There was a problem... not that it was surprising.

Shay called her dad at work to remind him about dinner-- just in case he happened to forget.

He said he was probably going to be late. So... he probably did forget.

Dad was a workaholic. (It ran in the family.) So... Shay didn’t have much hope for him to show. It would have been nice! But... yeah.

It didn’t mean much in the long run. She had his new address and his schedule of on-and-off days. If Dad was missing out because he hated her-- or if she got a new step-mom who was taking all his time, she’d find out soon enough.

Shay sighed to herself. She got all dressed up, too...

She wore a business skirt that cut just above her knees and a white blouse with a see-through floral design on her shoulders. (And she bought both things with her own money!)

When Tyvan saw her, he stared for two to three seconds longer than normal. That made her face redder and hotter than a roaring wildfire-- but it was nice! Good job, Shay! You did good!

Mister Tyvan Valorum was waiting in the courtyard 15 minutes before their scheduled meeting time. Like always, he dressed professionally-- though maybe a little extra special, (just for her!) Dark-green suit; a black, collared shirt; and a shiny black tie that highlighted his luxurious silver hair.

He looked excited to go-- not that it was easy to tell. A lesser simp would foolishly believe that Tyvan had only one expression: neutral/confident or very slightly confused. But Shay was no low-level simp!

Tyvan’s expressions were many! They varied based on the openness of his eyes; the depth of the tiny creases between his brows; and the subtle upward curve on the right side of his lips.

Shay took a seat at the garden table across from him, resting her chin on her hands as she respectably appreciated him and his hazel eyes.

Her gaze drifted to his chin... then to his neck and Adam’s apple... then to his chest. He wore his golden snake pin on his lapel-- it was his special symbol, and lots of interesting people recognized it at first glance.

She had her own snake pin, black-and-gold and very handsome, but she kept it hidden inside her bag, (because she was still shy about wearing it in public.)

It was a gift. She’d received a few gifts from Tyvan, but that one felt the most special...

She did a little happy dance in her seat, putting behind her disappointments and relaxing in the awesomeness of her current life. Then, she relaxed back in her seat to admire the source.

She liked Tyvan-- she liked him a lot. His smile, his gentle demeanor, his... shape. Mm. Yeah-- his broad shoulders made a perfect V-shape with his chest.

“If you were a triangle... you’d be acute,” she mouthed to herself.

Somehow, he still heard her.

“How amusing.”

He was smiling-- soft and barely perceptible by anyone who wasn’t her. “Conversely, I often find the things you say rather obtuse.”

“And together,” she smiled back, “we make a perfect circle,”

“That... is wildly incorrect.”

Shay furrowed her brows, staring down between her hands. Why did she say that?

Tyvan was leaning forward on the table, his right arm and hand resting on the surface. Oh! He wasn’t wearing gloves like he usually did. (They hung out of his outer coat pocket, though.)

Would it be okay if she put her hand on top of his? Would he hold hers-- entwine their fingers together, maybe?

Were there rules when it came to holding hands?

They held hands before, due to... circumstances. But even without... circumstances, would it be okay to do it again?

“Oh, dear, am I late?”

Drat. Shay missed her chance.

Heidi approached with almost ethereal grace. Her blond, wavy hair spilled over her white, lacy blouse, swaying with each step. She also wore a dark, ruffled, and double-layered skirt that tripl-ified her swaying power.

It went down to her ankles-- how demure~

“You’re just in time,” Tyvan said, standing up to greet her. He took her hand and gently kissed her fingers.

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Heidi fluttered the long eyelashes of her deep blue eyes as she smiled shyly, looking everywhere but directly at him.

It took Shay several seconds for her to realize what had happened. It looked so natural that it didn’t even register that she should have been jealous-- not that she could actually have one negative thought about Heidi. Ever.

But... Shay wanted a hand-kiss too! How was she supposed to ask for that? Did those two have some kind of agreement?

Was... that in Heidi’s employment contract? Shay needed to have a nice, long sit-down with Tyvan's secretary, Raia, to go over her specific terms and sort that out.

Yeonha showed up next, her clomping footsteps only clumsy compared to Heidi’s dainty, ladylike ones.

She wore her usual attire, her black-and-white French maid uniform complete with a frilly headdress. That made her short, reddish hair really pop. And her relaxed expression coupled with a smug, baby-faced smile made her absolutely adorable.

But... was a maid outfit really appropriate for going out to eat?

“Um. Are you going like that, Yeonha?”

“Nn,” Yeonha replied-- simple and concise.

“Can you dress in something... different from how you dress at work?”

Yeonha slowly tilted her chin upward......

Suddenly, she snatched the bottom of her skirt with both hands and pulled up. Her maid outfit went flying into the air, revealing a pair of black mesh shorts and a plain white t-shirt.

“Oh!”

The discarded clothes landed on top of Heidi, who shot her arms out to her sides and froze still.

Tyvan carefully retrieved the uniform, folding it neatly before returning it to Yeonha.

“Try again.”

“Ah.”

Yeonha made a reasonably positive noise before walking back to her dorm room. She came back wearing jeans, tennis shoes, and a gray, zip-up hoodie. She had the same hoodie in her closet-- it was super comfy.

Seeing that made Shay wish she dressed a little more comfortably than... business-casual.

With Tyvan as the natural leader of their group, he led everyone... toward his office? The parking lot was the other way, though?

“Tyvan,” Shay said, “did you forget something?”

“I did not,” Tyvan smiled. “We’ll be walking today. We have a ⌈Sigilla⌋ near the restaurant.”

In general, Tyvan’s magic was situational and inconvenient, so it was nice to experience the opposite. One of his magics, the ⌈Sigillae⌋, were super-convenient doors that led to other parts of Archangel. They always led to places frequented by wizards and werewolves and other not-quite-human persons.

But the ⌈Sigilla⌋ in the front office was a bit different from other ones Shay used before. It wasn’t a closet or storage locker door, it was the... window.

Tyvan unlocked it, slid it open, and climbed through, turning back and offering his hand.

Shay took his hand (because why not?) But she hopped through the window because she wanted to look cool.

The air was the same on the other side. And it looked like they were in another apartment complex. The units were in several single-story buildings as opposed to one big multi-story one. They were built in a similar style, though, with white walls and orange roof shingles.

She kept hold of Tyvan’s hand, staring at it... trying to communicate via telepathy that she wanted a hand-kiss.

She didn’t get one. She couldn’t actually communicate telepathically-- but wouldn’t it be nice if she learned how to do that someday?

Heidi was next-- and she basically got carried through the window.

Shay cursed her gong fu abilities. What was the use of training when she couldn’t even get princess-carried through a magic portal? (Or maybe that was an unreasonable expectation?)

Finally, Tyvan grabbed Yeonha underneath her shoulders and lifted her up and through. She even dangled her feet while she was being carried. Very cute.

...That made Shay feel a little better. At least Tyvan didn’t treat her like a kid.

----------------------------------------

Walking the sidewalks of downtown Archangel, Tyvan noticed that his step had a certain spring. It lacked professionalism, so he willfully corrected his gait.

Yan Xue had made dining reservations at the Royal Sun Palace. It was a recommendation from her grandfather, Song Wei. As a gentleman of Chinese descent who had operated in Archangel for several decades, Tyvan had great expectations.

Due to fortunate circumstances, he’d also managed to avoid downtown traffic and the need to procure a parking spot within reasonable walking distance.

Also, parking in the downtown area tended to have a monetary cost.

The last time he’d patronised a paid parking lot, he was directly involved in an incident that resulted in several concussions, dislocated limbs, and various fractured bones.

Hm. That particular evening, he was granted the opportunity to administer a well-deserved beating with an aluminium ceiling fan. That was a memorable experience.

Tyvan and his wonderful companions arrived at the restaurant in good time, but... it was not quite as well as he expected.

For a venue labelled with both ‘Royal’ and ‘Palace’, the decor was... lacking. The otherwise exquisite wooden reliefs in the lobby lacked any sort of sun or sun-related motifs.

Worse still, the qipao-wearing hostess at the receiving podium did not offer to lead them to their reserved room.

Instead, the offer was, “Can we seat you in the main dining hall?”

Tyvan glanced back to Heidi, sandwiched between her two protectors. She frantically shook her head.

He was of a similar mind. He hoped for a quiet meal, free of distractions from his fare or company. To have Heidi overwrought throughout the meal would not be conducive to a pleasant evening.

“I understand that your staff seems quite busy,” he said. “But I sincerely hope that our reservations can be honored.”

The young hostess made a troubled expression. “I’m really sorry, sir-- but... there’s a guest using that room right now.”

Tyvan unwittingly let out a frustrated sigh.

He had mistakenly expected his non-business outing to be free of wanton violence... but it seemed that such was inevitable.