the irritation coming back to him. "Very much unappreciated."

He was about fifty yards outside of the arena when he heard her wingbeats behind him. He broke into a run, squinting his eyes against the bleeding sunset, but she caught him with her forelegs before he had taken more than ten strides. Resignedly, he climbed from her arm into his place just before her wings as they rose into the clouds.

Fine. Now we talk. Seraphine communicated by mind as the rushing wind was too hard to speak over. And you're not getting down until I say so.

What is there to talk about? he replied, somewhat resentful. He crouched close down to her neck in order to hide from the cold wind that drove goose bumps down his skin. I can't do this for much longer without freezing, he reminded her.

Then you'd better answer my questions, she taunted. Right, do you, or do you not, love Evelyn?

Marvin felt his heart sink. I don't know, he replied sullenly.

Yeah, right, Seraphine snorted. The whole compound knows the answer to that one. She took a stomach-jumping dip in the air that reminded him rather strongly that he was riding bareback. Watch it, kid, or I'll throw you. Now I'll ask again. Do you love Evelyn?

Another lurch prompted his answer. Alright, alright. I did love her, but I'm not so sure now; she's changed so much. A wave of despair flooded over him as he voiced his fear. What if she's moved on?

"Hey!" Marvin shouted both aloud and mentally as Seraphine flipped in the air, forcing to fling his arms around her neck to keep form being dislodged. "What was that for?"

My partner needs to learn to speak the truth! she mind-shouted gleefully, going into a series of steep spirals upward. You've been depressed since the day she left two years ago, haven't dated a single person since then, and have been a pretty sufficient shadow of your former self, all because she wasn't there. What do you call that? She suddenly flung her wings open so quickly and with so much force that Marvin slipped from his precarious position on her neck into the sky's clutches.

"Alright!" he screamed as he plummeted and the ground got ever closer. "I love her!"

Three hundred, two hundred, one hundred feet were left when Seraphine caught him—just when he had begun to seriously wonder if he would end his life as a splat on a Wings training field.

It amazes me that no matter how much practice you get at falling, you never fail to panic, Seraphine teased.

All Marvin could manage was an anguished groan.

But back to the matter at hand. Her voice turned serious. Love affair or not, she's really going to need your support these next few months. So you're going to have to put aside your awkwardness, whether you like it or not.

Marvin sighed heavily. I know. It wasn't just the Council that had trouble accepting the dragonet. What's Ferdy thinking? he thought mostly to himself.

He's just scared, mostly, Seraphine explained. Actually, terrified out of his wits. Lilac's trying to make him see sense, but she never was the most decisive of dragons.

Ah. So I got stuck with the faulty one. Ferdy and Marvin had first met mostly because their dragons were sisters.

Shut up, you, Seraphine thought as she landed in her open-canopied pen, spraying straw. "Go have a shower before you stink up my bed, filthy human." She nudged him toward the door, already settling herself down for sleep.

He chuckled as she gave off a huge yawn, reminding him of how early he had gotten up in the morning. "Goodnight, sleepy queen."