¤ Vera's story ¤

part 5: A rare opportunity

by Neishai

As time passed, Vera was able to whittle the story of Jatan's past out of him. At first it took some doing, for he was not used to talking about himself. But something happened, that no one at first seemed to notice. Jatan began to see Vera differently. He began to think that a particular twinkle in her eye or a swing of her hip was intended for him to see. Her listening skills, that of keeping eye-contact for long periods of time, nodding, and being encouraging, seemed to be a little more than the "way" of a journalist. And maybe some of what he perceived was true, but enthusiasm is not always on such a personal level.

While Messel was not overly keen to tell his life story either, no one seemed particularly interested in hearing about it. Both Vera and Jatan knew there was much more to him than was apparent, that much was evident from that first encounter with Phoenix. But he had always been a repellent man, someone who strove to keep people at a distance without appearing to try. It came "naturally," as far as they were concerned, which made finding out more about him more trouble than it was worth.

On a deep, dark, most secret level, Messel was wounded by this disinterest, but never would he openly reveal the truth. After all, who would believe that such a lonely person would actually push people away? Did it not go against all logic? Of course it did, and Messel honestly didn't know why he did it. All he knew was that every aspect of his life was negative. It was a chore, it was irritating, it was painful. And of course, all of this displeasure was what he wore as a mask of discomfort and ire, and had as long as he could remember. How could he possibly change that now?

Despite this deeply etched façade, Messel found himself working more often with Jatan and Vera as they worked toward their eventual goal of freelance journalism, which carried them off-planet oftentimes in pursuit of a hot story. Was it chance, or his own choice? Nobody knew, perhaps even Messel himself. But they came to accept his presence, less as a nuisance and more as a companion. And so he sat sometimes just listening to their conversation, wearing a snarling or pensive scowl, to closest to companionship he ever expressed to them.

During these times, Jatan told his stories while Vera listened raptly, eager to learn of places, peoples, and creatures she couldn't yet afford to see. Phoenix flitted between the three of them. His appearance was less of a flighty bird than a speaker leading the discussion, taking care that everyone present was included. Vera found this endearing, and more often than Jatan would have liked, she found herself diverting her attention to gaze adoringly upon her now-constant companion. Jatan, the not-so-considerate speaker, at first found the drake's actions mildly amusing, but he had begun to feel increasingly jealous of him for some reason. It's just a flitter, he reminded himself, what's my problem?

And then there was Messel. Phoenix knew intimately, more on an emotional rather than a fact-based level, that the man was eternally grateful for this attention. The man, who was emaciated both physically and spiritually, was aware that Phoenix spent more time with him than the others. He was not sure whether the reason was that he was more comfortable to snuggle with than the others for his sedentary rather than active involvement in any of the discussions, or whether it was deliberate.

Gazing into his glowing pupil-less eyes, Messel sensed that it was the latter that was true. But…why?

Today, Jatan was talking about dragons, the subject that Vera seemed the most fascinated with. Messel rolled his eyes with a derisive snort, seeing the young man's gyrating arms and expressiveness, and highly descriptive words to be a ploy to keep her attention on him. It was working.

Messel sat against a wall in the booth they were in, slouching back with his plate pushed back. He had hardly eaten a thing, and whatever appetite he had had before was long gone. Phoenix sat in its place, munching at his food. Messel didn't mind, in fact he encouraged it. Vera had started to sound like her keeper Nyoco (a woman he had first met a year or two back and now sometimes accompanied them on their journeys), chiding Messel for not eating enough. "You're skin and bones," she would say, and if Nyoco was there, he was in big trouble; their double-teaming was becoming legendary.

Phoenix paused in his meal, holding a piece of marinated steak in his burnt-colored paws, regarding Messel. He had observed the man's disgust and cocked his head slightly, turning to regard the other two. Vera had forgotten her food and Jatan simply wasn't interested. Her growing attraction to the man did not please the fire-drake either. With a loud coughing-purr, Phoenix glared up at her.

"Hmm? Yes, yes. I'm eating. See?" She shoved a piece of shredded potato in her mouth offhandedly.

Phoenix grumbled, lipping his steak half-heartedly. Messel reached forward and massaged the base of his long horns, the fire-drake's fiery mane licking at his fingers with cool-burning tongues of fire. "Yeah, I don't like it either," he muttered softly.

"Hmm?" Vera asked.

"What?" came Jatan's echo.

"Nothing."

"Okay, where was I?" Shrugging, Jatan continued his story, something about ice demons and sea dragons. Messel sighed softly and ruffled Phoenix' mane.

¤ ¤ ¤

Jatan narrowed his eyes as he appraised the fire drake facing him. He stood over Phoenix, bent at the waist, hands clasped at the small of his back. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, exclaiming, "That's it!" Nestled comfortably in Vera's lap, Phoenix, startled, nevertheless jumped, eyes widening for an instant before he could compose himself.

"Yes, it's a flitter, a drake, a ball of flamin' fuzz. We're proud of your profound moment of revelation. Really." Messel arched an eyebrow which, like the rest of him, seemed under-width. As Jatan glared at the man venomously, Messel leaned forward slightly, wearing a mask of mocking innocence. "So…?"

Jatan rocked back on his heels, straightening, closing his expression to his antagonist. Messel smirked, lazy-eyed. "Something has been bugging me for some time now." His finger shot up with lightening-quick speed before Messel could comment. "Ah, ah--! Wait your turn Mr. Skraag, or I'll haul your ass off to detention."

Vera snickered and Messel smirked, eyeing her and the flit in turn. Phoenix had poofed up his mane, eyes wide and head cocked in query. He had a feeling Jatan had something not only interesting, but important to say. Vera nodded. "Go on, Jatan. What is it? No need for dramatics, we're already on the edges of our chairs."

Jatan grinned. "Oh, all right. As I was saying, something's been nagging the back of my mind, and something about Phoenix here has triggered it."

"P-thrreer?"

"Yes, you! But I finally figured out what it was." Jatan waved his index finger in the air and began to wander the small transporter ship that was currently transporting the team home from their latest story. They were using the free time to relax and verbally poke one another in the ribs. On one side of Vera sat Nyoco, nestled in a corner asleep. She had been up until the earliest hours that morning proofreading and re-editing their feature. No one begrudged the liberty she now took, snoring softly into a blanket. Jatan glanced at her briefly as he paced.

"I remember hearing," he went on, "about a mating frenzy scheduled for late summer local time. Vera, you remember what those are, right?"

She nodded. Basically, it was a dragon-dragon orgy. Messel stared intently, severely, at Jatan, which began to unnerve him.

"Yes, well. The thing is, it's called the 'Summer of Flames' frenzy; it's themed. There will be dragons and part-dragons and dragon-shifters there, you name it. I mean, that is the theme. Dragons with bonds who are also draconic in some way will be participating."

"Oh, right, I see."

He nodded, staring at her for a moment. "Eh-nyway, I thought that would make a great first story."

Vera and Messel stared at him blankly for a moment.

"First…"

"Yes, first."

Messel locked his jaw shut for a moment and nodded slowly. "You gave our thirty day notice before we left, didn't you?"

Jatan flashed him a quirked grin. "Of course I didn't send in yours. Why would I do something like that?" he added sarcastically.

"But, Jatan…" Vera shook her head, frowning. She looked down at Phoenix who seemed to be terrified of something all of a sudden. He was tense and trembling, an action hidden from most eyes by the flames, but she could feel it, as well as sense it with her mind. She hugged him until he had relaxed a little.

"No, don't worry," Jatan said reassuringly, waving his hands around. "I have it all figured out. The three of us have enough seniority and experience that people will want to buy our stories, right?" He received a pair of nods. "Well I know we have just enough money to buy a ship, only we'll split up the payment between four owners." He stopped, and smiled slowly, glancing back at Nyoco. "But it'll have to be a majority vote."

Frowning still, Vera looked at Nyoco, whose eyes were no longer closed tight. "Ny, you…?"

The older woman sat up then, smiling. "I agreed to nothing, but yes, Jatan and I have discussed it." She looked at Messel briefly, but turned her gaze upon Vera. "Vera, I don't want you to do anything hastily, but we've known this would come for a long time." Vera nodded. "It should be a good time to do something like this. It's a good time to buy a ship at the moment, and with four of us paying with our saved-up money, we should do fine, even if we fall upon tough times."

"But I think this frenzy will make that impossible."

"For now, Jatan," Nyoco cautioned of the younger man. "Never expect for everything to go your way. Plans almost never turn out the way we intend."

Jatan nodded mutely, attempting courageously to contain his excitement.

Messel watched her carefully, saying and expressing nothing. If she declined he had already decided, so would he. That's all there was to it.

"Think about it, Vera," Jatan implored.

She nodded wordlessly, stroking Phoenix' mane and thinking, Damn, but I am always thinking things over. "Fine, well I'm going to go sleep on it then."

"Um, sure." Jatan nodded, relaxing, and Nyoco nodded.

Vera did the same, then stood, taking Phoenix with her, who was cuddling deep into the crooks of her arms. Then she left, with all eyes on her retreating form.

¤ ¤ ¤

Of course, Vera Kempler was not the type to quietly "sleep on" an issue. Nyoco knew that before she had closed the door, her ward would be thinking of setting up her Interstellar-net connection as soon as she could.

And so she had.

Sitting down in her tiny, dark cabin, Vera fired up the tiny little computer and set the fire drake on the desk before her. He was shaking still, but tried with all his might to quell his terror. "What's wrong, Phoenix?" she asked with no small amount of worry. She had never seen him in such a state and was not sure what to do. "You're afraid of something. Is it this frenzy? Should I not go?"

To her first question he had let out a shaky affirmative squeak, but the passionate negative that followed set her back.

"I don't understand." Phoenix, understandably, was at a loss.

"Are you afraid of the trip? Of change? Phoenix, things have to change sometimes. We can fight progress and obtain a level of stagnation, but is that what you want? I want to embrace the future. Don't you know I came from a place far different from where you and I live now?"

Flaming orangey-yellow wings drooped in defeat. Phoenix was mournful for a moment, took a deep breath, and straightened. Mustering up all of his diminutive but admirable strength, he trilled heartily.

"Are you sure I should go?"

"Rrthrrt."

"Good." She made a sigh of relief. "Now. Do you need a hug?"

She was soon performing a search on the Ring of Fire and this "themed" frenzy Jatan had spoken of. While she was at it, she pulled up everything she could find on bonding, flights, what bonds did, and other rudimentary concepts. She had never thought about it before, but the stories of a planet-hopping vagabond like Jatan were most likely exaggerated. She only wanted to verify what she thought she already knew.

In the end, she felt no better off, but at least she knew that what he had described was mostly right, that bonding was like a marriage of one's very mind and even their soul to that of a dragon. She was not sure why that would benefit anyone of a different species. She sighed. Nothing short of bonding a dragon would give her the answers she needed. Unless she went to the Ring of Fire and interviewed dragons and their bonds for herself. She had always wanted dragons to be real, and while Jatan had always resolutely asserted that they were, she could never be entirely sure. Even with Phoenix around to shake her hold on "reality."

She hugged him close, feeling "heat" waves course over her body and through her mind and knew that finally he was utterly content. As long as he was with Vera, no matter what happened he would be spiritually content. She smiled and set him back down, then continued her search, which brought her to the information of the Ring of Fire itself.

Fascinated, she explored volumes and volumes of information as the hours passed. She learned about the planet where it was located, one called Pre'Mian. She studied what was available on who ran the place, a "young" Firelancer who went by Lani. Wings? Vera thought incredulously. Amazing. She learned that many at the Ring of Fire, including Lani, were of draconic descent. Not all of them were full-blooded!

"How is it possible to mix human and dragon genes?" she wondered aloud. Phoenix, curled up on the small desk, looked up at her. His expression seemed to convey his bafflement. Somehow she got the feeling his sentiment was directed at her, not the answer at hand. "Um, okay. I'll take their word for it. And yours," she grinned sheepishly, though not understanding why she did so.

She resituated herself in her seat and continued her research on the dragonry, which was actually in or on or around an ancient volcano. That gave her pause as she thought of countless people who had lost their lives as a result of their choice to live around the sleeping giant. Lani knows the dangers doesn't she? Of fire and earthquakes and landslides, and…

Phoenix expelled a sharp noise that sounded like a cross between a snort, a sneeze, and a cough.

"Alrighty then." Vera was beginning to wonder how much her fiery companion knew about this place but couldn't tell her. Or simply wouldn't.

¤ ¤ ¤

The next day found Vera rising late. They would be arriving at the airport near their hometown in a few hours. On her shoulder, Phoenix appeared a little greyer than usual, even after he had eaten. Vera glanced at him worriedly for a moment then sighed. The others noticed this but didn't pry.

Jatan for one, was too excited to dwell on a little bug that Phoenix had probably picked up on their trip.

Finally, Vera looked up at him, flickered her glance at the others who were far more composed, then back at him. He bit his lip. "Well I've thought about it."

"And?" Jatan's voice had an odd, high-pitch squeak to it that made Phoenix and Messel both snort.

"I did a little research."

"Uh huh?"

She tossed her head back and forth slowly, rolling her eyes. She smiled crookedly and said, "And I think we should do it."

"WOO HOO!" Jatan jumped up from the table, knocking his plate and glass over in his exuberance. "Ah-sorry… WOO! Woo, woo hooo!" His voice faded slightly as he bounced into the other room.

The room erupted with laughter, its occupants with varying stages of control over themselves. Vera shook her head while it rested on her hand, propped on the table with her elbow. Her sides shook with laughter. Messel's eyes were tearing profusely, he was laughing so hard. Rocking back and forth, he finally lost his balance and landed firmly on the floor, holding his sides until he couldn't breathe any longer. Nyoco held back her giggles as long as she could before bursting with hearty chuckles.

Jatan returned several moments later, hoarse but otherwise healthy and happy.

Sternly, Nyoco found her voice and said, "Now pick up that mess Jatan. You've stained the carpet."

¤ ¤ ¤