Mariana Chester is a woman in her late 20s. She has short, dark brown hair and warm brown eyes. She had a normal childhood with supportive parents and completed a two-year degree in her local community college. At the Bureau of Draconic Affairs, she spent her time as a junior archivist, manually transcribing the documents she was given into digital formats. On all fronts, she is an average woman with a pretty face working an honest job. So why, she asked herself, would she be the one assigned to work with a dragon? She had nothing against them, of course. But it was as if you told a kid that the high school mascot will be helping them with their math homework, in costume. It was absurd, and quite unconventional. At the moment, Mariana was sitting in a chair, fiddling with a pen. The conference room, even with its wide pane windows observing a shimmering forest, couldn’t bring her mood up. She was being moved from a position she felt comfortable in to one where she had nothing from her old job to hold her up. She took a deep breath. This was all par for the course in a corporate setting. Take the dragons out of the equation and it’d be no different to a merging between companies, right? Mariana trailed her eyes up to look at the figure walking towards her. It was Iiro, his head back to a normal-looking man. He brushed his hand along his scalp, placing a few strands of hair back on top. “Fate would have it. What a peculiar coincidence that we will be working together. After the elevator, you know.” Mariana didn’t respond. Iiro flicked his eyes to the side awkwardly. “Look, if it’s any consolation, I wasn’t aware that I’d be working with a human either. If it makes you feel more at ease, I’m willing to answer any questions you may have about me or dragonkind. You seem like a trustworthy person.” “How can you tell that… Iiro?” A shy smile peeked from his lips. “Dragons have this… sense. Everything emits an energy, and dragons can tune into it. I’m more skilled in Shifting, but there are dragons out there who have devoted their time into learning how to… how do I put it... transcribe more data from these energy emissions. Like an upgraded satellite dish being able to pick up more signals.” An awkward silence filled the gap between them. Mariana continued to mull over her new job assignment while Iiro kept nervously flicking his eyes to the other groups in the room. “Iiro! Ms. Chester!” The grey-haired man from before, Mariana’s superior, came to the pair from across the room. “My apologies for making you wait, some of the other agents had quite a few questions. But no matter. I assume you two have done the dance of formalities? Introduced yourselves?” He rubbed his hands together anticipatorily. Iiro responded by scratching the back of his head and looking away. The older man turned his gaze to Mariana, a tired look on his face. “Agent Chester. May I have a word with you?” Mariana looked up and solemnly nodded. “Excuse us, Iiro. We’ll be back,” he said. The two left the conference room, and the man closed the door behind him. The atrium was silent compared to the soft bustle of the room they just left. He rubbed his face and pinched his nose. “Mariana, what’s gotten into you? The Council thought you would be a great fit for this position. I don’t want to tell them they’re wrong.” “Sir, with all due respect, I don’t think I can do this reassignment. It’s--“ she sighed, “it’s not that dragons’ fault. Iiro’s. It’s me. I hate to say it, but it’s too weird for me. It’s a bad way to put it, but it’s like I’ve been made to work with a dog who can talk, no offense. And I don’t think-- “ The man held up a hand and interrupted her. “Mariana. Your thoughts on this are valid, but your perceptions of it are wrong. The dragons we work with are intelligent beings that quite frankly, are hardly any different from you and I. The only difference is that under those scales, they look a little different. You wouldn’t treat your fellow man of a different skin color in this way, would you?” “No, no sir of course not. But this isn’t a matter of people. He is nonhuman.” “If him being a dragon bothers you so much, I can talk to him and for the trial period he can keep a human face. Then when your two months are over, if you still feel the same way, we will transfer you out. But I need you to stop sulking, act like an adult, and get to it. You have a job to do, a new job. I like you and your work, Mariana. And this…” he raised a hand, “this experimental division, it is the hope of the Grand DA Council that you and the others here will do well. It’s what they seem to believe, anyway.” He put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her directly. “Don’t forget, you aren’t alone in this. In a few hours, I’ll be writing a follow up email and generating group C-Chats for all of you. Express your feelings to your human peers; you may find that your thoughts are one of many.” He turned around and placed his hand on the doorknob, yet to turn it.. “Now then, I hope you can work it out with your new partner,” he tilted his head with a glance. Mariana nodded and pursed her lips. The man opened the door back into the conference room where various groupings continued to chatter amongst themselves. Iiro could be spotted sitting on the table where he was left, looking down at his tie and caressing it with his thumb. Mariana’s superior patted her shoulder and walked with her back to Iiro. “Apologies about that, boy. I believe we have it figured out.” He cleared his throat. “Now then, to your assignment. I’ll let you know, each group is given different tasks to complete; we will be testing to see what dragon-human pairings do best at.” Iiro raised his fingers in a question. “Groups? That implies more than a pair, no?” “Yes. Some of the dragon-human pairings are skewed with more agents or more dragons, depending on their tasks. Most are pairs though. You two are assigned to the task of meeting with other dragons out in the field and updating files as needed. You’ll be given access to level 2 files, with the possibility of gaining access to level 3 files if your work is found sufficient. You’ll be given a list of entities that need updating directly, so no need to go scouring through the database.” “Sir, if I may ask, why choose me for this job? And why Iiro to be my partner?” Mariana questioned. “Well, Mariana, you have experience on filing and using the new system, and also have a good understanding of the differences between dragon species. As for Iiro, he is draconic himself, and quite skilled at Shifting, not to mention his knowledge of traditions and beliefs that many of the dragon cultures share. You two should work well in complementing the skills of the other. And, Mariana,” he looked at her with a sort of proud smirk. “I was the one who suggested you for consideration to the DA Council, but I suppose they were already keeping an eye on you. I just want you to know, that for everything not strictly draconic, I am here for you. Official work begins in a week, so feel free to get to know each other before you go into the field. I promise, it will help.” He patted her shoulder again, twice, before walking off to discuss details with another group. Iiro looked at Mariana and gave a hopeful smile. “I suppose now we can leave. If it doesn’t bother you too much, I wouldn’t mind getting lunch and getting to know each other better. I know a great place down the street.” Mariana, for the first time, looked up at him and nodded. “Sure, I wouldn’t mind that.” The two did eventually end up walking through the halls and exiting the building into the vast parking garage next door. When they arrived, Iiro spoke a few quiet words to the attendant next to the stairwell before they scuttered off. A sleek black car soon pulled up next to the pair. The valet exited the vehicle, waved their hand towards the front of the car, and left. Iiro assumed the driver’s side, and Mariana joined in on the passenger’s side. A moment of silence passed as each secured themselves to the seat. Mariana was the first to break it. “Did you speak some secret language to them? I didn’t hear anything I recognized.” “Hm? No, I just spoke softly because he had sensitive ears.” Mariana gave him a confused look. “He’s a dragon. Remember? We can sense those things. He emitted a softer… velvet-like sort of sense. I could tell. And he doesn’t speak.” “So, you dragons can just skip the small talk and know all about each other right away?” “Yes, and no.” The car exited the structure and bright sunlight filled the cabin. “Our special senses give us an idea of who someone is, but not anything about them. If you were a dragon, say, I could sense your work ethic or maybe your distaste for dragonkind. But nothing about you as a dr-- person. So to speak, anyway. I sensed that the attendant couldn’t bear louder sounds and wouldn’t speak, voluntarily or otherwise.” “Wait. If he couldn’t handle loud sounds, why work in a car garage? The cars echo awfully loud in there.” “Perhaps he could block out those sounds specifically, or perhaps his sense of hearing is different. It’s a limitation of my skill level with this sense. I’m not omnipotent, no one is,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. It was quiet once more. After a few turns around the blocks, Mariana continued. “Are there dragons who can read minds?” “What?” “Is there a dragon who can read minds? If they studied their whole life into reading the emotions and thoughts others give off.” Iiro paused for a moment. “…I don’t think so. You can’t read thoughts; they’re electrochemical signals, not something someone can sense naturally. The whole process of us dragons sensing these emissions is just a matter of sensing the Aera off another being.” “Aera?” “Are you unfamiliar with it?” “No. Well, a little bit. Maybe. I learned about it briefly when doing my archival work. Filing. But I’ve never had it explained to me outright. But I guess I never really needed to know anything until now. I was just a desk jockey, after all.” “Hm. Every other agent I have spoken to so far had at least a basic idea of what it was. Could you tell me what you do know?” “It’s something dragons have, that’s special to them. It’s involved with Shifting, I think. Humans don’t have it, I’m sure of that.” Iiro hummed a lilted tone. “Interesting. Some of that is true. Some isn’t. I’ll fill you in after we get something to eat… we’re here.” The place they stopped at was a small shop, it wasn’t obvious what kind of food they sold within it, but it was the kind of place that had outlasted all the others in the area by many years. Iiro got out of the car, to which Mariana noticed the seat had a large hole where the bottom of the spine would rest, and figured she would ask him about it when she had a chance. In the meantime, she followed him from the car to the door, where he held it open for her and walked in after. The keeper at the front of the store looked up to see who arrived and shot a big smile in their direction. “Iiro! How are you doing, my man? What’ll it be today, friend included? Who is the lass anyway?” “Ah I won’t bore you with it, she works with me now. Office stuff, you know.” “Oh yeah? What, she helps you to write better? Your writing is chicken scratch, boy.” “Something like that. I’ll have the sliced turkey and chicken today, extra tomato. Hold the pepper and oil, you know I don’t like those.” Iiro said the last part with an annoyed tone before turning to Mariana with a noticeably friendlier expression. “Mariana, do you know what you want?” Having not paid any attention, she snapped her attention back to the source of her name. “Oh, sorry. Um…” She looked at the board behind the storekeeper. Some of the writing was illegible, at least to her. The pictures didn’t look that appetizing either. “Well, what’s it gonna be, lady? I haven’t got all day.” Iiro panned his attention to the man over the counter again. “Yes, you do, Em. That’s all you ever do, sit at this counter all day.” “Ey, you’re one to talk, desk boy.” Between the friendly (or not so friendly) bickering between the two, Mariana had decided what seemed most palatable from the menu board but wasn’t sure if her voice would direct the wraith of the keeper to her. It took a moment, but the two men finally got all their words out and now sat in a calm silence as Em worked. “You don’t have to get anything, Mariana. I’m sorry if you feel like I forced you to pick something.” Iiro tapped absentmindedly on the edge of the counter. “Grow a spine, boy and let the lady choose for herself,” Em huffed. “Here.” Whatever Em had made was done and wrapped neatly in a paper wrap, which he handed to Iiro who grabbed the wrapped food and looked at Mariana, waiting for a response. “Oh um, that one.” She pointed to an image on the wall that looked like a club sandwich. “The… Clubby. Is that what it says?” “Oi, the Clubby. Good choice for a beginner like you. Ol’ Iiro here ain’t fond of it, no sir.” “That’s because the last time you put hot peppers on it.” “Well excuse me if the scaly dragon doesn’t like something that reminds him of the flame his ancestors had.” The man looked at Mariana. “Oh, I’m sorry lass.” “She knows, she’s in the know now. But you can’t be saying that around people, Em.” “Well, I’ll assume that anyone with you is fine to talk these things around.” “In this world, you can’t just assume that.” The counter man made a tch sound and got back to work, slicing bread and meat. Suddenly, the sound of claws on a hard floor sounded out. “Oris! I told you to stay out of the shop in the day. Go back.” The shopkeeper seemed to shove his foot out to keep whatever came up to him away from the food. “Oris, I told you, I’ll make you lunch when I close for lunch and come back there. Go. Go before I tell your mother.” The tip tap sounds quickly went back into the other rooms, beyond the view of Mariana and Iiro. “Sorry about that. Kids, you know.” Iiro shrugged, but Mariana wasn’t so convinced. “Kids? It sounded more like a dog. Seemed to listen to you well.” “Sounded like a dog?” The shopkeeper had an expression of pride, oddly. “Good, good. I told them to grow their claws out like that to make it sound like a hound. Good to see the layman thinks the same.” Mariana slowly turned her gaze to Iiro with a look of confusion, mouthing the word “layman?”. He responded with a similar look until the lightbulb in his head lit up. “Oh, Em, she doesn’t get it. She thinks it’s an actual dog. Not Oris.” The keeper paused in the middle of cutting something, a toothy grin growing on his face. “You haven’t met Oris… oh, you ought‘a. He’s a good kid. Here.” He finished cutting the sandwich into halves, wrapped it in the same paper wrapping, and handed it to Mariana. “Give me a moment.” He took off his apron and gloves, hung them up, and stepped out from behind the counter. By all appearances, he seemed like a normal man, built as one living in America would be. He proceeded to the door, flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED, and turned the lock. Mariana looked nervously to Iiro, who gave a reassuring expression. “Now then, lassie. I’ll call over the little ones and you can meet ‘em, ‘specially if Iiro trusts you with the knowledge.” He looked one last time to Mariana’s companion and he nodded his head. The shopkeeper passed both of them, out of sight from the entrance and did a strange dance. “Sorry, got to get it flowing. I’m old, heh.” After he danced for a moment, he then took a deep breath and began to meditate. At least, that’s what it seemed like to Mariana. “Em, you don’t need to do a full body-- “ “Quiet. She’ll get all of me. I don’t get to do this often.” The shopkeeper continued to focus intensely, until his body began to be covered by a wavy mirage-like appearance. The same liquid air that Iiro had on his face when he Shifted in the meeting earlier. Suddenly, it clicked. And no sooner than it did, was the transformation complete. The shopkeeper now had the appearance of an orange-blond animal, almost dog-like. His face was round, but still kept the grin from earlier, somehow. “Yeah. I’m a dragon like your friend over there. Not the same kind. Can’t imagine being scaled and not having a body of fur.” He looked to Mariana. “Or only having hair on my head. It gets cold without my fur, I’ll tell ya.” He suddenly took a deep breath in. “ORIS! NEV! COME DOWN HERE IT’S LUNCH TIME!” he hollered. Mariana grimaced slightly and rubbed her ear. “Sorry about that missy. Kids don’t listen these days, you know.” The sound of the claws on the floor returned twofold this time but remained behind the counter. “Oi you two, come on out. They’re trusted fellows.” From behind the counter then came a pair of smaller animals who could’ve easily been mistaken as dogs. “This is Oris,” The shopkeeper motioned to one that was a bicolor orange color, “and this is Nev,” he motioned to one who was a mottled brown. “My young ones. Their mother is away right now and won’t be back ‘till later.” Iiro waved a hand dismissively. “We’ll see her sometime, don’t stress about it.” “Is that a human?” The orange one, Oris, asked. “You don’t feel like us.” “Oris that’s rude. Don’t say things like that. Apologize.” He lowered his head. “Sorry. I don’t see humans a lot.” Mariana wasn’t sure how to respond. Iiro stepped forward in her absence. “Hey Oris, hey Nev. How are you guys doing?” The two young dragons perked up and seemed much more cheerful with him. “I’m doing great! Mama says I might be able to try flying soon,” the brown one, Nev, said. “Nuh uh, she said you can start learning. We aren’t going to the flying park until next year.” Oris responded. “Well,” Iiro started, putting his hands on his knees and leaning forward. “Learning is still trying, I think. Which flying park are you guys going to?” “Yos-Yoseemie.” “It’s Yosemite.” “Yeah, that one.” Iiro whistled. “That’s pretty far. How are you guys going to get there?” “Car!” They both said simultaneously. “We’re taking a car there. A road trip.” Oris clarified. “I hope you like doing nothing for a few hours.” Iiro chuckled. “I’ve had to do long car rides and I don’t think they’re that fun. But you guys might think differently. Well.” He stood up with a grunt and looked to Mariana. “We’ve got lots of stuff to do. Very busy at work. I’ll see you guys next time, okay?” “Okay!” both said, smiling. “Now then, you two. You’ve seen some newcomers, time to get back into the house so the actual scary people don’t see you.” The shopkeeper started. “And miss Mariana here is a good human, so don’t be afraid if you see or hear her now, okay?” “Okay.” They both said, again. The shopkeeper made a shooing gesture, and the two young dragons went back into the rooms behind the counter. “What’s the damage this time, Em?” “Aw, you know how it is Iiro. Times are tough. Gonna cost you a grand total of… $15.” “You hurt me, Em.” “Oi, be glad I’m not using those knives on you.” Em put his hands up defensively. “I kid, I kid.” Iiro fished in his back pocket with his free hand and pulled out a wallet. He put his sandwich under his arm to pull out a $20 bill and placed it on the counter. “Keep the change. I’ll come back soon.” “You better. And do it on a day off so my kids can be with ya.” “You mean so I can babysit them?” “Same meaning different word.” Iiro chuckled and began walking to the door, turning the lock when he got to it. He raised his hand on the sign that currently read CLOSED. “Wanna stay closed, Em?” “Eh leave it. I’ve gotta change back and it’ll be a while.” Iiro waved his hand back in acknowledgement and continued outside. The buildings around them cast blue shadows into the street where they parked. Iiro stepped into the car, followed shortly after by Mariana. “You seem close,” she said after buckling in. “Dragons take whatever kind of family they can nowadays. You saw how fast he accepted you.” Iiro changed gears on the car and began driving. “Yeah… it seemed really trusting of him. Too trusting, in my opinion.” “He knows more about the Bureau than he lets on. I’ve talked about my new assignment with him.” “But you said you didn’t know you’d be paired with a human.” “I didn’t. I only knew that I would be paired with someone the Council approved of. They’re very protective of their dragon workers.” “I keep hearing of this Council and how they’ve decided everything for the new division. What are they?” “The Council? Only the highest tier of control over the whole of the Draconic Affairs Bureau,” he chuffed. “There are other Councils within the Affairs Bureau that they work with, but to be on the Council is both an incredible honor and heavy weight.” “Yeah, but who are they?” Iiro narrowed his eyes, pausing his words for a moment. “I’m not sure of all the details. All I know is that they are powerful, know a lot about the psyche of humans and dragons, and make a lot of big decisions. I don’t know them personally, I’ve never met them before.” Mariana lay back in her seat. There was something he wasn’t saying, but she wasn’t sure which part he was omitting. “Well, they better be good at their jobs to have picked me. I’m not sure what exactly I’m doing in the field; my skills are with the computer.” “Oh, they know how people and dragons grow and change. It’s… disturbing how much they understand. Or claim to.” Mariana hummed before looking out the window and tilting her head. “Where… are we going?” “Somewhere secluded. We aren’t supposed to be eating in these cars, and I’m not fond of eating in the public eye.” “Oh. Um, okay.” For all she knew, he was taking her to some place to hurt her. Not that he seemed the type to do something that extreme, but the thought lingered in her mind. They only drove for a few more minutes until they reached their destination, a sunny park with no one in sight. In the parking lot, there were a couple of other cars, but their owners were nowhere to be found. Iiro parked the car and put the key into his pocket. He stepped out of the vehicle and squinted; the sun was bright. Mariana stepped out as well, putting her free hand over her brow to block the sun. She was about to ask Iiro where he was going to sit, but when she turned, she noticed he had already left for a table in the distance. She closed her car door and followed after him. Once she caught up with him, he looked to his side and gave an apologetic look. “Sorry, I’m used to eating alone, I forgot you were here.” “Even when I was at the car with you?” “I lost focus once I picked a table, my bad.” He placed his sandwich on the wooden table he just arrived to, briefly brushed the wood where he would sit, and relaxed into his position. Mariana sat across from him and looked around. Iiro unwrapped his food, a giant sandwich, and began eating. Mariana did the same. For the first few bites, neither said anything as they tamed the growing edge of hunger in their stomachs. Some time had passed before Iiro put the sandwich down, cleared his mouth, and looked to Mariana across from him. “Okay, you have questions, ask them. I’ll tell you anything you want to know about dragons and Aera and-- well, anything there is to know about dragonkind.” “I can’t believe you could eat a dry sandwich and not have any sort of drink.” The response took him off guard and he sat there with an eyebrow raised. “Huh?” “Your sandwich. There’s like, no sauce or dressing on it whatsoever. And you just eat that straight up without a drink? I’m not judging, okay maybe a little, but that’s just crazy to me. Do dragons make more saliva to compensate?” “…What?” “I know it’s a weird question, but it was just something I noticed when you were eating.” Iiro didn’t respond for a moment while he gathered his thoughts. “But I do have dressing. There’s mayo on the bread here.” He peeled away the topmost bread slice to show the mayonnaise, all of which had been absorbed. “See. It’s there.” “It’s been absorbed into the bread. That guy, Em, he skimped you.” “He puts as much as I want on it. Which is this much.” “Not enough, in my opinion.” “Well I’m sorry, but your opinion doesn’t matter when it’s my sandwich. Why did it even come up when I asked you about dragonkind?” “I told you, it was just something I thought about when I saw you eat.” She took another bite of her food. “But if you really want to know my questions, well, I have a lot. First off, why does the car have a hole in the seats?” “The seats?” Iiro turned and looked at the car in the distance. “It’s for tails. If a dragon was Shifted in a way that they still had their tail, it makes it comfortable and easier for them to sit in the car without Shifting further.” “Why don’t they just Shift the tail away? That’s what you do. Also, how does that even work? You can’t just erase a whole limb and put it back whenever you want. That’s not physically possible. Or biologically, I think.” Iiro dismissively shrugged. “I Shift my tail away easily because I am experienced, others are not. And I’m not an Aeran scientist so I don’t know how it works.” “But you understand it enough to use it.” “In the same way that you don’t know the exact mechanics of a car engine or electricity, but you still use it, hm?” Mariana pursed her lips as she thought. “Ooh, that’s a good one. That makes sense. Ok so, this Aera. You told me that what I knew about it was wrong. Lay it on me.” “Ok, you want to tell me what you know of it again, to refresh me?” “I know that it’s behind Shifting, that dragons have it, and that humans don’t.” “There’s where you’re wrong. Humans have Aera. Everything does.” Iiro tapped the wooden table twice. “If I have Aera then, why can’t I use it like you do?” Iiro took another bite of his sandwich, chewing while he thought for a moment. “Humans have a very small amount of it, surface level. Aera on you, as I sense it, is just a scent or something similar. I can know that you are human, and if I am familiar with your specific wavelength, then I can tell if it is you that I am sensing. Like a unique nametag.” “Do dragons have a good sense of smell? Would it even matter if they can sense the Aera then?” “What? Of course, dragons have a good sense of smell. Some species are better than others. As for comparison to a human, I don’t know where dragons stand, so I can’t answer that one.” “Okay so you said everything has Aera. Even rocks? Even… apple pies?” “Yes, everything. The natural world is full of this energy. It appears that only dragons are capable of using it though.” He put a hand up to stop the next question. “Don’t ask me why, I don’t know.” He took the last bite of his sandwich, wiping his hands against each other to clear the crumbs as he chewed. “The fact is, the world has all of these little Aeran whiffs that we dragons can sense. It is what allowed dragonkind of ancient times to travel the world without maps or tools, to learn mysticism and how to manipulate the body into healing as you would want it. And in that way, our ancestors learned that Aera can be used to change your shape and appearance. It’s not an illusion, but nor is it permanent.” “Did you go to some Aera class growing up or something?” “Yes, actually. It was and still is considered a core class for dragonkind, though the curriculum has changed much over time.” “Oh, how so?” “Less of a broad learning and more of a focus on Shifting and sensing. The old ways are considered archaic and aren’t taught in the general courses anymore.” “Isn’t everything catalogued anyway?” “Yes, but when you learn Aeran techniques, you must have a teacher who knows how to do it in some capacity.” Iiro shifted his weight and put his elbows on the table. “Part of learning how to control the Aera in way that you want, is having a teacher share their control with you. Contact with another, you can share Aeran pipelines, so to speak. You first learn by observation, by feeling and sensing how the teacher is using it, and then you try to copy them. If there were no dragons left that could perform Aeran healing, for example, then the art as a whole would disappear, until someone figures out how to do it again. No technique is impossible to learn on your own but our elders and grand teachers, they have built upon the learning and techniques from their ancestors before them. If one were to learn only by themselves, it would likely be inefficient and not as effective as what the old ones could teach, it’s like starting over from scratch. That’s why it’s so important that we keep the old arts and techniques alive and well. It wouldn’t do us any good to only keep one master alive, and then they suddenly die, hm?” “This seems important to you.” “It is, and it should be important to all of dragonkind, but not all of us see it the same way. Some don’t care about the old ways. ‘Why bother, if modern medicine can heal me just as good’, they may say. But what they don’t realize is that Aera can heal what medicine cannot. Mend broken hearts, heal arthritis. What many dragons don’t realize is that their innate Aera is the reason they are hearty and live so long. Otherwise, dragons don’t live much longer than a human.” “Wait really?” “Yes. There are a growing number of dragons born with little or no Aeran capabilities in them at all. The most they can do is Sense, and even then, they can’t Sense much. It’s heartbreaking.” Iiro lost his gaze in the wood grains of the table as he gathered his emotions. “Right, I’m sorry to bring it up then.” “No. No, I offered to help you learn. But there isn’t much more I can tell you about it, I’m afraid.” Mariana sat for a moment, nibbling on her sandwich more than chewing, trying to think of other questions to ask. “What does it feel like to Shift?” Iiro looked up. “Shifting? It feels, well, it feels like a skin massage. Or those water jets in a hot tub, only less intense. You feel your body physically shift, move, and grind. It shouldn’t be painful, only mildly uncomfortable at most. But if you send the Aera into your body the wrong way or are using too much at a time, it becomes painful. Like a muscle cramp, but all over your body.” Iiro shuddered. “Moving only makes it worse, and you better hope that you didn’t take it too far that you lose your mind in the transformation. Because if there isn’t a skilled Shifter nearby to put you back to ‘normal’, then you’re cursed to stay as you are until you die from the effects of extreme pain on the psyche, or some other effect gets you,” he huffed. “That is why it is so important to learn with a masterful teacher when doing techniques like that, you need someone to help you out if you fall too deep. Anyway.” He wrapped up the paper from his sandwich into a ball and held onto it. “I’m done with my food and about ready to head back to finish up some work before heading home for the night, if you want to take the ride back with me.” Mariana took the last bite of her sandwich and rolled her paper into a ball too. “Uh, sure. Just back to the Bureau Office?” “Of course. I’m not sure if you have anything to finish but I assume your transportation home is there too.” “Yes, yes it is.” She removed herself from the seating and followed Iiro. They both tossed their paper balls in a garbage bin they passed and got into the car to go back to work.