"Please Dashen, just one time?" Sabrina begged.
Dashen frowned at her.
"All because you can't stand doing chores like normal humans?" he asked incredulously.
She nodded earnestly. She wasn't exactly lying. It was more of a half-truth. Sort of.
She had asked to meet Dashen at a cafe, telling him that there was something urgent she had to tell him. She had chosen a quiet cafe with barely anyone to meet him.
She had asked Dashen to transfer some of his powers to her temporarily. A fraction of it. He is a high ranking dragon so he can do it easily if he wanted to. Dashen doesn't have to know what she will be using most of the power for.
"You know the whole point of having your powers taken away was a punishment for breaking the clan law," he told her quietly. They have to be careful when talking about their powers in a public place.
She groaned. She knows that. She was there when they told her the punishment. She wouldn't be this desperate if not for Meera. The worst part is that she can't even tell Dashen about it. She had promised Meera that she will keep it a secret.
"I know….I am only asking for this small favour for a few days, at most a couple days," she said.
Dashen studied her for a moment.
"I don't know…it's pretty far-fetched to want powers just to do house chores don't you think so? Tell you what, I can loan you some servants and you can use them for your house chores," he suggested instead.
Ugh. Dashen can be so annoyingly stubborn sometimes. He usually does things by the book. The fact that he helped her with Kavan was an anomaly. Expecting him to help her again was a far stretch but she has to try for Meera and for Zi An and Xin Yi. Those little half dragons will lose their mother even before they find out if they will be dragons or humans.
"Look, I appreciate the offer of servants but that's not…not exactly what I have in mind," she said. Although the offer of free servants is kind of tempting. She has been helping Kavan at his studio and in his flat. It was exhausting and also such a waste of time. All that time cleaning bathrooms and rooms, no matter how tiny, could have been better used. Like practising yoga. Naked. With Kavan. She pulled her mind back from where it was heading and concentrated on Dashen. Now is not the time to think of Kama Sutra activities. Especially not when she is grovelling in front of Dashen.
"Hmmm…tell me the truth Sabrina," Dashen looked serious. Coldly serious at that.
"If you refused to tell me, I may have to report this to the elders' council…you are behaving so suspiciously now,"
She gulped. Looks like Dashen saw through her lies. Lying queen, she is not. What should she do now? She tried to think of an excuse. Any excuse but the truth. Who knows what Dashen would do if he found out about Meera. Will he force her to marry him? Force her to accept immortality? Dashen can be such an autocratic asshole sometimes. He tends to want things his way and that is usually the source of the many clashes between him and Meera. Stubborn versus stubborn. This was why she was often dragged in as a mediator between the warring couple. It was annoying and sometimes downright stupid. They could even clash on where they should go on a date night. Who does that?
"Err…okay…fine…I don't feel comfortable telling you this since it is not mine to tell…" she started to say.
Dashen narrowed his eyes at her. He looked like he was trying hard not to believe her or to see through yet another lie.
"I need it to help someone who is sick," she said truthfully. At least this is not a lie.
His eyes are still narrowed.
"This person…err…has cancer and I can't just let this person die from cancer when I can help, you know," she added.
She doesn't have to mention names. Surely the altruistic motive of wanting to help a dying human is a good enough reason to want some powers back. She was telling the truth this time too. It wasn't as if she was going to use it for something silly like house chores or anything.
"Hmmmm….really? Who?" Dashen raised an eyebrow and asked.
"I never knew you to have any close human friends…unless…."
He frowned. He sat up straight and this time studied her contemplatively.
"Is it Kavan? Is this why you are so desperate?"
She sent a silent apology to Kavan. Looks like he has to be the scapegoat for this one time. Not that Dashen will go to meet Kavan anyway. She didn't even tell Kavan that she is meeting with Dashen. It would not do well. Kavan might get suspicious of her secretly meeting Dashen. She didn't even tell Meera what she planned to do. Meera might worry about her accidentally telling the truth to Dashen. What a tangled mess she is in.
She nodded sadly to Dashen and put on a sorrowful expression.
"Imagine…I could have cured him if not for the elders and the stick up their…whatever…so will you help me please?"
Dashen humphed.
"Well, there's an easier way around this, I'll just go see him and do this for him, problem settled, no need for this power transfer," he said.
At this very moment, she wanted to murder Dashen. Although not for the first time. He and his way of doing things can be so annoying.
"I would rather you don't meet him actually," she said.
He tilted his head.
"Why not? Surely he knows I am not actually your husband, you would have told him that by now,"
This is so frustrating and she is running out of excuses.
"Well…err…I promise him that I will never see you again. He just didn't like the idea of me hanging around my fake husband,"
Dashen gave a short bark of laughter.
"That doesn't make sense. If he already knows we are not actually married, there was no reason to object you coming to see me or talk to me, after all, I am still your clan leader," he said.
She shrugged theatrically. Time to put on a performance.
"You know how humans can be…they don't understand what it's like for us so of course there is bound to be a slight distrust when it comes to matters like our fake marriage,"
"Hmmmm…Meera isn't like that," he pointed out.
Dang it. Why does Dashen has an answer to everything?
"Okay, so fine, Kavan is the jealous kind, he doesn't like me associating with other men, especially not good looking rich ones like you," she blurted out, while at the same time hoping Kavan will never hear of this. He would get so mad and hurt. These are horrible accusations. She sneaked a glance around the cafe, fortunately they are the only patrons in there.
"Hmmm….I need to think this over first," he finally said.
"You have to remember I was already going out on a limb to allow you to be together with Kavan and now you are asking me to break another dragon law to transfer some power over to you," he added.
She didn't know what to say. If only he knew what she was asking for was actually for him and his children. She is racking up the debts to Dashen as it is. But she is willing to do it for Meera. Meera is a good human. She has taken her side for so many years. Also, Dashen and the children will be devastated to lose her. It is not right to let her die without even trying everything she could to help that woman.
"C'mon Dashen. It is only a tiny amount of power…just enough to cure a human, that's all I am asking, not much," she cajoled.
He did not relent to her begging. Dashen can be incredibly callous at times. He is never known to have a softer side. Except maybe when it's regarding his children or Meera.
"Just give me some time, I need to think this over, I still think it is better you bring him to me and let me do it directly,"
"You know I can't…I mean, it is like Meera bringing some guy to you and asking you to help that guy, surely you wouldn't like that?" she tried again.
"Well, I know for a fact that Meera is loyal to me so I don't have such weak human insecurities," he retorted.
Dashen is so infuriating. She gritted her teeth and tried not to let her temper get the better of her.
"You can stop your begging and fake pathetic looks…I already said I will think about it, just give me a few days to think it over," he said.
She sighed. Looks like she has no choice but to wait for Dashen to make up his mind. Not for the first time, she felt so powerless. What a time to lose her powers. If only Meera had told her earlier before she had her powers taken away.
"Okay, you'll call me when you've made your decision?"
"Yes. So, are we done? Do you have anything else to say? I have things to do," he asked.
She shook her head. He nodded.
"Fine, I'll go now and please don't get into any trouble and stay low, we don't want to alert the elders to what I'm doing for you,"
She nodded meekly and watched Dashen leave.
Meera's fate now lies in Dashen's hands without him even knowing about.