All the dragons are still around, I see. If you need any help putting out fires, please let me know. I'd be happy to assist.

Today is a time of rebirth and renewal. Please forgive me if I'm a bit philosophical. If you don't celebrate Easter Sunday, then I will doubly ask your forgiveness. But I wonder...

Have you ever wanted to reinvent yourself, or allow yourself to be born all over again? Who would you become, if you could?

[ The feed flickers on to Ventus, who looks considerably. . . well, tired. And a little more worse for the wear—his hair, which naturally sticks up, drips, wet from a sort of gunk, which coats much of his upper body. Behind him is a dragon, who looks. . . quite tame at the moment, actually, as it sleeps peacefully, with a bit of brush that once was part of a great tree in its mouth. ]

.. Well, it's not so bad. [ He wipes his arm, and pauses, looking at the saliva on his hand, and then shudders a bit, flicking his wrist in an attempt to get the fluid off. ] On the bright side, I'm apparently not very tasty. [ . . . he makes a face, and brings his hand up to try wiping off the slime from his hair. ]

I kinda like 'em. I mean, sure, they're—[ taking a glance toward the sleeping beast ]—well, big.. but besides that and their massive appetite, they're not all that bad. Aqua's not even trying to eat me anymore. That's an improvement, right?

So, uh. . . does anyone know anyone who can do that? Make them smaller? Manageable?

[Todd's excited, today - not in an entirely positive way, but this is indeed an adventure and the boy from 1950s Vermont, even after a few years in the City, is still easily taken in by adventure. So it's a mix of nerves and adrenaline that has his tone a bit more... animated than usual, shall we call it?]

Neil and Rosella and I, we found something, in the library -- a spell. I, um... I don't know how well it's going to work, but I think with everything the way it is, well... anything is worth a try, right?

[ filtered to deities + neil and rosella ]

Um, we were wondering -- if it's possible, we need dust from the top floor of the highest building in the City, which... well, that would be the tower, wouldn't it?

So, uh. If we could... make a deal to get that, we would-- well, we'd like to find out how. Please.


[ on with the plan for this terrible trio <3 ]

Hey!

Back off!

[A pair of huge toothy jaws and a pair of black long feelers fills the camera. They snap shut, and Utsuho bops the dragon on the nose with her arm cannon.]

Bad! You aren't supposed to eat me!

[The camera tilts back for a conveniently wide shot as the Asian dragon rears back, back, uncurling its long body into the air, and blasts a stream of seething red magma like a stream of water down onto Utsuho. She shrugs it off -- fire is her specialty and immunity after all -- and pulls a card-shaped thing out of a pocket on her skirt. The card has some odd bright yellow-white patterns on a black background.]

Spell card, Heaven and Hell Meltdown!

[The card gleams, and a massive energy spray flies out from her arm gun and forms two enormous suns that trap the dragon between them and sear it with fusion fire. The dragon roars and thrashes, finally falling to its slender talons when the spell ends. Everything in the vicinity of the battle has now turned to ash, glass, and embers.]

There. Sit down! You're not a bird, but I'm going to teach you anyway! So shut up and listen, because I can kick your ass!

[The dragon looks kind of wary, since she did just out-flame it. It's big, though, way bigger than Utsuho, with fiery magma-like glows under its shiny black scales. Fire leaks out between them, forming the ruffles and mane that stream off its body. As she waves her cannon at it, it snarls and weaves back and forth, ducking its head in irritation.]

Your name is Reiuji Ikari. You listen to me. Now. Look at the orb over there!

[She grabs its feelers and yanks its head around; it slashes at her and knocks her down, but she doesn't let go. Stubborn dragon, equally stubborn raven.]

Say hi to Ikari, everyone! She's kind of big, so I'm going to have to figure out something, but we'll make it work!

...Hmmm, maybe pressure from a sun can shrink her a little...

[Utsuho pulls out another card, this one with a brighter glow and more complicated pattern.]

Spell card, Subterranean Sun!

[Ikari's length is balled up in a 100' sun now, the flames doing some damage as the pressure inside the star crushes against her and her magic. The dragon thrashes and snarls and roars, but the sun begins to shrink her, ever so slowly...

Then it bursts as one of her talons pierces the edge of the star with a flaring prominence that lights a few nearby trees on fire.]

Hey, that was working! Okay, trying again...

So today's a day that actually exists.

Hey, uh, people with dragons—does anyone know how big they're gonna get? Because my roommate's is has been growing a lot. I guess it could stop soon, though. It's just—well, uh...

[A yappy dog runs across the room behind him.]

I'm kind of worried about our other pets.

Sorry, Ven.

All right.

[ Merlin turns the phone over in his hand once it starts recording to show Charlie's dragon. No, it's not that small, but it's definitely small. More dog-sized.

Then he brings the view back to himself. ]

If you want to keep your dragon, I can help with that. So. Just give me a call. I think I might be able to control the size too, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that.