“Finally done” Miranda said as the door leading from the heart room closed and the lift began to rise.

“I can’t believe we finished prototyping and created a fully functional model in just a month.” Derrick responded

“So what was all that you were saying about there being no one that could help you”

“Yeah yeah you've proven me wrong.”

“Now that the main attraction is done what else is there to do to prepare for the expo?”

“Not much, just preparing the cave and food, I sent the invitations out a few days ago so I should be hearing back from them soon.”

“You sent the invitations with Richard when he stopped a few days ago right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I was just wondering how you were going to get the responses soon if Richard isn’t coming back for an entire month?”

“We usually get all the responses through messenger bird”

“Messenger birds........Oh in the aviary right?”

“Yes, have you been there yet?”

“I don't think you've given me access to that one yet, why is that?”

“Mostly so you wouldn't frighten the birds there, If you’d like I could show it to you”

“Maybe later” the platform began to slow down “right now, I need a bath”

“Agreed” Derrick replied looking down at his sweat stained shirt, the doors to the main hall opened “I’ll meet you in the Dining hall when you’re ready.”

“Ok” Miranda answered as she walked towards the main hall

“This is so crazy” She thought as she approached the hall that led to her room “two months ago I was ready to kill him and chop off his head and now.” She opened the door to her room “I…I don’t know” she thought “I can just be around him without acting or worrying about what he thinks, why is that? Maybe it’s because” Miranda stopped as she was heading towards her washing pool “because I won’t see him after I leave in two months.”

………………………………………………………….

Miranda sunk down in the pool “Why do I feel like this?” She thought “I was fine before all this started, once I leave and figure out how to save the temple everything will be fine again, right? Then why do I feel so sick when I think about leaving, maybe it’s because I don’t know how I’m going to save the shrine, that must be it. There’s more treasure than I could have imagined in the horde room but I couldn’t possibly ask Derrick to give me part something so precious to him, the crystals seem pretty expensive maybe I could ask him for enough of those to trade for the deed to the shrine, I can’t just ask him to give me something though, what if I offer to work for them? Yeah that should work!”

………………………………………..

After her bath Miranda met with Derrick met in the ballroom

“So what kind of birds do you use anyways” Miranda asked as they entered the lift

“There not exactly one species, long ago my ancestors used some sort of magic to breed a sort of hybrid bird; my ancestors wanted to make sure no other bird would dare interfere with them but at the same time they wanted something that could blend in better than a wyvren, so they used traits from feral eagles, albatross and pigeons and to ensure loyalty they added a little bit of feral dog.”

“How did they breed an eagle with a dog?”

“The history texts were never really clear on that” Derrick answered as the lift stopped in front of a set of wooden doors with a scroll in front of a cloud on them “but I imagine that even with the crystals it wasn’t easy.”

The doors opened to reveal a long hallway with another door at the end.

“While it’s true that their more intelligent than the average bird their still not as smart as a wyvren” the two of them approached the second door “so in order to show them that you’re a friend and not a threat I’m going to have to put my arm around you, is that all right?”

“Umm, sure I guess. what would happen if they thought I was a threat?”

“Not much, they would get spooked and fly away they're taught to avoid potential threats in order to ensure the safety of the messages they carry so they tend to avoid anything bigger than them that they don’t know is friendly.” Derrick lifted his hand and slowly reached around Miranda’s back, placing it softly on her shoulder, pulling her closer to his as he did.

“Wow” Miranda though “he’s so warm, I thought he would be cold, I haven't been this close to him since......ever, but....he’s so warm” Miranda shook her head “cut that out” she thought “He’s a dragon, a kind, awkward, strong dragon but still a dragon, you can’t have thoughts like that about him!”

“Is *gulp* is everything alright?” Derrick asked

“Oh, uh, yeah everything’s fine.”

“Alright, let’s get going” he pushed the door in front of them open, the room they entered was large and rectangular, the far wall was covered in holes that Miranda could see a faint light coming out of. The side walls slanted outward as they went up and had a ledge jutting out of them half way up.

All along the ledge were scattered piles of what looked like straw and twigs, as the pair walked further into the room Miranda began to notice movement within the piles, one by one three or four pairs of large eagles craned their necks over the sides of the piles, each one kept an unblinking gaze on the pair. Suddenly one of the eagles landed gracefully in front of them, looking directly at the two.

“Wow” Miranda said in surprise as she jumped a little “I didn’t even hear it.”

“They can be rather quiet when they want to be” Derrick responded as he fished his hand around in his pocket, he pulled out two small cloth wrapped items, handing one to Miranda “After that one comes over here and eats the snack I give her unwrap the cloth and just hold out your hand, make sure you let her take it from you, if you try and give it to her she might bite off a finger.”

Miranda gulped “Okay.”

Derrick leaned down pulling her with him and held out his hand, he had already unwrapped the cloth revealing a small chunk of meat “Come here girl”

The eagle was locked on the meat as soon as she saw it, she took a few cautious steps forward and then looked quickly at Miranda, then back at the meat; It repeated this process several times until it was right next to Derrick, It craned it’s neck forward and took the meet from Derricks hand and quickly gulped it down.

“I’ve never been this close to a feral eagle before” Miranda said, slightly amazed at being able to see the bird so closely.

The eagle immediately snapped its head towards Miranda

“Oh, right” She said under her breath as she quickly untied the cloth and held out the chunk of meat

The eagle slowly inched towards her, sniffing the meat at first and then cautiously picking it up from her hand and eating it.

“That should be good enough” Derrick said, slowly taking his arm off of her shoulder as the two stood up “now that they know you’re not a threat they should be comfortable around you, if any start pestering you for food just give them a tap on the top of their beak and say no.”

“That’s all it takes?” Miranda asked, but before Derrick could answer she felt something bump against her hand, she looked down to see the eagle she had just fed trying to work its head under her hand, similar to the way a feral dog does when they wants attention.

“Seems like she likes you”

“You weren’t kidding when you said they were part dog” She began scratching the eagles head “Derrick, there was something I wanted to ask you.” she looked up at him, it was then that the two noticed that even though Derrick had removed his arm they were still standing rather close to each other.

They nervously backed up “So *cough* wha, what did you want to ask me about?”

“Oh, right, I was wondering if you would let me have a few crystals, just enough to buy the deed to the temple, I would be more than happy to work off the cost, and I normally wouldn’t ask it’s just tha”

“Miranda, slow down. You want to work around here and have me pay you in crystals?”

“Well, uh, yeah, I need to save the temple and with what I've learned here I'm sure I could do enough to by some crystals off of you, if that’s alright”

Derrick put his hand to his forehead and chuckled slightly “Miranda you do realize that without you I wouldn’t have been able to finish the sun battery right?”

“Well yeah, but that was just to pay you back.”

“Whether or not it was to pay me back doesn’t matter, as far as I’m concerned half, if not more, of all the profits I make off of it belong to you.”

“Half!? There’s no way I could take half of the profits!”

“But I insist, you’ve more than earned it.”

“I doesn’t matter that I’ve earned it, once I leave I’ll, I’ll never be able to come back, and because of your pact with the other nobles you can’t exactly deliver my cut every other week.”

The room was silent for a long moment “You’re” Derrick said quietly “You’re right.....but at least let me give you enough to by your temple and a little extra in case they try to raise the price.”

“I appreciate that, but how am I suppose to carry that much down the mountain?”

“Miranda, you really think that I would make you climb down the mountain? I’m going to rent a wyvren to fly you down the mountain.”

“Oh, a wyvren? Like the one your aunt and uncle came here on.”

“Yes just a little more subtle, first it will fly you to the office of deeds so you can purchase your land, after that it will fly you a few miles outside of your village so no one sees you dismounting a wyvren, with a few extra sacks of gold of course.”

“So I’ll be able to save the temple?” she asked hopefully

Derrick reached out his hand and placed it at her shoulder “Miranda, I promise, even if it takes my entire horde, I will not let your temple be destroyed.”

Before she could think about what she was doing Miranda lunged forward and embraced Derrick in a hug, this time being careful to angle her horn away from his neck “I, don’t know how to thank you, but, just, thank you so much.”

Derrick put his hands on her shoulders “You’re welcome”

She looked up and they just stared at each other for a few seconds

Miranda pulled her arms back and stepped backwards “Well, uh” she stammered “like I said, thanks, for everything.” The room was silent just long enough for things to become uncomfortable “Well, um, I’m gonna go read in the library for a bit” she said as she headed towards the lift

“Right, well, I’m going to go review the arrangements for the expo so I’ll see you later.”

“Um, bye” She said as she entered the hallway to the lift “Oh god’s. is that why I feel sick when I think about leaving? Am I ….......falling for him?”