Picnic With a Dragon

A gentle, steady wind blew past Alesha's face. Several pleasant aromas rode the wind -- those of freshly baked bread, of grass right after a light shower, and of perfectly grilled ribs. Opening her eyes, Alesha found she was sitting cross-legged on a huge, thick towel, large enough to serve as a picnic blanket for two. There was another person here but they weren't on the towel. Rather, this person (or more accurately, "being") sat directly on the grass, haunches curled up and front legs extended like those of a dog in an upright sitting position. 

Alesha's eyes widened. She was having a picnic with… a dragon?!

It must be a dragon, she realized, a part of her wondering how she wasn't panicking at the realization. Despite how unusual this situation was, she felt completely and utterly safe around this being. 

The dragon was unlike any she'd ever heard of. First off, it wasn't just one color; rather, its main colors were electric blue and pale yellow, going from blue by its head in a gradient to yellow at its torso and arms and back to blue at the base of its tail. It had dark purple glove-like and beak-like markings, as well as two thick purple bands towards the end of its tail. A single teal stripe ran along its side from the base of the head to a third down the tail, with another stripe and a dot on the underside of the wing by the wing's armpit. The wing itself was a gradient from yellow by the wing arm to electric blue at the edges. Several accent markings of deepest black marked the back of the neck and the tail. Brightest of all, four vibrant red feathers came from the top of the head, paired off at the front of the brow and back of the skull respectively, and four from the mid-section of the tail, all of which were quite long. The back of the dragon's wings were purple with black triangular markings outlining each section between the wing fingers. Each wing had a "thumb" longer than the length of the dragon's head, if you included the almost-straight claw at the tip.

As she watched, the dragon dipped its head into a bowl of raw meat, each piece inside it cut neatly, and began to eat. Alesha's mouth watered as she looked at the bowl. Had raw meat ever looked quite this delicious? Maybe once, during the penalty.

The dragon's rainbow eyes flicked over towards her, its thin, diamond-shaped pupils focusing on her and seeming to smile as the dragon spoke. "You've got your own bowl, silly," she said, her amused, feminine voice somehow familiar.

"Do I?" Alesha mumbled, looking around. Look at that, she really did. Right in front of her was a plate of ribs -- the layered red meat interrupted with white marbling and ridged at intervals where bones hid beneath the flesh. 

Amazed at how good this looked, Alesha completely forgot about being upset to have become carnivorous, and dug into the food set before her. 

Soon afterwards, both individuals were done eating. They sat back and closed their eyes, basking in the sun, enjoying the warm rays and the way a cool breeze came by whenever the sun's heat started to get uncomfortable. 

"Hmmmmmm, haaaaaaaaaaah," Alesha breathed in and out deeply. 

"Do you know why you are here, little one?" The dragon asked.

Eyes remaining closed, Alesha replied, "Not a clue."

"... A shame," the dragon responded softly, sounding truly regretful. 

Alesha opened her eyes and rolled her head to look at the dragon. "Hm?" 

The dragon's regally relaxed pose struck her then, its sinuous form combining the pride of a great cat with the litheness of a serpent. Neck arched towards the sun, chin raised into the breeze, wings folded and resting along its back and the ground, tail relaxed in effortless curves on the surface of the earth. This dragon was truly a magnificent creature.

"If you do not know why you are here now," the dragon said after a few moments, as if answering an unasked question, "Then I cannot tell you. You must discover the answers for yourself, young one."

After a moment, Alesha thought of something. "Are you a Chaos Dragon?" 

A wry smile spread on the dragon's face. "Indeed. Then have you figured out why you are here?"

"To meet you," Alesha replied after a moment of thought, shifting into a more upright position facing the dragon.

The dragon, for her part, did not move. "And?"

"... I'm not sure why else."

"Hmm," the dragon hummed softly, seeming disappointed. "I wish I could tell you. But, our time is up. Awaken, young one, and may your journey teach you much."

Alesha woke with a start, finding herself half on the floor and half on the mattress she was using as a bed in her dad's office. What was that all about? A dream picnic with a dragon?

[Bloodline: Chaos Dragon has been reinforced. Psychic +2, Chaos Energy +5, XP +300]

"What?!" Alesha yelped, thoughts racing. Dang it, this was just like the System, taking any and every excuse to pull her farther from being human. A dream about a Chaos Dragon was apparently the "???" mystery reward for following through on her word (as usual, a curse disguised as a reward), and the System had used that to somehow strengthen her Chaos Dragon bloodline. 

What was really confusing, however, was how the System justified giving her so many rewards for such a small quest. All that she had done was drink 5 bottles of Mystery Potion. Well, actually Korak. How did that justify "earning" 5 Chaos Energy, 2 stat points, and 300 XP?!

[Korak is one of the mysteries of the universe. This quest involved discovering hidden truths about said mystery of the universe, which is a huge accomplishment. It actually might be too few rewards, if you take that into account.]

Too few…? Alesha shook her head and decided to count her blessings that the System at least hadn't done any more than it had. 

Looking at the display on her dad's monitor, she discovered it was almost lunch time. "Well, I suppose that's enough craziness for the morning," she muttered, worried about the rapid pace at which she was progressing. For how much longer would she be able to blend in with society? What kinds of things would the System force her to do next, and would she be able to keep any upcoming changes hidden from her family?