2024 Entries

There was some awkwardness to the whole thing, having planned the day out. A spring picnic date for just the two of them, he and Arabelle. Medi had never been so stressed before in his life. Usually, the stern, forged-in-fire brow was so headstrong and certain, but when it came to a browbird as enchanting as her, he fell short. It was a surprise to him in general when the lady had given him the answer of 'yes' to his request of going on a date with her. Medi was nothing special at all; he was a simple, standard browbird. Nothing about him stood out; his crest did not harbor any stronger magic or glistening effects. His horns were common, as well as his size and build. The only thing that stood out was his tail, but even then, if one really looked - it honestly just was common too. The only surprising factor to him was he held three aspects to work over. Compared to Arabelle, who was the creation of the best possible matches of the universe, Medi looked dull next to her. An odd, simple being with a practical goddess on his arm that would make her skylord wings come and go as she pleased.

"I'm shocked she picked you," Diaval snickered, sipping over his piping hot black coffee. At the table with legs crossed and a questioning, humored expression on his face, "I bet she just wants to see what it's like to be with someone normal for once... that must be it," the bloody crow Hiro basically spoke to himself when referring to Medi.

"Stop being mean, Diaval..." Quinn snapped, working at cleaning the dishes for Blossom while the poor girl slept, having run into a cold for the week. "Don't listen to him, Medi..."

Medi grumbled, not wanting to protest to Diaval at all. In the browbird's mind, he was questioning if the other was right. A few seasonal peaches were placed into the basket, along with a lovely charcuterie board he had made the night before. As he placed items for the picnic in the basket, he listened thoughtfully to Diaval.

"What? I am not being mean," the black hiro stopped to sip his coffee again. "I'm only being honest. That girl looks like she should be dating a prince or royal army brat..." Distaste lingered in his words as Diaval spoke them, clearly some jealousy ringing as he thought about it and how Arabelle didn't pick him. Yet again, the bloody crow had only flirted with her - never dared to actually ask her out like Medi had. Beaten to the punch with pretty things. "But back to the main subject... Yeah..." Diaval finished his coffee, getting up to walk over to the sink. He placed the empty cup in the sudsy water for Quinn to clean next. There was nothing more Diaval wanted to do than go back to his room and away from thoughts of Medi and Arabelle. "You can borrow Cortado. He needs a good ride out anyway..."

"You're going to be riding THAT?" Quinn snapped back into the picture, surprised by what they were hearing.

"I don't have any other quick options..." Medi spoke, finishing by packing up the basket and finally adding the drinks and crystal glasses. "Only companions on this ship... I haven't run into something I want as a mount for myself yet..."

"Good luck..." Diaval grinned, giving a laugh to Quinn's comment. He knew the purple browbird hated his companion pets and mount, finding them absolutely creepy. Quietly, the black hiro slipped from the kitchen, exiting the scene and giving permission for his mount.

Before Quinn could make their remarks on the Dalon and its looks, Medi humbly thanked Quinn for their help and left the kitchen with his basket. He returned to his room to grab his Angelic Wing Cloak for the ride and their possible walk. Usually, Medi would have opted to just walk to where he wished to go, but this date was to be special. A mount was needed for him to move faster, while Arabelle had the option to fly of all things. Having a mount to borrow made him feel less unworthy of her presence; it was just the matter of him borrowing it that was a thing.

"There it is..." Medi grabbed the Angelic Wing Cloak and headed out to the ship cottage entrance, bidding the others a good day as they wished him luck on his date with Arabelle. Outside, he was surprised to find Cortado, the Dalon, already waiting for him with the mount saddle set up. Diaval must have snuck off earlier to get the mount ready for him. It was a very kind gesture to allow another to take their mount, as much as the pair fought they, in truth, got along and cared for one another.

Cortado rested with their belly to the fresh grass, turning their head upon Medi's arrival and giving a large yawn. In all honesty, the beast was actually uncomfortable to look at at first, the perfect pet mount for Diaval to have. This opportunity would give Medi the idea if he would want a Dalon on his own, but in truth, it seemed to fit the hiro browbird more.

"This is your ride?" A soft voice questioned coming from behind him. Arabelle had slipped out of the ship cottage door, having been slightly late in getting ready. Before she went on the date, the girl wanted to look the best she could, while also tending to Blossom and making sure the young browbird had everything she needed while being sick. With the care from her being taken over by Winnie, Arabelle thought it was okay to finally leave and go. Her mind would be at ease knowing Blossom would be tended to while she was out. Even sick, the two girls giggled over the idea of the date and how it could go. Blossom was eager to hear how her story would go for the day, like a good book. Yet stepping outside, by the looks of it, she came out right in time. Medi was hooking the picnic basket on the surprising Dalon.

"For today at least... Diaval said it was a good ground mount," Medi said, turning to smile at her and tapping at the saddle.

"I thought this was Diaval's..." So she had been right. "The Dalon would have been an interesting choice for your own for sure... I actually picture something else for you," Arabelle commented, walking over to pet the large Dalon that began to coo. Then, out of a fluff of its fur, Arabelle's eyes were met with another creature emerging from it, causing her to step back.

Five large purple eyes outlined in shining white against a dark blue face. Little chompers lightly nibbled, preening the Dalon's fur as it watched her, only to crawl out more as she noticed it further.

"Ahh... That must be Nightmare," Medi chuckled, eyeing the interesting little creature.

"Nightmare?" Arabelle spoke in shock. "What is it?"

"Diaval's other companion, the hemling pet. He said if Cortado goes out, the Hemling might tag along. I hope you don't mind our date having some quirks..."

Arabelle laughed, then went to pet the hemling pet next, which happily accepted the affection. It was a rather unsettling creature, but yet again another perfect pet for Diaval. "I don't mind at all... it will make for an interesting first date," she laughed, and he joined.

The hemling, Nightmare, was small enough to crawl up on Arabelle's shoulder like an avian pet. Its sharp-looking claw legs were rather gentle, and despite it being such a terrifying companion, it was very careful not to startle or hurt her. Nightmare was a misjudged creature much like Cortado. They knew they could scare a lot of people but chose to adopt a kinder outlook, actually enjoying the company of new beings.

"Let's go!" Medi got up in Cortado's saddle mount, tying the Angelic Wing Cloak tighter around his neck. His hand reached over for Arabelle, curious if she would choose to fly or join him, and happily, she took his hand and joined upon the mount. The wing charm effect shimmered upon her back, allowing her large wings to disappear for a time. Arabelle would ride the day out as a standard wingless browbird.

Off into the lush warm breeze, Cortado raced, seeming to know exactly where to go before Medi nudged him in the right direction. Along newly blossoming trees, they finally reached the stunning cherry blossom grove where they would have their spring picnic date. This area was the first grove that blossomed of the remarkable trees, littered with pink and white flowers. Some of which already released their flowers to flutter down and rest upon Arabelle's head as they rode past. In the vicinity, a few other couples seemed to set up their blankets as well, a coveted spot for a proper date. The lack of privacy was not a trouble for either browbird, since whispers of how cute the other couples looked were exchanged from Arabelle to Medi. Soon they found a good distance spot to stop Cortado and hop off, setting up a large white and pink plush blanket for them to rest upon. Nightmare also agreed to the spot by crawling off of Arabelle's shoulder and claiming their edge upon the plush blanket for a short nap in the shade.

Cortado, though full of energy, also opted to rest alongside the blanket and under the tree. Stretching themselves out contentedly, they wrapped their tail partly around the tree. Like a restful companion, their head would go to their paws to drift into their own daydream among the scent of cherry blossoms. Interest would have to wait, but the possibility to get a tasty morsel from the picnic basket was too great. Both Medi and Arabelle seemed to be kind browbirds, so sharing their meal was a good likelihood for the Dalon.

"This is absolutely lovely," Arabelle gushed, taking out the basket to start plating around the blanket. "You not only picked a wonderful spot to enjoy the flowers but also a wonderful spread!" Impressed was an understatement.

"I'm glad you thought so. You could say I had some help from some friends too," Medi nodded, finishing resetting up the charcuterie board. "A few villagers told me of this place while I was out having tea, and Quinn helped select the food and set it up."

"So humble of you to not take all the credit," the pink hiro giggled, popping a grape into her mouth. "I wouldn't have thought that of you."

"What do you think of me?" Medi teased back, now feeling somewhat comfortable. The ride here had eased his anxiety and awkwardness, as Arabelle had placed her hands around his waist in a hug to hold on. For some reason, that settled him down, making the browbird a bit bolder than before.

"I think there is more to you than I thought. You're not only good-looking, but very thoughtful too. Of who you are with and your entire crew too," she said, quick to give him the compliment only because it was from the heart.

Medi ruffled in his seat and joined in eating some grapes with the pink hiro. He would have been blushing had he not kept his emotions so tightly checked; the last thing Medi wanted was the lovely girl to see him bright red. To remedy this, Medi went into subtle compliments of his own for her when she asked the question in return. They went back and forth in what they thought of each other, what they had in common, and their thoughts on some of the crew members and recent passengers to the ship. Much of the conversation drifted around Medi's history and the future he was going for. He even showed her some of the neat trinkets and apparel he got on his adventures, like the abilities of the Angelic Wing Cloak. His life story was only all quick but held a lot of random adventurous turns that Arabelle found fascinating and fun. As apparently grumpy as Medi usually was, the browbird had come to have a lot of friends, which resulted in a lot of random adventures. Arabelle herself went over her vast upbringing in Thrones, her family and friends, and the goals of her future. A lot of it rested on discovering her other aspects she held or even just picking up to learn some new ones with Khadgar. All in all, the date was going remarkably well, a common browbird and a goddess-like hiro browbird.

"I think it might be time to get back..." Arabelle giggled, hearing the loud grumble of the Dalon and then the chattering noise of Nightmare. Sure, the pair had shared their picnic with the odd pets, but they still needed their own favored nourishment.

"Poor thing must not have been fed this morning," Medi noted, getting up to help Arabelle to a stand. The pair began to pack up upon hearing the grumbling bellies of the pets again. "Go figure Diaval forgets to feed them before releasing them to us..."

It wasn't a bad thing this happened; the pair had spent so much time deeply wrapped in conversation and flirting that time had passed faster than they liked. This breaking point was a good place to go home and reset to think about everything each said.

"Let's head on back, Cortado... Thank you for the ride," Medi spoke, petting the Dalon while helping the hemling, Nightmare, get back up on the creature's neck to hide in the fur. As soon as Medi and Arabelle had adjusted on the mount, the Dalon took off in the direction of home, ready for their larger supper.

"We should do this again," Arabelle cooed in Medi's ear. "This was a nice day."

"I'm for it... let's see what we can do next time," he replied with a smile.