The stranger at the door is clearly a dragon in human form. It's obvious from the way their eyes shine like miniature suns and the unmistakable warmth that emanates from their body. They are dressed in clothes that would have been perfectly inconspicuous fifty years ago and cradling a bundle to their chest.

"What do you want?" the young husband answering the door asks.

The uneasy peace between humans and dragons has lasted over 200 years but there are still many reasons for a man to be nervous when a dragon comes knocking at his door.

"You and your mate are trying to make a child are you not?" the dragon asks.

"Uh yeah, I suppose we are."

"But it is difficult for you," the dragon says. "Difficult for her."

Bothered by the fact that his wife's reproductive troubles are widely known enough for unfamiliar dragons to come asking about them, the young husband is unsure of how to respond.

It's then that his young wife stumbles in in her nightgown.

"Honey, who is it? You've been down here for a while - oh." She cuts herself off when she sees the dragon in the doorway.

Upon seeing her the dragon perks up. "Excellent. Now that you are both here I can get straight to the point. You-" the dragon gestures to the couple here "-want a child but cannot make a child. And I -" the dragon shifts the bundle which squirms a little in response "-have a child I cannot keep."

"Why?" the young wife asks, "was she an accident?"

The dragon shakes their head, "The child was desired, but alas, I am unable to raise it in spite of this."

"You're not trying to trick us into violating the treaty are you?" the husband asks.

"Do not insult me by insinuating my generous offer is an imperialist trap or else I shall find others to raise my child."

"Please don't," the wife says, staring at the bundle yearningly.

The husband reaches out to touch his wife's arm, "We can adopt. There's no need to go through with something shady like this."

"I can provide paperwork if you are worried about your human authorities recognizing the child as your own," the dragon jumps in.

"And what about the dragon authorities?" asks the husband.

"If you truly care about this child," the dragon says sternly, "you will not let them know of this."

"Oh I will," the wife says, "Would you please let me hold her?"

"Yes," The dragon says, handing her the baby.

"She's so cold!" the young wife says. "Is that okay?"

Dragons are usually warm to the touch.

"It is a healthy child."The dragon says, unable to meet either of the couple's eyes.

Dragons do not lie. The child must be healthy.

"What's her name?" the young wife asks.

"It doesn't have one." the dragon says a bit guiltily, "You could give it one you like?"

"Honey, we can't just take in a dragon child."

"Oh and why not?" the young wife shoots back.

"Well for one thing how are we going to feed it when we don't have any magic?" the young husband asks.

"You need not worry about that." The dragon says, "This child will thrive on whatever you feed it."

"Still, how are we supposed to explain it to the neighbors?" The young husband asks.

"Honey, why do you keep looking for excuses to turn this down?" the young wife asks, "There's no way that we'll get an opportunity like this again."

"It could be a trick."

The dragon draws their humanshape to its full height and says, eyes blazing with fury, "I am a true and honorable dragon. I do not 'trick' like some lying, two-faced human."

"And yet you'd let some lying, two-faced humans care for your child." the young husband says.

"Well I certainly hope that while humans you may be, lying and two-faced you are not." the dragon says it's composure regained, "If you are feel free to let me know so that I may find more honest humans to care for my dear child."

"We're not, honest." the young wife says. "Which is to say we are honest actually. I'm sorry for my husband's suspicions but I at least would gladly raise this child."

"Well, if my wife trusts you then I suppose I will as well." the young husband concedes, "What is it that you said about providing documentation for legal adoption?"

"Yes, I have the necessary documents at hand." the dragon says, retrieving a bundle of papers from the depths of their coat.

As her husband attends to the paperwork, the young wife looks down at the swaddled baby in her arms.

The humanshape its parent gave it is quite adorable and even looks a bit like she's often imagined a child of herself and her husband might. She'd been beginning to resign herself to the prospect that she'd never be able to hold a baby close to her chest without being obligated to give it back to its real parents but here she is, holding a baby that will soon be hers to raise as her own. She'll have to care well for it to properly show her gratitude for the wondrous opportunity that she's been given.

The baby in her arms awakens and looks at her with eyes so dark that it's hard to believe that they truly belong to a dragon.

She smiles down at the child.

The child smiles back.