Episode One Hundred and Forty Seven: Fast food
I needed to think fast about food. The cookie situation was covered. I had enough frozen cookie dough to not have a problem for three Solstice celebrations.
While I could order Chinese take-out, we’d eaten so much of that recently I felt I needed to come up with something else.
I slipped off the stool and headed to the register before tapping away on the screen. It didn’t take long for an option to come up that sounded tasty, and would be a new experience for us.
I picked several large items that were served family style, along with a few side dishes. Plus bread. Excitement gathered in me as I finished the order.
“Dinner is taken care of,” I announced. Thankfully, the Cat had said something, otherwise I would have needed to find out quickly what Betty had in the store rooms.
“What are we having?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises,” grumbled the Cat.
“Well, then today might not be your day. Several surprises are in store, especially up in the living room.” I couldn’t help but think of his gift that Betty had helped me with, and Indigo’s. Hopefully, they both liked their gifts. My bank account hadn’t been thrilled, but they were worth it.
“When are you going to open the gifts from your family?”
Man, the Cat was asking the hard questions this morning.
“After everyone has left, but before bed. I’ll then send a few messages over to them to see if people are around for a call.”
I didn’t want to open those gifts in front of our guests. I hadn’t gotten everyone big gifts, only for the Cat and Indigo, but at least everyone had a stocking. Though, I wondered when Alas would arrive. I hadn’t given him a time to show up, I’d just invited him.
Chirping from the other side of the shop caught my attention as Indigo zoomed into view. She sped up as she spotted the cups on the counter. Right behind her flew the blue dragon, though the small form felt weird. I kept reminding myself not to cuddle the little blue dragon. Somehow, cuddling Lord Bennit like I cuddled Indigo felt wildly inappropriate, though he was cute in his small form.
Indigo landed, and behind her Lord Bennit shifted back to his humanoid form with the sharp pointed ears.
“You have a fantastic space, little one,” said Lord Bennit. “Your collection of books has grown.”
“I have the best collection.”
“Collection of books?” I asked. Yet, before she replied, she stuck her snout into the hot chocolate in the teacup.
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Lord Bennit grabbed the mug of tea I had made for him and responded for Indigo. “She’s been collecting audiobooks, along with some physical books as well.”
I’d been letting her get audiobooks on my account, and hadn’t really thought about how many credits she used. She never went over my plan, but I made sure to have one of the larger ones. Plus, the dragons sent her books as well.
“I mean, that makes sense given she's part of your clan, right? You guys hoard knowledge…”
After I said it, I realized I probably should have asked how all of that worked before making any assumptions.
Lord Bennits chuckle made his mug shake in his hand, and he had to put it down.
Even Indigo stared at him, with hot chocolate dripping off her snout.
“We collect knowledge, and it makes us grow stronger…” He chuckled again a few more times. “But we don’t hoard it. Well, most of my close clan doesn’t.”
“The librarian!” Indigo’s chirp made me turn toward her. “The librarian dragon! Tell story!”
“I will,” said Lord Bennit. “Several clans’ members have created libraries on various worlds, where they gather rare books and make sure history isn’t lost to time, or revised out of truth.”
All I could picture were massive libraries with giant dragons in them, making sure no one forgot to return a book.
“Revised?” I asked.
“People love to change history,” answered the Cat, before Lord Bennit could. “Especially those who gain control. They tend to want history to reinforce their own narrow view.”
“And your clan helps resist that?”
“It depends on the world,” added Lord Bennit. “When a dragon settles somewhere, you can expect a certain level of magic on that world. Our clan doesn’t get involved in the small struggles of the short-lived on those worlds. Instead, we record, document, and provide access to the knowledge and lore we collect. Sometimes peoples on those worlds fall into centuries where there is no one interested in truth, but sooner or later someone always comes to find out what really went before.”
“But other clans do get involved?”
Lord Bennit looked hesitant for a moment.
“Yes, some dragon clans rule worlds as kings.” The Cat’s answer hung in the air.
I nodded. “That makes sense, that not all dragons are the same. The same goes for humans, and Fey Lords.”
Something said at the conclave came to mind.
“Who are the clan’s enemies?” I asked, remembering the parts of the clan that were in hiding.
Lord Bennit let out a sigh and sipped his tea. “I don’t understand how any of the long-lived could take this view, but there are those who don’t like knowledge getting passed around. Or even preserved, sometimes.”
“Book burners!”
Indigo’s addition almost caused me to jump.
“You can’t burn audio books,” she said as she launched herself at me. “Bad people burn books! Or scrolls, they have scrolls.”
She landed on my shoulder, feeling heavier than before as she carefully moved closer to my neck.
“Very bad people.”
“Don’t worry, no one will burn books in the shop,” I added, to reassure her.
Yet, I was thankful that was her definition of a bad person. It meant she really didn’t think about the demons.
“There are some dragon clans that we don’t get along with, but nothing to be concerned with. Dragons intermingle between clans, as dragonets on occasion are born to different clans, and need to leave their nests young.”
“Wait, you mean dragons can be born outside the clan who grow from knowledge?” This hadn’t been in any of the dragons books I’d read.