Realistic or Modern Dragons in Our Midst

[GreatSaiyaman31]

The birds were chirping rather noisily outside as Arthur laid underneath a car about to drain the oil for an oil change. Across the garage from his side was another mechanic working on a transmission. It was beautiful and sunny outside and people were driving past in their operable cars and walked down the sidewalks trying their best to make speed records while getting from point A to point B. As soon as he unscrewed the cap he slid a tank under the hole where the oil began to pour out. Rather hot, scalding oil since some splattered and hit his cheek before he could finish moving out of the way.

Standing up onto his feet after crawling from underneath the vehicle, he wiped the oil off his face onto his sleeve as he paused to take a look at the world around him. He understood partially why humans were always in a hurry. They did live such short lives after all. It was no wonder that they wanted to make every moment count. He sighed as he was brought back out of his cloud by the bell ringing that someone had entered the office section of the business either to pick up their vehicle or to schedule an appointment or something. He checked on the vehicle he had been working on to discover that the oil had finished draining. He popped on a new filter and cap and started refilling the oil tank and while one of the jugs was emptying into the vehicle he grabbed a sticker to place on the vehicle so that the owner would know when to bring it in again for the next service.

Once the oil reservoir was full he removed the jug of oil and replaced the cap before closing the hood and grabbing the keys to remove it from his work station so that he could move on to the next job.

 

[Golden Solitaire]

Sitting on the patio with a cold glass of water and a nice book was a dream come true. The sounds of the forest were relaxing. If it weren’t for her current read, Saria would be napping on the porch swing. The sun beamed down between the branches of the pine trees surrounding her home and warmed the earth below. She couldn’t ask for a better place to live.

While Saria read page after page, Argo and Cobalt pranced between rows and rows of brightly colored flowers. Their usual white coats were dotted with fallen petals they had rolled in and specks of dirt that had gathered. The two would certainly need a bath. Luckily, Saria had all the time in the world. She only needed to run a quick errand that evening to pick up a few things at the store. Looking as they did that very moment, neither of the dogs would be joining her. Of course, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t try to jump into the backseat of her car if they weren’t inside the house.

Saria had her boys spoiled rotten. Cobalt was the first pet she cared for on her own. She had adopted him from a local shelter after moving into her current home and deciding she had too much space for one person. An adult Great Pyrenees certainly took up the room she didn’t need. A few years later, she picked Argo up from the same shelter. Since the day they arrived at their new home, they know nothing but love from the woman.

Closing her book, Saria got up from her seat and whistled for her dogs to follow her inside. If she left now, she wouldn’t have to deal with rush hour traffic. The store was way too crowded after everyone left work. Grabbing her keys from the kitchen counter, Saria patted both dogs on the head and walked back outside to her car.

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

Finally at closing time he handed in whatever keys he had on him and took off his jumpsuit. He would need to grab a few supplies at the store before heading home. A bunch of microwave meals and if he could find a halfway decent pocket novel in the magazine aisle he would splurge a little.

He punched out and waved goodnight to his boss before he walked outside to his chopper bike, swinging his leg over the seat and starting it up. He pulled out of the garage lot and headed in the direction of the store.

Once he arrived at the store he slid the keys into his pocket and walked inside, checking out the small selection of small, paper-back books. He found one that looked remotely interesting and added it to the basket he was carrying.

 

[Golden Solitaire]

Saria was nearly done with her shopping. All she had to do was check out and she could be on her way. Argo and Cobalt must be waiting on their dinner.

Before she made her way to the row of registers up front, she found herself walking through the book and magazine aisle. She always liked to see if they had one of her own works in stock. It was rewarding to see her name among other authors.

Sure enough, one of her own titles was resting on a shelf. A small grin crept onto her face as she picked the book up and flipped through it. All of those late nights and cups of coffee had paid off in the end.

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

After reading the synopsis of the book, he looked at the name of the author. It wasn't one he was familiar with which only piqued his curiosity further.

Looking around he found a woman in the aisle not far from him checking out the books as well. She looked gorgeous as she perused the shelves and came to a book that she picked up. Before he knew what he was doing or could stop himself he found himself approaching her.

"Excuse me miss," he stated in his deep voice.

He hoped that his accent wasn't too obvious from those few words as he grabbed the same book she had picked up and added it to his basket.

"Hope you enjoy the book," he stated as he made his way to the frozen food section and grabbed what he had actually come for which was a 24 pack of beer and a bunch of microwave meals that would last him until his next pay.

Then when he went to check out he jumped into a line to wait his turn only to find the same woman standing in front of him. His panic started to set in. He began running through the worst case scenarios in his head and thinking to himself frantically "Please don't let her think I'm stalking her or anything! I didn't even notice that she was in the line til I got here."

His whole body was tense as he waited in the line, waiting for the worst case scenario since it was what he was accustomed to.

 

[Golden Solitaire]

Saria hadn’t noticed anyone else in the aisle. She had been too focused on her own novel. She moved her cart out of the way for him.

“Sorry. And you as well.”

She put the book back into the shelf after she read a few pages. This particular novel probably wouldn’t be granted a sequel. She had no interest in continuing the story, and quite frankly she had lost muse for it. With a happy sigh, she set off to the registers.

Luckily, the store hadn’t gotten busy and the lines were short. When her turn came, Saria placed all of her items onto the belt and pushed her cart to the bagging area. All she could think about was going home.

From the corner of her eye, she saw another person fall into the line behind her. Recognizing the man from the magazine aisle, she gave a small smile before pulling her wallet from her back pocket and retrieving her card.

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

He returned her smile with a nervous one of his own.

"Why am I so nervous around her? I've lived for thousands of years and been with plenty of female dragons and never have I been reduced to a sputtering adolescent fool as such as this," he thought to himself.

He did his best not to stare at her, purposefully glancing at all of the products around the front of the store and the ads around for different products as well just so she wouldn't turn and see him staring at her. When she finished checking out he sighed a breath of relief before stepping forward to check out himself.

Paying for his things he carried the bags to his bike, placing them in his saddle bags before mounting his bike once more and turning the key in the ignition. The machine roared to life and he revved it a few times before walking it backwards out of the spot he had parked in.

 

[Golden Solitaire]

Saria gathered her items and pushed her cart out to her car. She loaded the bags into the backseat and pulled her keys from her pocket as she returned the cart to the corral. Just a short drive and she would be back home.

She slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. The very first thing she did was lock her doors. Anywhere she was, she always locked her doors before anything else. Checking her mirrors, she clicked on her seat belt on and put the car in drive. Luckily, there wasn’t anything in front of her, so she could just pull through and be on her way.

The drive home was quiet. The radio could hardly be heard. Everyone needed a peaceful moment here and there.

Before long, Saria pulled into her long driveway. Finally home. She parked and got out to bring her groceries inside. With a handfull of bags, she unlocked the front door and was met with two wagging tails. In her mind, coming home to two happy dogs made her day so much better.

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

It wasn't that long of a ride back to his place but he enjoyed it. Feeling the breeze in his hair made him feel like he was in his dragon form flying high in the clouds. He had his favorite music blasting out of his radio. One of these days he would have to invest in a Bluetooth helmet that would have speakers that sync to his radio, for safety's sake anyway.

He pulled in front of his apartment and turned the engine off, removing the key from the ignition into his hand as he removed himself from the bike and grabbed his groceries out of his saddlebags. He made it into the building, closing the door behind himself with his foot before climbing the stairs to his own private door that he unlocked with his key and entered.

Once inside he stored his beer and meals in his upright fridge/freezer and pulled out the book so he could plop down on his sofa and read for the remainder of the night.

As he began to read the book his mind trailed off to thinking about the girl in the store today that was picking up her own copy of the book. The smile she gave him at the register line, the sound of her voice rang in his ears. How could he be so impacted by one such brief encounter? There were female dragons that he had procreated with whose names he could forget sometimes. It tends to happen since it had been at least an eon since he slept with any. So why was she so special?

Snapping himself back to reality he looked up at the clock and figured it was time to make dinner. He pulled out one of the microwave meals and followed the instructions on the box. Within 10 minutes he was eating with one hand and reading with the other.

 

[Golden Solitaire]

Putting groceries away wasn’t much of a hassle. Everything had a specific place in the kitchen. Organizing never hurt anyone.

Saria finished putting her things away and meant back against the counter. Now, what could she make for dinner? She had purchased a box of pasta and a carton of heavy cream. Surely she had garlic somewhere as well as parmesan cheese. A quick alfredo would be nice.

Before she could gather her ingredients, two masses of white fur bounded into the kitchen and sat at her feet. They needed their dinner too.

Their food was eventually poured into their bowls and placed in the usual corner. When they finished, they stayed in the kitchen and watched Saria make her own meal.

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

A few hours later, Arthur awoke with the book on the floor and the empty plastic tray from his microwave meal in between his legs on the couch. He sat up and looked at the clock on the wall to find out it was already 10. He threw his garbage away from his meal and washed the fork, placing it back in the drawer that it belonged in. He grabbed a set of thin pajama pants with a flannel design and quickly got showered, doing his best to get all of the oil and grease from the cars he fixed today off.

Once out of the shower he returned to his couch to fall asleep for the night. He found himself thinking of the girl in the store once again as he drifted off to sleep.

 

[Golden Solitaire]

There were no chores to be done other than washing the dirty dishes from cooking her food. Only a few were in the sink, so Saria decided against washing them up at that very moment. They could always be washed up tomorrow. For now, she would settle down in her bed and relax for a bit.

By the time she had edited a chapter of her current project, the clock on the wall read midnight. She hadn’t meant to stay up so late. Cobalt and Argo had already fallen asleep at the foot of her bed.

Saria leant over and turned her bedside lamp off. She rolled into her side and closed her eyes. As she felt herself start to fall asleep, she began thinking of the day she had. Gardening, playing with her boys. Normal things of course. Then her mind drifted to the man she saw in the store. Hopefully he was enjoying his book.

And with that, Saria was asleep.

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

The next morning Arthur awoke and got dressed in his usual jeans and a tshirt with his steel toe black leather boots. He made himself a cup of coffee and a slice of toast with peanut butter, quickly finishing both off before grabbing his keys and heading out the door to head into work. He knew of at least 3 cars at the shop that needed some work, other than the transmission that his coworker was fiddling with yesterday.

Hopping onto his bike he started it up and took off towards the garage's location. Pulling into the lot after a 20 minute ride he parked the bike out of the way in the lot outside and began putting on his protective jumpsuit so that his clothes wouldn't get all oiled and greased up. As soon as he was zipped up he headed into the office to grab keys for the next vehicle he wanted to work on. His had previously overheard his boss say to a customer that he loved the fact that he didn't even have to delegate tasks or work to Arthur, that Arthur just looked around and automatically knew what needed doing and got to it.

The thought put a smirk on his face as he pulled in a classic charger that was brought in for some interior detailing. He cleaned her up real nice until she looked like she was ready for a showroom. The entire job took him about an hour. The next car was an oil change that didn't take him long either. He did the same as he did yesterday, watching the people go by as the oil finished draining before he finished that job as well.

 

[Golden Solitaire]

Like every other morning, Saria was woken up by her dogs. There was no need for an alarm clock when she had hungry dogs to feed. She pulled herself out of her bed after the two refused to leave her be. The day had to start somewhere after all.

She poured their breakfast into their bowls and found an apple for herself. She had never been much of a breakfast person. Hardly a morning person either. The Apple core was tossed into the garbage when she finished, and then she began her morning routine. The curtains were opened. The tv was turned on to the news. Any chores that had not been completed the previous day were finished. By the time everything was finished, it was nearly noon.

Her schedule was clear for the rest of the day. It was nice outside, maybe taking Cobalt and Argo for a walk around town would be fun. It would give them all a bit of exercise.

Within ten minutes, she had both dogs in the car and ready to go. Their hair would be all over the backseat when they got out. It would surely have to be vacuumed. Just one more thing for Saria to do.

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

Finishing up the oil change he pulled the vehicle out of the garage and into a parking spot outside of the building. He pulled in the last car and handed the keys of the finished car to his boss in the office as he made his way into the garage again to work on this next vehicle.

This next vehicle would require a little more time than the last two. The owner had hit a deer and the car was pretty banged up. It would still run but the front end would all have to be replaced and he would have to check to ensure that the radiator and the hose running from it hadn't been damaged or knocked loose. He sighed as he opened the hood and got to work.

First things first he pulled off the fenders and the bumper before bending over the front carefully to see the condition of the radiator. Sighing he disconnected the radiator as well seeing as it was cracked. He pulled off the one damaged headlight and disconnected the bulb of the other.

"If you're going to replace one headlamp why not both?" he justified to himself. "Looks weird when one light is brighter than the other anyway."

Luckily the customer was well prepared and had purchased all of the potential parts that would be needed for the vehicle. Once it was finished being fixed the boss would give the spare new parts back to the customer to return to the auto parts store to get their money back for what wasn't needed.

He replaced the grill, bumper, and both fenders. He replaced the one headlight assembly and popped in the two new headlamps. Last and certainly not least he spent some time bent over the vehicle putting in the new radiator, ensuring that the hose would be sealed and connected securely. Last thing the customer would like to see is a fluid leak after the vehicle just got out of the garage that was supposed to fix the vehicle.

As soon as he finished he looked up at the clock before starting the vehicle. He quickly checked under and over the vehicle to ensure that everything was properly in place, the engine sounded alright, that the temperature gauge for the engine was registering as cool, and that there were no leaks whatsoever before he would return it to its parking spot. After about 2 or 3 minutes of doing so he got in and backed the vehicle out carefully into a vacant parking spot in the lot before returning the keys to his boss.

Standing there for a moment it took his boss to realize that he was still there he made eye contact with his supervisor as the man looked up at him with a smile.

"I think that's pretty much it for the day there Art. In the time it took you to do 3 vehicles the other kid is still working on rebuilding that tranny. You definitely earn your pay m'boy. Why don't you clean up your tools and close up your stall for the day? I'll call ya if we get more work in."

Arthur nodded before following through with his boss' suggestion.

 

[Golden Solitaire]

Parking her car in a lot downtown, Saria turned the engine off and retrieved the leashes from the passenger seat. She got out and opened one of the back doors, clipping the leashes to the collars the dogs wore. Green for Cobalt, and blue for Argo. The colors were never switched. Cobalt never wore a blue bandana around his neck. Argo never had a green leash clipped to his collar. It was an insignificant little detail, but it made a difference to Saria.

They walked around the town, taking in the pleasant atmosphere of a relaxed evening. All of the little corner stores and shops were open, but very few allowed animals. Her shopping would have to take place sometime else.

A few people stopped her and asked about her companions. All of them wanted to know the breed and where she got them. An older couple even complemented their matching accessories. For every encounter, the boys sat quietly and waited for the new humans to pet them and be on their way.

They passed bookstores and produce stands. A small clothing boutique on the corner. They passed the groomer’s, which they would be visiting very soon. They walked past a mechanic shop as well. Saria made a mental note to take both of her vehicles to be inspected when the time came.

Finally, they came to Saria’s favorite coffee shop. She was a regular there, so every employee knew her well. They even allowed dogs inside and gave out cups of whipped cream for the furry friends that came inside.

It would be a nice little treat for the dogs. Saria would get a coffee for herself of course.

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

After he had finished cleaning up his work area he closed the garage bay door to his side of the garage, got out of his jumpsuit, and walked off towards the coffee shop that was down the street from the garage.

As he walked down the sidewalk he earned a few stares. He was definitely taller than a majority of the people in the area. He had grown accustomed to the ogling of the humans whenever he went out of his usual routine. Within only a couple minutes he was at the coffee shop.

He stepped in and looked around to see how busy it was before he saw her. The girl he had met in the book aisle at the grocery store and she had two big fluffy white dogs with her. He liked the domestic versions of canines. He made a mental note to say greet her as soon as he finished ordering his drink. Stepping up to the counter her ordered a frozen coffee with milk and sugar. Once he got his drink he walked over slowly to her table.

"Is this seat taken Miss?"

 

[Golden Solitaire]

When she stepped up to place her order, the barista immediately recognized her.

“My favorite customers! And you too, Saria. You’re here too!” She joked, slightly leaning over the counter to wave at the dogs, “I’ll go ahead and put in two cups of whipped cream. As for you, Ms. Ashwood, the usual caramel macchiato?”

“You know me so well, Amanda.” Saria inserted her card into the chip reader and put in her PIN number, “How have you been lately?”

“Busy. Online courses don’t take up a lot of time, but with work and planning the wedding...I don’t know how I’m getting everything done.” Amanda handed Saria the receipt, “I’ll have that out in a second.”

Saria stepped to the side so others could make their own orders. Soon enough, her name was called and she picked up two cups of whipped cream for her boys and her drink.

After finding a table and giving the dogs their treat, Saria began making a to do list in her phone notes.

The man’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. She recognized him from the store the previous day, “Oh! Not at all.” She said with a small smile. Argo had been sitting in front of the other chair, so she gave a small pull on the leash to get him to move, “It’s all yours.”

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

With a smile he thanked her as he pulled out the chair and sat down.

"It's nice to see you again. Have you read the book at all?" he asked as he took a sip of coffee.

He looked down at the dogs who sat around her as if they needed to protect her. He then realized that they hadn't actually introduced themselves yesterday.

"Sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. Name's Arthur Wolfsbane," he stated, setting down his coffee.

"I work at the mechanic shop just down the road."

 

[Golden Solitaire]

“Well, I’ve read it a few times before, but only because I wrote it.” Saria said with a smile, “It isn’t my favorite, but I hope you like it.”

“I’m Saria Ashwood by the way, and these are my boys, Cobalt and Argo.” They began wagging their tails when they heard their names.

She took another sip of her coffee and reached down to scratch Cobalt’s head when he leant against her, “What about you? Do you have any pets at home?”

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

He was surprised to find out that she was a published author but quickly recovered his composure.

"Well it's not every day that one gets to meet a published author. I wish I had the book here with me to ask you for your autograph."

He smiled as friendly as he could as she introduced herself and her two canines.

"It's a pleasure to meet all three of you," he stated to her and then smiled down at the two dogs each.

It was then her last question registered.

"Unfortunately no. Apartment building doesn't allow 'em. Despite my surname I wouldn't mind having a canine companion."

 

[Golden Solitaire]

Saria let out a small chuckle, “Well, I always carry a pen with me, so when we see each other again you can get my autograph.”

“Dogs are wonderful. I will never regret adopting these two. I’d have to say it was the best decision I’ve ever made. Life can get lonely, but they will always be there if you need them.”

She lovingly scratched under the bandana around Cobalt’s neck. His head was now on her lap and his eyes fixed on her. He was more spoiled than his adopted brother. After all, he was older.

“They do require a fair amount of mantinence and attention. It all depends on the breed really. I had quite a bit of time on my hands when I first brought Cobalt home.”

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

"Sounds like a good plan to me Miss Ashwood," he replied respectfully.

"Dogs are indeed great best friends are they not? They are very few creatures that match or surpass them in loyalty. One of the only drawbacks really is having to potty train them not to relieve themselves inside the house," he stated with a small chuckle.

He took another sip of his now thawing coffee.

"So do I assume correctly you have them color-coded so you don't confuse the two?" he commented with a smirk. "Must get hectic keeping track around bath time."

 

[Golden Solitaire]

“You don’t have to be so formal. You can just call me Saria if you want.” She said with a grin.

Giving a happy sigh, she thought about house training Cobalt and Argo. Argo was a tad more difficult than Cobalt, but they both learned fairly quickly. With the help of treats, it went by much faster.

“You’re partially correct. When they’re both soaked and running around the house, it is pretty difficult to figure out which one I’m chasing down, but when they’re dry you can tell them apart without the colors. Argo is smaller and has a bit of brown fur on the tips of his ears. The color-coding was mostly for my family when they came to visit.”

She finished up the last few drops of her coffee and tapped her finger against the side of the cup.

“I suppose I found it cute after a while, so I kept it that way. Everything that belongs to Cobalt is green, and for Argo, blue.”

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

"I appreciate it Saria," he stated as he took in her grin.

Well if last night was any inclination she was definitely going to be on his mind again tonight especially after managing to get her to smile that much. What honestly was it about this girl that made him feel like she was the only woman in existence? That nothing else mattered but that he could spend time with her and get her to smile some more.

Snapping back to reality at the sound of her tapping her finger against her cup he spoke again.

"Would you like a refill? Would be on me."

He looked between her and the dogs.

"Also, how did you come up with their names? They're both fairly original for dogs. Most people I see running around with their pets usually scream Spot, Rover, or Bella."