“Motu!” she cried, running down the stairs. The baby dragon had managed to slip out when her manager had opened her office door to ask her something.
By the time Emmeline reached the baby dragon, he was watching Char roast a batch of coffee beans, his purple eyes alight. Torch and Midnight were on the side. Midnight was lying down, eyes closed, while Torch was sitting watching Char.
Motu hopped and flew over and tried to join Char, puffing out a little fireball.
“Uff, Motu, no!” Emmeline scolded, reaching to pull him from the air.
She didn’t want the baby so close to Charr’s fire, and Char didn’t seem too happy about it, either. Without pausing his flames, Char batted a wing out, pushing Motu away, though the baby dragon was hardly deterred.
Motu went around Char, trying to join him on the other side, and Emmeline let out a groan. “Motu, stop it.”
Seeing Emmeline was upset, Torch scowled at Motu, hissing. That had the desired effect.
Chagrined, Motu drooped down to the floor. Dragging his feet, he waddled over to the side, head hanging low before he hid his face behind his wings. Emmeline’s heart broke.
“Okay, I’m sorry!” she said, going over to him.
Even though he was heavy, she scooped him up into her arms, and he moved his wings to the side so she could cuddle with him. He pressed his little paws against her chest, then nuzzled against her, no longer upset at all.
Emmeline narrowed her eyes. Had she just been played by a baby dragon?
“You have to behave, okay?” she told him, voice warning. Motu jumped from her arms, bouncing on the ground as if he hadn’t heard her. “Motu! I mean it.” She pointed a finger at him and he kept jumping happily. Midnight lifted her head, unamused.
The older dragon roared at Motu, and he jolted, settling down. While Torch thought Motu’s shenanigans were cute,Midnight was too old and easily irritated to be won over by the baby dragon.
Luckily, Motu was afraid of the old girl and obediently sat in place.
“Thanks, Midnight,” Emmeline said, as Midnight set her head back down to rest.
Emmeline was just about to go back to her office when her phone rang; she picked up.
“Hiya, Dad,” she said.
“Hello,” Charles replied. “How are you? Are you coming for dinner tonight?”
“No, but there should be leftovers from yesterday for you guys to eat,” she replied quickly, wanting to get back to work.
“Oh, I wasn’t asking because of dinner,” he said. “You know we can manage on our own.”
They really couldn’t. “Yes, Dad, I know you can.”
“It’s just nice to see you, that’s all.”
Emmeline pinched the bridge of her nose, thumb brushing against her nose-ring. Her father was just as bad as a baby dragon with his need for attention. Going to the side, Emmeline slowed down. “How has your day been?” she asked. “What are you up to?”
Her father was a retired engineer and usually spent his time golfing, but in the winter, he truly didn’t know what to do with himself. Even more so with Samreen down at Millie’s.
Emmeline would suggest he go down to Millie’s as well, but she knew the man would only drive everyone there absolutely insane. Charles was fastidious—that was where Emmeline got it from—a quality not needed in a home with two toddlers and a newborn.
“Oh, not much,” Charles replied. “I was just doing today’s crossword puzzle. Can you guess what I got stumped on?”
No matter how old or busy Emmeline got, her parents always assumed that if they were free, she would be also. Never mind that it was the middle of the weekday, a time universally reserved for work.
Still, Emmeline indulged her father, and after chatting with him for a bit, she grabbed Motu and finally went back to her office, where she went over her ideas for the coffee shop. But she needed to spend more time at the bookshop before she could really get down to the details.
Luckily, Anh had already told her to come by the bookshop today so she could show her the office with all the files and relevant information. Emmeline was heading over straight after work. She was on a tight schedule and spread thin, but she had planned things out meticulously so it would be fine.
After work, Emmeline mounted Torch, who scooped Motu up in her claws, and they took off, flying to the bookshop. Motu couldn’t fly long distances yet since he was only a year old, and she didn’t trust the little menace on his own. It was typical auntie behavior of her, but she couldn’t help but compare Motu with Ginny’s Fang, who was so well-trained.
