Nim returned to the palace right after dropping the young ones off, but he didn’t go to his room. He didn’t want to disturb Joanne, and spending the night together wouldn’t be appropriate. He went to the garden instead. He dozed some, but mostly he thought about the kiss. He was surprised by her forwardness and by the passion. He wondered if it meant she wanted more or if it was supposed to be a one-time thing. From what he understood, humans did that sometimes. Jo found him sleeping in true form curled around a tree. “Nim?” She asked cautiously. He opened his eyes and smiled when he saw her. “Good morning,” he said. She smiled. “Good morning. Have you been back long? You didn’t have to sleep out here. You could’ve come up.” “I didn’t want to disturb you.” He shifted to his human form. “Did you eat yet?” She looked away while he changed. “Uh, no I haven’t.” “Sorry, should I warn you before I change?” “That would be appreciated.” She turned back. “Shall we see if we can find some food?” He asked. He offered her his hand, and she took it. After breakfast, he asked, “How quickly do you have to be home?” “No special time. Why?” “I was wondering if rather than me transporting us up to Paosij if you’d like to fly.” “What about Carla and Steve?” “They left last night. Queen Deyama took them, something about Carla needing some medicine or something.” “Is she all right?” “Yeah, she just miscounted what she had and ran out early.” “Didn’t you say it would take all day if we didn’t transport?” He nodded. “That’s why I asked how soon you needed to be back.” “Won’t you get tired flying all day?” “Nah, I fly a lot. If you don’t want to, I understand. Not everybody likes to fly.” She seemed somewhat hesitant. Maybe she was ready to be done with him but was trying to be polite. “I’ve never flown before, but I’m willing to try.” “Maybe you should put your hair up,” Nim suggested. “It’s pretty windy.” “I don’t have anything to do that with.” Nim pulled the hair tie from his hair and handed it to her. “Won’t you need it?” “I don’t have hair in dragon form.” She smiled sheepishly. “Duh.” She handed him her bag while she tied her hair back. “You asked me to warn you. I’m going to change now.” She looked away, but Nim noticed she did glance back a few times. The change didn’t take long. “Okay, I’m done.” She turned back. “Is beautiful an okay word for a male dragon?” She asked. She didn’t notice the bag had disappeared. Nim’s heart skipped a beat at the compliment. He had always thought of himself as homely. By dragon standards, he was. “Nim, are you blushing?” “Dragons don’t blush, not in true form.” “Come here,” she said. He bent down, so they were face-to-face. She kissed his cheek. “You keep telling yourself that.” Now, he was blushing or would be, if dragons blushed. He lowered himself to the ground so she could climb on him. “Since I don’t have a harness, it’s best to sit up near my neck on my shoulders. Then you can hold onto my spikes.” She did as he suggested. “Let me know if you need to land. If you don’t like flying, we can always transport the rest of the way.” She nodded. “Hold on.” He warned and took off. He checked on her frequently, worried she might not be loud enough for him to hear over the wind. At first, she seemed nervous, but after a time she relaxed. He tried to stay as even as possible, but sometimes the thermals he rode moved him in unexpected ways. He could feel her grip tighten each time though she relaxed in between. He apologized each time also.