Rei regretted getting annoyed at the overconfident female Kobold when he tried to explain that some days wouldn't be enough, even with wishiwashi mind magic involved.

  Las said she was caught by surprise, this time she would be prepared, it won't happen, she is sure of it, stop being a scared baby and just do it.

  Then proceed to annoy him with the Help of Kow until he decides that if they want mushy brains, they will get mushy brains.

  Two knocked out Kobolds later, only he and Has remained.

  They both looked at each other, then back to their companions.

  [Has] -Fight and Food ?-

  The Dragon smiled and nodded, deciding that Has is his favorite.

  The fact that they trusted him with their unconscious bodies spoke volumes of their disposition to him.

  *** *** ***

  Kow was having a bad time.

  He never had the mind bending talent to actually be in the Dream Land.

  He could stay there a little, he could speak with his companions and even Share a few things, but actually be there ?

  He just could not make sense of it, the Sea was wrong, everything felt wrong, the sky, the ground, even the supposed boat Las told he needed to make.

  But Las said the Dragon knew a better way, and she was close to getting it, something Outer Space something, she was knocked out cold by it, but she said it was just a surprise she was ready now.

  The Dragon was not convinced … I also wasn't, but I won't tell him that, Las would not let him in peace if he didn't help.

  In the end he agreed and Las said to Annoy him.

  [Kow] “Why ?! Why would we do that ?”

  I asked on our mind link, having to exert an effort of will to not say it out loud.

  The dragon liked it ? … the Dragon found it Cute ? … He knew it was being manipulated ? … Rei just didn't care ? … Rei liked getting angry ? … what the fuck have you seen in his mind ??

  When Kow asked that question and she smiled, he knew she won, he was very curious now and started to weigh the benefits to justify doing dumb shit like he always did.

  [Kow] “If all goes well, i'll learn how to stay in this place and cheat at learning just like Las does … and many more things she is Sus on telling me … if all goes bad, I just get knocked out, Has is there, Rei is there too, and we will be showing a lot of trust to him … it would be a nice team building exercise … yeah, that works …”

  Kow nodded to her and followed her lead in annoying the actual Dragon they had on their team.

  [Kow] “What a Life … pffs”

  When the Dragon finally agreed with a huff and Las put the three kobolds in the Dream Land, Kow was congratulating himself on a job well done and preparing for some eldritch knowledge to be shoved to him just like Las shoved her finished Spells for him.

  It was then Kow knew, he fucked up.

  *** *** ***

  Las was regretting jumping head first into things, it was something she needed to work on, as outside of combat, she tended to Hyperfocus on things and not think about much else beyond the realm of ‘how to get it’.

  She felt quite safe in the cave with the dragon and her team.

  She felt she knew a lot about the dragon, much more than he knew about her.

  She could feel what the Dragon felt and knew what buttons to press to get what she wanted out of him, and that he wasn't going to actually get mad at her which made it even better.

  It was just like making her Beloved learn a Spell with her, he actually wanted to do it, but needed the extra push.

  The fact that being cutesy worked for both of them gave her confidence, made her a bit smug.

  And she got humbled all over again when the dragon made sure to SMASH the knowledge on her brain like Has swinging his IronWood Branch on her head.

  She felt her eyes roll back and mind melt like fat rendering out in the fire pit that Has liked to cook.

  When the Dragon said it was a Lot, she imagined it would be like she Shoving her life on him.

  It was not.

  Dense meaning, history of a people leaving the world while riding towers of fire, concepts that made no sense, a force that pulls based on mass, a force that's not a force but reality bending to said mass, orbits, nothingness, vacuum, Stars and incomprehensible distances and vastness.

  To her knowledge, ‘Outer Space’ was one of the most perfect perceptions of the Dream Land, it fit so well that even the bare hints she got on the first time was enough to make her want more.

  The Sea of Dreams taught by the Shaman was a pale comparison.

  There was more, so much more, so, so, so much more.

  She bit more than she could chew … again, and she hoped that the Dragon would not poke her too much for it, it was nice to hope.

  *** *** ***

  When Kow and Las woke up, it was night time.

  They were treated to the Sight of a smiling and panting Dragon, standing on top of an exhausted and smiling Has.

  A fire was close by, illuminating the cave and roasting a slab of Meat.

  The smell permeating the cave made their empty stomachs voice their complaints.

  Kow, as always when he felt weak and in an unusual situation, said a snarky remark.

  [Kow] -You two should Kiss-

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  *** *** ***

  Her beloved was used to Kow and simply rolled his eyes and said

  [Has] -Don't feel like it, Beloved is better at it-

  And that should have been it, but while they both were unconscious, Has bonded with his new teammate over food and fight.

  And as friends, Has continued the rubbing.

  [Has] -Kow is the one who should Kiss-

  Las wanted to roll her eyes at the lazy remark of her Beloved, but she could feel the train of thought on the Dragon.

  Shame, Anxiousness, Desire, Anger, Action.

  The dragon was almost too easy to read now that she knew what to look for.

  [Las] “He will double down, Kow will double down. Both will keep going until someone stops then …”

  Las shared a look with her beloved and their connection snapping in place like a comfortable glove.

  [Has] “Foods getting ready, Rei knows new flavors, Meat tastes better with some erbs Beloved uses to make plasters”

  Has said as if that was the most impressive thing, Meat could be even better, and the Dragon said it was not even Meat's final form … while laughing like a mad … dragon … over the flame where he cooked the Meat stuck on a stick to perfection.

  Las got closer and sat on her beloved chest, while looking at the Roaring Dragon and Screaming Kobold.

  [Las] “Beloooooooved … Did you plan this ?”

  Has gave her a smile and shrugged his shoulders before grasping her Waist.

  [Has] “We friends, Rei likes to fight, Kow likes to fight, they fight words now, fists latter and after we all eat”

  He turned sideways to see the developing mess, dragging her with him to the ground so both could cuddle while watching the scene unfold.

  Las could only smile at the mind of her beloved, snuggling closer and getting comfortable on the hard ground.

  Has thought Kow and Rei would bond over Banter and Food just like they Bonded over a Spar and Food, everyone would be better friends in the end.

  It was how their team worked.

  *** *** ***

  [Rei] “ … I might have no fucking clue of anything, but at least I'm not a lonely third fucking wheel to my own underlings”

  -Rwa Rowra rawaa rwo rwororwaa rowoo …-

  [Kow] -What ? I helped them together …-

  [Rei] “Because you like to see what you can't get apparently”

  That gave the Kobold a small pause, but he came back twice as vicious.

  [Kow] -Shut your mouth, you think I couldn't hear what you thought of us in the Dream Land ? Las is giggling up till now with what your horny tail thinks, every FIVE thoughts you have, SIX are about mating-

  The Dragon finally paused, he had no comeback at the ready.

  [Rei] “Both of you could hear what I was thinking ?”

  [Kow] -It was hard NOT to, I would tell you to go wank yourself, but you CAN’T with those big ass knifes on your hand-

  The Dragon stopped talking, the cave was silent.

  A wave of dread, anger and resignation came out of the Dragon.

  [Rei] “Fuck it”

  He moved to the cave's exit, but a big figure crashed in his midsection with enough force to knock him down.

  On the other end, Las was almost scolding her Leader, throwing stones out of her glass house.

  *** *** ***

  Sometimes, Has ends up wrong, in his mind, they all are friends now, and friends do friends things, it's all nice and good fun.

  It would never occur to him that the Dragon might be insecure of their Friendship, especially when he was so Talented and Smart and Important … Has was quite jealous of Rei, but that's fine, all his friends are greater than Has, Has didn't need to be at the top, he could be the strong Base everyone stood on, Has liked being the steady ground.

  But Has also knows what it is like to feel unsure about belonging, he didn't think the Dragon would be like this, Rei is way greater than Has, there is no way he thought like Has did, but Has was wrong again.

  When his beloved told him Rei was going away and he should stop him, Has knew what he needed to do.

  Beloved would figure Kow out, and they would all Hug it all out, starting with Rei.

  *** *** ***

  [Kow] -That wasn't supposed to happen …-

  [Las] -It was not, all your talk about needing him, opportunity of a lifetime, not wasting your shot, and as soon as Rei bites back on YOUR snark, you try your best to put him out, and now he is going-

  [Kow] -He wouldn't, where would he even go ? And what are you talking about, you Knew …-

  [Las] -HE DOES NOT CARE, KOW, he works on Anger and Spite-

  Las said exasperated, her teacher was one of the smartest people she knows, but he could be so stupid.

  [Las] -And you where hearing his mind, if you could pay attention to his horniness you could pay attention to the standard fucking way he thinks-

  [Kow] -We were just … it was just banter Las, we do it all the time, i'm sorry if I thought we were friends already-

  [Las] -Yes Kow, it was Banter and you wanted to WIN, to prove you where at the Top, like you have something to prove to the new guy, and now he is Hurt-

  Las spook.

  [Las] -Congratulations teacher, you won, you won and proved that you are on top of the Dragon … Was it worth it ?-

  Kow looked at the exit, where a Dragon was dragging a Family Sized Kobold that was not letting go of his midsection, even as the Dragon got angrier and angrier in his attempts at dislodging the Kobold.

  Both were clearly exhausted.

  [Kow] -This wasn't a win … We were supposed to fight it out … Alright what do I do ?-

  The Kobold asked and received a look with a point in the dragon's direction.

  [Kow] -Right … right … honesty and hug it out … like Has is doing … you know how weird it is to hug someone who actively wants to mate with you?-

  Las gave him another look accompanied with memories of her looking at him while she and Has were intimate … she looks at Him and Has … his tamed beasts … his own thoughts.

  [Kow] -Point taken … I'll stop stalling …-

  With a deep breath and a few steps, he was back in front of the Angry Dragon.

  *** *** ***

  The Dragon was fuming, but the Kobold hugging him and being dragged out was really making him rethink his snapping decision to walk out.

  He was still beyond embarrassed and hurt about the invasion of his privacy.

  A small voice was telling him that they DID tell him that they could hear what he thought and that It was banter, it hurt, but it was banter, friends banter, he was supposed to be a sport about it.

  But that one voice was being screamed at by his anger, anger that only screamed higher as he thought of his situation, how they are all he got at this moment, how easy it was to use it as leverage, how the Female one was blatantly manipulating him, in a way he thought it was a inside joke, but now only hurt more, he was becoming dependant.

  Even still, he was reluctant, the Big One was just so… nice, Has reminded him of a crazy smart golden retriever that tugged at his Heart in a way that made him rethink.

  And that made him even angrier at the Manipulation, even when not intentional.

  And now the Tiny Bastard was right in front of him again.7

  [Kow] -Hey, i'm sorry for what I said, if i'm being honest, i'm just a bit afraid of …-

  But before Kow could make himself heard, Rei shoved the connection into the Kobold.

  [Rei] “You Want to know what I think ? CHOKE on it.”

  The Dragon said before the Kobold words registered on his mind, as they did, the Dragon's eyes widened in surprise and Hope, before he grimaced.

  Kow's eyes rolled to the back of his head and for the second time on the day, the Kobold was out cold, the last thing he heard was a small anxious warble.

  “Sorry”

  -Rwoorwe-

  *** *** ***

  Rei was annoyed, but that was fine.

  He was trying to get comfortable around the embers of the fire pit, but there were Three bodies on top of him, so his movements were a little Limited.

  After Kow was out, the Dragon got into a small panic.

  He didn't know he could do that outside the Dream Land, Las also didn't know, Has finally let him go and was taking a bite out of the Meat, now just right.

  Thinking back, the whole situation was pointless, and designed to make him mad, snap at his friends with a nice dose of violence then eat, like he did with Has.

  It was actually just banter, Las ‘Shared’ the whole thing.

  Kow had a need to be on top of things, one step ahead, and I'm constantly throwing him off, he is paranoid. He wanted a Win out of that petty fight and I got but-hurt and walked out instead of throwing a punch, like it was planned.

  And that was that, bonding over Fight and Food, like Has planned … It was a good plan, and it worked alright in the end, even if the fight wasn't all that physical.

  [Rei] “Too bad I ended up as bed ‘for losing’, not that is that bad”

  And that was the source of the Dragons annoyance, it was hard to sleep with all of them around him cuddling.

  [Rei] “Hehe … Hard”

  The dragon shifted his wings, when a pressure was felt on his head.

  [Kow] -Hey-

  The connection slotted in place.

  [Rei] “That’s me, yes”

  [Kow] -What ?-

  [Rei] “Nevermind, it was a pun, i forgot your language sounds nothing like mine, this sharing stuff is making it weird”

  [Kow] -So your name is just like ‘Hey’ in your mind ? … Did you choose it on purpose ? Because that’s a very lazy joke-

  [Rei] “Pot meet kettle, you black”

  [Kow] -Now you doing it on purpose, explain-

  [Rei] “It’s a phase about hypocrisy, your name and moniker, to me, sounds like you are calling yourself a Kobold”

  [Kow] -What ? no way, sound it out -

  The dragon huffed

  [Rei] “I can't, Dumbass, only roars and warbles”

  [Kow] -In your mind Dumbasser-

  [Rei] “That was awful, you should be ashamed of yourself, and how the hell would I do that ?”

  The dragon could feel the Kobold rolling his eyes and getting lower, now upside down looking right at his face.

  [Kow] -Real Slow now … Just … Sound … It out … in … you … mind -

  With a huff, the Kobold got an eye full of tongue and dragon spit.

  [Rei] “Kobold … Kow the Bold”

  The kobold was cleaning himself and said.

  [Kow] -Not just what you meant, the sound of it to, like that voice you did in Dream Land-

  The dragon narrowed his eyes in focus.

  [Rei] “Kobold … Kow the Bold”

  [Kow] -No way, that’s not right … that’s beyond lazy …-

  [Rei] “Yeah right ? … now mind getting out of my head ? i want to try and get some sleep”

  The Kobold sat and crossed his arms.

  [Kow] -I don't know, you are the one that can't keep me out of it-

  The Kobold laughed smugly.

  [Rei] “Tiny Bastard”

  The dragon said with a smile.

  [Kow] -That’s GREAT bastard for you, and you better remember it-

  The Kobold gave the dragon a pat on the head and got back to his companions pile in the dragon's midsection.

  The dragon kept smiling, and sleep finally caught up to him, the mental and emotional exhaustion finally wearing him out.