RENDEZ-VOUS
Draca soared with Ryuen through time and space to Earth. As usual she entered it on a well-known place to her, a deserted parking lot behind a beach club called 'The Rave'.
It felt like she had only been here yesterday and in a way it had only been this long. But not for her, it had been about two years since she had left the place a day back.
'Don't think of it like that!'
Ryuen said, 'It's confusing to the
readers.'
'Yeah, yeah...' Draca mumbled and went inside.
The club was empty in broad daylight. the dark walls seeming out of place with the sunlight shining down on them from windows high in the ceiling. The disco balls and stages looked shifty and tattered when you saw them in bright light though at night the stuff seemed new and
shiny.
"Hello?" Draca yelled.
Ryuen carefully stepped through the door. His rider hadn't told him to follow her but she hadn't said he should stay outside either. From a distance he inspected the place. Finally, from another room
concealed by a door reading 'Personnel only' came some sounds.
Another draconic head looked outside and snorted as it saw Draca. 'You
again?' came the sleepy remark from the green-silver dragoness, followed by a worried
'How is your sister?'
"Yndra is fine. She's in a place called Darkling Dawn surrounded by dragons not remotely as beautiful as you, but they'll help her through her rough time.
'Good.'
'Hi!' Ryuen butted in the conversation, 'What is
your name?'
'Rixorieth.' said the silver-green, 'What is
yours?'
'Ryuen. Draca is my rider,
' he said lovingly, 'where is yours?'
'Sleeping. And Reggie said not to disturb him or Ravenna!'
'I can wait until they are ready, I just thought coming here early would be less
conspicuous.'
'Right... we get all our
visitors in the morning.' A blue head said coming out of the door, 'Hey! Brighty!
Who are you.'
'Kaoverth, 'Draca said pointing at the night-blue duowing, 'This is my dragon Ryuen.'
'Figures.' the dragon said in a good impression of his rider Reggie
looking again at the bright colours of Ryuen's hide. He was quite the
opposite, the night blue he was.
The three dragons installed themselves in the main disco room and talked a bit while their riders still slept. Draca waited too, though impatiently. She would have liked to shift and stay with the dragons in their form, but one more dragon would make the place burst.
Finally, about 2 hours later the doors opened again and Ravenna stepped through, yawning.
"What's wrong Rixorieth? Why do you need me?"
"Because of me I'm afraid." Draca said.
"Back so soon?"
"Not really." Draca said pointing to the brightly coloured shape that was Ryuen tied up in a game of twister with the other two dragons.
"He's cute... just a question, Do you do this on purpose? Reggie will freak when he sees that psychedelic wonder running around in his nice black-blue club." Ravenna giggled.
"Not really. Besides I won't stay here long. I just need help finding an address."
Ravenna gestured to give her the piece of paper. "That's not too far off. Not by dragon anyway."
It only took Ravenna twenty minutes to give her the right directions. She couldn't give them a clear mental picture though so they'd have to search the right house when they got there.
"Can you tell me anything else about this place called LA?" Draca asked before she would be on her way again.
"Hmmm, I hope you are immortal if you're going to run around in that neighbourhood." she said.
"Is it that bad?"
"Gangs, mostly. You'll be ok."
"Reassuring."
"Just duck when you hear gunfire." Ravenna smiled, "Happy travels!"
Draca wandered out, pulling Ryuen behind her though he would have rather stayed with his two new friends. "Come on, we can come back later." she promised him.
"Ok, but only because
I like you."
Draca shifted and waved as she and Ryuen took off to find as close a place to materialise as possible.
That place would be a small alley behind a restaurant.