Embers (Scales 'N' Spells 4)

This was unbelievable. Dragons had always been the epitome of a dream for Nikki. How could anyone possibly ever fear them? And yeah, okay, the dig about Nikki being taught to mistrust mages had hit a little too close to home. They squirmed a bit under it. Nikki was making progress, though! They didn’t think every mage in the clan was horrible.

“He’s brilliant with herbology. Seriously gifted. We’re blessed to have him for that reason alone, but he’s a really good man, too. I find him a good listener. If you want a listening ear, Tori would be the one to talk to.” Gunter reached out as if he meant to place his hand on Nikki’s shoulder but seemed to catch himself and awkwardly drop it to his side again. “He also grew up in an abusive environment, so he’d get it.”

Be that as it may, Nikki was hesitant to approach Tori. It felt like a serious imposition. And they weren’t sure if Tori was just being nice when he’d made the offer.

They entered the dining hall, saving Nikki from answering. The large room was filled with thunderous noise from conversations, regularly punctuated by bursts of laughter. The cacophony was normal, as any gathering of dragons produced noise.

Nikki understood from Gunter that it used to be quieter than this, but they had a lot of guests from other clans right now, mages and dragons alike. Enough to fill the dining room to capacity. It seemed like an ongoing party every time Nikki entered.

Personally, Nikki liked the warmth and exuberance that filled this room. It felt like a happy family all gathered together. Nikki had never experienced camaraderie before, but the atmosphere felt like a giant hug from everyone gathered.

It also didn’t hurt that the food was delicious.

Gunter drew in a deep breath and then made a noise of pleasure in the back of his throat. “Seems we’re having Indian cuisine today. I smell naan.”

“Is that good?”

“You’ve not had Indian before?”

Nikki shrugged. They’d not had a variety of cuisines while under the ‘care’ of the Jaeggi. Mostly pre-boxed and canned foods that could be easily reheated. Why take care of someone only there as a battery source?

Remembering made them angry. Almost irrationally angry, and there was nothing to readily do to diffuse the emotion. Nikki chose to ignore it much of the time. Their childhood was so completely fucktangular, it would take decades of therapy to straighten it out. And lots of things set them off. For instance, food. Nikki’s food allotment had never been enough and always the same types, things easily heated out of a box or can. The food in Burkhard was a gourmet’s feast in comparison. It was very, very hard to not overindulge with every meal.

With a deep breath, Nikki took firm hold on this present moment, shoving past trauma to the side.

Focus on food, Nikki. Rather amazing-smelling food, at that. “I’d love to try it.”

“It’s generally spicy. Are you good with spice?”

“I like spice.” Nikki took a closer look at the buffet table as they approached. Nothing looked remotely familiar, but it really did smell good.

Gunter, because he was kindness personified, pointed to each dish and explained what it was and what it was made of. It helped Nikki choose what to put on their plate. But they also noticed Gunter chose only the meat and carbs—the korma, rice, and naan, to be precise.

Why did he avoid vegetables all the time? Seriously, the dragon was worse than a child. Nikki had seen it play out time and again on the sitcoms they watched, of how important veggies were. Parents were always telling children to eat more veggies.

Nikki made sure to put a vegetable dish with a second helping on their plate. They’d sneak it over to Gunter’s at the right moment.

For goodness’ sake, feeding a dragon shouldn’t take this much strategy and forethought. There had been wars waged with less strategy than this.

By some miracle, they found two open chairs next to each other and settled into them. Nikki was relieved to see dragons on all sides, so they didn’t have to worry about interacting with mages, at least. It gave them the peace of mind to eat.

Tentative sampling of each dish proved Gunter right—it was all delicious. They dove in with more gusto, keeping one eye on Gunter while they waited for the opportune moment to strike.

When it did, Nikki was ready. Half of their vegetables promptly slid onto Gunter’s plate, nestled next to the naan.

Gunter was more alert than Nikki had given him credit for, though, and instantly paused, glass in hand. “Nikki, why are you putting vegetables on my plate?”

“Because you never put them on your plate,” Nikki said stubbornly, their eyebrow arched in challenge.

Gunter rolled his ice-blue eyes in an obvious prayer for patience. “It’s not like I’m a growing boy.”