I rested for a bit in my room, trying to calm my senses. To be in a relationship is more exhausting than I thought it would be... or maybe it's just Crimson who is highly draining on energy.

But, nonetheless... despite the appearance, I was quite looking forward to it. A date... a date to distract myself a little from the engulfing chaos inside my mind.

I still had to test my spells, but that could wait; thinking about something far easier would've done me good. Which was: a dress. I needed a dress for the date.

But how would I even dress for a date... with Crimson?

"Hmm..." I stared in the mirror, trying to imagine what would look good on me.

Something... a little classy? Or maybe something more casual? Perhaps something colorful and energetic...? But this is a date with Crimson... Knowing her, she surely would like something more daring. A touch more... bitchy? But I don't want that... I don't want to be bitchy, I just want to be comfortable...

"Well, time for me to go shopping as well, I guess..."

Surely, a city like Zafferbridge could give me an answer. So, I took some coins and roamed around the city in search of a worthy shop able to provide me with a vast array of choices. And I was indeed right; I did find a nice place to look for answers.

But once inside the shop in question... I found myself with more questions than answers.

I sighed; the garments around me were not helping at all. Red? No, too flashy. Brown? Too conservative... White? Too much of a habit; I wanted to change, I wanted something different. Pink? This felt childish... Purple? This was too provocative, and as much as Crimson would like it, I wouldn't.

"The irony..." I murmured to myself, sighing once more. "This is proving more difficult than making sense of the fog inside my mind..."

Yellow? Ew!

Blue? Rubbish.

Orange? Who would wear this...?!

Two-tone? It hurts the eyes...

Jade? No!

"Um... madam, do you require any help?" a man, with hands clasped together nervously, asked me.

"To choose a damn dress? No! Piss off!" I replied.

"A-alright!" He darted off.

I groaned. This was proving more challenging than I thought it would be... I roamed in search of a dress some more. Flowery? Nah...

Black?

... Black?

"Hmm..." I halted in my steps as my eyes fell upon a black dress. "Black..."

It was sleek, elegant, and yet simple. Furrowing my brow, I took it, and decided to try it on. It almost looked like it was made for me, hugging my figure in all the right places, and the neckline was low enough to be intriguing without being too revealing.

"Oh, I like this..." I murmured to no one in particular as I showed off in front of the long and tall mirror. "Hm, yes! It's comfortable, and stylish, and classy enough... This is it!"

With a proud smile on my face, I bought the dress. It proved to be a challenge, somehow, but I won.

I hopped back to my guild, retreating to my room. I was not ready yet; a date required some makeup as well, as much as I despised the feeling of it on my skin. However, I still had some time. So... I took it easy until the evening...

... In the evening, in front of a mirror, I began, and after a light foundation, I gave a touch of blush to my cheeks; Joey was right... I was paler than usual. Thanks to the makeup, however, my skin tone looked more natural. Then, a few light strokes of mascara on my eyelashes to make them more captivating; Crimson would like this, surely. Finally, to conclude the work: a swipe of lipstick; just the right shade to make my lips glisten.

Once done with the makeup, I slipped into the dress, pairing it with a pair of black boots. And... I was ready! A look, not striking, but neat enough to appear endearing and captivating at the same time.

Since it was time to leave, I headed outside the guild. 'Before the plaza' was a bit hard to decipher as a designated spot... but I could recognize her anywhere. And if I couldn't, a flying red ball would certainly catch my attention.

The night was cool, the street illuminated by the soft glow of lanterns, and a gentle breeze ruffled my hair as I walked to the meeting place.

When I arrived there... I saw her. And she spotted me, too. She had her usual grin adorning her face and her hands behind her back, as if hiding something. Her dress was black as well, though way bolder than mine, showing her skin provocatively, as if inviting you to do so.

She bit her lip as I approached her. "You really know how to ignite a fire in me, don't you, Snowflake?"

"Me? My dress is pretty plain when compared to yours," I remarked, furrowing my brow.

"Oh, but you are not plain at all," she murmured in a raspy voice before extending her hands. "Here, this is for you."

In her hands: a little box, adorned with black wrapping paper.

"What is it?" I asked, shifting my attention back to her.

"A little gift to celebrate the start of our relationship," she replied, her voice now amicable.

"Oh..." I murmured, glancing back at the box. "But I didn't get anything for you..."

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"You don't have to worry. Come on, take it. You'll make me more than happy if you use it."

I redirected my attention to the box once again. For some reason, my hands were trembling slightly as I grabbed it. I peeled the wrapping paper and, both intrigued and with a hint of fear, I lifted the lid. However, what I found inside was... something I was not expecting...

"... A collar?" I asked, staring at her.

"It's not a collar," she replied.

I glanced back at the box's content: a slender band of black velvet, reflecting the light thanks to its soft texture. The short length of it, along with its little silver heart, clearly hinted where it was meant to be worn. It didn't matter how I looked at it...

"It looks like a collar..."

She giggled. "It's not a collar. It's a choker."

"Well, I don't like that name either."

"Come on... please allow me..." she softly said, looking at me with sweet eyes before taking the band from the box, intending to wrap it around my neck.

"Well..." I sighed. "I guess? Go on..."

Resigned, I chose to make her happy. Gently, she gathered my hair, lifting it off my neck and, with delicacy, wrapped the band around my neck. I could feel it brush against my skin; it wasn't tight, but at the same time... it was noticeable.

"Hmm, perfect," she cooed once finished.

"Do you really like it?" I asked, perplexed.

She nodded with a soft groan. "Oh, you look so good with it, Snowflake..."

"Ow!"

She randomly bit my neck!

"Whoops, sorry," she quipped, her eyes twinkling. "I just couldn't contain myself anymore."

I rubbed where her teeth had landed. "Is this what the gift is for? Hide bite marks...?"

She chuckled. "No, no. But I really think you're irresistible with it..." she then said, leaning in, her lips now on mine.

For this evening, she even wore a pungent fragrance; I could breathe in it keenly with her being so close to me.

"It's just a piece of velvet..." I murmured as soon as our lips parted, looking into her eyes as her hands slid down my arms.

"You underestimate it."

"I'll never understand sadists... No, I'll never understand you."

She pulled me into another kiss, much more passionate than the last, while one hand slipped under the hem of my dress. Now she was pushing it...

"Hm- Crimson!" I slapped her hand, sighing. "There's people here... And we have a dinner to go to..."

"Hmm, alright," she whispered, sliding her hand to the small of my back. "Let's go then."

Afterward, she finally led the way. Throughout our little journey, not once did her hand leave my body, be it my back or my side, and I always remained attached to her. One could say she was possessive... she clearly showed off the fact that I belonged to her. She belonged to me, too, of course, but I really had no way to display it as much, nor the intention of doing so.

She brought me to a fine place, indeed. It was cozy, with candlelit tables and soft music playing in the background, gently provided by a soothing band in a distant corner. We sat face to face, the dim candlelight casting a warm glow on her face, further enchanting her red eyes.

"Beautiful place," I complimented, glancing around at the elegant décor.

"But of course," she remarked with a smug smile, resting her face on her hands. "Only the best for us, Snowflake."

After a while, a manservant with a neatly trimmed beard approached our table. "Oh, Crimson. Fancy seeing you here," he said, his voice professional yet friendly as he handed us the menu.

"Good evening, Ramon," she greeted. "Bring us some fine wine while we decide what to order."

"Certainly," he replied before heading off.

"You know him?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded, opening the menu. "A retired adventurer. He decided that he wasn't fit for it, so he's now working here."

"A weird change of path..."

"You could say that. So, what are you ordering?"

I took the menu, opening it to explore the options. Everything looked quite fancy and delectable. Oh, and the desserts, too! I felt like some chocolate treats would do me good. I craved some sweets. But that had to wait. First, I had to choose the main course. Hmm, some dish I never tried, or something ordinary?

I shook my head; I wanted to try something new. "I'll take this," I said, pointing at a dish on the menu. "And if you don't immediately stop with that foot, I'll break your leg."

"Whoops," she quipped. "Was I too bold?"

"Can you think of anything that is not my body for two straight minutes...?"

"Can you blame me?" she murmured with sweet eyes while her lips softly curled into a smile. "It is you we're talking about."

I sighed, and Ramon returned with the wine. "May I take your orders?" he questioned, his pen ready over a notepad.

Crimson and I informed him of our choices, and as he redirected to dart off again, a loud clattering of plates and cutlery echoed through the whole place. "What do you mean they're not coming?!"

Everyone could hear the shout, and everyone turned their heads towards the source of it: a noticeable large man, with a face as red as the glass of red wine he was swirling in his hand, while the other was clenched above the table. Clearly, he was just as drunk as he was enraged.

"S-sir! It's nothing that requires attention!" the man at the other side of the table tried to reason, waving his hands. "We can swiftly deal with them!"

"Is something wrong?" Ramon asked the two men.

The large man approached Ramon, still fairly close to me and Crimson. "It's none of your business. Go back to your work."

The man continued his attempt to calm his furious friend. "Sir, please-"

"And you keep your mouth shut!" he shouted in response, spinning to face him. Just as he spun around, the wine completely bid farewell to its container, splashing straight against Ramon, and...

"My dress!"

I shrieked from the shock as the liquid stained my chest, prompting me to leap up from my seat.

"Do you have a problem, too, girl?!" the large man growled, stepping towards me.

"S-sir!"

"I have a problem?!" I nearly shouted at him.

He focused his weight on his foot and swung his arm, aiming the glass at my face. I deftly avoided it by ducking down. Then, fueled by rage, I grabbed the bottle of wine Ramon brought to our table, and retaliated in the same manner.

The bottle shattered, wine flew around, splattering across the floor as it fell, just like the man did. Ramon was stunned, Crimson was laughing, many covered their faces in shock as they gasped, while many others applauded.

I simply groaned in frustration. "Ramon, where's the restroom?!"

"T-there," he stammered, pointing in a specific direction.

I immediately hurried off where his finger indicated, and Crimson trailed behind...

"Will I ever know boredom with you, Snowflake?" she murmured as she leaned against the wall, letting her head rest on its surface. "You know, for someone who wants to keep our relationship a secret, you certainly know how to make a scene."

Helping myself with some paper towels, I was now cleaning my chest. Then, trying to salvage my dress, I dabbed at it. The wine stains, however, were too stubborn. The dress was ruined...

I shot her a look. "This is not the time for teasing, Crimson."

"What teasing? I'm just stating the truth. I loved every second of it," she said with her usual grin on her face. It was true; she was clearly amused.

"You're not helping me."

She blinked. "Are you... really upset, Snowflake?"

"Of course I am upset, Crimson!" I snapped at her. "What, do you think I enjoy letting people randomly ruin my dresses?! Make them stain me with wine?! And this is the second time my only fancy dresses have been ruined, both of them being with you. What is it, a curse?!" I sighed, tossing away the useless paper before sinking down to the floor with my back against the wall, hugging my knees close to my chest. "I just wanted to have a relaxing night to distract myself... to not think about anything. And this happens... My dress is now ruined, it's sticky, and I smell of wine..."

I buried my face in my knees, sighing as my nerves cooled off. "The more I try to distract myself, the more I worsen the situation. What a joke..."

Crimson stood silent. After a while, she approached me, gently resting her hand on my shoulder. "Do you... want to go home?"

"Home..." I murmured between my knees before lifting my head to meet her eyes. "What is 'home', Crimson? I don't have a home..."

"Our guild," she softly replied, brushing her fingers along my cheek. "My room...?"

"What about the dinner?"

"Forget about the dinner," she shrugged. "We can take something along the way if you want. Or we could take it here and bring it with us, eat it together on the bed, just the two of us."

"... Yes, I'd like that..."