The Dragonarium

Today went as any other day would. Wake up, take a shower (thank goodness I didn't need to make a run for my bedroom to grab my robe this time and risk being seen), skip breakfast given I was already late, go to work.

It was a small library right off the street corner, crammed to the ceiling in books. However, this wasn't a normal library. There was no nonfiction shelf, no classic literature save for a few special exceptions, no sci-fi, not a single fantasy book. This was a library completely comprised of research books on magic, time, supernatural beings, and locations. The sign above the door read as follows: The Dragonarium.

"Morning Daemion." I set my purse down behind the counter, next to various return boxes. I grabbed one and began putting books on their respective shelves.

"Why good morning miss Kaida, how's my little dragon doing this wet and humid morning?" A voice responded in the usual British accent. I swear it was rubbing off on me and I had found myself saying things with a similar lilt.

"Let me just say, I hate rain. It sucks, and my hair takes forever to dry." Not to mention it stuck to my neck and was cold and uncomfortable. Thanks Satan for cursing the weather today.

"Would you like me to make you some hot chocolate?" A much nearer voice said as he approached from the back of the library.

"That'd be great, thanks Daemion." I called back absentmindedly as I climbed a ladder to put a particularly heavy book back on the shelf containing books by the same author.

I stepped off the ladder to find a tall young man with slicked black hair, save for the neon green ends, stirring a mug of hot chocolate, humming quietly to himself. Daemion was popular and well acquainted with the regular visitors, and the non-regulars, and basically everybody. He took pride in being suave and "cool". In reality he was a huge nerd and a dork, who once tripped and fell because he'd been distracted reading and couldn't walk around the various stacks of books on the floor waiting to be sorted. He adjusted the tie of his suit, humming Glitz at the Ritz as he finished mixing the hot chocolate. His smile widened as he looked up.

"Stylish as always, I see. Your hot cocoa is ready." He sauntered past, azure eyes brimming with life. He always got like this when it rained.

"Yeah well you don't have to deal with waiting for your hair and clothes to dry." I took a careful sip of the nectar of the gods as I went over the list of things to do today.

The library was closed this particular day, and we planned on spending the majority of it cleaning up the place. There were so many books strewn about that it was hard to walk, let alone see the floor. I could have sworn that my arms were getting thicker with muscle due to all the heavy lifting. Daemion showed no effort in lifting some of our heavier texts, but that was to be expected. I could hear the faint drumming of sharp fingernails on the cover of a hardback book. That meant he was thinking, and that meant trouble.

"What's on your mind?" I asked, turning the swivel chair in his direction.

"We haven't been out in a while..." He started, sandwiching a book between to other ones.

"Yeah...?" I prepared myself to deny whatever crazy idea the feral idiot had in mind.

"I was thinking..."

"Yeah...?"

"Mmmmaybe we could go eat at that new place down the street?" He finished, sharp eyes turning to me with curiosity.

"Wow, that's... a surprisingly normal and not in any way shape or form sadistic or suicidal in nature. I'll consider it." I huffed, a bit relieved and a bit shocked.

"I'm not that bad." He said in a voice that was far too innocent. He knew full well how terrible he was.

Sapphire eyes glowed in the darkness of the back of the library, pupils dilated from vertical lines as they browsed the shelves with unusual intensity. A snap of his fingers, and there were a significant fewer piles of books lying on the floor from before, a short whoosh as they suddenly found their respective places amongst the other works. Daemion sipped on the tea that was now in his hand, walking out of a completely different aisle of shelves. The randomness was something one could grow accustomed to, after a while.

"Don't waste your energy like that, just put them back normally." I shot him a look.

"This? It's nothing really, just a few books and a cup of tea." He shrugged, looking over my shoulder at our checklist.

"So, wanna go to that new place down the street, or do you want to wait for the rain to stop?" He asked, smiling wide enough for his fangs to be visible.

"Might as well go now. The rain might stop by the time we leave. What are you playing at? You never suggest these things out of the blue. Usually it's something outrageous." I inquired.

"I have a little favor I want to ask you, but you're probably hungry, given that you skipped breakfast, again." He raised a brow at me.

"I was rushed out the door, quit." I grabbed my coat.

"So, shall we?" He held the door open, umbrella in hand.

The walk was a cold and miserable one indeed, at least for me. Daemion loved rain, and was rather hyper now that it was gently drizzling out. He pushed the door open to the restaurant and closed the umbrella, shaking it once, the umbrella now completely dry. The waitress sat us down and we placed our orders. That's when I looked up with a quizzical expression and waited for whatever plan he'd been hatching to come out.

"We need to close the library for a while." He whispered, giving me a serious look.

I nearly choked on my water, "What why?" and swallowed hard as the words came out.

"It's Nyma. She's dying."