Magie trekked on a pillowy surface, much like a quilt. A patchwork composition of rich violets, indigo and sky blues; it puffed and collapsed into indentations under the weight of her boots. The trees abundant resembled black felt with spiraling branches hoisting deep plumb colored curtains, which swayed in the breeze. Rolling hills of plush fabric met folded mountains to the left, which looked more like they belonged in a dresser drawer than a landscape. Various colors including, reds, yellows and greens were among them. Everything was bright and fuzzy. Magie walked parallel to the range.

The sky also resembled a quilt of triangular tessellations, irregular in size. Brilliant blues in warm tones. Cotton clouds seemed stitched to it with thread and the sun, a bright yellow pompom. As the day progressed it tugged overhead like a tent revealing wrinkles and creases and darker low light shades on the horizon.

“This must be the lengthiest day ever. How much farther need we continue?” Magie moaned.

“You know, there’s an old saying: watch hyper-fusion detonator, never explodes,” Mr. Shade said.

“I believe you mean: watch pot, never boils. What did you do?” she asked.

“An extravagant amount of demolition work, pertaining to hostile alien species. Much like you, I worked a lot with the military, both Drako’s and the alliance’s. Although not truly, I acted as the guardian dragon of Earth,” he replied.

“How did that work out for you?”

“It’s a never ending, ever rending, loop of laps and lapse in relations.”

“To that, I can precisely relate. Here’s a proverb for you: he who lines his house with guns takes only the shelter of a roof of holes. Have you ever wondered what your life would have become had you tread a different path?” she stopped for a moment, perhaps to take in her own advise. A pleasant, fabric softener scent danced across the flowing planes. The Veilands were a beautiful vista.

“Oh, I easily could have become an unreal sacterriphysicist or hyperastropath engineer. I have many, many degrees and focuses. It’s not infrequent that I wonder if I’d have done more good taking a more academic career. Of course I did save the universe, not to brag or anything, so my current path proved pretty important. How many engineers could do that? Lately, I’ve been studying the recently emerged Cose technology. Fascinating. In a perfect world, you know without some idiot causing universal war, it’s certainly something I could see myself pursuing,” he replied.

“By the gods, ego much? But seriously, learning with the dragons was the greatest blessing of my life. I was able to take their advanced signature sciences back to TriCora and vastly expand the accounts of magic there. Fabel truly gave me a great gift with his abilities to traverse dimensions. Just as with you though, a life of peace and learning was not meant to be for me. TriCora is a rugged frontier of beasts and demons and developing factions. I found my place as one of the few who could protect her wondrous lands. The position of archmage was largely thrust upon me,” Magie stated.

“Indeed but had that not been the case what would you have done? A study of animals perhaps?” he asked.

“I love animals and TriCora is a marvel of uncatalogued flora and fauna. I recall how I first met Spiral was during a survey of Harpe Forest. Sadly within such an underdeveloped dimension it’s a far cry from what one could make of a career. People there are focused on survival and none see it fit to pay for such scientific endeavors. Conservation efforts are not on the agenda. But biology has and will always be a hobby of sorts. Far less with some idiot threatening the universe as you so amply put it,” Magie hopped a sequin creek of flowing sparkles. Light clouds had gathered overhead and rhinestones tumbled from the sky. They cleared as the evening calm washed across the scene.