"What is this horrendously familiar-looking thing," Ansar said dryly when Ruthed shoved the coppery rabbit into his face.
"Why, it's your new pet. The one that Sindri and I so lovingly picked out for you," Ruthed replied easily, a hint of mischief in his eyes.
"We should skin it and toss it in a stew," Ansar suggested coldly, but at Sindri's disapproving glare he sighed and took the rabbit into his arms, a blush forming across his nose and cheeks. "I was easy prey today 'cause I was all alone, thanks to you two." He whined. "Well, it was technically my fault," Ansar mumbled in a low voice as he subconsciously began to gently pet the rabbit in his arms. "I kind of wanted a little payback for the skirt flip incident, nothing too dangerous…"
::::::::
Ansar was tailing Kelius outside, trying to figure out how to get him back for what he did, when he lost track of him. "Hey, have you two seen Gallant Kinky pass by here?" He asked Ilohir and Madhal, who were both drinking some tea underneath a table with an umbrella.
"I believe he's gone out to the lake," Madhal replied with a half smirk.
"Try not to fight too much," Ilohir warned. "Gallant Sindri won't like it."
"Thanks," Ansar huffed as he quickly sprinted to catch up. Then, he saw him. Gallant Kinky was standing on the edge of a slope that was two feet above the water with his back completely open to attack. Perfect. He rushed forward and shoved him right into the lake. But, he didn't expect for Kelius to turn as he fell and grab him by the shoulders, throwing him off balance so that he fell on top of him. "Ack!" The last thing Ansar felt and heard was the splash of water that quickly surged up his nostrils and his mouth.
Kelius resurfaced, swimming in place and began to laugh. But, his laughter was cut short when he didn't see a brown head come back up for air. "Shit!" He cursed as he dived back down. After much struggling, the copper dragon managed to drag Ansar's limp body to shore. He was straddled over the beige dragon's form, getting ready to check if the smaller dragon was breathing, when Ansar began to cough up the water. "Birthed from a pure dragon's ass!" He hissed. "What in the cosmos were you thinking, playing around water when you don't even know how to swim?!"
As Ansar's vision cleared, he was able to see the wet, panting dragon hovering above him. The dragon's shirt was a light color because it damn near turned transparent while wet. Ansar never realized just how well-defined the red-eyed dragon was compared to him. "I'm sorry," He gasped, his yellow eyes quickly glancing into red and then turning away as he turned his head to look to the side. "I'm sorry."
::::::::
"And then he hefted me over his shoulder and carried me back to the fortress!" Ansar finished. "It was so humiliating…"
Sindri listened to the beige dragon's story, face palming himself after hearing it. "Just how was that nothing too dangerous? You nearly drowned!" He chastised before giving his friend a one-armed hug, as they both still held the rabbits. Desert dragons didn't swim; they did not need to learn out in the desert. "I'm just glad you're alright."
Ruthed shook his head in disbelief. "We're just lucky that Kelius knew how to swim too or else we would have all been in for a nasty surprise." He sighed, ruffling Ansar's curls as he walked past. "I think tonight feels like a good night to eat dinner in my room." He glanced over his shoulder at Sindri. "I'll have the kitchen staff send you yours, too, Sindri."
Ansar lifted an eyebrow as Ruthed walked away. "Since when are you two on a first name basis?" He asked suspiciously.
"Thank you. Good night," Sindri nodded towards Ruthed, waving him off. He looked at his friend and smiled. "Well, we're friends. I think that's appropriate, right?" He asked, hoping that Ansar caught the hint. He looked at the rabbit. "Got any ideas for names? I haven't a clue yet…"
Ansar smiled when Sindri labeled Ruthed as a friend. His nose scrunched up as he was reminded of the rabbit. "This one looks a little too much like Kelius to be worthy of an actual name. So, I'm just calling it Kinky Kit." He decided as he peered over at Sindri's pet. "Didn't the Astral Princess have white hair? Why don't you call him Astral?"
"Give the little guy a chance at least," Sindri pleaded with a laugh as he petted 'Kinky Kit' in sympathy. He then remembered the story of the Astral Princess. "Hey, you're right...I like that. Astral it is." He smiled, petting his rabbit.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll take care of him," Ansar conceded, a little smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks, by the way." As the words came out of his mouth, he realized that he had yet to thank Kelius for saving his life, though it was partially his own fault for dragging him into the water.
"Don't mention it."
"You should go eat and get some rest." Ansar pointed out. "Tomorrow's your last date, and then you have to start thinking about who you're going to narrow it down to for the next day."
Hearing his friend's suggestion, Sindri nodded. He felt the butterflies in his stomach flutter around; it was the part that he was most nervous about. "Yeah, running around with Ruthed has tired me out a bit. I'll see you in the morning." With that, the two dragons saw each other off to their rooms before eating dinner and turning in for the night.
::::::
The next morning, Gonuret was ready with a large basket prepared for his day with Gallant Sindri. His roommate seemed to go through mood swings every other day. Though he had accepted the fact that Kelius was a viable contender for Sindri's affections, there were days that Kelius seemed frustrated over other things. The auburn-haired dragon fretted over Sindri's dates, but at times he seemed too distracted to be able to even hold a decent conversation. Neither of them wished to have Sindri worry about their disagreements, so they did their best to stay out of each other's way.
Gonuret had been looking forward to this day for two weeks. The first week was the week that he had been chosen as a Gallant from his tribe. His people knew that females didn't sway him and that the males in their tribe did not fully interest him beyond friendship. But, he was still surprised when the cosmos chose him to court the new Solare. Since then, he promised himself that he would try his best to win over his heart, whether he was chosen or not.
The gardens of the fortress truly encompassed a magnificent private park. Acres of flowering trees, bushes, and ponds were segmented so that every other section had an open field of green grass. Gonuret felt it would be a lovely spot for a picnic…in the shades of the flowering trees with nothing but the sound of trickling water and exotic birds to take over any awkward silences. At the very least, he hoped that Sindri enjoyed a peaceful break while on their date.
He was the first to stand when Sindri entered the room for breakfast. He gave him a gentle smile as the blonde sat across from him. "I hope you had a good night's sleep, Gallant Sindri." He greeted. "We will be walking for a while today."
Sindri had somehow managed to sleep rather peacefully, despite the stress that would be on him later on that day. He sat down across from Gonuret, glad to see everyone seemed to be getting along for the time being. He turned his attention to the white-haired dragon across from him and smiled a little. "I did, thank you. I'm looking forward to today." Though, he wondered why they would be walking for a while. "Did everyone else sleep alright?"
There were some murmurs of agreement and a weak groan from Ansar on Sindri's left. The beige dragon had little to no sleep the previous night, though his pet Kinky Kit certainly slept like a rock. He figured it was due to a guilty conscience. Kelius seemed to avoid looking at anyone at the moment, simply focusing on eating his fill. Ansar stabbed at his breakfast half-heartedly.
Sindri noticed how some of the Gallants were a little too quiet. His best guess was that the nerves were hitting some of them hard, just like him. He had some ideas as to why Ansar and Kelius were so quiet though, considering what the brunette had told him the night before.
When they finished eating, Gonuret led Sindri outside and through a small maze that housed a water fountain. "For our destination, I thought it would be best to take the most scenic route. It starts through this maze."
"I just hope you're better at navigating a maze than I am," Sindri replied as he laughed a little nervously and followed him. He wondered what the basket was for. His webbed ears turned towards the sound of the water from the fountain. He was becoming anxious to see what lied beyond the maze.
When they emerged through the maze, they came along a path full of flowering trees and bushes of all kinds and colors. The gardens were rich with oxygen, and the trees provided shade from the sun. Gonuret took his time, allowing Sindri to explore as they continued along the path. "The scents of all the different flowers perfume the air in a light, unique blend." He commented. "The perfumers at the market would stop at nothing to retrieve any samples of this place."
The apricot dragon had a smile of wonder on his face as he took in the gardens. "I've only ever dreamed that a place such as this existed." He admitted as he gently touched one of the flowers. When he heard Gonuret's comment, he frowned. The apricot dragon could see why perfumers would want samples of the gardens, but if it affected the land itself…"They can't reach it, can they? It'd be a shame if something happened to this place."
Gonuret smiled when he heard the concern in Sindri's voice. He was right in thinking that the apricot dragon had a deep respect for nature. "Solare Vitara made a compromise with them. The staff took the seeds of each flower and formed a small greenhouse where they are sold to the perfumers." He explained. "But, to capture the scent of such a place would be impossible. No fragrance can match true nature." When they approached the patch of green that Gonuret had previously found, he set the basket down and spread a quilt onto the grass.
"That's good to hear," Sindri said, sighing in relief as a small smile formed on his face again. He stopped along with Gonuret at the clearing and watched him as he spread out the quilt. "What's in the basket?" He asked as he sat down. He was becoming rather curious.
As Gonuret sat beside Sindri, he finally revealed the contents of the basket. Containers of fruit salads (without bananas), sandwiches, and even chocolate almond bark were placed onto the quilt. With them, he pulled out a glass pitcher of juice, napkins that were arranged into the form of a flower, and two cups. "High on the mountains, we had a beautiful view of more than one of the biome segments. But, they were too far to explore fully. Beautiful gardens such as these are as new to me as they are to you. I thought that it would be nice to enjoy it together."
"I hope you didn't go to too much trouble with all of this," Sindri said. "Though I greatly appreciate it." Gonuret had packed many of his favorites, or at least, the favorites that could be packed up for a picnic. The blonde smiled. "I'm delighted you thought of this. I've been wanting to look around more areas like this, though I've wanted to see snow, too. There's a lot of it where you're from, correct?"
"Yes. I invite you to come to see my home biome one day if you wish to see it with your own eyes," Gonuret suggested. "Though, during winter, I'm sure that one of the biomes closest to the fortress would do..." He added when he recalled how the Solare would live primarily in the fortress unless it were important to vacate it for an emergency. He reached out to take one of Sindri's hands in his own.
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