Private Hylands Ascent Getting Ore Galore with Mi Amore

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Why wouldn't I be nervous?" He turned back to her cocking his head to the side. "I mean, you're a super awesome person and well..." he would scratch his head with his free hand. "My...romance history is not super great? Like yeah I've dated, but I wouldn't say any of them were uh..." his voice drawled into the open air. "Healthy? If that makes any sense? My last relationship went so badly that when it ended I dropped out of college and ran off with my acting Troope to get out of town." Speaking the words aloud tugged on old emotional wounds, but he wasn't about to go spiraling down that memory hole just yet.

He was much to sober for that.

"All of that aside, I'm going on my first date with an incredible woman. Someone who I care dearly about, who has made my time on Terrasphere infinitely more fun. My partner in crime and someone I couldn't imagine facing any peril without, so of course I'm going to be nervous. I might look cool and collected most of the time, but that's because you're hearing isn't as good as mine. My heart's poundin just as much as yours most of the time Bun."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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He brought up a few good arguments, points that the Lepus hadn't really thought about or considered given her lack of experience in the department, and the rabbit couldn't help but nod softly in response. "Ah, that was... eetoh, the one that hated the camping trip right?" For a moment the hare had been about to mention a name, before realizing that although she knew about Brutus' ex her name had actually never popped up in conversation between them before.

"That wasn't a bad thing though... after all you love the troupe."

One could see a half filled glass and think of it as being half empty... or also half full, in the end it all depended on the perspective the viewer applied, and in Toko's case she often seemed to try and focus on the positive side of things.

The hare fell silent as she listened to Brutus compliment her, the blush remaining on her cheeks although no longer with the same intensity as before. She wasn't used to hearing others speak so well of her, much less with the intensity and frequency that the lion did it, and it caused the rabbit to feel somewhat embarrassed as a result... returning the sentiment non-verbally as her smaller hand squeezed Brutus' own in response.

"Wait... hontooni?"

A part of her found it hard to believe his last words, there was simply no way that his heart rate could often come close to her own... especially because, unlike him, the hare wasn't going out of her way to tease him every five minutes.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

He would let the fresh air wash over him, the wind causing the sweat on his body to sublimate and cool his body temperature. The change in light and atmosphere was fresh and liberating, much like how talking about his feelings felt.

"I mean, I suppose I owe it her for opening my eyes. I was deadest on setting myself on a track to ride a desk and do boring shit for my whole life just in the name of being able to support a family." He would shrug. "Now I can see there's a little more to life than that, but at the same time..." biting his lower lip, the giant would turn his gaze to the Lepus and sigh. "Sometimes I feel like I'm running from my problems rather than facing them?"

On her comment in disbelief of his own pounding heart, the mighty Lion would drop to one knee and using his free hand would gently pull her ear to his own chest so she could hear the gentle but speedy doki doki of his own heart.

"Part of the reason is that whenever my teasing gets you all flustered, it does the same thing for me. You get super cute and then I get all flustered seeing how cute you are." The rhythm of his heart would pick up as a blush would spread across his face. "Although it's not like I like you just because of how Kawaii you are...that's just like, part of it?" The giant would unsnare the rabbit, allowing her to pull away if she wanted.

"I'm not quite sure I can put those words together at the moment..."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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.

A light frown had crossed her face as the Felis mentioned that he felt as if he was running from problems with his life choices, but before Toko could verbally protest the matter he had suddenly stopped walking. "... eh?" She had watched as Brutus took a knee with a puzzled look, before the giant's hand reached to cup her face and gently pulled the hare to his chest.

"O-Oh...!"

The blush on her face had deepened once more upon being pulled to such close proximity without much of a warning, before Toko's ears caught the quickened rhythm of a heart that wasn't her own pounding away inside his chest—it certainly matched her own.

"I s-see..."

She had softly pulled back once Brutus' hand had released her face, the sudden shift in temperatures (after all the lion always seemed to run quite warm, probably due to his pyromancy) causing the ear that had been pressed to his chest to flicker in response before Toko rose a hand to rub it carefully. There was a sudden pause to their conversation, an awkward silence as they were both blushing and at a loss for words, before the Lepus finally decided to break it.

"J-Just for the record, I don't think you're running from your problems at all... at least it d-doesn't look that way whenever I see the pictures of you and the troupe."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I mean..." the giant would muse aloud. "I'm having a good time and making great memories, but is it something I can do for the rest of my life? My dad did it, the whole traveling troupe thing, but once he was getting around my age he settled down, got married, had kids...and then he uh." The words would struggle to leave his lips for a moment.

"He died really young, and I know it's dumb to compare my timeline to his, but like..." the giant would turn away. "If I were to die at the same age as him I would only have a couple of years left, combo that with the fact that our hobby of choice literally has a high chance of just outright offing us and I think you can squint and see where my head's at?" His large shoulders would squint as he would finally release her hand and take a couple steps towards the cliff.

"It's just enough to make me think about it a little harder than not at all is all."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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She'd listen attentively as the words slowly poured out of the Felis' mouth, her mind slowly tying the pieces of the puzzle together with the newly provided information. Before today family conversations had been kept light, though the rabbit knew that Olivier absolutely adored his younger sisters. His mother too, for she had come up in conversation now and again, but oddly enough the man had never mentioned anything about his dad—but now it made perfect sense as to why that had been.

"It's certainly a scary thought..."

She could understand where his thoughts originated from, after all Nao herself had struggled with similar thoughts in her teenage years. A surprised look crossed her face when the rabbit noticed her hand had now been freed, holding it close to her chest for a few moments as the difference in temperature hit her skin, before she finally bounded off to follow Brutus as he stepped closer to the cliff.

"... I never got to meet kaasan." Her words were spoken softly as the hare came to stand besides the lion, her shoulder softly bumping against his arm. "... it definitely caused me to have very similar thoughts while growing up, especially during my high school years."

The doubts and fears had especially incremented then for Nao as she neared the age that her mother had when she passed away, and honestly it was a feeling that the woman felt no child should ever be put through... though unfortunately that's just how life worked at times. "Obaachan then told me something that helped a bit... everyone's time is different, and we have no way of knowing what the future will bring." She had fretted and worried a lot during those teenage years, though her main fear had stemmed from the thoughts of leaving her grandmother alone once more... even if the woman had tried to hide her own pain from her grandchild Nao had always known her grandmother missed her daughter deeply right until the very end.

"She was certain though that kaasan would've been very sad if I wasn't living life to the fullest though... and, although it took me a while to honestly believe that, I think obaachan was actually right about that."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"You're right..." Brutus would muse, chewing on his lower lip. He could feel her resting her shoulder against his arm, and out of reflex he would wrap his arm around her pulling her closer slightly. "I just...sometimes I wonder what he'd want me to do...is he proud of the man I've become? Would he want me to follow my heart and be happy on the road? Would he advise I settle down?" The honest truth was it wasn't an answer he could ever know. Louis Clisson had passed away when he was Seven, his youngest sister still in the womb. A freak accident, the Doctor's had called it, chalking it up to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, or SADS for short. Rumors had abounded that it had been drugs, or some sort of congenital defect, others posited that it was the result of an experimental vaccine, but the truth was lost to time.

Olivier could hardly remember the man's face outside of pictures, much less the sound of his voice.

One single tear would well up at the corner of his eye and trickle down his rugged face before plummeting off his jawline and downwards past the cliffside, tumbling to oblivion. "But I don't think my father would want me tearing my hair out thinking about what he would have wanted."

The giant would take a deep breath, steadying himself emotionally before realizing the tangent he'd gone on. "Ah, Gomen." Sniffling, the Lion would chuckle ever so slightly as he shook his head. "I did not mean to make things so...sad. You ready to head back to town? Or do you want to enjoy the view for a little longer?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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Toko's light brush had caused the giant's arm to reach out in response, wrapping around the Lepus and pulling her closer into a side hug as they looked at the view the cliff offered of their surroundings. Instinctually her own arm reached out and around the back of the Felis, not wanting to become squished between their two frames, as the rabbit quietly listened to Brutus.

"This might be a bold assumption for me to make..." It certainly felt that way, after all Nao had never met the man or any of Olivier's family members. "... but I think he'd want you to do whatever really makes you happy?"

Whether that was continuing with his life in the troupe as he had until now, or if it would involve him making a drastic change in his life for whatever stability the lion feared he needed to achieve in order to settle down, Toko certainly didn't know... that was something only Brutus could decide for himself, and a decision he would eventually made when the time was right. It was then a sparkle caught the hare's eyes, the light reflecting from the single tear droplet as it vanished into the abyss, before the deep breath of the lion caused Toko to look up at his face—the pain and raw emotion at the topic easy to see.

"Iie, don't apologize..."

A hand softly reached up to his face, her thumb carefully wiping away the trail his tear had previously carved—not too disimilar from the way her grandmother had wiped away countless tears from Nao's face as she'd been growing up. At his question the Lepus shrugged her shoulders softly, a smile on her lips as she answered. "Whatever you prefer to do is fine with me, Brutus." She meant those words too, Toko was certain she'd enjoy the time spent with the lion regardless if it was chilling by a cliffside and enjoying the views nature offered them or if it was back in town as they figured out what new food place they might wanna go out and discover. After all it was his company what always made her day better, a realization that had been slow to dawn onto the hare's mind given how naturally organic everything had been between them.

"So, what do you want to do today, mmm?"

By now her hand had withdrawn from his face, instead reaching up to the larger palm of the Felis that now rested on Toko's shoulder before giving his fingers a soft and reassuring squeeze.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I want to spend it with you, having fun."

He would turn to the Lepus and smile warmly. "I don't care if its just us sitting down drinking tea and eating snacks, or fighting goblins, or doing the OBNOXIOUS paperwork that comes with jumping straight to platinum rank in the Adventurers guild." The giant's free hand would find itself rubbing his chin for a moment before a mischievous grin would creep across his face.

"Say, speaking of. I was saving this for later...but I kinda want to show you now." His eyes would twinkle with a sense of unrestrained mirth. "I was inspired by our little trip to the stratosphere and how I came back down, I don't have my canon to use as a focus buuuut" He would lean down to get on her level. "Do you trust me? Like, really really trust me?" Letting the words hang in the air, he would straighten himself upwards.

"Because if you do, I might just have a thrill to show you better than any of the fights we've dealt with so far. Not like, scary, but something unlike anything you've probably experienced in your life."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"I want to spend it with you, having fun."

His works caused her heart to flutter, a warm feeling nestling in her chest even as the blush on her cheeks deepened somewhat. She knew the lion enjoyed her company as much as Toko enjoyed his, but hearing it was still something the hare wasn't used to... though the faint smile on her lips was a good indication that she didn't dislike it.

"Wait, you actually went and skipped all the way to platinum after I told you about the paperwork...?"

The original surprise on her face soon gave way as the rabbit chuckled, her free hand brought up to cover her mouth as Toko laughed out loud—of course Brutus would do that even after being warned.

It was then an idea seemed to pop into the Felis' head, the man leaning over to look at Toko as he spoke. His question caught her off guard for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to guess just what exactly the lion was up to right now as the Lepus responded.

"Y-Yeah, I dooo... what are you planning though?"

Whatever it was the hare would bet gold that it wouldn't be good for her heart... but Toko would be lying if she denied being curious about it.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Oh I totally did on accident. I wasn't planning on joining, but Trevis practically threw the gold tags at me after the whole Magickronos affair, and then after the Kurungar fight they basically begged me to apply for platinum rank, but..." he would chuckle, rolling his eyes. " They had zero paperwork on file for me. Meaning I had to do it all in one sitting..."

As she confirmed her trust in him, his grin would expand into perhaps the widest and most mischievous one she'd ever seen plastered across his face as he tail would begin to swish back and forth excitedly. "Excellent." He would rub his hands together excitedly. "I am planning to take you on an adventure unlike any other we've ever embarked on together. Equal parts romantic and thrilling as I show you something I highly doubt you've ever experienced in your life." He would sink down to one knee and get eye level with her, raising an eyebrow as he asked his next and final question.

"I have one last question before I embark on this journey. How do you want me to carry you? Bridal style or piggyback?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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.

"Mhmmm..." She gave the Felis a dubious look as he claimed his excuse, though a part of the Lepus had to admit that did sound pretty on brand for Trevis."Well I hope you enjoyed those eight hours of paperwork then~"

However that topic was promptly archived as the hare watched Brutus display the most Cheshire-esque grin she had ever seen on the lion's face. Behind the man his tail swished excitedly, reminiscent of a neko getting ready to pounce on its favorite toy, and Toko couldn't help but take a step back in uncertainty while the giant rubbed his hands together.

"W-What kind of adventure...?"

Did she trust the Felis? Absolutely, no doubt about it!

However she was also quite aware of the lion's nature, and also the shenanigans Brutus was very capable of getting them into. If he was promising a thrilling experience Toko had zero doubts that the man would deliver... though the rabbit couldn't help but sometimes worry about her poor heart—all this constant stimulus couldn't possibly good for it.

"How do you want me to carry you? Bridal style or piggyback?"
". . . n-nani?"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Bridal Style it is."

The giant wasted no time, scooping the Lepus up into his arms and leaping off the cliff in one smooth motion. "Hold on tight!" The two would plummet downwards in a freefall for thirty or so seconds, the wind rushing through their hair as the rocky ground below rushed up to meet them. Then the Giant began to practically glow as jets of fire began to shoot from his boots with incredible force, fighting gravity and slowing their fall. With about five feet to spare the two would be in a stable hover.

"HERE."

He would click his heels.

"WE."

The jets would surge to a greater flame propelling them upwards.

"GO."

The two would propel upwards with increased force and power. Propelling into the sky, Brutus would grin from ear to ear. "Behold!" He would exclaim after rising about a hundred or so feet and leveling out into a hover. "I've mastered Pyromantic flight!" His gaze would flit to the Lepus in his arms, gauging her reaction.

"What do you think?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"E-Eeeh?!"

Before Toko knew it she found herself swept off her feet, the Lepus blinking in confusion as Brutus called for her to hold on tight... before he simply decided to freefall off the fucking cliff. A surprised squeal left the rabbit as the wind rushed past them, her arms instinctually wrapping around the Felis' neck as Toko hid her face in the nape of the lion's neck.

After a few moments she would begin to feel their rapid descent slow down, the hare finally daring to take a peek and see them hovering just a handful of feet away from the ground they'd been plummeting too moments prior. A short sigh of relief escaped Toko, thinking it was all over, before she turned to see the grin on the lion's face.

"HERE... WE..."
"M-Matte—!"
"GO!"

The sound of roaring fire caught the rabbit's ears as the Felis boosted the jets at the sole of his boots, propelling the pair upwards as the Lepus allowed another surprised squeal to escape. By now her heart was beating a mile per minute once more, certainly impacted by the lion's pyromantic flight antics, but this time around Toko actually watched instead of hiding her face away like before.

"What do you think?"
"S-Sugoi...!"

Her arms were still wrapped around the Felis' neck, although their grip had substantially loosened once they weren't plummeting to the ground a record speed, as the hare's eyes glimmered in fascination at the unexpected view that was now provided. "You did it... you actually figured it out!" She still remembered the conversation they'd shared the first night that the pair had met, Brutus having talking about how he had wished to figure out a way to fly with his pyromancy... and he'd actually gone and done it.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

He could feel the Bunny's breath on his neck as she clung to his body desperately. Her arms were wrapped around him like a vice grip.

Badump Badump Badump.

Surely she could hear his heart from here. Maybe it was exertion, maybe it was how cute her squeals were. Who could tell? Peering down at her with a grin on his lips he would reply. "I sure did Bun! Took some tinkering, and it could use a little bit of refining but~" He would lean forward and surge his flames propelling them forward. "If I go fast enough I can use the windsheer to cool me down from the heat my body generates from using pyromancy!" The wind would whip through both of their hair as he surged forward.

He would his speed up, faster and faster they would go, ripping through the air as the wind whipped the sweat from his body. His body would warm up more and more, before stabilizing at a nice gentle heat that would keep the hare from freezing from a mix of the altitude and windsheer. "You're not too cold are you?" He would ask, having to raise his voice over the wind. "I can take us down whenever you're ready! We're also on a timer with my energy bar..."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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.

There was a soft and constant thumping that echoed in the rabbit's ears; though it was hard for Toko to discern if it was the beating of her own heart, Brutus' own heartbeats, or a combination of both. However there was no denying that the experience was a magical one to say the least, and now that the initial shock and surprise had ebbed away the Lepus was clearly enjoying the unexpected flight that the lion was providing them with.

"You're not too cold are you?"
"I-Iie... you're kind of warm and toasty right n-now."

A light blush peppered the cheeks of the hare as she spoke, now very much aware of their close proximity, though her arms remained loosely wrapped around the lion's neck... she felt safer that way.

"Ah, r-right...!" Toko's eyes widened in realization as Brutus gently reminded her that the flight couldn't last forever, and the rabbit could only imagine how rapidly this stunt of his was probably eating away at his energy meter. "It's okay, w-we can land!"

After all today had been quite an eventful day, including the various combat situations the pair had gotten involved into—which had no doubt already tapped into the Felis' energy bar as a result.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Alrighty then."

The giant would clutch his Lepus Lover tighter as he would gently angle them downwards, looking for a place to land. Spotting the road they'd walked to the base of the mountain on, he would begin to circle around to line himself up.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we've begun our descent back down to this lame ass dirt road. Please turn off all portable electronic devices and stow them until we've successfully come to a full stop. In preparation for landing on this dirt road, be certain your seat is straight up and your seat belt is fastened. Please secure your carry-on items, stow your tray table, and pass any remaining service items and unwanted reading materials to the flight attendants. Thank you."

He would lower down, angling towards the road like a ballistic missile and diving. Once he was close enough, he brought his legs in front of him, slowing his forward momentum as they slowly lowered to the ground. His legs would touch into the dirt and he would, keeping his angle, cut the flames and slide along the loose dirt like a baseball player sliding to home, keeping the Lepus clutched carefully in his arms and out of harms way. After about fifteen feet of grinding his boots into the soil, keeping himself upright, he would finally come to a complete stop.

"Welcome to this scenic dirt road, the local time is I don't fucking know o clock, and the temperature is I have no clue, consult a thermometer." He would keep her in his arms for the moment, relishing her closeness as he took a couple hesitant steps. "How'd you enjoy your first flight Bun?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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.

His flight arrival mock-up caused the hare to chuckle softly, allowing the lion to slowly circle down and plan their descent back into the soil below. She wasn't sure what to expect, but as the momentum continued the hare helpd on just a little bit tighter in response... perhaps Brutus hadn't fully figured out the landing part of this new trick of his just yet.

It was a bumpy landing for sure, but to the Felis' credit he did a pretty marvelous job overall at it... Toko was quite certain she wouldn't have managed to remain upright like the lion if it had been her in his boots, much less if she'd actually been carrying someone in her arms. Another chuckle escaped the hare at the man's quip, his commentary helping ease any nervousness the Lepus might have felt—something she was honestly thankful for.

"How'd you enjoy your first flight Bun?"
"Mmm, bit of a rough landing... but I'd still call it a success."

There was a leftover mirth tone to her words from her earlier laughing, a smile tugging at the corners of Toko's lips while she spoke, before the heat that still radiated fromt he lion reminded the hare about how very close they were currently of one another.

Badump...! Badump! Badump!!!

A blush colored the Lepus' cheeks once more as a result, her gaze darting away from his face even as her arms withdrew from around his neck a little bit faster than Toko had originally intended—now awkwardly nestled against her chest as the hare realized Brutus hadn't yet made a move to put her back down.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"The landings do need a bit of work, but they've been getting better. My first couple had to be in the lake near Honeyhome. Damn near scared Hubert out of his boat."

The memories of smashing into the lake at high velocity made him wince, the water had been nice to cool him off, but at a certain speed hitting water felt a whole lot like crashing into concrete. The lion would eye the hare for a moment, debating if he even wanted to set her down or if he wanted to continue carrying her just to tease her more. He could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and her face was easier to read than a children's picture book.

"Were to next hun?" He would ask, subtly changing things up on her. He would keep his stride, adjusting her slightly to be easier to carry. "I'm thinking we catch a wagon back into town and get some lunch perhaps?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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.

"Oh no, don't tell me you scared away the fish he'd already caught too...?"

She could only imagine the fright the poor man must have suffered too, after all if this was one of the more descent landings that Brutus had managed then Toko could only imagine what kind of clusterfuck landings the Felis must've been up to that he felt the need to use the lake as a landing pad.

"Were to next hun?"
"E-Eetoh..."

For a moment she had thought the lion was about to finally set her on the ground as he shifted the rabbit in his arms, before coming to the realization that no he fucking wasn't as Brutus continue to walk down the dirt road with the Lepus nestled against his chest. It only caused the color on her cheeks to deepen another shade or two, the blush now reaching the base of Toko's ears as the hare quietly stole an upward side-glance to the lion's face.

"Y-Yeah, that s-sounds like a good p-plan...?"

He was one hundred percent doing this to tease her, the Lepus was absolutely sure of it... and, of course, it was working.

@Brutus Dahlgren