Tranquility

[Tismri]

Glory's eyes widened when she saw Seth bump into the table, and his expression turned rather stormy. She was immediately concerned about him.
"Are you okay?" she asked him, moving to try to help him into a chair. "I'm sorry. I should have pointed out where the table was better. I didn't even notice it had been moved." She continued apologizing until she heard shouting from the other side of the dining hall, and stared at the scene centered around her cousin. He seemed to be arguing with the other guy. She groaned as she sat down, watching, wondering if maybe she should interfere before it got violent.
Don't get into a fight, please Ian, she thought.

[Trinn]

Maude couldn't believe it. Sebastion was still hanging around. And being quite the nuisance to boot. She stared up at him, glaring fiercely the entire time he spoke. He didn't seem at all disturbed by it. In fact, he seemed way to confident in himself. She couldn't get a word in, the guy was running his mouth off so much. And there was so much she wished to say. A look of surprise crossed her face when Ian spoke up, and rather loudly. That was the second time she had seen him take such command. Sebastion thought he was a boy? Maude knew better than that. Ian was so much more. He may appear scrawny, but he was really quite brawny and strong. Part of her wished Ian would get up and challenge Sebastion to a duel, but she knew Ian was more honorable than that. Unfortunately, Maude did not consider herself so chivalrous.

Getting to her feet, Maude turned towards Sebastion. For a moment, he looked victorious. "Muscle does not equal strength." She told him knowingly. And with that, she flashed out her hands, punching him in pressure points in his stomach, arm, and thigh. Sebastion fell to the floor, cringing in pain. "You'll be able to get up in five minutes. But I don't want to look at you that long. Castiel," Maude looked at the white dragon, "I don't suppose you would want to drag this bag of meat out of here for us, would you? Ian and I were trying to have a conversation."

Magda watched the whole scene with a twitching tail. Occasionally her talons flexed, longing for a fight. For some reason she felt tense and full of energy. It was all she could do to refrain from taking a chunk out of the Sebastion boy. He was being mean to her humans. I will help. Magda added, baring her teeth at the guy.

[Max452]

Ian's anger dissipated quickly the moment he found Sebastian on the floor. He glanced over to Maude, an impressed smirk on his face. She was so pretty when she took charge. He inwardly sighed. He really need to express his feelings to her soon.
Must I? Castiel held his head high in disgust. Ian quickly realized that his dragon had moved and was now hovering over the incapacitated boy. I don't eat dirty meat. The dragon replied, but nonetheless opened his jaw dangerously over Sebastian. But for you, Maude, I will bear it. Castiel gripped Sebastian's tunic with his jaws and began to drag the poor boy away from them.

Ian watched as the dragons dragged the boy out of the dining hall. His eyes glanced back at Maude with a mixture of awe and longing in his eyes. To some, having a woman defend a man would be considered weak and embarrassing, but for Ian, he found it reassuring; it meant that she could take care of herself - that trust was there. "That was amazing, Maude. Can you teach me those moves sometimes?" He asked her, temporarily forgetting the question he had desired to ask Maude before the rude interruption. Ian had never really learned pressure points before and was quite eager to do so; Maude had done it so gracefully.

[Trinn]

Magda bore down on Sebastion's left shoulder, letting her teeth bite down just enough so that the boy suffered a little pain. He needed to learn his lesson! Once they had deposited Sebastion outside, Magda turned to Castiel. He was larger than her, but not by too much. They were only a month apart in age. Not forgetting her friends daring behavior earlier, Magda suddenly pounced. She bit down at Castiel's neck, not nearly using her full force, but enough to perform a mock battle. Lets us battle, you and I. she said challengingly.
~~

After watching the two dragons for a moment, Maude sat back down, returning her gaze to Ian. She smiled a bit, glad that she had seemed to impress him. It was an odd feeling, to want to impress somebody. But then again, her life had previously been devoted to impressing and surpassing all the varden children. Part of her still longed for that, but Ian had awaken another feeling in her. "Of course! I can show you when we're done eating, if you want." She eyed her food, which was getting a little cold now. "Ian, what were you trying to say? I don't think anyone's going to interrupt us again."

[Max452]

OOC: Opps...forgot about Seth and Glory. I think Ian's nerves are shooting into me lol.

Seth finally found his seat and saw down. "Its not your fault, Glory; it happens." He replied, his tone a bit softer toward her. "Just the down side of being blind." He glanced away, the lingering feelings of irritation slowly leaving him. He was unaware on what was going on with Glory's cousin, so he focused on their own table. He lifted his nose slightly. "Mmm, they have potatoes today! That's the closest thing to meat!" Seth's mood brightened at this as he reached out for a plate. "What did you do today?" He asked Glory.

***
Ian nodded excitedly at Maude's acceptance to teach him. "Yes, I would like that very much!" He gave her a boyish smile, that faltered a bit when she returned to his previous attempt to ask her something. His nerves instantly returned and he could feel his chest and stomach do odd, rapid pulses or flips. "I, uh...was..., um." He scratched his arm with his left hand; something to do. He glanced at the food, noticing that they were cold. Finding this a way to delay his question, he immediately began a long, precise spell. A small white flame formed in his hand. "Here." He let the flames go and it soared over their meals, warming them to a nice even temperture. "There. Lunch is served!" He chuckled nervously. "Um, well, Maude, I was kinda wondering, if you...well," Ian swore he could feel his body sweat, but really it was just his nerves, "wannagooutwithmetonight." He spat out the last of string of words together in a rush. He gulped, feeling very nervous and anxious for Maude's answer.

***
That'll teach you to mess with our Riders, vermin. Pfft! And what kind of a name is Sebastian, hmm? It sounds like a crab's name or something! You're a crabby boy! Ahaha! Castiel teased the boy before going into a gloatful jaunt back to his Riders, but he barely moved a talon when he was pounced on!
Castiel growled playfully at Magda as he discovered her attacking him. Ahaha! So you wish to play with me, 'little one'. He emphasized her side in a teasing tone, despite knowing she wasn't that much smaller than he. He growled again and tried to clamp his own jaws on her neck, but she had positioned herself in a way that he could not. He lifted himself onto his hind legs, snarling playfully as he used his front talons to scrapple with her, all the while, still manuevering his jaws to grip her neck or mouth.

[Tismri]

Glory began to feel better as Seth's mood noticeably brightened. She wondered what had gotten him so irritated when they came in; it wasn't like him to complain about be blind most of the time. Usually, he seemed to almost enjoy it; she knew he wouldn't have it any other way. She also relaxed when, to her surprise, Maude resolved the situation on the other side of the room. She smiled as the two small dragons dragged the large boy away.
She picked up a plate of potatoes and began flavoring it with salt, chives, a little bit of cilantro, and a pinch of a special red pepper her mother grew for her. She would have enjoyed being able to put some butter or cheese on it as well, but the elves even shunned those. She glanced back up at Seth.
"Well, I went for a walk," she told him. "And met my cousin there. Ian and I talked for a long time before coming here." Her voice was a mix of happiness and sadness. "I've missed spending time with him and Eva, but we've all be so...busy." Busy was a rather relative word; by it, she meant that both she and Ian were spending the bulk of their time out of training with another friend. "I loved getting a chance to talk to him, but...I don't know, it almost made me a little homesick." She admitted it; she thought of the times when Eva, Ian, and Uncle Einar and Aunt Gianna would all come over, or her family would all go over to their place, and talk and have fun for hours. It seemed like so long since they had been able to do that.

[Trinn]

During their tumbling, Magda lost her grip on Castiel's neck. In turn, he was able to bite her instead. She growled at her exposed position, and tried to wriggle free. Using her foretalons, she scratched at Castiel's shoulders, trying to push him away so that she could better attack him. Castiel would see who the small one was!
~~

Ian was acting positively strange. Why wouldn't he say what was on his mind? It made Maude feel nervous, and she didn't like it. "Thanks." She muttered, when he had finished warming their meals. It was as good a use of magic as any, she supposed. Though she wished he would leave it off and just speak his mind first. At last, he blurted something out, almost unintelligible. She stared at him, one eyebrow raised in scrutiny. "Go out with you tonight? Well, I had thought we might go spar or take a walk. What did you have in mind?" They usually always hung around each other during lazy days, such as today. Maude didn't understand why Ian was being so weird about it now. A thought suddenly struck her, and she looked at Ian a bit closer. "Unless, you meant something else?" She asked, wanting him to explain himself and his odd behavior. For some strange reason, her heart began to beat faster. It felt uncomfortable, but not altogether unpleasant.

[Max452]

No, no! You stay put! Castiel laughed as he and Magda continued to wrestle about. He was trying to force her onto her back so he could declare himself the victor, but she was being stubborn. He yelped out of instinct as he felt her talons scratch a sensitive spot between his shoulder and neck. He growled and continued to try to push her downward. Stop moving so much. The elder dragon playfully complained as he tried to clamp his teeth onto her neck and snout again.

***
Seth listened patiently and intentively as Glory shared with him her day. He was rather glad that she felt comfortable in sharing some of her insecurities about being homesick. "Its natural to miss home and the familiar, Glory." He told her once she was done speaking. "You're lucky to have family so close by; you should take the chance to see Ian and Eva more. What could occupy your time so much?" He asked her, quite oblivious on how much time they really spent together.

***
Ian whole body felt like it was on overload! He felt like Maude took forever to respond (it really wasn't more than a few seconds). And when she did respond, it was a question! He felt his skin crawl with nerves as she questioned him, seemingly innocent to his question. He chuckled and glanced away from her when she had asked him what he wanted to do. It looked like they were going to just spend time as friends again. He formed a half frown at that thought. The young Einarson was so frustrated and embarrassed at his thought...how could Maude really see him like tha--

Ian's eyes darted upward as he sensed Maude studying him. A different look seemed to be in her eyes as she looked at him closely. Did she finally understand what he meant? Her next question seemed to. He gulped a bit, that nevous pit in his stomach continued to gnaw at him. Ian shuffled in his seat, his fingers playing with the untensil on the table as he darted his eyes everywhere but at Maude. He tried to figure out the best way to explain. Of course he meant something else. Ian gave a slight nod at Maude's answer and then finally, made eye contact with her. It was now or never!
"I...I was hoping we would have a more..innnttiimmmateee outing together..." He stuttered a bit, his cheeks red as he stared at her. "Jussttt the two of us...there's a nice gazebo in the woods of Meditation, near a pleasant stream." He paused, wondering briefly what was going on in Maude's mind. "I thought we could have dinner there...and...um, watch the different color werelights there...its suppose to be very nice...would you..like to go out with me?" He finally did it! There! He stared at Maude, anxious and hopeful that she would understand and say yes. If she didn't...well, Ian didn't know what he would do.

[Trinn]

Maude stared intently at Ian, hanging on to each clumsy word he spoke. Intimate moment! Werelights! Dinner in the woods by a pleasant stream! So it was as she thought! Ian was courting her! Her feelings were a mingle of things; there was excitement, nervousness, anxiety, a little confusion, and more excitement. Ian had always been her one true friend here in Bromsland, and for a while, she had been content with that. She had never imagined anything more. But lately, Ian had been acting differently, in a way she could only describe as more manly. It attracted her, she had realized, but she had pushed away the attraction, afraid of it. And Ian was sweet, and kind, and caring. He was everything she hadn't wanted him to be, when they had first started to become friends. There had been a time when Maude was sure she hated him. No more.

"Yes." she said, smiling a bit. "That sounds lovely, Ian." She met Ian's eyes, unabashed.

[Tismri]

Glory felt her cheeks redden at Seth's question, and for a moment she couldn't look at him.
"Um...well..." she sputtered a little, staring down at her food. "It's just...training...and...well, a lot of my time...I've been...well...we've been spending a lot of time together." She stared out a nearby window for several moments, feeling like she'd just made a fool of herself to make such a simple statement. She remembered her promise to Ian, to tell Seth what she felt about him. But how could she? She was so afraid that if she said anything, it would ruin their relationship. She nervously twisted a lock of hair and wondered what he thought of what she'd just said. Was he oblivious? What if he was? What if he wasn't? Her stomach was so tied up in knots at the moment she couldn't even think about eating.

[Max452]

The world could end right now! Yes it could! If the world could end, it would be fine with Ian because the girl he had admired, liked, and adored had just said yes to spend the evening with him in a more romantic outing. A smile spread across Ian's face and his eyes brightened more than they ususally do when he stared at Maude. He could die right now of happiness. "Yes?" He forced himself out of his frozen state to talk to the girl of his dreams. "That's great! Yes!" His voice was barely above the norm and he realized that he might be startling Maude, "um, I mean, that would great. I'm looking forward to it." His grin remained on his face as he talked to her as he spoke his normal level. "This is just great!" He repeated and eagerly dug into his food before it got cold again. There was so much to do now before tonight. He would have to get the food ready and make sure that he reserved the gazebo and find those creeping bellflowers! Oh, he had to talk to Glory too! So much to do! This was great! Ian had never felt so happy in his life. Maude said YES! to HIM!

***
Seth frowned, not realizing the implications Glory was insinuating at. "Oh, well, why don't we just invite Eva to hang out with us, then?" He asked her as he ate, completely oblivious.

[Tismri]

Glory felt her spirit crumble at Seth's words. She leaned forward in the chair, all appetite lost, and feeling the beginning of tears forming. Still, she couldn't cry; she refused to let Seth know he had unintentionally hurt her feelings. It was her fault, and not his.
"I guess..." she replied to him quietly, trying to keep her voice normal despite how tight her throat felt.
Sundavar sat up from her meal and snorted a puff of smoke straight into Seth's face.
You moron! she stated. After spending all this time with her, you can't tell what she's trying to say? She likes you! She likes spending time with just you! So you better get your act together!
Sundavar!!!! Glory thought to her, feeling more pathetic and humiliated. She sank a little in her chair.
"I'm sorry, Seth! Sorry about her outburst! She didn't mean any of it!"
Yes I did. You weren't going to say it, so I did.
You meanie.

[Trinn]

Ian's evident happiness was contagious. Maude was sure she'd never seen him so jubilant before. She wondered, then, how long Ian had been wanting to ask her that question. Well, no matter. She smiled along with Ian, happy that he was happy. Her own butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. For the first time in a while, she felt giddy, like a little girl going on her first dragon ride. Finding she was unable to eat, Maude pushed her plate away. "I think I'm going to go get ready." She said to Ian, glancing at him with a smile. "You've somehow managed to make me feel nervous." She added, speaking her mind as usual. "I shall meet you just outside the woods at seven. See you later, Ian." She let her gaze linger on him for a moment longer, before standing and hastily making her way out of the dining room. On her way, she passed by Seth and Glory. Maude waved to them, forgetting that Seth could not see the motion.

Once outside, she was startled to find Magda and Castiel rolling around, seemingly trying to kill each other. She had been so distracted by Ian's courtship that she had all but blocked Magda from her mind. It would take some getting used to, being bonded to a dragon. "Magda!" She called out, worried. The red dragon stopped midbite and looked over to her rider. "What are you doing?"

....playing? The young dragon said. Maude shook her head. Magda reminded her so much of Viel sometimes.

"Well, come on! We have to go get ready!" Magda hesitated, looking back at Castiel, her mouth still open to bite.

But... ok. Snapping at Castiel one last time, Magda jumped off of him and retreated to Maude's side.

Thank you for the fight, Castiel. We shall finish it another time.

[Max452]

Seth nearly choked on his food as Sundavar began to scold him. What was she talking about.
You really are blind!Hyperion's voice flooded into Seth's mind and the blind boy's eyes grew wide, realizing what Sundavar meant. What Glory meant. "Oh." Seth unintentionally dropped his fork onto his plate. "I..I didn't realize that's what you meant..." Seth responded in a quiet voice. He had many emotions rising within him. Sure, there was a possibility that he wanted Glory as more than a friend, but, he didn't really know why he was hesitant. She was his best friend and they did everything together. Was it their age? They were only about 2 years apart. Was that really the reason? Was it cause he was blind and could never feel adequate to court her properly? She deserved someone who could appreciate all of her. But...there was a part of him that just wanted to be with her. That saw a future. "Um, so...you like me...um...like, like me like me or like me as a friend like me?" Seth asked, feeling nervous about her answer; he had to be sure, if only to help determine his own feelings for Glory.

***
Ian's smile, surprisely, grew brighter as Maude declared that she was going to get ready. And she was nervous! He made her nervous? How was that possible? No matter! She was going out with him. "Okay! I'll see you soon." He watched her depart, feeling like he wanted to shout out to the world that Maude accepted his invitation for something more than friends. The moment she left, Ian bounded out of his chair and raced out the opposite door to find his sister. She was the one person that he truly needed to tell (well, besides from Glory, but Ian noticed she was talking to Seth and left her be with a knowing smirk); she had known Ian's crush for Maude since more than two months. And as his twin, she deserved the right. He wondered where she was - she better not be at that blacksmith's hut; he had a funny feeling she liked the old elf, since she had been going there a lot. Really, how many times could you mend a sword?

Ian ran out of the hall, meeting a sad Castiel outside.
What's wrong? Ian frowned, not liking Castiel sad.
Magda had to go. We were playing - I almost had her! Castiel could remember the moment Maude stepped in. Magda was about to bite him and he was about to retaliate with a swipe of the paw to her face. He had stopped midstrike when Maude appeared. He whined when Magda left and told her that they could play later tonight.
Oh, well, guess what! Maude said yes!
Castiel tilted his head. I can tell. You light up as a werelight. Castiel's humored tone bordered a teasing one as well.
Come on, let's go tell Eva. Then I have to contact Aunt Marola for those flowers...and then talk to Glory...set up the gazebo...
I get it! We got stuff to do. Castiel yawned and trotted after his Rider as they went to search for Eva and Eos.

[Tismri]

Glory nearly put her face on the table as Seth seemed to realize it. Was he shocked? Appalled? Did he even want to be friends with her anymore? Or would things just be too awkward between them now? She almost didn't want to know the answer. But she finally looked at him again when he asked her a question, and her eyes widened. How should she answer? What if he didn't like her in the same way.
Be honest, Sundavar said. That will always bring around the best of solutions. Glory nodded a little.
"...Both," she told him after a few seconds of contemplating. She was so nervous right now that she couldn't make herself say anything more. Her old shyness came back with a vengeance. But it was the truth. She did like him as a friend--he was her very best friend. And she liked him as more than that, too. She hoped above hope that he might feel the same way.