Sunbeam Lair a longer table, not a taller fence

Taken aback, she could do little more than stare, at a loss for words, when the other spoke once again. You’re beautiful, came the remark, replaying in her head. She felt herself dragged back to her childhood, the face of a boy flashing through her mind; compared to the beauty of a night, a flustering thought to have. She shooed the voice away, urging it to leave no matter how desperately it tried to linger—that boy was of the past, she knew, his face gone from her vision for quite some time now.

“Thank you,” she called back, her own voice soft—uncertain, or perhaps nearly doubtful. No matter, she hid her doubts away, hoping that they might disperse if ignored. And ignoring them was easier to do as the other female continued to speak. “I do not believe we have, either,” she continued. “My name is Kaori Draconid.” As much as she wished to declare the lair her home, she held her tongue—for there, too, lingered uncertainty behind the statement, as she wondered if it could truly be her home when she was the only dragon that remained.