one

New York City's Library of Magical Rules and Regulations boasted eight grand floors of supernatural books, videos, newspaper clippings, and research tools. From aatxe to unicorns, the Library of Magical Rules and Regulations had information for the most dedicated of scholars. It was the place to go to gain knowledge, study for Wizarding exams, or hit on a siren who was listening to old CDs in the music room.

The Library was open to magical and non-magical people alike. Everyone coexisted peacefully for the most part- they all had laws to follow and social contractual obligations to fill. There was a broom only lane in the streets next to city buses and people had the option of seeing medical doctors or witch healers. Mermaids ran surf shops that were frequented by stoned college humans and anybody who was anybody bought their jewelry from the dwarves on Canal Street. The NYPD accepted applicants of all backgrounds to make sure that no one, human or magical creature, used their powers for evil.

It wasn't perfect but it was home.

The women in Maka Albarn's family had historically watched over The Library for centuries. With their special, protective grigori souls and strong dispositions, they guarded carefully kept secrets and made sure that no one used dangerous knowledge for evil. With the dawn of the internet, the library did not have the hustle and bustle of her mother's time and although Maka loved to be surrounded by books and people thirsting for information, she couldn't help but wish her life was a bit more exciting.

As the djinn who lived in her apartment building always said: Be careful what you wish for.

She was walking home from the Library on a cold, snowy January night when she spotted it.

The snow was stained red around what looked like a very large, white dog who was breathing heavily, labored and pained. Maka approached slowly, not wanting to make any sudden movements. Sharp, red eyes flickered open and watched her, bloody teeth bared in warning. It was probably unwise to inch closer but Maka could not, for the life of her, ignore someone or something in needed.

"You… are not a puppy," she whispered when she was only a few inches away. It was a small dragon with beautiful, snow white scales, sharp claws, and eyes that burned despite the cold winter. It shivered and growled lowly but Maka only held out her hands soothingly. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm going to help you. I'm a friend."

Dragons were rare in densely populated areas. They mostly lived in rural places because dragon poaching was an issue and body parts were hot on the black market. The poor thing had a slash through its chest and Maka imagined someone was set on selling a dragon heart.

People- magical or non-magical- could be so cruel.

Maka crouched down and held her hand out. The dragon tried to snap at her but whimpered in pain. "You stupid dragon, stop trying to fight me. You're hurt."

It looked at her as if to say, No shit, Sherlock.

She unbuttoned her coat and shrugged it off. "You have two choices. Bleed out or let me help you. Dragons are supposed to be wise creatures. Make the smart decision."

Ruby eyes narrowed. It snorted at her but didn't resist as she carefully wrapped her coat around it, swaddling it like a newborn baby. It was a good thing Maka worked out religiously because the little dragon was heavy. "Don't worry," Maka murmured and the dragon closed its eyes wearily. "You're going to be okay."

She hoped.

Kim, the beautiful witch healer of 42nd Street, was not amused at the 2 am visit.

"Don't give me that look," Maka said, pushing her way inside. "You owe me for that time I was your wingman at the gay bar. I almost got killed getting between those two elves fighting over the hair straightener in the bathroom. I'm calling in a favor."

Kim groaned and motioned for Maka to follow her into the bathroom. A lovely, slender girl with sheets of dark hair peeked out from the staircase. She was only wearing a robe and Maka was only a little sorry that she had interrupted Kim's booty call.

"What's the damage?" Maka asked anxiously as Kim unwrapped the dragon from Maka's bloody coat and placed him in the bath tub. "Is it going to be okay?"

"He'll live," Kim said, hands glowing with warm magic. "It's a deep wound but luckily it missed any vital organs. A white dragon is pretty rare. I don't think I've ever seen one in real life. Is he a friend of yours?"

The dragon snorted.

"What an attitude," Maka muttered. "We've only just met. I found him outside the library so I hopped on the bus and brought him straight here."

Kim arched an eyebrow at her. "You took a wounded dragon on the bus?"

Maka had the decency to flush. "There were no taxis around, okay? All of the faun drivers went to Florida for the winter. It was the fastest way to get here in the snow."

"Alright. He should be all set. He just needs lots of rest and to be kept warm. I'll drive you home," Kim said, washing her hands in the sink. "Seriously, though. You need to stop picking up strays, Maka."

Maka pointed to the staircase where Kim's newest thing was still listening in on the conversation. "I could say the same about you."

"Well," Maka said as she crafted a little nest of pillows and blankets for the dragon to sleep in, "this is the first time I've ever let a strange man in my bed."

The dragon gave her a look. "Don't even go there," Maka said, rolling the blankets around him like a burrito. "It would be unethical to stick you in the living room, it's freezing in there. It's not an ideal situation but let's just make the best of it."

She rolled onto her side and she and the dragon engaged in a sleepy staring contest. Maka reached out her hand slowly, waiting to see if he would try to bite it off again. The dragon showed no signs of aggression this time; he was perfectly still as she stroked the spiky scales at the top of his head.

"You're a rude little dragon but you're kind of cute," Maka yawned. "I can understand why you're weary of humans, though. We can be awful creatures. But don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

The dragon made a small, muffled noise that sounded like hesitant acceptance and closed his eyes.

Maka followed suit and drifted off to sleep.

When Maka woke, the dragon was gone.

Dragons were fairly mysterious creatures by nature, secretive, and isolated. Each type of dragon had their own culture and laws and even Maka, who was a fastidious studier by trade, could never hope to understand the intricacies of each and every dragon. He had probably felt well enough to go back into seclusion away from dangerous humans and Maka couldn't blame him. He was used to being hunted and she couldn't imagine that it felt good knowing you were worth more dead than alive.

He was starting to grow on her, though, and she was a little sad that the bit of excitement in her life was gone.

A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts.

It was a good thing, because her pancakes were burning from her inattention. Maka turned off the stove and walked over to the door. She peeked through the peephole- the arbiter of The Library could never be too careful. Maka had made many enemies, though none of them had ever politely knocked before entering.

She opened the door and came face to face with a tall, tanned man with a shock of spiky white hair and hooded red eyes. He was dressed stylishly, like he shopped on the fashion district, and his leather coat looked like it cost more than a month's worth of rent. Hands were stuffed into the pockets of his skinny jeans and he was slouching uncomfortably.

"Look," Maka said. "Let me just cut to the chase. I'm really not looking to change religions. I'm sure that whichever one you represent is very nice but I'm perfectly happy."

He snorted at her. "Nice try but no. For someone with supernatural perception, you sure are shit at recognizing people."

Maka squinted at him. She felt that she had met him somewhere before but where? "Do you come to the library often?"

"Not really my scene," the man said and ducked under her arm to worm his way into the apartment. He sniffed the air and sighed happily. "At least invite me in for breakfast."

"What the heck?" Maka squeaked. "You can't just come in here without permission! And stop eating my breakfast!"

The man picked up the plate of finished pancakes and drizzled syrup over it lazily. "You know, people would kill to have a dragon in their apartment. Haven't you ever heard that dragons are good luck?"

"Only in some cultures," Maka argued. "Dragons have done nothing but bring me problems." She paused. "But wait, how did…"

The white hair.

The red eyes.

The sharp teeth.

That annoying snark.

"You're the-?"

"Duh," he snorted again. "For someone who has access to every book on magical creatures known to man, you sure are dense. Call me Soul."

Only the most powerful of dragons were able to shapeshift into human form, Maka recalled. He was a white dragon, after all, so maybe it wasn't so strange. But did he just call her stupid? After she saved his life and made him breakfast? "What do you want, Soul?"

Soul scarfed down two pancakes at a time. "You saved my life. I owe you a debt."

"Ooooh no. No no no. I know how this works and no thank you," Maka said. "There's no such thing as a free lunch. Everything has a catch and I just don't have the time to deal with this Monkey's Paw nonsense. I have enough of my own problems. Just eat the pancakes and get out."

"So, here's the thing. Dragons are valuable creatures and you, Maka Albarn," he said, "are already the target of some nasty as fuck peoples' misguided anger. Powerful people who don't like non-magics snooping having access to ancient books. Plus that soul of yours would go for a hefty price on the black market. We're both kind of screwed."

Maka stomped her foot down. "What's your point?"

Soul licked his fork messily. "I'm not going anywhere until I save your life."

"I can take care of myself," Maka argued. "I'm a blackbelt."

He smirked. "That's adorable."

"Don't think I won't hit you just because you're a protected species," she warned. "I'll punch a dragon right in the face."

Soul threw his plate in the sink and flopped down on the couch, picking up the remote control. He flipped through the channels while Maka stared at him, open mouthed. "Consider the House of Albarn- as shoddy as this apartment is- under the protection of the dragon Soul Eater. You're welcome."

Kim was right.

Maka really needed to stop picking up strays.