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Kids, Sherry thought. Nothing was good enough. At least there WAS Pocky to complain about (though even in the most dire of times Sherry was sure Allan would have some hidden somewhere). Back in her trainee days--Sherry wondered when she'd gotten old.

"Yeah. It can be a little bleak when it's dark out. I miss the stars sometimes." Sherry smiled. "It's not that bad, though."

She frowned again. He'd only been there a couple of days? Well, at least she knew they hadn't been keeping the kid in some basement somewhere for years. She opened her mouth to say something when he held up his art. How would she know what it was, he drew it--

'It's following you.'

The words sent a chill down her spine and Sherry spun around. Office behind her, empty office. Nothing there. She turned slowly back to Carl. "What? What are you talking about?"

Sherry looked at the picture again... and then she looked down at her left hand. It wasn't dull in any light, the little gold dragon that wrapped around her finger. Her gaze went back to Carl's picture.

"What exactly do you see, Carl?" Her back still felt cold, and the office was far too silent.

Sherry saw nothing. Nothing. Not even a 'shadow'. The chill at her back was growing, a knot forming in her stomach. Carl was creeping her out.

"There's nothing there, Carl," she didn't sound quite as sure as she would have liked. "And even if there was something there, it would have to have balls of steel to find it's way into this office." Talking made Sherry feel better; it filled the silence.

She glanced at Carl, then back towards the wall. "Nothing there," she repeated, summoning her weapon. "See," Sherry poked at the air with her glaive. "Nothing. No shadows. You shouldn't joke about shadows, Carl."

"I know that," Sherry said, done stabbing the air for now. "They can show up anytime." She dismissed Armagnac and turned back towards Carl.

His body language was doing a decent job of communicating his annoyance with her. Okay, he probably wasn't joking, he'd not be angry if he was joking, right?

"I want to see whatever's there, Carl. I do." She didn't know if that was exactly true, but she'd shifted to try and watch both Carl and empty space at the same time. She just really didn't like the idea of there being something she couldn't see.

"Is it doing anything?" What exactly was this kid's deal? Maybe this kind of stuff was why he was here. "Are you sure it's following me?"

Sherry was finding herself frustrated, too. "I didn't say I didn't believe you."

She'd seen some strange stuff, okay, Carl. But usually she could see it. But okay, if whatever-it-was showed up with her then... Sherry didn't know what it meant. Her thumb ran over the ring on her finger as she watched Carl.

He was acting odd.

"What do you mean it saw you? Carl, who are you talking to?" Sherry had the very, very eerie feeling that wasn't meant for her. Even though they were very clearly alone right now.

Sherry shook her head, wondering just what that noise was. She looked back at the wall even as she began to drag, sink. Things slowed down - she was heavy- and gold was filling her vision.

Oh. She remembered this, in the same way one remembered a dream. The first time she'd seen it she'd thought it was a dream, but the ring that was now growing hot -too hot- was proof of it being real.

Carl was completely forgotten in the presence of this dragon. She couldn't look away. It was gorgeous, impressive, and a little bit terrifying. She stole one tiny glance at the ring, the looked back up at the dragon. "I am proud. I thank you for the gift."

It was hard to take the whole thing in. What did it mean by proving it's loyalty, though? Sherry thought back to the question. She'd heard truth from Mark, she was sure, just like she'd been told she would. "You have proven it, yes."

But why was it asking? "Why?"

She didn't like seeing it agitated like this. Sherry couldn't have said why, but she didn't. She was chosen, she did belong - she'd known that from the first moment she'd been drawn to the glittering gold that was this.

"A blight? Carl?" She knew. She knew who it meant, but still. He was a child. How could he be of any trouble to this being? He could see it, though.

Sherry nodded. "I will ask. I will find out his secret." She didn't know if she liked the idea of killing him. "Does he have to die?"

Sherry found herself afraid. There was nothing chilling and creepy about this - here was rage and power. Any sound she might have made was drowned and covered by the echoes of it's roar. Sherry could only nod in understanding.

She didn't want to let it down.

And then she was sinking, sinking -

Sherry stumbled as she found herself in the office again. She shook her head and turned around. Alone, all alone. Quiet.

"Dammit." Carl was gone. Her thumb ran over the ring again. She had to find him. She had to ask. Never mind what Mark would do if she lost the kid - that was small potatoes compared to the dragon.

She went to the door and into the hall, looking up and down. "CARL!"

"I see," Sherry said, not believing him in the least. She didn't blame him for running. Not at all.

Had he seen the dragon? Had he heard?

"I- I'm not going to kill you." Sherry wasn't entirely sure about that. Her feelings were very, very muddled. She didn't want to kill him, she knew that. She'd been ordered to, but... she didn't understand why. She didn't like that. "Nobody needs to die." Right?

"I just have some questions to ask you." Sherry tried to smile. "Okay? I promise that's all I want to do."

She'd ask her question, and then decide what to do.