Private Finished These Darn Kids With Their Rock Music and Atom Bombs!

"This tea is impeccable, Mister Sinterklaas. Much better than that rubbish the British were exporting three centuries ago." Vindivir sighed happily as he took another sip, marveling at the sight of a "teabag".

"Though I suppose there were fewer rats aboard the ship that brought it." mused the dragon, crossing one leg over the other in the quiet of the garden. Every so often, a student would trudge by on their way to class. Vindivir replaced his cup and saucer on the small table between them. He leaned forward slightly with a fascinated gleam in his fiery eyes. Like a child who'd seen a fascinating toy in the window of a shop.

"Have you seen those ships, Mister Sinterklaas? My word, I don't think I've ever seen anything so odd. They are so grand in size, and by all accounts made entirely of metal! It's a wonder that they stay afloat!" Vindivir laughed with glee at this strange new world which grew stranger by the day.

@Zora

"Really?" Vindivir asked with genuine curiosity. "A cruise ship? And people willingly sail aboard them for leisure? A strange world it is, Mr. Sinterklaas. A strange world..."

"I missed quite a lot while I slept, it seems. Could you help me understand something, Mr. Sinterklaas? I witnessed something most peculiar yesterday. A group of students were engaged in a competition to see who could throw a crumpled piece of parchment into a rubbish bin from the farthest distance. All of them failed, except for the last child, who very loudly shouted 'yeet' just before throwing the parchment. Is that some sort of incantation that I am unfamiliar with? Perhaps one with luck-altering properties?" Asked Vindivir.

"I see." Vindivir nodded with just a touch of distaste. Not because it was a young person's word. He would never have survived as long as he had without adapting to new times. He just did not like the way the word sounded on his ears.

"It seems this new 'United States' craze really took hold in the past few centuries." Vindivir noted casually. "I visited just before the turn of the 17th century, you know. What did they call that little village? Salem, I believe. Beautiful countryside, and the native inhabitants were a tad more hospitable than the colonists, who were caught up in a nasty craze concerning witchcraft and other such nonsense. I say, the Pawtucket peoples were absolutely nostalgic. It reminded me of my childhood."

"As it does all things." Vindivir agreed, though with a fond little smile, rather than the somber attitude of his companion. "But not yours nor mine. It is why I devote my efforts to preserving my library, both here at the school and my den."

Vindivir rested his chin on his hand and really pondered Noel's question. He racked his brains, moving through neatly sorted archives of memory that were just as well regulated as his library. He could remember almost every second of his existence, from the time he opened his eyes to what he'd had for dinner the evening previous. But sometimes, if the details were minuscule, and the event was long ago, it took him a moment to find it.

"Not an original copy written by Snorri himself," Vindivir admitted. "Around that time, I had just met my mate. We had decided to 'honeymoon' in Latin America, since the Europeans were crusading in the west, and the Mongols invading in the east. The Aztecs were growing in power, and were just beginning to build Tenochtitlan.

"What I have is a complete copy of what is now called the 'Codex Regius'. Karavir gifted it to me shortly after the birth of our hatchling." Vindivir concluded, with a fond little smile. "And please, just Vindivir."