Zed walked to the light switch and illuminated the room, which was in shambles. Shelves were listing to all sides, as if a confused tornado had run through, their contents piled haphazardly on the floor. Tables were broken and chairs splintered. Also, Zed was naked, which was always a spectacle.

Zed huffed. “Aw, man. Miss Bardie’s gonna be pissed.”

Miss Bardie was, indeed, quite pissed. Her already thin mouth was pinched into a very sour line as she handed Zed an envelope marked with the official Mystic Bayou Library seal, banning him permanently from the library. She did however, give Dani a bookmark woven from solid gold, set with peacock ore as an apology for leaving her locked in the library.

“I became very ill after my dinner at the pie shop,” Bardie told her. “I’m sorry to say that I didn’t have the presence of mind to send someone for you. I wouldn’t have sent Zed, of course, but still. I should have sent someone. You have a dragon in your debt, Dani.”

“Thank you, Miss Bardie.”

“Zed, on the other hand, is in debt to a dragon, because I’m making him replace every single item he broke in his heroics.”

“That seems fair,” said Dani.

After answering a lot of questions for Bael, and signing a lot of release forms from Jillian, Dani came home, Bardie’s bookmark heavy in her pocket, to find Zed packing up his tools. The porch had been swept free of debris and Dani was now the proud renter of a closet-sized wooden cubicle with a nice sturdy door. She assumed the shower was still inside somewhere.

“So is this monumental work of carpentry finally finished?” she asked.

Zed grinned at her. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve been patient with me.”

“Well, you did incur a massive debt to a dragon to save my ass, so I guess I can’t get too upset with you. I might just have to break something, so you have to come running right back.”

“You wouldn’t have to break anything.”

“That’s good to know,” she said, shrugging out of her green t-shirt, revealing a bra imprinted with little blue llamas.

“Okay, as much as I appreciate the display. What’s with all the llamas?” he asked.

“Llamas are my spirit animal.”

Zed shook his head. “She said as if that was a completely normal thing to tell someone.”

“Llamas work hard. They’re curious. They carry burdens that other people can’t carry themselves. They can adapt easily to new situations, and yet, they can occasionally be very stubborn. Does that sound like anyone you know?”

“I want to say no, but I’m a dude who becomes a bear when the mood strikes me, so I’m willing to keep an open mind,” he said.