Private Tales Even Wallflowers Bloom

[Silas Artesto]

There were a lot of things that Silas Artesto was expecting to feel about tonight. Excitement? Yeah, he was always down for some fun. Apprehension? Maybe a little. He'd accepted this get-together on a whim, and he really didn't know her all too well.

But nervousness? That was the one that surprised him. He hadn't exactly been unlucky with the ladies lately. Houri was giving him dazzling smiles whenever they came across each other lately. Livia was visiting him when she needed attention, and was even being somewhat cordial outside of the dorm rooms. So why did Zinnia, who was notorious for her reputation of being hopeless around boys she had eyes for, have him double-checking everything he was wearing?

He was overthinking things. That must be the issue. He wasn't wearing the suit from the dance; It was still being cleaned of the slobber and slime that Von Fleet's dog had given it a generous coating of. He'd had to go out of his way to buy his own clothes, which had been an experience in and of itself.

Standing in front of the mirror in his room, he gave a light sigh as he ran his fingers through the rebellious tresses of his blonde hair. He'd opted for something not too formal, but not so casual that he was just wearing his usual. The black vest wrapped over his dark green shirt looked good with his eyes, the lady at the shop told him, and the slight shine to his trousers gave off a 'hint of danger', whatever that meant.

He was beginning to think he'd been hoodwinked. Hopefully, Zinnia wasn't particularly picky.

It felt weird, walking through the women's dorm section. He'd actually never been there before, which was odd considering all the visitors he'd been getting on his end lately. Some of the lingering students in the hall were giving him decidedly suspicious looks over his presence, but his eyes were fixed on the directions Zinnia had given him, scribbled on a piece of parchment in his hand.

It took him a bit longer than he would have cared to admit, but after a few minutes, he stood outside of what he was fairly certain was Zinnia's room. At least, he hoped so. It would be a little bit awkward if anybody but her answered.

Oh who was he kidding, this was going to be awkward either way.

Raising a hand, Silas raps on the door.

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Oh Kress. Oh Aionus. Oh whatever other local gods whose names Zinnia could take in vain. What had she been thinking? She wasn't ready for this! She could never be ready for this! In what version of Arethil would Zinnia St. Kolbe ever be in any kind of condition for a date?! Even manifesting that word in her mind was a challenge.

Zinnia's gut churned as she scurried about her room, doing her best to make sure everything was as perfect as it could be for...whatever it was Silas had in store for the day. "Dress nice, but not too nice," wasn't that what he'd said? What did that even mean? Probably not formal ball nice, certainly, but was a sweater and a knit cap not nice enough? She continued rifling through her closet until...

"Oh! Oh oh oh! Perfect!"

She snatched up the outfit and donned it as quickly as she could, pairing it with some short heels. Next was hair and makeup. Kress! Hurry, hurry, hurry. Her hair just had to be presentable, it was going under headwear of some sort anyways. Makeup, uhhh...gods, she was never very good at this! Doing her eyes would have to be enough.

*Tap tap tap tap tap*

Damn it all, that must've been him!
"C-coming!"

She grabbed the nearest matching hat she had and planted it atop her head, then made for the door. She unlatched its locks frantically and pulled it open, flustered and panting.
"Hi Silas!" she greeted him, smiling brightly despite her clearly being frantic just moments before.

Her dress, hair, and minimal makeup were immaculate, of that she was confident. Unfortunately, she had still not realized that she'd grabbed the untransformed body of the fluffy, grub-like creature that had been napping among her hats and put it on, rather than an actual hat.

 

[Silas Artesto]

For a minute he wasn't sure if he'd knocked on Zinnia's door, or if the Academy had started storing extra horses in a spare dorm room. The calamity that he could hear just beyond the door as soon as he'd knocked sounded more like five people running around than one, and it wasn't until he heard the panicked voice he recognized as Zin that an amused smile split his face.

This little date had taken some careful planning. He knew Zinnia's reputation, and he'd seen firsthand that she had a tendency to get... 'overwhelmed' around men. That being the case, he didn't want to lay it on too thick, or put her in a position where she thought he might be trying to get father than what she'd be comfortable with.

It had taken some doing, and he'd probably be doing extra chores around the Academy for a few weeks, but he'd managed to score them both a free day to do as they pleased, wherever they pleased. Normally that wouldn't be much time, since the city was quite a distance from the Academy itself, but Silas Artesto was a very convenient method of travel in and of himself.

After a few minutes of pratter, the door finally swung open to reveal his lady of the evening, dressed up just as cute as she'd been at the dance, if not cuter. Artesto thought her to be the kind of girl who looked better without too much extra on. She had a natural charm to her, and trying to accentuate it with a bunch of fluff wasn't really necessary.

Speaking of fluff.

His amber eyes slowly traveled up her body, to the wriggling creature on her head. Suppressing a chuckle, he reached out. "Heya Zin! You look lovely, but..." Silas gently scooped the caterpillar into his hand and brought it down so she could see it. "I kinda want you to myself tonight, and three's a crowd, don'tcha think?"


Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia didn't think she'd ever get tired of that: the look-up. In the past the only time she'd ever been examined that way was derisively, usually by a Proctor or an older initiate that was clearly disgusted by her lack of ability. While Silas was abundantly shameless in his usual ogling and it did wonders in reddening the hue of her cheeks, she couldn't help but admire being admired. Such was a nice change from her self-imposed exile or the disdain she was used to from those around her. At least, as she perceived it.

When Silas reached upwards towards her head she froze up slightly, unsure of what to expect next. Him pulling down her shapeshifting pet was fairly low on her list of predictions.
"Oh, Seri! How did--"
The sudden breeze rolling over the top of her head was enough to stop her midsentence, however, and she promptly slammed the door shut with a cry of
"S-sorry, one more second!"

Meanwhile, Seri's (as Zinnia had recently named him) softly sleeping purr gave way to a series of inquisitive coos as he awoke, then looked up curiously at the stranger presently holding him.

Zinnia wasn't gone more than half a minute. Rummaging could be heard from within her room as she dug around for something, a jubilant "YES!" rung out, and when the door opened again she now sported a white knit cap that matched her outfit. Her expression rapidly moved from nervous smile to mild horror as she realized she'd left Seri with Silas.

"I'm...I am r-really so, so sorry," she apologized, reaching out for the cat-sized creature. "I'll get him p-put away and we can, um...g-get going?"

 

[Silas Artesto]

Artesto at least had the common decency to wait until the door was slammed in his face before he snickered at her scatterbrained display. It didn't really bother him at all. In fact, he probably preferred she got some of it out of her system now, rather than wait until they were in public. He sure as hell didn't plan on judging her, but he knew there were plenty out there who weren't the kind of sweetheart he was.

Once again, the sound of a stampede echoed out from behind her door as Silas peered down at the strange pet left in his charge. Raising an eyebrow and smirking, he held the confused critter up to eye level, tilting his head to the side.

"Sup, little dude?"

He hoped Zinnia found what she was looking for soon. Silas was never much of a babysitter, and conversation didn't seem to be a viable option with this thing. Thankfully she didn't make him wait too long, and the door violently swung open again after what Artesto could only describe as a victory cry from the other side.

The little white cap on her head went well with the rest of her outfit, and he had to admit curiosity as to how many hats she'd had to choose from. Headwear wasn't usually his bag, but hell, maybe he should give it a try sometime. What could it hurt, besides his ego, if nobody liked it?

Oh well, he had plenty of that to go around, he supposed.

"Hey, don't sweat it Zin. You'd look good with a flowerpot on your head, you just have to let yourself." Silas held out the creature to return to Zinnia. His words weren't empty flattery, Artesto thought confidence was the difference maker for the girl. The Zinnia who'd sucked in her terror and asked him on this date in the first place... it wasn't the same wallflower they'd all gotten used to. He'd gotten a brief glimpse of the woman hiding inside of her, and now he wanted to see more. "Yeah, I scored us permission to leave campus for the day. Figure I'll give you a lift to the city and we can find something to keep us entertained."

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

There was an intelligence behind Seri's eyes that was not typical of an insect (especially not an infant one) as it seemed to light up when Silas held it up. Almost like it was happy, even wriggling excitedly in his grasp. It was equally content to be handed back to Zinnia though, who carefully took the grub back inside her room and set him in a comfortable spot.

"Be good!" she said to Seri quietly with a pat on its head before ducking out of her room for the last time.

Joining her date in the hall now she couldn't help but blush at his compliments. That didn't take long.
"P-please! I'd never get away with something so t-tacky..." she replied. It took her a moment to catch up with the rest of what he'd said, and she blinked. The prospect of heading into the city was exciting, but... "Wait, a l-l-lift?"

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas let out a snicker. Admittedly, that may have been laying it on a little thick, but between a flowerpot and whatever that pet of hers was, there wasn't too much of a leap there. "Yeah yeah, I know. Who was that little guy anyway? I didn't know you had a pet." Silas had entertained the idea of a pet of his own before, but he liked to keep himself relatively busy when it came to training, and he worried about not giving the thing enough attention.

With all the boldness she'd come to expect from him, Artesto loops his arm around her own and begins to walk her down the hall towards the exit of the dorms. There had been a lot of eyes on him on his way in, and now those eyes were on the both of them. Specifically on Zinnia, arm-in-arm with a boy who was known to be fairly sought-after.

"Well yeah." He grinned, as though it were no big deal. "I can get us to the city way faster than a carriage can, I just have to pick you up and run." Zinnia would be familiar with the idea; she'd seen him do it on the field before when they'd been investigating murders near the Falwood a few months back. "Unless that's a problem, I mean-- oh."

As they exited the dorms, Silas seemed to suddenly realize why she might be a bit averse to the idea. Right, she wasn't exactly wanton about human contact. Dancing with him as close as she had probably had taken some guts on her part. To be scooped up and carried...

Leaning over to mutter quietly as they cleared any onlookers, he attempted to assure her.

"Hey, just imagine we're dancing again, and I'm holding you up, okay?"

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Embarrassed, Zinnia let out a weak chuckle and rubbed the back of her head. She supposed she did owe him an explanation for...all that.
"Oh, I c-call him 'Seri'...a few of us went on a m-mission in Vel Yuna a few months back, and I w-woke up with him clinging to my h-head. The locals call them 'haterpillars,' on acc-count of them liking to shapeshift into...uh, well, h-hats. They k-kinda bond for life, so I sorta...kept him?"

Her cheeks reddened once again when she realized that, mid exposition, Silas had taken her arm as they strode together. The feeling of having leering eyes upon oneself was not something she was generally used to, but the looks she was receiving from several of the girls in the dorm as they left were...not the most savory thing she'd seen. Was it jealousy she saw in them? Envy? Maybe just confusion or anger?

Zinnia had developed a reputation in the past as an outcast, perhaps being seen with someone who could only be described as a "popular boy" might've sparked some negativity in more than a few of them. Oh well. Today wasn't about them. It was about her and Silas.

Speaking of, Zinnia's skin bristled as Silas whispered his words of reassurance to her. Admittedly...she didn't so much mind the thought of being close with him.
"Y-yeah...that's what I'll imagine, ha, ha..." she joked before pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head. Gods, that was stupid. "I, um...I'll b-be okay with it. Like you said, it'll get us there f-faster."

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas flashed a bright grin. He wasn't trying to get reactions out of her, honestly, but sometimes it came so easily that he almost couldn't help it. Even so, he was glad she was alright with being carried; Teasing and joking aside, he'd been looking forward to this if not for the simple fact it was a chance to get to know her better. There'd been an undeniable spark between them at the dance, but the truth was they simply didn't know each other very well.

Artesto may have garnered a reputation for getting along with women, but he liked to at the very least do it properly. He'd no idea if Zinnia had ever been on a proper date with somebody, and a sweet girl like her rather deserved it, in his eyes.

"Alright then, Zin." He waited until they'd made it to the Academy Gates before he picked her up, scooping her into his arms in a bridal position, with her legs dangling off of one arm. Silas was careful not to be too handsy with her, tucking his hand in the crook of her knees rather than on her backside. "Loop your arms around my neck and hold on, okay? I'll be gentle with you, promise."

Artesto stepped back into something resembling a lunging position, letting the idle vibrations in his body that he usually let out into the ground slowly build in frequency. In a matter of seconds his entire form was practically humming, and with a final look at the beaut in his arms, he took off in a sprint, using the stored kinetic energy to carry him forward faster than an Anirian Warhorse.

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia yelped the moment she was scooped, wholly not expecting the sudden action but not fighting against it, either. The last time she recalled he'd sped her along was on the Falwood border, and back then he'd simply dragged her. Vasha had gotten the privilege of the actual piggyback ride back then; curious it was that now Zinnia was in her place, only perhaps a more intimate position given that Silas was basically cradling Zinnia.

"L-like this?" she confirmed as she locked her fingers around the back of his neck. "I d-don't know about thiiiiiis!"

He was off like a lightning bolt, faster than Zinnia could ever recall travelling. The wind rushed through her hair, though thankfully her cap stayed put. Tears streaked from her eyes anytime she tried to look directly into the wind. Zinnia had to wonder if this was the fastest any Anirian had ever traveled, sans perhaps Proctor D'Amour. That's what it felt like, at least.

"G-goodness! And to think you d-do this all the t-time!" she shouted over the rush of wind in her ears.

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas would have begrudgingly admitted D'Amour's edge on him, but not in front of anybody else. Truthfully, Artesto knew his powers to have far greater uses than just moving from one place to another quickly, but it was the easiest application of his magic. He'd made some progress in using his gift for other means, but it was slow, frustrating, and often exhausting.

For all of his confidence, Silas was still an Initiate just like the rest of them, learning and improving with time.

Zinnia's cry ran through his ears as he carried the two of them through the gates and down the long road that traveled from The Academy to Vel Anir. Artesto grinned, looking down at her with a wink. "Trust me, I definitely didn't have it down right away. You should have seen the dents I've left in some of the walls back there. Took to wearing a helmet when I practiced."

Gods, he hoped Zin didn't tell anybody that one.

The initial sprint was always painful, but after a while, the vibrations left his legs somewhat numb, and Silas was able to set a pace. The pair of them turned a curve, and he quickly slid his hand to the back of Zinnia's head to keep her steady as they rounded the bend.

"But it's fun, right? The wind in your hair, on your skin... It feels great. I never get tired of it."

 

[Zinnia]

Silas' wink earned a blush and a smile from Zinnia. The comment that followed made her eyes widen, however.
"Well, uh! I'm g-glad braking isn't an issue anym-more, haha...hah..." she hoped aloud. He hadn't had issues with it the last time she'd gotten dragged around by him, but that would have definitely been par for the course if they reached their destination and Zinnia got catapulted into a building or a ditch.

The speed demon she was being cradled by drifted through a turn, seeming to get ever more familiar with how and where he placed his hands as they went. Somehow, despite the worry of accelerated impact and that aforementioned familiarity, Silas was doing a good job of keeping her at ease.
"Y-yeah...yeah! You're right, th-this is pretty fun!"

She actually laughed.
"I...k-kind of envy you, Silas. This magic...it m-must feel so freeing. All I can do is absorb and sp-spit things back out. Oh, speaking of," she trailed off, sticking a hand forward into the wind. Now was a convenient time to replenish some of her battery, even if wind wasn't generally very useful outside of short bursts in high quantities. "I honestly w-wish I could do what you do. It's wonderful!"

 

[Silas Artesto]

Well, he hadn't had any accidents in at least a couple of months...

There was, admittedly, something kind of addicting about making Zinnia's usually somewhat pale cheeks redden. It wasn't particularly hard to do, and the way she looked at him when he said the right thing... lords, it was like a hit of a drug to the brain. If anything, it made him all the more glad he was getting her to slowly come out of her shell.

"You're too hard on yourself. Yeah, I'm fast, but there's only so much I can do with it so far. You've got your magic down to where there's a lot more practicality to it. In the long run, I think you're more useful."

Silas wasn't just flattering her. Speed was handy, but storing elements and spitting them back out however you needed? That was flexible, and he could definitely think of a few times a bit of fire or ice would have gotten him out of a tight jam. "Besides, I've seen you training. You're handier with a longsword or a bow than I'll ever be."

The city was looming now, and Silas noticeably slowed his pace as they approached, if only to ensure they didn't have a braking issue as Zinnia had expressed concern over. It wouldn't make it particularly safe if he went flying in through the gates and possibly into a pedestrian.

Once they'd reached the gates of the city, Silas gently set Zinnia back onto her feet.

"Take it easy for a minute, sometimes that kind of speed can make you a little dizzy. Hold onto me if you need to."

Smiling, he offered an arm.

"Come on, you hungry?"

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia shook her head into the wind, enjoying the feeling of her locks whipping about.
"N-no way! The crafters at the Academy have to m-make all sorts of tools for me in order for my m-magic to be even a little versatile. Oh. W-wait, were you making a joke? 'Long run?' I g-get it!" she laughed, genuinely, unsure if his choice of words were intentional or just a happy accident.
"I mean...anyone can be g-good with a weapon, if you p-practice enough. It's really n-nothing special."

Still, Zinnia figured there was probably only so much modesty someone could take before it started to get annoying. Taking the compliment was probably a good bet.
"Regardless...th-thank you, Silas," she finished after a pause, hugging into him a bit tighter.

At last, the rapid pitter patter of Silas' run came to an end, and Zinnia was under the power of her own locomotion once again. She steadied herself, but beamed at Silas offer of his arm and readily leaned into the gesture. She'd traveled the last who-knew-how-many miles in his arms and danced with him cheek-to-cheek, no point being shy now.

"Starving. I, um...p-probably don't get out enough, ya know? Not sure what's g-good around here..."

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas hadn't expected Zinnia to accept his compliments with any ease, so he appreciated the effort she made in trying. By the time she finally managed a thank you, he wore a smile of amusement, hidden behind a veil of genuine affection. Nobody else in the Academy fumbled their way into being adorable quite like Zinnia.

With a final squeeze, their trip together came to an end. They'd probably be heading back the same way before day's end, but Silas would be a liar if he said he wouldn't miss the way she'd been clinging to him for dear life. It made him feel... something. He wasn't entirely sure what, but it was something. Still, that she showed none of her trademark hesitation in taking his arm and leaning snugly against him was more than compensation enough for that.

"Do any of us? The Academy is practically our life. It's not like they hand out free time on a silver platter, huh?" Silas peered over at her as he walked with her onto the street, headed towards the markedly more upscale and well-kept part of the city, far from the influence of the Quarter and the Elven refugees.

Even securing this day for the pair of them had been a bit more arduous than he was keen to admit to her. The Academy didn't bar Initiates from being in relationships, but they didn't actively encourage it either. If it wasn't for the fact that the Proctors had needed a sucker to clean up some particularly dusty classrooms, he wasn't sure he'd have pulled it off at all.

"But you know what does come on a silver platter? Good food. I know this great place, a bit on the expensive side, but I'm not really hurting for money." Silas kept his body tilted against hers as they filed into the hustle and bustle of the main roads, lines of people going about their days. He hadn't spoken of his wealth to brag; It was rare he ever mentioned his finances at all, actually. "My folks left me a pretty sizable pile of coin when they passed." He explained with a tinge of somberness to his tone. "Doesn't really make up for not having them... but I'm thankful regardless."

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Her date made a fair point, but Silas was still quite a bit more social than Zinnia was. Opportunities to get out of the Academy came few and far between for initiates, and Zinnia generally didn't take them. That just made her all the more thankful to be out now, and with a cute boy, no less.
"V-very true," she replied with a smile.

Zinnia was more than happy to walk through the city astride him, the way he leaned slightly back against her giving her a warmth she wasn't used to.
"Planning to s-spoil me? You kn-know I never spend any my allowance, I'd be h-happy to help with the tab," she poked back at his kind gesture before softening a bit at the slightly less happy shift in topic.
"I'm...s-sorry to hear that, Silas. I d-do know a thing or two about n-not having parents, heh..."

The weak little laugh she gave at the end of her attempt at giving comfort and levity made her cringe internally a bit, but she squeezed Silas' arm in the hope that her meaning would come across as well as she'd like.

 

[Silas Artesto]

He felt her grip tighten around his arm as the topic turned towards a somewhat bitter topic, and leaned into Zinnia, peering down at her with a gentle smile to reassure her. She was unsure of her words, worried about offending him, probably, but she didn't have a thing to worry about. "It's a lonely way to be brought up, especially when you get to wondering what could have been..."

It was something Silas often thought about, where he'd be if his mother and father had been around. In the end, he'd always figured he'd end up an Initiate anyway, once he started exhibiting an aptitude for magic. But there's no point in fretting over stuff we can't change. Gotta make do with what we got, right?" He tilted his head, amber eyes sliding from hers to the row of buildings they were approaching. One of them sported a rather gaudy sign above its door, plated in metal and lit up with magelight in a blatant show of ritz. Small rope fences lined each side of the walkway leading into the place, and there seemed a decent line waiting for a seat, so long it began to reach the street.

"They only opened this place in the last year or so. Like I said, a bit obnoxious but the grub is top-notch stuff." He snickered for a moment as something came to his mind. "A little bit like you. Tough nut to crack, but there's one hell of a girl in there if you keep it up." Silas teased, slyly wrapping an arm tightly around her waist and gripping her as they came to a stop at the back of the line.

"Don't worry, I have a reservation..."

A brief burst of speed was all it took to shoot them past the line of waiting patrons and into the first empty seats he could find. Avoiding any collisions wasn't easy, but nobody seemed to take notice of anything besides a strange uptick in the breeze.

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

There was something truly admirable about Silas' positivity. While Zinnia hadn't really had the capacity to miss something she never had, she did sometimes envy that the other initiates had families to return to. Blood families, "real" ones. It was the entire reason she'd adopted all of her Dreadlord kin as family, because that, in her mind, was what they were meant to be.

But Silas was correct. There wasn't a point in fretting over what she couldn't change.
"Y-yeah...I suppose doing what we c-can with the future is better than getting c-caught up in the past, huh?"

There was no time to dwell on the sappiness of the moment, though. The actual date awaited! Zinnia marveled at the quality of the restaurant that Silas had chosen, eyes wide. Her eyes flicked from the restaurant's front back to Silas as he lay another compliment upon her, and she blushed, smiled, and started to brush a hair out of her eye.

"Oh, g-gosh, aha--" she started to stammer before once again Silas whisked her forward at breakneck speeds. She yelped in surprise, getting her bearings at the table for a moment, then laughed and softly pushed his chest. "W-warn a girl next time!"

Zinnia reclined after that, absorbing the atmosphere of the dining space.
"This r-really is the nicest place anyone's ever t-taken me. Um. A-also the only place. You're going to s-spoil me, Silas..."

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas flashed her an apologetic smile as he settled into his seat, fixing his hair that the sudden burst of speed had disheveled. He'd actually tried to make the unruly blonde locks look somewhat presentable for her today, but one couldn't blame him for having bedhead when he traveled as fast as he did. "Sorry, I get ahead of myself sometimes. Won't happen again."

It almost seemed like the interior of the restaurant was meant to look like some mage's quarters or something. Perhaps the idealized version of a magical dining hall. The walls were grey stone, but illuminated with the same magelight that made the exterior of the building so alluring. Brightly colored tapestries brought like to the dull gray, a myriad of colors and magical symbols emblazoned upon the fabric. Each table, of which there were only a dozen or so, had a small candlelit chandelier hanging above them, shimmering down onto the pristine white tablecloth they sat around.

"Spoiling you is kinda the idea, Zin." Silas chuckled, leaning forward on an elbow with that cocky smirk that skirted just shy of obnoxious without crossing the line, his hand sliding across the table to rest atop hers. "This is just step one. We have until tomorrow morning to do whatever the hell we want, and I plan on using the time." Even without the connotation of a date, it was nice to have a break from the normal. It wasn't long before a server, dressed to the nines and never the wiser about how this new table had entered, came to take their orders.

Silas opted for seafood, knowing this place was known for getting first dibs on fresh lobster caught off the Cortosi Coast. He'd been dying to try one of those right out of the water, sounded absolutely delicious. After taking Silas and Zinnia's orders, the server gave a bow and trodded off to relay it to the kitchen. Artesto watched for a moment, before turning back to Zinnia.

"An ability like mine has perks, but... Well, it's not all good." His shoulders shrugged, and he seemed to be referring to their grand entry. "I'm so quick, sometimes everything else seems to move way too slow. It's made me impatient, and I need to work on that."

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Silas' reply earned another giggle from Zinnia as she finished looking around. It was like something out of one of the books she'd read about Elbion...she hoped one day she'd get to visit that place. It sounded nice, all things considered. She shook herself back into the moment as Silas' hand wrapped over hers. It was much nicer here.

A bright red blush crested her freckled cheeks.
"T-tomorrow morning, huh? Heh..."
She swallowed hard, eyes looking over the table and fighting as hard as they could to not make eye contact. Easy, Zinnia, easy. Just because of the timeframe of freedom they had didn't necessarily mean that Silas was implying...that.

...The server couldn't have come at a better moment. She had no idea what exactly it was (the name had been unpronounceable to her), but she had selected some kind of noodle dish with sauce and various shellfish in it, as well as a side salad.

"I...c-can't say I don't get it. Even without the s-speed magic, sometimes I just want to skip the wait," she met his eyes briefly before looking down at his hand pensively, spreading her fingers to weave into his. "But it's t-taking your time with something, slowing d-down and enjoying it that makes it really great, y-you know?"

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas of course hadn't explicitly meant to imply anything untoward to Zinnia with his words. The Initiate wasn't inexperienced in that regard, but he also hadn't brought the cute button-faced girl out to the city just to try and tangle in the sheets with her. If Artesto caught on to Zinnia's brief meltdown over that possibility, he didn't show it.

Instead, his smile only grew as he felt her fingers gently weaving into his, a warmth settling into his chest as he felt her grasp him without so much of that trepidation and shyness she was so known for; Little by little, she was opening up to him. It really was like watching a flower, slowly blooming.

"I didn't see it that way, for a long time." He admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "I've been really focused on just being a Dreadlord, my studies and everything. But now..." Silas allowed his thumb to slip free, and he slowly ran it along the back of her hand as he looked down at the space between them. "I dunno, suddenly I'm getting all these feelings. I don't want to speed past them all, it seems disingenuous."

As they spoke, the Server returned with drinks and the salad that Zinnia had ordered. Using the hand that wasn't holding hers, Artesto grabbed his glass and raised it to her, before taking a long sip of the fizzy contents. "That's why I wanted to do this with you. I felt something with you at that dance. If there's something between us, Zinnia. If there's something here for us to enjoy, I want to take the time to find it and revel in it with you."

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Oh gosh.

Zinnia reddened a bit more and smiled at Silas words, her eyes shifting down to the tangle of their hands at the center of the table. Her heart was at a constant slightly elevated pace at this point and she was bordering on giddy. This was all a lot more heartfelt than she had been expecting given the Artesto reputation.

"I...admit, this is s-surprising, but...I d-don't think you come off as disingenuous, Silas," she replied, subconsciously tucking that last word away into her vocabulary for later. "N-not at all."

He had quite the way with words, something that she'd never been particularly good at. She admired it. Admired Silas, in fact. She lifted her glass in turn, happy to maintain the weave of their fingers while she did.

Zinnia peaked back up at Silas from behind a lock of tousled hair, her cheeks as red as a rose.
"If that's t-true...then I'd like that very much."

 

[Silas Artesto]

The food had come to the table without Silas even realizing it, placed off to the side by the server so as not to interrupt. As silly as it seemed, that little bit of returned affection, the way she let her fingers intertwine with his, was pretty damned distracting. Any instance of Zinnia showing initiative in this whole situation had an effect on him, actually. Something about seeing the shy wallflower coming out to meet him halfway felt intimate.

"Now, listen... I don't want to jerk you around here." Silas spoke, biting the inside of his cheek as he released her hand, leaned back in his chair, and pulled his plate in front of him. "I know you've probably heard things about me with other people too. I know word gets around at the Academy, how could it not?" There was a chance he would dampen the mood by bringing this up, but it would be deceptive of him not to be transparent.

"It's true that I've... explored my options a bit. I'm not gonna sit here and pretend I haven't." Silas was sure to keep his eyes on her as he cut off a piece of lobster and popped it into his mouth. He closed his eyes and relaxed-- This was the good stuff.

"But I'm not -with- anybody. I just want to make sure I know how I feel. Today? It's all about you, so don't sweat it, okay? If that makes you uncomfortable though, I'll take you home whenever you want. I'm not forcing your hand here, obviously." Maybe he could play fast and loose with some of the others, but Zinnia? If there was a chance he might hurt her feelings, or make her feel undervalued, he wanted to avoid that at all costs.

"Truth of it is, I'm just as overwhelmed by all this as you are, Zin."

Zinnia

 

[Zinnia]

Zinnia had known as much, but Silas saying it out loud still felt like she was being struck by an arrow. She tried to hide the obvious look of initial hurt on her face...after all, it could've been worse. He did say he wasn't *with* anyone. A guy as attractive as Silas was bound to receive attention, that much was self-evident. Maybe knowing that helped cushion the blow.

"It's...it's okay, Silas. It d-doesn't bother me. I'm happy to have this at all, y-you know?" she smiled at him, bouncing back as best she could. Then she began to follow suit, digging into the meal that had been delivered to them. The flavor was unlike anything she'd had before, and she shivered as the taste danced across her tongue. "Guess I'll j-just have to try my best to leave a good impression. Maybe I can get more than one d-day if I do."

 

[Silas Artesto]

It wasn't easy to watch her take all that, but it had needed to be done. Silas would have been worse for not saying it to her now, wouldn't he? If he'd gone about this date with those lingering rumors he knew must have been stewing about in the back of her mind? No, she wouldn't have been able to enjoy this, and even though his words almost definitely stung a bit, Silas was more than confident in his ability to make her feel a little better.

"More than one day? Psh, yeah." Silas smirked between bites, looking up at her as she quietly relished in her meal. "Just because I'm not steady with anybody doesn't make this an audition, Zin. I'm here with you because I want to be. You don't have anything to prove." Despite his earlier expressed desire to explore his feelings for Zinnia, he didn't see this date as an obligation. He was having dinner with a cute girl, and then they were going to hang out for the night and see how it went. Nothing more to it than that. "But I might try to get another dance out of you later, without people staring at us." He added with a smug grin that soon wrapped around another mouthful of food.

Zinnia, despite her reserved nature and shy demeanor, was an interesting lass. Hell, you had to be 'interesting' to be a Dreadlord, but while so many others in school flaunted about their powers or their upbringing, Silas knew relatively little about Zin. He hadn't really interacted with her much until the dance, quite honestly. So, as the food on their plates, dwindled, Silas leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms with an idle smile upon his lips.

"So, where were you before the Academy? You're a lot better with a weapon than I am, and I grew up with the Guard. Not sure what that says about me, but I have to wonder when they scooped you up."

Passing by their table was a server headed to the back of house with a bottle of... something. Silas seemed to be keeping an eye on him.

Zinnia