"It is so freakin' cold..." Remote muttered, his jaw chattering and he tried to keep moving. "Why in the world would we come here? Pho?"

Photon either shook her head or was shivering so hard that it looked like she'd done so. They trudged through the foot-deep snow uphill for what must have been sixteen miles...

It was more like half a foot of snow, a slight incline, and perhaps eight hundred yards from the Nexus dropoff spot to Ryslen's warm entrance.

The pair of Mall Crawlers crept along like they were already frozen solid. To be fair, they were from Southern California or thereabouts, and there was no such thing as snow to them. They had heard of it of course, from folks who watched videos of old movies. But then, if you believed everything you saw on tv, the world was black and white before the 1950s.

Remote chattered again, "I think I see it, it's way up there... "

"I don't think... I can make it, Remote," Photon said, her voice faint. She stopped, and while several locals looked on with flitters upon their shoulders or in the middle of a snowball fight, she refused to move any farther. They were about halfway between Ryslen and Naugath, the brown who had brought them there. Since he had been hatched here at Ryslen, it seemed most appropriate that Crash and he bring the next generation of kids to this year's Flurry.

Because she was being silly, and Remote wasn't doing much to help, Crash dropped to the ground and collected up some snow. It was nothing to him, he'd been here and there - anywhere Naugath could take him really, and he always wore some kind of protective gear. It wasn't nearly as cold as all that, Crash decided, packing a wet snowball with his big hands.

It smushed into Remote and broke apart, falling halfway over his shoulder and almost into his face. Remote freaked - well, he suddenly sprang into action. "What was that for! What'd you do that for! Man that's COLD! Man! Cold!" He lept around trying to brush bits of the snow from his bare shoulder.

While he did so, Crash chuckled and muttered something about 'why didn't you listen when I told you it'd be snowy here and wear some warmer clothes you Raver idiot'. And then Photon began to giggle. Finally she bent down, keeping her wild hair out of her face, and packed her own little version of a snowball. She missed Remote by a mile, but by then he realized he wasn't gonna take this sitting down. Standing up, shivering, or whatever.

Crash and Naugath lept back into the sky, "My work here is done," He said.

***

"So, it's only like this for a little while?" Photon asked, still trembling and kind of wet from their frolicking. Once they both got moving, they discovered that it wasn't really hard to keep warm, even if the air froze out of your mouth and sweat really made you cold. She and Remote had made it inside, where they were given cloaks and hot drinks (as seemed traditional for such an event). A few minutes after they'd calmed down and could relate where they were from and why they were here, Crash arrived again at the entrance with two large travel bags with clothing and gear they'd need.

"Next time make sure you listen to me," Crash said with a grin, "I was wondering why Naugath wasn't weighed down with stuff. I put your flashy things in there too, thought you'd want em."

The pair dove toward the baggage, and started digging through the parkas and warm shirts, to find a few prize posessions. Chemical-glowies, sticks they loved to swing around to music, and wear on their bodies as art. Remote pulled on a long-sleeved shirt and donned two strings of colorful beads, "Thanks man, we won't forget again. We're already here anyway!"

***

On their third night at Ryslen, there was a kind of festival, with drums and flutes and local quaint music out on the patios. It was night, but there were lights everywhere. Remote and Photon weren't sure whether they were electric or magic or just natural flames. They walked under the lanterns and candles, looking at the reflections and shadows. The music was infectious, and soon enough Photon was grooving with her hair danced with sparklies and lights. Remote joined her and began to swing his glosticks around in time with the drums. Though it wasn't much of a rave without the techno or acid, it certainly was fun with everyone gathering around and clapping to the beat.

"It's like tribal or some weird kinda house music," Photon said afterwards, eyes still shining with the lanterns. Remote hugged her, and she giggled. "It's like all white and sparkly," she sighed. "It's beautiful."

"Sure is," Remote said, "Better than that lame 'island of misfit toys' thing that they always showed us as kids, anyway..."

Though they were unclear on how Crash even knew there was a Flurry, the kids had volunteered to be the Mall's representatives for this hatching. A couple dragons at the Mall questioned their behavior or their intelligence, but anyone who knew the pair understood that their 'behaviors' were all innocuous and largely beneficial - they were friendly to a fault, routinely helping people out. They partied with whatever substances they could find, and while that might have damaged a few brain cells it was 'only the sick, weak ones'. They were full of drama and color, friends since youth, and both had decided that their Mall needed some kind of umph now and then. They'd spring a party on people, or just toss a ring of colorful beads at folks to brighten them up. In another time and place perhaps they'd have been cheerleaders, but without that kind of atmosphere, they were party-ravers instead.

Now they waited at Ryslen, learning a little here and there about what they'd be up to on the sands. Dragons were hard work - they knew that for years, ever since the first few dragons came to the Mall. They had helped clean and clean up after the dragons that their elder friends had brought back, and watched in awe with everyone else as they performed in the sky. The pair knew they weren't going to be fighters, they would leave the hard work of keeping the Bad Guys out to the more experienced folks. They'd continue to provide party favors as long as they could...

Delivering them on dragonback would just totally be the icing on that cake, now wouldn't it...

***

It was a colorful bunch of eggs on the red sands of Ryslen, and they were hatching. Photon and Remote hung out with people that seemed their age, though the groups of folks ranged from werewolves to fairies and everything in between.

There were a dozen or so dragonets already hatched by the time the pair of mall crawlers realized why they'd all been gathered into the sands cavern. To them, it was just yet another venue for a bright party.

A sparkling white-gold dragon crawled out of her shell and threw open her wings as if to say HERE I AM, PAY ATTENTION! She had gold stripes that shone even brighter by virtue of her glitz coloration.

"She's like one of those mirrored balls." Photon remarked to Remote.

"Good chocie. She may be vain enough."

Pho poked him and looked to the gold, who had chosen her.

Gietanzera is my name. She said formally, then with a joyful light in her eyes she added ... but you can call me Zera.

Pho stuck her tongue out at Remote and headed off with her dragon.

Remote looked on after his friend, but shortly lost sight of them in the crowd and with all the distractions. It was possible that some dragon might come for him, while he wasn't paying attention!

But like, when had he been known to pay much attention to anything but the beat of a good song?

A bunch more shells had broken, including a batch or two of those teeny Lians and half-breed Lians. What was small enough to pair up with those little dragons?!

Another of the hybrid Lians broke shell, this one glitzy white with fluffy silver 'hair' that also shine in that odd holographic sticker sort of way. Though only the size of a human infant, the bipedal hatchling walked right up to Remote.

Hey? Where's the party? And the girl. There's s'posed to be a girl. The hatchling said.

"Girl? You mean Photon?"

Yeah, her. The hatchling replied. I'm just here to party. I'm Raver.

Remote laughed, Photon would too, when they met up with her. "So you're not bonding me?" Remote asked in all seriousness. He was a bit disappointed by that.

No, Raver replied. But he is. The glitzy biped directed Remote's attention to a large and very male silver with wings of blue-indigo-violet.

Remote. The dragon said to him, their gaze meeting.

"Infintorenth. That's quite a name..."

Perhaps, but it's mine, just like you are.

...

"Everyone's going to be so jealous," Photon giggled, as they snuggled with their dragonets and Raver, after the big party and before folks were slated to return home. Crash had come back for the hatching, along with a couple others, because they were 'taking so long'. They wouldn't have any trouble getting home now, their dragonets were small enough to carry on another dragon's back.

And it was true, folks were going to be jealous - but they were reminded shortly that there was nothing better for jealousy than to share!

Their dragons, though not huge, were among the most colorful of the bunch. Raver fit in with Anna the shapeshifter dragoness from Starburst, and everyone loved hanging out with the new additions to the Mall!

***

It was a surprise when another glowing dragon joined their group, alighting on the roof of their 'winter wonderland' shack. Raver had set it up as a sort of meeting place for party goers, who would then pass through a portion of the mall which had been undergoing some renovations for larger events and meetings.

Since the dragons had come, a lot of changes were being made at the mall. A hospital was being built, for instance. Since there were more than anyone's share of 'items' to be passed around, a large number of stores that hadn't been entirely looted and rummaged through were put to better use as storage areas and the other smaller places were now being made more suitable for real housing instead of just 'slumming it'.

The party area would be central to activities in the Mall, at least for the younger crowd. And now, a brightly glowing soap-bubble colored small hooved dragon came to call. He wasn't very big, his deer like head was perhaps even with Raver's, but he was of course much bigger than she because he was four-footed.

"May I join in?" He said, his voice lilted like chimes, soft and light. Raver's eyes widened and he picked up the little cellphone that gave him direct access to his friends Photon and Remote.

"You should come here right now, guys," he said. "Really right now."

A shadow came overhead and brightly gold glitz Gietanzera landed first, followed shortly by the silver-indigo Infinitorenth. Their riders bolted out from the party enclave, still covered with plaster and wearing work gloves. Yes, someone had gotten them to do actual work.

"Woah!" Photon exclaimed, "he's cool!"

"Can he stay?" Asked Raver.

"I would like to," the newcomer said, politely. "I am Fodyos, and if you need light in a dark place, I can provide it."

"Well then you're in!" Remote said, laughing. "In fact, come on in, we've got this project..."