One week later…

The air rushed past Felix as he leaned forward, clutching hard onto handholds. Beneath him, a brand new saddle finished just in time for his expedition. Soft and form fitted, it gave him a level of comfort that he hadn’t realized he’d been missing.

How is the harness? Anything bothering you? he asked.

It’s perfect, Zira replied letting out a rumbling purr that reverberated through him. I told you we needed this.

I know… And you were right.

A smile crept out from his visage as he took in the view. It was morning but already the sun was creeping high into the sky. The forest below was a sea of trees with patches of open ground. Off in the distance, he spotted the blue form of some sort of lake.

But they were not alone.

To his right and keeping up with ease were Eri and Kyrith. The two also had a saddle and harness, a welcome surprise as no one expected Haldria to have finished both sets.

She’s good, very good, Felix thought, remembering Kyrith’s excitement at seeing his saddle. Poor Eri struggled to get it all on him as the dragon visibly shivered with delight.

Don’t forget about Noria either. She added the enchantments.

Yeah, I definitely owe both women. I’ll have to figure out something in return, he agreed. Noria had added several enchantments including ones meant to strengthen and reinforce their new gear.

He decided to change the topic as his mind turned to the matter at hand. We’ve got to find a good place to land–

No, we've got to find a good place for you and Eri to have your date, Zira said, correcting him. There was no animosity in her tone, only teasing.

Rolling his eyes, Felix responded. Whatever… But do you see anything?

What about the lake over there? It looks nice, Zira suggested.

He squinted his eyes, trying to get a better view of it. Maybe? We could at least adjust our course and do a flyby.

Instead of responding, Zira began leaning, first to the left then to the right. A signal that they had come up with to indicate that they were about to turn.

A moment later, Kyrith repeated the signal and fell back to give them room. With the acknowledgement, Zira banked softly to her left and began her turn until she was pointing directly at the lake. The ember-colored dragon followed her all the way through…

It looks nice… he said, trailing off.

But? Zira asked, sensing his hesitation.

But I wonder if Eri will like it?

Ask her then?

He let out a sigh, knowing that Zira was right. Raising an open hand, he held it for several seconds before gesturing down. Then, he raised his hand again and gave a thumbs up, before quickly switching to thumbs down.

Finished with his gesturing, he looked over to Eri and Kyrith, who were back to flying next to them.

Eri gave him a thumbs up of her own in response.

Well, that settles it then, he said to himself before addressing Zira. She agreed.

A wave of amusement flowed out from Zira’s side of the bond. Nervous?

Of course! But never mind that, do you see anywhere to land?

I do, but it’ll be tight. Hold on, the landing might be a little rough.

Felix tightened his grip on his saddle. This isn’t my first time doing a rough landing, you know.

Zira briefly glanced back at him, revealing a mischievous smile. Oh, I’m aware. I distinctly remember your first rough landing. You flew off my back and landed hard in–

Yes, yes! Thank you! Now, please, focus on landing? he begged.

He felt her let out a rumbling laugh. Alright…

With that, she gave another signal, alerting Kyrith that she was preparing to land. Once that was done, Zira began dropping height as she started circling. Meanwhile, Felix took the opportunity to properly study the lake as they got closer.

The immediate ground surrounding it was clear of any trees. There was no mistaking it for a pond, this was definitely a lake, a small one, but a lake nonetheless. Its size easily rivaled the area of the manor’s clearing. Feeding it was a river, with smaller streams splintering off and webbing around until they joined back at the lake.

Felix had to admit, at least from his spot, it looked rather idyllic. As they came around for their final pass, he noticed a small field of flowers in one spot near the lake’s edge.

There–

Zira landed fast, quickly digging her talons into the soft ground. Dirt kicked up as she flared out her wings to help slow her down. All the while, Felix gritted his teeth and held on for dear life.

They came to an abrupt stop but Zira was done. The landing spot wasn’t big enough for two dragons and she leaped out of the way as Kyrith made his approach.

You weren’t kidding, Felix joked as he sat back up. But, I have to ask, why did you come in so fast?

Because of all your supplies. It was weighing me down and if I slowed too much I would fall out of the sky.

He looked behind himself at the various crates and bags latched to the harness. They weigh that much? he asked wearily. Both Zira and Kyrith were carrying supplies for both the cave and for Felix and Eri’s date.

It’s not that bad, but it does make landings slightly more difficult. I’ll be fine once I get used to it, she said unconcerned.

Their discussion came to an end as the ember-colored dragon made his landing, almost overshooting it. Felix winced, expecting the worst but thankfully Kyrith dug his talons in deep and came to a sliding stop before the sky trees.

Letting out his breath, Felix slipped out of his saddle and slid down Zira’s side. He rushed over to the other dragon, and more specifically Eri.

“Are you okay?” he asked as she hopped off of Kyrith.

“Yeah… But, could you two have found a better landing spot?” she said as she worked on fixing her wind-swept hair.

He gave her a smile. “I think this was the best spot. Zira wouldn’t have chosen it if it wasn’t.”

Eri let out a huff, now working on adjusting her clothes. “I suppose, but– You know what? No, I’m not going to complain.” She brought her full attention upon him. “You wanted to have our date here?”

Hearing her say those words brought a new wave of embarrassment and nervousness that caused him to flush. “Y-yeah… Did you see that patch of flowers? Near the edge?”

“I did. It did look rather beautiful." She flashed him a coy smile. “Perhaps we can get lost in them? They looked tall enough. Oh! I know! I’ll make you chase me through them!”

“Huh…? What are–”

Kyrith suddenly chimed in with a whine. “Eri… Please keep your dirty thoughts to yourself. It makes me feel weird…”

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Now it was Eri’s turn to find herself flushing with color. She quickly faked a cough. “A-anyway, are you wanting to spend the rest of the day here? We could do lunch and then fly out…”

Felix blinked twice before shaking his head. “I was thinking of staying the night here. Zira was confident that we could make the rest of the journey in a day.”

Eri’s expression relaxed. “How confident is she about finding the sanctuary?”

Zira decided to add herself to the conversation as she approached. “I’m confident I can get us close. Finding its exact spot shouldn’t be too hard, but the mana density there makes it hard for me to know for certain.”

“I can help too!” Kyrith added. “I’m fairly certain we are heading the right direction!”

Felix chuckled. “Of course, Kyrith. We will need both you and Zira. Anyway, let’s get the supplies off of the two of you…”

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

Eri carried a smile as she and Felix trudged off towards the field of flowers, their arms full of everything they would need for a date. As for the dragons? They chose to go for a swim within the lake, not wanting to be anywhere near them.

But there was more for her to be excited about. In one of her pouches, a special gift sat. She felt its weight despite it weighing almost nothing.

Soon, Eri thought. Soon I’ll present it to him… I can’t wait to see his expression! She truly thought Felix would love it, especially once she explained its significance.

In a bid to contain herself, she focused on the scenery around them. Flowers of all kinds, of all colors, swayed gently in the breeze. It was hot out but it was a welcome reprieve from the cold, howling winds she faced the entire morning.

Honestly, how does Felix handle it so easily? she asked herself before quickly shaking the thought away. No, I can ask him later…

“How about over there?” Felix suddenly said, pointing to a small hill that peaked up through the flowers and overlooked the lake.

“That should work,” she answered. “A rather beautiful spot, I have to admit. A shame we couldn’t bring Calinna with us, I would love a drawing of this.”

There was a complex expression on his face as she said that. “Yeah…”

Realizing she made a mistake, she quickly changed the subject. “Honestly, I am happy we decided to do this.”

He gave her a bashful look. “Well, I mean… We did end our bet in a draw. I thought it would be only fitting if we did something, you know… Together,” he muttered the word just loud enough for her to hear. “Besides, it’s not like this is all we are doing. We have a much bigger job ahead of us.”

A light chuckle escaped her lips as she watched him try to downplay the significance of their date. Some might find that rude, but she understood what he meant. But that doesn’t mean I can’t tease him.

“What?” he asked, as they came to a stop upon the hill.

“You know, telling a woman something like that is offensive.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you’re not taking this very seriously.” She paused as she watched the horrified look slowly take over his confusion. “But luckily for you, I happen to understand,” she finished, adding a bit of haughtiness to her voice.

“T-that’s not… What I meant to say was–”

“Shh, I am only joking with you.” She set a basket down upon the ground before coming up to him. “Relax.” She pulled him into a hug. “I am fully aware of what you meant.”

Eri stayed like that until she felt his arms wrap around her. “You might be an idiot, but you’re my idiot.” She leaned into him and gave him a small kiss and a wink before pulling away.

“Funny…” Felix grumbled. “Very funny.”

“I thought so. But now, how about we have our insignificant date?”

The two of them set to work.

Felix pulled out a blanket and laid it out on the ground, doing his best to straighten it. As he finished, Eri set down the basket she was carrying and opened it. Inside was food, kept fresh and warm with the help of a few enchantments.

Honestly, Noria really came through for us… It wasn’t entirely a surprise, though. Yarnel’s lessons had rekindled the flame of enchanting for the former mage. In truth, they all felt inspired to study and practice more.

Yarnel isn’t that bad of a teacher, I have to admit… The small dragon could be rude and snobbish at times, but there was no doubt his lessons weren’t boring.

She began to pull out plates and set them down. Next she worked on the food, a rather large selection of meats, cheese, and a few odd assortments.

And once again, I have to wonder where the kobolds had managed to find something like cheese. I doubt they made it, but I suppose it could have come from the camp. Wherever it came from, Eri decided she didn’t want to know.

Laying the food out upon the plates, she caught a glimpse of Felix looking off into the lake.

“What is it?”

He blinked before bringing his attention back to her. “Oh, sorry. I was watching the dragons. They are apparently splashing each other, and I was making sure it didn’t get out of hand again.”

“Hmm?” she hummed as she looked out. There, she found Zira and Kyrith doing exactly what Felix said. The two dragons were circling one another before one would suddenly thrust forward, sending a large wave towards their target.

“Okay, that’s pretty funny,” she said with a laugh. “But I am glad to see them playing more.”

“Me too.”

They stood there quietly as they took in the scene. That is, until Felix’s stomach began to rumble.

“Hungry?” she asked him teasingly.

“Definitely.”

“Are you sure this will be enough for you? I know you can eat like a dragon and all.”

“Haha. For your information, I can control myself. How do you think I survived the trip to Bernel and back?”

“You had Zira hunt for the two of you?”

That caught him off guard. “No! I did some hunting too…”

“Right,” Eri said mockingly. “Anyway, come and sit.” She took her seat and waited for him to do so as well. And as he took his spot, she gave him a mischievous grin.

“What now?” He sounded exasperated.

“I was serious earlier.”

“Serious about what?”

“About having you chase me through the flowers.”

He froze, his mouth open with a slice of meat and cheese halfway in. After a moment, he took a slow bite and chewed. “Well, perhaps I could still have you run naked…”

She leaned back her hand covering her mouth as if in shock. “Oh my! Then does that mean I could still enact my punishment? I think I brought some clothes that might fit you…”

His eyes widened in horror. “You wouldn’t dare…”

“Oh, I would. But, perhaps I am feeling generous. I can see that you don’t like that idea…” She trailed off as a new thought came to her. “How about this? If you catch me, I’ll let you do whatever you want with me.”

He gave her a suspicious look. “And if I don’t?”

“Then I get to do whatever I want with you.”

His eyes narrowed. “You are still planning to put me in a dress aren’t you.”

“Absolutely not! Well… Maybe a little–”

“I knew it!” he shouted as he pointed a finger at her.

The two of them immediately broke out into laughter.

“Okay… What about this?” she said after calming down. “We finish our lunch and skip the games. Besides,” she reached into her pouch and grasped his gift, “I have something to give you.”

Before he could react she pulled out a ring and handed it out for him.

She watched with glee as he slowly looked down at it. First he had a stunned expression but as he took in the ring, it turned into a frown.

Wait, what… “I-is something wrong?” she stammered out.

Felix didn’t immediately respond but he did carefully take the ring and held it up to inspect it.

The ring was made of wood from a sky tree, much like the ones Lorem made for him and Noria. But where this ring differed was the clear crystal that set on top. Embedded between the ring and crystal was the shard from Zira’s egg.

“It’s… It’s beautiful,” he said breathlessly. Still, his frown betrayed him.

“But?” Eri pushed, her fear bubbling up to the surface. What did I do wrong? Gods, please don’t tell me I managed to offend him!

He shook his head before looking back at her, his expression becoming even more dower. “I didn’t get you a gift–”

“That’s it?! That’s what’s wrong?!” She couldn’t help but to shout.

Felix flinched but nodded quickly. “I didn’t think to get you a gift… I’m sorry.”

A wave of relief flowed through her. “Felix… I kept this secret from you, how could you have known? How could you have prepared a gift? I didn’t do this expecting you to give me something in return. I did this because I love you and wanted to show you.”

His frown lightened slightly. “Yeah… I know, but I should have gotten something made for you too.”

I can’t believe this! Eri let out a sigh. “You have given me a gift though! The figurine of Kyrith, remember?”

That got him to perk up. “That’s true…”

“It is! Now, try it on. I did my best to guess your size, but if it doesn’t fit properly let me know.”

Cautiously, he slid it onto his ring finger. A moment later, he finally smiled. “A perfect fit.”

“Is it?” she questioned. “Let me see.”

He held out his hand for her to inspect. She took it into hers and carefully checked the ring over, making sure there was nothing wrong.

With another sigh, she let go and settled down into her seat. “Good…”

“I’ll do whatever you want,” Felix said without warning.

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“I mean, you win. I’ll do whatever you want for the rest of the day.” There was an edge to his tone as if he just resigned his fate to the hells. “What do you want me to do first? You want me to put on that…that dress?”

Eri studied him for several moments before giving her answer. “What I want is…” She gave him an evil look.

“…to finish our meal.”