"Why don't you take a seat," Lyra offered with a big smile on her lips. She gestured over to the chair on her left.

The moment Cedric placed his hand on the chair, Selena spoke up, "Cedric, why don't you sit over here with me?" she mentioned, patting the chair to her right.

A look of surprise washed over Cedric's face after hearing Selena's demand. "Sure, I don't mind," he said with a smile on his lips as he walked over to Selena, taking the seat she wanted him to.

Lyra grinned when Selena clearly seemed bothered by Cedric taking the seat near her. "Say, Cedric, do you enjoy having Selena as a partner?" she asked while downing the rest of her drink.

Cedric rested his chin in his open palm. "I do; it's been a joy to work with her, even though she can be a bit of a grumpy cat at times," he playfully teased, only to chuckle when Selena nudged him on the shoulder.

"I think I'm going to get another. You two have fun," Lyra teased before running off to get a drink with no intention of returning back to the table to leave Cedric and Selena alone together.

"Couldn't resist flirting with her either, could you? So, you are a hopeless flirt," Selena pointed out without any hesitation. She leaned forward, taking sips of her drink.

Cedric paled when he realized he'd been caught. He playfully raised his hands up in defeat, "That's cold. It isn't like I said that many flirty remarks," he stated, rubbing the back of his neck.

Selena shook her head before drinking more of her drink. "I honestly don't believe you. You've probably lost count of all the women you flirted with," she said, figuring him out.

"What? I haven't forgotten!" Cedric blurted out, only causing Selena to frown.

"So, you do admit that there's a number," Selena pointed out, catching him red-handed.

A sweat droplet formed on his cheek as he struggled to pick another topic to talk about. "What about your friend? How long have you known her for?" Cedric asked with interest sparkling in his eyes.

Selena stared down at her drink. She reached out to hold the straw and swirl it around to mix the contents of her drink. "I've honestly known her for as long as I can remember. But, if I'm being perfectly honest, she's a better exorcist than me," she admitted to him.

—--

I think she had a little too much to drink, Cedric thought as he watched her admit something that she probably wouldn't have. "I think you're too hard on yourself; I think you're doing an amazing job," he declared, causing Selena to look over at him.

Selena softly shook her head. "I honestly don't believe you when you say that. I think you're only saying it just to make me feel better," she stated before she finished the remainder of her drink.

Yep, she definitely had way too much to drink, or she isn't very good around alcohol, Cedric thought, looking over at her. "You are amazing; you managed to pass your trial with flying colors. I think you deserve some praise for that since it isn't easy," he stated with a big goofy smile to cheer her up.

"Yeah, but I only passed because you were there helping me," Selena admitted, resting her chin in her hand.

Confusion washed over Cedric's face when those words left her lips. "I'm not sure what you mean. I really couldn't have helped you since you were in a dream-like state," he pointed out, only causing her eyebrows to furrow in irritation.

"But, you were there, encouraging me and even helping me beat the big blub monster," Selena slurred slightly, growing more irritated that he wasn't listening to her.

I don't want to make her more angry; I'll just go along with what she's saying, Cedric briefly thought. "Well, that's a new case. I never heard of it before since people really don't show up in those dreams except for demons," he pointed out.

"But, I didn't imagine that you would be dreaming about me, yet you call me the flirt," Cedric teased with a grin, unable to resist not messing with her.

Selena's face grew hot, and she averted her gaze. "Don't twist my words around; it wasn't like I intended for you to be there or anything," she pointed out, trying to prove her innocence.

"I guess I was just too amazing for you to forget when I gave you directions that day and---" Cedric declared with a smug grin before he was silenced when Selena placed her hand over his mouth.

"W-would you keep it down? I don't want people to think I have some sort of crush on you!" Selena pointed out in a low whisper.

Cedric reached up and gently pulled her hand away from his mouth. "My lips are sealed; I won't say a single word. But I'll get you some water just in case you start to feel dizzy," he said with a warm smile as he got up.

Cedric nearly dropped the glass of water on the floor when he saw Selena, with her face resting on the table, completely passed out. "You have to be kidding me," he whined as he strolled over.

"Well, I guess I'll carry you back to your apartment room," Cedric said before moving closer to her. He knelt down and carefully lifted her up into his arms, holding her bridal style.

After reaching her apartment door, Cedric reached into her pocket to retrieve the key and unlocked the door. He walked inside and placed her gently down on her bed. "I wonder if you'll remember anything you said to me today," he stated softly as he pulled the covers over her so she wouldn't get a cold.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Cedric said with a warm smile as he exited her apartment and closed the door behind him.

—--

Selena let out a groan as she shifted in her bed. "My head is killing me," she complained softly while rubbing her forehead. She slowly sat up in her bed and glanced over at the alarm clock. "Looks like it's not too late," she mumbled to herself.

Selena's eyes widened in shock when memories of last night flooded her mind like a tidal wave. A deep blush adorned her cheeks. How could I say all that? To make matters worse, I'm pretty sure he carried me back to my room, she screamed inside her mind.

Selena quickly got up and got ready for the day. When she exited her room, she walked over to Cedric's door. Taking a deep breath, she reached up to knock on it. "Cedric, can I talk with you?" she asked through the door, only to get no response. I guess he isn't in his room. Maybe we have a mission today? she thought, wandering toward the main plaza.

"Oh, there are!" Liam called out to Selena once he saw her. "I'm sure you're wondering where Cedric is, am I right?" he asked, placing his hands into his pockets.

Selena nodded her head. "I tried knocking on his door and realized he wasn't there. I figured I might be able to find him. If I looked around," she stated, causing a slight chuckle to escape Liam's throat.

"Cedric does have a tendency to accidentally send people on a wild goose chase to find him," Liam stated with a soft shrug of his shoulders. "But, I'm afraid he isn't here right now because he took a head start on the mission you both are supposed to go on today," he explained.

Selena felt her eyebrow twitch in irritation. "Wait! He went on our mission without me!" she stated, her blood slowly starting to boil.

"Try not to be too hard on him; he only went there the next because we sent him out on another mission. If you leave now, you should be able to catch him before he gets too much done on the mission," Liam explained.

"Looks like I'm heading out. I'll see you later," Selena claimed before bolting off into the distance. She ran into the building at the end of the plaza and opened the door. "I need the information for the mission for Selena and Cedric," she asked the person at the front desk.

A smile graced the woman's lips. She tapped the computer keyboard in front of her before she looked back up at Selena. "It looks like you'll be heading over to a town near a forest. The report claims that monsters have been causing havoc there for the people lately," the woman explained.

"Thanks for letting me know," Selena stated before running off. Damn it, Cedric, you knock on my door all the time, yet today, you decided not to. Whether you expect me or not, I am helping you on this mission, Selena thought as she sprinted into a blue portal that was waiting for her at the end.