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"Sure." Rhydar smiled down at her as he left a parting kiss to her nose, knowing that she'd curl it in that adorable way of hers. "Don't take off without me," he teased with a wink, then pulled away from her to head to the innkeeper, who was trying her hardest not to gush over the couple.
Rhydar was right, of course, Lily's nose scrunched up almost immediately. "I won't." She promised, smiling after him before turning and heading outside. She greeted Nevarra in her home tongue, that musical foreign language that seemed to make animals melt around her.
"You two are adorable." The inkeeper said, looking like she was barely able to keep from squealing.
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Rhydar grinned as he approached the innkeeper. "She's the adorable one. I'm just lucky enough to be her arm candy." He smiled to himself, totally and clearly smitten with the girl as he checked them out of the inn. He didn't bother hiding it, so how he felt about Lily was written all over his wistful face.
"I don't know about arm candy. The way she looks at you makes it seem like you're more her world than just a nice thing to look at." She commented, setting the pen he had used in the pen cup in the corner of the desk. "You're the cutest couple I've had in here ever, I think. And we get a lot of couples."
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Rhydar smiled again in thanks, eyes crinkling. Hearing the innkeeper comment on how Lily looks at him made his heart swell with happiness. "Thank you for letting us stay here," he said with a slight bow to his head. "Have a great day," he added, rasping his knuckles on the counter, then backed away to head towards the door.
"Have fun, and stay safe!" She called after him with a bright smile, turning to get back to work.
Lily had gotten Nevarra ready, and was still talking happily to the mare. In her home tongue, she talked about Rhydar, and about her excitement for the date. How great he was and how sweet this was, and how she was still slightly surprised he'd picked her of all people.
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Rhydar smiled as he opened the door and saw Lily talking to Nevarra. He came up behind her, though made sure to make noise as he did so. His arms slowly and gently wrapped around her shoulders, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Whatch'ya talkin' 'bout," he mumbled against her hair.
Rhydar's relaxed gait had been ingrained into Lily's mind, to the point where she knew it was him before he'd even hugged her. She leaned back into him almost immediately, smiling softly and wrinkling her nose as he kissed her head. "What we're doing today, you, and a brief conversation about whether carrots or apples are better. I'm partial to apples."
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"Carrots for the win," he said, still mumbling against her hair. "Apples require more effort and are super juicy. Carrots are easy to eat and can buy in bulk with easy carry capabilities. I sound like an idiot as I try to explain, but oh well." He nuzzled his face into her hair, liking the softness. "Mmmm, what about me? Innkeeper seems to think you look at me like I'm your world."
"Apples are sweeter though. I like to eat them in slices." She countered, huffing a small laugh at his comment about being an idiot. And then she was flushing a bright pink as he mentioned what the inkeeper had said, her eyes widening just slightly. "She-uh, she does? We were just-talking about you in general."
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"Mmmhmm," he hummed, then pressed a quick kiss to her neck with a wicked grin as he let go of her and backed away. "Whatever you say, babe. I'd like to think you were talking about my blindingly good looks and dashing personality, but keep your secrets." His tone was playful, and the grin turned into a joking one as he checked the mare's saddle.
She shook her head, hiding the lower half of her face with a hand as she returned to scratching lightly along Nevarra's neck. After a moment, she spoke, not quite sure where the words came from. "Maybe I was. Her saddle on alright? I had a few issues making sure it sat right on her back."
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He paused for a brief moment after hearing her first statement, then went back to work as if nothing happened. "Yeah, it's almost perfect!" He made a few minor adjustments, then patted Nevarra's side. "Ready to go girl?" he said with a raised brow, and got himself smacked in the face with a tail in answer.
That drew a slightly startled, but slightly more boisterous laugh, out of Lily. Her face lit up with the laugh, head tilting back as she did. "Nevarra! That's very rude of you." She scolded half heartedly, still laughing through her words as she held the mare's face between her hands, pressing her forehead to the mare's for a moment.
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Rhydar, on the other hand, scowled at the mare and ran a hand through his hair. "Brat," he grumbled, flicking her flank with minimal force, then his face softened as he got a look at Lily. He approached her and hooked his fingers around her wrist lightly. "As adorable as you are right now," he murmured with a smile, ducking his head towards hers, "we need to get going."
"Right, right." Lily pulled her head away from the mare, who huffed at Rhydar playfully, nodding. She smiled up at him, eyes sparkling and swirling with light and happy colors. "You should be nicer to her, you know. Both of you should be nice to each other."
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"I'm nice enough," Rhydar huffed playfully, patting Nevarra's cheek lovingly. "I don't know what you're talking about." He then chuckled and shook his head, unable to keep from laughing at his own antics. He lightly tapped Lily's ribs, the touch featherlight and brief. "C'mon, let's get you up there."
Lily shifted slightly, not out of discomfort but more the ticklish feeling. “Help me up?” She asked, tilting her head and smiling sweetly. “I know I can on my own, but…” I want to be able to let you touch me, and this seems like another good start. “Short legs. It’s a bit of a struggle.”
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He quickly pecked her cheek, then got behind her so he could gently grab her waist. "You're going to have to learn to do it on your own," he said with a chuckle, though he didn't at all seem opposed to continuing to help her up. He counted under his breath, then lifted her up and onto the mare.
"I know how to do it on my own." She said, helping him help her up. Once up, she leaned over, pressing a kiss to the top of his head with a cheeky smile. Turning the tables while she could. "I just prefer letting you help me. It's easier in the long run, too."
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He grinned when she leaned down to kiss him, then folded his arms over her one leg to lean against Nevarra, head resting on his arms. "True enough. Besides, gives me a nice workout that I'm not unhappy about," he added with a smirk, tapping her leg lightly.
“Rhydar, dear, are you calling me heavy?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She managed to school her expression into a serious one, as though genuinely meaning that, and not messing with him. Which she absolutely was.
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"Well, you're certainly not as light as air, Lily Darling," he purred, looking up at her with his puppy dog eyes, mouth and part of his nose buried under his folded arms. He wasn't calling her fat, not by a long shot, but he wouldn't bow down and go as far to say that she weighed nothing. He was a twig, after all.
She snorted, the seriousness disappearing almost immediately. Reaching out, she ruffled his hair, the same way he did to her, her hand lingering for a moment. “You’re right about that. Once I didn’t have to worry about how much I was eating or could get to eat, I may have gone a bit overboard.”
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He curled his nose when she ruffled his head, though his eyes soon closed almost automatically as his face softened slightly. "Overboard is a large overstatement. You're beautiful how you are now, and I don't want to hear otherwise," he mumbled into his arms.
“Overboard is just the right word. At least for then, maybe not so much now.” She said, letting her hand stay there as she played with his hair. “I didn’t expect food to taste so good. Luckily, fruit was my favorite thing to eat, so at least it wasn’t the unhealthiest. Imagine if my family had been bakers, and sweets and bread were what I’d chosen as a favorite.”
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"Then you'd have these cute little chubby cheeks and looked even more adorable," Rhydar said, forcing his eyes to open to look up at her instead of focus on her playing with his hair. Damn he needed to get over that. It's like a childhood feeling he loved but never got enough of, so it stayed into adulthood.
"I'd have chub in more places than just my cheeks, Rhydar. Which would be fine and all, minus the health problems from that much sugar, but it would be hard to do-" One of my jobs. "-certain things. Unless I was already constantly active…" She trailed off, tilting her head in thought as she continued to play with his hair.
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His thumb and fingers absentmindedly traced idle patterns over her leg as he listened to her and relished in her touch—despite himself. "I'm aware, but still. Quit beating herself up over it, is all I'm saying. It's fine to indulge in what you were denied. Human, even." Kinda like me enjoying you playing with my hair with only a slight bit of shame, he thought.
"Alright, alright. I'll quit worrying about my weight, promise." She shook her head, smiling half softly and half in amusement. "You kind of remind me of a cat." The comment was out before she could think about it, but she didn't seem too worried. "It's adorable how much you seem to like me playing with your hair."
