Bang!
Black Pearl slammed the door shut, and the coldness vanished from her face.
She walked to Annan's door, looking far less resolute than she had moments before.
Several times, Black Pearl summoned the courage to raise her hand, only to lower it again as some inexplicable feeling held her back.
In the end, all her tangled emotions became a sigh. "I really can't figure you out..."
Outside the window, Silly Cat yawned on the opposite roof, looked away, and curled into a fluffy ball that swayed in the wind.
Black Pearl was clever.
Unlike the chaotic, arrogant Red Dragon, Black Dragons were evil in a way that followed rules. They rarely acted on a hotheaded impulse.
Following Annan was a plan Black Pearl had made after meeting him again. After all, if she stayed close to him, an opportunity would come eventually.
Yet she was foolish, too. She actually thought Annan might fall in love with her.
Back in her room, Black Pearl dreamed for the first time in ages. She dreamed that Annan, clad in golden armor, knelt before her on one knee. He held out a Crown studded with gemstones and begged her to become his Queen...
Morning sunlight streamed into the room, and cold reality woke Black Pearl.
Annan was destined to remain a dream she feared losing, a cloud forever just beyond her grasp, an illusion she could never make real.
Black Pearl stepped outside just as Tamblin emerged from his room.
Dark circles ringed his eyes. It seemed he hadn't slept all night.
Black Pearl's eyes narrowed into deep dragon pupils as she stared at Tamblin approaching her. "Are you going to be a friend or an enemy?"
"A colleague," Tamblin said.
"You've made up your mind?"
"I can't stand by and watch