Tivadar

Andromeda of the Scrublair and her trusted confidant (and treasure-holder), Royal Midnight, walked through the assortment of tents and small stages where dragons offered their contracts for sale, to be taken into other lairs. Andromeda kept consulting a scrap of ragged parchment, clutched in one claw, while Royal Midnight lectured, hopelessly, ''We are not here to buy the contracts of anyone. We don't have space in the lair. We're here to introduce the newest hatchlings to everyone else. We're not here to buy--''

The Mirror waved a pale foreclaw. ''Yah, yah. Not buying. Just looking! For someone else!''

Royal Midnight heaved an Imperial sigh. Perhaps it would be all right. She'd done this a few times before. It hadn't resulted in needing to dig the lair out even bigger. Perhaps she wouldn't...

There was a jingle of coin and the Imperial snapped his head around, looking for Andromeda. She was gone--no, there she was.

And on her back, half as long as the Mirror...

Royal Midnight did not groan and put a foreclaw over his face ONLY because such an undignified display would be a bad example for the extremely young Imperial she was carrying over. Still, Andromeda, when she reached him, explained firmly, ''Was a cheap contract! Woulda been sent to the gods for sure! And he's close!''

''Yes. All right.'' Perhaps this would still turn out well. And in the meantime... ''Well, you may as well come back and play with the other new hatchlings,'' Royal Midnight told the far smaller Imperial. ''And learn a few things like proper calligraphy and such... And now, I believe, we should be going.''

Thankfully, he got no argument as he led his lair's leader from the market.

Kabuki held up the contract carefully as he glanced between the Imperial held in the ice Mirror's claws and the picture Akeldama had drawn from her vision. "He's close, but not perfect," he hissed as he turned his gaze to the small Fae as she studied the Imperial.

"Not perfect, no, but close enough," Akeldama murmured before nodding her head to Andromeda and giving her a sizable pouch that clinked together as she moved it, "Thank you for finding him. Should you ever need something, do not be afraid to ask."

Rolling up the scroll, Kabuki passed it to Akeldama as he gently took the young Imperial from Andromeda's claws. They would need to consult Kaimana about the youngster in order to match him to Akeldama's vision, but he knew the obsidian alchemist would only scoff at the challenge.