Awkward silence reigned supreme in the little living room as three acquaintances sat in quiet contemplation of the horror which they had born witness to earlier. The image of Scott in his ridiculous position, unholy materials strewn about the room, would be forever burned into the darkest parts of their memories.

"It was everywhere," whispered Ashton fearfully, her lips aquiver. "Everywhere..."

Sonja shakily lifted a glass of water, but her hand rocked too much in that moment and she found it hard to take a sip. Eventually, she stilled her hands and quietly said, "I've seen things in my life, terrible things. I'd thought that nothing could ever shake me, and yet..."

Shara merely sat in place, eyes wide enough to shame an owl. There were no words to express her thoughts in that moment. However, every so often her frozen visage would soften just enough for her left eye to twitch twice then go still once more.

"I knew he'd been sick but... there had to be more outside than there ever was inside," said Ashton quietly, her expression haunted. "There had to be."

Shara began to rock quietly in place, her eyes still wide and her demeanor uncertain. Sonja, for her part, made a valiant effort to take a drink of water.

The sound of a mop sloshing into a bucket was the only noise in the house for a time, but soon it was interrupted by the hissing noise of an aerosol spray can. The sound echoed from the bathroom for several seconds, and then not long after it started up again. Several times did that spray can come into play, and with each usage the expressions of the faces of Shara and Ashton worsened. Sonja merely acted as though she heard nothing. Her glass of water was her only salvation, and the sole focus of her concentration.

"Damn. Better crack all the windows," said Scott from the bathroom. His words carried through the house due to the otherwise still atmosphere. Ashton threw a hand to her mouth and tried her best not to retch.

In time, however, even that disturbing moment came to an end. The scent, barely a reminder now of the earlier atrocity, was largely dispelled.

Four people sat quietly in the living room, each of them unable to look the others in the eyes. What did one say after such an event? There were no words.

A change of subject was in order, as the events of the morning must never be spoken of again. It was Shara who decided to break the ice.

"So, have fun last night?" she asked without looking toward Scott.

"Not really," said Sonja and Ashton at once.

Scott merely shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really remember much other than going to work and then... this morning which I think we would all prefer to forget."

"If only," whispered Ashton.

Sonja finally managed to take a sip of water then released a soft sigh of relief. The nightmare was finally over.

"Well. I was surprised to see you here, Ashton," said Shara with a tentative smile.

"I'm surprised that I'm still here, to be honest," she said with a disgusted snort.

"I'm surprised any of us are still here," replied Scott in a serious tone. "For the sake of the world, this place needs to burn."

His calm demeanor and sincere tone of voice caused a chain reaction. Each of the girls snorted softly, but then one by one they made a snickering sound. Soon, that snicker became intermittent giggles followed by hysterical laughter. All the while, Scott maintained a serious expression which only made them howl louder with each passing moment.

Tension thoroughly destroyed by the absurdity of it all, the quartet soon began to speak of other things. The hot topic, of course, was why Ashton had brought Scott home the night before.

"I actually did that?" asked Scott, confused by what he had just heard.

"Yes. You chased Bradly through the parking lot while shouting, 'Mine!'" said Ashton with a barely restrained giggle. "I think the whole store fell in love with you."

Scott shrugged, "The store's been in lust with me for years. It's about time they got to know me on an intimate level."

Ashton burst out laughing once more while she clutched at her stomach. Scott eyed her critically. While what he'd said could be considered humorous given the situation, there was no need for all of that.

"So, if this Ashton is yours... Why did you grab me and shout such a thing as well?" asked Sonja. Her arms were folded across her chest and her gaze imperious.

"I'm more concerned with why he didn't do it to me," said Shara with a cutesy pout. "I was next door all alone."

He rolled his eyes at Shara then offered her a smile. He sobered a bit, however, before he looked to Sonja. "I guess I subconsciously think of you as mine? I don't remember any of it."

She snorted lightly, but her face softened. Soon the slight hint of a smile rose up on her lips. "Well, it's not like it isn't true."

Ashton looked to Sonja then back over to Scott. "You know, about that... Who exactly are you to each other?"

"Moo," said Sonja casually.

"Moo?" asked Ashton.

"Moo," replied Sonja with a nod of her head.

Scott slapped one hand over his face then slowly drew it downward. "You know, there really is a logical explanation for all of this. Maybe I should come clean about things, so what happened this morning never happens again."

"Please never let that happen again," said Ashton quickly.

Shara and Sonja rapidly joined in with her in their agreement. Such a thing was a terror which much never be unleashed again.

He took a deep breath. "You only know each other through me, but I think after recent events we can agree that we're all friends here. After surviving such an atrocity, we are stronger for it..."

Sonja snorted loudly, but then tried to stifle a chuckle. Scott had a certain way with words. What he lacked in eloquence, he made up for with sheer ridiculousness.

Scott glanced at his Valkyrie slave chef for a moment then glanced over to his foxy boss. "The truth is that what happened earlier was because I attempted to hide the truth about myself. It was wrong of me, especially after you revealed so much about your situation."

"My situation?" asked Ashton slowly.

"I'm no longer physically human," said Scott. "It would probably be best to show everyone directly."

Sonja's eyes lit up and her arms were quickly uncrossed. Scott glanced toward her before he began his transformation and said, "Friendly reminder, squeezing me might not be a good idea."

Her eyes widened and she paled slightly. His warning proved dire indeed.

"What—?" asked Ashton curiously, only for her jaw to drop a moment later when Scott's body split apart and a black mist rose out of it.

The mist coalesced into the form of a small black dragon. He looked at each of the girls in turn then said, "So, anyway. I'm a dragon and Sonja is considered my livestock. Shara is my childhood friend and possible stalker."

Ashton stared at him open mouthed for a moment then slowly looked to Sonja. The Valkyrie smiled in amusement then casually said, "Moo."

"You know," said Ashton. "Of all the things that I thought would happen today, this was not one of them."

"A lot of unexpected things have happened today," said dragon Scott. "At least this isn't the most disturbing one."

"True!" agreed Ashton, wide-eyed.

A moment later she gasped then turned toward Scott, a bright smile on her lips. "This is why you weren't freaked out when you found out about me!"

He grinned at her. "Would be sort of hypocritical, wouldn't it?"

She nodded rapidly then smacked her fist into her open palm. "So, telling you really was the right thing to do."

"It's not like I'm going to out you with anyone who isn't immediately involved." Scott whipped his tail upward and used their tips to point at Sonja and then at Shara. "Sonja is literally from the dream world, and Shara is a beautiful weirdo."

"You think I'm beautiful?" asked Shara with a bright-eyed smile.

"You're still here despite this morning. It doesn't get more beautiful than that," said Scott.

She laughed at him warmly then said, "Yeah. No kidding. There was so much..." Her demeanor shifted in that moment and became strangely coy, "I mean. What did you do with all of it?"

"With what? Wait, you mean my..." said Scott slowly. His head tilted slowly to the side. "Why would you even want to know?"

Her face reddened and she looked away, an odd expression on her face. She laughed nervously while lightly tapping her index fingers together. "N-no reason..."

"Right..." said Scott slowly, his voice strange.

A strong desire to redirect the conversation arose within him in that moment. Scott turned back to Ashton and began to relate the story of how he became a dragon. He did not miss the fact that Shara did not seem as shocked by it all as one might suspect. However, he kept that tidbit of suspicion to himself for now.

It was possible that she merely pretended to be less surprised than she let on. She was, after all, the oddest of the odd ducks that he had met in recent memory. Even as a child, she proved to be strangely out of touch with normal human interactions. As an adult she was even stranger in her mannerisms at times. The more he allowed himself to take note of other people in the world, the more observant he became in general. Shara, for all her cutesy antics, seemed... Off.

Ashton leaned forward, her eyes filled with curiosity. Scott prepared himself for the coming influx of questions that she obviously wished to ask. She had confided in him previously. Given what happened the night before, not to mention the horrors that she witnessed not long ago, he owed her answers.