Iris was walking with Ace and Deuce to class when her sharp eyes caught something that had her racing to the window.
"Iris, what..." started Ace...before all three boys yelped. Iris had jumped out of the window without any hesitation at all.
"What the heck is she..." started Deuce, before something big and black flew up past the window.
"...Am I imagining things or is that a small wyvern?" said Ace faintly.
"Nah, that's just Midnight," said Grim once he saw it. He was on Deuce's shoulder. He squinted a bit, before he saw what Iris had noticed. "Oh, I guess Kalim must be having issues with his carpet or something. He's flying pretty oddly."
"Kalim?" said the two, following to where Grim was pointing.
Sure enough, you could vaguely see someone on what appeared to be a carpet flying erratically.
"How the heck did she see that?" said Ace in disbelief.
"Her mother hen mode must have sensed something," said Grim sagely.
In the sky...
Kalim was only mildly panicking, as he knew someone would have sent for Jamil immediately once it was clear something was wrong.
That being said, he was in a lot of trouble.
All of a sudden, the carpet tilted sharply.
"Eh?" he said confused, wondering why he felt nothing under him. Then he freaked out once he mind registered the carpet flying somewhere else...without him on it.
Before he had a chance to properly panic, something massive grabbed him and threw him upward. He felt his body land hard on something scaly...and oddly warm.
Opening his eyes, he saw black scales and the sound of deep, measured breathing. It took him a few moments to register he was on some sort of mythical creature, one that had apparently saved him.
"Whoa!" he said, as it did a sharp turn towards the school. He grabbed it's neck, and heard a strange sound. "...Are you laughing at me?"
The beast warbled under him, before lightly smacking him with it's "ear".
"Thank you for saving me!" he said gratefully. The creature warbled again, before it maneuvered it's wings and started to make a slow, measured descent to the ground.
"Kalim, are you alright?" said Trey in concern. "...Is that a dragon?"
Kalim slid off, glad to be on the ground for now.
"I'm fine! It..." he started before the creature warbled in warning. "He?"
The dragon glared at him.
"Sorry, she saved me!"
The dragon huffed in annoyance, before gently flicking him on the head with her claw.
"Kalim!" said Jamil concerned, though that went up when he registered the dragon beside him.
"Where did this dragon even come from?" asked another student.
"Quite an impressive specimen. She's clearly built for speed and power," said Lilia. He peered closely at her back. "Though it seems she's neglected her scales. She's overdue for a proper grooming."
The dragon's eyes narrowed on him and let out a questioning warble. Lilia chuckled, as he knew what she was asking without her having to vocalize it.
"Yes, I know the proper grooming methods."
Anyone who lived in Briar Valley or served the royal family knew how to properly groom a dragon after all. And if he was right, this was likely Iris. No wonder the little fae child had said she was a good match for the prince.
The dragon nodded to herself, before taking off. She was quite fast, and overtook any potential fliers before they even had a chance to catch up.
Lilia chuckled to himself. Things had become rather interesting now, and he was sure the Queen would be very delighted at this particular development.
Iris made a point to track Lilia down later that evening.
He chuckled when she saw her.
"So, your dragon form needs a proper grooming I take it?"
"What you saw earlier was my more...indoor-friendly...version. My full size is a bit much and I needed speed over power to help Kalim out. But my back hasn't stopped itching for days for some reason and it's driving me nuts."
"From what I saw, some of your scales seem to have overgrown and are starting to overlap. You most likely need help shedding the old growth," said Lilia.
"Any help would be appreciated. And if it's not allowed by your prince, then I'm sure I could get Luna and a few others to help with proper instruction."
"It's no trouble at all. Besides, this gives me a chance to examine your dragon form in proper detail."
And make a thorough report to the queen, he left out.
Luna, Cater, Riddle and Grim all went with Iris into Diasomnia. Luna would collect the fallen scales (to be made as pendants later, among other things), while Cater and Riddle helped with the grooming. Grim mostly came to see what Midnight looked like full size.
Lilia was waiting for them with some specialized tools. Iris gave him a questioning look, mostly because Malleus was not there as well.
"Lord Malleus might not be able to control himself if he were around," said Lilia with good humor. "You're the first female dragon shifter his own age that he's ever met, and it doesn't help that he's been actively courting you. He's watching from the window in a secured room to keep him from being overwhelmed by your scent."
"Ah. Possessive sort, I take it?" said Cater sagely.
"Very," agreed Lilia. "Hence why Silver is not here to help, though he knows how. Having an Alpha around while you're in your full dragon form might set him off."
"Shall we get started then?" said Iris cheerfully. She understood completely why that was the case, hence why she only brought two Omegas and a Beta with her.
Turning into her full form took a bit more time than the smaller one, and it was often too overpowered for most situations, hence why she rarely used it. Her smaller form was generally enough to deal with most problems and was good for a quick flight.
Cater let out an impressed whistle.
The dragon was bigger than Ramshackle dorm, and was absolutely terrifying if it looked pissed. Her eyes were bigger than their heads, her talons looked like they could rip a man to pieces without any effort at all. Her wings were absolutely massive and could cause a lot of wind damage if she took off. Her scales were black as night, though upon closer inspection it was clear that she was overdue a shedding session.
All in all, she was a pretty impressive specimen.
Midnight lowered her head towards Riddle and crooned at him. He tentatively reached out with his hand to touch her nose. She nuzzled against him in an almost maternal manner.
"It's nice to see your dragon side properly while you're in a good mood," said Luna.
Iris settled in as Lilia coached the others in how to use the scrub brushes. Once they settled into a proper rhythm, several scales began to fall off in an odd sort of rain.
Inside the Diasomnia dorm...
Malleus observed his potential mate being groomed. It took every ounce of his patience and training not to open the window to catch her scent properly. He knew why he had to stay inside here, but it still drove him mad.
Lilia had firmly instructed Sebek and Silver not to allow him out of the room until it was over with. It didn't help that her scent would linger for a few days regardless.
The small fae child she had claimed as sister collected as many of the scales as she could. He knew she had begun her own clan, as Lilia had investigated her once he realized Malleus' interest in Iris as a potential mate. The fact she used her fallen scales to subtly marked those she claimed was rather pleasing, and made it easier for him to know who was under her protection.
Outside the dorm...
Riddle found himself in the awkward position of being cuddled like a stuffed toy. Grim had already found a spot to nap in between Iris' horns.
Cater was already taking plenty of pictures, ones he shared with Lilia once he got the best shots.
The Queen would want photo evidence of her grandson's mate after all.
"Just give the potion some time to set in, and you should be fine," said Lilia. "Aside from the old scale growth, you seem to be in excellent health."
Iris let out a pleased, if sleepy rumble.
Luna made sure they were out of Iris' rough earshot before she cheekily asked Lilia something.
"So...how much damage do you think those two will make once they enter a mating flight? She won't make it easy for him you know, and she's quite the flier."
Lilia grinned openly, his eyes full of mischief.
"Between his fire and her flying, it should be a good show," he said laughing.
The longer, more intricate the flight, the higher the chance of a successful mating.
Lilia wouldn't be surprised if the Valley had several new heirs once the two were properly mated. Iris was in fine health for a dragon, and only time would tell what her full power would be like.
Iris stared down Azul with an amused expression on her face. Azul looked rather trapped, as Iris had the presence of mind to copy the photo before having Cater crop the picture to show the image he had wanted so badly to destroy.
"I'm not releasing them. They signed a contract."
"I'm not saying release them. They need to learn to read a bloody contract before signing, and this is a good lesson for them. I'm just asking that you alter it so that they have a chance to work off their foolishness. Crowley has already come to me complaining about you stealing their magic."
Azul pushed his glasses up, as he was on more familiar ground now.
"What do you have in mind?"
"First off, knock it off with the magic theft. There's no way you have the time to learn how to control it all correctly, never mind the fact that stealing people's magic is a quick way to piss off some powerful factions in a hurry."
"What would you suggest?" said Azul, glaring.
Iris gave him an incredulous stare.
"Seriously? You could have gained just as many minions with half the headaches simply by creating a legally binding contract over gambling debts or an overdue tab that would cost them more in legal fees to fight than to work off."
Azul blinked.
"What."
"Do you have any idea how many people I've swindled with poker games into following me?" she said amused. She reached into her subspace pocket to pull out a few minor contracts, handing them over for him to read. Azul's eyebrows raised at how...binding...the terms and agreements were.
"What exactly is this?"
"This is a loan agreement. In exchange for agreeing to be my lackey, I'd loan them enough money to cover their gambling debts."
"And this works?" said Azul dubiously.
"Of course it works...if you do it right," said Iris.
"Elaborate."
"What is the primary purpose for money, besides buying nice things?"
"Power," said Azul.
Iris shook her head.
"You're thinking too broadly. By and large, people require money to survive. Housing, food, utilities, clothing. So...what happens if someone gets into debt and cannot pay for such things?"
"They get thrown out the street."
"And what would happen if say someone were to pay for said debt, with a proper contract mind you, and happened to provide food, water and shelter?"
Azul's eyes widened as he began to realize what she was getting at.
"Now you get it," she said smugly. "Your little trick in stealing magic is good, but it creates too many enemies. My way, however, creates people who owe favors. Favors that can be called in with very little restriction as to what the favor is."
Azul was getting excited now. He was thinking too small time. Iris was playing the long-con in a way that very few could use against her.
Then again, he didn't have the resources or coin to pull the same trick since he had to start from scratch.
Iris was smirking.
"Now you get it. So Azul, what would you say to a little exchange?" she said.
Ace, Deuce and Grim were all highly baffled when Azul ended up releasing them from their contract...and was all buddy-buddy with Iris after.
On an unrelated note, Iris began hosting some rather...exclusive...poker games that only those with invitations could join in Ramshackle.