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He lifted his head just long enough to stick his tongue out, then it was fully buried in the nest of his arms. "I don't even know why, but I do," he muttered. It was the main reason why he wasn't in a rush anymore to get onto the date. He was also marveling over how he was both slightly leaning on her leg and tracing patterns onto the skin without her saying anything about it.
"Do you really need a reason? I couldn't tell you why neck kisses are so enjoyable for me, but they are just the same." She said, shrugging a shoulder.
While some days allowed small steps forward, last night had brought her miles. Last night, something changed, at least a little bit for her. It was beyond just trust now. It was more a certain surety, the knowledge that he wouldn't hurt her or try anything. She had known it before, sure, but now the parts of her mind that always carried that doubt had proof.
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"Mhmm," he hummed, then released a small sigh. "We should go," he mumbled in half-hearted complaint, "but you're treacherous fingers are distracting me." He didn't make any move to get away, however, which he should've considering his rush to get going. But he didn't, because he liked it too much.
She hummed in agreement, not quite moving her fingers away yet. She lingered for a bit longer than she should have before reluctantly pulling her hand back towards herself, smiling down at him. "I'm sorry. We can get going now, though."
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"Nothing to be sorry for," he murmured, not knowing if she could even hear him, then stood up straight while flashing a quick and kind smile at Lily. "Off to our adventure," he said dramatically, then hoisted himself up onto the saddle in front of Lily.
“Adventures are fun. I wanted to be an explorer when I was younger.” She commented, wrapping her arms loosely around his middle to hold onto him. “Cassia and I would go out into the fields or the woods a little ways away, and pretend we were cartographers.”
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He looked over his shoulder with a raised brow, then smiled, chuckled, and shook his head as he looked back ahead. "I learn something about you every day," he said, sounding amazed, and gathered the reins in one hand to direct Nevarra back onto the road. The mare snorted and got going without further protest, seemingly happy to get back on the move.
“Of course that would be new information?” She tilted her head, slightly confused by the amazement in his tone. After a moment, she shook her head, using one hand to push her hair back from her face. “You know, we know quite a bit about each other, but at the same time, not a whole lot.”
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"No, I'm more shocked about the fact you pretended to be a cartographer," he clarified. He clicked his tongue, and Nevarra picked up the pace, heading towards the next town as Rhydar listened to Lily. He then hummed, tilting his head. "You're right. A little questionnaire while we travel? Maybe some heart-to-heart?" He was partially joking, but he also wanted to get to know Lily on a deeper level. He wanted to know about the cause of her nightmares.
He also, just a little bit, wanted someone to finally open up to. He had slightly opened up to her when he talked about his lost wings, but he never told her the full story. He never told her about the one ring he never took off, even to this day. He never told her about his missing sister that be both adored and resented. He never told anyone, and the secrets were piling on one another.
“I’ll be the first to admit that I spent more time finding bugs and plants than I did actually mapping.” She said with a small laugh, shifting to get a bit more comfortable. “A questionnaire? Alright. As long as you’re okay with it.” It wasn’t too bad a suggestion, though even now she could see a few ways it could go wrong. She’d just have to avoid those.
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"Mmhm, I'm an open book," he said, then tilted his head as he thought about something. "Well, for the most part. I'd like to keep it lighthearted, so forgive me if we reach a touchy subject and I'm a bit vague." That morning, when he opened up to her, he felt less… guarded. Like he could place his trust in her and open up.
"That's entirely alright, dear." Lily assured, pressing a quick kiss to his shoulderblade. "I hope you'll afford me the same consideration. Some things just…aren't easy to talk about, I know that." She returned her other hand to where it had been, the arm wrapped around him. "Do you want to start?"
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"Uhhh." He tilted his head as he thought about it. His free hand unconsciously reached down to intertwine their fingers. "Favorite pet or animal while growing up?" he offered. He then pulled her hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles, responding to the quick kiss she gave him.
"Favorite pet? There was this duck, on my family's farm. I hatched her after a coyote snatched her mother." She answered quickly, without any sort of hesitation. "Her name was Maxia, and she would follow me around the farm and even inside." She huffed a laugh, giving his hand a small squeeze unconsciously. "How about you?"
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"I had a pup named Maximus. He was the runt of the litter and born without eyes. Didn't last long, the poor guy, but I made sure he at least had a good life while he could." Rhydar sounded slightly wistful, but he was smiling, happy he could've given an unwanted pup a good life.
"He sounds adorable." Lily said, a smile on her face from his words and wistful-ish tone. "Niáng used to say that animals with what most people call 'deformities' just have a bit more character. It was mostly joking, but mom loved any animal, regardless of appearance. I'm glad you could give him a happier life."
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"She sounds like my kind of woman," Rhydar said with a chuckle, then glanced over his shoulder to look at Lily. "Me too. He always woke me up with morning kisses and his little butt wiggling like there's no tomorrow. It was incredibly adorable, and a constant reminder that I was doing some good for once."
"She'd love you." Lily commented, her eyes brightening slightly as his met them. Happy colors, as usual, swirling around. "That's quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever heard. Puppies are a gift." She said, just the thought of puppies in general, and Maximus's morning routines specifically, seemed to make her incredibly happy.
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Rhydar grinned and leaned back slightly, head tilting enough so he could place a kiss on Lily's lips. "Both statements that could be used to describe you," he said cheekily. He loved the colors of her eyes especially when they swirled brightly with happiness.
Lily's cheeks darkened slightly with a light blush, but the kiss she had given him before he spoke was perfectly happy. "Is that so?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him as her eyes sparkled with amusement. Not long ago, she had barely been able to look him in the eye. Now, here she was, holding onto him, her face as readable as an open book.
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"Yes, that's so," he said with an adorable smile, kissing her nose and turning back around before Nevarra got any ideas. "Okay, your turn. What questions do you have for me?" he asked. His thumb brushed over the back of her hand in slow patterns, running up and down and back again.
She hummed thoughtfully, tilting her head as she did. What to ask…nothing too serious, obviously, not that she really would on purpose. They were on a date anyway, and those were supposed to be fun, right? "What's your favorite hobby? Just something you like to do as often as you can, besides stealing?"
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He opened his mouth to say just that, then closed it and pouted when she said 'besides stealing.' "You're no fun," he whined, then sighed and tilted his head to think. "Well, riding is a close one, but I'd say piano. I don't get to do it very often, but I love doing it whenever I can."
“At least now I know you have other interests.” She teased lightly, almost wanting to reach for his hand after the mention of playing the piano. Just to look at his fingers, of course. And maybe to hold it. “When do you usually get to play the piano?”
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"Once or twice a month?" he guessed regretfully. "From not being around much to my mother's dislike for my interests, as well as princely things, I just never had the chance." He shook his head and looked down, drawing a square over the back of Lily's hand over and over again.
She smiled brightly as he traced squares onto her hand, arms tightening around him slightly. “We should find a way for you to play more. Somewhere in the city where you can go when you have time. Admittedly, I would love to hear you play.”
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He smiled softly, tightening his grip on her hand briefly before resuming the squares. "I'd love that," he murmured, thinking to himself about what he would play for her. "What about you?" he said to her after a small stretch of contemplative silence, "What do you enjoy doing, besides admiring flowers and talking to animals?"
“You don’t have to let me listen, you know.” She pointed out, pausing to think about his question. “Oh. Um….I like reading? And that’s tied with anything to do with music, I guess. I used to sing my younger sisters to sleep, and I’ve always loved finding places where people perform music.”
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He smiled to himself. "Then I'm most definitely finding time to play for you. Who knows? Maybe we could put on a show for some people in the city? You, the star of the show, and me, your faithful provider of music to compliment your angelic voice."
She huffed a laugh, shaking her head before pressing her face to his back as though embarrassed already. “First of all, you would be the star, not me. I’m not star quality. And second, I would hardly call my voice angelic. Not even close.”
