I don’t even know how to approach this tbh, what I feel right now is so bittersweet, so I guess this is mostly going to be a stream of consciousness.
I think I said it before, MCL is the first otome game I ever played, and Castiel my first crush, but I sucked sooo much at picking his choices. When Lys arrived, it was insta love for me, plus we got along splendidly, so he became my primary route. Losing him was horrible, and despite liking UL and LL for many reasons, I never got over him. When I found out he would be back I was ecstatic. Best news of the past 4 years!
Then I saw him… and he was beautiful 😳 even more beautiful than his HSL version. I mean… look 👏 at 👏 him 👏
Has there ever been anyone prettier?? All the LIs are beautiful of course in different ways, but adult Lys has this ethereal beauty, he really is a fae prince.
Plus he kept his style and even the countryside overall really suits him 💕
Now, about the game. 4 episodes, one for each year we lost him basically. These episodes have come and gone. I loved them, I loved Lys, his personality, still the same but with this adult more mature aura. The things I liked the most about this mini-series:
- Amount of time spent with friends compared with the crush. Seeing them was nice, and the perfect amount of time, and seeing Castiel and Lys together was a balm for my soul. I think that if we probably put together the time spent with the UL crushes in 20 episodes it may end up making around what we spent with Lys in 4.
- The setting was wholesome. I’m not a country girl, I really prefer the city, but the backgrounds were so pretty, the animals, the atmosphere so quiet and relaxed, it was really soothing to play.
- The relationship between Candy and Lys, which was really solid and mature. Yes, depending on choices Candy could freak out a bit about the lack of intimacy, but it was fine for me, it’s acceptable and it makes sense to feel insecure when you haven’t been with your boyfriend for two years. And it was the cutest thing seeing Lys saying how horny he had been the whole time but was trying to be romantic.
Things that I didn’t like much:
- The duration, of course. 4 episodes are too little but also the duration of these episodes was really short, and while this also means that the game is cheaper, I’d rather have something longer and pay more. Generally, players are okay with investing in the games if they can have what they like, and AL is really worth it.
- The lack of a real plot. But I won’t complain about this because I think that 4 episodes are too short to have drama and an arc when the primary objective was to reconnect with Lys and have a happy ending. If this series had been 10 episodes we could’ve had all this and more, and it would’ve satisfied my dark soul that craves conflicts and confrontations (in game). But as things are, I’m happy we got something wholesome instead.
- The only thing I would’ve modified is the “bad” path. Meaning the choices where Candy mentions not liking living at the farm etc and then magically ignored in the end. I was sure we wouldn’t get a bad ending because UL is already the bad ending of his route, while AL is the happy one. So these choices make little sense, and while they help customise Candy in a way, I think they are unneeded.
So in the end I give AL Lys 9/10, I’m really thankful for it and I wish we got more, at least a wedding episode.
Up next with Armin and Kentin? Fingers crossed for good news.
All things considered, the episode was fine, even good in the second half. The first part was boring as expected, we spent lots of time between meetings, purriry and redundant internal monologues. Then we had the scene where we take measurements of the crush which was 🔥🔥 despite being kinda rejected in the end.
Then we see the guys in their Earth outfits and lol, I can’t complain because it could’ve been much worse, I actually think the styles suit them, I’m only a bit unhappy about Lance, he looks too much of a chav bro imo, but I see they were trying to go with a gym type of look which I guess makes sense, but I probably will never be happy with him wearing any other colour but black.
Finally, in the end we have the real interesting bit where we get to Earth, I’m soooo invested in this plotline. We see Erika’s town and house, girl was rich! Her dad seemed to be involved in some kind of shady business (what if he was the one providing humans to the vampires?), her room is a reconstruction as someone in her family didn’t forget about her. The episode ends the moment she and her crush sneak into her fake room, she’s crying in his arms and someone sees them and recognises her.
Oh and before that, she and the crush have a steamy moment in the middle of the street lol, she pushed Lance against a wall and was two seconds away to unzip his pants, finally. But sadly, not the right place, not the right time.
Ok, now that I’m past all my feels, here is my pro and cons list of the episode:
PRO
- Lys is still Lys, he’s adorable, forgetful, beautiful and mature and the closest example of perfection ever existed. His blushy sprite is going to live rent free in my heart for a long time
- The farm is BEAUTIFUL! I’m a city gal and I’ve always been disappointed that Lys would choose the countryside, but you know what? I’m sold now! I’m ready to live the cottage life with him 💕
- Rosa felt like her old self. I’ve never been a hater of UL Rosa but I also was very disappointed when she basically told Candy to move on. Now she is again our biggest fan and supporter, she did 8 hours car ride just for our happines, I’m glad to have her back.
- It was funny to see UL characters in this different version of the story. I’m aware we won’t spend much time with them because we only have 4 episodes with Lys and I’m glad, I’d rather spend as much time with him as possible, but it was good to have an introduction to the story, also to connect it back to the main plot and show that yes, this is still the same story, just another timeline.
- The meeting with Lys was so romantic I swooned 😍 the illustration is beautiful and the whole time reading the two of them talk was emotional. I also appreciate the detail of them making the “deal”, meaning that if one of the two would’ve found themselves being interested in someone else they would’ve talked and moved on. This is how relationships work, especially difficult ones, with maturity and dialogue. It also proves how it connects to the other timeline. Here, Candy and Lys’ love is so strong that they never felt the need to look for something in someone else, instead the UL timeline probably somehow exists for Lys’ route only if “his lom was lower” in a way. I like these little details that give logic and make the plot make sense.
- I also liked the fact that the episode can end differently according to your choice to sleep in the same room or not, so I am expecting for the future different scenes and events according to choices, like in ML. Meaning I’m gonna replay multiple times.
CONS
I don’t really have cons on the episode itself, I think it was wholesome and exactly what we needed after 4 years of disappointment and sadness. My only rant is the duration of this series and the fact that the other guys aren’t confirmed and who knows when and if they will. Idk who is in charge of decision making in this company but I’m still baffled by them being so reluctant in giving their clients what they want. I hope people who can afford it will make a purchase, at least to prove them that we are right in our requests and they should keep listening to us. Meanwhile I’m gonna keep my fingers crossed for good news.
It's good to see you again!! Do you have any random headcanon idea about Castiel x Candy relationship?
I know this ask is old asf. The thing is, I've been really self conscious about my writing lately, specially in english. I had this sudden inspiration and decided to take care of old requests I had in my askbox.
I'm in the mood for some cute family stuff, so I hope you like these Dad-stiel headcanons!
Castiel as a dad
When he found out his wife was pregnant, he was so happy. It wasn't something they planned, but they weren't opposed to having kids either.
Castiel spent the whole day kissing and cuddling her. Candy laid her head on his chest as they made plans for the future with their kid.
The next day, Candy scheduled an appointment with her gyno and called Rosa to share the news and ask for advice.
They decided to tell their close friends and family, but wouldn't talk about it in the press that early on. Everyone was so happy for them!
Castiel visited Candy at work way more frequently than before. Sometimes he would bring her lunch, even though she had already packed hers.
After a few weeks, Candy stopped bringing her lunch to the café, she'd end up eating the nutritious meals he brought anyway.
In the third month, Castiel started reading parenthood books. Candy found his dedication to being a good dad so endearing.
He developed the habit of sleeping with his hand over her belly, hugging her from behind. Every night, he sang lullabies to the baby.
By the fourth month, her bump was tarting to show. They had managed to hide it from the journalists, but soon it would be impossible and Castiel wanted them to be the ones making an announcement.
He wouldn't bear the first news about his child being from some nosy reporter.
Castiel posted a picture on his instagram. It was a simple, classic montage of him kissing her belly. The subtitle didn't give much detail, but the message was clear. Mr and Mrs Veilmont were expecting.
That was his most liked post of his whole instagram.
His fans were absolutely shocked, but most of them were happy for them! Some even made some cute edits.
Months went by and everything was fine. They found out it was a girl. Casitel started calling her his little rockstar and would constantly praise her for her growth and health.
As the day she'd be born approached, he started to be more nervous. During all the pregnancy he was just happy and chill, but as his soon to be parenthood started to sink in, Castiel started to be aware of the weight on his shoulders.
Even though it was scary, Candy was always there to ease his fears and resurrw him that, yes, he'd be an amazing father.
A few weeks passed and a beautiful baby girl was born!
Caring for a newborn was like riding a bike in the middle of a fire - when the bike is also on fire-. All the expectations they created were thrown away as soon as their daughter came gome.
It was messy. It was confused. It was terrifying
But it was so, so magical.
Seeing that parenthood would be a lot harder than expected, Castiel took a break from everything related to Crowstorm for an indifenite time.
It didn't pain him to do so. After all, he was too busy staring at those big, sparkly grey eyes.
She was his, no, their daugter. Nothing about his career would be more important than that.
hi sweetie 💕! i was thinking about a NathXCandy, where candy uses nathaniel's handcuffs on himself, surprising the man since the game was always her who got stuck 👀. I'm sorry if it got bad to understand, google translator can be terrible sometimes. I don't know if you'll ever see this but I hope you know your writing is wonderful! <333333
Guess who had a burst of inspiration and decided to work on this request that has been sitting on their askbox for months??
'Kay. I'm proud of this one, it turned out so sexy hehehe hope you like it!
WARNING: NSFW UNDER THE CUT
“Are you sure that we’re alone?” Candy whispered against his lips. Nathaniel chuckled, this was the third time she asked that in the last ten minutes. Instead of answering, he continued to unbutton her shirt. “Nath, I’m serious, if we get caught…”
“We won’t.” After a particularly harsh suck on her neck, he kissed the marked skin. “Now, get your ass up or I won’t be able to get this damned skirt out.” He growled;
Candy, who previously sat on his desk with his torso between her legs, grabbed Nath’s collar and pulled him closer to her. “Getting excited, aren’t we? There’s no need to rush, officer. You said yourself that we can stay here all the time we need, and I’m not feeling like letting you go until I’m done.”
“Until you’re done? What gives you the idea that you’ll be in charge tonight?”
Nathaniel knew very well how to provoke his wife and, as much as he liked to have his way with her, the spark in Candy’s eyes when challenged was always a sign that she would absolutely wreck him. Her bedroom eyes were one of the things that most excited him.
Suddenly, Candy pushed \nath away from her with such strength that his chair rolled a few meters away. Without bothering to pull her skirt down, she got up and opened his first drawer. Nathaniel followed her hand with his eyes and as soon as he saw what she took from the drawer, he stood. WIth her free hand, Candy pointed her index finger at him.
“SIt down, mister officer. Tonight, you’ll be the one stuck in this chair.”
With two broad steps, she walked to Nath, who was already sitting straight in his chair. Still on her foot, she bent forward to cuff his hands behind her back. The position allowed him to feel her breasts against his face, vanilla scent invading his mind and driving him crazy. That was, for sure, on purpose. Not that he had any complaints.
As soon as his wrists couldn’t move, Candy took a step back and looked at her husband from head to toe. That sexy bastard… Grabbing his chin with one hand, she pulled his face in. Her hot breath touched his mouth and her eyes looked like she’d kill him in an oh so delicious way. “Now, mister officer, let me give you some relief."
Candy got on her knees. Her long nails scratched up his knees, tracing a path to his bulge. After unzipping his pants, her hands grabbed his balls and took his entire cock from his boxers. It was no surprise that it was already hard from the previous hour they spent heavily making out.
She looked up at him, smirked, and dove in. Starting with his balls, Candy gave each of them a couple of sucks and used her tongue to play with them. She made sure his nuts got more than enough attention. Her goal was to get him the most aroused possible before moving to the main part.
She kissed the area around his cock, always looking up at him with the sexiest gaze possible. Nath rolled his head back and sighed when she quickly licked his head. “Go on with this, Candy.”
“Oh, officer, didn’t I tell you? I’m not Candy tonight.”
“Then what do you want me to call you?”
She smirked and put his whole cock in her mouth at once. When she felt the tip at the back of her throat, she hollowed her cheeks and sucked, letting him go slowly.
“Right now, I’m your slut. The whore that’s going to make you cum like no other bitch ever did.”
She noticed his breath falter at the dirty words coming out of her plump lips. Nathaniel gulped, but soon found a good enough reply;
“Then keep sucking me off, bitch. That’s what you’re good for, after all.”
Watching his wife blowing him like her life depended on it as he called her his little whore was so arousing him that he had to concentrate in calming down. He couldn’t get too into it or he wouldn’t last long.
As soon as Candy noticed his moans slowed down and his closed eyes, she let go of his dick with a pop. As quickly as she could, she took off her shirt and bra. With his eyes closed, he didn’t see that action and thought she was taking some time to breathe.
Nathaniel’s surprise was big when he felt soft flesh pressing against the sides of his dick.
“Now you’re looking at me. Am I being good to you?” She asked, using her arms to give him pleasure with her tits. Jerking his dick with her boobs, Candy gave him a sexy look.
“You’re being so good, but that’s not enough.”
She didn’t stop the action for a second.
“And what can your little slut do to make you cum?”
Between heavy breaths, Nath told her to stand up and so she did. “Sit on my lap. I want to wet your whole cunt with my cum.
Candy turned around and took off her skirt and panties, making sure that he’d have a good view as she did it. She tossed her hair to one side, grabbed the arms of the chair and lowered herself upon him. Nathaniel grunted on her ear and started kissing her neck as she grind against him.
“Faster, Cand--”
“What did you say?” Candy slowed down her pace. She felt a harsh bite on her neck. His hands were still tied behind his chair, so this was the way he had to control at least a bit the situation.
“I said….faster, my little whore.”
Those words gave her energy to move her hips as fast as she could, feeling his thick cock jerk inside her nonstop. She was almost there.
“My-my…”
Another bite, this time at her ear, made Candy moan and arch her back. She was almost there, just one word from him and she’d be done.
“My wife. Mine. Just mine-” Nath’s whisper at her ear was cut by Candy’s loud gasp. She grasped tighter the arms of the chair looking for balance and squeezed around him. That was enough for him to reach his high too.
They rode through each other’s orgasm, only slowing down the pace when they couldn’t take it anymore. Only then, Candy collapsed in her husband’s lap.
“That was…”
“Yeah.” When she felt her legs less weak, Candy stood and freed Nath’s wrists. He wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her back to the seat, with her in front of him. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, just feeling each other’s warmth and scent.
“Babe…”
“Hm?”
“Am I crazy or hearing me call you my wife…”
“Yeah, that was hot. Like, a lot. So fucking sexy.” Candy didn’t even bother hiding it. Nath laughed and kissed her neck, this time without any second intentions. God, he loved her so much.
How would it be if mcl boys and their families had meeting dinner candy and her family in mcl hsl?
I guess it depends on the LI's family, some dinners would be a disaster others nice. In order from worst to best I think:
Nath: I'm not even sure this dinner would happen, but if it did (and it was at the time Nath still had a relationship with his family) one or both of his parents would probably leave because offended for some reason. Would probably pester Candy pointing out that she wasn't good enough, Candy's dad would get mad and the dinner would end terribly.
Lys: His parents are sweet but had health issues by that time, hearing issues too, Lys' mom would probably think Candy were Rosa half of the time and the dinner would turn out very awkward.
Kentin: His dad has well intentions but is a piece of work, I can see acting off putting during the dinner.
Castiel: His parents are nice but absentee compared to Candy's so they may end up butting heads on their parenting techniques. Also Castiel's mom could purposefully make things awkward (kinda entertaining for the player but not much for poor Cas). All in all it wouldn't be too bad I think.
Armin: I think this would be the best dinner, Armin's parents are cool and I think they would get along nicely with Candy's, they may even end up being friends.
Could you make a hc about Lance and Guardian first date? 👀
Hello! This ask turned into a bit of a headcanon / scenario hybrid, I hope you don’t mind! It’s was so tempting to write in-depth about so many things through this that I couldn’t stop myself lol.
Also, I put a couple of my own headcanons on Lance’s dragon form in here because we know basically nothing except how he looks.
~Under the cut~
Lance and Guardienne's first date:
Guardienne may have been the first one to show interest in advancing their relationship from friends to partners (since Lance was very hesitant to do that as he feels he doesn’t deserve it after everything he’s done), but Lance will take it upon himself to initiate the first date after she clearly has interest, and he won’t take it lightly.
His seriousness about this is due to two main reasons: the instinctual nature of being a dragon - which includes all the courtship instincts that are a part of his people’s culture - and the belief that she truly deserves to be taken seriously.
Lance may not have been raised by his people, but dragons are feral creatures by nature and, therefore, instincts are a prominent part of their life. The knowledge that she’s agreeing to date him will be translated into a very basic idea within those instincts: she’s allowing him to court her. There - of course - will be more to their relationship than just Lance trying to court her, but this idea merely shows what instincts will be active through the beginning of their relationship until they’re both sure they want to be together long-term. The point of having courtship instincts is to show a potential mate that said dragon is competent at providing, protecting, and caring for their love interest, so that’s exactly what Lance plans to do. These instincts - combined with knowing her personality and interests - will help him to think of things he can find, plan, or do for her that are specifically chosen because he believes she’ll like it. He wants to show her that he is an ideal mate for her, so he’ll keep trying to prove that relentlessly until they both have confirmed their affection for each other over and over again, in which case Lance will still keep providing and caring for her, but will be less aggressive about it. These instincts also act as a major impulse control for Lance, and this can be either harmful or beneficial for him. They can influence in-the-moment decisions, especially with physical touch, like whether or not he kisses her in one moment or how he chooses to hold her. This can be harmful in the manner where he may pressure her past her boundaries a bit by accident - unknowingly trying to prove how deep his want for her is and being caught up in the moment and his own physical feelings so he’s rendered unable to immediately realize her discomfort unless she makes a clear gesture that she’s not yet interested. The last thing Lance wants it to make her uncomfortable, so he’ll try to keep from doing something unless it’s relatively clear that she’ll react positively to it, but from that thought, this can also be greatly beneficial as it allows him to recognize things that he - or other men - may otherwise overlook. There may be a moment where she’s interested in possibly initiating something, but may be too shy to actually take the first step. He’s very detail orientated, so he’ll likely notice this subtle change in how she acts as she ponders a thought, and can instinctually recognize a few changes in her physical being - like glancing from his eyes to his lips, initiating a few kind but somewhat unnecessary touches, unknowingly accentuating a few attractive parts of her body, and even going as far as detecting a faint change in scent when she’s aroused (although, that last one will come a bit later in the relationship). Sometimes Lance will purposely tamp down any instinctual habits for the sake of proper self-control and not needing to second-guess any action that may actually make her uncomfortable, but usually when Lance detects a few signs that she’s heavily interested in him in the moment - and it’s clearly romantic interest, not interest in just the conversation topic - those instincts will unravel and he won’t be able to stop himself from immediately leaning forward to steal her lips in a kiss.
These instincts overall are very serious to him, and he doesn’t intend to take her courtship lightly - after all, his actions and his manner with her will influence how her feelings develop with him, and that’s influenced by how his instincts effect him in this situation. However, that doesn’t mean he’ll go out of his way to change for her or do things (that he may not like, especially) just because he thinks she’ll like it. If his instincts are continuously telling him to do things that she’s not liking, then perhaps they’re not as compatible as he’d like to think. He’s willing to give her things that are influenced by his instincts that she’ll surely like, but if he needs to think and act differently than who he is, then their relationship will be based off a lie, and he’s not about to base any part of his life - or someone else’s life that concerns him - off of a lie made solely to please.
He’s also taking this date seriously because he feels it would disrespectful of him to not take it seriously. This is a given regardless of who it is, but he feels it applies with her even more than it would with anyone else due to this reasoning: Lance has tried to kill her in the past - multiple times - and he tried to kill her friends and destroy the world that she loves so dearly. So not only would it be disrespectful in general to waste her time with a date that isn’t well planned or thought out, but it would be incredibly disrespectful to the point of being truly unforgivable if he did all of those horrible things and then tried to win her affections by thinking that a shallow, poorly thought out date would even begin to be acceptable in proving that he’s an ideal man for the savior of Eldarya. It takes the idea of wasting her time and thinking poorly of her intelligence and self-worth to a whole new level - and Lance is not about to risk that in any way. This is the woman who actually managed to put up a fight against him (hopeless, but he gives her credit for trying because she believed in her reasoning), who saved Eldarya, and is now moving past bitter old emotions to begin considering taking her past sworn enemy as her future lover. She has gained his respect in a multitude of ways, so there is no way that he’s going to take their first date lightly.
That being said, he struggles for a few days planning what he wants to do with her. He did ask her if there was anything in specific she’d like to do - only for her to say that there was nothing in particular, so all the planning was on him. Lance wants a good balance of including things she likes and would appreciate while also adding in his own interests. He believes that their first date should reflect how he thinks their relationship would manifest - and what he would like it to be and what he thinks she’d like it to be - while being conscious that this will be the first glimpse into a possible intimate life with each other, which can be off putting at first, so he thinks of everything that that would include and / or influence; food, entertainment, traveling, talking, etc. It was a good thing he told her prior to expect to be with him the whole day as he eventually finds himself needing to carefully manage and plan things to assure the date will go as he hopes, otherwise the rest of the day wouldn’t be very ideal. He’s sure to have a few back-up plans, though, just in case something does go awry so the date isn’t a total failure.
Guardienne knows absolutely nothing about what he’s planning, the only thing he told her is to take the whole day off and wear something comfortable yet functional that she isn’t afraid to get dirty. This almost scares her, and for a while she wonders what she got herself into by saying yes to his offer - after all, Lance has always had a creative mind with their “adventures” in the past - but she will admit that she does trust him now, and she follows his advice when the day of their date comes.
Lance is sure to give Huang Hua a few day’s warning about his day off and who he’s leaving in charge that day - she raises an eyebrow and grins the slightest bit when he mentions the exact day he needs to take off, but doesn’t ask any questions - and rises early on the day of their date to meet Guardienne in the Dinning Hall at the time they agreed on.
Now Karuto doesn’t like Lance at all much, and the dragon knows this, so when he originally asked the chef to prepare a few special meals he was turned down very quickly. But then he mentioned that it’s for Guardienne as well...
“Oh? You want me to prepare a special meal for her for you? Ha! Why?”
“Well... we intend to spend the day together so I want to be sure she has a nice time, and you’re cooking is excellent, Karuto. I know Guardienne really appreciates your food, and I don’t want to take any risks of things going wrong, so I was thinking that if we could have a breakfast and dinner at the dinning hall, and a lunch to go, that would be a definite way to begin to make sure she has a nice time.”
Karuto’s ladle clattered to the floor as the Satyr whipped his head around to look Lance dead in the eye, a dumbstruck expression on his face - almost looking as though he’s seen a ghost. Lance met his gaze evenly, expecting this reaction. He knew the chef didn’t like him that much, he didn’t blame him, but he hoped that Karuto could perhaps bless him with this favor for Guardienne’s sake.
“You mean... you have a date with her?” Karuto’s voice was faintly high pitched, reconfirming just how shocked he was. Lance shifted a bit, glancing to the ground as he did before meeting his gaze again.
“Ah, well... yes. So I’d really like things to go well. And try to keep this on the down-low. This is our first date and I think everything would go better overall if it didn’t spread like wildfire through the guard just yet.”
Karuto’s facial features softened a bit as he listened, picking up the ladle and shuffling to throw it in the sink before fishing another from one of the various hooks along the wall and returning to the pot on the stove.
“...Well, I suppose I can’t say no... and... - ahm - congrats? I’ll be sure to keep quiet about this, I guess, for her sake. Now what are you thinking of for the meals?” Karuto still looked quite surprised, but there was a sincerity in his expression and tone that Lance trusted, and he promptly thanked Karuto for doing him this favor. However, the Satyr also made sure to give him the full version of “if you try anything with her and I hear of it, I’ll personally make your life hell.” Lance quickly realizes that Karuto really likes her, and assures him he won’t do anything she doesn’t want. It doesn’t really seem to convince the chef, but he also probably realizes that there’s nothing he can do to stop this. Guardienne can be just as stubborn as the dragon, after all, and she’s already said yes to this.
Fortunately, Karuto kept his word and prepared a special breakfast for the both of them - Lance quickly noticed that his was prepared with quality as well, although the chef gave him a sharp look - and Guardienne soon realized that their breakfast was different than what was being served to others as they settled into a quiet corner of the hall. Lance - somewhat sheepishly - admitted that he’d asked a special favor from Karuto, and Guardienne grinned appreciatively at this.
When they were finished, Lance retrieved the lunches - nodding in thanks to Karuto as he did, the chef still giving him a meaningful look - and stored them in the small travel bag he packed, heading out of the guard with Guardienne to lead her to the open plains.
The next part of his plan was a bit shifty. It’s always possible that she could back out or become uncomfortable, but he feels - despite his anxiousness - that this should be how things are done. If Guardienne at any point became uncomfortable, then he would immediately yield to her wishes, but he really hoped she didn’t. He believes this is where their date can truly begin, and he hopes that she has enough faith in him to follow his plans.
He dropped the bag on the ground and turned to her, leveling a calm stare on her as she tilted her head in curiosity.
“You’ve never rode a dragon, correct?”
“I hope that’s not an innuendo.” She cracks a smile and raises a brow as she looks at him, he grins slyly in return.
“No - not this time at least.” He can play the game of wit. Guardienne’s smile grows before falling, a faint trace of wistful mourning crossing her expression.
“But, actually I have. Your brother, during the war...” Lance remembered that and his grin dropped, but this was something different. That was into war, when neither were paying attention to the actual experience and were focused on preserving their lives. He needed to know if she actually experienced seeing the world from a dragon’s eye view.
“Yes, I know that, but have you actually rode a dragon and been able to focus on the experience? Flying into war is very different than flying for leisure.”
“No, I haven’t experienced that...” She looked intently at him now, understanding where he was leading the topic.
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes... I trust you.” Her eyes met his steadily as she responds. Everything is going as he hoped so far.
Whisps of white and cerulean blue shifted around Lance as he began shifting into his dragon form, stretching his wings out and lifting his head towards the sky to adjust once fully transformed before taking a few steps towards her as Guardienne picked up the travel bag. She admired the beautiful rippling of crystalline blue and snow white scales as he sauntered towards her before crouching down and lowering his neck. Sudden nervousness swept over Guardienne - he was certainly big, easily close to 10 feet tall - if not taller - with a thick, muscular form, but she never actually had the chance to think about riding a dragon before doing so, and that realization seemed intimidating to her now. Will she just hang onto the ice-like horns that adorn his upper neck? Won’t her weight be tiring for him in time? What about her legs, where should she put them? Could he really lift her weight into the air as easily as he seems to think?
Lance took notice of her hesitance and tilted his head and neck to look at her with a piercing eye, watching her as she stared for a moment.
“I...”
“I understand this may seem daunting. If you feel you can trust this, I would recommend doing so - I have wonderful things planned for us - but I won’t force you. I have backup plans closer to the guard if you feel you’re not ready for this.” Lance’s heart twists a bit - he really wanted to do this with her. This was really the only possible hindrance, if she could just get past this and trust him...
“No, it’s fine. I just... how do I hold on?” Guardienne quickly snaps to and laughs a bit, securing the travel bag to her and lifting a leg to straddle his lower neck. She placed her hands on his neck for a moment before curiously running her hands along his scales. Such a wonderful texture...
A purr rumbles from the dragons chest as he relaxes, pleased that she was agreeing with this.
“Hang on to the horns around my neck and wrap your legs around me - be sure to dig your heels in, it’ll help stabilize you.”
Guardienne did as told and instinctively leaned forward on his neck, clinging close to dear life.
“When we’re up in the air you can re-adjust your grip a bit to be more comfortable. Are you ready?” Lance raised his neck from the ground and Guardienne braced herself, already feeling unsettlingly high in the air - but she knew she wanted this.
“Yea.”
Lance tilted his head towards the sky again and spread his wings wide, leaping from the ground to hover for a moment before his wings scored through the air with a loud, windy woosh. Guardienne watched as his wings folded a bit, his scales shimmering beautifully in the sunlight, before stretching out and falling upon the air again. With every down stroke of his wings, Lance’s head and neck raised into the air a bit, the rest of his body following the rippling motion as he climbed higher in the air and gained speed.
Guardienne dared not look down as they rose above the trees, instead hunkering down a bit to press herself closer to the ice dragon. They were heading higher than she’s ever been while riding another creature - and while she did trust Lance, it still unsettled her greatly knowing how far their drop would be if he were thrown off balance and unable to recover. But he has years of experience of flying, she reminded herself. It was unlikely for him to lose control of himself.
Lance could sense a bit of her anxiety and shifted his wing pattern, smoothing out his climb to be more steady and less aggressive in how he moved. Guardienne fortunately seemed to lose some of her worries as he climbed with more subtle movements, and just as she relaxed a bit he shifted his pattern again. They were high enough in the sky now to where Lance just needed to change direction to head towards their destination, so he leveled out in the sky, letting his wings glide through the air.
Guardienne shifted the slightest bit as he leveled out, making sure she had a good grip, and caught sight of the ground below while doing so - but contrary to how terrifying she thought it would feel when seeing it from this distance, it was actually beautiful.
Trees dotted the ground, forming into masses of liquid dark green forests against the pale green of soft grass while blue-silver rivers - the color of moondust - meandered through grass and forest alike, dipping to disappear among trees before emerging again at a very separate location. Dark grey boulders dotted along the rivers and streams, and the occasional creature bolted along the plains as it ran from the shadow of the mighty entity flying above it.
She remained entranced at the landscape below as Lance tilted slightly, gliding elegantly through the air as he banked into a turn. Something of a purr rumbled from his chest as Guardienne leaned against him more, faintly adjusting her grip to hold higher on his horns so she could lean closer to him while admiring the ground.
“The land is much nicer from the air, isn’t it?” Lance called out to her as he tilted his head to glance at her, relief welling in his chest when he noted the starry-eyed gaze Guardienne wore as she looked at the ground.
“It’s beautiful!” Her tone will filled with awe, no hint of nervousness appearing anywhere in her energy anymore. He knew she would love this, she just had to push past the fear.
As they flew, Guardienne became more and more comfortable with flying, eventually allowing herself to sit somewhat upright so she can get a wider view of the great expanse of land stretching endlessly beneath them rather than what’s directly below them. It reminded her a lot of when she flew on airplanes, but this was much more free and wild.
Mountain ranges dotted the distance one way - tall, grey and monumental in the face of all the specks of trees and strings of rivers - and thicker forest canopy darkened the forest in some deeper parts of the trees. Open plains flowed beneath them and, with a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw the deep blue of the ocean behind them, growing further and further away. She basked in the view as Lance glided through the air, and Guardienne came to realize that properly riding a dragon isn’t half as worrisome as she originally thought.
She looked ahead and saw a murky, grey-blue expanse approaching from among the trees and plains - immediately recognizing it as a large lake dotted with large, jutting boulders - and beyond that a small cliff. It was as though a small mountain once stood there, but half was taken and replaced by a lake, leaving the other half a jagged, rocky outcrop against the bright sky as it led further back to sloping plains.
Lance dived faintly, gliding softly downward as they approached the lake. For a moment Guardienne’s thoughts filled with alarm as he seemed to intend to send them straight into the water, and she was about to open her mouth to express her concerns when he tilted his wings a few feet away from the surface and stopped their decline just before the water.
Instead, Guardienne’s breath was taken away from her as she looked into the lake, their reflection mirrored beautifully in the deep blue as they glided mere feet away from the surface of the still water, wakes rippling through as they passed by from the airflow of the dragon she rode. Lance tilted himself just slightly, turning their path to allow the edge of his wing to just faintly brush the surface with a soft hiss as water sprayed out behind. However, left upon the surface in the wake from his wing was a long trail of glittering, cloudy ice - spiked along the edges as it froze the rippling water during it’s impact against the dragon’s wing. She watched in fascination the ice trail that followed them, suddenly wondering how the water felt, and pressed her front completely against Lance as she leaned down. Gripping him tightly with her hand and legs, she took a calming breath and leaned slightly to his side, reaching to the lake.
Lance tilted his head to look at her again and straightened out, letting them drop closer until he was a risk of sending them straight into the water if he glided any lower. Fortunately, this was all the decline Guardienne needed, and the tips of her fingers brushed through the surface; cold and grating against her skin at their speed - but spraying out in a similar fashion as the water that had sprayed from Lance’s wing - and leaving her breathless from the experience.
The start of an astonished laugh bubbled from her chest before she leaned completely back, readjusting her grip again as she looked across the water on both sides. Exhilaration flowed through her bones and veins as she took in their speed in comparison to the lake and trees along the bank, and she let out a full laugh as she threw her head back to the sky, letting the wind whip over her skin as she embraced the experience of truly riding a dragon.
Joy bubbled within Lance as he took in her chiming laugh, and as they began to near the occasional large boulder jutting from the lake water he pondered the next part of his plan again. Hopefully she was in the mood for an even more thrilling ride...
He came up upon the first boulder, emerging many feet above the water and shifted his wings again, tilting them to soar upwards and give a flap to keep their speed as he fluently arced above the boulder, letting himself glide slowly down again and targeting two boulders near to each other next. He arced over one again and dived safely above the water, spreading his wings and banking into a sharp, drifting turn to swerve around the second rock. Guardienne shifted on his lower neck as he moved, flattening herself to him and adjusting her balance slightly when needed. When they were level above the water again, approaching their last chance to safely fly away from the approaching cliff, Lance glanced back toward Guardienne to find her studying the immense, jagged rise. She locked her gaze with his one eye, giving a wild grin as she adjusted herself and held on tighter.
Lance knew that she knew his intent, and her grin and tightening grip was all he needed to know that she wanted in on this experience, so he rose slightly above the lake again to beat his wings and gain speed as he scanned the cliff for the best path.
“Have you ever done anything like this?” Guardienne called to him, leaning with him as he tilted to avoid a large rock with an overhanging arch. They passed under it and a crumbling sounded from behind them. She looked back in time to see a fair part of that arch crumble from where they just passed under and splash into the water. Suddenly she was harshly reminded that the landscape could shift due to the wind currents from the dragon, and they don’t have any control over it. Her gaze turned to look at Lance again as he looked back to her.
“If I can fight in the air then I can navigate through cliff sides, and this certainly isn’t the first time I’ve flown through rocky outcrops or forests. Be sure to keep a tight grip, though, this’ll require finessing.”
Guardienne trusted his experience with this, so she nodded her head and gave him a trusting grin - he wouldn’t be doing this if he felt he couldn’t execute it.
Lance turned back to study the sloping cliff and the rocky lake before it again, finding an ideal path upward, and steadied his wings to prepare for the sudden moment where he would enact his first movement.
Guardienne held onto him, anticipation making her heart race as she studied the rocks as well.
And then Lance banked harshly to the side, heading towards a large, thin ridge rising out of the water that was crumbling on one side.
He tilted back, rising into the air and closing quickly in on the ridge top before arcing himself tightly over it. Nearly immediately on the other side was another jutting formation, and - as he was gliding downward - his wings shifted and he rose his head and neck to the sky to begin to slow their descent and climb again, then tilted nearly vertical to the side to veer around the formation, bringing them closer to the immense cliff edge now nearly directly above them. Lance soared along the length of cliff for a moment, level with the water now as he spotted an arch adjoining the cliff. He glided to it and folded his wings safely in for a moment as they passed through before flicking his wings open on the other side and immediately banked upwards into the sky.
Guardienne held on tight, pressing herself close to Lance as he easily - gracefully - maneuvered around rocks and overhangs, climbing up the cliff at a soaring speed without bringing them too close to risk any harm, but still close enough to feel the humbleness of realizing how small they still are in comparison to the massive stones. Her head swung wildly around, watching the stones they drifted around and embracing the breathtaking view of the water receding below them. Lance dived and arced and rolled in the air, rising and falling as he maneuvered the cliff. Guardienne diligently held herself close to him, doing her best to adjust herself in subtle ways that might make his flying easier for him while embracing the beauty of the light reflecting off of water below and the shadows cast over them as they soared beneath rock formations.
Guardienne looked towards the sky again as Lance soared along the cliff - noticing that they were about rise over the crest - and leaned her head against his neck gently, silently thanking him for the wonderful, thrilling experience he gave her. They rushed past the peak and kept their fast incline upward to let the speed die out on its own, and Guardienne took the chance to look around as they gided. Light shimmered beautifully off streams through muted green grasslands and forests, similar to where they just came from, but large, silver-grey rock formations jutted out of the ground here, like the boulders in the lake. A feeling of calm content rolled through Guardienne as she surveyed the landscape and rested against the dragon, breathing in the fresh air around them as it breezed by her. She almost wanted to cry from the beauty of the landscape and the experience of freely riding a dragon, understanding completely now exactly why Lance wanted to share this with her. This was something that couldn’t possibly be rivaled by any other experience.
They flew peacefully for only a few minutes longer before Lance glided to a slow stop just a few feet above the top of a hill, reaching out with his hind legs to plant firmly on the grass and lean down so Guardienne could dismount. He checked in on her after shifting back to his human form, trying to get a read on her opinion of the ride, only to be pleasantly surprised when she smiled and laughed, rambling about the humbling feeling of rising above the great earth to dance around it’s formations and soar the skies above it. Fortunately, the flying part of the date was also the most questionable - the most likely thing that would make Guardienne regret her choice - but just as Lance expected and planned for, she enjoyed the thrill instead.
Lance didn’t really have much planned after that to be honest, despite the aggressive way he worried about the plans. He intended for a few specific things to come up during their date, but from here it was really just walking and talking until encountering the right scenario for it. However, he did know roughly where he was and where they needed to go for them to spend the next few hours, so he kindly took the travel bag from her and they headed off in the direction he set, keeping a relaxed pace as they trekked over the hills and rock formations towards the forests around them.
They talked about anything and everything as they walked - although Guardienne was particularly interested in his dragon powers after what she just experienced, and Lance was more than happy to give her all the information she wished for. He kept a close eye on her as they walked as well, darting out to stabilize her when she stumbled over a root or vine and making sure she had a clear path through any poisonous plants so they wouldn’t brush against her. He didn’t want their time together to end early because she had gotten hurt - of which she had a wonderful record of doing.
They came across a river after a while of walking - slow moving and clear enough that they could see the vibrant fish and other aquatic creatures scuffling around beneath the surface. Guardienne knelt next to the water’s edge to watch the display while Lance settled next to her, leaning forward to watch as well while thinking that he could have decided to hunt for her and cook his catch instead of just asking Karuto to create a lunch. However, this was their first date, and Lance was partially prepared for the possibility where she didn’t end up enjoying it as much as she was enjoying it currently. With that in mind, he let the thought pass over him without any regrets - Karuto’s cooking was a sure way to have her enjoy their lunch out here when her final opinions of everything else could still vary - and marked it down as a thought for a later date if she was interested.
“They’re so colorful.” Guardienne smiled and dipped a finger into the water. The creatures in the vicinity of her finger scattered, rushing up or downstream or crawling along the bottom of the stream. A small, regretful grimace came to her face at seeing the reaction, dejectedly pulling her finger out of the water.
“I guess they’re as skittish as the fish back on Earth.” A minor, guilty smile came to her face as she looked at Lance, who grinned gently back and let out an amused huff, leaning his shoulder against her’s softly. Guardienne leaned into him as well and turned back to the expanse of the river, watching as creatures slowly returned from their hiding places. She glanced down the length of the river, recalling what she learned about Lance’s abilities earlier.
“Could you freeze over this whole river? Turn the whole thing into ice?” She asked curiously, wondering exactly the extent of his powers. Lance smiled at her before taking her hand in his.
“Probably, but I much more enjoy doing things like this.” He took her hand in his, his larger palm over the back of her small hand, and dipped their fingers into the water. The creatures - ruffled again from the intrusion into their domain - spread out again, but Guardienne was more interested this time in the pure white, feathery substance that began to spread across the surface of the water, originating from their hands. It looked like frost that spiraled out onto the water in every which way. As the water grew slightly colder - a sharp contrast to the striking warmth of Lance’s hand on hers - a few of the tendrils branched back towards them and crawled along the bank of the river, slipping up to slink across a few plants in it’s path.
Guardienne found herself entranced by the beauty of the living frost, even reaching down to the water with her other hand to brush her fingertips along the thin, fragile swirls. They were cold and hard to the touch, but a small amount of pressure applied made the frost dip under her fingers before she backed away. It was definitely thin and fragile; something beautiful to look at but not to touch.
She leaned against Lance a bit more without speaking, enjoying the quiet, beautiful moment they were sharing. He ran the pad of his thumb over the outer side of hers kindly.
Some time later they were moving again, trekking through light forests that were shifting into rollings hills and flatland. Guardienne savored the light breeze and warm sun as it traveled across the land and brushed her skin. It was a good thing that the weather was nice, otherwise Lance would have needed to change his plans. Guardienne was truly enjoying the date so far - if she knew what this date would be like beforehand, only for it to be changed by the weather, she would have been severely disappointed. However, this brought the thought of what Lance would have done if they couldn’t have gotten this far into the date.
As they walked, they discussed Lance’s backup plans, revealing that he - in the event of bad weather or something else restricting his original plans - would have then opted to spend the day with her in one of their rooms, probably his, or possibly have spent time somewhere else. If the weather wasn’t too bad - just a small bit of rain or something - then he would have even considered taking her to sit underneath the Cherry Tree to spend time in silence together. Frankly, he had a lot of things in mind that they could have done, it just would have depended on her mood and the weather.
They talked for a while until they encountered a shallow ravine, and Lance put his arm out to stop her, staring intently at the pointy, vibrant colored plants that dusted the bottom. He grabbed a nearby branch and stuck one end into the ravine - sinking a few feet into the plants before hitting solid ground - and continued to do the same motion as he walked alongside the dip, poking the stick against the ground every few feet as it hit at a slowly quickening pace. Guardienne watched with interest as Lance continued to walk further before he turned to her with a faint grin and a raised eyebrow.
“I hope you don’t intend to stand there all day. It’ll be easier to cross when the dip is more shallow.”
He turned back to testing the depth and walking as Guardienne snapped out of her watching, a grin making it’s way to her face as she began to follow him. The stick reached only a foot or two deep into the ravine now.
“I don’t know, I was thinking I would stand there until you decided to carry me across like a princess. Add a new twist to the typical story of a princess being kidnapped by a fearsome dragon, you know?” She spoke in a humored tone, turning her gaze away for a moment to look at their surroundings, only to begin to turn her attention back to him when she heard the thump of the stick falling to the ground.
She let out a surprised squeak as she suddenly found herself off the ground, leaning back and being pulled to Lance’s chest as he picked her up with ease. Her hands found holds within his armor to cling to him as he began heading towards the ravine.
“Lance! What are you doing!?” She laughed as she clung to him, pleasantly shocked at his sudden actions.
“Well fortunately the kidnapping part is over, so now this age-old, horrifying tale can be continued in a lighter manner - per se with the beautiful princess being protected by said fearsome dragon from potentially poisonous plants. It’s better if only one of us trek through this instead of both.” He spoke in a light tone as well, a smirk on his face as he glanced over to meet her gaze quickly. The reminder of the kidnapping - and his past overall - weren’t a usually pleasant memory, yet somehow she made it easy to pass over, even joke about on occasion.
“Hey, I probably could have carried you.” Gaurdienne laughs as she says this, looking up at him with a humorous but fierce gaze. Lance found himself shaking with laughter as well.
“I’d like to see you try!”
He sets her down gently on the other side of the ravine, keeping a hand on her hip as she finds stable footing along the slope and rocks before they head off again, talking and joking with each other all the while.
Lance certainly begins to open up as they walk, and Guardienne’s time with him turns less from a date with the man who once tried to kill her - and who’s loyalty she questions sometimes - to an enjoyable hang-out with someone who might as well have been an old friend. They find themselves laughing about many different things and carrying witty conversations together, occasionally broken by Lance adding in small informational bits regarding things they pass by that Guardienne comments on.
Eventually the forest is left behind them and they start their hike across rolling, wide pastures, the wind breezing through the tall grass as they climbed their way up a sloping hill. A strong wind current hit Guardienne at the top before calming as she looked at the land around them.
A beautiful river curled around the base of the hill, and a small lake sat off not too far in the distance, leading further to forest again. Clouds still dotted the sky, with no storm in sight.
“Are you hungry?” Guardienne turned her attention back to Lance as he spoke, glancing up to note the sun’s position in the sky. It was high above them, but was noticeably starting it’s decline towards the horizon again.
“Yea. Now that you say it, I am starting to get hungry.”
They stopped on the hill and Lance began to scan the ground, fussing with the travel bag as he stared at one spot.
He slightly nervously pulled out a thin, soft blanket from within the small travel bag, letting the faint wind spread it out as he laid it on the ground.
“Wait, did you drag me all the way out here for a picnic?” Guardienne giggled as she watched his ministrations, and a faint dark red brushed Lance’s face as he paused and avoided her gaze.
“I suppose it does look like that.” He grinned broadly and breathed a laugh. Lance originally saw the date as a combination of many things that they’d both enjoy, but it did seem like the main highlight was their lunch now...
“Don’t worry, I’ve enjoyed the whole date so far. Unless the food sprouts wings I don’t think it’ll rival the thrilling ride you gave me.” Guardienne giggled as she approached the blanket he set down.
“Who said I was worried?” He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a sly grin now.
“Ugh, fine then Mr. Cool and Collected... That’s a nice look on you by the ways.” She brushed off his comment and internally laughed at the contradiction she pointed out, looking away before meeting his gaze again with a tinge of smugness.
“It would look better on you.” Lance quickly retorted. Guardienne couldn’t stop her shy grin and her heart from racing when he turned his sharp blue gaze on her, a blush faintly dusting his face as he grinned dangerously at her through narrowed eyes. Somehow, no matter what state he’s in, he always seems to manage to get her restless.
They settled onto the blanket - Lance resting his sword on the ground next to the cloth so it was out of the way - and began to unpack the food that Karuto cooked, placing it carefully on slightly uneven ground. They carried on conversations as they ate, enjoying the warmth of the day and the breeze that brushed by, even spotting a wild rabbit-like creature racing across the grassland.
Some time later, after their meal was finished and the scraps packed up tightly in the travel bag to take back, they laid back on the blanket, watching as snowy clouds passed overhead. Guardienne suggested that they stay there for a while and watch the clouds, and she began pointing out certain clouds that looked like shapes or companions to her. Lance quickly caught on to the idea and pointed out a few things as well. They even started debating what clouds looked like what, nipping lightly at each other with humorous words when they scuffled about whether a cloud looked like a Warrifang or a Gallytrot.
Eventually they continued their journey across the prairie, heading towards the small lake in the distance. When it was finally up close - the sun truly beginning it’s descent towards the horizon, casting a chilled breeze across the land and gorgeously highlighting the colors of grass and lake alike - she looked into the water. Small pebbles were scattered across the lake bottom, and she stopped at the edge to peer across the water as Lance walked a bit further. He took her hand gently, drawing her attention back to him to look at him in surprise.
Lance was standing on the water in front of her.
Guardienne looked at the surface of the water that he stood on to find it iced over - a circle that surrounded him by a few feet - thicker where he stood and thinning out until it crackled away at the edges. She looked up to meet his gaze with shock.
"Come on." He urged her to step out onto the ice with him with a humored smile, placing a foot in front of her path to summon another ice circle for her before backing off.
Really, she shouldn't have been so surprised - his abilities heavily vary in their use, so it makes complete sense that he could do this. However, she couldn’t shake the flutter in her chest as she looked at him. Was it his casualness that she was actually taking most attention to? Was she actually enjoying this date more than she realized?
Guardienne reached out with a tentative foot, placing it steadily on the ice. It shifted under her weight, slightly floating away as her foot pressed against it and continuing its journey away even after she took her foot off it. Lance placed a foot on the circle at it began to float away, holding it steady and adding more ice onto it to create a bigger circle for her. She looked back up at him with a grin.
"You're kidding me right? Why just little circles? Why not freeze over the whole lake?"
Her hesitance hid worry underneath the surface that Lance caught on to, and he gently grinned back.
"Freezing over the whole thing could have adverse effects to the environment. It's safer to freeze it in small sections. Now get on the ice before I pick you up and place you on it." His tone turned affectionately amused at the last sentence, and then added in a serious, gentle tone; "I won't let you fall in, I promise."
Guardienne looked back at the ice before gently placing her foot on it again, now a bit more confident that it would be stable with Lance holding it - it was his ice after all. It shifted again slightly under her weight, but she committed to her decision and lifted her other foot off the ground to place on the ice, gripping Lance's arm the whole time for support. He wouldn't let her fall, right?
Lance kept her hand in one of his while his other went to her waist to stabilize her as she grew closer, freezing over the small, thinly-iced gap between them so she could basically press herself against him as she looked at the water around them. Guardienne leaned against him slightly as she faintly caught his scent, feeling safe in his arms from the possibility of taking a lake bath.
"Have you never walked on ice before?" He asked gently. Guardienne looked up at him again.
"Well, I've slipped on ice multiple times, but I don’t think I’ve ever achieved the skillful feat of walking on ice." Her tone was humorous as she grinned. Lance smiled back.
"It's not that hard once you know how, you just need to be careful with how you place your feet. It should be easier since you're expecting to step on ice, too."
Lance took a step forward, heading further onto the lake as ice formed under his foot just before he touched the surface of the water. Guardienne took an awkward step forward as well, hesitantly placing her foot down as ice formed under her as well. A small laugh escaped the dragon next to her.
“You can walk normally, you don’t need to step where you think the ice will form. It’ll appear under you no matter where you step.”
“Why will it just appear under me? How do I know it’s not going to form somewhere else?” Guardienne joined his subtle laugh as she clung to him. The water beneath them was beautiful, but she really didn’t want to get wet at the moment.
“Because I’m watching you, it forms under you because I make it do so.”
“And what if you’re not watching me?”
“That’s impossible.” The response slipped out before he could stop it and Guardienne’s gaze shot back up to look at him with an affectionately amused smile. Lance averted his gaze with a minor blush again, grinning faintly as well. He didn’t mean to say that, but it was true all the same.
“Come on, you won’t slip or fall into the lake, I promise.”
They walked further out into the lake and Guardienne calmed down over time, eventually trusting the ice enough to walk by herself - although she still held Lance’s hand tightly - as she scanned the surface of the water and watched as ice formed under her no matter where she stepped. It was fascinating, really; it formed nearly instantly and immediately faded back to water after she moved further.
Lance managed to distract her a bit by sparking conversations, of which she happily took part in, her gaze shifting between him, the ice and water, and the trees off in the distance that they were heading towards. She squinted her eyes to see a certain tree a bit better. Was that a hint of blue?
A splash in the water stole her attention and she quickly looked down to see a large, scaly shape receding back to the depths of the lake. She continued to walk alongside Lance, but kept her eyes firmly on the water. Another large, scaly shape rushed by, almost translucent but with hints of colors dotting along it’s body. Guardienne froze in her steps with wide eyes - it was nearly half her size!
“Lance there are monsters in these waters.” She held tight to his hand as he stopped beside her, looking down into the water with her. Another creature arced in the water and Lance grinned at her amusing statement.
“Not monsters.” He spoke in a light tone, crouching down on the ice and opening the travel bag to fish out a few bread scraps.
A large chunk of bread landed in the water and floated for a moment. Guardienne crouched down next to Lance, sticking close to his side. After a few moments of waiting, a large, slightly translucent creature reared out of the water, opening a great maw to swallow the bread whole. Beady black eyes whirled around as it breached the surface, locking on the couple before it submerged again.
“Great Oracle, what is that!?” And so began another moment of Lance imparting some of his knowledge to her.
Guardienne eventually relaxed in the presence of the fish-like creatures, hesitantly taking a scrap of bread that Lance gifted her and placing it in the water, her hand hesitating to reel back as she considered pushing it further out. Lance reached out and gently took her hand in his to pull it back, and mere moments after he did so, another creature dashed out and closed it’s jaws around the bread with a snap. Guardienne basically threw herself back against Lance with a squeak.
“Note to self, don’t give them your hand!” She laughed as surprise and amusement fluttered through her being, clinging to him again for a moment.
“It nearly took my hand clean off!” Her gaze turned to meet Lance’s before turning back to where the creature disappeared as Lance shook with laughter.
“You would have been fine!”
“Are you kidding me? With a big mouth like that it would have taken my arm, too!”
“Suppose I should keep my hand away from your mouth in that case.”
“Oh, hush, you! You know that’s not true!”
Their laughter died down in time and they continued their walk across the water, Guardienne now being a lot more comfortable with the ice below their feet. They approached the shore and Lance let Guardienne step onto the ground first, following immediately after as the ice disappeared back into lake water. Standing at the shore, Guardienne could see the tree she was looking at earlier. It was tall, and it’s branches curved beautifully downward with thick, deep blue flowers stemming from the twigs. The sinking sun beautifully highlighted the deep colors on it and illuminated the grass around the trunk. She stared in awe and Lance turned to look as well.
“It’s beautiful... what type of tree is it?”
They began to approach it - not realizing that their hands were still clasped together - and stood beneath the draping branches.
“I’m not sure, I’ve seen this type of tree a few times but I don’t know anything of it.” Lance brushed his hand along a curved branch - the wood smooth to the touch - and peered at Guardienne to get a better read on her opinion of the tree.
Guardienne parted herself from Lance to look closer at the blue flowers, lightly touching the silken petals and bending closer to breathe in the faint, sweet scent. She closed her eyes and grinned before looking up at the higher branches, embracing the beautiful color of mixed brown and blue. Light scuffling broke her out of her trance and she looked to the trunk to find Lance on the first few branches above her, curiosity flooding her mind as she stepped a bit closer and watched him scale the tree. He nearly disappeared into the branches and flowers, standing for a few moments on a branch uncomfortably high above the ground before making his way down again, the broken side of a small twig with a beautiful array of sky blue flowers clamped between his teeth.
He landed softly on the ground and presented the twig to her, and Guardienne happily took it to admire the vibrant blue of the flowers compared to the softer cobalt blue of the flowers on branches closer to the ground.
“You know, you could have just picked a twig from one of the branches already in reach.” She joked lightly. Lance grinned.
“What fun would that be? Besides, the ones closer to the ground seem to be starting to wilt, the top of the tree has better flowers.”
He watched Guardienne as she smiled softly at the twig she held in her hand, raising it to breathe in the lighter scent and stroke a petal.
“I would almost think you’d change the tides of water for me.” She spoke softly, affectionately reflecting on everything he did for her today.
Lance heard her all the same, and a warmth bloomed in his chest as he watched the setting sun light her skin aglow with the flower branch. I would move the world for you, he thought. However, he held his tongue - it was too soon to be revealing how deep his affection for her ran, it would likely unsettle her - and instead glanced at the sun’s position on the horizon. It was nearly sunset.
“We should probably head back, it’s getting late and we have a dinner to attend.”
Guardienne glanced at the sun as well.
“Yea... no flying spectacles this time?” She turned her gentle gaze to him and smiled.
“No flying spectacles.” He grinned back with soft eyes and rested a hand on her lower back as they headed into the grassland again, Guardienne safely tucking the flower twig into a snug fold in her shirt so the wind wouldn’t steal it away.
“The flight back should be beautiful with the sunset.” She murmured, lightly nudging against Lance. This date turned out better than she originally hoped, and she reminded herself to thank him for the wonderful experience later.
“It will be.”
Lance shifted into his dragon form and they took to the skies again, Guardienne glancing back at the land that would forever hold a dear place in her heart.
That wasn’t the last time they visited that lake and tree.
I have absolutely no idea on if this is supposed to be a headcanon or a scenario, but I hope you like it regardless! I had so many ideas I wanted to add to this, but by then I’d be writing an actual short story just for their first date lol. Maybe I’ll write a part 2 to their first date (second date I suppose, that’ll be a bit more intimate than this one), or general date headcanons with those ideas.
Thank you for requesting, this was a wonderful ask!
I’m opening myself up to requests again. Currently these will only be aesthetic based requests. If you want to see an aesthetic for your favourite MCL character, or your candy, here’s what you need to know.
What you can request:
Aesthetics. A collection of 9 images that relate to (and look pretty together) your requested character/place/ship
Rules:
You can send your request either via submission or the ask box
BL and GL is allowed
Polyam is allowed
The more specific you are with your request, the higher the chance I will accept your request and the faster it will be done
If it involves you candy you must give me their name, appearance and a description of their personality
If your character is from either UL or LL (even if it is Nathaniel or Castiel) I will require information on what that character is like as I’m only on episode 4 of ULIf you have any headcanons for your requested character/ship please include that in your request
If you are not satisfied with my work then you may politely ask me to try again (I will try a maximum of 3 times before dropping your request. If it takes any more attempts than that then I am clearly not the creator for you)
I reserve the right to refuse any request sent to me
I don't know how to say this, but words fail me when it comes to describe how strange I feel about MCL ending.
I'm not ready, but at the same time I am.
Part of me doesn't want to say goodbye to this world and characters, but contrary to what I would have feel some time ago, I feel like it's time to do so. Yet... how do you say goodbye to ten years of your life?
Before I go all nostalgic and philosophic about it, I just want to dedicate a moment to be grateful about it. Thanks to all the people behind the game for these years of joy and something deeper, something that goes beyond the "it's just a game" line. To Candy, for teaching me you can be sensible and strong, confident and humble, kind and powerful. To the LIs for showing me what I want from love and what I don't, and for setting the bar so high I don't know how I'm going to find the Castiel guy of my life 😂 To the fandom and all the amazing people I've met here, which truly are the greatest gift this game has ever gave me.
Anyway, I'm going to play the final episode now. If this is truly the ultimate end, well... And if there's something more in store for us (epilogues or mini episodes or spin-offs), I will welcome it.
I know that the game is supposedly ending for good soon, and this blog has been dead for a long time, but is anyone out there still interested in reading drabbles? Or having aesthetics made for their characters/ships?
Hey do you know if I can specify if I cheated/didn't cheat when I replay ep:14 or do I have to go back and cheat across a story replay. I don't mind wasting ap I just don't want to ruin my current story
To my knowledge, you at least story replay 13 so you have the cheating option saved for 14.
If you didn’t cheat, he is disappointed with Eric and said he would talk to him, but he is happy about Candy and their relationship. He says lots of nice things, I really liked the way he behaved for once I felt he really cherished Candy. I’ve seen several people who cheated and... it’s not nice. He cries and feels deeply betrayed, him forgiving Candy seems to depend not only on the choice you make at the beginning of the episode (regretting or not) but also on LoM.
We can clearly see, among the different endings, at least a very happy one coming our way, about what’s next...? We’ll probably find out next month.
Wait, Nath wanted Candy to go to prison?... What the... 😐
Is he like that on his route, too?
No, he didn’t want her to go to prison. Dan made an ultimatum, said: let me walk free out of here or I’ll pull this contract Candy signed proving that we are in business together. Nath didn’t want to fall into Dan’s blackmail and reassured Candy that she would not go to prison because her innocence would be proven in court. Eric told Nath that it was crazy to put Candy through something like that, that you never know what happens in court and that she may end up in jail of with a record, he told Nath to let Dan go and that he will have opportunities to work on other important cases in the future.
I don’t know if Nath reacts the same on his route, I haven’t played it yet, and I also don’t know if Eric still defends Candy even if she rejected him.
I do think that Candy put herself in this situation and Nath was right, you can’t just let a druglord go because of that, but it was also kinda cold to read Nath picking the law over Candy while Eric picked her.
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