Ithate's bond mumbled in his sleep, causing his wife to shift, that motion setting two of her dozen or so little heathens--er, flits--muttering and tail lashing. The brown-black dragon's grin grew slightly. ~Joooooordaaaaan~ he tried again, with a touch of playfulness that he'd never left behind from his childhood, ~Jooooooordaaaaan! This is you concious speaking!~

"It's sub-concious, you knuckle-brain..." Ithate's metallic ears perked forward as he heard his bond's mumbled response.

Switching to his preferred vocal cords, the dragon hissed, "Well, whatever, just wake up! I need to talk with you!"

Jordan S'aller rolled over and propped himself up with his arms. The blueish glow of cyborware embedded in his skin cast its faint light oddly across his dark-complexioned features. His hair--scarcely a shade darker then his skin--tumbled messily just over his shoulders, while the usually neatly-kept patch of hair on his chin was accompanied by a dusting of dark stubble. He looked like he'd slept maybe an hour, even though it was more then halfway into the night-shift. Blinking blearily at his dragon bond, Jordan rubbed one knuckle in his eye. "What do you want?"

"To talk!"

The human groaned and made a motion for the dragon to get out. The dragon stayed put. Venus, the wife, muttered something about the both of them getting out, while a number of tiny chirps of annoyance sounded off around the room. Ithate snorted at them--the flits--and silence reined for a short period of time. "Do we have to now, Ithate? Why can't this wait until morning?"

"Because," and the dragon's ears flicked back, "This is exciting stuff! Just come out. For a minute? Please?"

"Fine... fine." The human threw back the covers and rolled out of bed, slipping on his dark house-coat as his feet touched the warm floor. "This had better be good, though..." as he yawned hugely.

"Oh believe me, it is." Ithate's grin turned more then evil.

"So you're telling me that you've already gone and promised these other dragons that we're going to be taking them to this... 'Eriol Frenzy'?" Jordan leaned heavily on the dining table, placing his weight on one elbow and cupping his chin in his hand. The other hand played restlessly with a stylus pen--a sure sign that he was irritated.

Ithate shrugged his wing-shoulders as he peered down at his bond. He had curled himself comfortably around the table, resting one black paw nicely over the other. "Eriol Backwards Frenzy. And, yes." Ithate flicked his metallic-finned tail, a look of nonchalance settling over his red eyes. "We can afford it. I went and talked with... people, and I found out we'll be put up nearly for free! And, well, think of it this way." Ithate's indifference melted into warm concern. "You need a vacation, my friend. I don't care what you say. You've been working non-stop for the past year!"

"That's not true, things have settled down a lot."

"It is true and you know it. When was the last time you had a decent sleep?"

Jordan scowled up at his bond, "well, if you hadn't woken me, tonight might have been one."

Ithate waved the accusation away with a paw. "Oh please. You haven't been sleeping well. And... things haven't been going well with," he lowered his voice, "the wife. Don't try to lie with me." When his bond didn't object, the dragon continued, "think of this as a vacation for the both of you... take Venus along, and, you know." He grinned again, "We all win!"

"Ithate," Jordan pushed himself up from his chair and grabbed his dragon's chin. The dragon obligingly lowered his muzzle for his bond to lean against. "Sometimes I don't know whether you were dropped on your head when I wasn't looking. Let me sleep on this, okay?"

Ithate grinned smugly. That was a yes! That was a yeees! "Thank youuuu."

"I'm not promising anything!"

"Of course not..."

"You're kidding me, right?" Adrienne Mau sat on the edge of her bed in the tiny apartment she shared with her dragon. "How the hell did you manage to get us offworld passage? I can hardly afford to keep you fed, you plant-lover!"

"Hardly a 'plant-lover', Ady. And it wasn't so hard. Just happened to be in the right place at the right time, for once." Braidie, the turquoise and gold dragoness, picked at her teeth with smug satisfaction. There weren't many days when she could surprise her bond like this, and she was enjoying herself. "And what are you complaining about, anyways? What, you want me to leave you home, while I go off to a giant flight?"

Her bond froze, her hand half-raised to stroke Braidie's snout. Slowly, carefully, she began, "this is for a flight? Just who were you talking to?" She of all people knew not to trust others when it came down to matters of sex, in any form. Males of any species could get their way with women in the most tricky ways... the fact that this whole 'offworld passage' thing came so conveniently sent up an alarm in her mind.

"Ithate, you know, the dockworker?" Braidie looked downright smug.

Adrienne scoffed. "Of course I know Ithate. His bond's only the Minister of Trade,"

"And Communications," Braidie supplied.

"And Communications, yeah. But you didn't talk to Ithate! Why would he want to talk to you?"

The turquoise dragon affected a hurt look, her blue eyes sparkling behind her facade. "Oh, right. Let's not forget, I'm just a janitor. I just clean up after all the bums that leave their rubbish in the middle of the deck! Who would want to talk to dirty old ugly me? Certainly not the Minister's dragon! Heaven forbid!" She exchanged her hurt look for an accusing one. "Times have changed, Ady!"

The human woman shook her head, finally setting her hand on the gold-splattered muzzle. "I know, yeah. But still."

"I swear to all the gods that I'm not lying. You could march over to Mr. S'aller's apartment right now and ask him, and he'd tell you I wasn't lying." Braidie sounded dead serious.

"Well... okay. When and where are we supposed to meet people?"

The dragon perked up. "Oh, that's the easy part...."

"TORVAL!" Meroclaisen had been sneaking up on her bond for the past minute, inching her way closer to the grey-haired man who was, essentially, oblivious to anything but what was at his computer. The human let out a yelp and leapt right out of his seat, then spun around to shake a fist at her.

"What the bloody hell was that for?!" He vented, his voice nearly as loud as hers had been.

"Oh," she drawled, "just waking you up. You're such a zombie when you sit there like that! You need to get a little life into you!"

The human shot her a suspicious look. "This had better not be one of your matchmaking stunts again, Mero..."

"What, me? A matchmaker?" The bronze dragoness raised a hand to her muzzle and batted her lids over her mint-green eyes. "You know I'm just a goon. I would never do such a thing!"

"Bloody hell you wouldn't." He dropped his hands to his hips and sighed gustily, then suddenly arched into a much-needed stretch. Meroclaisen waited patiently for him to finish. "Alright, out with it." He said, flipping a hand at her.

The bronze lashed her tail in excitement, but she held up one finger, and cleared her throat. All for effect, of course. "I," she announced, "am going on a vacation."

"You are, are you?"

"Yes," she grinned toothily. "And you're coming with me."

Torval snorted. "Right, and you're also the queen of world's end." He turned back to his computer, but a blood-red wing shot out and behind him, shielding his workstation from view.

"I could be if I wanted to," the dragoness said, supremely confident, "but I'd rather be here with you. Anyways. I've been chatting with all the proper authorities, and everyone's decided that you deserve a vacation, too! We haven't gone to the surface, let alone offworld, since we took this job! I need to get out and stretch these wings," she flexed the extended one for emphasis, "and get my groove back!" Withdrawing her wing, she pouted at him. "I think I'm getting soft or something."

The man barked his laughter. "The day you get soft is the day that I throw in my hat. Now get out of here, I need to finish a few invoices."

"NO!" Meroclaisen brought her hand back down on the ground, hard, her claws digging into Torval's shoes. "Let me finish! I'm leaving tomorrow, with Ithate and a group of other dragons, and we're headed to a giant flight--no, stop sputtering, let me finish! We're going to a big flight, and you, my bond, are coming with. You are going to relax, enjoy yourself, and take in the scenes. You are not going to touch another keypad or holo-board until we get back! Kapiche?"

Torval winced as the claws dug in harder against his toes, but he didn't cave like the average man. "If you think you can bully me like some no-good debt-dodger, you'd better think again."

"Torval," she rumbled, her voice ominously low-pitched. "If you don't come with me, I'll put in a request to resign, for both of us."

"You can't do that!"

"I can and I will! Come on, Torval! What's wrong with a little vacation? Get some rest," her voice turned smug, "get some action, get some excitement! Maybe find yourself a nice girl..."

"MERO!" Torval roared, interupting her train of thought. "Don't even think about it!"

"What?! Alright alright, no matchmaking. But at least come along? Please? Come on, Torval. Just... come along."

The human sighed, ran a hand through his short cut hair, and turned back towards his computer again. This time his head dropped forward in thought. Mero, again, let him take his time. "Alright," he mumbled. "But only!" he cut short her excited squeel, "if you promise not to play any of your little games with me!"

"Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!" Meroclaisen made the appropriate gestures, her face goofy with excitement. "I swear I won't! Oh, this is great! Offworld! I can't wait! We're going tomorro--"

"Tomorrow?! That's too soon!"

"Don't worry, I told you I made arrangements!" She dodged playfully out of the way as he aimed a blow at her forearm. "Stop frothing at the mouth like that! This is going to be so much fun." And with that, she backed out of the room and bounded away. Torval was left in the office, shoulders slumped slightly as he realized what he'd gotten himself into. Damn dragons...