^^ Maze Circle ^^

--- Maximus ---

I waved goodbye to Raymond as he got on the bus, then dressed, and stood on the curb, waiting for Duval.

I turned the small piece of offensive-smelling metal in my hand, that she'd forced me to take home, and hummed, shaking it next to my ear curiously.

"You really shouldn't do that. A bullet would kill even you from that range." Duval walked up, wearing civilian clothes, though her weapon was still at the back of her waist.

I hummed and handed it to her. "Where's your car?"

"I'm getting a new one. A Truck, so we can both fit." She shrugged, tucking it into her belt next to her own.

On cue, a large armored vehicle rumbled to a stop next to us, and the giant from yesterday stepped out easily. She smiled at me, laughing at my inquisitive expression, and waved to Duval.

"What do you think? You said 'Big', so I figured you needed something big enough for Max, there. I fit just fine, so I'm sure he'll be able to relax a bit. The peddles and seat can all be adjusted to your height, don't worry." She patted the large wheels, which reached her hip, and Duval's chest.

I hummed. "It smells different than your car... almost earthier."

"That'd be because it's a Diesel engine. Thicker gas. Anyway, yes, Mary, this is perfect! Back end capacity?"

"We use it mostly to transport the Riot Squad in and out of Harlem, so... maybe 20 at a time? This one has been modified to take prisoners." She lovingly patted the wheel again.

"Harlem?" I asked.

"A hostile area, overrun by Lumina from the Metal and Earth Demon Clans and also Dragons from the Draconic Front. The humans there are hardy folk, so they mostly just deal with it in their own ways. Most likely the source of that Demonborn that you nabbed at that school yesterday, too." The giantess nodded.

I hummed. "Interesting... so this vehicle is capable of holding a Demonborn?"

She smirked and nodded. "Painted with red paint, made from Blessed Lambs blood, second coat of black paint with Holy Salts sourced in the Black Sea, and then built from Damascene Thrice-Blessed Iron, all encased in high-grade titanium carbonate, same as our Prison Cells. This would hold you, if you were Demonborn."

I hummed again. "Very good... alright, then Duval, call my checkpoint in, please?"

She nodded. "Dispatch, Checkpoint for Maximus?"

"Received, continue to HQ... and nice new wheels!"

I blinked and looked around. "How can she possibly see us? Is your Dispatcher Psychic?"

They laughed. "No, she's looking at my Body Cam footage." Duval tapped a small black button on her chest.

"Oh... hmph." I grumbled.

She smiled and nodded. "Alright, thanks Mary! Want a ride back?"

"Please." She nodded, and climbed into the back seat.

I hummed and opened the passenger door, stepping up into the truck. I found that I fit comfortably into the new space, and grinned. "Now this is much more comfortable than your small car." I nodded, and closed the door.

As I got comfortable, Duval looked up. "Is that a .50 Cal?" She asked slowly, before pushing the car into drive, and starting down the road.

The giantess laughed sardonically. "Indeed. Unloaded, at the moment. Shoots beanbags, rubber bullets, and just about everything up to and including fully actionable .50 Cal's. Like I said, we go to some very bad places."

We drove on in relative silence, though the rumbling of the machine did slightly annoy me. I made a note to see about upgrading it to a more silent model.

We arrived at Bay #7, my designated Post, and disembarked the beast.

Melodious whistled softly from his office. "You got an Anti-Warfare Vehicle on your second day? No fair!" He chuckled. "Oi, Maximus, I actually have a job for you while your human does her homework."

"Uuuugh paperwork..." Duval complained, and was led away to a desk.

I nodded and leapt up the stairs in one jump, approaching his office. "What do you need?"

"I just need you to stand guard at your brothers school, in your Drakon form. The boss wants me to make a Statement, basically, that violence against our younglings will never be tolerated. So you stand guard. Be scary. Very Simple." He shrugged and leaned back, kicking his feet up.

"Understood. I will do my best not to scare the children." I nodded, and leapt out of the Bay, Shifting immediately.

My wings weren't exactly big enough to support flight on their own, because of my massive size, so magic became necessary. I landed silently, and looked down into the courtyard just as Raymond was tackled by Amira in her Sapphire Dragon form, wrestling playfully.

She noticed me, and blinked slowly. "Oh!... hello, Maximus... you know how to make an entrance, eh, Little Brother?..."

"My apologies... I did not mean to halt your playing...you must get to know your sister and classmates, Raymond. Play in human form with them, or maybe a smaller dragon..." I spoke softly, so as to attempt not to frighten the children who had just recognized my presence.

This, of course, was fruitless, as they immediately scattered like ants, making my tail twitch in anticipation of hunting them. I controlled my predator's instincts, and hummed, laying my head on my paws to halt any springing.

Raymond nodded and rubbed his multiple spines against her chest plate, marking her with his scent as his Kin.

She chuckled and did the same, purring. "I am very pleased to have siblings once more.  Go, play with the children, as he says." She nudged him with her nose, and he shifted human, hiding under her wings to dress in private.

Then he scampered out once more, and I hummed at her. "You've never visited us." I grumbled in Turkish.

She chuckled. "The same could be said for you."

"You have a life and family here. It felt rude to interfere. It still does. But now that we are here, I would meet your mate, sister. And have you had any spawn?"

She chuckled. "None yet. I've been thinking about it, but no Turkish Drakon that isn't related to me would give up their Seed, and my Mate is a Giantess, so there's no mixing our breeds..."

I hummed. "Is her name Mary?"

She blinked slowly, then narrowed her eyes. "So you have been snooping..."

"No... I work with her. I met her just a Few moments ago at my job in Bay#7, with Melodious." I hummed again.

She nodded. "I see. Yes, that's my wife/mate. She is very beautiful, no?"

"I have not spared her any attention, to answer that question honestly. My partner is Duval, a very small human woman. She is a detective... and very feisty." I grinned.

She snorted. "Yes, I know Duval, I met her yesterday. She is interesting, I suppose. Well, I must be going, I've a lot of paperwork to do." She absently rubbed her head against my nose, mixing our scents, then shifted human, walking into the building.

I hummed and leapt up onto the roof softly, stretching and lounging out, looking over the entire campus.

A door on the rooftop next to my nose opened slowly, and a small, elderly woman I vaguely recognized peeked out. "Uhm... sir? Might I ask why you're laying on our roof?" She asked.

I hummed softly. "I was ordered to stand guard in my Draconian Form, to ensure the safety of the student body."

She blinked and opened the door fully. "Oh! I see... well, then... Uhm... carry on? Would you like anything to eat?"

I chuckled slowly. "I appreciate your hospitality, but that will not be necessary. I have eaten once already today. I will eat again when night falls."

She nodded and smiled. "Alrighty, then! Have a good day, sir!" She entered the stairwell, and I relaxed again.

I saw Raymond in the hallway, next to a small dryad with a bunny in her pocket, and raised an eyebrow slowly. He waved, and I snorted a bit of fire back to reciprocate, then closed my eyes most of the way, and simply listened, waiting for a threat.

---

The alarming ringing noise reverberated around the campus for the sixth time, and I hummed, watching children and teenagers stream to the busses that had been pulling up over the last hour or so.

Raymond approached his escort, the buxom human 'Lilly Dourest', and enthusiastically introduced her to the small Dryad he seemed to be infatuated with.

'I wonder if he knows what to do with a woman? He's only 6, so he likely thinks a Mate is just someone to cuddle and fall asleep next to... I will talk with him about this subject... but first I must report back to the base.'

I leapt off the roof, and he looked up, grinning at me while the children and adults scattered, screaming.

I chuckled, greatly amused by their reactions, and then glided on a thermal towards the HQ.

Someone waved from the rooftop of Bay 7, and so I shifted human with perfect timing, landing on the roof with a loud crash, taking care not to damage the infrastructure.

The man coughed, waving a hand in front of his face, and then grinned. "Agent Maximus, yes? The boss has a task for you."

I nodded and nudged him forward, indicating that I would follow him.

He led me down from the roof, and then handed me a folder, and pointed me into a room filled with other Agents.

I entered, and hummed softly at the power in the room. Two Dragonborn, a Fire Demon, and 4 different Giants, (Mary wasn't included for some reason,) all filled out the more powerful ranks of the Agents in the room, most of them from different Bay's.

At the front of the room was a beautiful human, with dark skin and black hair, built a bit smaller than Haven and her girls. Less unnaturally busty and perfect, but still built very well.

She was beautiful, but smelled of rage and death, which confused me. She noticed my entry, and nodded. "Good. Now that all of the Top Agents are here, I'll introduce myself. I am Ms. Khol, and I am your superior officer. 'The Boss' is my codename, though I am not the highest authority in the NTF. I am the one who sends you all on missions and tasks."

I hummed and smiled. "Powerful woman... even more beautiful, if that's possible..." I murmured.

"Don't make me take you, big boy." She smiled.

"Mm, feisty." I chuckled.

"Moving on, we have a very big problem. Over the past few weeks, the Harlem Situation has gotten exponentially worse. Demonborn are being sent into the outer cities on 'Hunts', which are supposedly like rites of passage, and they are hunting powerful bloodlines, such as the Aurelian Drakons, though they can take care of their own, it seems." She gazed at me slowly.

I snorted. "My brother could've eaten that pesky sandwort, had he been conscious."

She smirked. "Be that as it may, someone is sending them out like this. We on the NTF Board of Directors want you all to find this person or group of people, and deal with them in the appropriate fashion."

I hummed. "Ooh, a Demon Hunt? Fun... no offense." I gazed at the Ifrit.

He shrugged disinterestedly. "No big deal. I'll be hunting too."

"Moving on again. Stop interrupting me, Maximus Aurelius." She raised an eyebrow.

"I apologize, but it's hard to focus on what you're saying, I'm memorizing the lines of your face." I smiled.

She sighed. "Great. A flirting Drakon. Just what my life needed. Shut up, Maximus, and get serious."

"Hmph. Serious about a Demon Hunt!?!? Why? Shouldn't we be getting psyched up, you know, having some fun? Hunting demons is a fun challenge, and one I love to take on!" I grinned.

She rubbed her forehead. "Okay excluding Maximus, everyone understands the severity of this operation?"

"Aye, Boss~." They responded.

"Good. You'll take an Armored Transport into the City tomorrow, and you'll leave your humans behind. Search and Destroy is the main objective. If you see any crime, pass by for now. We don't have time to deal with every little thing wrong in that Godless place. Just one big one, that's spreading into our cities." She nodded.

"Hmmm... time frame?" I asked.

"Seven Days will be your allotted time. When you reach that, you pull out, whether the job is done or not. Your restrictions are lifted while inside the Hostile Zone. Any more questions?"

"What will we do for food? And sleep?" I asked.

She blinked slowly, and sighed. "I honestly have no idea. Figure it out yourselves."

I grumbled, but sighed. "Fine..."

"Good. Dismissed." She started to leave, and I swiftly followed, smiling happily. She noticed, and sighed. "Can I help you?"

"You are very interesting. Might you be open to courting?" I asked, sniffing to see if she was already mated. She smelled of rage and lilac, but no male or female scents were added on beyond working scents.

She sighed. "Not with you."

I blinked. "Why's that? Is this human form not likable? I tried for something as majestic as my true form, but fell short a little."

She laughed softly. "No. Your body is quite pleasing. But you work for me. So it wouldn't be appropriate."

I hummed. "I'm aware of the Intimacy Laws... but there are none concerning Lumina in the NTF..." I smiled.

She blinked slowly. "There aren't?"

"Nope. No fraternization laws... though the sexual harassment laws are needlessly strict." I refrained from touching her, but I remains close enough that she could touch me, if she wished.

Her determination to avoid me dissolved slowly, and she hummed. "Alright... 9 o'clock tonight... my office. 3rd Floor, Bay#1." She patted my cheek, and walked away.

I grinned. "Finally a human as feisty as a dragon..."

"Who was that?" Duval asked.

"My date for tonight." I smirked, not giving her any details she wasn't privy to. "I'm going on a Work-Sanctioned trip for a week, starting tomorrow, so can I ask that you take care of Raymond? He doesn't require much care, just someone to cook him breakfast and dinner, and to let his Cuddle-Buddy in and out."

She raised an eyebrow. "Cuddle Buddy?"

"Two Elfin women, meant to cuddle so we can sleep. Nothing untoward." I shrugged.

She nodded slowly. "Alright. If you've got orders, I'll take care of him... but wouldn't your sister be better?"

I blinked slowly. "Perhaps... yes. I'll ask her... may I use your communication device?"

She sighed and handed me her phone, shaking her head. "You're so very weird."

"I'm unique. Now how do I... hmm..." I dialed my sister's home number, and hummed when it rang.

"Hello? Who is this?" Amira answered the phone.

"Aha! Hullo! Listen, I'm going to be gone on an assignment for a week, so I was wondering if you would assist Duval in taking care of Raymond?" I asked without preamble.

She hummed softly. "Into the Hostile Zone, yeah? Sure, I'll make sure he gets fed, and he already has a woman, yes?"

"Yes, all handled. He just needs to wake up at 7:00, be outside with his Escort, Lilly Dourest, by 7:20, and then he can sleep any time after 10:00, when the women arrive." I confirmed.

"Easy as pie... I'll enjoy taking care of him. You just focus on your job."

"Perfect... and last thing, do you know the Boss?" I asked.

"No one knows the boss, you idjit, that's the point." She sighed.

I smiled. "Alright. Well, I've got some more work to do, so if you want to leave work early, you've got a good excuse." I chuckled.

She hummed. "What kind of work?"

I gazed down the long hall after the Boss's swinging hips. "Just... some Physical Labor that needs doing." I smirked.

"Alright, well, be safe, be productive, and don't get anyone pregnant." She laughed, brushing aside my small lie of omission.

"Mm... no promises." I smirked, and hung up, handing the phone to Duval.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "You want to explain?"

"No." I answered honestly, and checked my watch. '4:30... hmm... what to do for 4 hours...' I spotted the folder I hadn't opened, and sat down at the desk opposite of Duval's, which was unoccupied.

She sat down and started writing her reports, glancing over occasionally, while I opened the folder and started to read its confidential contents.

---

Three hours later, I finished examining the massive amount of crime scene data and witness testimonials, all speaking of 'Hunt', as if that was a proper noun.

'There's the Wild Hunt, but these aren't Irish Fae, so that's out... the Hindi Demons might have a Hunt, but I'm not sure... and these demons are Norse and Greek in origin... so what is the 'Hunt'? Is it a rite of passage, or a credential... or is it to create a pattern of some kind?... Norse Demons are big on circles... so what is this going to create?'

I layered all of the different maps, and hummed at the massive, yet completely nonsensical Circle that came into being.

'No symmetry, no Geometry, what the hell is this supposed to be?' I tsk'ed, and drew it up anyway, adding it onto the evidence tab with a small yellow post-it note that read 'Unknown Magical Work'.

Then I checked my watch, and grinned at the time, 8:53. I started walking towards the office she'd told me about, and reached it quickly, in my haste.

I knocked at exactly 9:00, and I heard her chuckled gently. "Come in."

"Yes please..." I murmured, opening the door and stepping in, then closing it behind me.

"I heard that... and what's that?" She pointed at the folder.

"New evidence... which you can look at in the morning with the occult experts." I tossed it on her desk, and stalked over, gently picking her up by her firm, yet springy butt.

She chuckled again. "Hmm, eager, eh? Good..."

I smiled and bore her down onto the leather couch, slowly disrobing her, after willing my clothes away with a thought.

She seemed to want something a little different, because she flipped us, and mounted my waist, slowly undoing her own clothes, her businesslike bun knocked loose into the wilder, sexier style I immediately preferred.

I smiled and allowed her her fun, amused and aroused by her mannerisms. "I'm to assume you've never had sex with a human?" She asked, smiling evilly.

"Not in this body... mating has eluded me in my days of this body..." I hummed.

She smiled again, a more kind smile. "Perfect... then just lay back, and relax..." she kissed my lips, and then removed her shirt and pants entirely, signaling there wasn't any turning back now.

I growled gently. "I don't know much, but I know I don't submit that easily."

She grinned. "Wouldn't be very fun if you did, now would it?"

---
(Continued in 'My Dream Thingamajig', my book of randomness, under the subtle title 'Mating 101'.)
---

I set her on the ruined couch and kissed her sweetly. "You will definitively bear my children from this... and I will have finally gained a Mate. And such a perfect mate, almost a Dragon..."

I blinked, and then realized why she felt like a Dragon. She was Dragonborn, and one capable of shapeshifting... growing claws, pointed ears... a recent Bloodline? Powerful indeed, just like me...

Well, maybe not that powerful, but amongst Dragon-Demonborn, she was definitely a Class-A or even S, if she had the combat skills to go along with her Bloodline... definitely shades above the Class-C that was at the school.

I laughed softly. "Interesting." I nodded.