The winter night offered a clear sky with an unobstructed view of the pale moon, looking down at the world with all the joy of a mother watching her sleeping child. And indeed, the world was sleeping. A few lanterns were lit around the mid-sized city of Cairus to light the way for night watches that nonchalantly patrolled the wide streets; they were more worried about animals coming to rob the townspeople of their livestock or other valuable and edible wares than they were about dangerous people. Cairus saw it's fair share of crime, but on a winter night such as this, all was quiet. All, except for the tall woman striding like a breath of wind down the main roadways towards the city square. Her purpose was nameless and it showed; despite having long legs, she was not in any hurry to get anywhere in particular. Casually, she'd been stopped by one of the pairs of nightwatches ambling by, though they seemed to give her a little more attention when they caught sight of the black tattoos on her face. This was all that they bothered to do, for a quick conversation with her proved that indeed, she was originally from out of town and indeed, she wasn't a bother to anyone and was minding her own business.
In truth, Hadian Torzinei simply couldn't sleep. Maybe it was the cold, or maybe it was the knowledge that by tomorrow her job with the local baker would be up, and once again she'd be searching for a way to get by. Whatever it was, she couldn't find her peace that night and resorted to wandering around downtown for some crisp air and something to get her mind off of things. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that it was also a little bit of job-scouting, as she was passively looking for any shop or workshop or tavern with a help wanted sign scrawled out on a piece of paper in the window, or simply any place that looked like it might need an extra hand for a few days.
"A little late to be out for a stroll, eh miss?" A man said from her left. His question was genuine and not accusatory, and it wasn't until he really got a good look at her that his tone changed minutely. "Everything alright?" His eyes, cautious, searched her, but he didn't appear worried.
"Can't sleep," she admitted with a wry smile. "I thought maybe a good walk might clear my head...I mean no trouble sir, honest."
This guy seemed to be even more sympathetic than the last; maybe this happened often. "Ah, I see," he said with a little slow nod. "Personally? I'd go check out the sanctuary there. The glass in there is something to behold, and the library on the second floor is exceptional."
"Thank you, I appreciate it," Hadian said in earnest; she'd been itching for a good distraction from the twisty feeling in her stomach. "I think I may just have to see this glass for myself. You have a good night."
"You too miss, watch yourself now."
Hadian smiled politely to him as he turned to meander away and she made her way towards the grand stone building with gray spires reaching high into the night to pierce the moon. The very door to the place--a thick wooden thing braced with well-forged steel bars and rivets--was grandiose. Hadian pushed he heavy door open, as it was unlocked at all hours of the night. The foyer of the place was something to behold indeed; Gray marble made up most of the floor with granite inlays in symmetrical, intricate patterns while stone pillars reached high up to the tall ceiling. A few steps further and the room opened up to the main sanctuary with wooden pews and candle-lit sconces lining the walls. Against the far wall was a magnificent display of stained glass, the colors spraying all over the monochrome surface of the building's insides in a riot of blurry color. It was beautiful, but the empty room echoed too much for Hadian's taste and she felt like her feet sounded like thunderbolts cracking in the distance.
Through a short corridor and up a flight of gently curving stairs, Hadian came to another large room with vaulted ceilings and polished stone floors, but this one was a library, just as the sentry had said. Hadian thumbed passingly through a few books for a while, but ended up still meandering through the long expanse of the library. She'd nearly seen all she really felt like seeing and was about to leave when something caught her eye. In the corner of the room in its own little section was a pedestal housing a luxurious pillow and a very smooth, elongated object nestled atop it. Hadian gasped. A dragon egg! She had always hoped to see one someday, but never did she expect to find it in the back of a library!
"How sad..." she said aloud, wondering how long it had been there. Surely, it had to have been a long time, for she hadn't heard of any dragon clutches in recent times or really, if she were honest, much about dragons in general. "You poor creature. Here you are, waiting for your partner, and you're shuffled off to some dusty corner in a room full of books and scholars, not proud warriors. Doomed to wait." Hadian admired the thing for a while, appreciating the way its creamy black surface swirled with a graying turquoise underneath the light of the quiet moon from a window up above. Such a pity, she thought.
Curious now, Hadian began flipping open books nearby it, wondering if they would be on dragons at all. Nope. One looked hopeful, and she had nothing else to do, so she reached for it. As she did, a mouse leapt out from a little gap in the shelf and skittered away into the darkness timidly, but it startled Hadian. With a gasp, she reflexively reeled backwards a step and, with horror, felt her rear bump into the corner of the white pedestal behind her. Mortified, she whipped around to find the wooden stand tottering back and forth with the dark oval on top of it wobbling dangerously with it. It slid off the pillow and Hadian's hands just shot out reflexively to save it's fall, lest it break or be otherwise damaged. She never expected what happened then.
An explosion of pain surged from her hands into the rest of her body like a lightning bolt and she screamed loudly, feeling her chest tighten like her arms and legs. Hadian couldn't breathe, or else she'd cry out again, for the pain was the worst she'd experienced in her entire life. The woman fell to her knees as she struggled for air, but still she couldn't let go of the egg. Funny enough, she didn't want to. Hadian caught her breath finally, yelled again for her own satisfaction, and stood. Her head was going to explode, she thought. Actually explode. Regardless, Hadian felt like she no longer wanted to be in this sanctuary. In fact, she wanted to be anywhere but the sanctuary. She needed to be outside. Fresh air, open space...
Hadian had never sprinted down a flight of stairs that fast in her life. Out the front doors she went, though the city square and into the narrower residential streets towards the lake at the edge of town. All the while, Hadian couldn't help but wonder what was happening to her and why she felt like she needed to split and be alone. She would have killed for some good company a minute ago, what happened?
It was at the edge of the lake on the north side of town, among the trees and hardy underbrush, that Hadian collapsed. She couldn't run any more and the pain was still so unbearable that her head was spinning violently. Still, she clutched that egg. With shock, awe, and mostly terror, Hadian realized that in some unbelievable twist of fate, she'd bonded with this dragon. It chose her as its partner, and she was now bound to this creature for as long as she lived. They were one, already beginning to share energy and a physical bond.
"How!?" she cried out weakly to the stars, and then again to the cool, smooth egg in her hands. But she couldn't take it much longer; her head was swirling around in a chaotic mess and the world looked like a blurry soup of shifting images to her. Hadian felt so light-headed, she knew she didn't have much time before she passed out. With a great effort, she shifted the egg underneath her cloak so it wouldn't be seen, though she slipped her hand under too, just to keep in contact with it. She remembered crying out feebly again before the world faded before her eyes and she knew nothing more.
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