Purrfect Roast: A Dragon Cozy Mystery Verena DeLuca (summer reading list .txt) 📖

"Why compete if you're not that into it?" Aubrey asked. "Seems like a hassle to me."

"Mostly because of tradition," Joy said.

She gave me a look to indicate she realized Aubrey was not a tribe member, and then continued, "It would seem weird not competing since we have been doing it for so long. Besides, we just treat it as a girl's weekend vacation. Always nice to get away from home for a little while."

"I know what you mean," Aubrey said, laughing. "I'm here getting away from my two children. Love them to death, but mommy needs a break now and then."

"Here, here," one of the other San Marcos ladies said.

"It seems like a lot of the ladies here are using it as a little vacation," Aubrey said. "I've been surprised by just how many mentioned it."

"It's probably one of the cheapest weekends you can have," Joy said. "Between the hotel discount and all the freebies, it would be hard to pass up. And truth be told, it's not the end of the world to pretend to participate in the show."

"Make sense," Aubrey said. "Especially once you have all the stuff, why not keep going just for the fun of it. Austin isn't the worst city to be in for a weekend."

A silence fell between us as some of the girls nodded in response to Aubrey's line of thinking. She was not wrong, and I could understand how non-protectors could be sucked into the cat show circuit. While it was a lot to learn, once the first few rounds of judging were out of the way, it was simplistic and repetitive with a good amount of downtime to explore.

"I don't know who she is kidding. All tribes must attend," Azure transmitted. "This functions as our Texas yearly meeting. It's not easy to get all the tribes in one place."

"Well," Joy said. "It was nice to meet you and see Azure again. I wish you two the best of luck in the awards, assuming they find the trophies soon. And again, I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," I said. "Hopefully, we'll see you around, if not I'll see you next year."

With that, we parted ways. The ladies from San Marcos headed to the vendor's room, while Skylar, Aubrey, and I stepped into the elevator to go freshen up.

"It seems like we should have a better option for all of us getting together," I transmitted to Azure. "One that satisfied protectors and dragons alike. I mean, a cat show is purely self-indulgent for the dragons, right?"

"The shows a convenient way to get together," Azure transmitted.

His demeanor and clipped tone made me think he was not being completely honest. I knew full well in coming here that he was excited at the prospect of being able to show off for an audience, but I had not anticipated to find that many of the dragons felt the same.

Did the tribes with uninterested protectors also have uninterested dragons, or were they constantly fighting about the show? How could a cat show really be the best way to meet up during the year? It is not like anyone really needed a solid reason to rent out an entire hotel. I would have to settle for waiting until I was alone with Skylar to discuss the idea more, as it was clear Azure would not be humoring the notion of ending cat shows. If only I could just transmit to her. Being a protector really should have come with more powers.

"Why can't I transmit to Skylar?" I transmitted.

"Because you're not telepathic," Azure transmitted. "You're able to hear my thoughts and talk to me because I am telepathic. However, none of the protectors can transmit to each other as they are not."

"Another disappointing discovery for protectors," I transmitted.

"Humans do not need the power of telepathy," he transmitted. "It would take inquisitions to an unimaginable level."

I rolled my eyes as we stepped out of the elevator. He was the worst when it came to getting information about dragons. I needed an Azure question list, and then a separate Shadow question list, just to learn all that I wanted to know. Maybe Skylar and I could compare notes?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Sunday, May 17th, 3:00 PM

A quick shower and a fresh espresso were exactly what the barista ordered. Unfortunately, this barista committed a fireable offense when she failed to pack the coffee accoutrements necessary to get me through the weekend alive. But I decided to let myself off with a warning, as no one could have predicted someone would steal the trophies, causing us to be stranded in the hotel, hours after checkout.

Though, I could not help but notice how much it felt like I was starting a brand-new day. Showers were a close second to coffee when it came to dissolving stress. While Aubrey showered, I stretched out with Azure on the bed to soak up as much relaxation as I could. Having interrogated a person from each of the four tribes, I hoped the officers were having better luck at finding the culprit. Unlikely, but a girl could hope right?

As I laid in bed with Azure pondering over the theft, I heard someone slide something under the door. It took everything in me to will myself out of the bed to see what it was. I assumed it was the bill but hoped it was the culprit, deciding to let me know who they were and that they were going to turn themselves in. I laughed to myself as I picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it. Guess a clean confession was too much to ask for.

"They're finally kicking us out," I transmitted to Azure.

"Where do I pick up my trophy?" Azure transmitted.

"It says you can find it in the hands of your rivals."

"Clever," he transmitted, "But seriously, did they fine the trophies?"

"Doesn't say, so I assume not," I transmitted. "It just says that