as the robes did not flip up too high when I walked, you could hardly tell me apart from a very short human. The half-blood, however, still had one telling identifying mark.
“Your ears are showing,” I observed.
“Oh, yes. Not to worry.” He reached back and undid his hair tie, then leaned forward, roughing the hair with his fingers. When he stood back up, his hair was a mess, but at least his pointed ears were hidden.
“You look mad,” I giggled.
“Ah, that’s fine. You have to be mad to be a doctor,” he said, adjusting the headband.
“I don’t think anyone’s going to fall for this,” I said, shaking my head.
“They only have to fall for it for a few minutes, then we’ll be out.” The half-blood strode confidently down the street, picking up pace. “We’re nearly there. Prepare yourself, Miss Taimi.”
I picked up the ends of the robe so they would not trip me as I ran after him. I hoped that the guards were dumb and half-blind, or else this was going to be a quick adventure in failure.
I knew when we had reached the detention center by the bright lamps and high fences around the building. A female guard in a familiar uniform guarded the gate. I glanced at the half-blood for some sort of reassurance, but he kept his eyes on the guard.
“Hello there, soldier!” the half-blood shouted in a thick eastern accent.
It seemed he had augmented his doctor character and made him not only mad, but foreign. This was never going to work. “I am Doctor –“ the name he supplied was more throaty sounds and spittle than actual word “- and this is my nurse, Miss Taimi.”
I smiled at the guard, who seemed just as confused and overwhelmed as I.
“Can I help you-“ she began. Rio quickly interrupted her.
“We understand you took a male dragon into custody today, and I am here to examine him.” The way he pronounced ‘dragon’ nearly made me snort into my sleeve. Rio was not making this easy for me.
“Why? The dragon-kin is not sick. We did not call a doctor, sir.” The girl pulled herself to her full height, but still could just barely look Rio in the eye.
“Aha! But how do you know? We are here to check for