It was dark outside.

The stars that enveloped the world made themselves known, carried by the great counterpart to the grand Sun, the silvery Moon, which was a crescent as it was held up in the blackened sky.

The trees blew in the wind when the currents willed them to. Other than the swift sweeping of leaves that still hung on and the branches clacking against one another, only the random crickets and peepers made any noise at all.

In the middle of a great field of unkept grass, far off from any main asphalt road that had the occasional night driver and forest was a two-story home of little to no note.

Much like its sole inhabitant.

The house was incredibly modest despite its quality and maintenance being up to snuff to one of a mid to higher class citizen of the United States, but it didn't matter. It served its purpose.

With dark blue shingles and paint with a white base, it seemed like it was built for the night, as most of the darker colors made it blend in, with only the whites and the reflections off the glass windows showcasing any evidence of its existence when all the brightness left the world behind to only come back later. These traits were shared by a small shed that was the garage, with the metal door on front the same shade of white and the roof dark navy blue.

Perhaps a darker color was the black concrete that came from the garage and onto the worn-down grey of the dying road that connected the home to the outside world.

The house, with no sign of life due to the lights being off, belonged to one person, a human, a woman to be exact.

Shelby Grant was nobody's girl, or at least that's what the few people that knew her thought. She was a very respectable, yet quiet adult who was known to always get the job done but didn't stick around for anything else. And in a way, it made total sense. One would have to set limits to who they talked to or what they focused their mind on to find a way in this world full of uncertainty. She was also known to be assertive, acting when it was required of her, to set everything straight and back on schedule.

Afterall, nothing was normal ever since they came.

The dragons.

The year was 2004. Only on the fourth calendar after 2000 and the world drastically changed in so many ways.

What was meant to be the start of the new millennia was kicked off with their arrival from the shadows and into the light.

A species thought to be nothing more than fantasy, as just myth, as mere fiction came out to come out in droves to walk along the only other intelligent species to occupy the planet.

On one hand, they were no longer the only ones in this whole wide universe to have sapience. Granted, it was on the same world, Earth, but it was something that everybody, even she felt a draw towards. Who wouldn't? It was dragons for God's sake! A creature everybody had dreams about!

Well, unicorns would have been more beautiful and divine, but dragons, at least in this timeline, would suffice.

And by God, could they talk, and fly, and do…well…whatever! It didn't matter! There were humans and dragons living together!

H-Humans and…a-and dragons…

That was the thing about it.

Dragons were written in fairy tales and stories as big hulking beasts who would eat and burn down anything they saw without question, acting as if they were nothing more than mindless beasts.

Well, only fire dragons would burn down things, b-but…

No, it didn't change some of the unease and mistrust, as dragons could very well become what they were drawn as in days of old, but they were people.

Actual people!

They acted like they did, minus their own values, traditions, and thought processes, so it was no surprise that the country embraced them with open arms.

That's not to say it's like that elsewhere, but it was a start.

We've got to start somewhere, don't we?

Of course, the integration was slow and arduous. It was inevitable, but it would work, and the two races were already making great progress changing the rules and foundations of society to fit them.

It was an experiment, but you will never get results without trying, right?

That wasn't to say that everything worked or that all parts of the integration effort were finished or finalized.

After all, with dragons coming into a predominantly human society, there was bound to be culture clash and shock.

First of all, humans always painted Dragonkind as animalistic monsters who breathed fire on the innocent, or at the very least portrayed them in antagonistic roles.

Before they walked onto the world stage, before the start of the new millennium, before 2000, there was a surprisingly large amount of media that depicted them as the most horrifying and powerful beings who were never seen as actual characters, but instead as dumb yet deadly obstacles to, who else, human characters.

Movies, television, cartoons, comics, cards, video games, you name it.

It was as if it was a smear campaign before people ever realized it existed.

That wasn't to say there weren't positive representations of the dragon race.

Like…Spyro! That's right! The lovable and brave, yet dorky purple dragon from the 90s! Always doing what's right in the face of danger…

Oof…

She remembered those old PlayStation commercial serials that got every kid begging their parents for the new gaming machine and the game trilogy with the namesake dragon on the cover.

And, well, something like the Neverending Story did have a cute and mystical dragon in it, even if the rest of the film terrified the life out of some children…

However, a few good depictions weren't enough to prevent the problem from becoming a serious concern.

Once the dragons came forth into society, one of the first policies enacted by the people in D.C. was simple.

A complete ban or extreme censoring of dragon-related media before 2000.

Possession was allowed, but it prevented the continued sales of literally anything that had a dragon in it that didn't make them out to be actual people like them.

Companies scrambled to get their franchises and properties in order. For starters, they didn't want to have the government breathing down their neck and stop business when sales could still be going on. And besides, it was a win-win situation, since now that they had a completely new market in another sapient and intelligent species occupying Earth, it only made sense that they would pull back all negativity surrounding the Dragonkind in order to make more profit and improve their stock prices with a new audience.

That, and think of all of the children! They were too young to know otherwise! And so, of course the education system had to be changed for inclusivity for hatchlings as well.

That didn't mean that there wasn't tension, as since dragons considered Bahamut as their creator, even the entire religious system had to be changed to also include the god of dragons in their doctrine.

Even though there wasn't any scripture or sort of formal worship for Him.

There weren't hymns or something like the Bible, so they just had to include him, as if he was the same of God.

And the confusion…dear Lord…

That and dragons being known as destructive before they stepped on originally human grounds, even if it was a stereotype, stuck for some.

Afterall, if a person had trauma from some injury or experience from an animal from hunting, like a bear, would they be wrong for feeling like that?

Despite the U.S. government giving dragons the same rights as a human, the issue persisted.

It was like racism, except it only made more sense doing it to a potentially powerful and dangerous species despite the fact that humans have bickered amongst themselves for all of time.

As such, it was slow to get dragons in newly made occupations that needed their skills, their powers invaluable to numerous industries, including high offices.

It was sluggish, but progress was progress.

Some dragons, however, didn't want any part of it, hiding away in their closed off communities, not wanting to be changed by human ideals.

It was only fair as, well, human society was, in some ways, abhorrent.

It made sense that they wouldn't want to be ruined by corruption, greed, and, worst of all, war.

Good for them. At least they had a choice and made the better one that they saw.

And so, here they were, a time where you could just walk out of your door in the morning, only to grab the newspaper, get the mail, view the newly christened Sun, greet your human and dragon neighbors.

It was so…surreal…

Granted, Shelby lived alone away from others.

While it would limit her social interactions, it in turn gave her the utmost privacy.

She could do anything, whenever she wanted, well, outside of work, but the freedom was astronomical!

But, well…

She was alone…in her home…

The shelter had two stories and a rather low-roofed attic on top, meant for a family, but she didn't have one of her own yet.

She's met several men, some who showed off their good, handsome looks and strong muscles or a bright and kind personality.

Even when she was younger after obtaining womanhood at twenty-one, she laid with one or two of them, with contraceptives first obviously.

She was the type of 'children after marriage' type of lady, despite the fact that premarital sex was surprisingly a common thing in the country.

But none of them stuck. It was like firing a shotgun aimed at a wall. Some pellets would hit their mark, but not for long, and the others barely got close. She realized that her personality just didn't mix with theirs. When she discovered this, even finding out that the couple of men were only looking for something short term, to her anyways, she left them, saying that it wasn't working. She was polite, the most she could be anyways.

Whelp, so much for keeping herself for that special someone.

Well, nobody was perfect. You live and learn. That's just how the game was played.

Shelby slept in the middle of her queen-sized bed, the pillows piled in the center against the headboard despite the fluffy mounds supposed to be placed to the sides, the mattress oversized for just one person.

Her dirty blonde hair was long, covering the upper part of the stack of cushions like a waterfall. She was currently in a dark blue night robe and pants with some white socks to keep her body warm, the top clothing obscuring a white bra connected by a strap on her back.

She was currently sleeping up some sweet dreams alone in her bedroom, enjoying either a very messed up story only her head could come up with, or just emptiness.

Either some entertainment or some peace of mind.

It was all fine and dandy, until…

Her kitchen was rather clean and well organized, as any person would have to be to survive in these parts, isolated from any serious connections.

There was a nice sweet sandy granite island in the middle. From quite a ways from the bedroom door, it was vertical like a bar, with the refrigerator itself on the wall to the right, silvery with black protrusions as buttons on it for either water, which Shelby never used in favor of the sink, and ice. There was also a dark luminescent green digital clock on it, slowly ticking off, slightly off and early compared to her other ones. On the sides of it, more so the right than the left, was more of the same-shaded and crafted countertops that fed into the wall the long icebox was against.

Across the refrigerator and in the island was a metallic sink, the faucet in a double elbow before pointing down into the drain, curved fixtures, a switch to change the nozzle from a thick spray to a shower, and a soap bottle with a smooth yellow and abrasive green sponge on the sides. When Shelby was done eating a home-cooked meal, she would clean any pots and pans she used by hand and leave them out to dry on the soft dish towel on the left of the sink and place the porcelain dishes with the platters in the old-fashioned white, silver-buttoned dishwasher and run it on some detergent when it was full.

Afterall, even old dishwashers seemed to last longer and function better than the ones today, not that she uses it often since she was alone.

However, that wasn't the problem.

Because something happened here, on this night…

The impossible…

Something happened that could not be explained by, well, just about everyone.

As…suddenly…

The fridge opened on its own, the right door letting out cold and condensed air upon meeting with the warm atmosphere outside it.

How could such a thing happen?

Then…out of nowhere…

On the lower shelf, one where the house's sole occupant could just extend her hand and slide it off, was a packaged rotisserie chicken.

It was complete, bones, skin, meat and all. Shelby bought it at the local supermarket to eat as a dinner or two, the cooked poultry fresh off the press. It was covered in clear yet cloudy plastic for one to see the contents within, with a blacker one making up the bottom half of the container, the foggy translucent connected to it to hold the whole thing shut and preserved.

Then, all of a sudden…

It…

It was…lifted off, up and away.

There was the faintest sound of plastic leaving the confines of the refrigerator as it was carried out and into the warmer atmosphere of the kitchen.

It was as if a ghostly and invisible force willed it to move on its own.

The packaged chicken floated out with a clear trajectory, lowering from a thin arc onto the kitchen countertop to the right of the sink.

Then, the unexpected happened.

As the darkened part of the container touched down on the smooth and polished granite, only but a moment passed before there was…

Scratching.

There was scratching on the clear portion of the prison that held the previously cooked and seasoned bird. However, there was pressure also being applied to it, bending the polymer at an awkward angle on its left side to the point that it was deep inside the manufactured shell.

Whatever this force was, it was clear what it wanted.

After creating a bunch of white scars that tore tiny little strings off both the translucent and black parts of it, it suddenly popped a side open.

A little tab on the right side towards the fridge, or, well, towards a person if they were looking at its front.

It was created on every identical holder for the meat in the store to allow, well, just about everybody to grab on it and lift it open to feast on its content.

The force halted its scratching for only a second once it realized that a passageway to the insides of the cage was finally revealed. Afterwards, it quickly yanked off the top onto the left side, discarded, letting out a light clattering of factory-made plastic on the stoney countertop.

Then…

The chicken, now exposed to the outside world, had a large chunk torn off. It floated up in the air a bit before it…

Disappeared.

It got smaller and appeared like it was being shoved down into a funnel that went into nothingness, the opening angled down towards the island, and there was…

Chewing?

And there was…

Growling.

Clear droplets fell endlessly.

Water.

The force…

It was…eating it.

It went down for another bout of stuffing it into that little space where it was promptly broken down into little pieces with who knows what.

It was as if a dead beast came back from the dead to devour such a meal.

And apparently, it was delicious.

Despite it being incredibly cold, the apparition consumed the poultry greedily, nearly inhaling it.

It was just so…so…

So…good.

It hadn't eaten anything for a while, almost feeling like it was starving, but now it could care less. It had food.

Yes…food…

However, as if fed on the rotisserie, drool dropping from the air and plopping onto the floor below, it failed to recognize something in its pursuit of sustenance.

It left the refrigerator open.

And when the refrigerator was open for a while…

It beeped.

The phantom cared not, for it was so enraptured by its catch, that it just didn't hear the sound, focusing only on the food that filled its invisible belly.

Did it have a belly?

Hmmmm…

However, the sound was loud enough to get the attention of the house's sole occupant.

Shelby Grant.

Shelby was letting out a few light snores.

Like her dreams every now and then, her head was empty.

She saw only darkness, going unconscious, not realizing so until she woke up in many mornings before. On nights such as these, the concept of dreams was inconsequential since, well, you thought up pretty much nothing in your sleep.

This was no exception.

However, it was not her digital or mental alarm clock that woke her up from her slumber.

It was an electronic sound.

A beep.

Then, suddenly, her eyes saw less darkness, signifying her to stop trying to return to her nap. She let out a groan before simply tossing and turning a little bit before she ended up on her right side.

…Until another beep came.

She let out another grunt, this time of annoyance that her precious hours of rest were being interrupted. She then slowly opened her eyelids, now removed from the illusion of slumber as she started to prop herself on her arms held up by her hands.

Her hair was a mess, some strands unstraightened and going every which way. She closed her eyes a bit as she leaned on an elbow as she scrunched up her opposite hand to rub some sleep from her chocolate brown eyes.

Afterwards, she furrowed her brows at why she was removed from her body relaxing in the bed before the reason rang out.

Another bit of the sound.

That woke her up a bit now that she was taken out of her rest. She turned herself to the right at a dark wooden end table. On top of it was a pitch-black rectangular prism akin to a brick with glowing red characters on its front.

Her alarm clock.

It was slightly facing the bed, the numbers portraying a digital format of the time.

Shelby squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light of the device, her sight blurry until her pupils expanded to let her see it normally without the sensitivity.

It said…

11:58 P.M.

It was nearly midnight.

Then, like an itch you just couldn't satisfy no matter how much you scratched it, the beep rang out again.

Oh God-damnit…

What in God's name was the beeping from? What…

Oh.

The sound rattled around in her memories as the…

The refrigerator.

Shit.

She must've left it open by accident last night, wasting power since it only lit up when open while letting a bunch of frigid air out, freezing the kitchen while ruining the freshness of her food.

Ugh…

The fault was her own. Even though she almost always shut it due to the annoying synthetic sound, it must've slipped her mind this time.

Well, there's nothing she could do but get up and close it herself.

She just hoped that her food wasn't too spoiled to lead to a hole in her wallet.

She took her right hand and slipped it under the cover and held the edge, feeling the fluffiness underneath with her thumb and the smoothness over with her other fingers. With a sluggish whip, it folded over itself towards her left as she lifted and held it away, leaving her night pants-clothed legs free.

With that, she slid her limbs off the sheets and onto the cookies n' creme-colored carpet of her bedroom, her feet sensing all of those little fuzzy tendrils that gave her grip as she bent her legs over the side of the bed.

She then stood up.

She let out a monstrous yawn as her half-lidded eyes struggled to remain open with her night hours soothing herself with that soft mattress waning away each second.

She mindlessly turned to the left, Shelby taking her right hand to move some stray strands out of her field of view and scratching her scalp what with the uneven hairs giving a bit of an itch.

Her feet noiselessly drifted across the carpet, over to that wooden door close to the middle of the wall bordering the rest of her home.

After brushing her hair with her fingernails the best she could while feeling her throat parched, she held the silver elbow knob on the door's left with her right hand, feeling the chill of misuse this night, before pushing down, unlocking the mechanism that was her entranceway for her cot, and pull it towards herself.

The floor transitioned into a bright polished brown, the brighter and darker lines of the inner tree reflected with a laminar finish.

While one could easily slip and slide with socks on, on bare feet, it was still rather freezing to her nerves.

But she didn't care. She just wanted to get rid of that infernal noise like a little bug that you could just never swat.

With another involuntary opening of her jaws to signal her tiredness, she walked mindlessly through her halls and towards her kitchen, passing through branches into other rooms, turning and twisting her body around corners, and nearly walked by the dark brown oak stairs that led to the second floor.

However, she made it.

She was at the entrance of her kitchen, darkened and only lit by her open and frigid refrigerator, wide open, the island with its inner sink to the right and the icebox to the left on the wall.

Shit. It must've opened itself up more.

What a horrible mistake. She would have to think about that next time and maybe even double check before goes to bed for the next week…or two.

However, as floor went from organic vegetation to lifeless grey tile, she heard…

Noises?

It was the faintest sound of chewing and even…slurping?

What in God's name…

She lifted her drained head up straight and opened her eyes more due to the confusing disturbance as she drifted her right palm to the back wall and felt for the light switch.

Her mind may be a bit groggy, but she still knew this house like the back of her hand.

She patted mindlessly backwards on the kitchen wall but felt the two light switches. Her brain still not fully awake, she felt the smooth and irregularly shaped protrusions on a screwed surface with her flat hand as opposed to her fingers, but it didn't matter.

She pushed up, and…

She opened her eyes wide open.

The room, now fully illuminated, despite her eyes still a bit sensitive…

Her rotisserie chicken she bought was on the counter and open, its smell wafting everywhere, muddled droplets of supposedly grease all around with some clear ones as well, and…

No. That wasn't what shocked her the most.

In the middle of the air, over the granite, aimed to the left, was one of chicken's legs, meat still covering it.

It wasn't eaten yet.

With the light now covering its surroundings, the invisible force froze up in an instant.

It gasped.

It let go of the drumstick, letting it bounce on the once clean countertop, and started to rev up in an instant to flee.

Shelby didn't spend even a few seconds to realize what was happening.

A phantom, no, not a phantom, a being, a dragon, was in her house, eating her food.

It was invisible, probably a psychic dragon making themselves invisible. Er, well, it was likely a drake given that the gasp was masculine.

While anybody would've been angry given that whoever was there was devouring foodstuffs bought with hard-earned money, it simply made no sense.

Was this a dragon on the run? No, that couldn't be right, she hasn't heard anything in the news about it yet.

That led to a conclusion.

This was a drake just scrapping by for some nourishment and got desperate, breaking in to eat something pitifully small by their standards, but enough to live another day.

While yes, it was a loss of precious dollars and cents, she was left…neutral.

However, they were clearly scared now that it's been discovered.

And even though she should just leave it be, she didn't.

Why?

She didn't know.

As the camouflaged dragon was making stomps on the tiles and…running towards the wall…for some reason, the woman called out to them.

“W-Wait! It's okay, it's okay!"

However, they didn't smash into the plaster like she expected.

They just…disappeared. Gone into the wall.

A childhood picture of herself swayed back and forth from the nail it was attached to and a creamy dark blue vase on a stand to the left of their escape was twisting and struggling to stand on its rather thick platform.

No, not Molly, her black lab that passed away from old age.

Poor thing. She had to have the vet put her down to put her out of her misery from all the pain.

However, her ashes inside managed to stabilize the container and it went still on its flat bottom.

Phew…

However, the concern at hand was the dragon, whose noise just halted all of a sudden.

It was…

No…

Could it…?

No, it could be…

…R-Right?

It was as if they just…phased into the wall.

W-What…?

“Hey, hey! It's okay, it's okay…", Shelby said at a much softer and friendlier tone as she slowly walked towards the wall where…whoever, likely a drake, dashed right through.

The island was on her spine as she waited and waited.

What…

Was…

Was her mind going off the deep end? Was she crazy?

Well, anything during these times could make one crazy.

However, she might as well not have thought about going mad, because the most improbable thing happened that night.

It was silent, quiet even.

The spirit-like being stopped.

Wait…

Was…

Was the human…friendly?

No, she couldn't be!

They've all been terrible!

Well, to be fair, he ate out of their cold boxes, but it was only a little bit! Really! Honest!

They would all try to chase him out with those flashy and loud boom sticks. They scared his soul out with those ear-piercing sounds and bright lights burning into his eyes.

Horrible.

But…

This human…wait, it was a female. What were they called? Wom…en? Yes, women.

He knew from her voice, the long hair, the different frame, and those covered protrusions on her chest.

This…woman…

She…wasn't…bad?

Why wouldn't she? Didn't he just break into her cave?

Bahamut, this just didn't make any sense.

Now, it wasn't like she was inviting him, but…

Was…

Was this…different?

Could this…she be different?

He had courage. He had to have some to survive on so little for so long.

One half of his mind told him to run, get away as fast as possible with hopes that she wouldn't hurt him with a boom stick.

Bahamut knows they hurt like being bitten by a tooth that traveled throughout your whole body…

The other half said to ask questions, be a true dragon and face fear of retribution.

But…

Should he?

Wouldn't she be angry?

Well, she didn't sound like that…

She sounded…

Concerned? Maybe even confused?

Well, maybe she seemed to be used to invisible creatures what with psychic and light dragons existing.

No, she could be lulling you into a trap! All humans and even dragons do that to his kind!

But…

This was away from those built human caves elsewhere.

No, enough is enough!

Yes, he's caused trouble eating that nice, scrumptious, juicy chicken, but at the very least he must apologize.

He had to be honest despite his species.

The running away had to end at some point.

And so, he did the unthinkable.

Shelby, after waiting but a minute or two, almost to the point of assuming that they had left, the most unbelievable and astonishing thing happened.

She didn't know whether to jump out of her own skin or stand in…awe and shock.

Like crawling out of a hole, two limbs came out of the wall, the right first and the left second.

They were forelegs, ghostly white and ethereal, partially translucent. They each ended in the characteristic three-clawed paws of Dragonkind.

It was a dragon alright…

They had each forepaw pushing against the wall, and…

In came the head and neck, along with a part of the upper body.

Head being lift up a bit, it phased through the kitchen wall as if it was nothing more than thin air. The scales were every bit as white as their legs.

They slowly brought their head up to hers.

Eyes contacted her brown ones.

Bright, shining sapphire eyes.

They had…

Confliction?

What was even happening?

It was a dragon. Scales as white as sheet. Partially in the wall, partially visible. Eyes brighter than any mere stone or even star.

Their horns were also unusual, as instead of twisting, curving, or curling at all, they went straight back. They were perfect cones that had the shade of light grey that pointed towards the back of their skull.

It was like some middle-schooler glued two of the three-dimensional model shapes from geometry class on the rear of their head.

Their chest plates, in contrast to the scales, were a darker grey, nearly ash-colored, barely, but just enough to stand out from the snowy shade.

She gasped as her hands moved to close in on her mouth in surprise, but she stopped midway through.

What…

Whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhat…

What…

W-W-Wha…

W-What was this?

A dragon?

In her wall!?

And the scales! No dragon had white scales! What was this?

Was…

Did she go insane?

Was some psychic dragon playing tricks on her mind to rob her or something?

God, this didn't make sense!

Just…what the hell was going on!?

And it was…

A…ghost?

Were they…dead?

A spirit haunting her?

Was she dying?

Or…

Or did she get drunk and got a hangover?

No. She might have actually gone mad…

How was…any of this happening!?

Oh…

Oh no…

He…

He scared her!

But…

She didn't…run away?

Why?

Did…

Did she not know that he was a drake?

And her eyes…

They were a plain brown, like of the outer tree bark, but he knew that those orbs spoke of the soul.

She had fear, but also mixed with…

Oh Bahamut, what was it?

…Curiosity?

Childlike wonder?

This was…

No, it didn't have logic to it, it just couldn't!

Humans have always ran, screamed, and got out those boom sticks at the first sight of him.

But her? She didn't.

He could've pondered this for a while, but his brain brought him back up to reality.

The woman was…scared.

Well, not mortified scared, but scared nevertheless.

No, he needed to apologize. It wasn't his place to defend himself.

Afterall, stealing was never something he was happy with doing, even to just live another day.

He opened his semi-visible jaws up, furrowing his scaled brows in shame and guilt, while starting stared, but sweeping his head to the right to not catch her gaze.

“I-I'm so sorry, I-I…"

No, why was he apologizing at all?

It wasn't like she was going to forgive him anyways.

Oh.

The voice…

A drake…

He sounded…

Remorseful?

What…

Wait, for eating her chicken?

Well, she did spend some good money on it, but…

She saw his chest plates.

They were…

Oh.

Oh God.

He was thin.

It wasn't like the healthy dragons she's seen in town.

She could see the outline of his ribs, not exactly on the verge of caving in, but with just enough muscles to keep on living.

That was, if he was even alive.

He looked famished.

It suddenly made sense.

They didn't want to steal, but they were close to dying and scared, and when he was caught out, he didn't speed off like some skittish cat, but returned to say sorry.

Poor thing.

While her sleep and funds were now less than before, it didn't matter. This drake needed the comfort that it was fine, that it wasn't his fault.

She bucked up and spoke as he was about to turn and literally leave through her house.

“N-No, i-it's okay. R-Really, it is. J-Just…what…"

God, she was losing it.

What?

He perked up once her voice reached his ear holes.

She was…fine with it?

What…

Bahamut, please…speak to him! He needed guidance.

And her question…

Wait…

Was…

Was she asking…what he was?

Afterall, his kind didn't go off to showoff themselves to the world around, not since…

No! No. It simply made sense why. She's never seen his species up close before and in a calm setting without hostility.

No, she at least deserved it. Then, after that, he should leave. He knew he caused enough harm already.

He faced forward again but regained that nervous and sheepish look again like he broke something by accident.

“I-I'm really sorry…I…"

Again with the apology.

Bahamut, he was horrible.

“I-I'm…", he started with more confidence.

No, you have to try. You can't be this terrible at conversation!

It wasn't like he talked to, well, really anybody for a long time.

“W-What am I? I-I'm…"

The moment of truth.

Shelby paid the utmost attention.

“I'm…I-I-I'm."

“I-I'm a…g-ghost dragon."

She struggled to stop opening her mouth or move her hands and arms around like a maniac.

A…A…

A-A g-ghost dragon!?

Shelby couldn't believe it.

This was…

This was a new species! In the world of dragons and humans!

She found a new dragon race!

Yes, God, it all made sense!

He could make himself invisible and walk through…well…possibly anything, l-like a ghost!

Oh Lord, she couldn't believe it!

She was the first human to come into peaceful contact with the…ghost dragons…

Wait…

Waaaaaaiiitwaitwaitwait…

Wait a hot minute.

If these dragons existed, then…

Then why didn't they become a part of human society?

Everybody knows all dragon species under the Sun became integral to society.

And so, that begs the question.

Why didn't ghost dragons…y'know…reveal themselves?

Were they solitary? Or…

Wait…

The drake was starving.

Why would he be starving?

If he were hungry, why wouldn't they hunt or even stay behind in the isolated dragon world? At least then they wouldn't need to be constantly reminded of everything wrong with human nature.

It simply made no sense.

The drake bent his brows in concern and resentment once more.

The reveal likely came as a shock to her.

No, you can't tell her too much! Or else they will know more about you, know how to hurt you, a-and…

No. She was kind and…surprisingly calm. She didn't run away like some grazed wild animal.

No, Bahamut, that just made him feel worse!

He ate her food, and here he was, trying to convince himself that he didn't want to, that he had no choice.

Such a life as a ghost drake…

It was wrong, and he knew it. Yes, he revealed to her his secret, but now that it's out in the world, he just felt more and more guilty.

Is this what his kind has become?

Why…why…

He started turning to the right, turning his neck around, while twisting his head to make contact with her.

Those brown, hazel eyes…

“I-I'm sorry. I-I should leave, I…"

Shelby broke out of her stupor.

He's…sorry?

Sorry for what?

He seemed to be on the end of his rope. A little of food wouldn't…

Wait.

H-He's…

H-He's leaving!?

He was just about to phase his left foreleg and his throat through her wall when she spoke to the mysterious and apologetic drake once more.

“N-No, i-it's okay, b-but…"

No, Bahamut, it wasn't okay! He wasn't okay!

He shouldn't be here, just…

“…w-were you hungry?"

He froze at that.

It was a simple question.

Were you hungry?

Regardless of everything he did to this woman.

Breaking into her shelter, her cold box, her tasty meat inside.

Yes, regardless of everything, she was asking if he was hungry?

What…

No. Bahamut no.

She…

She couldn't be fine with him eating the chicken…right?

No, it was selfish of him to think of such a thing.

B-But then…

Why would she ask otherwise?

It seemed…honest.

What?

A human was honest?

No, even dragons weren't honest! It just wasn't possible!

But still, the drake halted.

No, at the very least she deserved an explanation.

Afterall, he was invading on her home in the middle of the night. The drake knew that humans and most dragons everywhere preferred the Sun of the day rather than the Moon of the night.

No, the drake understood.

It was only fair. She was true in every word she said.

He could feel it, no, see it in her eyes and mind.

He looked away to the right, averting from her gaze to avoid judgement.

It was shameful to admit, but being truthful is better than being a liar.

“Y-Yes…"

There.

He said it.

Oh Bahamut, please don't make her angry and get a boom stick out to kill him…

He faced fearful faces and angry roars and shouts. He just didn't want them to appear in the one time he did the right thing.

Please…Bahamut please…

She had to suppress a gasp.

Her theories were right.

He was hunting down foodstuffs due to struggling to find any nourishment, and the clearly visible rib cage meant that he was on his last legs.

He…she…

No.

She wasn't selfish. It was only right.

No, he deserved it, not her.

He was about to glide into the other room like the night sky as she asked him again.

Oh God.

Was she really doing this?

Inviting a previously unknown dragon species? Into her home?

Ugh…

She just hoped that the sleep deprivation didn't make her forget this.

That was, if she was even awake and not dreaming…

“H-Hey. Y-You can have some more if you want, I-I mean…"

No, he knew it. She was mad at him and-

Bahamut what!?

His eyes widened.

What!?

Whatwhatwhatwhatwhat…

She…

S-She…

She was…inviting him for more?

No, it had to be a trap, it had to be!

B-But…

No…it couldn't be…

He saw it in her warm woody gaze.

It was…genuine.

It was…pure kindness…

What…

H-How was this possible? It shouldn't be!

B-But…

I-It was…

He felt…

…Warmness?

No, he usually hated warmth! All ghost dragons did! B-But…

Why was he feeling this way?

Was it…

Bahamut.

She was honest. There were no falsehoods.

She was inviting him to eat.

What?

To eat despite trespassing on her territory?

No, it was supposed to be wrong.

No, it didn't matter if she was generous! It was wrong! He shouldn't be here! No, she shouldn't have to feel obligated to this! To him!

Oh Bahamut, he was horrible!

“N-No, I-I shouldn't, I-I…"

Oh.

Oh God.

He was…guilty?

Ohhhhh…

Now she felt awful.

He was feeling guilt-ridden, which meant that he didn't want to trouble her. He felt that he caused her grief by encroaching on her house.

Yes, in reality, it was wrong.

But look at him! He looked like he hadn't eaten in days if not a week!

And besides, dragons were people like them. They've been through enough.

It was only right.

“N-No, I-I insist."

W-What…

What…

Maybe…

Just maybe…

Just…maybe this human was different.

Maybe…

Everything calmed down, well, for the moment anyways.

Shelby's house was without contained chaos or complete, and yet, no utter stillness, like the world has always, with silence to boot.

Well, silent except for the chewing of poultry in draconic teeth.

The drake was next to the sink once more, standing on his rear legs while his forepaws pushed down his dinner to rip chunks out when necessary, engulfing bits and pieces of the meat with his powerful jaw as he went on to feast on it while Shelby just sat down on the chair on the end of the island, her back facing the wall where he came out of.

The dragon, however, was no longer an apparition-like presence.

The drake, one with the powers of a phantom, was a more, well, solid form.

Instead of being partially see-through, he was now an actual physical matter and not phasing though anything, although that was one of his specialties.

It really showcased his bone-pale scales and his darker grey chest plates more than when he walked through her wall, and his piercing icy-blue eyes stood out the most on him.

Well, she tried her best to pay attention to his figure as opposed to his actual eating because, well, to be blunt, he had the table manners of a toddler.

The ghost dragon utterly demolished the chicken. The drake growled and growled as he wolfed down the seasoned bird, stretching the skin and ripping and tearing the white and dark meat within. Sometimes while he razed the once-well preserved avian with his Bahamut-given, he shredded the poor supper to bits, coating them in the slippery grease from the supermarket.  Whenever he encountered a bone, he just simply smashed down his jaws, breaking them into fragments from a whole, the powdery brown marrow being swallowed with the cartilage and tendons.  The smacking of his sharpened knife-like teeth sounded out in the room the whole time as he tore through one of the first meals in a while for him before he swallowed the delicious food down his gullet, coating his mouth and throat in the juices. His mouth even watered a bunch, plopping onto the countertop as he mindlessly ate the gracious donation from the woman.

While anybody would've been…well, appalled at such a sight, this was a dragon we were talking about, one that was so, so famished at that.

Well, yes, Shelby winced and cringed a bit upon the drake chowing down on the precooked bird like some ravenous wolf, but it made sense.

Everything in this world had some rhyme or reason to it.

This was no exception.

While she would admit that the lack of manners would offend anybody, she was willing to let it slide for the benefit of another.

The benefit of this drake.

To be fair, she was doing all she could to keep her mind off the drake slurping the darker meat of the chicken, but still, her mind was just simply swimming around in all the information bombarding her brain.

Like…a ghost dragon!

A species that hasn't been discovered yet!

God, just…think of the possibilities!

The world ought to know about such a dragon race existing!

Afterall, Dragonkind was still blending in, but surely Humanity would be ecstatic to find another type of dragon to add to the list of people to improve everyday life and make it seem…brighter.

But then, that begged the question.

Why was he being so…well, sheepish?

Usually dragons were rather…prideful, always so brave in the face of danger.

The thing about was that any other dragon would've knocked her out, or even worse, murder her for food if they could just sneak into her house and slit her throat and claw out her organs in her sleep, but…

H-He didn't?

It just didn't make sense.

Or, well, it didn't make sense from an outsider's perspective.

Any other dragon probably would've scoffed at the drake being so anxious despite the fact that he gulped down the foodstuff in front of her, not paying any attention to her despite their talk before he, well, just walked through her damn wall.

No, they just had interests like humans did, and they were willing to do pretty much anything to reach out and grab it, like the golden ticket to paradise.

The only difference was that their differences allowed dragons to take it and hold on to it for the short term due to their powers, but never beyond that, while humans had to work harder for such things, but once they achieved it, their accomplishments and privileges with it were all set in stone.

Granted, the biggest bit of logic to why this drake was acting this way was evidenced by his body.

It wasn't too obvious if you were to just scan over his frame, but almost anybody with even some thought would notice it.

His chest.

Like a spider grabbing onto prey, his rib cage was clearly visible, er, well, when he was like this what with his unexpected ability to become translucent.

Okay. He undoubtedly hasn't eaten anything in, well, a while.

But…

Why?

Surely a dragon with their natural gifts of teeth, claws, strength, speed, senses, instincts, and whatever Earth-defying power would have nothing but a breeze of a time to just fly over to a nearby set of forests to snatch up at least a doe or a two-point.

…R-Right?

No, no. Think about it.

Clearly this drake has all that, sharpened fangs and all.

So…

Why was this drake this way?

Was it…competition?

No, that couldn't be. With his ability to go through solid matter, it should be mindlessly simple to just divebomb and rip and tear at prey without any chance of interference. He should be ahead of all the competition, not be held up by it!

B-But…

H-He was starving! Er, well, not anymore, but still!

A dragon shouldn't have this problem, even with the revised laws to let dragons hunt down as much game as they want while giving some room to let the critters repopulate and give the humans a chance.

So…

What was the problem?

Was it…

Was it a skill issue?

No, Shelby, are even listening to yourself?

Dragons were naturals when it comes to the hunt. It's in their blood.

God.

Humans only get as much as they do thanks to their new-fangled technology in addition to learning skills instead of having such privileges when they were out of the womb.

So…what was the issue?

Was there something here that she just couldn't see?

No. It didn't make enough sense to make dollars.

Unless…

Unless…

He…

No.

No, that couldn't be! Shelby, what were you thinking?

There was no way he could be…

The drake was just finishing up, his mind occupied solely with finally getting the last bits of food in his belly. His stomach was a bit full despite a dragon usually having much more capacity in their body, but after such a lack of sustenance and the fat of his body being eaten up inside him, it felt like so much. And while even he would admit that it didn't seem super healthy given the excessive grease going down his throat as a byproduct of smacking his jaws on literally the entire chicken, it would do.

Now, all that was left was a few miscellaneous scraps that fell from in between his icy teeth.

Well, except a small chunk next to its left leg from his view, or, um, well, the leg that was there before he inevitably gnawed it to pieces. It had an ample amount of skin on it with some darkened meat left over.

Then, out of everything that happened, another one of the more bizarre occurred.

The drake, with uncaring eyes and mind, somehow…

He…

H-H-He…

H-He…just…

He just…floated it up.

Like magic.

To his waiting forepaws.

Shelby, with widened eyes, suddenly opened her mouth up a bit as he did that whilst he sat on his rump.

W-What…

What…

Whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhat…

Dear God.

Yep.

Shelby, you have now officially gone crazy.

However, while Shelby shut her mouth into deep contemplation, about what else this drake could do, the ghost dragon noticed it with his peripheral vision and halted when the last morsel was about to be torn in his draconic dagger-like teeth.

Oh.

Oh Bahamut.

He lost himself to possibly his last meal on this planet for a long time, ruining the cooked yet cool meat that this woman owned, with little care for formalities.

Bahamut, he was like some coyote that fed on the weak and the unprotected in those wide fields, like cattle in the night while their defenses were basically gone.

It didn't matter if it was easier, it was wrong.

And yet, the drake felt that he disrespected her in that regard.

Oh Bahamut. He probably gave off a terrible first impression.

If there was one thing he knew about humans, it was that they were incredibly judgmental.

It made complete sense if one were to really think about it. Afterall, while they had those boom sticks and rather effective shelters, their bodies were so fragile.

It wasn't like a prey would be too keen on keeping a predator around.

Bahamut.

He was horrible.

He looked down at the countertop, his paws, and some of his neck.

Their were not only a few tiny shreds of the scraps of chicken, but also the sheen of oily grease.

And she opened her mouth.

Wait, why?

What…

Oh.

Oh Bahamut.

He was so, so awful…

He floated up the last chunk with his powers and it shocked her.

Of course, she didn't say anything as she looked down on herself.

No! Bahamut, look what you've done! What kind of dragon are you!? You're a terrible guest! You ruined everything! Bahamut, what is the matter with you?

He suddenly drew more into himself, his nervousness getting the better of him as he looked downcast, ashamed.

What…

W-What could he do?

This human, this woman, gave him the utmost kindness and generosity despite his species, giving him something he needed to live another day, and he made a complete mockery of her hospitality.

Bahamut have mercy on him.

He had to think up something, anything to make it up to her.

Anything…

What could a disgraceful drake like him possibly do?

What?

Oh.

Well…

It…wasn't an excuse…

Or…was it?

Was it just a reason? A justification?

He thought about it a bit more before he came up with, well…something.

He lowered his forepaws holding the skinned flesh of a once-living creature as he opened his maw a bit.

“Uhhh…"

Oh Bahamut.

Look what…

He wanted to claw himself for being so stupid and squander this chance to do something.

However, it caught Shelby's attention, her mind still racking over such impossibilities.

H-How could…

Once he spoke again and looked to the right anxiously and his scaled brows bending in stress, as if he broke some precious porcelain, she looked over to him.

Oh.

Oh God.

He likely noticed that he was acting like a ravenous cougar, what with the clawing and chomping.

Again, it made sense, but…

She wanted to sigh.

However, he spoke once more, eyes still rolled and staring away from her, as if ashamed to meet her glance to spare him some punishment.

“Sorry for making the mess. I haven't had any food as of late."

Yeah, no shit.

But again, why?

As such, Shelby faced him with her hazel eyes and popped the question, confused and her mind trying to distract her from the physic-defying act of his ability to pull things on an invisible string like purple-scaled psychic dragons.

“U-Ummm, w-why do you have trouble finding a doe or something? I-I mean, there are forests everywhere, I mean…"

W-What?

Oh.

O-Oh….

She was asking about his…condition.

If one were to fill out the boxes, this one wouldn't compute and be shaded in.

It made no sense.

She noticed it too. She knew that he was a dragon, and as such, didn't understand why he would be having difficulties obtaining sustenance from game.

It wasn't a question criticizing him, it was one of…confusion, of…curiosity.

It was innocent. She was innocent. She just wanted to know, not because she found his presence offensive, but because logic was absent.

The drake thought about it.

No, think about it.

It wasn't much. He wasn't much at this point. Bahamut knows. However, it was worth a shot.

Again, she deserved it for her troubles that he caused.

Bahamut.

Why does this keep happening to him?

Always messing up over and over…

“W-Why? U-Um…w-well…I-I've had trouble finding some deer around these parts."

Okay.

But…

B-But why?

Do dragons…a-always have this problem? B-But it made no sense! Nothing did!

But the next thing that he said put a stop to all of those thoughts in her head.

 “Yes, uhh, many of us have been struggling as of late."

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

O-Oh…

O-Oh God.

T-They've…

T-Them…

T-The ghost dragons…

T-They've been…struggling?

B-But…

They c-can go through things! They can float things up to their maw! God, they could make themselves invisible for Christ's sakes! They could kill anything in their sleep!

What…

Wait.

She thought about it from another angle.

On one hand, they would be feared beyond belief if they were known about. Even the greatest of walls couldn't contain them and they would be one of the greatest threats in the whole world.

But on the other…

If knowledge about their existence were in the history books and in Dragonkind's conscience, then…

T-Then…

They would not just be feared.

T-They…

C-Could they be…?

Oh.

Oh God.

She gained a face of great concern with a sprinkling of shock and horror.

The drake instantly noticed this, darting his icy blue ices to the woman.

No!

What have you done!?

There's no denying it.

You are one of the worst dragons to exist! Everyone was right! Why couldn't he listen?

“Uh, I-I'm sorry, n-no, I-I shouldn't drag you into my troubles. S-Sorry, I-I…", the white-scaled drake said, shaking his head a bit.

He…

W-What?

He…

H-He was apologizing?

For what?

Oh…

Oh God…

She just realized.

He was very timid, and, at least to her, above all, selfless.

He thought that talking about this, no, all of this, him going through her walls close to midnight and everything, was his fault.

He was desperate, and yet, he blamed nobody except himself. He took full responsibility, and yet, he didn't want to make her worry, to make her feel like that he deserved such a thing.

The shittiest people always felt entitled and the best ones put others above themselves.

And entitled, he was not.

He was a nervous mess, like a young boy who struggled to admit he made a mistake not because he cared about himself, but because of the disappointment that would follow.

The fear of failure.

No. None of this was his fault. He was doing it just to live! It wasn't anything wrong with him, it was just a terrible situation.

No, she had to reassure him, that it was alright, that he had nothing to be afraid of.

Well, um, she herself was…uneasy about it all.

This was a new species, one that did God knows what, and what she just witnessed was slowly convincing her that it was just a dream.

No, that didn't matter. This was a person, a person who was meant to be cherished, to be cared for.

Yes, even Shelby would admit that she had…a few…mixed feelings about the dragon race inhabiting their world, but this…this drake was just like them.

Confused, scared, always believing that even the slightest mistake will admit them to a trip to an early grave.

It wasn't anybody's fault. It was simply how change happened.

They were people. Like them.

“N-No, t-there's nothing to be sorry for."

The drake, looking at the woman's eyes saw…

H-He saw…

Truth.

With some…

Oh Bahamut, what was it?

Kindness? Genorosity?

Peace? Tranquility?

What was that feeling of…acceptance? Of reassurance?

The feeling that he wasn't alone, or even one to blame?

No, listen to yourself…

This was your fault!

But…

Was it?

He broke contact with the human's hazel orbs and stared down at the last remnants of his supper, now in deep thought.

And just like that, silence consumed the both of them.

The drake slowly but surely bending his neck down to take a bite out of the now slightly warm and definitely moist breast of the chicken with the last hanging piece of skin on it.

For the white-scaled drake looking a bit forward and down at the same time with furrowed brows, the process was mindless, almost automatic as he just went through the motions again and again, just bending down taking some meat in his teeth, chewing, swallowing, taking some air in, repeat.

Over and over…

And…

How…

H-How long was he here? No, how long were they were here? In the middle of this shelter? In the dead of night?

Dragons didn't know the concept of time except for the light dragons and the elusive members of their species of the shadow variety, with only the day's Sun and the nights Moon and stars to tell them.

Well, that and many didn't even know what in Bahamut's name a clock was.

But to Shelby, it became too much.

It's all too much.

So much information and possibilities. Should she do this or that? Should she think this or that? Was this even real life?

How could all of this happen?

Dear Lord…

Was it…

W-Was it a sign of some sort?

No, this was no coincidence.

And the thing was, it was better that she was possibly the first to have peaceful contact with the ghost dragon race.

Who knows what would've happened if someone less…accepting of his situation would have reacted.

Christ…

Probably by putting a cap in his skull and hanging him up on the wall like an ornament despite a likely arrest by the law.

But…

Wait.

How...

How long…

She gazed at the green digital clock on the refrigerator as the drake kept to himself, only making the sounds of meticulously, or even intentionally slow chewing to likely contemplate everything as well.

It was…

1:42 A.M.

Shit.

Almost two hours went by and it was almost two in the morning…

No, time shouldn't matter, not now.

However, as if some divine intervention was taking place, the drake finished.

He popped the last bit inside of his cage of teeth and chomped on it before swallowing it.

It lost flavor at some point, but it didn't matter.

He was alive, and would continue to be alive.

All thanks to this woman.

He…

He didn't think this night would turn out like this.

And, in some ways, it was his fault.

Or…ughhh! He didn't know what it was!

He didn't know what was even happening anymore.

But facts were facts, and facts were reality.

He ate something that this woman owned. It didn't matter if she insisted. He ate it, something that she most certainly had to put in some effort, work, and energy to get.

And he ate it all.

Was he horrible? Most likely. But was he? He didn't know.

Bahamut, just give me a sign…

And the sign was his empty forepaws now on the hard grey and squared kitchen floor.

He must've returned them to the ground despite the slick grease on their pads and claws.

Whelp, he ruined her floors too.

No, his presence wasn't needed, or, well, wanted for that matter.

He caused this woman enough grief already.

He didn't belong.

He didn't belong anywhere.

He took a sharp breath.

And started walking.

He turned to his left and went into a slow, but intentioned stride on the side of the counter and sick and towards where he originally came out of.

Shelby noticed right away when he finished and began padding along for the first time in what felt like forever.

She didn't want him to feel bad.

She wasn't on bad graces or even feel offended, but she felt…conflicted.

It was like rush hour. Too much to focus on and feeling it's impossible to put any thought to all of it.

However, what made her get off the chair and towards him despite his speed outdoing her hop off the seat was his voice.

He spoke.

“I-I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't be here. I-I'm sorry, I-I…"

Sorry?

Again?

No, it was fine! It was always fine!

What…

Oof…

They were both a mess.

He was closing on the wall right next to her vase filled with her dog's ashes.

She held out her the palm of her right hand as she got off her chair with a worried look, as if to stop him.

No, while yes, they both had separate lives, he shouldn't leave ashamed!

“W-Wait! I-It's okay, there's nothing to be sorry for, I-I…"

It was as if her reassurance fell on deaf ears, as he was about to contact the wall, as if it was nothing more than thin air to him.

No, he wasn't wanted.

Not here, not elsewhere.

They never were.

He was about to become partially translucent once again to become intangible, when the woman halted behind him upon knowing that chasing him would figuratively and literally be the equivalent of crashing into a wall.

But she asked a question.

A question that would change everything.

Change them.

Something to change their lives forever.

“W-Will you come back?"

Wait…

W-What?

W-Why did she ask that?

To Shelby, it was a last ditch effort for…something.

She didn't say their first meeting was smooth sailing, but it was…so…fascinating.

Dragons were fascinating. They always were.

And besides, who wouldn't want a drake that doubled as a ghost?

God, she must be going mad…

“Y-You can come back…"

For the drake, he flinched and stopped for a few seconds in surprise.

What…

Wait…

She…

S-She asked if her was going to…

T-To return!?

B-But…

…

…

…

…W-Why?

What…

No, his presence should be revolting! He was a ghost dragon, what…

Bahamut, this didn't make any sense.

And at the same time, he didn't think he was ever meant to.

Afterall, humans were such complex creatures, probably even more than them.

But why?

Hmmmm…

No, he shouldn't rack his brain over this right now. He needed to give this human some rest from him, at least right now.

He would consider it.

He was indebted to her after this night after all…

He gave no response. With his back turned to her, he just became partially invisible and strolled on through the wall, the physical matter nothing more than water to him, he tip of his tail tailing behind him vanishing as well.

What…

H-He just left?

Wait, no!

She…

She had to know his name, know something of certainty about him.

Know that he was real not just fantasy.

No, he…

Wait…

What…

W-Why would she…

No, she didn't…

S-She didn't know.

It just…

I-It just…happened.

“W-What's your name?"

The drake, once he crossed the barrier, held still.

W-What?

Bahamut, what…

He heard her as clearly as the day he actually disliked.

A-A…

H-His name?

A name.

The thing that separated you from the animals, an identity, and idea that 'this was you', that you weren't a nobody, but a somebody.

A name.

Such a powerful thing.

B-But…

S-Should he give her his name?

What…

No, she deserved so much already, what with her boundless generosity he would vow to never forsake and being obligated to her upon possibly saving him from starvation.

It was something he could give her right now that she earned, to give everybody some peace of mind, to try to make everybody…happy.

After holding still for some moments, the drake slowly turned around counterclockwise about one-hundred-eighty degrees on the spot.

Shelby then suddenly felt bad.

He probably left because he likely felt like she didn't want him here despite the fact that it was so, so late at night and that they both, maybe him and especially her, were tired out.

God…

Now she felt guilty.

She nearly gave up, until…

The drake popped out of the wall, his semi-clear form like before coming out, his neck up and head and all, with his forepaws bending and somehow holding on the wall to his sides.

She met them.

Those eyes of the sky, no, of star shining on ice, of the brightest stone of blue, met hers, the browns of commonality, but that held so much more, with a certain…homeyness to them.

The drake opened his maw.

“M-My name?"

Bahamut.

Even when he asked it as if he didn't know if he fully understood the weight of it, or if he felt like he was giving a piece of himself away, out into the universe to either embrace or spit him back out as a bloodied pulp.

Everything stopped, including Shelby's current thought process that she was partially to blame besides nature calling them to sleep within their own lives to capture back some energy for the coming day.

Or, well, night…

She nodded, almost enthusiastically.

His name. The name of this drake that was…

God, she couldn't put her finger on it…

Special? Different?

Or perhaps…

A friend?

Or was she in fantasyland, where the Sandman was whispering dreams in her ears to lull her to rest?

She didn't know anymore.

The drake looked a little down at an angle towards the right, his eyes rolling to that side as well in deep thought.

S-She accepted his offer.

B-But…

No, this human earned it for possibly saving him.

It was nothing to take lightly, but this human, this woman, was worthy.

He just knew it.

Oh Lord Bahamut, give me strength…

“S-Sybus."

Sybus…

That was his name.

Sybus…

The first ever ghost dragon, probably in all of existence, to have peaceful contact with Humanity just revealed his name.

Sybus…

Now, there was only one thing left to make this first contact the best it could.

An introduction.

“I-I'm Shelby.", the woman said, placing her right palm on her chest over her heart for a second for emphasis before returning her hand to her side.

Shelby…

The woman who gave him hospitality even though he never deserved it…

Yes, this Shelby was different from the other humans.

Yes, she was…

Sybus nodded a bit in understanding before speaking once more.

“B-Bye Shelby."

And with that, he curved his neck to the right as he turned around and went on along into the dry wall to disappear into the great unknown, paws, horns, wings, tail, and all.

Then, the woman was left on her own, her house now jarringly and oddly quiet.

At probably too late of a time to actually think at all.

However, one question stood above all the rest, the one that even the greatest minds of her time couldn't even solve, let alone answer.

Was this a dream?

Was she asleep? In her bed?

Was she even alive?

Or…perhaps…

Did she see…a-a ghost?

A friend?

Or…perhaps…

A friendly phantom?