Quartz dragons have an odd characteristic when it comes to electric magic, half the time they are unaffected while other times they suffer the full effects. They tend to have electrical abilities that they imbue into the magically grown crystals of their lairs. Oddly enough they have a great sense of time though seem to be unable to use any other ability that uses time.

Adrian

We walk for several hours across town keeping an eye out for vehicles that are in serviceable condition, while I keep trying to find small bits of steel roughly the size of a car key with my magic. While I felt the presence of several keys they all seemed to be damaged.

Near the eastern edge of the city we run into something that is just the opportunity that we need. There is a van running in the middle of the road and while I am sure it must be some sort of set up we need the vehicle if we are to get to St. Louis in any reasonable amount of time as a group. I check for nearby life and undeath only to find nothing.

I hold my hand out to motion the others to stop and continue to check for things that might be wrong but I can’t find anything. No strange compounds or flows of energy. Its as if the vehicle was left for us to use, but who would have done such a thing?

There are only a few groups that might do such a thing, my dad and maybe the vampires would do something like this. Though the second group is probably hostiles by now.

“Do we go?” Bryan asks.

“I can’t sense anything dangerous magically but make a physical search before we use it” I answer and he nods. The others spread out and circle around though only Bryan and my mother are likely to identify anything wrong with the van.

They likewise find nothing.

“Its safe” my mother says and Bryan nods in agreement.

“Then pile in, we have a long ways to go. Mom if you want to practice dragon stuff like flight now would be a good opportunity” I say while shifting to dragon form.

“Do we have a specific location in mind?” Bryan asks.

“No, we will have to choose a place to set up after arriving. I’ll patrol around us” I answer in the deeper voice I have as a dragon.

“I’ll drive then.”

“Can I . . .” Talia begins to ask and I smile as I nod and stretch a leg to make it easier for her to limb up.

Her arms wrap around my neck as my mother shifts into the bluish silver form she has.

“How do I fly?” my mother asks and I almost start laughing.

“Run and jump into the air and start moving your wings. How else?”

“But our wingspan is too short for something of our weight to fly under its own power.”

I think for a moment, she is right but I’ve never had an issue with that. Was I unconsciously using magic?

“So? We’re dragons we fly, magic is apparently part of that. Just pretend its an act of faith.”

Something clicks in her head and she follows me into the sky, even if she struggles to keep steady. I circle around the van, making turns just sharp enough for Talia to have to hold tightly to me. At least until she decides to stand and just balance and shift her weight to keep in the correct place.

There are some creatures along the road and aside from them we had to stop a few times for my mother and me to use our strength to roll some cars out of the road. My other girls would take turn flying with me between these breaks.

Shortly before we arrive I make sure to join the others inside of the van. I have no expectation for dragons to be well received by whoever is in charge of the city. Like Kansas City there is a fence blocking off the entrance, which we arrive at just a few hours before dusk.

Like before there are soldiers gathered to guard though the gate is more than a simple chain link fence. Small buildings no doubt meant for processing have been set up and the guards are a mix of US soldiers and a few humanoids from other races. Most of them seem to be beastkin, I don’t see any Althaen. That alone gives me a better outlook on what I hope to accomplish here.

We come to a stop and are greeted by a rather large man with wolven features accompanied by a regular human soldier. I think a marine though I suppose that detail does not matter.

“Identities please?” the wolfkind speaks in slightly broken English.

“Not everyone has physical IDs” Bryan answers from the driver’s seat and the wolfkind frowns but nods.

“I expected as much, you have nonhumans with you. Please exit the vehicle and follow me.”

“I’m surprised that you seem to be in charge. I assumed that your kind would end up being discriminated against” Abagail asks and outside of our group I expect that to have become the case by now. The Althaen humans certainly do so to everyone else and we don’t have that much better of a track record if you ask any of my liberal teachers.

“We are, though many of your people treat us better than the Althaen do.”

We exit the van and while a few of the soldiers keep guns on us, me mostly, as we are led to one of the buildings. Inside is a table and some chairs, a bit of fruit on the table and the paperwork I assume we will have to fill out.

The wolfkind follows us in as he gives an order to the other soldier.

“Officer Jenkins could you go get a secretary?”

The officer nods before leaving and the wolfkind turns to K.

“What pack are you from?” he asks.

“Bloodclaw and I am the matriarch. This is my pack” K answers.

“Why do I not smell another wolf among you. I also have never heard of a kitsune being welcome in a pack. Where is the other alpha?”

“That would be me” I answer for K and receive a look of confusion.

“You do not have the smell of a wolf. How is it that you know the tongue of wolves? It cannot just be taught.”

“I am alpha of this pack, I know this langue because of that. Is there going to be a test against demonic taint?”

“No, I have already done so. I can smell wrongness and while you smell strange there is no such wrongness among you.”

“You already did it? I suppose that is why you have this job?”

“Yes. I believe the order that got me the job was get whoever or whatever can do the job.”

A young-looking woman enters the room and glares at all of those who exhibit nonstandard traits. Which is everyone save: Bryan, Abagail and my mother.

“The forms in front of you are for the registration of those from other worlds or have lost their prior forms of identification. While knowing English is not a requirement for registration of intent to immigrate. Are there any who do not understand me? Are there any who need a translator?”

Asking if there are any who need help in a language that they can’t understand, typical government attention to detail. Though it may be an oversight caused by the secretary rather than the policy itself. At least it does not affect any of us as we all speak English.

“Good those who have US documents please present them.”

I, being the closest, pull out my driver’s license with a slight frown, I do not look quite the same as I did before. Perhaps that full human transformation in the Grey Dream is worth more than I thought. I pass it to the woman and she gives me one looks I remember from the DMV when I had a typo on my permit.

“That is not you. Your eyes, hair and height do not match.”

“An effect of. . .”

“No, go and fill out the papers like the rest of your kind” she says with some spite added at the end.

Should I threaten her? Try to throw some weight around with a name? No, that won’t work unless what my dad told me was true and I can use Talmage’s name.

“When will we be meeting whoever is in charge?”

“You have no right to information; only legal residents are.”

Most of our party smirk or chuckle at her statement before Abagail, Bryan and my mother all repeat my question holding out their own IDs. Ones were they still appear to be the same person.

She frowns clearly upset at me getting my way as she apparently does have to answer that question.

“Never, unless it is requested. At which point it can be arranged.”

“So Adrian, do we need to talk with someone important again?” Bryan asks.

“I’m not sure. It will eventually come up if we stay here so we may as well deal with it now. It seems like Talmage and the others adopted our proposed plan” I answer, using a foreign language just to irk the woman. Its not the smart thing to do but I do it anyways.

“We would like to talk to whoever is in charge, tell them Adrian Ravnos and Bryan Grace are here” he says with a smirk. Both of us have always hated bureaucrats.

The wolfkind is started by the sentence and I cannot help but wonder just how prevalent is the knowledge of my family is among that world. The secretary frowns as she storms off, upset at having to actually work.

K talks with the wolfkin as we wait. I help the girls fill out the papers as I suspect that we will have to do so at some point no matter how it goes with whoever the secretary is going to get.

It takes a few hours and we all end up playing board games as we wait for what will no doubt be the military to show up. At least with all the people from Althrá around I won’t have any of my powers limited if a fight breaks out.

There is a knock at the door before two army officers enter followed by a General I recognize though it takes me a moment to remember the name; Fuller. I didn’t pay attention to whatever his first name was but I remember the last name.

“Adrian, Bryan we’ve been looking for you. Director Talmage wanted to apologize over the problems you had in Kansas City. Secretary Jasmine was behind the problems that you had there. I don’t know all the details but how can I help you here?” General Fuller says

“If you could make sure we don’t run into any paperwork problems and show us somewhere we can stay for a while it would be very helpful. Other than that basic general information about what is going on would be nice, we’ve been out of the information loop for a bit as you know” I say to General Fuller.

“I don’t have the time to tell you of everything that is going on but I’ll have someone bring you some of the non-classified reports. Did you already fill out the papers?”

Bryan passes him the small pile of paperwork which he flips through.

“Everyone left the supernatural abilities section empty” he comments.

“Will that be a problem?” I ask.

“It would be if they were not with you. I will see that it is overlooked though That won’t keep you all from eventually having to do so.”

I nod, we are probably going to be spied on too. I’m likely considered dangerous already and that’s before I’ve figured out more things I can do with magic.

“Sargent Fenton, please escort these people to wherever they ask. I’m sorry but there are still problems in some parts of the city and I need to oversee the removal of the last of the goblinoids from the slums. Once your new IDs are ready I’ll have them sent to you, until then please stay with Sargent Fenton as to keep people from confusing you with the Althaen assassin’s that still occasionally get teleported in.”

I nod, making a note to hide as much of our abilities as possible from this soldier. I’ll also have to postpone looking for vampires until later. Teleporting assassins though, I wonder why I haven't run into any?