Cara watches the landscape below flash by at mind-boggling speeds, a deep satisfaction churning in her chest. She glances surreptitiously up at Mizuki from her position in his arms, fighting the urge to grin. Somehow feeling her gaze, he glances down at her, a forced smile on his face.
"So, uhm...we didn't need to let anyone know about the horses, did we?" (Mizuki)
Distracted by the inarguably romantic last few minutes of flight, she gives him an absentminded, puzzled look.
"The horses?" (Cara)
He raises an eyebrow at her.
"Yeah? The ones you had waiting for us at the edge of the city. Will they be okay just sitting out there all this time?" (Mizuki)
She freezes, realization setting in.
'Oh right, I told him I originally planned for us to take horses!'
It was not a total lie, per se, in the sense that she would have discreetly arranged some horses for them if he'd actually gone along with that suggestion. It's just...there definitely aren't any horses waiting for them at the edge of the city right now. She fully expected him to offer to fly her there instead. In fact, she was counting on it. This entire activity was orchestrated so she'd end up exactly like she is now.
As for why she couldn't just tell him she wanted to go flying? Well, because she doesn't want him thinking it has any romantic undertones, even if for her it does. She wants him to get used to being close to her physically without immediately putting his guard up, jumping to conclusions, or setting boundaries she'd very much like to break down.
She doesn't intend to cross any lines, not really. Not yet, at least. She just wants to position herself exactly at the edge of it...so he doesn't pull back when she finally starts crossing it. Which means, whenever possible, she needs to make him feel like any physically intimate gestures in the near future are platonic, and if possible, his idea.
Realizing she's almost undermined that goal by forgetting about the horses, she chuckles hesitantly at his question.
"Hahah...oh yeah, the horses will be fine. I'm sure the stable hands will figure it out when I don't show up. Don't worry about it." (Cara)
Seemingly accepting her explanation, he just nods casually and returns his attention to the flight path ahead of them. She breathes a sigh of relief. Then, she remembers her goals for the day, and casts a furtive glance full of anticipation at him.
'I suppose now's as good a time as any, right?'
Working up her courage, she tightens her arms around his waist, pressing the full length of her body against him so tightly that she'd be hard pressed to have a single platonic thought about him if her life depended on it. But she doesn't stop there, wiggling slightly against him as she nestles in closer, and making sure to bury her face in his chest to hide the deep blush threatening her complexion.
Much as she expected, he immediately goes stiff as a board, his eyes sliding to study her with an almost horrified slowness. His voice is soft, yet unmistakably flustered, and she could almost swear she feels his body heat up against her.
"C-Cara...?" (Mizuki)
Trying not to get lost in the rush of glee she feels over his clearly not ambivalent reaction to her, she responds in an tone that she hopes seems almost absentminded, distracted.
"S-sorry, it's just a lot c-colder up here than I expected." (Cara)
Having considered this little exchange in advance, she pairs her apology with a performative shiver, pressing closer to him in the process.
She immediately feels his body relax, if only partially, before the air around her is imbued with a noticeable, cozy warmth. Mizuki's voice is quick to follow, more subdued than before. Sympathetic, even.
"It's okay, I should be sorry. I wasn't thinking. I, uhm...I guess I don't really feel things like that anymore..." (Mizuki)
His voice trails off, oddly contemplative and melancholy, and she begins to feel a bit of guilt about her less than earnest actions. Not enough to change her mind about what she wants, or her long-term plans, but...
'Maybe that's enough for today...'
She glances up at him affectionately, loosening her grip and returning the closeness between them to something less provocative. She smiles, not having to fake her gratitude in the slightest.
"Thanks...I feel much better now." (Cara)
To her relief, the comment causes his body to relax fully, and he returns a relieved smile of his own.
They don't talk much during the flight after that, and she doesn't feel the need to. The warm, quiet familiarity between them seems to grow nonetheless, and she's all the happier for it.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
SNAP!
I freeze, hearing the umpteenth twig that's snapped noisily under my feet. Cara gives me a teasing look over her shoulder.
"Has anyone ever told you that you have the grace of an ogre child?" (Cara)
I let out an exasperated sigh, shrugging helplessly.
"I told you that I'm not good at this. I'd normally just use magic to silence myself or float just above the ground. You're the one who insisted we traipse through the woods without spells 'for the experience'!" (Mizuki)
Hearing my flustered response, she covers her mouth, chuckling softly.
"I just didn't expect the mighty Nephilim to be so bad at tracking game." (Cara)
I cut my eyes away from her, grumbling quietly. After all, I don't really have a retort for that. I grew up in a relatively large city, neither of my parents were outdoorsy, and I learned how to silence myself with magic relatively soon after arriving on Azura. Why the hell would I have the skills of a mundane hunter?
Perhaps finally taking pity on me, her eyes soften, and she chuckles quietly.
"Fufufufu...don't look so sullen. I'll teach you." (Cara)
Before I can ask why I'd ever need to know these skills, she walks over to me, silent as a ghost. Then, she jumps onto my back, wrapping her arms and legs around me. I freeze, startled by the unexpected action. I crane my neck to look at her, but when I feel my cheek brush hers as she rests her chin on my shoulder, I quickly jerk back, staring straight ahead.
"Ah...haha...uhm, Cara, what are you doing?" (Mizuki)
She hums in amusement, and I feel her chest rumble gently against my back. Warm air tickles my neck as she whispers gently into my ear.
"Like I said...teaching you. This is the easiest way to watch your footsteps and give feedback quietly. Now hush and start walking..." (Cara)
And just like that, I'm quickly swindled into giving her a piggyback ride to our destination, while she drills useless skills into me via soft whispers that send shivers up my spine.
Alas, gifted swindler that she is, after a few minutes I find that...I don't mind the arrangement. I quickly become immersed in the mechanics of moving through the woods silently – knees bent, slowly distributing my weight from the outer balls of my feet to the inside of my heels, watching for twigs, and trying to move in tune with the woods' ambient noise. My proficiency increases far faster than I'd have assumed, until I'm giving Cara a run for her money, and I can't help but marvel at how much my body and senses have obviously changed since arriving on Azura.
At the same time, I find myself growing progressively more relaxed, a deep appreciation for the sights and sounds of nature settling into my bones. Initially, I'm struck by the unexpectedness of the oddly soothing experience. Then, I realize...for all my travels across this planet, I've never truly explored it like this, immersed in the landscape and wildlife itself through my natural senses. I've just repeatedly raced from point A to B with an efficient combination of teleportation and flight, guided primarily through my magic sense while my thoughts are focused on the future instead of the present.
Now, I'm questioning that decision. I live here now, after all. Maybe from now on, when it's novel and not wholly impractical, I should consider more traditional forms of travel. I mean, a horse and carriage might not be reasonable, especially in human territory, but the trains I built are a great opportunity to see the elven countryside and people watch without devoting my whole day to travel.
The thought of the commotion it might cause, and the lecture I'd possibly get from Elira, brings a small smirk to my face.
"Slow down...look there." (Cara)
Cara's excited whisper breaks me from my daydreaming. I immediately do as she says, tuning fully into our surroundings. However, as far as I can tell, she's just staring a few meters ahead of us, eyes locked on nothing in particular. Confused, I speak to her telepathically, not able to whisper as effectively as her due to her being on my back.
[What? I don't see anything?] (Mizuki)
I feel her grip tighten on my shoulder, a note of frustration making its way into her voice.
"At the base of that tree, in its shade!" (Cara)
I squint my eyes, desperately trying to find anything of interest where she's indicating. Finally, I see it, but my confusion only deepens.
[Uhm...a black chipmunk {English}?] (Mizuki)
That's the best way I can describe the small creature laying on its side in the shade of the tree she indicated, its back pressed against a large root, eyes closed. Cara doesn't seem to agree...
"What the hell is a chipmunk? No, I'm talking about the shadow nymph!" (Cara)
Shadow nymph? I guess that's what they call them here. Not sure why she's freaking out, though. If the time she just spent lecturing me about moving through the woods is any indication, this should be far from the first time she's seen one, right?
[Okay, yeah, I see it. What about it?] (Mizuki)
Disbelief infiltrates her tone.
"What do you mean, 'what about it?'!? That's a magic beast! You don't see those everyday!" (Cara)
At that comment, I become really lost. Especially with her use of the term 'magic beast'. Understandably so, in my opinion. After all, as far as I've been able to tell, every complex form of life on Azura has a magic signature, and therefore would be a 'magic' beast, I assume.
I suppose she could mean beasts that actually use their own form of magic, but that doesn't make much sense to me either. After all, that could apply to minor dragons, thomellarays, and several other non-humanoid creatures that I've encountered, and nobody has ever mentioned the term 'magic beast' to me when referencing them.
[And, to be clear, when you say magic beast...] (Mizuki)
Her whisper becomes equally confused.
"I mean a creature that's dependent on magic to sustain it's life, obviously?" (Cara)
That definition manages to grab my attention, and I immediately straighten my back, surging with newfound interest.
Naturally, I have to tell Cara that this is, in fact, my first time hearing about magical beasts. After making fun of me a few times, she's kind enough to elaborate.
Apparently, there are some creatures that literally feed off magic to survive. Not optionally, like I recently learned that Elder Dragons can, but by necessity. Their entire physiology is intertwined with and dependent on a magical environment. Perhaps as a result of this, they also tend to have strange constitutions, reproductive cycles, and abilities.
Hearing Cara's general explanations raises another question for me.
[Are they intelligent?] (Mizuki)