They spent the day visiting getting caught up, explaining where Nim was really from, and even about his magic. Then, Kevin announced the engagement and the talk turned to the wedding. Nim was interested in that. He ended up explaining how normally dragons didn’t have weddings but saw their mate as their spouse. He did assure Amelia and Curt they did have a proper human wedding too. Nim put on the same suit he’d worn the night before with a different shirt and tie. “Are you sure this is okay?” He asked Jo. He only owned one suit. On Torthoc, people often wore clothing more than once without washing it. Many people only had a few outfits. They had no choice. But things are different here. “It’s fine, Nim,” Jo assured him. “And my hair?” “Most of the people we’ll never see again. Why do you even care?” Jo asked. “I don’t want people to look down on you because of me.” “Nim, I don’t care what they think. I never have.” She put an arm around him, grabbed his ponytail, and tugged it gently. “I like your hair and I like that you wear it how you want and don’t try to be like others.” He nodded. “Let’s go. I think the others are ready.” Jo picked up Kory’s carrier and Nim grabbed the diaper bag and his cloak. They met the others by the door to the garage where they were bundling up. “You’re wearing a cape?” Kevin asked Nim. “Kevin, be nice,” Sarah scolded. “It’s a cape,” Kevin insisted. “What about a coat?” “I don’t own a coat. We don’t wear them. It doesn’t get that cold in Menthanla.” “You want to borrow one?” Jared offered. Nim stepped close to him and rested his elbow on Jared’s head. “Sure. Got one that fits?” “I have one that might be long enough, but I doubt you’ll be able to zip it,” Jared admitted. “My cloak is fine,” Nim assured him. “I think it looks very nice,” Amelia said. “So are all dragons as big as you?” Kevin asked as they climbed into the car. “Kevin, be polite,” Amelia admonished. “It’s okay,” Nim assured her. “No, not all dragons are as big as I am. I’m large in both human and true form. Dragons vary in size like humans. I have a friend who’s close to your height and another who’s smaller than Jo.” “With her without her heels,” Jared asked. Jo frowned. “Without.” “You said you’re large in both human and true form,” Sarah ventured. “Can that vary? Can a dragon be big in one form and small in the other?” Nim nodded. “They can. The friend who looks like an elf that I was drawing this morning is almost as tall as I am in elf form, but in true form, he’s on the smaller side.” “Now, why does he look like an elf, while you look human?” Curt asked. They had given the chauffeur the holiday off so Curt was driving. “I don’t know. Theoretically, we should all be able to take on any alternate form we want, but I only know of one who can do that. He usually uses elf form, because his chosen can only do elf.” “Chosen?” Sarah asked. “What’s that?” “Usually it’s similar to a fiancé, but in this case, she’s more like a girlfriend because she’s quite young.” Nim refrained from saying her actual age to avoid the dragons living so long discussion. “How many can you do?” Jared asked. Jo looked at him, curious too. She’d never asked about that. “I’ve done three but two I can’t hold long,” Nim explained. “What are they?” Jared asked. “Gnome and troll.” “Gnome?” Jo looked surprised. “They’re smaller than I am.” “I worked on it because I grew up near the gnomes,” Nim explained. “I was kind of large for a gnome.” “And trolls?” Amelia frowned. “Aren’t they who Cari calls monsters?” Nim nodded. “There were trolls who were decent back when I was little. There have been issues since. The high council has encouraged us all not to use that form. The only exception was one man who couldn’t do another form. He chose to stay in true form as much as possible.” They arrived at the church. It was a big place. They led Nim to a large room with rows of benches. Jo showed him in a book what to expect. Like Nim had told the woman the previous night, the service was nothing like anything he’d seen on Torthoc. There were some similarities between the deity they worshiped and the one worshiped back home, but there wasn’t enough for him to decide if they were the same. He was able to follow along without problems, except, he didn’t read musical notation so he wasn’t able to participate in responsive singing. All of the longer songs they said had been played at the party the night before. So he was able to join those. At one point, Kory started fussing so Jo took him out of the room. Through the bond, Nim could tell she was feeding him. She always felt so relaxed when she did. She returned a short time later without him. “Where is Kory?” He whispered. “The nursery,” she whispered back. Nim frowned. “What? You left him?” “He’s fine. He’s sleeping.” “But you left him.” “We leave him in the palace nursery all the time. He’s fine. The girl in there is good with kids.” Nim nodded. He didn’t like leaving Kory with anyone, but he knew he couldn’t keep the boy with him forever. After the service, Jo went to get Kory. A man came up to Nim. “Merry Christmas,” the man said as he shook Nim’s hand. “I don’t suppose I could talk you into joining the choir. We can always use more basses.” Nim shook his head. “Sorry, we’re just visiting.” “Are you new in the area? Are you looking for a church?” Nim shook his head. “We’re only in town for the holiday,” he explained. Jo joined them with Kory. “Hi, Mister Michaels, Merry Christmas.” “Jo? I barely recognized you. Is this your husband?” Jo nodded. “This is Nim.” Mister Michaels nodded. “I was trying to get him to join the choir.” “We’re only here for a few days.” “So he tells me. It was good meeting you.” He shook Nim’s hand again and hurried off. Nim helped Joanne with the coat she had borrowed from her mother and then wrapped up Kory. He’d keep Kory warm with his bellyfire until the car was warmed up. Kurt had already gone to start it. “Hey, Nim, how come you sang the hymns but not the rest?” Jared asked. “I can’t read music. I didn’t know what to sing.” “So how did you sing the hymns?” “Hymns? Do you mean the songs? I heard those at the party last night.” “What? Were you sitting in a corner, just listening to music?” Kevin asked. “No, he talked to several people.” Jared was frowning. “I still heard the songs. I have an eidetic memory,” Nim explained. “What’s that?” Sarah asked. “I don’t forget things.” “Nothing?” She asked. Nim shook his head. “Not that I can remember.” Then he smiled. “Seriously, no. I remember everything.” “What’s the first thing I said when we met?” Jared challenged. “He’s supposed to be a killer?” Nim told him. “Or do you mean the first thing I was supposed to hear?” “A killer?” Sarah frowned. “I’m not. Someone was telling lies about me. Jared was teasing his folks.” Jared continued testing Nim’s memory the rest of the way home. Normally, Nim didn’t mind when people did that. But he was quite tired and had hoped to sleep in the car, despite how he felt about them. He hoped they’d be able to sleep later tomorrow morning.