As Noah emerged from the forest and returned to the tribe alongside Ciri, Ken, Aelya, Thala, and Vela, he felt like a conquering hero returning from war. Dozens of tribe members ran up to ask about their journey. To his surprise, some of them seemed just as happy to see him as they were to see their leaders, eagerly telling him how they’d been using his “inventions” to make their lives easier.
It was a far cry from how he’d felt for the remainder of the previous night.
After emerging from the hidden room, Noah and Ciri were confronted by an angry Ken, who demanded to know why they had left their position. Their explanation mollified his anger slightly, but only served to make Thala and Vela more upset that Ciri had put Noah in so much danger by exposing him. It was only on the walk back to the tribe that Aelya quietly pulled Noah and Ciri aside to tell both of them how proud she was.
“Killed a Corrupted and a conduit,” Aelya said, wiping a tear away. “My little girl is growing up to be a warrior after all.” She looked at Noah next. “And if I didn’t know better, I’d think there was some Fae blood in you too. You’ve got a spine. I endorse your match.”
During the bone-crushing hug that followed, Noah didn’t have the heart to remind her that the Corrupted was the one who killed the conduit, and that he was the one who put the monster down afterward. Instead, he returned the hug, mumbling something about how he was just glad they all got away without any injuries. When she released them she was beaming, her eyes flicking between theirs before she wordlessly took each of their hands and joined them so Noah and Ciri were holding each other.
“Noah!” Bryn called out over the crowd, breaking him out of his thoughts.
“Bryn!” he called back, waving with one hand and holding on to Ciri’s with the other.
The group of Fae parted so they could move toward the artificer. As soon as they were close enough, she pulled both of them into a tight three-way hug, slapping Noah on the back hard enough to drive the wind from his lungs. A moment later, when the three of them parted, the bald Fae woman was beaming.
“Glad you’re back safe. I’ve been working hard on the designs you showed me. Finished some of it, got some questions on others, and a whole bunch of ideas.”
Noah grinned. “Fantastic. I’ll swing by the workshop tomorrow and you can show me.”
“Oh,” she said, slightly crestfallen. “I was hoping you’d come by now.”
“Sorry,” he said, sensing her disappointment. “I, uh…promised Ciri we’d spend some time together when we got back.”
“Oh. Oh.” Bryn’s eyes went wide. “Well, yes, of course. That makes sense.”
“We’re going on a date,” Noah clarified, realizing what he’d just implied as Ciri went red.
“It’s a human custom,” Ciri added quietly.
“Well, if that’s what you want to call it.” Bryn grinned as the crowd around them started to disperse or drift toward their leaders, giving them privacy as more people came to the same conclusion Bryn had.
“We’re just going to the docks together!” Noah shouted, hoping it would be overheard.
“If that’s where you want to go, who am I to judge?” she pressed, grin widening as she leaned in and whispered, “You know, when Cael and I go on a ‘date’, he has this outfit he wears that drives me wild. I’m sure he’d let you borrow it and wear it for Ciri, it’s red and—”
“Nope!” Noah said, shaking his head and backing away. “No thank you. I don’t want any more information.”
She shrugged. “Offer’s open if you want.”
Eager to change the subject, Noah reached into his pocket and produced the stone. “I found this while we were gone. We’re not too sure what it is. Got any thoughts?”
She took the perfectly circular black object and turned it over in her hand before rapping it with two fingers a few times. “It’s not metal. Doesn’t feel like any kind of stone I’ve seen before either. Beyond that, I couldn’t tell you. Want me to crack it open and see what’s inside?”
“I would prefer that you not,” Ciri said. “We found it in a Fae ruin. If you were to break it I would be very unhappy.”
Bryn recoiled at the intense gaze Ciri was giving her. “Understood completely. No breaking it open.”
“Think on it,” Noah said, taking the object back from the artificer. “Maybe we can do some gentle tests tomorrow to figure out what it is.”
“Until then, enjoy your date,” Bryn said, before abruptly turning and walking away.
After shaking his head and looking down for a moment, Noah looked at Ciri. “Sorry about that.”
“I do not understand why you are apologizing. I should be apologizing to you.”
The two of them walked toward the house, moving out of earshot of others before Noah replied. “I’m apologizing because I embarrassed you in front of our friend by implying we’re going to the docks to have sex.” He furrowed his brow. “Why do you think you should be apologizing to me?”
They stopped in front of Ciri’s house to see a small pile of lacy panties, love letters, and even a metal bearing in front of the steps.
“I should apologize because, as you can see, most Fae women are more open about…physical intimacy,” she said, hesitating before the last two words as she gestured to the pile. “If you were with a more experienced Fae woman, she might not become embarrassed at the mention of it like I do.”
“I don’t want another Fae woman,” Noah said, turning to look her in the eyes. “I want you.”
Her eyes shot up to lock with his. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Noah replied, before grinning and gesturing to the pile. “I mean, come on, a bearing? Is that supposed to be sexy?”
“Given that you taught them of the invention, I believe they thought you might find it an attractive gift.”
“Then they don’t know me like you do,” he assured her, making her smile.
She released his hand and wrapped her arms around his waist, rubbing her cheek against his chest. The two of them stayed like that for a long moment, both of them closing their eyes and simply feeling close. When they heard Aelya’s voice begin to come closer, they broke apart and cast one final lingering glance at one another.
“I am going to get ready for our date.”
“I’ll do the same,” Noah nodded. “I could probably use a shower.”
What was left of the day passed agonizingly slowly for Noah. Even though it was only a few hours until sunset, the thought of their upcoming date made him jittery with anticipation. He showered, shaved, and dressed in record time, leaving him with nothing to do but study some of the Fae children’s books Ciri had loaned him while she got ready in her own room.
Lyren quivel, lyren vel orvyn, Thaevos thyræl naevæl lyren, Lyren rethyn thaevos ænthor. He read, sounding each word out loud as he tried to translate it in his mind. Small one stumbles, small one is mud... mushroom desires... foolish small one... small one desires mushroom forever. He frowned. The mushroom has feelings for the child?
When he finally heard the door to Ciri’s room open, he practically leapt up from the desk, snapping the book closed with one hand. He threw on his shoes and smoothed his shirt for what felt like the millionth time before opening the door. As he did, he caught the sound of Aelya’s voice from the kitchen, causing him to hesitate.
“Now remember: Noah may be a human, and he is no doubt resourceful, but he is a man. As a Fae woman, you are responsible for his safety as well as your own. I don’t anticipate any danger where you are going, but the two of you together seem to attract it, so if you sense the slightest bit of trouble…”
“I understand, Mother,” Ciri said dutifully. “If any danger comes, we will come home immediately.”
“Good,” Aelya said in a much warmer tone. “Now have fun.”
Sensing that the part he wasn’t supposed to have overheard was over, Noah proceeded into the kitchen. He stopped once more at the threshold, surprise flickering across his face as he caught sight of Ciri. Aelya smiled at his expression before tapping her daughter on the shoulder and pointing, indicating that she should turn to meet him.
She wore a simple green dress with gold embroidery. While the dress still had sleeves, the fact that it was tighter than her usual outfits, had a sweetheart neckline instead of a high one, and ended at her knees meant that more of her was exposed to him than usual. She fidgeted with one of the several rings on her fingers as she looked up at him, her eyes never quite meeting his. At some point in the last few hours she’d braided her hair, allowing him to see the full curve of her face.
“I, um…wow, Ciri,” he said lamely.
“Is it an acceptable outfit for a…date?” she asked as she placed the empty mug she was holding onto the nearby counter. “I thought it might be—”
“No! It’s perfect. You look beautiful!” he insisted.
A smile slowly spread across her perfect pink lips at his comment. She locked eyes with him for the first time, her shoulders settling slightly as he crossed the space between them. When Aelya turned around to retrieve a basket, he leaned forward and kissed Ciri softly on the cheek.
“I’ve packed you a dinner here,” she said, handing Ciri the basket. “Now go! Have fun, you two!”
The couple said their goodbyes to Aelya before throwing on their coats and boots and leaving out the front door. They repeated the process in the golden light of the sunset with Ken, Vela, and Thala before walking down the road away from the town. Noah took the basket from under her arm when they reached a fork in the road, carrying it with one hand so he could hold her hand with the other.
“How do you feel about this weather?” she asked as they turned south onto a section of trail Noah hadn’t been on before.
“Uh…good?” Noah answered, confused. “I mean, it’s better than when I left—that was the middle of winter—but I think it’s nice this time of year.”
“I see,” Ciri said before attempting to surreptitiously pull a piece of paper out from her pocket, glance at it, then shove it back down. “And do you prefer the mountains, or the beach?”
“Ciri, what’s going on?” Noah asked, furrowing his brow. “What’s on that paper?”
She stopped and her shoulders sank before replying. “It is…a list.”
“Of what?”
“Of conversation topics.”
“Where did you get them from?”
“From…the archives. And from what you have shared with me on human ‘dating’ rituals. And…from Bryn,” she admitted.
Ah. Now this makes sense, Noah thought before smiling. “Ciri. Are you nervous?”
“Yes.”
“Let me say something to you then,” he said, turning her so she was facing him. “I think it’s very sweet that you prepared for our date. It shows me how badly you want this to go well.”
“I do. This is an important milestone, from what you have told me,” she replied.
“But please—and I cannot stress this enough—don’t change who you are just to be with me. You don’t need to do anything differently. Just be yourself. You are more than enough.”
She locked eyes with him and smiled slightly. “Thank you.”
His hand slid onto her hip. “You really do look beautiful. Especially so here, with the light of the sunset through the trees. It makes you look like you’re glowing.”
She blushed and her smile grew. “Thank you. I was unsure what one would wear when one wishes to be…chosen. This color is commonly associated with calm and approachability. Additionally, when I cross-referenced romantic rituals between Fae and humans over the last several hundred years, the idea of the female-presenting partner wearing a dress was a recurring theme. Therefore, I thought it an appropriate outfit.”
“You chose well. But to be honest, there is no way you could have chosen poorly. The fact that you put so much thought into this shows that you care, and that’s what makes me want to be with you more than any outfit you could put on.”
Her smile grew even bigger. “I believe I would like to be closer to you.”
He kissed her slowly and deeply in response before wrapping his free arm around her waist. When they broke apart they were both wearing smiles, and Ciri’s arm quickly found his waist to pull him closer. The two of them walked like that in silence through the forest for a few minutes before she broke the contented quiet.
“I believe some of the topics I compiled align well with my personality. Would it be acceptable to discuss them?”
“Of course. Why don’t you pull out that sheet again and pick one?”
As she did, Noah saw her perfect handwriting next to a far less readable scrawl—one that he immediately recognized as Bryn’s. He grinned to himself as he recognized the words “top” and “bottom” from the questions written by the artificer, noting that Ciri’s topics seemed much longer and used words he didn’t recognize.
“When did you first realize you had an analytical mind compared to your peers?”
“Now that’s a good date conversation topic. And very you. A smart, insightful question that’s difficult to answer.” He grinned. “I’m…going to go ahead and assume Bryn didn’t give you that one?”
“She did not. I saw several variations on it while studying in the archives.”
He nodded and went silent for a few moments before answering. “I guess it was when I was about fourteen? I had this Russian teacher—Mr. Levin—in high school who taught math. Before that year I felt like I was kind of average at math, but that’s when they started introducing things like trigonometry, pre-calc, and linear algebra. Most of the class really struggled, but it just kinda…clicked for me. At the end of the year I had the highest mark in the class. He pulled me aside at that point and told me I had a future in math, and helped me pick courses after that.”
“I…may need you to explain more of these concepts in detail,” she said, confused. “What makes a school…high?”
Smiling and chuckling, Noah launched into the first of several stories explaining everything from human education systems to the basics behind different topics in math. The trail disappeared beneath their feet, and in seemingly no time at all they broke through the treeline and reached the beach. He stopped mid-story as they did, taking in the view in front of them.
To his right the sun was rapidly setting now, casting rays across the small bay in front of them. A small dock with a stone cauldron at the end jutted ten meters out into the water. Several small grey stone houses were arranged on either side of it, creating a rough semi-circle with a large fire pit in the middle. The sounds of soft Fae conversations intermingled with the gentle lapping of waves against the sandy shore, creating an almost hypnotically soothing atmosphere.
“You know, for someone who says she’s new to romance, you certainly picked the perfect spot for our date,” he teased her gently.
“My mothers suggested this location. Tribe members come here often during the day to swim – the water is safe and warm,” she said before pointing, “That house at the end is currently vacant. We have use of it for the evening, if we wish.” She turned back to him. “Though I would like to hear the end of your story as well.”
Nodding, Noah continued as they walked along the beach to the stone building. When they reached it he saw that it was more appropriate to call it a rustic cottage—a simple, one-room structure with a wooden table and two chairs, a small fireplace, a rug on the grey stone floor, and a wooden door to keep out the night. One of the walls had a small crack running through it, and there was no running water. The building was close enough to the semi-circle that they could take part in the community, but far enough away that it afforded them some privacy.
“Myrithra and her miners have not finished repairs to this building yet,” Ciri said apologetically. “They have assured me it is structurally sound, if aesthetically unpleasing.”
“It’s perfect for us tonight,” he assured her.
The next few hours were both domestic and relaxing for the two of them. Noah built a fire and laid down some blankets they’d brought with them around the fireplace as Ciri set the table with their food—a fish called Vethyn with various spices and vegetables – and lit some candles. When they finally sat down to eat she continued to ask him a wide range of questions, everything from How do you decide what is worth risking your life for? to Do you prefer people who are similar to you, or different? He peppered in questions for her as well, mixing light-hearted ones in with deeper, more meaningful ones.
“Am I asking too many questions?” she said as they finished their meal. “I can stop, I just…like understanding you.”
“Please don’t stop.” Noah smiled. “I’m having fun.”
“In that case, there is something I wanted to ask, but I am not certain how to phrase it correctly.”
“Ciri, you can ask me anything you want,” Noah assured her.
“Why did you choose me?”
Noah furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand the question.”
“You could be with someone less…difficult. Someone with experience. Someone prettier. You have had many offers. Why did you choose me?”
“Because you saved my life in the forest,” he answered after a long moment of thought.
She blinked in surprise. “Because I saved your life?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “I tell you all the time that you’re probably the smartest person I’ve ever met. That’s what everyone else sees too. But in that moment, you showed me how kind and brave and capable you are too.” He leaned in and placed his hands on hers, rubbing his thumb softly against her skin. “That’s the kind of person I want to be with.”
“It is easier to be brave when I am around you,” she said, blushing and smiling.
“Want to do something brave and spontaneous with me?” he grinned.
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “That would depend on what the activity is.”
“It’s getting dark outside. Want to go for a moonlit swim?”