The carriage soon arrived at its destination, and the girls disembarked. The conversation helped distract Lily from the butterflies in her stomach, but now that they reached their destination, they were back in full force.

Which is weird, because it's not like the journey wasn't also a part of the date. Maybe it's because we've done that before, and the whole romantic picnic in a park thing is new, Lily thought. I know I should relax and just be myself, but I don't want to ruin my chances with her somehow. Doesn't help that I don't really know what the expectations are for a date, here on Teras.

While Lily was nervously contemplating her situation, Mia grabbed a picnic basket from the back of the carriage and gave her instructions to the driver. The carriage was to wait for them outside the town theater at eight o'clock in the evening, but until then the driver had the day off. The woman acknowledged her instructions, and soon the carriage was underway, leaving the girls on their own.

"Let's go," Mia said cheerfully, and tucked her free hand into Lily's elbow. She led the way through the opening in the fence and they entered the park. It was not much different than a park back on Earth in most ways, Lily noted, with green fields of grass criss-crossed by cobblestone walkways. The slowly meandering river which flowed through its center forked at one point, creating an islet, with a large tree at its center. She could see kids playing on the swings and in the sandboxes under their parents' watchful gaze, while other couples walked around holding hands.

"Other" couples? Slow your roll, girl, it's just one date, Lily chided herself as Mia led her towards the center of the park, towards one of the bridges which linked the islet to the rest of the park. As they crossed the bridge, Lily realized that she was looking at the largest tree she had ever seen in real life, towering above the rest of the park. Mia stopped dragging Lily along once they reached a table just by the tree's trunk, and placed the basket on it.

"This is my favorite spot in the whole park," Mia explained as she started setting the table. "According to legend, a sapling of the Great Tree was planted here hundreds of years before the Deluge, and this tree sprouted out. That makes it pretty much our only tourist attraction, and since most of the locals prefer to stick to the sunlit benches outside its shade, I thought it was a good place to have a nice little private picnic."

Lily nodded as she looked up in awe. She could barely see the sky due to the thick foliage. "All done," Mia exclaimed as she finished laying out the food. There were sandwiches, sausage rolls, pies and potato salad, along with several slices of cheesecake and some chocolate cookies. As Lily sat down, Mia filled their glasses with water, and then she opened a bottle of wine which she poured into the cups.

"What do you think," she asked, setting the bottle aside and grabbing a sandwich.

"It's perfect," Lily replied, and she meant it too. The privacy of the spot helped calm Lily's nerves, and the soft rumbling of the leaves above and the gentle flow of water around were the only sounds disturbing the silence. And Mia munching on her sandwich, Lily thought with a smile as she grabbed some food of her own. It was afternoon already, and she skipped lunch.

The rolls were of the usual high quality, and she washed them down with a sip of wine.

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"When I was planning for today, I realized I didn't really know much about you," Mia said once she finished with her food. "Oh, you told me the basic facts about yourself, and that you liked reading stories about magic worlds like this one, but beyond that I have no idea what your interests and dreams are. Or, were, I guess."

Thinking about Earth still caused some pain to Lily, and she was a little embarrassed that her old life wasn't all that exciting or interesting.

"I was just another girl trying to make ends meet as I finished my education," Lily finally replied. "Between my studies and work, I didn't have much free time, and what little I did, I spent reading."

Mia wanted to ask her more specific questions about her education and work, but seeing the sorrow in her eyes when she started talking about Earth, she decided to change the subject.

Damnit Mia, this is supposed to be a cheerful little picnic. Way to ruin it by bringing up her old life. It's been just a few days for her, obviously she is sad about dying and losing everyone and everything she ever knew. I am sure she will talk about it eventually, I just need to give her some space and more time.

"Well, I doubt someone as kind and caring as you was ever 'ordinary', even on Earth," Mia said, trying to cheer Lily up. It seemed to work, as Lily's face heated up hearing the compliment, so Mia pressed on. "Pretty too," she said with a smile

"I thought this was just a normal date, but I see your mplan now, Mia Dawnheart. You beat me in a fight and then you drag me here where we're all alone so you could seduce and take advantage of the defenseless Avatar of Dahlia. Well it's not gonna work," Lily replied, trying to keep a straight face. Hearing that, Mia's face went pale, and she started stuttering. That finally broke Lily's cool, and she burst out laughing. Seeing that the other girl was not serious, Mia relaxed, but she gave Lily a sharp look.

"It's easy for someone of your stature to make fun of a poor peon like myself, Your Grace," Mia replied, bowing her head. "Alas, it is the fate of the common folk to be trampled on by the high and mighty."

"Good thing there's no common folk around here, My Lady," Lily pointed out once her laughter stopped. "Touche." Mia cracked a smile of her own, and pointed at the cookies. "Try one, I made them myself," she said, and Lily could hear the pride in her voice.

She obviously put in a lot of work to make this date work, she could have had a servant make them, but she wanted to do something special for me, Lily said as she grabbed a bite. Not as sweet as these cookies though, I can tell she doesn't cook often.

"Do you like them?" Mia asked nervously, and Lily forced herself to eat the whole thing. "They are nice," she muttered out as she reached for the water to wash the taste down. She saw the look of disappointment on Mia's face as she gulped the water.

"They suck don't they? I really am useless in the kitchen," the dark-haired girl said sadly, looking down at the table.

"They really are good," Lily assured her. "My throat was dry from all the talking, that's all."

Hearing that, Mia cheered up a little, but it didn't look like she fully bought Lily's story. The awkward silence was interrupted by a pair of white swans landing on the river, and Mia stood up when she heard them.

"Oh, I love swans," she exclaimed as she sat down on the bench next to Lily.

"They are so beautiful," she said, and Lily nodded. This pair was bigger than the ones she saw back on Earth, but that made them no less beautiful.

"Look, these two must be mates," Mia pointed at the birds as they touched their necks together. "Did you know swans mate for life?" she asked, and Lily nodded.

"Yes, that's how they are on Earth too," she replied as the birds continued their dance. "It's very romantic."

"Indeed," came a husky reply as Mia placed her hand on Lily's thigh. Her hand was cold, and the touch sent shivers down her spine, and Lily turned to look at the smaller girl, heart pounding. A pair of emerald eyes full of passion stared up at her. They seemed as deep as the ocean, and she was unable to look away as she got lost in their depths.

Before Lily could break the spell, Mia reached out and pulled her in for a kiss. As their lips touched, Lily finally closed her eyes. Mia's lips were soft and warm, and just as Lily was about to pry them open with her tongue, Mia hurriedly pulled away.

"I hope that was okay," she said, panting heavily, her face so red that Lily could feel the heat. "I don't know what came over me, I.." Before she could finish her thought, Lily gently put a finger on her lips, silencing her.

"It was more than okay, I loved it," she whispered and pulled Mia in for another kiss.