"I'm glad to hear that Tank! I think it's the right thing to do. Perhaps in time the solution, or at least another option, might present itself."
Tank nodded.
"Thanks for all the efforts on Flash's behalf... I know he'd appreciate what you're doing, just as I do."
Shuffling over to Tank, his long spindly tail dragging across the floor behind him, Gee Tee very gently, and very surprisingly, wrapped his wing around the young rugby playing dragon's massive shoulders (something that had never happened before).
"We need to work together, and we need to work hard. All my experience is screaming at me that we're reaching a crossroads. Not just us, or your friends, but the dragon race as a whole. Every molecule of my dragon blood is shrieking out at me... that the time is fast approaching. You and I, your friends as well, will all have a part to play I'm sure but... we must be ready!"
Gazing up along the shopkeeper's jaw, past his square glasses and into his steely, determined eyes, Tank asked,
"What is it we have to be ready for? And how exactly do we get ready?"
"We must be prepared as much as we can. Trying to rid your friend of his condition would be a good start. Apart from that... well I think we need to research the nagas as much as possible to see if we can find some way to negate the masking field they use to blend in with the humans... their equivalent of the mantras we use. This must become a priority... don't ask me why, but this might well be the key. Also, we need to find a way to disperse whatever we come up with... globally."
Tank thought hard about everything he'd just heard.
"What can I do to help?"
"Brush up on the nagas... anything you can find, anything you can think of, to find out more. You could ask Flash if he can get you access to the king's private library."
"I'll ask him when I speak to him next. In the meantime I think I know where to start," and with that Tank wandered off out of the workshop and headed into the deepest, darkest recesses of the Mantra Emporium, slurping on his mug of by now lukewarm charcoal.
* * *
Sweat poured down his back and legs as he trudged off the pitch. It had been one of the toughest sessions he'd ever been to. Forty minutes of full-on fitness work followed by twenty minutes of basic skills, in groups of different activities, topped off by a high intensity game. Very much looking forward to a cold drink in the bar, stuffing his stick bag in the car, he grabbed his wallet, watch and phone and headed into the clubhouse. As he jogged across the final part of the car park, his legs started to suffer from that wobbly feeling they only got at certain times. At first he thought it was from the training and maybe part of it was, but as he walked through the double glass doors it became blatantly obvious to him that the feeling was much more than that. Opening the internal door to the bar and stepping through, his fingers tingled, his stomach turned into a butterfly farm and he felt so giddy he thought he might actually faint.
She was there waiting for him on the other side of the deserted bar. Not only that, but a steaming cold pint of diet Pepsi sat on top of the surface in front of her, just waiting to be drunk. Wandering up to the bar, red faced and sweaty from his workout, he surprised even himself as he leant across and gave her a full-on kiss on the lips. The smile on her face was sunlight streaming through the clouds on a rainy day. Sliding the drink across in his direction, Janice whispered,
"Have a drink, you look shattered."
Not needing a second invitation, Peter guzzled nearly half the drink in one go, only just managing to avoid swallowing the two icebergs that bobbled about inside it.
"Thanks," he sighed. "That hit exactly the right spot."
"Good," she replied. "How are you?"
"Great thanks, but a bit busy at work. Hockey training was fab, if not a little tiring..."
Peter's mouth waffled on, pretty much without his brain, as he gazed across the shiny bar top into Janice's beautiful face. All he could think was how perfect she looked. Suddenly the gorgeous face he'd been lost in looked... expectant. It was then that he realised he'd stopped talking and was now just staring, his mouth agape.
"Sorry," was all that he could stutter.
"That's okay," assured Janice. "Do you fancy going out again?"
"I'd really like that," he just about managed to reply, as the bar started filling up.
"I'll catch up with you later," she said, giving him a seductive wink before turning to serve one of the other hockey players.
Resting on the bar, pleased as punch, that warm fuzzy feeling washed over him, making him feel like he'd never felt before. Lost, contented... just happy.
'I really must do some research on these... feelings,' he vowed. 'But who to ask?' Richie would be a little inappropriate given that she'd just finished her relationship with Tim. Tank, again, would be the wrong person to speak to... Flash? Gee Tee? Flash, given what he'd said to Richie, probably wasn't the right person either, but Gee Tee... There was a thought. Always insightful, the more Peter thought about it, the more he really wanted to hear the old shopkeeper's views on the subject; he would have to make sure Tank was nowhere to be seen though.
A hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present.
"Hi Pete. How's it going?"
"Hi Andy. Uhhh... fine thanks."
"Game on Saturday against Hamble. You okay to play?"
"Sure," he replied.
"Good... see you at 1.30pm. Sorry, gotta dash... date with a lacrosse player," and with that he turned and disappeared into the throng of people now crowding into the bar.
As his captain disappeared, he spotted the familiar hulking frame of Tank heading his way... it was difficult not to.
"Evening," pitched in Tank, a rosy red bruise the colour of an apple spilling across his chin.
"How you doing, big fella?" he replied, attempting something different.
Tank raised his eyebrows. Peter got the message.
"Training any good?" asked Peter.
"Not bad," Tank answered. "We're playing much more like a team now... just a shame we're so far into the season. Still, there are at least a few festivals on the horizon."
And so the evening progressed, Tank talking passionately and knowledgeably about rugby with Peter occasionally chipping in with his opinion on hockey, life and the universe. Eventually the two friends were the last remaining customers in the bar. Peter feigned tiredness, leaving many awkward pauses in the conversation in the hope that Tank would take the hint and head home, leaving him to talk to Janice alone. Tank, however, had other ideas and remained seated, nursing the last few drops of his drink... almost determined to make life as difficult as possible for his friend.
Having collected all the other empty glasses, Janice came sweeping around all the other tables and arrived at theirs. Without a second thought she did something that nearly made Tank's eyeballs pop out and roll across the sticky carpet. Plonking herself smack down in Peter's lap, nearly causing him to choke on the ice left in his drink, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him delicately on the cheek.
"So, what are we going to do... tomorrow night?" she asked, hoping he would be free then.
"Weeelllll..." he replied, studiously avoiding Tank's piercing gaze. Before he had a chance to reply, the beautiful young bar worker jumped in.
"What about if you came round to mine and I cooked us a really nice meal? We could watch a film afterwards."