"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I've never had a water dragon before. Which reminds me, is this your first time turning into a dragon?"
I nodded.
"It'll get better, I promise. In a few moments your mind will clear, the disorientation will wear away. You'll be able to think more clearly, too. But be careful, when you change back to human, everything will be a little slower. You'll need to be ready for that. Make sure you have sufficient clothing near, and make sure they're big enough. Go ahead and get dressed so you won't have to make a run to find your clothing. It will take you longer to make the journey than you think. I hope it stays warm enough for you. You've had good weather for September, but you must be freezing here."
I had indeed gone shirtless. I was freezing. I shivered, nearly falling over. I nodded some more, hoping that my slow thoughts would hurry up and get clear so I could get out of here, get dressed and get on home. I was cold.
"Miss Gabrielle? Dragonmaster? The world's about to change for you. Rather decisively, in fact. I'm going to try my best to help you get through this. Please trust me."
I nodded. Yes, trust. Can't hurt to trust. Though my mind was as muddled as the bath would be if one were to suddenly jump in. I took a breath and nodded some more, and then got to my feet, careful not to trip over my nothing-at-all-dragging tail in the water. I reached back with one hand to feel my tail, and was struck by how odd it was to feel something that was not the part I normally used. I'd feel more of it later, if I had an afternoon to spare, if I survived that long without dying of exposure.
Fine dark scales graced my hands and arms. The water cascaded off rapidly and did not seem to stick. The scales looked to be some sort of real-but-not-real material. No, they felt like bones and muscles. I looked down at my legs and saw that my tail had vanished as well; there was just my waist, covered in the same scales, with one large knuckle still plainly visible.
Then my legs shifted under me and I nearly fell.
I was looking at my lower body in astonishment when I felt hands to steady me. I also felt something on my hands; fingers. As I looked for the source, I found a bright blue vest with a seemingly identical dragon printed in orange on the front. And a skirt. The unfamiliar hands belonged to someone. During my moment of balance-desperation, I realized the dragon on the vest was not an identical copy of my scales, but it still looked like me. A male me.
Upon seeing my curious expression, the blue vest-wearing person said, "You're a boy, you know." With the last word, she — it must be a she — threw a shirt at me. It hit my chest, so I reached up, which is to say, down, to catch it.
"Look, I don't have time to ... Okay, this is a lot to take in. Let me explain. You, Gabrielle, are a high-born member of the Danmarchian royal family."
I just stared at her. I didn't know what else to do. Who was she? What did she mean about birth? I had been born. I was eighteen. I was a student. I looked at her as though hoping for an answer. Anything.
"I'm not going to go into the details. You can learn all of that later. But I'm going to tell you something right now. Gabrielle, you're a dragon."
...
"Gabrielle, your mind is going to choose a dragon as your ego ideal. Which means you have turned into a dragon. Your mind chose to embody in a dragon. But you're a high-born member of the Danmarchian royal family, so you're a water dragon."
I'd always been taught--"I'll explain that as well," said the girl, still holding me upright. "I'm Lo —"
"Lo?"
"Lo."
"Lo. What does Gabrielle have to do with Lo?"
"Gabrielle, please. When I can tell you everything, you'll understand the name change."
"Okay. So what's it like to be a dragon?"
"First, I'm going to have to show you the basics. Your body and all the other important organs are made of the same material, but all dragons are different. Some naturally have blue, some naturally have green, some have all sorts of colors, some have no color at all. Some have gold spots on wings or even heads, some don't. Some can fly, some can't, some can live in water, some can't. It all depends on the dragon. Just like how you don't know what your face looks like until your second birthday, until you become a dragon. Then you'll know. For now, I'm going to check you out a few more times, and I need to show you some things. Your mind will choose a dragon of its own. You'll be able to choose your dragon when you learn how to turn back into a human. For now, this dragon is your default representation of an adult greater dragon like you. You may have different habits, but seeing as your mind will pick a dragon, you'll have this dragon for the rest of your life."
"But what does this have to do with—"
"Once you learn how to turn back into a human, back into a person, then you'll be able to change back into a human again. But not before. Can you understand that?"
"Yes."
"Good. Change into me, please. I'm the only dragon who's going to be around here to help you. The dragon you'll choose is going to be your pet; you're going to love this dragon and he or she will be at your command. You're going to learn how to lose weight and gain it, how to stay warm or cool, how to go to sleep, how to eat. All those things you really need to know how to do when you're unleashed, to survive in other minds, you'll learn in human form. I need to test your dragon functionality so I know you can put on a show for me; I need to test your dragon's brainpower so you can learn to give commands. I need to check your organs so I know what you'll need to manage your body. You're not going to be able to burn anything, unfortunately. I have dragon suits for your emergencies, if you just fall over. You'll have a dragon emergency kit, with a few things you really don't leave home without. You're going to have an emergency kit in your back pocket, on your heart-side, ready to be drawn out. But then, all you'll be able to do is roll around in your dragon form. You cannot get off your dragon until you learn how to change into a human again or until you stop showing your dragon tendencies. You can't get off your dragon unless you know how to change back into a human." Lo's face looked almost apologetic as she said this.
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