Fwee! It's a Girl!

Uncomfortable.

That was the word.

Alexei laced his fingers together as he waited. He was in a strange place that was potentially in a completely different universe, and the priestess who was standing besides him was treating it like a picnic.  Apparently he wasn't getting out of his obligations of correcting the balance of the world so easily.

"I didn't know a man could scream like that."

"She was covered in snakes, what did you think I was going to do?"

"She was a gorgon. It's her nature." The woman said as she continued to idly twirl the wooden umbrella.

"You know, that's bad luck right?" 

"That's superstition."  She said cheerfully. 

Alexei shook his head. Wasn't that person supposed to be here by now? The longer he spent with this woman the longer he thought he was going to legitimately go crazy. Or at least start believing the nonsense she seemed to continue to spew.

After what seemed like an eternity a woman slipped into the room. Her bright red hair was enough to draw all eyes to her. "You're Mr. Crux, yes?"

"Yes, I am," Alexei said as he stood up offering his hand to the woman.

She took it with a cordial smile. It was clear that the cold caught her off guard. Alexei bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from saying anything awkward. "Would you like to come with me? The dragon is waiting for you."

He followed the woman with a nod and a smile. He still wasn't sure about this entire thing. The idea of having a dragon didn't sit well with him. Even though he had managed to read through the book several times, he wasn't sure he could handle it. At least it wouldn't get that big? Then again it had said in the letter that she was of a different variety of the normal dragon.

The room was cozy. The faint light of the fireplace flicked as she pulled a large basket from the the corner of the room. "Here she is," she whispered.

Alexei slowly approached. If he had had a proper heart beat he would have felt it pounding in his chest. When he finally made it over to the basket he was pleasantly surprised.

It was a cute, purple, and furry. Though the snake-like body made him shiver slightly he crouched down to get a closer look at the little dragon. What a strange sort of creature she was. No wonder he offered to take her... she looked like she was built for the cold. Could he really take her though? Could they trust him to properly take care of her?

The little dragon's eyes snapped open, her head snapping upwards as soon as she saw the person looking at her. If it were possible for the dragon's face to light up, she was doing it as Alexei stared back at her. *Hello! Are you the new guy who's going to take me on an adventure?*

"I-I guess so."

*Yay! Let's go!*

"Hold up little Missy," The woman said as he offered Alexei the basket. "We need to give your friend a few things before you go off on your adventure."

*Awwww. But I want to go right now.*

Alexei took the basket. It was far lighter than he expected. Cute little thing didn't weigh all that much. He glanced at the woman as she pulled a few things out of a drawer and offered them to him. She explained with a smile that this was all the information that they had about her. From what she liked to eat to what her sleep patterns were, to what temperature she liked the best. 

This was going to be.... hard.

***

"So what's your name?" Alexei asked as he found himself walking through the familiar (and terribly creepy) temple with the little dragon in a basket, and Hosanna walking ahead of him.

*I don't have one yet....*

"What do you mean?"

*I mean someone special has to give me a name. And that's you!*

"Why me?"

*Because I say so!*

"Huh..." Alexei snorted. So this was like taking care of a child, right? Great. A guy who was undead and around twenty taking care of a little girl dragon. This might have been one of the worst ideas in the history of ever.

And naming wasn't his strong suit.

"How about Anastasia?"

It was the first and only suggestion he could think of. Hopefully the little dragon liked it. Otherwise he would have to pick up a naming dictionary and go through it.

*Anastasia? That's really pretty.... I like it!* the little wyrm bounced up and down in the basket.

At least she was easily amused?

Pictor greeted Hosanna with a smile smile before coming over to Alexei and the newly dubbed Anastasia. "Well who is this?"

*Hi! I'm Anastasia! Let's be friends!*

Pictor blinked a few extra times as he stared down at the fuzzy purple creature. She was surprisingly friendly. He reached out and ruffled her head. She responded with a sound that could only be described as "Fweee" before cheerfully bouncing again. "You've got your hands full this time."

"This time? It's not like I've taken care of a dragon before...."

"Yeah, but you always seem to get your sorry butt in trouble." Pictor said with a smile. "You're a pathetic excuse for a vampire and a hunter. Let's hope you're a better Daddy to this adorable little girl."

*He's not going to be my Daddy, he's going to be my bondmate! I'm going to make him unp....pathetic? What's pathetic mean?*

Alexei sighed. Hard might have been an understatement. "It means "a lost cause." But right now young lady I need to teach you a few things about our adventure."

*Yay! Adventure!*

That seemed to be the only thing she could focus on. It was a little endearing.