group
He snorted and poked her side. "Would not. It's no fun. I'd likely steal the eggs from my neighbors." He grinned cheekily, holding back his laughter—though just barely. "And what's so funny about thinking about me as a farmer?" he then challenged playfully, poking her side again.
At the poke to her side, Lily let out a small squeak, shifting away just barely, more out of habit than anything. She…might have been a little bit ticklish. "You can't steal eggs from your neighbors! They raised those chickens themselves!" She said, shaking her head and letting out the same noise as he poked her again. "You just don't quite seem like the type."
group
He pouted when she shifted away some and said that he couldn't steal. "So? It's more fun than stealing my own eggs. That's like stealing your own cookies that you've made." He then scoffed, clutching at his chest in mock hurt. "How dare you. I'd make the perfect farmer, thank you very much."
"Not if you're going to steal other people's eggs, you wouldn't." She said, raising an eyebrow at him. Without the threat of being poked in the side anymore, she scooted back into place, shaking her head. "You really aren't at all attached to this life? The easy luxury? The safety, and the promise of no work?"
group
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking up at the sky beyond the glass dome. "I dunno… I've never really fit here, y'know? I'm a troublemaker, always looking for danger to…get something out of my life besides sitting on my ass, twiddling my thumbs, and letting people wait on me hand and foot. It's not me. I need to do something. I want to work for what I make, not just be born into easy money. That might be why I steal, might not, who knows? But…" he trailed off. He pulled his legs up and rested his arms against his knees, sighing and dropping his head into his arms.
She blinked, frowning slightly as she looked down at him. She felt like she should offer some form of comfort, but wasn't entirely sure how. The best she could think to do was place her hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly and letting it rest there. "That…makes sense." She said softly, wishing she could offer a bit more.
group
He sucked in a breath and lifted his head, offering Lily a smile as if nothing was wrong. "Ah, but I guess that's just not meant to be. I'm Heir and soon to be King, so I'll just have to suck it up and finally deal with this life without complaining. No more stealing from this thief."
"There really isn't any other option?" She asked quietly, letting go of his shoulder. After a slight moment of hesitation, she opened her arms a bit, offering a hug if he wanted one. "You shouldn't have to give up something so important to you, for a crown you don't even want that much."
group
He shifted slightly and loosely wrapped an arm around her waist, but shook his head anyway. "It's not that simple, even if there was a way I know of where I could give up the crown." He shook his head again and averted the majority of his thoughts to Lily instead, not wanting to dwell much on his sealed fate.
She rested an arm across his back, as though giving a side hug of sorts. "I'm sorry. You deserve happiness…maybe even a farm." She shot him a small smile, trying to cheer him up. "With ducks, and Kaspa, and fireflies. Peaceful and chaotic at the same time."
group
His eyes brightened some, and a small, genuine smile bloomed over his lips. "A farm? Weren't you just saying that I'd make a terrible farmer?" he asked with a hint of amusement, "Though, peaceful and chaotic at the same times sounds wonderful." He tilted his head and tapped his lips with his free hand. "Though…something's missing from the picture."
"I never said you would make a terrible farmer, just that you can't steal your neighbors' eggs." She pointed out, shaking her head and huffing a small laugh. "What do you think is missing, then?" She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow slightly at him.
group
"I can't be all alone—I'd never get anything done besides stealing my neighbors' eggs." He smirked down at her, tapping her nose. "I'd need someone who can put up with me and keep me on track, preferably someone that I quite like being around on a daily basis."
She blinked, her nose scrunching up out of habit as a light blush painted her cheeks. "Are-are you suggesting I be a part of that picture?" And gods, did it sound like a wonderful picture they had painted. "You really aren't that hard to put up with, you know."
group
"Yes, I'm suggesting you be part of that picture," he said, green eyes soft and honest and unguarded, letting her see just how much he'd love to make that picture a reality—they. Not just him, but the both of them. Hell, he'd probably strap Cin down to a chair to make her figure out a way for him to get rid of his royal title if it meant making that scenario real.
"Oh." She breathed, her eyes flickering between his as though searching them for any sign of a lie, and coming up empty. "That sounds absolutely wonderful, then." She said, smiling softly. A quiet life, one with Rhydar, really did sound wonderful.
group
His smile mirrored hers, and he leaned forward to press a light kiss to her forehead, deeming that a safe place to kiss her without needing to ask. "I'm glad you think so," he murmured against her skin before pulling back, "because then I'm not making a complete idiot of myself."
"Of course you aren't. I think as long as I was with you, anywhere would be fine, but a farm…makes me think of home." She said, her smile a bit brighter after he'd kissed her forehead. The gesture always made her heart warm.
group
His eyes brightened with joy as he gazed down at her, happy to hear that and to see her brighter smile. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. His thumb idly ran circles over her waist from where his arm was still slung around her.
"A good thing." She assured, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly with her smile. The circles on her waist were…oddly nice, a sort of soothing thing, especially when factoring in the fact that his hand hadn't moved from that spot. That was something she was incredibly grateful for. "Those are my fondest memories."
group
His smile warmed as he very briefly and lightly tightened his hold on her, then loosened it once again. "Good," he said with a small nod, "So you wouldn't be entirely opposed to dealing with my childish antics all on your own?" he then asked teasingly with a lopsided smile.
"Absolutely not. I'll be able to handle your 'childish antics' just fine, don't worry." She said with a small laugh, leaning into him a bit more in response to him tightening his arm. "They're even cute, occasionally." And they bring a smile with them most of the time, something I'll never be opposed to.
group
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "I appreciate it," he said, his heart warming despite his chill outside demeanor. Rhydar was absolutely loving this time and attention from Lily, even if it was just her leaning on him while they chatted about a hypothetic future inside an exotic greenhouse.
Lily's face scrunched up at the same time that it brightened a bit. Gods, she really was a sucker for affection, wasn't she? "What else should we have on the farm? Chickens? Oh, can we grow strawberries?" The last part carried a small hint of excitement, even if it was just a pipe dream.
group
He grinned at her excitement, however small. "Yes, we can grow strawberries," he said with a hint of amusement. He then tilted his head to the side. "I believe I promised you a trip to strawberry picking, didn't I?" he mused, looking down at her with an arched brow.
Her smile brightened at the okay for growing strawberries, her eyes sparkling. "You did promise a trip, yesterday." She said, tilting her head the other way with a blink. "We never quite set any plans for that, though." If she was being honest, she was excited for that strawberry picking trip, whenever it would happen.
group
He looked at his wrist, which was devoid of a watch. "I'm pretty sure I can make room in my schedule for a strawberry picking day, at least for a few hours. What do you say?" He looked down at her with a tilted head, smile growing at the sight of her bright smile and sparkling eyes.
"I would absolutely love that." She said with a laugh, plopping her chin onto his shoulder as she smiled up at him. "When would those few hours be, exactly?" She asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. The sparkle in her eyes had noticeably grown with her excitement, her eyes taking on lighter colors, light blues and greens and even an almost silver.
group
He grinned and lightly kissed her nose before answering her. "Right now, if you want. Mother's busy with some group of Dukes or other high-class snobs, so she won't be looking for me for a while. You helped me with this boring stuff—it's only fair that I set aside some of my time for you. Not that I'm overly opposed to doing that anyway."
She closed her eyes briefly, her nose scrunching up slightly in response. "I'm glad you're not opposed, because I wouldn't want you feeling obligated to do something you really didn't want to." She said, furrowing her brows slightly before returning to her smile. "We should absolutely go now, that way you're less likely to have to worry about being pulled away. Only if you're sure you don't have anything important to do."
