Lynda felt a little bad for the old Murphy's effect, but going back mid-break was not an option. Employees were legally owed their fifteen minutes of rest. Any indications they were not getting it meant trouble for an already tired Yuki.

Besides, there were free Mcmuffins and a tanker of coffee to be had. One of the few perks a low-level job can offer to tame disgruntled elephants. Heck, it was the only reason to work here over the grocery store down the street. Both gave the same shit pay and soul-draining strife. Lynda also had to bring her own cup and pay extra for the drinks. It gave just enough energy-providing juice to live through the rest of her day.

At least the newspaper was free, being brought in by some other customer and left for others. Lynda would have to thank whoever kept doing that one of these days. She was quick to claim her usual booth at the back of the lobby before the arriving guests. It was mostly a curved bench meant for large groups or families, but it was also the only seat that did not leave her butt sagging over the edges.

Lynda wiggled her hips against the polished stone bench, getting herself comfortable. Both hands worked to unfold the paper across the table while her trunk plunked into the open tankard of heavily creamed coffee. Large bulges traveled up her extended nose in slow gulps as golden eyes scanned across the articles. Not the most hygienic way to consume precious caffeine, but with practice having hands free helped get a lot more done.

Sadly, there was little in the featured articles worthy of attention. Lynda chomped on her breakfast sandwiches, barely skimming through an article about airplane recalls before growing bored. An editorial that sounded like a call for better public accommodations for big anthros ended up making her gag when it turned into a biased rant against obesity. Lynda herself barely ate a pound of food a day, that she paid for, yet that damn stereotype will never seem to die.

An unusually large bulge surged up Lynda's trunk, soothing her with a fresh wash of coffee. The hard nail of her fingers refolded some paper to set aside. Her goal had been to dig for the comics, but reaching the Lifestyles section revealed a prominent photograph that gave her pause.

Grinning back up at her was a woman in cave diving gear; hardhat with a flashlight, cargo shorts, vest, heavy boots. Her scales were a dark purple from scalp to the end of her thick meaty tail. There was no hair to speak of, but the many sized horns growing out could be considered stylish. If anything, the sparkling sapphire eyes were enough to capture Lynda's attention. They looked so happy, so confident, so damn adorable it sparked a series of daydreams involving her dating a gal like Lynda. Many of which ended in rather kinky acts of passion.

"LEGENDARY DRAGON FINDS LEGENDARY HORDE!" declared the byline.

When her adult fantasies passed, Lynda glanced back to the picture noticing for the first time the sleek reptile woman was holding a large object. The wonderful cheap quality of newsprint had the elephant squirting at what appeared to be a gold statue. Its shape seemed to roughly match that of a more mythical, four-legged dragon from tabletop games the elephant occasionally enjoyed. Her stumpy tail began wagging it's black tuft against the backrest as she read the article.

If you told me that in just three months someone would rediscover history, I would have laughed it off. Well, I can tell you now this crow is just delicious!
And the best part is that this isn't even my first time reporting this. Tulip is back in the spotlight again, following her recent trip to Spain. Everyone's favorite dragoness has struck gold for the third time, with a recent exploration of previously impassable canyons in the southern part of the country.
After a week of great care descending the rocky crevices, Tulip was amazed to find a temple to Bahamut carved into one rockface. Part of the reason she rose up from humble teachings into epic explorer was a drive to learn about her own dragon heritage. I bet not even she could have predicted finding evidence of the father of all dragons himself.
According to a live interview, Tulip found much of the interior intact, including a large mural, painted over the ceiling of the temples main chamber. Storerooms lined with gold relics and evidence of entombed coffins were also found further in, but Tulip was not that big of the adventuring type. She made sure to mark the location and returned to immediately alert the Spanish government of her findings.
The exact extent of this discovery remains currently uncertain as officials move to examine and catalog everything. However, this find alone has made giant waves across the academic community. There is now undeniable proof our planet was once ruled by giant dragons, leaving many to speculate what kind of society, or disposition, such powerful creatures could have had.
It also lends credence to the lineage our own dragon anthros might now share. For centuries such a rare species had been considered the simple result of hybridization over time. Studies have shown that while most interspecies couples tend to have offspring in favor of the mother's genes, such a combination of traits is possible.
I can say with no exaggeration, Tulips continued dives into dragon culture has thrown that theory out the window. With new fossils and mummies available for DNA testing, it's possible to discover much about a civilization we never knew existed.
Though she declined to specify, Tulip did admit to receiving a large finders fee from the Spanish government. England's Prime Minister has arranged with Spanish officials to receive a small portion of artifacts for future display in museums. When asked, Tulip professed a desire for a brief vacation before collaborating with museum curators over their share of the spoils.
In the meantime, the dragoness is trending near the top of social media, sharing 'dragon' and 'Bahamut' as Twitter's top tags for the week...

"So, you going to kiss her or just drool over the paper?"

"GAH!" Lynda jumped in a panicked tooting. Her butt rose and thumped on the concrete with a gush of air that caught many diner's attention. "Damn it, Yuki!"

The mouse grinned, sliding her own proportionally thick bottom into a chair across the table. "I can't help it. You're cute when you trumpet."

"And I told you I hate doing that." Lynda shook her head, letting ears and trunk flap about for a second before grabbing a napkin. Coffee had spilled all over her noses underside. "It makes me sound like a deflating air balloon."

"Oh, you're fine, hun." Yuki sipped her smoking-fresh shot of coffee before adding, "At least you don't sound like a squealing baby like me. So who's the girl crush this week?"

"Say's her name's Tulip." Lynda folded up the paper in a weak attempt to avoid further embarrassment. A moot point since Yuki had plenty of time to take in the photographs. "She's really cool, been all over Europe and Africa, discovering big dragons actually existed."

"Oh?" Yuki saucer ears perked with a flicking of whiskers. The assistant manager shared a mutual love for legendary beasts and tabletop games. "That is definitely cool. I always told you I'm part dragon too."

"Yeah, I know." It was Lynda's turn to smirk. "I could tell you inherited their regal pear shape."

Yuki shot a raspberry in response. There was no doubt the mouse had her own level of mysticism about them. While purple fur was unusual, the hair on her head and tail tuft had this natural coloration of purples, blacks, and blues. From a glance, one could almost mistake her as stealing parts of the night sky.

"Don't make this about size and weight, dear, I will bury you."

"Heh, you need a cement mixer for that."

"Don't think I won't rent one."

"Of course! I take all your threats seriously," Lynda said as she pulled her mass out from the booth. The section of paper with Tulip was roughly folded up before slipping into her back pocket. "I better get back before Vance is swarmed."

"Oh, hey!" Yuki's tiny paw shot out intending for Lynda's arm but instead slipped into their hand. "Real quick, you want to hit the beach once we're off?"

"Huh?" Lynda blinked, stunned to fell the smaller woman's hand dwarfed by her rough grey palm. She recovered before her old friend could notice, gently pulling away. "I guess, sure? Why would you want to go there all of a sudden?"

The mouse's eyebrow sunk into a pout. A damn cute look that made an already flustered elephant blush. "Because I lost twenty pounds over the winter and want to celebrate with new swimwear. This is the first warm day of the season, and frankly, you could use some air too."

Lynda knew that was important, but her eyes could not help drifting down. Yuki may have only stood a fraction of an elephant's height, but her hips still fell over the edges of the chair by an inch or two. "Twenty pounds?"

"I swear to god, Lynda…"

"I was going to say congratulations, honest! You look amazing, hun."

"Hmmph!" Yuki intentionally gave her whiskers a hard shake, only to crack a grin. "So can you come? Please? I feel safer with a friend around."

"A really big friend?"

"Your glowing presence makes me feel extra safe. Please?"

"Oh, fine!" Lynda rolled her eyes, resuming her march back around the counter. "Now let me get to work. There's a line forming."