Sabre paced about on the narrow balcony behind the house, watching the street far below. There was nothing, no one coming. No police, no ambulance, nothing. It seemed that Summoner had done her job as well: making sure that anyone connected to this little man did not remember him in the slightest. That went from the newspaper stand, to his last ex-girlfriend. Her little grim demons returned and Sabre took over the body again.

You do not need to do that, they won't worry about him. We have everything he owns, all his bank accounts, everything.

"I am taking a precaution. Do not interrupt me. This is a vital time. Normally one does not remain in the same house with a dead man for this long."

What's the matter, Sabre, don't like corpses? Scintilla laughed. Scarlett silenced her with a hot,shh.

"If you all do not silence yourselves I will call the police. I would give us up."

But you don't get it yet, Sabre... Summoner said. The police won't have any idea who you're talking about. So far as they're concerned, this place is ours. If you called in a murder now, it would be 'self defense' because we own this house. He must have broken in or something... Her mind left a tittering echo in the air.

She just does not want to be comfortable after having committed a crime like this, Scarlett thought, somewhat sadly. She, Splash and Snowbird wanted nothing to do with this messy death, but there it was, couldn't be helped. The man lay in a puddle of his own blood, yet there was not one single splash mark, no footprints which could identify the killer, no prints at all.

Sabre was very good at what she did. At least everyone did respect that. Enough that they allowed her to dispose of the body herself. She grumbled to herself that it was a useless death - that even this little man could never have posed a threat to their operations.

Summoner and Scintilla were apt to argue, but the others just shut them up again and let the assassin do her work.

***
After the others had had some time to lounge around a bit, finally at ease sliding in and out of their shared body, Sabre's senses picked something up. She took control from Serpentine while lounging around the back deck and pool.

I wassss ussssing that ssssun!

"Silence," Sabre whispered, though she did not need to speak at all. She crept around the edge of the deck, and listened carefully. There were people, voices, where there ought not to be any. They were speaking in an accented English, but Sabre could not place the dialect or the accent's origin. She was vaguely glad that the body shifted entirely with everything that each of its many personalities required. Sabre's hand went to the long, straight sword at her side. It was no 'honorable' samurai katana, this was a straight-bladed weapon designed to kill, not to show off.

"I can't understand it. There's so many things tingling in the back of his mind..." Said the male voice, then his female companion spoke up.

"Same with Hawk. What's up with them? I mean, this Earth is filled with lots of strange people, superheroes and stuff, but why hang out here at some rich-kid's pad? What's up here worth finding?"

Sabre paused. What were they talking about? Tingling in someone's mind? There were only two people - who was the male talking about? And who was Hawk? Sabre sheathed the sword, and climbed atop the house's lowest balcony where she could look over the walkway where the pair of people were coming around.

But she only got about halfway over the shaded walkway when something else caught her eye, and Sabre gasped in surprise. Something she'd never been known to do - it was almost impossible to surprise a ninja, after all.

But there were two huge creatures standing on the semi-circular driveway of the house. They were ...

Those are dragons! What are they doing here? They're jussst over grown lizzzardsss. Whose are they, where are those two people? They're way cool... Get closer, Sabre!

Sabre obeyed the mess of minds in her head, though she wanted to scream for everyone to calm down. If they didn't calm down themselves, she would have some trouble tracking the pair of people who were just now slinking around directly below.

The dragons belong to them, they're bonded in their minds, can you see it?

I can, but I don't think anyone else does. Their minds are connected.

Rather like us? Summoner smirked mentally. The others remained silent, they didn't want to interrupt. When Scintilla and Summoner acted in tandem there was little anyone could do about it.

Sabre drew out from the shaded walk, and then glanced at the dragons. They were both blue, paler shades of cloudy-sky, and the other slightly mottled sky and cobalt. One looked quite spirited, though they were both quite handsome dragons.

I've seen dragons like that before... Summoner perked up. But I don't know how they reached this place. They can teleport, but I've never heard of them coming this far.

You're wrong, they come here all the time, said Scintilla. Sabre growled in the back of their throat and they shut up for a moment.

I'll see why they are here. She thought to the others, and jumped down from the awning to the grassy area near the carport. The pair of people turned suddenly, and their dragons both jolted with the same surprise their bonds had.

"Ah - there you are!" Said the girl, still smiling though it looked like she almost recognized the weapons slung from Sabre's gi. "We've been... We have been looking for-" She stopped when Sabre came right up to them and started circling with a menacing look on her face.

Oh, stop it! You're going to scare them away and I want to see the dragons up close! Snowbird asserted herself, and with a push changed the body around to her own normal configuration. The pair of riders both jolted back a little, but then the girl laughed.

"See, that's why we're here. The voices are all right here." Miza announced. The young man beside her nodded, still a little less sure.

"But then how... I mean, I've seen shape shifters, your Sanrix has its share of those, but..." K'lter bit his lip. The girl in front of them changed from a ninja into a strangely sedate yet colorful teenager with tiny visions of dragons flying around her head. Things hovered in the air around Snowbird, as she looked at the pair of riders.

"I'd like to see the dragons, if I could?" Snowbird asked, trying politeness where Sabre's threatening gaze was not working.

"That's no problem," the male said, "they're here to see you. All of you, I think." He swung his hand toward the pair of dragons, and both blues sniffed at the air carefully.

That one. She is strong, she is for our white sands. The Sanrix will do well to take her. But the others... Not so well. I do not understand how this will work.

"What are you talking about?!" Sabre burst back through Snowbird's body. She glared at the pair of people, and then at the dragons. "What in the world are you talking about? You're going on and making no sense!"

"We're here to see if you are right to bond a dragon, like ours -- well, not really like either of ours, so much as ones from different ... places. Do you understand that?" K'lter said, and Sabre nodded. "Good, but there is still how you're going to be in different sands already with a dragon, if you bond..."

Sabre blinked, and decided not to worry about this any more than she had to. "Bring us to your 'sands'. We shall see how we will work best."

"Ours first," Miza announced, and K'lter nodded in agreement. "Our sands are hot, and the eggs are about ready to hatch. Then maybe you could... take her or them out to the Warren."

"That sounds fine to me," K'lter said, "but which one stands?"

The other one, with the fluttery images. She is good for the Sanrix. I told you that already. Hawk said, annoyed that he'd been ignored.

And I think the rough one with the swords should come with us, later on. There are others. Perhaps they will be introduced along their way? This one is a very odd ... person. Penorith was certain that Sabre would be acceptable for the Warren's Rave hatching.

So when Summoner and Scintilla dragged the body they shared back into the house, they made some phone calls, arranged for the plants to be taken care of in their absence, and settled some business before allowing anyone to be taken off the planet.

"It's very important," Summoner said while she had the body, "to keep track of who is were, all right? You two are spoken for. But I've seen dragon worlds and I think ... it might be an interesting adventure to apply for standing at other sands. Sarah, your body has come in very very handy indeed. This will be quite new."

"For everyone," muttered Miza - she'd never heard of such a thing, different personalities bonding different places and dragons, but if spirits, vampires, werewolves and the like could bond, then why not?

They went off to Sanrix Azon, for the first leg of their journey. (Snowbird standing at Azon and Sabre standing at the Warren Rave!)

When Snowbird bonded her Silver, everyone wondered just how they would arrange this now. She had a young dragonet to take care of!

"It is all right," someone said, a rider whose markings indicated they were from the Warren, "we can have you back together in no time, literally."

So they went off to the Warren, Sabre taking control of the body while Snowbird rested. The silver in her care, Kenzepten, was asleep and didn't even know to miss his bond.

Just in time, then, Sabre arrived at the Warren and the rave clutch was almost ready to hatch.

Remember what I learned, suggested Snowbird. It's amazing! You'll like it!

"I very much doubt you," Sabre said, but even she was captivated by the beautiful egg shells on the sands. They were shaking not more than a day or two later, and with what little experience that Snowbird had in her mind (hovering just out of range) Sabre watched the eggs hatch. Five hatchlings, four bonds... Then, a beautiful black dragon hatched, and though there were two bumbling brightly colored hatchlings out there, the black was graceful and proud looking.

She looked right at Sabre, and matched eye to eye. "Katana!" Sabre suddenly yelled, quite against her ninja training. Just like that, the black with blue undertones had bonded the rogue. They made a good pair, everyone could tell.

Katana learned to fly quickly and soon distinguished herself by being able to produce a black flayme - thick darkness and heat which could obscure even the best vision. Sabre enjoyed her time upon her narrow back, and loved even more watching her fly from the ground - because she was so like a star thrown fast and hard.

Her wings were sharp - like her name implied - and her claws sharper.

Yet, there came a time when they knew they'd have to return the body to the rest of the folks - and Sabre reluctantly did so.

"Thanks," Snowbird said, as she was reunited with her silver Kenzepten. "Now, she's an adult, isn't she?"

Sabre nodded in the back of Snowbird's mind, indicating a simple 'yes'.

"Good, then ... let's go home for the moment, right?" Sarah was interested in seeing her own world again, and showing Ken her homeworld. It seemed that Katana was also quite interested, but a bit perturbed when Snowbird took over the body.

Do not worry, Sabre told her from the group's mind. I'm still here. Just not visible - like a ninja right?

She made a joke! Scintilla burst out, The ninja with bad fashion sense made a joke?!

Can it, thought Summoner. We're going home. Sabre, you'll need to keep the dragon close to us.
I know, she knows too. She will follow Kenzepten.

They made it back to the comfortable home, and wondered where in the world they'd be headed off to next...