Tesser: A Dragon Among Us (A Reemergence Novel) (18 page)

"Girl, I totally understand you. The more money they pay you, the less joy you have in life. It's an inverse ratio, hun," Alexis said.

God, I love her. I should've stayed in her department.
 

"Yeah. I don't know, Alexis. This project is great, my office is great, and I know I'm doing good, important work; I'm just feeling it. I need to buy a new vibrator or something. Watch some Twilight movies and cheer myself up with a bottle of moscato."

Alexis laughed. "Well, if you're gonna go that route, I'd suggest boxed wine. But a smart girl would realize that she cannot find happiness with cheap wine and some C batteries. You need to get out, girl. You're a cat away from a cliché."

It was Matty's turn to laugh at the redhead. "What are you suggesting? We get dressed up for no good reason and go out to dinner?"

"That's just the start, lady. After you and I eat a salad, wishing we were eating a burger, we are going out to a nightclub filled with young men that we will not care about, proceed to make real bad decisions that will feel real good in the moment, and we
will not regret
those decisions in the morning."

"Alexis, when was the last time I told you I loved you?"

"Say it. It'll make you feel better."
 

"Alexis, I love you." Matty giggled.

"And I love you too. I'm free Friday. Hey, we can celebrate the arrival of September! That's a good enough reason to drink fruity cocktails and hope we remember condoms. You can't trust these cubs nowadays, they're all into going bareback on ya."

"You're filthy."

"I'm not getting any younger, my dear. The urge to make a baby is clawing at me like my need for dark chocolate. Cutting to the quick gets me what I want sooner and that means I get more of it in the long run. I'll see you on Friday, at your place at eight. Wear something slutty."

"I don't think I own anything slutty." Matty had to think on it.

"Fine then. Tomorrow. Six o’clock. We're going shopping. And forming a battle plan for Friday. When I'm done with you, all the boys will want a piece."

"But what if I want to meet a nice guy, Alexis? What if this is about settling down?" Matty baited.

"I'm just going to go ahead and hang up on you. See you tomorrow night, sweetie! Muah!"
 

Alexis hung up the phone and Matty did the same. It was actually exciting for her to think about going shopping and going out. She hadn't even attempted to make herself look pretty since the miscarriage and break-up with Max.

I'm long overdue to feel wanted. I want to be wanted.
 

A rejuvenated Matty spun her chair round in circles, and tried to imagine what the boy she'd make a bad decision with. The image of the naked hobo strangely kept coming to the front of her mind.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Tesser

I am thankful for all the resources here. Mr. Doyle and Abe have been gracious hosts, providing whatever I've asked of them. Daily, Abe presses me to reveal my true Dragon form, but this is not the time and certainly not the place. My sudden appearance in this city in full form would throw everything into a tailspin. Amusing saying. Tailspin. A species unable of achieving flight has invented a dozen now well-known sayings based on the science of taking to the air in technological contraptions.

Good for them.

Abe was sitting in the living room on the first floor of Mr. Doyle's home. They'd been sitting in silence for hours together as Tesser diligently searched online with a new laptop for signs of his lost companion, Kaula. He had already been introduced to The Delphian Covenant, as well as WWS, and while he'd been able to learn a fair amount about the goings-on of modern society, there was an utter and total lack of anything meaningfully draconic. Accurately draconic, that is.

"In a world so connected, I am surprised that all of the other dragons have remained out of the media," Tesser said to Abe.
 

Abe looked up from his B.P.R.D. comic, somewhat surprised by the statement. They'd both been quiet for a long time. "You're incredibly intelligent creatures, Tesser. You can shape-shift, fly, and I'm sure that even with Kaula missing, many of you can work some impressive magic. It's no surprise to me."

Tesser shook his head. "Some of us can't shape-shift. And we are not all incredibly intelligent."

"Really?" Abe sat the comic down in his lap.

"Yeah. Kiarohn? The dragon that spoke to us in the void. The blue? Kia can't shape shift.
 
Also can't land."

"No shit? Like he has no legs?" Abe was fascinated.

Tesser laughed a bit. "Actually, Kiarohn doesn't have any. That's true. Kia is the dragon of wind. If Blue were to land, the air all across the Earth would stop blowing. Weather would be dramatically affected, droughts would occur, all manner of bad things."

Abe laughed. "You're telling me the only reason we have breezes and rain is because of a legless blue dragon that can't ever stop flying?"

"Well, Kiarohn isn't the only reason but certainly the most pertinent one."

"You gotta be shitting me. Scientists have all this crap figured out, man. I took environmental science in college. Moon phases, global warming, ocean currents. There's a bunch of things that contribute to our weather system.

Tesser couldn't help but agree, "Yes, but what exactly contributes to those powers? You think the currents stir themselves up? You think the wind blows in a pattern over and over due to luck? Chance? Maybe, I suppose. Or maybe it's that your science sees only what it can find, and the more we believe in a thing, the more real it becomes."

"Belief defining reality?"
 

"Well said," Tesser muttered, turning back to his laptop.

"I would've thought a blue dragon would've been in charge of water. Water is often characterized as being blue."
 

Tesser shrugged and muttered, "The dragon of water is also a shade of blue. More of a blue-green, however. She has legs."

"Who's the dumb one?" Abe asked.

"Oh Garamos for certain. He's an anti-social brute that likes to dig holes and complain about all the things he can't change. Insufferable, but he's family."

Abe shook his head, smiling at the absurdity of it all. "No word from Ellen's sending yet?"
 

Tesser shook his head, never looking up, "No. She's still resting. The amount of effort that a hamadryad puts into a sending is off the charts. To be a tree and give up all your leaves? It's the equivalent of a long fast for a human. I hope she'll have something to tell us in a few weeks."

Abe watched Tesser for a moment. The dragon was focused, no, obsessed with searching. It was becoming a detriment. The dragon hadn't stepped outside in days and Abe was convinced Tesser would lose some of his innate essence if he pored too much effort and hope into the internet. It was appearing that the internet was a time-suck for dragons as well as humans. It was time for action.

"Get up, we're going out to dinner."

Tesser looked up, just a smidge confused. "What? Why would we do that? We have plenty of food here."

"Because we're men and men need to go out and eat food. Properly cooked meat, if possible.
 
You've been cooped up in this place for days on end, nose buried in the internet with nothing to show for it, and I want to go out to eat for the sake of Pete."

"Who is Pete?"

"Ever seen Short Circuit?" Abe stood up.

"I've been asleep for a very long time, Abe."

"Oh, yeah. We'll watch it sometime. I own the DVD. VHS too actually. Come with me. There's got to be a nice suit in a closet upstairs somewhere."

The two men got off the couches and started towards the massive staircase. "Will Mr. Doyle come along? I would think an invitation is in order," Tesser asked.

"Fuck him. Curmudgeony old shit."

This might be fun.

*****

Three hours and a pair of almost-matching, classy, vintage pinstripe suits later, Tesser and Abe were sitting in the North End of Boston at a fairly pricey Italian restaurant. The hustle and bustle in the establishment was electric. People, young and old, vintage and cutting-edge, sat in every chair and every barstool. It was a cross-section of city life, and it was thrilling to be among it.

I love gatherings. You can see the speed at which human society moves when there are so many of them gathered around here. I always was the social one of my kind.

"Nice place, right? How was the mushroom appetizer?" Abe asked, having to speak loudly to be heard over the restaurant's chatter.

Tesser could hear him fine. "The portobello was very good." The dragon felt a stirring somewhere inside him. The presence of so many people, all their scents and body language, was triggering a desire he hadn't felt in a long time. A hunger. A need to hunt.

I have been contained for far too long.
 
No flames have passed between my teeth and over my tongues in more years than I can remember. I haven't stretched my wings properly and felt the kiss of the winds underneath me in so long it hurts. And the last time I felt the comfort of a woman…

"Hey, you in there? I asked you a question." Abe had leaned over the table, snapping his fingers.

"I'm sorry, Abe, I was just enjoying the moment. Reminiscing. Thank you for making me come out tonight."

Abe let loose a pleased sigh and rubbed his tummy. "Hey, my pleasure. Mr. Doyle pays me well, and you need the culture. Besides, lightning could strike and we could get lucky."

Oh, now there's an idea. I should spend more time looking into women. After all, it is what I've done best for so very long.

"You want to be with a woman tonight?" Tesser asked the question more as a statement.

Abe's awkwardness sprouted like a mushroom in the dark. He shrank back into his seat, his lack of confidence showing dramatically. "Oh, I was just kidding. I'm not really looking for a relationship right now, Tesser. Far too much on my plate. But hey, thanks for looking out for–"

"Shush. You are a handsome young man, and I resemble one as well. We have needs Abe, primal needs. A need to hunt."

"Yeahhh… I don't really need a girlfriend…"

"Shush. You need to get your dick wet tonight, as do I."

Abe was speechless, but couldn't stop from grinning again.

He's excited.

Tesser took a sip from his whiskey and ginger and assessed the people in the restaurant for this new purpose. He was hoping to find–

Two women.

A redhead and a brunette sat together at a table off to the side. Both were dressed in short but classy, dark-colored evening dresses and were very attractive. Tesser closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, sorting through the aromas of food, the colognes and perfumes, and the musky scent of each person in the room. He caught the tiniest caress of the redhead and knew she was prime. He caught a vague scent off of the brunette, and through all the other scents of the restaurant, it reminded him of clean river stones and snow.
 

That scent is SO familiar. I must talk to her.
 

"Get up," Tesser said as he got to his feet.

"Um, Tesser, I am not really 'gifted' with women per se. I don't think you need me as a wingman on this mission, Captain."

Tesser picked up his glass and gave Abe a look showing he wouldn't take no for an answer. Abe stood and grabbed his beer.

The thrill of the hunt.

The two men crossed the busy restaurant, people unconsciously getting out of Tesser's way. He was pushing his charisma out with experience, forcing the people he didn’t want to interact with away from him. It was an old trick that worked frequently. Scientists might call it the work of pheromones.

Mr. Doyle would call it magic.

"Hello," Tesser said to the two women. He had a disarming smile on immediately, one that said he was someone people wanted to talk to.

The redhead looked up first, and her eyes flared happily.

She's attracted to me. Excellent start.

"Hello, handsome. What can we do for you and your friend tonight?" She lifted a glass of wine and sipped at it seductively. The gesture looked just shy of desperate.
 

Tesser looked over at the girl that carried the clean scent. She was very pretty. Smooth skin that avoided the harsh caress of sunlight and dark hair that she'd pulled back into a ponytail. She wore minimal makeup and looked innocent, just a breath out of place with the vivacious redhead with the red lips. She still hadn't looked up at Tesser yet.
 

She looks uninterested. Or is that intimidated? I must learn more about her. I should ask her about that sunburn on her left arm.

"Well, this is my friend, Abraham. He prefers his friends to call him Abe. I think you should call him Abe. My name is Tesser." The disarming smile stayed steady as he switched his drink into his left hand and extended his right towards the redhead. She took it as she answered.