Magdenai stumbled into the room she had rented for her stay on this world. This particular mission had been very difficult, and all she wanted to do now was take a long soak in the inn's hot spring. She stripped out of her sweaty clothes and grabbed one of the big, plush towels supplied with the room. Wrapping the towel around herself, Magdenai slipped out the back door of the room. She'd been told when she arrived that the back doors led to the inn's private hot spring. There were others, if you didn't mind sharing your bath with the rest of the town, but the private one was generally quiet. Which was what Magdenai was hoping for. The path was lined by snowdrifts, and Magdenai could tell there was more snow on the way just by looking at the clouds. Hopefully, it would wait until she was done soaking. The hot spring was deserted when she arrived, and she found a rocky ledge to one side to lay her towel on. Stretching to relieve a few of the kinks in her muscles, she stepped gingerly into the water. Hot, but not uncomfortably so, the water slowly seeped through her fur, reaching her skin and relaxing the sore muscles underneath. Finding one of the natural "benches" a short span under the water, she sat down and leaned back, letting the water cover her all the way to her neck. As she soaked, she wondered if her friend had completed her mission yet. Normally, they didn't like splitting up, but these two problems had to be dealt with quickly, and they'd decided they could each handle one solo. She mentally ticked off the days she'd been here; of the month they had decided to give themselves, she still had about a week and a half. Plenty of time to get to the rendezvous point. She'd probably head in early though; she'd heard Star City had an extensive variety of inhabitants and that usually meant an even better selection of goods to purchase. Tomorrow, she decided. Tomorrow, she would go find out when the next transport to Star City left. Right after she delivered the proof of her success to the town's mayor. She grimaced; she disliked taking "trophies" from the monsters she was sometimes forced to hunt, but the mayor had demanded she bring back physical proof that the beast was dead. Opening her eyes, she was pleased that she was still alone, and ducked beneath the water to finish soaking her fur. Now thoroughly wet, she took some shampoo and proceeded to scrub all the sweat and grime from her fur. Rinsing well, she stepped from the spring and shook most of the water from her coat before picking up the towel. She squeezed the rest of the water from her tail, and wrapped the towel around herself once more. As she moved away from the comforting warmth of the spring, she realized the temperature had dropped several degrees and hurried back to her room. Throwing the towel over a chair, Magdenai slipped into a robe, and sat on the bed. She glanced at the sack on the floor by the door; she'd be glad to get rid of it. She hoped the beast's fangs, and the ear she'd managed to slice off during the battle, would be proof enough. If he wanted more, she'd tell him where she left the body, but she couldn't guarantee how much of it would be left. Scavengers were very good at what they do. Stretching out on the bed, she realized just how exhausting the day had been. And how lonely. She snorted. "I'm not used to working alone anymore," she said to herself. Which was actually a bit funny in itself, as they hadn't been working together for that long. She thought about getting a pet of some kind, but dismissed the idea. She wouldn't want to drag a pet around on their more dangerous escapades, and she wouldn't feel comfortable just leaving it somewhere while she went traipsing about the universe. Eh, I'll think about that more later, she thought, as she drifted off to sleep. ********** The next morning, Magdenai was up early. She dressed quickly, threw her clothes from the day before into her pack, and looked around the room. She'd tidy it up a bit when she got back; she wanted to get the job finished. Grabbing the sack, she left the room. The sooner this was done, the sooner she could get out of here. Doubting that Dervin, the mayor, would actually be in his office this early, Magdenai walked straight to his home and knocked on the door. When a servant answered, Magdenai asked to speak to Dervin, and soon the mayor arrived in his bathrobe. "What is so important it couldn't wait for normal working hours?" He grumbled as he got to the door, but stopped when he saw who it was. "Well? Have you dealt with the beast?" The look on his face turned Magdenai's stomach. How could anyone delight in the destruction of another creature? The beast had needed to be killed, true, but only because it was a danger to the lives of the townspeople. This man looked positively eager to see whatever proof she brought. Hiding her disgust, she tossed him the sack. "The beast is dead; it will bother your town no more. I hope that is sufficient proof." Keeping her eyes off the sack, she noted his far too pleased look as he beheld the contents, and vowed never to come back to this place. The man nodded, then turned and spoke to the servant behind him. When he turned back, he had a small pouch in his hand. He handed it to her. "The reward. It's not much, but it should be enough to cover any of the expenses you've incurred. You have our thanks." He turned back to the hall and the servant closed the door. Magdenai stood by the door for a moment, thinking. Weighing the pouch of coins, she knew the "reward" he had given her was not the reward advertised, but given the circumstances, she wasn't going to confront him about it. The sum in the pouch was enough to cover costs, and that was all she needed. It was time to leave. On the way back to the inn, she stopped at the shuttle station to find out when the next transport to Star City was scheduled to leave. She was thrilled to discover that it was to leave late that very afternoon. Reserving a seat, she headed back to her room to clean and get ready to leave. She tidied up the room, then grabbed her things and went down to talk to the innkeeper. She paid her bill, and thanked the pleasant woman for the excellent stay. Then, she headed out to wait for the transport. It was a pleasant wait, no one bothered her, and soon she was on her way to the space station. The journey didn't take as long as she expected, and she was at Star City before she knew it. When she disembarked, her first view of Star City impressed her. She wasn't used to so much technology, but it wasn't as intimidating as she'd expected. She made her way to the first information terminal, and looked up where to find lodging. It was easy to find, and she saw a few other things she'd like to check out a little later. Magdenai arranged for a room, then decided to explore a bit. She headed to one of the places that had caught her attention: the ministry of draconic relations. She'd heard there were benevolent dragons around, but had yet to meet any. This sounded like a good place to look. When she got to the office, she was the tiniest bit disappointed that there were no actual dragons present. But the photos on the walls quickly distracted her. Reading over the description for one of the clutches advertised as being available on the Abstract Destiny, she was struck by how appropriate one of the clutches was to her train of thought from the other day. This Genesis Two clutch looked interesting; good, warrior type dragons looking for bonds of like mind. This would be an ideal answer to her desire for a companion that would be able to stay with her, even on her most dangerous missions. Too bad her partner had yet to arrive; she would have loved this opportunity. Well, maybe she'd make it in time. Magdenai stepped over to the desk and asked how one signed up for a clutch. After doing so, she stopped and looked at the picture again. The hatchlings looked a bit gruff, but they had a certain charm. Maybe one would decide that she was worthy to be their partner. She slipped out of the office and headed back to her room. She had clothes to clean. *** A few days later, Magdenai was called to the hatching bay with the other candidates. While the atmosphere in the bay was not quite as happy as she expected, it did not lessen her excitement. Only the fact that her friend had not arrived in time to sign up, or even to be in the audience, dampened her enthusiasm. But not by much. There seemed to be a bit of hesitation on the part of the doctor in charge, as he stood near the waiting eggs, but at a cry from one of the adult warriors, the eggs began to hatch. As there were three seperate sets of parents, there were of course differences in appearance, and Magdenai wondered which she would have the honor of partnering. She didn't have to wonder long as one of the hybrids approached her. ::Magdenai.:: The brown hatchling spoke as he approached, waiting until he had her attention. When she turned her full attention to the yautja, he bobbed his head. ::Well met. I am Omon.:: "Well met indeed. I am pleased to meet you as well." Magdenai smiled, and led her new bond from the bay.