by Christy Shorey and you

Summary of characters and events from Nov. 1 - 12 writings.

Lacey is a compulsive liar and a tattoo artist, though depending on who you meet, they will tell you she is a beautician, a veterinarian, independently wealthy, an attorney or any other number of interesting occupations. She also, currently is single, but ask around and you'll find she has a long distance boyfriend, lives with her parents while her brother is away in the service, is having problems with her girlfriend, or is even happily married.

Dresden is a high school English teacher who has rented a room in a house, and shares it with three guys: Guido, small and tough with a tattoo of an eagle on his back who likes to cook and sell Dresden's shoes; Lional who is taller than Dresden, and more muscular. He is employed somewhere, but we're not sure where yet; and the silent Raul, who finds creative ways to communicate, including a new addition to the family, Sally a talking bird with an attitude.

Logan is a man with a past. Well, past lives, to be exact. Many of them. Throughout his life he has been plagued with memories from his past lives, and lately they have been getting worse. When he is lost in a past life, his eyes may appear to be red, depending on the light, otherwise they are blue. He likes fine things in life, but he has recently dedicated all his time in to trying to find out what, or who, is responsible for his journey through these lives and the memories that have plagued him. He feels he is getting close, searching through newspapers and dreams he has collected from others, but fears what will happen when he gets his answer.

Margot is recently unemployed, but has skills as an IT tech person. She is also a dragon, maintaining the guise of a human. She took a job at a medical center in order to try to find answers to a problem that has not yet been revealed. As a dragon in a society that never had actual dragons in it's past, she has power over only a handful of people. Kyle, her idiot roommate, is one of them. She has enlisted his help in caring for her when she is either in dragon form, or if she has enough power to maintain it, dog form - where she appears as a golden retriever.

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The story thus far:

Lacey was doing a custom tattoo for one of her regular clients, January, when the girl mentions that the dark figure Lacey has drawn reminds her of the man she spilled coffee on earlier in the day. Lacey had drawn the image from a mystery man who appears in many of her dreams.

Logan is seeking information about his past, and ends up in the hospital due to a very bad flashback to a past life. He collapsed in a dry cleaner's office where he had taken his pants and brief case which were drenched in coffee.

Logan and Lacey finally met, and Logan discovers that Lacey's touch can bring him out of a flash back to a past life. Lacey has discovered, to her dismay, that she can't lie to Logan - a defense she has built up since childhood. Logan tries to collect Lacey's dreams, but finds he can't do that either. Lacey is disappointed that he doesn't remember the dreams she had with him in them, because she was under the assumption they were shared dreams. She doesn't know that Logan doesn't have his own dreams, but collects those of others using his necklace and views them by some device in his nightstand.

Dresden goes to work in a pair of comical shoes because his roommate, Guido, sold his other pairs. Trouble occurs when a new transfer student is introduced, and one of his current students rushes in late, resulting in Dresden, the principal and the late student being driven to the medical center by the transfer student.

Margot has lost her job, and in seeking a new one. She lands one as a receptionist in the medical center, and starts her training hands on as Dresden and the others are rushed in. She realizes she has power over Dresden, that he his attuned to her, and thinks she might be able to find a use for him. She takes him shopping for more shoes, and puts him on the trail of a secretary position at the university English department (which she dismissed as an option earlier that day) because he fears he'll loose his job over the incident.

Dresden is enamored with Margot, and finds her very reassuring. Even after several bad days, which included becoming the target of an angry mob on campus, having to put up with a "welcome" party for Raul's new bird, Sally, and having his inheritance from his grandmother - a box of shoes from her days as a show girl - mysteriously disappear just as Guido is setting out to open a shoe store, he still feels that if Margot says it will be okay, it must be true. He also believes that he saw a man walking a dragon, but doesn't tell anyone that, even though it ends up it is the truth.

Margot had maintained her human form for too long, and was only able to create the illusion of a golden retriever instead of turning into one. When Kyle took her for a walk (rather, she lead him) most people saw her as the dog, but those attuned to her (Kyle and, as it turns out, Dresden) see a smallish red dragon on the end of the leash. Upon Dresden learning he's been suspended from his job, and not fired, Margot offers to employee him to do odd jobs around the house. Dresden accepts. When he shows up to her house to begin work, he finds that his roommate Lional followed him and took his car to help a friend (Lacey) move another friend (Logan) to her place.