Far away, in a different world, a yellow dragon and a winged woman were sitting on a fancy boat near a small island. The winged woman was lying on a beach chair, scribbling quick notes on a piece of parchment with a feather that most certainly came from her wing. The dragon, meanwhile, peered over her shoulder, scanning the words that appeared on the page with alacrity. Her nostrils twitched suddenly, and she leaned in towards the woman, looking at her upside-down.
"Ellie, why are you narrating for us?"
The woman let go of her quill, and it continued to write on its own.
"I thought we'd do a poioumenon kind of thing. We're the 'B Story'."
The dragon grinned.
"That's so cool. Does that mean we'll have twice as many chapters?"
"Mhm."
"Coo-oo-ool! What are we going to do?"
Ellie stood up and poured herself a drink at the bar.
"I don't know yet. There's something we have to investigate," she said mysteriously.
"And that would be? . . ." the dragon pressed.
"Julia Spurr," Ellie stated in a businesslike tone, "She was my formal rival, as you know, from my days as a paleobotanist. She contacted Claire Dearing recently, asking her for a sample of her blood."
The dragon frowned in puzzlement.
"But Julia Spurr was from your world, not Claire's . . ."
"Actually, she comes from neither. I scanned her background, and it turns out that she is Asterpara-born, or at least knows how to use Asterparan Magic."
The dragon's eyes went wide.
"Asterpara?! That's unbelievable! What animal is she, really?"
Ellie shrugged.
"That's what we're going to find out. It seems like Julia wants to involve herself in my story, somehow. I can't imagine why, unless she's planned some sort of revenge plot against you. I wouldn't be surprised, given your infamy among the Asterparan Elite. In any case, she'll most likely be showing up soon, and we'll have to figure out her devious plan. Lord knows I could use some conflict in this story. By the way, June is on the move."
"Oh, really?"
"Mhm. She's in Brazil right now, but she's traveling fast. She's going to swim to Phnom Penh."
The dragon pricked her ears.
"Cambodia? That's pretty far."
Ellie nodded.
"She's a phenomenal swimmer. Back when she was in my world, she swam to Africa from Montana."
"And then back to New York."
"But that was with the help of a giant demonic pig. Even so, she has many talents."
"Like being evil?"
"I wouldn't call that a talent."
The dragon chuckled.
"Fair enough. Being good is far more impressive. You know. You're an angel."
Ellie raised her eyebrow.
"Is that a wing joke?"
The dragon shrugged.
"I can't always be clever."
Ellie leaned against the boat's railing and stared out at the ocean. The clouds were tall and fluffy, and the wind blew calmly with the promise of an upcoming adventure.
"You know, it's a big world out there," Ellie said simply.
The dragon nodded.
"And there are countless worlds just like it."
"And then there's the Overworld . . ."
The dragon smiled whimsically.
"Yeah. Speaking of which, are we going to see the premiere together, or are you going to forbid me from watching it like Zebil did?"
Ellie punched the dragon's arm lightly.
"Don't be silly. We're family. It's our duty to participate in friendly social activities to counteract the times when we make each other's lives miserable."
The dragon laughed.
"That was a good quote. It's definitely going in the scrapbook."
"You have a scrapbook?"
"No. But if I did, I'd put that quote in it."
Ellie smiled.
"You know, we should have a scrapbook. Our adventures are-"
"Ridiculous?"
"Yes, but also fun. By the way, I was visiting Fiction headquarters the other day, and I had a funny thing happen to me."
"Go on . . ."
"I lifted this guy's hammer, and everyone flipped their shit."
The dragon chuckled.
"Well, you are God. Still, you shouldn't go around breaking other people's universes. It's just common decency."
Ellie shrugged.
"I suppose, but there's nothing much I can do. I have a hard time keeping track of what limitations people expect from me."
"Not that you'd follow them, being the supreme power in our Universe . . ."
Ellie hummed.
"It's been a weird few years."
The dragon nodded.
"Almost a decade, with some generous rounding."
They sat quietly for a moment, taking in the calm atmosphere. With a deep breath, Ellie spread her wings.
"I'd say it's about time to head on over to Costa Rica . . . er . . . the other Costa Rica. By the time we get there, some serious shit will be going down."
The dragon tented her claws deviously.
"Excellent. And we'll be catching the premiere on the way, correct?"
"Absolutely. But before we cross over, I want to do a little test drive over the ocean. These wings need training."
The dragon raised her eyebrow.
"I thought you'd be good at flying by now . . ."
"I am, but I've been busy. I haven't had the time to test my limits."
The dragon grinned roguishly.
"Yes, but the real question is: do you even have limits, Ellie Sattler?"
"Absolutely fucking not."