"Ibnoxe, Holoxe!" Lottie called. Now that she had informed them about the truth behind sub-dragon rage mode—and also the dark history of sub-dragons' creation in amoral laboratories—she went back to her usual self. Chipper, she held up a big, plastic bag filled with puffy, white chunks.

"Are those… marshmallows?" the dragon brothers said in unison, right down to the dramatic pause from their sheer excitement. Ibnoxe had never eaten a marshmallow before, or any desserts for that matter. The strict diet at Grandesia Power Company had been optimized for their performance on the job. A fluffy chunk of pure sugar did not exactly fit into their rations, but now they had the freedom to eat whatever they wanted. Ibnoxe and Holoxe dropped what they were doing and listened intently.

While they would gladly help Charlotte out with anything, no reward necessary, the promised marshmallows would motivate them even more. Ibnoxe and Holoxe stared intently at the bag, much like how the vuls started drooling for the behefleas when dangled in front of their noses.

"Would you guys be willing to participate in an experiment with me?" Charlotte asked. "It would be a completely safe, wholesome experiment. Plus, it involves marshmallows!" Her voice was thick with playful bribery.

"Yes!" Ibnoxe and Holoxe roared.

"Great! Will you sit here, Holoxe?" Lottie gestured to the sofa where she instructed his brother to sit and gave further instructions. "Wait for me in the kitchen, Ibnoxe. It'll be your turn next."

"Okay." Ibnoxe flitted his eyes to his brother and did their secret tail flick.

Holoxe could not make the figure eight motion with his tail perfectly sitting down, but he did a small swish to acknowledge him. His brother squirmed a bit, overexcited for the special treat that Lottie had in store for them.

The smallest things constantly hyped them up an undue amount. Everything outside the constraints of the company was new and exciting to them. Quietly, Ibnoxe left the living room and stewed in a bit of jealousy in the kitchen. Why does Holoxe get to go first? Lottie usually pays the most attention to me…. I want a marshmallow!

Only a minute or two passed before Charlotte came to join him in the kitchen. Her cheeky grin spread across her face, impossible to contain. "Could you have a seat at the table, Ibnoxe?"

"Of course." He sat immediately, back straight and claws folded neatly in front of him. Ibnoxe wanted that marshmallow so badly, he would make sure to do a good job in Lottie's experiment.

A small dish was placed in front of him. The delectable, enticing puff of goodness that was the marshmallow was placed at its center. Ibnoxe stared at it the entire time that Charlotte delivered her instructions. "You can eat this marshmallow whenever you want—"

Ibnoxe moved to grab it, his claw readying to snatch

"But!" she said more loudly. "I'll give you two marshmallows if you can leave it for five minutes. I'm going to leave the room and check back on you then." Charlotte left, glancing back at him a few times before she finally made it to the door and shut it behind herself gently.

What kind of experiment is this? His friend had even promised them it was a fun, innocent experiment. In his eyes, it was pure torture. "Ugh." Ibnoxe let his forehead drop onto the table with a bang. His head lolled to the side, scaled cheeks and horns pressing against the wood. Like this, he could peek at the marshmallow which he longed to eat. I'm not gonna eat it. I definitely want two.

It was basic math. Two was greater than one. Ibnoxe already knew he would want a second marshmallow as soon as he ate the first. I just have to be patient.

In an effort to distract himself Ibnoxe tried counting, slow like the seconds that passed by. One, two, three, four…. Once he reached twenty, he lamented how he needed to do that three more times for a minute. Then, he would have to do all of that five more times to reach five minutes.

"This sucks," he whispered. It was worse than standing guard duty because at least they had some simple games installed on their headsets. The cameras would alert them if anything needed their attention. The computer vision for threat recognition was better than any organic watchman could manage anyway.

Ibnoxe had stood on duty for hours before, playing those games. He knew he could pass five minutes like nothing, if only he had something to occupy his wandering mind. I can sleep, he figured. As a part of their training, they learned how to take efficient naps. In an effort to get into that position, Ibnoxe hunkered down in his chair and stuck his feet up on the table. Barely the top of the marshmallow could be seen from this position. Once his hooded lids started to drop

One, two, three, four…. Ibnoxe started counting again, likely well into his second minute by now. This time he did not count seconds, but sheep. Those were supposed to help him fall asleep. The images of plump, adorable sheep with full coats of wool came to mind as they jumped over a stout hurdle.

Five, six, seven, eight…. As he counted higher, the sheep became a blur. They started to lose their features in his mind's eye. The woolen coats became smoother and puffier. Their legs receded into their cylindrical bodies. Soon enough, he was imagining marshmallows bouncing along a scenic meadow.

"Argh!" he roared to full attention. A single claw flashed and stabbed the marshmallow at its center. Before he could stop himself, Ibnoxe popped it into his mouth. His talon slid between two teeth as he pulled the treat from his claw. The puffy marshmallow squished with every chew under his fangs.

"Mm." Softly to himself, he moaned out of satisfaction. Ibnoxe finally felt content, eating the sweet temptation which had been placed in front of him. Once he swallowed, Ibnoxe was left with the guilt of the sugary aftertaste in his mouth.

He licked his chops and moved his jaw as if still chewing. Lottie said she'd come back in five minutes. Should I wait for her? Is she gonna be disappointed I couldn't even wait a few minutes to get a second one? Ibnoxe shook the silly thoughts from his head. She even said I could eat it!

Since he felt as though he should wait for her, he stayed put and rationalized his impulsive decision to himself. I enjoyed the first marshmallow so much more, anyway. It's not like marshmallows are healthy—wasn't even allowed to eat them at the company. Ibnoxe came up with a satisfactory excuse.

When Charlotte returned, the wave of embarrassment hit him all over again when she asked, "Did you eat the marshmallow?"

Luckily, he could not blush in his sub-dragon form. "Yeah, I did. I only wanted the one marshmallow anyway."

"Is that so?" Lottie asked. From her big bag of dozens of jumbo sized marshmallows, she took out one more. "This is the one I would've given you if you waited. More for me!" As if to taunt him, she opened her mouth wide and stuffed the marshmallow between her cheeks. Charlotte made eye contact with him as she chewed until she could not manage it any longer. Covering her mouth with one hand, Charlotte started laughing.

Ibnoxe watched her with narrowed eyes, worried that she might choke and he would have to save her life yet again—this time from a marshmallow.

After a bit, she swallowed, coughed, and laughed. "Oh my God, the look on your face." Charlotte teared up in her laughter. "And here I thought you weren't very expressive in sub-dragon form." She kept giggling long after the fact.

Glaring at her, Ibnoxe tucked his wings around himself and coiled his tail in a frown. As much as he liked to see Charlotte happy, he hated having her laugh at him.

That was how Ibnoxe had failed Lottie's marshmallow experiment though he did not yet understand the full implications of it.