I suppose I'm not exactly all that human anymore. I tell myself as I read the letter once more. It only figures that the Council would manage to mix insults together with compliments even on something as important as this. The letter detailed the recent discovery of a mummified dragon - of which I found very exciting. This excitement, as always, was dampened by the reminder that I could never truly be one of them.
The Council made no small effort in their reminders that I was once human, despite it being some two hundred years now. I suppose that to a dragon, two hundred years seems rather small and short lived. To a human thrust into the world of a secret and powerful society? You could say it was a lot.
But none of that mattered now because they chose me to study the body. While so many dragons took off on more nobler deeds to hide their existence, a studied dead dragons. Others would do something like business or government, but I flourished when it came to animals. In my time since Turning, I was able to study both biology and paleontology. That meant I could look at both dead and really dead dragons.
Of course, I wasn't everybody's favorite choice. It took a while to actually get to where I was just a few years ago, but now I'm finally being recognized for what I am. I'm a professional, I'm good at what I do. The Council might even take my thesis on the origin of dragons into consideration.
Of course, that was all well and good, but I was left with all of the prep work for this thing. While I've been the owner and curator of a local fossil museum for a few years now, it was just that, a fossil museum. There was no place to properly store a frozen and mummified juvenile dragon. While the Council may provide the funds, I was left with all of the legwork. I had already begun to envision exactly what I would do, all that was left was actually doing it. That was the part that was a lot harder than it sounded. I find that I work better outside of the house, so I grab my things and go.
I drIve down the country hillside from my house - courtesy of the Council - to the small town of Burnt Rock where a small yet well funded fossil museum resided - also a courtesy of the Council. No one could say they were stingy or didn't take care of their own, that was for sure. And no one really blinked an eye at the anonymous donations to the museum every year.
My house is pretty nice, at least I think as much as I drive through the outskirts of town. Most of the houses are your average twentieth century homes, with plastic siding, a porch, a few windows, and a front door. But my house? I guess the Council had hoped to put someone more well-to-do in their than a not-quite-human paleontologist because the place was nice. It was sleek with a postmodern design that included floor to ceiling windows as it sat on the edge of a cliff. It was beautiful, up high and far away. Everything a dragon could want. Somehow, I ended up with it. I stopped asking questions a long while ago. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, right?
The drive took a little more than half an hour but I still got to the museum early, the sun creating a lazy pink as I park at the museum. I hop out of my car and practically jumping up the steps to the front door. It was not a grand museum like the Field Museum in Chicago or the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, but it was nice.
The front steps were a clean concrete and were newer than the building itself. It had probably been a bank once, given the columns that supported the front and overall roman-esque facade. Oh, and not to mention the giant safe that was too much of a hassle to remove. The thing was an eye sore in my office now, taking up far too much space than was necessary.
The first room inside was the ground floor, and what had once been an old teller desk was now the admittance desk. It was handy that the two often looked similar and functioned just about the same. The room was clean, with an off white floor and clean white walls.
There was a small display in the receiving area, a set up of a small theropod dinosaur to entice viewers to come in. It wasn't a Tyrannosaurus or Triceratops, but I did my best to make it look nice. The small Velociraptor could live on name alone, and it brought tourists into the museum. The small fossilized skeleton was put in a glass case and oriented as if it were alive, jumping through the air with its sickle claws on display. Personally I loved it, but it was not uncommon to hear the disappointment over just how small it was. Or that it was mostly a replica, to those who noticed that anyway. But some of it was real, and that was enough for me to admire it as I stepped into the room before taking a sharp right into the hall that lead to my office.
Having been a bank some long time ago, a lot of the rooms had been repurposed. While the Council had been kind enough to fund some renovations, they did not fund a total renovation. Did I mention they were actually kind of stingy?
It was fine with me, I made it work. It just meant having a giant safe that took up about almost a third of my office space. To be fair, the room was kind of small to begin with. It had been the room the safe was originally in, meant only to house the safe and any other number of things that could go behind the barred and locked door. Between that and the shelves in the safe, it was a good place to store a number of dragon related artifacts. Most of them were simple items like a fossilized tooth or an old claw and knuckle bone. Other items included a few finds from various archaeological dig sites. Really it was a collection of nick-knacks.
My favorite part of the room had to be the mahogany wood desk in the center. I ran my fingers over the cool wood as I walked around the room, the smooth surface a small source of comfort. There was just something nice about something so clean and smooth. It had all the usual things like a name plaque, a computer, and some small token that said "see? I really am a scientist!" Although in my case it came off as "dino-nerd" instead of scientist. It was the first fossil I had ever found, a clean impression of a Eurypterid. It was one of the few things that tied me back to my humanity, reminded me of where I came from. I run my thumb down the hard surface of it, reflecting on how I had never even begun to imagine where my life would lead me when I found this rock. It could have been a lot better. A dark voice says in the back of my mind. You could have been normal.
I shake the negative thoughts away, focusing on the positive. I am the director of a museum, I own some of the rarest artifacts from cultures unknown by the general populace, and I get to work on a mummified dragon. I'd say that checks off every box on the list for most people in my position. Then again, most people aren't secretly a fire-breathing flying lizard.
I quickly drop my leather shoulder bag on the floor next to my desk and fall into my seat, ready to get to work. I don't expect to see any people today, or even leave this room, so I've dressed far more casually than usual. Loose jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie are all I need for work like this. I mean, they have the museum logo so I'm not completely a mess.
It's going to be a long day, and a part of my brain still balks at the idea of all that I have to do, but I decide to push through it. I need this to be perfect, to prove that the Council was right to choose me. I need to show them that I can do so much more than the scraps of work they've given me. More than that, I want to do more. I've had more than enough time to develop my passion for my career, however spiteful I may have been at the start.
I hear the distant jingle of keys and the sound of shoes on the enamel floor before one of my two employees, Beth, calls out. I make a swift hello before diving back into my work. I pull out a stack of blank papers and well rummage around for the construction plans of this place. I can use it to sketch out the ideas for how to make the room that will house the mummy. Finding the plans in the very back of the large safe, I slump back into my comfortable office chair and start drafting plans for what is essentially an ice box.
I was sent more than a few notes on what would be needed to house the frozen creature, and at first the numbers had shocked me. A temperature controlled room that held all the equipment needed to do an autopsy as well as storage for all of the material collected and the tools to work with. The basement of the building was already full of shelves where plenty of specimens had been collected. It might not be a lot for some places, but it was enough to fill our small basement. I swiftly draft up an email to inquire about more space for these objects before returning to my research.
Not many museums have actually worked with frozen mummies, so I found out. I suppose there's a reason they're famous. I think with a wry smile as I flip through tabs on my desktop computer. It might not be the most greatest and latest model but it's still a good one, and all it really needs to do is access the internet. Unfortunately it would seem that the information on building something like this is rather niche and limited. I wring my hands through my hair, realizing that I've already managed to spend an hour just searching through websites for more information.
"Morning!" Beth calls from the other side of my door, opening it up with her hip. She's carrying a large box with both hands, and is smiling broadly at me as she walks in. She's a bit younger than me - I mean, me when I was Turned some two hundred years ago - at around twenty-one years of age. Her auburn hair comes down in waves and sits just past her shoulders and her black and silver rimmed glasses sit nicely on her small nose among the freckles on her cheeks and outlining her forest green eyes. She was by all means cute as a button.
I on the other hand, was your average blonde. Not even one of those nice blond blondes, but a brown-like dirty blonde with thick wavy hair, a clean face, and deep blue eyes. Although I had been considered beautiful a few hundred years ago, I felt painfully average now. I suppose it was my looks that got me here, a sad little part of my heart remembers. I tuck it away for later as I greet Beth.
"Hey," I say cheerily, though it almost feels forced. "Whatcha got there?" I ask her, watching her as she lugs the heavy box over to my desk. She all but drops it down on the hard wood surface, nearly squashing my papers - and my fingers - in the process.
"Dunno," Beth replied a with a shrug. "But it's got your name on it." She offered with a smile, and I can tell she's just here to see me open the package. I give her a knowing grin before responding.
"Alright, alright, but then I really have to get back to work." I tell her, putting my pen down and shoving my papers neatly aside. Taking a look on the package slip, I see that it is in fact my package. The only issue is, I don't remember ordering anything, nor can I recall anything being sent to me by the Council or anybody else. I look at it, confused, as I try to wrack my brain for something that just isn't there. Even more strange, the text from the sender appears to be in an Asian language, though I'm not definite on which one.
"Well?" Beth asks impatiently. "Won't you open it?" She urges, her tone almost pleading. I try to sigh and roll my eyes but I can't help the laugh that escapes my lips. I suppose when you live the indefinite age of a dragon, you grow a lot of patience. I pull open a few of my drawers until I find a pair of scissors, opening them up and using one side to cut through the several layers of tape.
Honestly it was a little embarrassing with how much I struggled to get this thing open, but to be fair it had been wrapped up, cut open by customs, and then wrapped up again. This tape was thick, but I eventually manage to get the scissors to cut it open - thought not without a couple of laughs from Beth. One look from me gets her to stop, at least kind of. She pulls a hand up to her face to conceal it while I continue to work at the bulky package.
I open it to find a heavy layer of packing peanuts, so much so that I have no idea what's even inside. Beth attempts to peer in as I dig through the packing peanuts. Several of them go flying out as my hands find purchase on something that feels like a wooden box. I keep digging, looking for the bottom and wrapping my fingers around it. I carefully pull the wooden box out of it's packaging, spilling more packing peanuts in the way.
Still holding the wooden box, I try to shove the shipping box out of the way with my elbows. Beth takes the hint and hurriedly removes the shipping box, giving me the room I need to set the wooden box on my desk. I set it down with a small oomph and a thump as it hits my desk.
The box is unassuming, a simple polished wood with soft corners. It's not a dark wood like my desk, or light like a birch, just an average brown wood. On top is a script carved into the wood, in an Asian language I couldn't understand. It has a simple faux gold latch, which I gingerly undo and lift the lid. Inside was a pristine type of packaging, the kind that fit the form of the object perfectly with a layer of red silk to cover it. Nestled in the form fitting silk was a metal statue of a dog and a puppy. It was clearly a mother and child, the detail and the features exquisite. The lines of the fur down the the little claws on their feet looked almost lifelike. The mother dog was sitting while the puppy was frozen in a roll, playing in front of it's mother, both of them having curled tails and serious looking faces. It was beautiful, but I still had no idea who would send this. I pick the statue up, holding it with both hands so that Beth and I can see it.
"What is it? I mean, I know it's a dog but…" Beth asks, her voice trailing off as we both try to figure it out. Beth and I both turn our heads at an angle, as if that would suddenly reveal something. It did not. I turn back to the box and the rest of its contents.
Inside were a few other things which clued me in to exactly what language it was in and who sent it. There are a few small charms with various images and symbols, all small and rather cute in nature. One even has a matching dog on it. The most important part is the letter though, which I immediately pull out. Setting the statue down on the desk, I grab the scissors to open the letter.
"Well, who's it from?" Beth asks as I begin to rip the letter open, finding the same struggle as I had with the box. Now it's just sad, I think as I nearly resort to just ripping it open. Beth snorts a laugh, and this time is not dissuaded by my look. Perhaps I should better develop my evil eye.
"It says its from Heisei Takahashi." I say, though my voice is mumbled as I skim the letter. Beth makes a noise, though I'm not sure if it's annoyance or surprise.
Ms Adelaide Lyons,
It is my greatest pleasure and honor to be working with you. I understand some of this may have been last minute, and may still be a surprise to you. I hope that our relationship should prove fruitful regardless of this, and that we may succeed in our endeavors. I also hope that this gift finds you well, and that the omamori serve you well.
Yours, Kenji Takahashi
The letter is formal, very formal, and yet so short. Straight to the point I guess. I assume that omamori refers to the small charms he's included with the dog statue. The name is familiar and I try to think, searching my brain for why I remember his name. I say as much to Beth, hoping she might be of help.
"Isn't he the guy the Council is sending?" Beth asks, a cheery tone in her voice. I make a small sound of surprise, turning to face her.
"Yes! Wait-" My pleasant surprise turns into one with a hint of suspicion. "How do you know that?" I ask, eyeing Beth with what I hope conveys my feelings the best, perhaps even improving my evil eye. Beth laughs.
"You told me the other day!" She smiles at my forgetfulness. My face heats as I recall that I had in fact told her all about it. Well, I told her enough. She was human, and while she was a trusted human she was still only just a human. I kept the majority of it to myself, keeping her on a need-to-know basis. She didn't mind, but sometimes I felt bad not telling her the whole truth of things.
"You getting forgetful in your old age?" Beth teases, her broad smile bringing an uncanny happiness. It was hard not to be happy around her, she was usually very positive no matter the situation. Even when it was kind of annoying.
"As if," I roll my eyes at her but can't help smiling. "I've just been preoccupied." I shake the letter over my desk as if it was any indicator of my very busy state of mind. Perhaps it was to some, but most would just see it as a stack of miscellaneous paperwork. Beth laughed again with a nod.
"I can tell." She replied before turning on her heel to leave. "Anyway, thanks for the fun goodbye!" She shot the sentence off rapid fire, knowing I would have had a few choice words at that jab, and a few tasks for her if she had stayed any longer. I roll my eyes and shake my head before looking back at the statue. It really was nice, and the mother dog looked so stoic. Glancing around my room, I decide the best place for it is on top of my filing cabinet, the mother dog looking down on all who would come in. Yes, I think. That will do.
I run and re-run the numbers again and again before I finally send the email to both the treasury and project manager on the Council of Dragons. I have gone so far as to provide a full planing document with images, sources, and various options that could all fit in the basement of the museum. Unfortunately for me, they all involve relocating the current collection of dragon fossils and artifacts. A small part of my heart breaks at the thought of not being able to pull out and continue working on any given one, but I know it will be worth it.
It's been three days since I started working on the project. I'm a day early in the allotted time for working on this specific project, and I hope it doesn't look like I rushed it. It probably won't since I took three days to put it together, but what if it does? Worry begins to prickle at the back of my mind but I force myself to cast it aside and log off the computer for the day. I sent it in, that was it. The band-aid was off.
I stand up from my desk chair, pushing it back with my legs as I pull up into a long stretch. I've spent three days sitting here and at home, just working. It's beginning to take a toll on my body, the muscles sore and aching. With a big yawn and one last stretch, I slump back into a regular standing position, rubbing my face with my hands. I absentmindedly grab my things to go, my brain feeling so fried it could taste like crispy fried chicken. Then I hear the small ring as the front door opens.
"Sorry!" I call as I head down the small hallway from my office to the front door. "We're closing real soon so-" I cut off when I see who came in. I see him standing there, the front door closing with a small clink behind him. It had to be Kenji, there was no doubt about it.
The man before me is almost a head taller than I am - and I am very wonderfully average height at five feet four inches - with not-too-wide shoulders and dark hair. His dark almond-shaped eyes find me the moment I step out of the hallway, holding me in place with his piercing gaze. His face is both hard angles and soft edges, blending into something that was striking, mysterious, attractive, and off putting all at once. He's dressed in a dark suit in tie, his hair styled tastefully short and off to the side. He appeared to be in his early to mid thirties at the oldest, but knowing how slow dragons aged he could be much, much older than that.
By all means he could have been a wealthy business man for all I knew. Except there was a tell to dragons who were hiding as humans. It was hard to distinguish but there, in the depths of his eyes, was a certain spark I never could put my finger on. Kenji quickly put on a polite but all business smile as he stepped forward to greet me.
"Miss Lyons, I presume?" He asks after making a curt bow. He stiffly holds out his hand, and I take it in a shake, though I fumble to do so. Where his posture is all business and proper, mine is exhausted and ready to go home. I'm wearing casual jeans and a hoodie again, so not exactly the look of a professional or the best first impression. At least the hoodie has the museum logo on it.
"Ah, yes." I try not to stumble as I recover from the mess of a hand shake. "You must be Mister Takahashi?" I ask tentatively.
"Yes, and forgive me, I find that handshakes are often awkward." He tells me, something like a glimmer of amusement sparking in his eyes. He's apologizing to me? Yeesh, I need to step up my game.
"It's no problem, really." I say with a quick wave of dismissal. I hope that my cheery tone might put him at ease but he is clearly all business.
"I hope your package arrived safely?" He asks me, again keeping that polite smile as he speaks.
"Oh, the dog?" I ask. I don't wait for him to respond before I keep going, though I probably should have if I hope to seem even a little polite. "Yes, it came in just a few days ago. It's beautiful!" I tell him, trying to display the right amount of affection. I don't want to seem overzealous. I notice out of the corner of my eye that Beth is very slowly closing up the ticket booth, clearly listening in on out conversation. I can't exactly give her a look without being noticed by Kenji, so I pretend I don't see her.
"That's good to hear," Kenji starts. "At least one thing arrived safely." Before I can ask what he means by that he begins to tell me. "Despite our best efforts to plan for the worst, the specimen as been delayed. Instead of coming this month, it won't be until next month or later." I don't fail to notice the look he casts in the direction of the ticket booth as he says specimen. I nod in understanding.
"Don't worry, Beth is fine. Although," I say as I make an exaggerated glance over at the ticket booth. "She's supposed to be closing up the exhibits right now." I say pointedly, and Beth makes a small excuse and leaves. I huff a small laugh before turning back to Kenji. There's a troubled look in his eyes, but he says nothing that would indicate as much.
"Ah, I hope I'm not overstepping?" Kenji asks in a polite tone.
"Oh no," I say with a shake of my head. "Not at all. In fact," I say as I look behind me real quick. I make a quick scan to be sure no one else is leaving. It would seem the place is empty, even in the far back. "Why don't I show you around?" I ask as I turn back to face Kenji. His business smile softens ever so slightly into something almost genuine.
"I would like that very much." He tells me. I can't help but beam at him. This is my favorite part of the museum. Talking about dinosaurs? I could do that all day. It was easy to talk about something I enjoyed so much, something that I was full of passion for. Having been witness to the initial rise of paleontology and the ever changing landscape, I had the unique position to go through centuries of information.
The building's floor plan guided viewers into a sort of loop through the exhibits, and the exhibits went in the process from oldest fossils to newest fossils. I walked Kenji through each exhibit, explaining each one. I practically talked his ear off at each part before I realized I had probably spoken for too long and dragged him to the next one. He never complained, never added much to the conversation, he just let me speak with a few small yet polite comments about the exhibits and my knowledge. I felt thoroughly embarrassed by the time we got to the final exhibit, yet oddly satisfied with his quiet company. He's just being polite, entertaining you, he's clearly bored. A little voice hissed in the back of my mind. I quickly shake it away before continuing.
"Well, that's all of it." I tell him with a small wave of my arm. I notice that Beth is still in the museum, 'closing up' the gift shop that's placed at the exit. I again pretend I don't see her, making a point of ignoring her.
"It was very nice." Kenji says, though he showed no sign or change of expression. It almost felt like talking to someone at a help desk, and I wasn't really sure how I felt about it.
"So…" I drag out as we begin to walk to the exit together. "How long do you plan on staying here?" I ask, trying to make some small talk that would actually invite his participation.
"As long as you need me to." He replies, matching his stride to mine as I make a slow pace to the door.
"Oh, I usually work alone." I tell him. "Not that I don't want your help!" I quickly correct, his face pulling into an odd expression. He seems confused, though I'm not sure what he would have to be confused about. His brows knit together and there's the slightest tug at his mouth as if he wants to frown.
"On the specimen?" He asks. I nod, ready to say something more to cover my blunder but he continues to speak. "No, I'm not here for that." He corrects me. Now it's my turn to be confused.
"Then what are you here for?" I ask, pausing at the doorway.
"For the pairing." He states very matter of factually, giving me that odd look again. My confusion only deepens. "The coupling?" He asks, as if a change of the word would make much of a difference. Unfortunately it did not. He looks behind him, probably making sure Beth wasn't still around to listen. I was sure she was but he pressed on anyway. He looks embarrassed before he speaks, his face going red. "For the breeding, our breeding." He clarifies. And with that, my entire world goes out the window.