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There are three rules about dragons that everybody knows:
1. Dragons are rare.
They’re the rarest magical creature—even more so than unicorns, because unicorns can at least live happily in zoos. Dragons are either completely wild, or bonded to one person, and there is no in between. Unlike unicorns, dragons have never been close to extinction; by the time humans figured out how to get past the scales, the fire breath, the claws, and the fangs, there were already laws in place protecting them in their native environments. Still, most people go their whole lives without ever seeing one up close.
2. Dragons are territorial.
This isn’t as much of an issue for wild dragons, as the only time wild dragons ever interact with other wild dragons is when they mate, and that only happens once every several years. Aside from that, wild dragons keep to themselves. Territories are more of an issue for bonded pairs, as dragons don’t like sharing their humans. It’s said that when attempting to woo someone that is bonded to a dragon, you have to win the dragon over first before winning over the object of your affection. After all, humans who don’t like other humans don’t turn them into ash. (Most bonded dragons are too well behaved to burn someone into ash without their humans explicit instruction, but the fear still stands.)
3. A bonded dragon's appearance reflects the personality of their human.
Dragons and humans usually bond when both parties are young—with certain notable exceptions—so it’s unclear if a bonded dragon grows to match their humans personality, or if dragons instinctively bond to humans that match their appearance. The most common exception to this rule is a familial dragon. Dragons live longer than humans and sometimes stay within one family for generations, so the more generations pass the less likely it is for the dragon to look like their current bonded human. Familial dragons are rare, and it is more common for bonded dragons to take to the wild once their human has died. (Occasionally older dragons will take a young human under their wing, and even more rare is when an older human bonds to a young dragon.)
Those three rules are why anyone walking into the Bridgeport Brewpub for the first time would be extremely surprised to find two dragons peacefully coexisting. (There is, in fact, a third dragon there as well, but he stays in the vents and is only seen when he wants to be seen.)
The bigger of the two (visible) dragons is over five feet tall, his body thick and sturdy, with scales a deep, mossy green. He has large, sinewy wings that could easily wrap around a full grown adult, and chilling red eyes.
The smaller dragon is just over a foot long, her scales and eyes the warm, flickering red of a campfire. She prefers speed over strength, and both her claws and fangs are sharp as knives to defend herself if need be. One of her wings is slightly deformed, better suited for brief soaring than sustained flapping.
Most people, if given the choice to match each dragon to their bonded pair, would give the small dragon to the owner of the Brewpub: a friendly man who always seems to have a smile on his face (at least when he isn’t staring at a screen), who is personable and cheery and pays his employees well. Most people would then match the bigger dragon with the head chef: a man who always seems to be scowling, who shouts more than he speaks, and who moves in a manner that has people instinctively stepping out of his way.
Most people would be wrong.
People fail to take into account the fact that the smaller dragon spends almost all of her time in the kitchen, scampering around and fetching items and roasting things with her fire breath. Most people don’t notice how all of the employees—and even some of the regulars—give the big dragon head pats and chin scritches as they pass, and how he obligingly lets little kids climb all over him.
The third dragon—and third owner of the Brewpub—are almost never seen by customers. Both human and dragon prefer to fade into the shadows, or hide in the vents, and only long time staff members are certain either exist, as many people think they’re a ghost story.
The third dragon is a little bit bigger than a cat, though he is able to shift and bend his form in ways that make his size hard to quantify. His scales are black as night, his eyes a dull yellow glow like a pair of fireflies. Unlike most dragons, he doesn’t breathe fire—though only five people are aware of that fact—but can slip out of any restraint placed upon him.
He also enjoys using his talent to squeeze through vent grates that are too small for other living creatures.
“Where’d that steak go-? Damnit, Nyx!” Eliot shouts from inside the kitchen. There’s only one creature that can get into his kitchen without him or Spark noticing, and he shoots a baleful look at the vents. Sure enough, there’s a small trail of blood leading to the grate—the fact that there’s a trail at all means Parker wanted him to notice, so he whips off his apron and stalks to the back room.
He doesn’t have time for this right now. He’s been cooking like crazy to prepare for the fundraiser he’s somehow been roped into catering, and he still has half a dozen dishes to finish up.
Eliot slams open the door to the back room with more force than is strictly necessary, prepared to grumble and shout at both Parker and Nyx for distracting him, only to instead be swept off his feet as a dragon’s head snakes between his legs and practically picks him up.
“Woah!” Eliot falls against Ani’s back, unprepared for the sudden dragonback ride. “Ani, quit it!” Eliot says, trying to stand up, but Ani flares out his wings and effectively knocks Eliot back into place.
Ani none-too-gently deposits Eliot onto the couch, and Eliot looks up to see Hardison standing over him, arms crossed. Before Eliot can even ask what’s going on, Parker descends down from the ceiling and lands next to Eliot, her arms wrapped around his neck.
“What are you-? I don’t have time for this,” Eliot grumbles, trying to push Parker off, but he’s no match for her sticky fingers and grip strength so he quickly gives up. “What are you doing?” Eliot asks, looking up at Hardison.
“You are working too hard,” Hardison says, pointing threateningly at Eliot. “This is a mandatory break.”
“I don’t have time for a break. I have to make food for-” Ani plops down in front of the couch and rests his head on Eliot’s lap, effectively pinning him in place—there’s really no escaping a several hundred pound dragon.
“We already talked to Bobbi and told her to come in and cook,” Parker says right into Eliot’s ear. “Which means we get to watch a movie!”
Eliot groans and looks at Spark, but she’s already curled up with Nyx on Ani’s back and looks quite comfortable. “Traitor,” he mumbles.
Hardison turns off the lights and catapults himself onto the couch on Eliot’s other side. It takes some adjusting for them all to get comfortable, which gets immeasurably harder once Ani leans against the couch and pins their legs in place.
Eliot really doesn’t have time to sit down and watch a movie—he still has to cook so many dishes—but he knows he can’t fight off the combined might of Hardison, Parker, Ani, Nyx, and Spark.
“I can’t believe you all,” Eliot grumbles.
“Yes, you can, and you love us,” Hardison says. “Now shush.” Eliot rolls his eyes but obediently shuts his mouth and gets more comfortable on the couch.