[b][u][center]A Modern Dragon Harem Chapter 6: First and Second Sponsored by Glyn Wolf By Draconicon[/center][/u][/b] When he woke up to find the bed empty, Draconicon wasn’t too surprised. He had never been great at waking up when people left early, even as a human. As a dragon, half-exhausted from trying to figure out his magic the night before, he doubted that he would have been any better, even with someone that relied on a cane to get around. He groaned under his breath, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling. “Oy, you trying to poke someone’s eye out there?” “Hmm?” He lifted his head, looking down. As soon as he did, he saw the bulge in the blankets, his morning wood swinging the hotel blanket around a great deal more than a human normally would. Even if he’d been alone, that would have been an equal mix of fascinating and embarrassing. And he wasn’t, really. Veronica was seated at the little desk at the other side of the hotel room, back in her coat and vest, jeans and boots. Except it wasn’t Veronica leaning forward on her cane, nor Tobias. “Hello, Victoria…” He groaned under his breath, sitting up and letting the blankets fall down around his hips and crotch. It wasn’t completely comfortable, but it was better than making that thing [i]too[/i] obvious in the morning. It was easy to tell when Victoria took her place at the ‘front’. Unlike the stark intensity of Tobias or the slightly less intense (but no less focused) curiosity that Veronica had, Victoria tended to have a more relaxed lean to her posture, a more constant smile, and a definite ease to her eyes. Kinda like she was always smiling. Bit like how an Andalite was described as doing, he supposed. “Been up long?” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. “Heh, a while. You know how it is.” “Yeah. Ugh.” Fumbling for his robe, he finally found it cast off the side of the bed. He looked forward to learning how to float things to him the way that he had written it, because fumbling around, trying to cover himself, and getting dressed all at once was not pleasant. No, he wasn’t being awkward. Not awkward at all. When he finally had the robe tied and had managed to crack his back, he turned back to his…well, Victoria. All of them had roles, and all of them were something subtly different to him, so it wasn’t like he could simply call them a guest, or a friend, or something else like that. It was too unique, too different to standard roles to give a specific name to. It was like…she was his, he was hers, and that was all that mattered. “Sleep okay?” he asked. “Yeah, once the rest of ‘em went to bed,” she said, tapping her head. “They really appreciated the cuddles, even though they won’t admit it.” He nodded. After debating and rejecting the cheap coffee that was on the desk, he pulled the other chair over and sat down. Victoria chuckled. “What about you? You alright?” “Better than I could be, I guess.” “Heh, good. Now, you know why I’m out this morning?” “To give me a talking to?” “Yep. Now, you wanker. What did we say about going off all by yourself?” “Not to do it,” he said, rubbing his face and sighing. “I know, I know. Just…” “Hey, hey.” She lifted her cane, poking him in the knee. It was just firm enough that he grunted from the impact, rubbing it. “Okay, how did you make me feel that?” “Power of friendship. And knowing where the nerves are, heheheh.” “Trust the bunch of you to know stuff like that.” Shaking his head and rubbing his knee until the light ache faded away, the dragon looked out the window. The sun was just coming up, shining through the gap in the windows. Not much could be seen other than the bit of light that was shining through, but it was enough to tell him that they’d need to be on the move before long. Staying in the same place, undefended, unprotected, was as good as asking whoever was responsible for the car bomb to try again. If they did, it’d be more than just a bunch of scrap metal painting the walls if it happened here. Draconicon rubbed the back of his head, feeling Victoria still staring at him. She’d want an answer, and he knew better than to keep any of them waiting. “I don’t know. I just don’t like feeling like I fucked up. Seeing Janet showing off my mistake…” “Aww, come on. You know that we’re not gonna be mad about that. Not for long.” She paused, pointing one finger towards the back of her head. “Nah, no. We’re not. We’re not. Not even you.” “It was an accident, and it’s one that I’m going to be making good on for a while. You know that.” “I know. So does Veronica, and so does Tobias, even with all the complaining he’s doing. Heh.” She shifted her position, shaking her head. “But we know how that feels. It’s hard to face it. ‘Specially when you don’t make a lot of ‘em.” “Fewer, but bigger.” “With us, maybe, yeah, but with everyone else? Naaaah.” He smiled slightly in spite of himself at the warm Australian accent. The various different voices that Veronica, Victoria, and Tobias had were very similar to each other – well, except for Victoria’s, considering the Aussie sound – but each of them had their own tells. Victoria’s tended to have a warmth to it, almost like she infused every word with the same love that a dog-owner had for their animals. The good ones, anyway, and without the condescension that it sometimes had. He rubbed the back of his head as he tried to sort through his thoughts, but she kept talking. “Look. You don’t gotta do it all yourself, ya know? You’re a good man. A beautiful man. And if you got the stuff to change things, then we want to help you do it. But you remember how I keep telling you that you spread yourself too thin?” “Yeah…I remember.” “You can’t keep doing that anymore. If you do…” There was a hardening, and their eyes changed. Still half-closed, but with a hardness there, a slight twitch in the mouth that indicated that Tobias was front again. The Australian accent was gone. “You don’t get to leave.” It was a simple statement. Not one that threatened him, not one that threatened anyone that he cared about, but a simple one nonetheless. He nodded slowly, sighing. “I told you I wouldn’t.” Then the shift happened again, and Victoria was back. She blinked, shaking her head. “You know, you really made him more assertive. I’m glad he wants things again. Just wish he didn’t shove so hard. I’m gonna have to kick him if he doesn’t use his manners next time.” “You know how he is. If he’s got something to say, he needs to say it. And that’s better than holding it back.” “Yeah, yeah…” She sighed, putting her cane down and pushing herself to her feet. There was a tiredness to her that always made him wince a bit, always left him feeling just a bit worried. After all, Victoria was the shining cheer of the bunch of them, and if she ever got too tired… That was not a thought worth holding onto, at least, not for now. She wasn’t that tired right then, and that was what mattered. He got to his feet with her, holding out a hand to steady her, and she pushed it back. She looked up, shaking her head. “I ain’t that tired yet, hun. Trust me, I’ve got a lot of strength left.” “I know. Just want to make sure that you don’t have to do what you don’t have to.” “Heh, don’t worry. I’ll take care of myself. And the rest of ‘em.” “I know, heh. I know.” “I’m gonna go back to my spot. I think the rest of ‘em want to plan the day. You ready?” “Ready as I’m going to be.” There wasn’t much of a plan just yet, but there were a few things that they needed to get done. They needed to secure some more transportation. They needed to find a place to hide out. They needed to find a way for him to experiment with his magic more. Most importantly, however, they needed to get the people that mattered out to him. That was going to take some doing, alright. Just getting them the money to fly out to him wasn’t going to be enough anymore. He needed them in the area now, and he needed them yesterday. Most of all, he needed Nic there. His girl, his fiancée. If she was there, then he would feel better. More importantly, if she was there, he wouldn’t be thinking with his dick all the time… The happiness faded, replaced by the intensity of his guard dog. Veronica shook her head from side to side, then cracked her neck. “What did you find out last night?” “I figured out how to channel the magic through rhyming couplets, and that there’s too many perverts in the area that like the smell of dragon dick,” he grumbled. “The second one doesn’t help, really, but I guess it’s worth knowing that if anyone throws you in a police car, you got a chance to get back out.” “I guess.” “The magic’s got potential, though. Anything else?” “Using the couplets doesn’t drain me as much as just willing something into existence. It isn’t as flexible, but it’s much more directed, so I’m not blunt-forcing it as much.” “Okay. Tobias is already on the spell-writing then,” she said. “Now. You need Nic.” Not the first time that she’d said it, but it was the first time that he agreed with it as readily as he did now. Even though the only thing that they’d done for the last twenty-four hours was have a bit of a perverted show, better to have her here rather than where someone else could hurt her. Particularly with the car bomb coming as close as it had. If they knew who he used to be, if they knew who he was close to, then it was only a matter of time before Nic came up on their radar. “I need to get her here, but I have no idea how,” he confessed. “You have magic.” “Yeah, but if I do it wrong, I could easily pull her here without any skin or anything else. It’s random when it’s just pure will, and I’m not exactly a poet. A novelist, maybe, but that’ll take too long.” “That’s…fair,” she admitted. “But as soon as we get the couplet ready, you’re summoning her over here. She deserves to be here, and she needs to be safe.” “Couldn’t agree more.” “Until then, transport.” # Eventually, they were able to get something that would work. There were a dozen different car lots around, and while most of them were focused on storing the vehicles of travelers heading in and out of the airport on a daily basis, some of them stored rental cars. A little bit of pheromone work later, followed by a command to forget what the clerk had seen, gave them a mid-range car that was already completely fueled up. “You know, I really should leave you guys,” Janet said as they turned onto the freeway. “I’m putting my life on the line here, and I don’t even like you.” “You’re free to do that anytime you –” “She’s not allowed to leave without conditions,” Veronica interrupted, her eyes flicking across the sky. “Or something to hide the marks. Or better, remove them.” “…Yes, Veronica. I am aware of what would need to happen first, thank you. I’m not Felix.” “…I know. Just making sure.” “I know.” “You two are…ugh…When you start making sense, I’ll know the world is doomed,” the dark woman said from up front. He shook his head, glancing out the window. Despite how obvious the car bomb had been, he doubted that whoever had started this would be chasing after them with a helicopter or an obvious car tail. They’d probably wait until he settled down somewhere else, let them get comfortable, then strike again. It was all the more important that he find a way to enchant something for Veronica, Tobias, and Victoria, something that would keep them invisible, as well as make something to allow Janet to move about without being tracked. [i]Of course, when you start using magic, you have to remember the consequences…[/i] It was like when Janet had asked him to make the car invisible. Not exactly a good idea, considering they were on the open road and anyone could come rushing up to hit them from behind, or sweep into them from the side. Nor was the idea of taking his magic and flinging them from place to place, or anything that the stories often had people doing. The use of magic at this point was a risk that he had to measure, just in case things went wrong. So far, he had been very, very lucky, and he could tire out easily if he relied on luck. “[i]Called safe and sound in the wink of an eye Nicola Anning, Heart’s Love, to my side.[/i]” It was another couplet, and one that was better than the others. Draconicon considered it for a moment, then shook his head. “Almost there. If you can finesse it to being more exact where she’ll land – like, which side – then I’ll give it a try. Otherwise, let’s wait until we’re [i]not[/i] moving seventy miles an hour.” “Yes. Should allow for conservation of momentum, too,” Tobias muttered before sliding back again. Others might have found the company of someone with multiple personalities to be a bit strange. He never did, for all that it was something new and different. For him, it was like having multiple friends in one. They were all distinct, all well-rounded people, and he enjoyed their company. Yes, he was aware that there were others whose personalities were far more harmful, but that wasn’t the case here. They had managed to form a working whole, and that meant that they were far more complete than most people that he knew that were ‘normal.’ He leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes as he thought about the path ahead. They were heading south and a bit east, down towards the tallest mountain in the state. It wasn’t the best place for a base, but it was surrounded by a big national park, and there were various ranger stations around that they could clear out that would give them a place to stay, somewhere that they could disappear into before they moved somewhere else. But that was just the start. Draconicon wanted to take what he had and do something with it. Take his power and change the world, change the way that things worked. Everyone was always talking about how much the world sucked. Why not be the one that took what was wrong and made it into something right? [i]I have magic. I have power. I have friends that are just as motivated as I am. If I give them some sort of strength to exercise their ideals…if I make sure that we all stay true to what is important…[/i] That was going to be the hard part. He was talking revolution, and he knew it. For every good revolution in history, there was at least one bad one, usually quite a few more. The idealists trying to overthrow a bad government could turn into another bad one just as quickly. For all that this was different in that he had the power to just rip through things faster than any revolutionary army in history, the risk was still there. [i]I have to stay good…Even if I indulge myself, even if I have fun…even if I do the things that Drac did in stories…I have to stay [b]good[/b].[/i] Victoria reached forward to rest a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Hey, love. Remember: we trust you. And so long as you trust us, we’ll keep you on the good path, eh?” “You and a bunch of others, if things go my way,” he muttered under his breath. Still, he took her hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.” She turned back to the road, Veronica back in charge already, scanning for threats that he probably would never be able to notice. He didn’t like being helpless, but unlike some idiots in stories, he wasn’t going to throw himself out into the middle of danger just to prove that he had some worth. [i]If I am going to change things, I might end up being our best weapon, but that doesn’t mean I can be the only one. An overpowered commander doesn’t make for an overpowered platoon. I need other people to do what I can’t, and even when I can start doing it, I need to make sure that I listen to the experts.[/i] There had been enough stories of revolutions, real and make-believe, that he felt that he had a long list of mistakes that he needed to learn from. So far, he’d not made any unforgiveable ones, and he hadn’t been made to pay for them. However, he needed to ensure that he didn’t make any more before they had ways of setting up precautions and countermeasures. A soft ding came from his phone, and he reached into one of his robe pockets, opening his robe and dragging a large stick of deodorant up and down his thighs, along his balls, and over his dick. He pulled one foot off the ground, doing the same to his sole, and then continued to apply it liberally across his body. “I hate this, I hate this, I hate this,” he muttered. “Better than me crashing because I can’t think of anything but my pussy,” Janet muttered from the front seat. “I’m with him,” Veronica said. “I get trying to smell human – sometimes – but that is just painful.” “Well, unless he’s got a way to make me [i]not[/i] notice that he smells like sex all the time, we’re doing this. Unless one of you want to drive while I fuck him?” “…Tempting…but no,” the dragon muttered. “He belongs to Nic. Not you. Unless she gives permission, you’re not going to be riding him again.” “Fine by me…fucking big-dicked nutcase…” With Janet shaking her head and his guard dog keeping watch, Draconicon leaned his head back and stared out through the front window of the car. He kept running his own couplets through his head, trying out different combinations for different spells. Of course, he never spoke them out loud, merely tapping out the syllable beat that they had to make sure that they fit. After all, it wouldn’t do to cast a spell by mistake. They were more than halfway down to the Mt. Rainier National Park when one finally occurred that would be useful. Draconicon smiled, opening his mouth. “[i]Scent of power, mine to use Restrained by me, unabused Released by will to seduce and claim Released only by sound of name.[/i]” As he spoke, he pulled his power up from his core, forcing it into the words, making them take the form and power of his own will. It was drastically different from using his power by force of will alone, and he could feel it sliding into the phrases like it was water running down a funnel. It pushed into [i]something,[/i] he couldn’t figure out what, but it was real enough to tell when it was full. It was released, and suddenly the car was empty of the smell of his pheromones and musk. Janet blinked, and so did Veronica. They both turned to him, and the black dragon smirked. “I think I solved one problem.” “No more of that stink?” Janet asked. “Not unless I call it what it is.” “Musk,” Veronica said. “You release it by calling it out?” “That’s the way that the spell works, I think.” “And how do you put it away?” “…Still need to figure that out, but at least I’m not having to put on more deodorant every half-hour.” “Thank fuck. I was almost as sick of that as I was of that smell…” It wasn’t much, but at least it meant that the rest of the drive wasn’t going to be quite so bad. Now he just needed another spell to make a second word to call it back in again so he didn’t have to remember the spell that he just cast. # He came up with that spell and two more by the time that they reached the national park, and one of the latter two came in useful for getting them past the toll booth that was waiting for them. The black dragon smiled to himself as he waved them through, almost like a Jedi mind trick, and he couldn’t help but smirk a bit as they were allowed through without question, payment, or record. [i]And best of all, he’ll be making sure to get rid of the footage. Yep, I am that good.[/i] After the sheer number of failures, it felt good to have a few wins. It wasn’t as good as winning from the start and being that overpowered character that he now looked like, but it was better than having to be rescued again and again. “Where to now?” Janet asked. “Take us about halfway to the glacier viewpoint. If I remember right, there’s a station about a twenty-minute walk from there, and we can start settling in.” “We’re just leaving the car, then?” “Can’t be helped. It’ll point a small trail, but as long as we take this smart, we should be able to keep them from following us past that. Veronica?” “I can hide our tracks. Hell, pretty sure that if Drac carries the both of us, there won’t be much in the way of tracks to hide.” It wasn’t the best plan, he knew, but it was better than none, and it would sure as hell be better than trying to find their way to a hiding place in the civilized parts of the state. Better to be somewhere that didn’t have any security stuff for now, allowing him to figure out how to use their best asset. Once he figured out how the magic worked, then he could start taking steps. Then they could start doing things, when he had a tool to make things better, and to make things easier for them all. Until then, though, he needed to be careful, and [i]they[/i] needed to be quiet. One group already knew about them. More would be unacceptable. The only reason that Tobias and Veronica hadn’t jumped down his throat regarding his attempts with the couplets was, he was sure, because he had checked everything after the first one with them, listening to suggestions and tightening-ups that could make them better. He dismissed one or two of their suggestions, and he was usually backed up by one or the other as they argued. Through it all, Janet had been completely dismissive, the young woman more than slightly weirded out by it all from what he could tell. She was getting to be more and more of a risk, and while he hated thinking of things more ‘pragmatically’ like this, he knew that he needed to either get her on their side, thinking like them, or he needed to get rid of her. [i]But not killing her,[/i] he reminded himself. [i]You aren’t a killer. God, you’re not…but get rid of her without pointing the finger back at yourself…[/i] Much as he knew it would make things easier, though, he knew that he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was loyal. Always had been. If he marked someone, if he took them in, then they were someone that he had accepted until they did something to remove themselves from that group. Whether he liked it or not, Janet was one of those people. He would do everything he could for her, partially to make good on his mistake, and partially because…well, she was his now. That meant that he had to take care of her. The car came to a halt partway up the mountain, and the dragon gestured for them to stay in the car as it stopped. He looked down the mountain, watching the road they’d followed. Nobody came after them, not even a car that would be heading further up. They were as alone as they could get, as far as the eye could see. “Roll down the window,” he muttered to Janet. “The both of you, got anything small you’re wearing that I can borrow for a minute?” “Why?” Janet asked, Veronica already pulling off a pendant. “So I can make something like my ring. Hop out the window, leave the car here. People will think that the car’s jammed full until they come up and look in person.” “Unless someone has drones out looking in the infrared, but other than that…” The dragon and human glanced at Veronica, but neither said anything. It was a fair point, and considering how common drones were these days, it didn’t even have to be the military using them. It could be a hobbyist that happened to get lucky, or some secret cabal of people. It was really impossible to tell unless someone found them, and even then, not easy. Eventually, Janet pulled off an earring, handing it back to him. The dragon took the two items, holding them in his palms before closing his fingers around them. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and remembered what he had done the first time with the ring. [i]Safety. Invisibility. Ring of safety. Ring of invisibility. Hiding. Hidden. Soundless. Impossible to find…[/i] He collected his will around those constraints, forcing the magic into the jewelry. Just as before, it left him tired, even aching, and he was aware that he had used more power than before to make this pair. Even accounting for the fact that there were two of them instead of one, there was definitely more power expended making them. And he had a guess why. [i]Soundless.[/i] He had included more characteristics, more ways of staying hidden with these enchanted items than he had with his ring. They were more powerful, more useful than the last one. [i]Then it better stay with them,[/i] he thought. [i]Or…[/i] He hesitated, looking down at the earring in particular. The temptation to switch with her passed quickly, and he passed the earring back to her. Bad set of choices, really. His ring would have left someone else more vulnerable, someone that he was supposed to care for, while that earring would have given him the protection that he didn’t currently have. The other two took their items back, and as soon as they put them on, they vanished. [i]Well, I’d call that an unqualified success,[/i] he thought with a bit of sarcasm. [i]Eat your heart out, Sauron…[/i] “If either of you are talking, I can’t hear you,” he said. He waited, but no voices filled his ears. No sound could be heard at all, for that matter, aside from the sounds that came from outside the car. “I won’t be able to hear you until those come off. For now, let’s go. Ranger station’s down the slope, twenty minutes away. Veronica, touch me so – yes, there you are. I’ll carry you down there. No way you’re making it with the cane. Janet, follow me. That’s an order.” # They arrived with ease, though with some pettiness from Janet. They took their items off as they reached the little red cottage, making sure that they weren’t followed before getting comfortable. “Tobias?” Draconicon asked. “Yes?” “Did you come up with a couplet to get Nic out here?” “Yes. It should cover all the different ends, though it might spark a transformation.” “That’ll be fine. Probably. Give it here.” The starker personality did just that, writing it out before passing it over. Draconicon read it a few times to make sure that he had it right, then pulled at his magic as he spoke it. “[i]Nic, my vixen, soft and sweet, Tied up in bows, pretty and neat, Delivered to me within the hour, By my will and by my power. I call for her, by my own name, Delivered, safe and sound and sane, Unharmed by perils mortal or more, Bring to me whom I adore.[/i]” He felt the power pour out of him, a little more than the couplet that staved off the smell, but not nearly as much as he expected. It was the feeling of a successful spell, though it didn’t work immediately. No, it took 59 minutes, 59 seconds exactly before a white-furred, human-sized vixen showed up in the middle of the cabin, gasping and yelping. She was dressed in nothing but bows and red ribbons, all of which seemed to be carefully placed to keep from showing off her whole body right then and there. She blushed worse than ever, whipping around to look at him. “What the – Drac? Drac, the fuck did you do to me?!” “…Tobias?” There was no answer, and he didn’t need one. His ‘vixen.’ Not his lover, not his fiancée, not any of those. His ‘vixen.’ [i]Damn it…I was hoping to wait and give her a choice before this.[/i] He sighed. [i]But…at least she’s here.[/i] “Sorry, love. I’ve got a lot to explain, but suffice to say, I needed you here. I [i]needed[/i] you here, because if I didn’t…well, you wouldn’t be safe.” “Okay, that…that I can get, but…” She gestured at herself. “Why?” “I’m still figuring this out.” “I kinda wanted a shot at you as a human first before going furry.” “Main point is, you’re here.” “Yeah, that’s – oh, um, hi Veronica…” The vixen blushed, rubbing her arm as she looked past the dragon at the guard dog. She chuckled nervously. “Um…looks like I got to change first. He didn’t…” “You deserved first. I get it second.” “I guess that’s fair. But…babe, you’re going to change her, too, right?” Draconicon nodded. He had every plan to…once he figured out the best way to make it happen. There was a lot of experimenting and writing to do before he was even going to attempt something like that. [b][u][center]The End[/center][/u][/b]