CH-32 Arle

{Master, it's ya gal Arle! We gotta have a major meeting somewhere else for us! The situation is critical, And yeah, we should gather somewhere!}

I was running down the hallway to class, dropping some serious knowledge on those snot-nosed pupils, when out of nowhere, I heard the dulcet tones of Arle's voice.

Now, Arle ain't just some rando - she's a straight-up big dog in my secret society of my shadowy dudes.

There is only an elite squad of only five people who know what I really look like underneath this sweet disguise.

Arle's the brains of the operation, a regular Einstein in a skirt. You won't trust me but… she makes me look like a kindergarten kid when it comes to science-y stuff.

While my main girl Zeno handles keeping our shady biz running tight, Arle's the one dinner up all the crazy experiments and gizmos that keep us one step ahead of every game.

{Okay, meet me at our mall!} I let out a big old sigh, like a deflating balloon. Sounded like I'm about to play bunk things from the professor's lecture on the mating habits of amoebas for the second day.

Phew… dodged that bacteria-laden bullet! I'd have to mooch Amelia's notes later to stay ahead of the curve.

I did a little hocus-pocus, pulling a Criss angel and vanishing from my location, only to appear in the far-out burg of Arcadia City.

This one-horse town had just a single thirst mall, It also has a pub, under Zyricon Incorporated, the start-up cash cow I hatched to keep my underground crew flush with funds.

… Yup, just a humble little cover operation to bankroll my organization's money… That is my story and I'm sticking to it!

The grand scheme was for Zyricon to be a total corporate Frankenstein - rolling pubs, grease monkey joints, cell phone hubs, you name it, all under one boutique umbrella.

Slowly but surely, I'd spin my web until the world was hopelessly dependent on my tangled empire of convenient consumerism.

Then, I'd be the one rolling in that sweet, sweet gold coin… err, I mean… my people will live like kings! Yeah, that's the ticket!

'Woo, look at that line to get into the mall! It was longer than a ball python who just binge-watched Dune.' I located a figure that stuck out like a sore… Well, everything.

She has long flaming red hair, horns that put a longhorn steer to shame, and a tail that could double as a jump rope in a pinch.

She had a half-hourglass figure too. It was none other than my girl Arle, barely in double-digit years but growing up faster than a chia pet.

'Dragons really speed-run that whole featury thing, huh?' Her blue eyes were sparkling brighter than a frog who just unearthed the cookie jar as soon as she zeroed in on me.

Even with her vaunted genius, Arle still acted like she was fresh out the egg half the time.

"Hiya, VIP guests! Welcome to our mall!" she caroled, looping her arm through mine like we were a couple of debutantes at the dragonprom.

Which, now that I think about it, would have been way more interesting than our actual prom.

"Uh, shouldn't you hide your… dragon features?" I muttered, giving her a reassuring head pat that set her tail to wagging harder than a drunk muppet.

… Yep, some things never change - my scalebaby still lived for those scratches from me!

"The truth is, your vision alone perceives it. Concealing it from Mo-... Master was undesirable to me!" She inflated her cheeks and escorted me into the shopping center's interior.

There was a hint of Apprehension in me at the prospect of others witnessing her appearance. Humans might have hunted her down, Especially those government bastards.

By my wisdom, only a scant number of dragons had been seen in this realm after humans zealously killed them for personal gain.

Arle had the extraordinary ability to veil her draconic traits from those she deemed unworthy of witnessing them, or people are a danger to her.

This unique superpower delegates her to keep obnubilate from the masses.

We ventured into a chamber, and a handful of individuals promptly exhibited reverence towards me. By the way… they knew my identity, thus it became my obligation to conduct myself in a manner befitting a leader.

I took my seat upon the divan's side end as Zeno made an entrance and displayed a modest bow before sitting herself on the opposite sofa.

Arla layed on the sofa, resting her head upon my lap.

"... You mischievous young one!" I commenced caressing her tresses, and directed a questionnaire signal towards Zeno. She comprehended my nonverbal cue, and parted her lips to speak.

"These individuals in the room exhibit a strong allegiance, Master. Fear not to say anything. If you desire their departure-"

"Don't worry… !" I interjected, curtailing her speech, and got to superscribe the crux of the matter. "What makes you call me?"

"... Sorry for it. I wished to apprise you that our business has experienced a substantial upswing, courtesy of your ingenious proposals." Zeno scanned her tablet, I closed my eyes, and conferred my ears to her words.

Apparently, It appears that my erstwhile realm, where I reigned supreme as a goddess, was a veritable utopia, a shining beacon of modernity.

Why? Well, we had flying carriages soaring through the skies, horseless vehicles traversing the roads, space and even times.

An endless array of wondrous applications and virtual games for our mobile devices and for realistic, the likes of which this current world can scarcely fathom!

Harriet had shared a cornucopia of original ideas of mine with them, plans that had previously languished in the dusty recesses of my mind.

I was…. a slothful deity. Yet Harriet gives this singular advantage to all top 5 members in the group.

Zeno implemented every piece of information, marshaling her coding legions and assembling a formidable cadre of developers to create apps.

Indeed, every member of my august organization is a paragon of talent and might, and now they are matured, their growth as rapid as it is inexorable.

In days past, a mere few months ago, their number stood at a paltry thirty, And energies engulfed the construction of application development and the acquisition of esoteric techniques.

But now, oh, how the tide has turned…