Butterfly Date

On the day that they were supposed to meet, Cyrus practically reeked of fear, even though he was the one to suggest this idea in the first place.

He'd never done anything like this before, had never expected someone like Aphelia to return his affections. He'd always admired her whenever they were together, his eyes drawn to her glimmering crystal hair and tootheye. It didn't matter if she was a Xynthii and a completely different species at that, not when that was the norm here in Xygoroth anyway.

Here they were, standing in the middle of the butterfly garden Cyrus had invited Aphelia to. His fingers were a touch shaky as he tried to gesture to the plethora of multicolored wings spanning out across the glass dome building they were currently located in.

"I've never seen so many in one place before," he remarked, his brain racking for anything else to say. He was relieved that he could still maintain some sense of composure when it came to his conversational skills.

Just then, from the corner of his eyes, he noticed Aphelia's expression beaming, glowing brighter than ever. He couldn't help but be enchanted, completely and utterly captured by the essence of her beauty.

"I have an idea," she voiced out.

Her fingers were wrapped around his his, the slight plush texture of the lips of her hand mouths . Before Cyrus could combust from the sudden contact, Aphelia was encouraging him to follow her, their footsteps leading them to a herd of monarch butterflies swathed in oranges and blacks. There were even a few blue ones spotted in the crowd.

Before Cyrus could ask just what Aphelia's plan was, he felt a fluttery light-weight feeling rested on his head and shoulders. With their delicate little feet, a handful of butterflies had decided to just chill on Cyrus, their wings proving to be a bit ticklish on his ears and horns. There were some even scattered across his horse body, with the occasional flap or twitch stirring them with motion here and there.

With a sketchbook and pencil pulled out from her satchel bag, Aphelia sank on a log, curling her legs up in a more comfortable sitting position, before letting her hands do the work. Stray charcoal marks traced against the paper, coming together to illustrate Cyrus in a silly pose, with both of his hands lifted in order to host even more butterflies on him.

Laughter had bubbled out from her at one point, when Cyrus almost choked on a butterfly while grinning with his mouth stretched wide open.

Needless to say, Cyrus didn't have anything to worry about that day. No matter what he and Aphelia did, he'd always enjoy enjoy her company.

And as they held hands near the end of the day, it was evident that she did too.