She dusted, placed each tome back where it belonged. Scrolls were harder, no one ever remembered where to put those, they were always out of order, even after her companions had finished working.

“Literary barbarians,” she muttered. Her day was technically over, the library closed, everyone else had gone home. But she remained, dedicated to the duty of straightening the paperwork and making sure no one had left a page folded down. (Not only did that rankle her, but it was against the rules! If they were borrowing a book to read, didn’t they bother to read the rules about checking them out?)

It wasn’t tedius work for her, to everyone else that staffed the Grand City Library it was a chore. They weren’t like her, Clementina Feliciane was a dedicated worker and a diligent Litarist.

Litarists weren’t common, at least not yet. In a place known for its size, population and age, the Grand City was home to at least half a dozen devotees of the Written Word.

Eventually, with her eyes a bit bleary, reddened from the oil pots smoke, Clementina drew her day to a close. She made sure the doors and windows were secure, and headed to her small home up the road.

As ever, she was bright and chipper in the morning, if her face hadn’t betrayed a little night-owl-ness in the baggy bits below her blue-green eyes. She came to work, saying a little prayer in the form of a haiku at the door, as always. The head librarian sitting behind his counter near the door nodded deeply to her, and beckoned her over with a thick hand.

“I have something… special for you today, Clem,” he said in a hush. “It’s that time of the month, and we’d like you to … go.”

A weird sense of dread filled the tow-headed girl, she was only eighteen! How could they send someone as young and delicate as she out there… out there…

“You’ll be outfitted properly of course, we can’t do this without preparations.” He stood, guiding the now-numb Literist toward a tall pair of doors on the side wall of the Library’s main study room. The doors were locked, always, until this time of the month.

Through them, she was sent down the hall which connected the Library to the rest of the Grand Palace. Once she reached the end of the hall, there were attendants who helped her for her duties. She’d never done this before, and frankly the idea filled her with dread. She was all about the books – and she had to keep that in mind. She was all about the books: and the books needed to be claimed.

Once she was fully dressed in the enchanted white metal armor that had simple scrollwork along the edges of each piece and a helm which made it a bit hard to see, Clementina clomped back toward the Library doors.

There, she was handed an official scroll, one which had many well-scribed lines upon it. Lastly, she received the satchel which would weigh nothing, but carry much. They draped it over her shoulders and patted it down by her hip. And then, they sent her out.

To collect the fines from the overdue books.

Looking at the list, it was organized in such a way that she could walk around the city more easily. She approached the first house, a merchant, who immediately apologized, handing her the book and the payment. “Slipped my mind, so much going on!”

However next, she recognized the name on the list. “Daniella I am ashamed!” She chided the single other Literist girl in the Great Book Club. The other girl hung her head.

“I got so absorbed, I read it again,” she said, depositing the gigantic tome of the Great City’s History into the satchel, biting her lip when she couldn’t quite meet the fee.

“I’ll pay it, this time,” Clem said, “but only because you’re a Sister and I know your family is not rich.”

“Are you sure?” Daniella asked, “I will pay you back!”

“Yes, you will,” Clem nodded, “I am sure, in time. I’ll make a note to myself.” She strode on through the city streets collecting books or money, or both.

She began to wonder, why the need for a full set of armor, enchanted to boot? And then she reached one particular address. The slender tower reached four stories at least, had a living gargoyle guarding its gate. It looked as though three more such bizarre edifices along this murky street had to be collected from as well. Wizards Way, of course.

She clanged the door knocker, and waited only a moment before it flew open and a blast of fire shot over her. Clem was too surprised to even react to that, before she realized that she hadn’t been harmed: the armor did its job.

“Who disturbs me!” Yelled a voice, and Clem took her helmet off to shout back.

“It’s the Library! You’ve got overdue books! Pay up!” She yelled, and suddenly an old crouched man wobbled into sight, carrying an improbable armload of books.

“Oh my, oh my, it’s that time of the month isn’t it – oh my,” he prattled on, apologized, dropped far more than his fee into her collection box, and trundled back into his tower.

Clementine came to another dangerous looking site, complete with a mini-moat and what looked like a tiny water dragon.

“Come in,” said a weirdly altered voice, “it is time, is it not…”

When she crossed the 3-plank ‘drawbridge’ Clem felt odd. It wasn’t like she had the same connection to the world as she had before, and when she turned to look behind her, the world was – not there?! Instead a great volcanic ring of fire drifted through the air… she was frightened, and moved into the only safe space she could find, ahead.

***

The man who greeted her and several others was nice, she thought. And he seemed a little weirded out by the presence of these ... those were dragons? So they did exist outside the mountains... Of course they did. Why wouldn't they?

Clem made a note to herself, to send a letter to the historian who claimed boldly in his last dissertation that all dragons were extinct and any sightings were of some kind of lesser creature with similar features. Pish posh! Here was one standing before her!

Literally, too - she walked upon two legs, though it was clear she could stand easily on four and use those massive wings to fly. The wings - interesting, Clementine thought, they had both feathers and stretched webbing. Calculations about lift, whether the dragon had hollow bones, and the like all competed with Clem's overwhelming urge to pet the fur on the dragoness.

Fortunately she didn't get the chance. For in an instant, the dragon became a young looking woman. She bore a superficial resemblance to Clem, in that she had brown hair and fair skin. Aside from that, however, she looked rather ... giddy.

"Those of Integrity may choose to bond, or merely become friends with one such as yourself. Would you... mind terribly if we became Bonds?"

"Oh and you dropped this, over by the door. I think you were surprised to see us." The girl - dragon - person - handed off the satchel which Clem had been tasked to keep. There were plenty of books in it, already, but she had also been able to stick the sword into it, for safe keeping. One never knew whether the presence of a sword out and about would cause a fight.

"Th-thank you!" Clementina said, and blinked carefully. "I think I would very much like to become closer! I like you already, can you fly?"

"Of course I can fly, well," she chuckled, "not like this."

They spent a while getting acquainted, learning one another's names, and suddenly Clem's throat tightened.

"I ... I don't know if the Library will allow me to keep a dragon, pets aren't allowed!"

Liaxeri tilted her human-head and blinked, they happily laughed and decided that if there was a rule against it, perhaps this time the rule might have to be amended.

*Next*

Name: Liaxeri
Gender: Female
Bond: Clementina
Species: Unnamed ("One of Integrity) -- reincarnated Lawful Good human
Abilities: Shapeshifting (see above); Verbal Speech; Very strong Order magic; Strong Light magic; Average Healing magic; Below Average Psionics (Telekinesis*, Bending another's mind**, illusions**, mind-reading*, telepathy*, teleportation* - * average, ** quite poor); Below Average Fire magic
Ban: May not naturally breed purebloods. Purebloods will be reincarnations of Lawful Good humans.
Personality: Gentle, Supportive, Stalwart

Clementina and Liaxeri went back to the Library, eventually - once the initial learning phase of how to ride, and how to use whatever powers the dragoness had, was over.

It was during that time that Lia and Clem got to know one another. And Clem learned of Lia's 'failure' in her prior life, how she came to be a dragon in this.

"There's no resting, if you know that there was more you could have done," Liaxeri said. She was clearly more comfortable talking about this in her dragon form, she never mentioned it while she was the adorably-cute little girl she appeared to be in her 'human' form. Perhaps it was too painful to speak of, Clem realized, because it was in that form which she ...

"Their numbers were great," Clem said, "you couldn't have defeated all of them. Not with one spell."

"And that was all I had time to perform, but... There was time, before they came close. I should have used other spells, I should have known they'd come for us. The monastery was not safe and we all knew it."

"People attacking monks, devotees," Clementina grumbled, while arranging notes about her adventure. "I mean, the Library's got defenses, magic and otherwise, but that's just ... uncalled for."

"When you are an enemy of their god, I suspect it is," Liaxeri said, flatly. "And we both know that there are many gods who fight one another as well. Sending their worshippers against each other is a time-tested method."

"It doesn't make it right," Clem replied. "But I understand. And... you're very far away from your old world, your old realm. We're not from the same world, are we?"

"No, indeed not." Liaxeri shifted down into her human form, which was quite a lot smaller than Clem and slightly more bubbly than one might expect of a truly devoted member of a religious sect. Their religions were not wholly different, Clem's was all about the written word and how it kept communication going. Lia's had been dedicated to the task of preserving things, books and culture, life, honor. They were always called upon to document great events, they were almost always asked to help defend towns and villages which were too far away from their kingdom's center to be helped easily by Knights.

Lia herself was a mid-ranked member of this order, and had thus been given the skills of the blade necessary to defend herself - not great at it, either, she admitted, because she was quite weak in the arm. By the time she was in her mid-teens she was also sent to learn protective spells, a long process of magic and worship would have made her a reasonably good protector.

But for the attack which took the lives of everyone in the monastery that night.

"I do not believe that every god keeps watch on their followers all the time," Liaxeri said, "but ... I know that mine was watching while we perished. The fires were..."

Clem put her hand on Lia's shoulder, "it's okay. You don't have to."

"I do, I do," Lia continued. "There had been a bright flash on the sky, none of us knew what it was, but ... I had a feeling it would be bad, and sure enough there they came - hundreds of men, and beasts. I've never seen such beasts, but ... Now I am such a creature," she lifted her hand and it turned to a clawed, fur-covered paw. "I think they came from elsewhere, maybe they were enlisted by the dark god's forces. But ... what they destroyed that night was far more than lives. It was history - all the books, the tapestries, our records and our magic items. I don't think anything was left." She pulled in a sob, "if only I'd sent out a messenger, maybe we'd be saved."

"Or, maybe... that was your purpose that time around," Clem said. "I've read about our other gods here," she looked at the books upon her dorm's shelf. "They are not as active as they once were, and we've only one who looks upon everything at all times. But she says and does nothing. So we don't even know if we're being judged by her, or if she even cares to judge."

"That sounds so cold," Lia said. "But then our gods were... are, I suppose, quite violent, very opposed to one another. If one finds that another's looking at him wrong, there's another war. That is probably why there is only one generation of them..." Lia managed a chuckle. "They can't stand one another long enough to breed - and the only one I know that's their child was killed to bring all human life about."

Clementina gave Lia a bit of a worried look. "And... I'll bet that child was the product of a rape, right?"

"Oh, you know it. But at least my god felt it proper to defend the humans under his care, give us the way and the tools we needed. If anything, we were the last step between all gods killing each other's followers off. Someone has to maintain order."

They toasted one another with cups of water, and headed down to the courtyard. Since her return, Clem found herself asking to be placed on Duty more and more often - she had the means now to travel more quickly and widely, and even to pursue those who'd stolen their books. With Liaxeri beside her, Clem would don the armor and take up the satchel she needed, almost every other month. She did understand when the elders asked that she not try to get the position made permanent, "others must learn how to do this duty, in case you are not here to do it yourself." It was wisdom, she took it to heart.

She ... took a vacation. She'd learned there was another library on another continent, and begged of her superiors to allow her to visit it. They gave her leave, and told her to enjoy herself - which she was clearly capable of doing, she was still young and vital, and had a lovely friend to show off as well.

They made it to the library, after Clem's many letters to the keeper of this place she was expected. Liaxeri caught their interest, but not too much, they were in no danger. Clem would have scolded the keeper of the library here for not organizing his books quite well enough for her taste, but she knew she was in a foreign land - the last thing she wanted to do was upset their balance.

"But where to now?" Liaxeri asked, "we've days and days before the next full moon, I dare say you read too fast."

Clem laughed, "I think I do, but I can't help it!"

It was nearing mid-Winter, on their own continent, while this one was still bright with Summer. "I think I want to go where it's snowing," Lia commented, wistfully. "I used to see a lot of snow, but not for years, and it was quite warm and dry all year before ..."

"Well certainly!" Clem said, "but I can't ride you this way!" She waggled her fingers at Lia, who laughed and shifted back into her draconic shape. Riding was no easy feat, she wasn't all that large, but was surely strong enough in this shape to carry more than just Clem.

"Go where it's snowing," Clem said, and they teleported.

Weirdly. They wound up ... somewhere, they weren't sure it was the same world - Lia wasn't perfect with her teleportation and had occasionally brought them to odd locations before; but it wasn't anywhere either of them expected. It was a wide, bowl-shaped plain, surrounded on all sides by huge towering mountains. They were capped with snow and there was plenty of it on the ground - but also plenty of green.

The green appeared to be competing for space with the snow, it was almost as though something was removing it and laying more down as they watched!

"That's... odd," Clem commented while dropping to the ground. "Look at that, it's like something's running through it."

"I think... something is running through it." Liaxeri said, her dragon eyes squinting and peering into the mottled distance. "Do you hear something?"

Clem did hear something. Faintly at first, but now more clearly. "Bells?"

"And plenty of them," Lia added.

All of a sudden, a yellow-and-black form galloped by them, stopping on a blade of grass (since they had no dimes) and looked at both of the females. He had a deer-like shape, long face and elegant antlers bedecked with bells. They barely got a look at him - his eyes widened, he blinked once with those long eyelashes flowing, and then appeared to wink at them - and then he vanished again in a plume of snow and glitter.

"Well that was odd," Clem said.

"... He was beautiful," Lia whispered. Clementina turned to look up at her dragon friend.

"Ooooh really," Clem said, watching the way Lia stared out after the bells noise in the distance. Now that they were there for a bit, they could hear the bells constantly - just sometimes closer and louder, sometimes quite far off. "Why not go catch him?"

Lia shook her head to clear it, "I--I can't do that! He's so fast! I can't go that fast!"

"Who says you need to run after him to catch him?" Clem laughed. She looked around, found what looked to be a fairly safe large rock to sit on, and waved her hands at Lia again. "Why not... just stand there looking pretty! After all, I think he liked you. Didn't you see his look?" She mimicked the wink that the deer-creature had given. Lia's own deer-fox like face wiggled over itself with distraction.

So it wasn't all that much longer, while Clem tried to figure out where exactly they were (they weren't anywhere), Liaxeri found a spot near a more bare grassy portion of the plains, and lay down. Clem looked up at her, and jotted down a note: Liaxeri can be quite seductive.

Clem heard the bells, probably long after Lia did. Once more, a blurry yellow creature zipped past, but he slowed up, trotting, and then finally standing with a snort and heavy breaths before Lia.

Whatever it was that passed between them, Clem wasn't really privy to. For a moment later, Lia had vanished along with the deer-dragon.

She wasn't worried. There was exactly no reason that she thought she needed to fret about this. After that longing look that Lia had given the dragon, and that adorable wink he'd shot at her? Clementina hummed to herself and caught up on some overdue writing.

***

"He told me about the rest of the Nexus," Liaxeri said when she returned some hours later. Both dragons looked... a little disheveled. Lia's feathers and fluffy fur were all out of sorts, and the bells around the male dragon's limbs were halfway tangled. He shook his hind leg out, flinging a tiny pair of bells, which Clem went off to retrieve. By the time she got to them, he had sped off once more.

"And... what's that?" Clem asked.

Liaxeri told her in simple words about how she'd reached this place - if they looked quite closely there was a cave opening off to one side, if they tilted their heads a bit the sky turned from snowy cloudy white, to a weirdly grey tone, the kind of color that a bustling city illuminated dark clouds, or - an allusion which neither of them would understand for weeks to come - the color of a television without a channel on.

The Healing Den's parking lot, in other words, had parked itself in this wide open plain nestled among rocky peaks and grasslands in Winter. Just for her? Perhaps. S'onmul was the male's name, and he was one busy dragon. "He gave me gifts," Liaxeri said dreamily, while preening.

They went back to work for a bit, but Liaxeri steadfastly refused to shapeshift. For at least four weeks, in fact, she maintained her draconic form. While others didn't think much of it, Clem wondered - for about half that time. She realized that her dragon partner must be pregnant. Why else would she keep her body in one form? It might be dangerous for the ... kits? Eggs? Babies? Fawns?

"So do you think you're going to need a place to nest?" Clem asked, when it was pretty obvious that Liaxeri was needing such a thing.

"I'd like to go back to that Den place, it will always be Winter there, it's nice for a switch.

"How can it always be... never mind, I trust you, I'll put in for a leave. You can pack for me, okay?"

***

It turned out that Liaxeri wanted some space for very good reason. Plus, bearing her kits on the outside of the Den's influence had some kind of weird effect when it came time to name and send off these kits.

They were live, but quite small, when they were born. And there was another gift on the way: apparently, Liaxeri and S'onmul were having several of these litters.

"You sneaky little thing!" Clem laughed. She hated to be parted from the little kitlings - they were adorable! Wobbly on their hooved hind legs, and clearly not bipedal like their mother, but they had strong thumbs on their forepaws, and would obviously have their father's antlers. All had small nubs, oddly shaped with a spade on the front and two prongs off the back. Unlike him, they did have wings, and only two tails, a compromise between Lia and his rear ends.

"They're stunning," Clem said, while S'onmul zipped away and back to bring small pieces of food and fruits, gifts and ribbons to decorate them. He also dropped several handfuls of bells on strings in Clem's lap, with the clear indication that they'd be given out with the offspring.

Twice more they went back to the Den's Winter resort, and every time, when the younglings were ready, S'onmul gently picked them up one by one, and delivered them to wherever they would do best. They needed attention, but not necessarily maternal care - they could feed themselves, and showed early on that they all carried one or another of their parent's powers.

Some sped off following their sire, while others gave half-strength attempts to shapeshift. Others beamed with a glow indicating they had light magic, while others clearly were adept at either teleporting or moving through dimensions - or both.

Thus... a large number of offspring were distributed around the Nexus. Proud parents both - their children would need caring partners, and something to do: if they could stand still at all, it would be a good day!

"I think we'll see him again, some day," Liaxeri said as they parted for the last time, nuzzling muzzles and S'onmul's long tail whipping around with a cheerful noise.