The Doctor's

"Oh," said the doctor, "so you found the little guy, did you?"

Leylia had thought his tone would've been affected, perhaps even annoyed or put out, but instead he sounded pleasantly surprised. His voice carried the same quality that her mother's did when she answered the phone having already looked at the caller ID.

"So you did put him in me," Leylia accused, setting the tin down on the desk and planting her hands on her hips. The little worm sat up straight. "When the hell did you have time to do that?"

"When I shook your hand before you left," Renard replied, smiling. "You are such a rare body type, so perfect."

"What? For worms? For parasites? What are you trying to pull?"

"Well," Renard said, reaching out with a hand to pat the worm on the head with a single finger, "yes, dragons are rather parasitic at such a young age."

"DRAGON!?" Leylia stared openly at the insane doctor as he pet the worm. That wasn't a dragon. "First off, dragons aren't real, secondly, they hatch from eggs, damnit! Everyone knows that."

"And that is precisely why they do no hatch from eggs as they used to," Renard explained. "That would be too obvious, too easy to find. Oh no, dragons have evolved their magic, and must hide in a sympathetic mortal now."

Leylia sank into one of the overstuffed arm chairs in front of the heavy oak desk. She slumped, and watched as the worm swiveled around and wiggled his way toward her, as if alarmed. Was he worried about her? Fearful there was something wrong with her since she had collapsed so suddenly? Or just terrified his home and meals was ill. She reached out her hand, and rested it on the desk. The worm put his strange, jaw dominated head on her fingers, then made his way to wrap around her wrist.  He pushed his jaw against the inside of her wrist, right over the major artery.

He was feeling for her pulse.

"My!" said the doctor, obviously pleased. "He has grown so fond of you so quickly. I am sorry for not asking you, but I had thought you would not discover him until he was in a form more readily recognizable as a dragon."

"So he will get bigger," Leylia said, lifting her arm to tuck it against her stomach, her fingers trailed down the worm's back. He felt somewhat furry. "How am I supposed to have him inside my body then?"

"That's where the magic dominates over the physical," the doctor said, turning his fingers into a steeple. "He will bind more with your essence, take sustenance from your energy, until you are in a safe place for him to be physical on his own. I'm glad you've decided to keep him."

"Damnit you gave me no fucking choice you ass hole!" Leylia snapped, feeling her irritation coming back. "He probably isn't even a dragon but fuck it. I'm not allowed to have a fucking puppy yet here you come waltzing in and gifting me a baby fucking dragon. How the hell am I supposed to explain this to my mother?"

"You aren't," the doctor said. "She won't believe you."

"Why the fuck do I believe you?"

"Because you've already been empowered by the dragon being in your system."

"---the fuck does that mean!"

The worm made an amusing squeak, squeezing his body around her wrist. Leylia breathed out hard, then pushed herself forcibly into the back of the arm chair.

"You wouldn't happen to be close to--" Renard began, but the livid glare silenced him.

"If you dare say that time of the month I'm going to rip your head off and make sure this little guy burninates this place once he is big enough," Leylia snarled.

The doctor smiled, and folded his fingers together to rest his chin on them. He looked to be a combination of amused and impressed. The way his lips were switched up just enough to portray a good humor but his eyes bored straight into hers as if to extinguish a fire that had come to life there.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked. "I'm certain I have the most delicious flavor of rose-hip and dragon-fruit."

"Oh fuck you," Leylia said, a sigh carrying her words rather than a breath. "Yes please."

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