Nim sat on the floor by the mirror again. He was drawing. It helped him relax. He had thought about what his friends had said. He had thought about what Joanne had said. Andy was right. They needed to talk. He still had his doubts about whether they could make it work, but he was willing to try. The picture was almost finished. He had seen a flower in the garden that he thought would look nice in her hair, so he had drawn it in. He was good at drawing from memory and making modifications, like the flower. He didn’t know what he’d draw next. He figured he’d just do flowers from the garden until something inspired him. If they were going to have this conversation, he needed something to help him focus. He started the flowers and cast the spell. This time, he could see a table up against the reflective surface he’d connected to with a hole in it. Across the way was a curtain. Just as he called out her name, she opened the curtain. She was wet and naked. “Nim?” She cried and pulled curtain close. He looked away. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I’ll try again in a few days.” The image was flickering like crazy. He hadn’t expected that. It was all he could do to hold the spell. “Wait, Nim, don’t go.” “But...” “No buts. It was an accident. I don’t normally shower in the evening. You couldn’t have known. And, see, I’m covered now.” He looked, and the image flickered. She had wrapped a towel around herself and was sitting on the edge of the table, leaning against the wall with her bare legs out in front of her. He went back to drawing, switching pages. “Women there have a different idea about what covered is than women here,” he said. “Are you sure you don’t want to put more on?” “You don’t approve?” She asked. “I didn’t say that. I was talking about human women. I’m a dragon. Dragons don’t wear clothes in their true form. We only ever wear clothes because others expect it.” Approval didn’t matter. He appreciated seeing her like that. “So maybe you should take off some of what you’re wearing,” Joanne suggested. Nim looked at her and smiled. The image flickered. He took off his shirt. “Should I keep going?” He got the feeling she hadn’t been expecting him to do that. “That’s good for tonight. Although, you did see me naked.” Nim smiled, and the image flickered. “If nudity doesn’t embarrass you, why do you keep flickering?” “Any kind of distraction can make me lose focus. A very beautiful woman sitting almost naked in front of me is very distracting.” “How did you get that scar?” Nim looked at the burn on his arm and frowned. “Pt’this did it. I thought I told you that.” “Not that one, the one on your chest.” “Oh,” he had hoped the drawing board would hide that. He hated all his scars. He was ugly enough as it was. He didn’t need help. “I fell when I was learning to fly and landed on a fallen tree. A broken branch punctured my lung. The scar tissue makes it difficult to breathe fire. It actually goes all the way through to my back.” “I don’t remember seeing it when you were in true form.” “The scales cover it up.” Fortunately. Not all scars were hidden by scales. The one on his arm wasn’t. “How come the scales weren’t affected?” “Those aren’t the same scales. I shed those ages ago.” “You shed your scales?” Nim nodded, and the image flickered. “I shed my whole skin every seven years.” “Does it hurt?” More flickering. “Sort of. That hair tie I gave you is made from my skin.” “It is?” She looked over the edge of the table. Nim heard a sliding sound and then she had the tie in her hands. Maybe it was a cabinet rather than the table. “I had wondered what it was made of. I’m sorry. I forgot to give it back.” “Keep it. I have more.” “You really shed your skin and make stuff out of it?” The image flickered. “Mostly I sell it. If you can get large pieces, it’s pretty valuable.” “Is this making you uncomfortable? You’re flickering a lot.” “Yes.” “Why?” “Do you like talking about your cycle?” He asked, looking up. Andy had told Pt’this about a human woman’s reproductive cycle. Pt’this, in turn, told him. Apparently, most women didn’t like to talk about it, sometimes to the point, they would almost pretend it didn’t happen. “My cycle? I don’t... Oh. That’s different,” Joanne said. “Is it? They’re both rather personal and private. They are both beyond our control. And, they are both unpleasant and messy.” Joanne looked at him a moment. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” “It’s okay. You didn’t know.” He went back to his drawing. “I wanted to apologize for having to go so suddenly the other night,” he said. “That’s okay. Is everything all right? What happened?” Nim stopped drawing and explained about Ann and the nobles. “That’s terrible.” “At least Andy was able to stop it. I certainly wasn’t any help, and this is a big part of the reason why I was made emissary.” “Don’t sell yourself short. If you weren’t emissary, chances are Andy would have never learned of that meeting and wouldn’t have been there.” “I guess.” “Nim, look at me.” He did. “We all do our part. Not everyone can be the star. Most of us just help them get there.” Nim thought about that for a minute and nodded. Joanne expected him to start drawing again, but he didn’t. “The other day, when we were talking about having kids, and you were surprised, that kind of hurt,” she said. Nim put his drawing board aside, turning over the parchment. He sat up and crossed his legs. “Joanne, I’m sorry.” “I’m doing everything I can to show you how I feel, and you have no clue. You said we’re very different. What am I doing wrong?” He picked up the drawing board again and changed parchment. How did she not see it? “You’ve fallen for someone like me. That’s what you’ve done wrong. I’ve been alone most of my life. Even before they died, I didn’t see my parents much. I’d sit off by myself in class and didn’t have many friends. It wasn’t a big leap for me to go live by myself and become a hermit. I don’t know anything about relationships. I really like you, but I was afraid that I was misunderstanding. Women don’t find me attractive. They aren’t interested in me. It’s hard to believe someone as beautiful and as sweet as you could see something in me worth pursuing.” As he spoke, his drawing became more feverish. She couldn’t see the page, but Joanne wouldn’t be surprised if it were mostly scribbles. “Nim, I offered to sleep with you. How could that be misunderstood?” “I’m told sometimes humans do that, have sex with people they barely know for fun.” “Are you calling me a slut?” “No. I just don’t want to make any assumptions.” “Nim, I don’t offer to sleep with just any man I meet, no matter how good-looking. Yes, I’m saying you’re good-looking. I have slept with a few guys. Not everyone I’ve been in a relationship with and definitely no one that I didn’t know. “I really like you, Nim. I have since you came here. Maybe that sounds too crazy to be believed, but it’s true. “Maybe I pushed a little too far when I invited you to spend the night. I just didn’t want to be apart. I didn’t know you could call me like this. I thought I might never see you again.” “I’m sorry, I should’ve said something about scrying. I guess I kind of wanted it to be a surprise. I also wasn’t sure if I could do it. When I scried Andy’s parents, I had help. I didn't mean to imply I thought you were a slut. I was just asking your intentions and worded it badly. I’m sorry. I really like you too. I certainly feel like I can’t spend enough time with you.” He continued drawing the whole time they spoke, but now he stopped and looked around. “I need more parchment,” he said and stood. The room started spinning. He sat down hard on the bed. “Whoa.” “Are you okay?” Joanne asked. “I will be. I’m just a little more drained than I realized. I need to lay down for a bit. I do need to end the spell though.” “Okay goodbye then.” She looked both sad and worried. “I’ll be okay, and I’ll scry you again in a few days,” he assured her. “Maybe I’ll be dressed then.” “Your choice, but if you are I might be disa…” Then he fell over. “Nim? Nim!” Joanne cried. “Nim, wake up.”