A Patchwork Fantasy Snippet full of creatures and coworkers.
In which a pocket dragon is very professional indeed.
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Transcript
[Soft, mysterious music]
Laura: Hi, you can call me Laura. This is Patchwork Fairy Tales and you’ve just stumbled upon a Patchwork Fantasy Snippet. If you want to read as well as listen, check out the transcript linked in the description.
[Music fades]
Sam tries not to mom her co-workers too much, honestly, but Ouasima has been huddled on her chair during their entire meeting with the Urban Dryad Council and she really looks like she isn’t having a good time.
“Hey, everything alright?”
Ouasima looks up distractedly. “Oh, sure. I’m just really cold.” She draws her fuzzy vest closer around her shoulders. “This office is always cold to begin with and what with Ramadan it’s just-” She pulls a face.
“Oh, right!” Sam winces internally at having forgotten again. “How’s the fasting going?”
“It’s fine,” Ouasima smiles. “I know how to look after myself during. Just, cold.”
Sam smiles back sympathetically, trying to think of something encouraging to say that doesn’t feel out of line, when her mind suddenly sparks. “Hey! Would you like to borrow my pocket dragon?”
Ouasima blinks in surprise. “Really?”
“Of course!” she says earnestly. “I mean, I can ask him.” Sam lifts her backpack off the spare office chair it had been sitting on.
“Sure,” Ouasima says with a laugh. “I was wondering where he was hiding today.”
“Hi there,” Sam coaxes as one bright, reptilian eye opens in the warm dark of her bag. “Could you maybe resume your nap around my friend’s shoulders? She’s very cold today.”
The ironically named Sphinx stretches his scaly paws and blinks companionably, crawling out of the backpack and clambering across Sam’s lap to peer up at Ouasima. She makes the same expression she always does when she sees him, her eyes both nervous and utterly delighted.
Sphinx lets out a purr and leaps. To her credit, Ouasima doesn’t startle and he lands gracefully on her shoulder with only a slight flick of his wings.
Sam smiles as Sphinx makes a show of draping himself carefully around Ouasima’s neck, partly disappearing in the folds of her hijab without pulling or displacing it.
“Oh he’s like a little furnace,” Ouasima gushes. “This is fantastic!”
“Careful,” Sam laughs, nodding at Sphinx’s smug little face. “His ego is plenty big enough.”
“And with good reason,” Ouasima coos. She grins. “Thanks, big day-improver.”
“Anytime, just try to remember this moment the next time he gets into the copy machine.”
[Soft, mysterious music returns]
Laura: Thank you for listening, I hope you liked this snippet of patchwork fantasy. Transcripts, easy streaming, and all the information about this podcast and all my other creations can be found on laurasimons.com.
There’s another tale to tell some other day, but until then: remember to guard your name, and be safe.
[Music fades]
Copyright Laura Simons, please do not copy my stories without my permission, lest you insult the fae.