"How have you been coping with all of this? It must have been rather jarring to have been chosen as a Gallant, let alone as the new Solare."
Sindri felt his cheeks turn slightly pink when Gonuret took his hand into his own. No one had really asked how he been dealing with this except for Ansar, now that he thought about it. "Honestly, choosing a lifemate is the part that has me more nervous than anything right now. I only have a few days to pick the person I want to be with for the rest of my life...Not only that, but they have to be someone that can fill the position of the Lunare well." His smile became a sad one. "And I miss my mother as well...but, I know I'll see her again one day." Sindri squeezed the pale dragon's hand and looked at him. "How about you? I know some of the others are already homesick. Are you doing alright?"
And, just like that, the gentle squeeze of Sindri's hand and the sight of those orange eyes full of concern for him...they caused all sorts of havoc to Gonuret's heart. What would Gallant Sindri say if he told him that, right now, it was his proximity that was causing him more grief than the homesickness? "Like you, I'm more worried about your decision..." He offered a hesitant smile. "That you'll be able to choose someone that will make you happy. The Lunare won't be the only one there to help, there are also the Sentains, most of whom are wise. And Solare Vitara will be amongst them, as well, when she takes on her role as Sentain."
"That's true...but, it's still a rather big decision. I'm so afraid I'll regret my decision. I've never really found interest in anyone before, so I don't know how exactly I'd feel, I guess? I don't really know how to explain it," Sindri responded, ending the statement with a nervous laugh. "Anyway, enough about that. Let's eat. I'd rather that this food not go to waste."
Gonuret didn't think that Sindri would truly regret his decision. All of the Gallants were different, but any one of them would make a decent Lunare, from what he had seen. "Agreed." He said as he handed him a plate and poured juice into his cup. As he ate and heard the distant birds chirping, he felt himself relax more and more. He only hoped that some of the relaxation bled into the apricot dragon as well. "What is the highest you've ever climbed to glide back down with your wings?"
Sindri took a deep breath before slowly letting it out to try and calm himself. It seemed to help. He ate some of the fruit salad first. He had taken another bite when Gonuret had asked his question. He swallowed and thought. "Well…there aren't many high places I was allowed to go to...so, probably off of mine or Ansar's house, sadly." He laughed a bit at the memory. "You know, whenever I visit your biome I'll have to make sure to bundle up. If I've been a bit cold here, I'd probably freeze my tail off there."
"You might make it a longer distance from one of the biggest trees here in the garden," Gonuret suggested. "I could be your view point in the distance, not that I would mind if you fell on me. On the contrary, it would be an honor to catch you..." When the blonde spoke of the cold, Gonuret shook his head. "I would make sure to keep you warm...ah, that is, with the right clothing." He added with a slight blush.
"You might have to help me climb up. I'm not very experienced climbing up a tree, after all," Sindri reminded with a small smile. He blushed when he heard that he would catch him. The blush only deepened upon hearing Gonuret say that he would keep him warm. Though, when he spoke of clothing, he felt rather silly for what he had thought that the dragon truly meant! "R-right, of course." He agreed as he laughed nervously. The two of them ate for a bit until Sindri began to stare off at something. It looked like something moving around in the grass, but, it was too far off to tell what it was from where they were sitting.
When the apricot dragon stared off into the distance, Gonuret frowned. "What are you looking at?"
Sindri snapped out of it and returned his attention to Gonuret. "Ah, sorry, I meant no disrespect. I just see something moving over there, but I can't tell what it is…" He answered. He hoped that the slate-eyed dragon didn't think that he was bored, he was just curious about what was moving around. "I'm going to check it out, hold on." He walked over to where the movement was. A smile formed on his face. It was a small baby bird! It looked like it couldn't even fly yet. "Did you fall out of your nest somewhere, little guy?" He asked aloud as the bird chirped at him. "Gonuret, come look. Oh, and bring the spare napkins over, please?"
Gonuret brought over the spare napkins as he peered down at what had garnered the blonde's attention. He immediately looked all around the remote area, finding the bird's nest to be on one of the lower branches of the tree above them. "Here, carefully pick him up using the napkins," He said as he began to climb the tree effortlessly. He sat on the base of the branch that was below the nest and half dangled from it, keeping one hand on the branch and the other reaching down. "Pass it over to me, and I will place it in its nest."
"Sorry, I really didn't mean to get distracted on our date…" Sindri apologized, hoping that he didn't offend the other. But, he followed Gonuret's instructions without question, carefully getting the bird with the napkins. It didn't seem to panic much if at all, something he was thankful for. He then gaped as Gonuret rapidly climbed the tree. "T-that's amazing!" Though, he blushed when he saw the dragon's shirt sliding down, showing his abs. Sindri spaced out for a moment as he stared before he began shaking his head. "Right! Here, be careful," He said as he carefully handed the bird over to him.
The sky blue dragon carefully cupped the bird in his hand and lifted himself back up to a sitting position. He then precariously balanced onto the branch on his feet and reached out to place the tiny bird back onto its nest. Gonuret waited for a moment in case the fledgling tried to leave the nest again, but when he simply heard it chirp, he smiled. He then dropped to his hands in order to swing off the branch and onto the ground, wiping his hands together to get rid of any remaining residue of bark.
"I wish I could climb like that. You make it all look so easy," Sindri commented in awe at the other dragon as he came over to him.
As the two of them headed back to their picnic spot, they caught sight of the fledgling's mother landing on the nest. "That's a relief," He admitted as he gazed at them. "I never got to know my mother. She passed away when I was very young."
Sindri had smiled warmly upon seeing the mother bird, feeling relieved. But, his attention settled back on Gonuret, and he felt his heart ache to hear such a thing, but he knew how he felt. "I'm very sorry about that...I can relate. My father was buried alive in an excavation when I was barely a toddler." He confessed as a small smile began to tug at his lips. "I can see your mother being very pretty."
"My condolences as well," The white-haired dragon replied upon hearing about the death of Sindri's father. When he had suggested that his mother was pretty, a small smirk formed on his face. "Why do you think that? Could it be that you think I'm pretty in tangent?"
Sindri felt a blush rising to his face. The white-haired dragon's smirk didn't help any. "I just picture someone in my head, and I think she's pretty," He replied, trying to defend himself. But, he was certain that his blush gave him away. He really wasn't sure how to act around others when he was on a date. He had never even been on dates or been interested in anyone until all of this happened! "Besides, I thought being called pretty wasn't something a guy would smirk about," He finished with a small laugh, sticking his tongue out at Gonuret.
A playful laugh fell from Gonuret's lips when the apricot dragon became flustered. "It is something to smirk about when someone as gorgeous as you pays someone like me such a compliment. I'm truly flattered." He admitted as he reached out his hand to thread his fingers through the blonde's own.
Sindri felt his cheeks become even warmer at the dragon's words and the fact they were now holding hands. "Anyway, I'm curious as to how you learned to climb so well. You made it look so easy earlier." He asked as he tried to change the subject. "Think you could teach me?"
"It certainly isn't as easy as it looks," Gonuret warned as he stood back up, pulling Gallant Sindri up with him through their joined hands. "But, I will definitely help you learn. Let's find a tree that isn't currently occupied with a family." He instructed as they walked. He made sure not to let go of his hand all the while. "To start, we'll need to find a tree with branches that are low to the ground. Like that one." He pointed at a thick tree with low branches that were almost the same width as the trunk. He quickly hefted himself onto the lowest branch into a sitting position and held out his hand for Sindri to take. "Use my arm as leverage. Don't worry. I'll make sure you won't get hurt, so don't be afraid to slip."
Sindri smiled a little as Gonuret continued to hold his hand as they searched for a tree for them to climb. He watched as the sky blue dragon climbed up on the lowest branch before he held out his hand. He did as the other suggested, doing his best to get himself up on the branch. He did slide a few times, but he eventually got himself up there. "At the rate, we're going, I hope you're a patient teacher…" Sindri said with a chuckle.
"But, you're determined to learn, that's what's important," Gonuret replied as the apricot dragon sat beside him. "Take a look at the view." He redirected as they gazed out at the sunny sky. Since the tree was settled on a hill, they were able to see most of the garden at a higher angle as the rays of the sun fell on the trees and bushes. "Every time I look into your eyes, they remind me of the rich colors of a sunset." He confessed as his slate grey eyes settled onto Sindri's. His hand reached up as if it had a will of its own to cup the side of the blonde's face. The urge to kiss the apricot dragon beside him rose within him, but he ended up simply resting their foreheads together with a sigh. "As much as I would like to stay here longer with you, we should head back before the other Gallants cry foul. It wouldn't do for me to have had more time than they have." He nimbly hopped off the branch and reached up to lift the blonde's hips as he helped him down. "I would like very much to see a sunset with you one day."
"You're right." Sindri agreed, turning his attention to the view. It was a beautiful scene. His eyes widened when Gonuret drew closer to him. His heart started pounding, but they simply rested their foreheads together. He nodded in agreement with the other before getting off the branch with the other's help. "I'd like that very much. I had a very good time today, by the way." He said as he helped him pack up the picnic basket. He was glad to see that the food did not go to waste. They ended up eating just about all of it.
"I enjoyed my time with you today as well," Gonuret agreed as he picked up the basket.
"Oh, I never got to ask," Sindri remembered as he straightened back up. "What do you look for in a lifemate, Gallant Gonuret?"
Gonuret's face formed a serious expression. "Before today, I might have answered with 'someone like you.'" He explained. "But, after spending more time with you, I realized that there isn't anyone like you." He reached out to take Sindri's hand once again. "What do I look for in a lifemate? My eyes see only you."
Hearing that answer, Sindri felt his heart skip a beat as his cheeks became red. He smiled a little. "That's a huge honor, thank you." The way Gonuret felt would also make his decision either that much easier or that much tougher.
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