Beach-side Beginnings

”That would be strange,” she remarked with a dreamy voice. Trying to imagine having extra arms was…strange to say the least, perhaps as odd as imagining petals sprouting from her or being able to “eat” using sunlight. ’Even then I’d probably still eat food. They don’t get ALL their nutrients from sun and water…and I’d so miss the taste.’ If nothing else she refused to completely turn into a plant lest she never eat another plate of tasty food much less a creation of Magna’s. Traveling would also get a bit awkward if he had to carry her around in a pot, or so her odd little mind determined. A toothy smile poked out, a teasing tone lacing her voice, "So...would you say you were always a monkey at heart?" Who knew: maybe he'd been a bit of a wild child? "Or do you like monkeying around?" Try as she did to hide the giggles behind the sleeves of her long jacket, it'd be impossible not to hear them so close. "Sorry...I couldn't resist, though the tail certainly suits you. With the level of passion you have towards cooking I suppose it really shouldn't be a surprise you'd adapt it quickly into your craft."

If rowdiness was common amongst guilds…she bit back the question that came to mind since the candy cane tailed man already refused to answer once before about Black Rose, but it did leave her wondering if on occasion they got up to a bit of mayhem there. ’Probably…you pull together a wide enough range of personalities and anything’s possible…’ In her mirth though it was easy to forgive now and simply accept that she'd "see it for herself" at some point, and quite possibly learn to live with it.

This sounded exciting though! For all the times she’d wandered the lands it’d been purely with her personally crafted companions, never with another individual outside of a meal or two. Yet she found she couldn’t wait to see the man’s reactions and responses to the place, adding another dimension to the town and its meaning let alone Hosenka or Lavantir. She’d never tried to view something through the eyes of another, not truly as she’d occasionally tested their ideals and convictions. Trying to catch a glimpse of how they saw it though…no, it was more than just that, especially with someone so focused on his senses. Shade couldn’t begin to comprehend it all as he’d likely pick up on scents she might’ve missed or nuances to a dish that might be lost on her without a more keen palate.

”Mmm that does sound fun, it would be a shame for you to stop by and not get a proper taste of the place,” she grinned up at him, obviously pleased with her little pun. Kicking off her flip flops the summoner brought her legs up, tucking both the skirt and jacket around them to keep her warm. It didn’t compare to the heat from her companion however, the pleasant radiation astounding her a little as one of her hands lightly stroked the one wrapped around her, ”Are you always so warm, or is it a trait of all guys?” Thinking about it though, Shade hadn’t spent a lot of time this close to people in general, leaving her wondering if all people possessed such a comforting warmth about them? ’No,’ she realized, unconsciously shivering as her mind viciously shoved the memory back down, ’some are tundras…and can chill a room.’ It was hard to ignore the urge to attempt to burrow deeper into his side, Shade wanting nothing more than to revel in that warmth and finding yet another thing she enjoyed about him.

"A monkey at heart?" he said thoughtfully and then decided to give an idea of how exactly he became a monkey without going into too much depth. "When I became an ace part of the...test...to decide whether I would be or not involved finding my inner animal spirit...somehow I had two. A white spider monkey called Chill and an orange one called Burn. When I found those...my body changed. So I guess you could say deep down I was a monkey. Two of them in fact" he didn't mind her curiosity in fact he quite liked it. He liked hearing her earnest interest in him and his life. He also liked just hearing her voice. It was so pretty and for some reason it almost entranced her.

He paused as she mentioned the fact that he was warm and asked if that was just how he was or how all guys were. He wasn't 100% sure how to answer that question. "Well, I don't really hug guys that much so I don't know how warm they are." he said and hugged her close wrapping his arm more tightly around her. He wanted to keep her close and wanted to keep her warm. "I suppose all the time i've spent in the kitchen and my magic has given me a bit more inner heat than most and if it keeps you warm then I am glad"

He did admit that the inside of the carriage was a little chilly, but their body heat together was warming her and hers was warming him. He snapped his fingers with his other hand and a chef jacket fluttered down wrapped itself around her. As he went to tuck it under her the coach hit a bump and without meaning to his hand groped her breast. She blushed profusely and quickly let go adjusting his hand. He hoped it wouldn't annoy her.

That explained the twisting of colors along the length, and rather fitting at the same time. The notion of a spirit animal sounded intriguing, her mind wrapping around the foreign concept. Questions continued to gather as they found out more about each other, or at least the girl managed to keep the power more in her court – albeit unconsciously as she simply wanted to know more. Finding out one detail often lead to a multitude of paths, each answer acting as a branch to more until she could further fill in the tree of knowledge. Though she did wonder how often someone came up with two spirit animals instead of one, but enjoyed the yin-yang aspect of it all.

Then again the way he took some of her remarks so seriously…she found it rather charming, barely keeping in the giggles that bubbled up at the mention of not really hugging guys a lot. Well, it was a fair curiosity on her part, but the summoner supposed in hindsight she hadn’t expected a full answer to that one either. Either way it sparked him into holding her closer and summoning a jacket so she wouldn’t complain. Neither suspected the next events as the carriage hit a bump, the driver calling out an apology on deaf ears.

Any appreciation for the gesture blanked out as eyes blinked down at the hand upon her chest. It required a moment’s processing to accept what’d happened as he pulled away and as it hit home her cheeks finally became dusted in red as well. In all her years the girl had never been touched there, the sensation odd and yet…not wholly unpleasant. At least the notion to turn him into a plushy little denizen never occurred to her like in times past. Unable to meet his eyes for odd reasons Shade laid her head on his shoulder, a hand pressed against her warm cheek. ”I…don’t suppose that’s customary on a first date?”

Thinking about it too much more only seemed to enflame her face further. In a simple maneuver to distract herself the girl’s mind turned back to the spirit animals. ”So…what’s it like having two spirit animals? Do they speak to you often, or communicate somehow? Is it common to have two?”

Ah she had noticed. Well, considering the area was meant to be more sensitive on women it wasn't exactly surprising. He wouldn't say he regretted the accident except that perhaps it might have upset her or made her wary of him. It was quite enjoyable, for even a brief moment, to feel that soft flesh in his hand. Her question caused him to look up unable to quite meet her gaze much like she couldn't meet his. "I...don't know. Probably not unless the date is going well?" he suggested nervously wondering how exactly to proceed here. "I'm sorry if it upset you. It was an accident." he paused and then decided to be truthful. "Though I won't lie and say I didn't enjoy it." He blushed more profusely, but at least she had now changed the topic. SO hopefully, they could now overcome the embarassment. Though now he thought about it. What would they do room wise on their weekend away?

"On occasion, particularly around bananas they can get a bit noisy. Kind of like a voice in the back of the head." he explained trying to describe exactly how it felt. "Sometimes in temperatures as well. Chill prefers colder climates, Burn prefers warmer. I think two is quite rare. I don't know of anyone else with more than one." That was true. The other dryads he had met only had one. He wondered if there was a way to channel the spirits power into Aegis somehow to allow him an actual physical form rather than just inhabiting the armor. Then again, before Kaya had vanished, he was pretty sure the knight had been working on something like that. "There's also a third voice nowadays, though he's quiet most of the time. Ever since I gained my new magic he's been there."

Later she’d look up customs, enjoying his floundering for the moment even as she remained unsure about it. Shade considered reassuring him that it hadn’t been upsetting, but for the moment she was still formulating an opinion as it filled her stomach with butterflies flitting about and she couldn’t dispel the phantom feeling of his hand being there. His confession only furthered the odd feelings, yet blessedly he followed her change as she could instead focus on imagining the pair of monkeys rather than whatever that had been…

’I wonder if they ever prod him into making banana dishes, or adding them to a dish at times…possibly.’ She supposed if nothing else they really enjoyed banana splits and perhaps banana flavored milk, though the fact they also liked temperatures associated with their name amused her. Predictable, but no less charming. Mentions of the third voice sparked her interest as her mind started to drift away again, her body slightly jolting as if to further stay awake. ”A third one? How did that come to be? What’s he like?” She wanted to know, though even as she listened to his response her body continued to betray her and relax into him. With her head already on his shoulder it’d been a mere matter of time as lashes slowly ceased their fluttering and rested against her cheeks.

Breathing evened out as her mind drifted into a blissfully blank abyss, for once the voices completely silent as if afraid to be the first to break the peace. So used to hearing the echoes of regrets and sorrow from the souls who’d made it to that realm that it left her a little stunned when she finally awoke when the carriage came to a complete halt and she could hear voices. Haze continued to grip her even as it moved again, though through the curtains she could spy lit lanterns hanging from the busy street, night owls continuing to mill about the places still open as others finally started making their way home in the walled off city. ”Sorry for falling asleep,” she mumbled, rubbing some of the sleep from her eyes, ”And thank you for letting me borrow your coat…if you’ll allow me I’ll pay for your room tonight as thanks for the wonderful date…and day. The least I can do seeing as you’ve even seen me to my door step practically.” Despite still waking up she truly wanted to do something for him after everything else. A small, playful smile sprouted as she further came back to the present, ”In fact…I’m not sure I’ll accept a ‘no’ to my offer, not without feeling a little insulted.” Not wholly true as she’d certainly feel disappointed, but at the same time she felt pretty adamant about the gesture even if she’d have to toss an ice-cream covered plush in his face at the desk to put money on the desk first.

”We should find a place for you first since most of the inns should be on this road and drop off your castle first…mmm…” her brow furrowed as a thought occurred to her however, cocking her head to the side, ”Though…if you’re able to transport objects in a holding space…why not the castles too?” Admittedly the thought crossed her mind as well as it’d be easy to have one of her denizens take the pair to her realm and just as easily she could summon them back…but it’d be something she’d keep to herself, mostly out of embarrassment for not thinking of it sooner.

He smiled and hugged her close as she fell asleep. He himself stayed awake. He was tired, that was true, but he didn't want to miss a moment of being with her. So he remained awake admiring her beauty and thinking about things. He hadn't answered her question about the third voice. A voice he  had not named himself nor found the name of. What was this voice? It was the voice of the cerberus spirit, a demon dog, he had defeated to find a rare ingredient. When defeating it the creature had coughed up a gemstone which upon touch fused within his body and granted him his new magic. It also granted the third voice which strangely advised him on how best to use the magic. He was much harder to describe as well.

Eventually they came to a stop and she apologised for falling asleep. "Don't worry. I enjoyed having you close to me. You look really cute when you're sleeping." he said blushing slightly as he made the compliment. He was pretty straightforward when talking to people. He was just used to talking to people he guessed. It came from his job. "As for a room, that would be great, though i'm paying for the spa trip and I won't take no for an answer so there." he added sticking out his tongue at her a little.

He considered the question about his holding space. Why hadn't he stored the castles in it? It hadn't really occured to him as an option. Maybe because he just wanted to show off a little and try and impress her.

"I'm not sure if I can store them there. My holding space only really contains stuff for cooking, ingredients, pans, ovens etcetera." he said in explanation. Though now he thought about it maybe the castle they'd used for ice cream might of been storable there. "Though I suppose as the castle was used as a bowl I might be able to store it there. Didn't really occur to me." He blushed again and ran a hand through his hair. It was his default gesture when he was nervous. It was a good job he kept his hair clean otherwise his food could get a bit contaminated. Then again he always washed his hands before cooking. "As for the coat, as its a bit cold still, how about you keep it? It should keep you warm. Don't want you catching a cold" Then again if she did catch a cold, even a minor one, he could use that as an excuse to stay and use his cooking to make her feel better. No, that was a bad idea. He didn't want her to get ill.

It felt as if every time he complimented her, Shade couldn’t help turning her eyes away as a small heat bubbled up. Bashful. She couldn’t recall feeling such before, having laughed off compliments before though…maybe it was because they’d felt empty compared to his? Luckily she didn’t have to think too hard on it though, and instead smiled as Magna easily gave into her demands with one of his own. ”Very well if that is your wish I suppose I can’t deny it,” she grinned though, unable to help the playfulness. If nothing else it’d become a fun little back and forth for them as their attention returned to the castles.

’But we used mine as a bowl…’ Even as the thought occurred to her Magna’s mind went along the same lines and admitted what she hadn’t: it hadn’t occurred. ’Though…I guess by the logic of mine we could use his as a rather large plate…? I’m not sure how it works, maybe it only functions if food touches it or something.’ If such were the case then perhaps they could simply make it easier on both themselves, even if it meant she’d have to admit her oversight as well.

”Huh?” Reflexively she hugged the jacket to her, enjoying the warmth yet unsure. Did he mean keep it forever or just for the moment? Except the notion of “catching a cold” distracted her from asking for a few seconds. It’d been so long since she last fell ill that Shade was pretty sure in her current state she was immune, though it warmed her heart for him to worry over it all the same. She’d probably end up giving it back though because it wouldn’t due for him to catch one either, sure that he could still catch them despite being in good shape. Turning her attention back to the castles atop the carriage she considered their options, ”Well…if you can at least store mine…I can probably have one of my denizens take your’s back to their realm and simply have them bring it to my room. That way at least you won’t have to worry about carting them around.” They also wouldn’t have to worry about knocking into something on accident, though worse came to worse she could at least get the one he’d made back to her realm and then he’d simply be stuck carrying his if it didn’t work out as planned…just meant she couldn’t slip her hand into his, or so she figured.

Finally leaving the carriage as it came to a halt again Shade’s eyes glanced around, noting how lovely the place looked with the various lights illuminating doorways of business still open and occupied rooms. The soft glows through paper doors added a certain loveliness and ambiance she hadn’t seen elsewhere, though if it truly matched Midi she supposed it wasn’t a new spectacle entirely. For now they needed to pick out a place for him and then…well whether she left him at the inn or he insisted on walking her to the guild hall they’d have to bid each other good night until the morning. Thoughts of seeing him so soon left her in higher spirits, able to focus on another day with the golden eyed man before they’d have to bid adieu for a spell.

Magna focused on both of the castles as they drove along. He tried to picture them as containers for food, a bowl and plate, rather than glass sand castles. He wasn't entirely sure how this worked. He knew he could store ordinary plates and stuff there. He could even store entire sideboards. He also knew ingredients sent there didn't spoil. It was almost as if time didn't exist there. He'd heard of such a realm whilst researching a legendary ingredient. Could he perhaps be tapping into that realm and thus only those suitable get through to that realm? He didn't know for certain what he did know is that as they went over a bump they went a bit higher than before. One of the castles had vanished. He couldn't tell which, but when they came to a stop and he looked out at it he found to his surprise that the one that had vanished was the one he made rather than the one that had been used as a bowl.

"How...odd." he said and summoned it back. "Could your denizens take both back to their realm and then when you come visit my home bring it out?" He was making a slight assumption here that she would be visiting his home. She'd mentioned curiosity about Lavantir and Black Rose after all and he was visiting hers to some extent so it made sense.

He walked her back to her home, holding her hand the entire time, and before he bid her farewell he pulled her in close and pressed his lips to hers, holding her there gently in his embrace for a few moments before letting go. She'd already paid for the inn and knew where it was. "Meet me for breakfast at the inn tommorow. Sweet dreams." he said and then as a final gift he conjured up two chocolates into her hand. One was a miniature of him and the other of her. He left her at the door, his heart light and full of a feeling he had only felt towards cooking. A passion, a desire, a love. He'd fallen and he'd fallen hard.

[EXIT THREAD]

Whichever way his magic worked it seemed the storing aspect could be a bit specific in how it worked, though not entirely without some warping as he’d managed to pack one of them away even if the wrong one. Since they already planned to see one another again and she certainly planned to visit Lavantir if it didn’t become a second home at some point, the favor was easily agreeable. ”Of course, it’ll be a snap!” At her beckon the bunny twins appeared atop the castles, blessedly clean unlike earlier – she should’ve figured they’d wash up on the other side – and spirited the castles back to “Paradise” with them.

After paying for a room, like a gentleman Magna walked her back to Infinity Hydra’s tower and she got to revel in his warmth and presence for just that pinch longer. Easily she moved into Magna, arms wrapping around him as they shared one last kiss for the evening, this one somehow sweeter than their chocolate kisses on the beach. ”It’s a date, sweet dreams,” she whispered before he imparted one final gift to her. She stalled before heading inside, watching as he walked back down the road until Amarylis finally urged her inside.

Staring at the chocolates she couldn’t help a small, sweet smile forming as she clenched her hand around them and sent them to her room back in the other realm. There, the chocolate couple found themselves standing happily atop Magna’s glass kingdom, hand-in-hand.