Autumn had quickly turned to winter, and Aria was shivering as she conjured a tiny shadow like ball.

"Hey, Katrina, look!"

"Oh, a small ball, by the end of this year you might be able to make it a centimeter bigger." Dropping the ball out of Katrina's lack of interest, the ball exploded when it hit the ground. "Oh that was pure energy, not just a puff of big hot gas, I guess you're improving."

"What day is it today?"

"Ah, Winter 6th."

"A whaty what now?"

"What's so important about this day? Hey, you're face is all pale."

"H-hi-hide!" Raising an eyebrow, Katrina heard a small whisper. "Orland's coming this way, hide."

Diving into her shadow, Katrina growled, "Stupid boy turns up too much for his own good."

'I know.' She thought, 'It does get slightly annoying doesn't it?'

"Yes… wait, you're finally speaking through thought."

Her eyes brightened, "I am?" she thought? Out loud however, she smiled and laughed, "Yus!"

"Why is it that every time I find you out here, you're talking to yourself."

Shrugging, she smiled, "Must be something in the water." However her little snide comments when she caught something white and fluffy in her peripheral vision. Looking down at a wooly, she yipped before running behind Orland and wrapping her arms around his waist, glaring at the poor little wooly from the protection of his arm, "Get ride of it! Now! Now! Now!"

Unlatching himself from her grasp, he knelt down to pet the wooly as he rose an eyebrow, "Aria… Woolies are the least threatening creatures in this place."

"They're evil monsters with the intention to scratch whatever poor soul touches them, now send it back to the forest of beginnings!"

"What do you have against living furballs?"

"Their fur, it's so scratchy, so irritably evil, and vile! When they nuzzle their heads against your leg, gnngh… the feeling's so awful!" She hid her face into Orland's back, "How can you stand to touch it…"

Shaking his head, he patted the top of it's head, "Don't come near this one, she's not friendly, and would likely be eaten for dinner... go back home okay?" The wooly made a rather adorable noise as it nodded and went back into the portal.

She heard a gentleness to his voice, she had never heard before. "I didn't know you could communicate to monsters."

"They've been the only things to really understand me… humans here think that they are creatures to be captured and used to fight with, but that makes them almost heartbroken to leave their homes."

"Some of them like being domestic."

"Only because you capture the domesticated ones, but even you can see that like us they have intelligence."

"Hmm… interesting to know you enjoy speaking to monsters."

A blush crept onto his face, as he stuttered, "Don't you dare tell anyone okay? Especially r-"Roy, I know; don't worry." She smiled, patting his head, when he gave her the "you must think it's really stupid" look.

"I think it's actually very cool, and adorable."

Pouting, He looked away, "Don't make fun of me..." Feeling as if she misinterpreted what he said, he sweat dropped, "Not that you would, but I'm just used to most kids laughing at many things that I enjoy." he looked away again, "Although... to be honest you're actually the only person that knows some of my secrets."

Smiling, she straightened out a crooked part of his cloak, "Well I fell honored." Taking a breath, she continued, "So what did you need?"

Looking away, his ears became red, "The star festival tomorrow… could you… um…"

"Hm?" She blinked in confusion, much to his dismay.

Looking down, he wrote into the ground, turning his back to her. Looking down, she found written in the ground, "Go with me? Roy's giving me a hard time; saying that I would take Leann…"

Wrapping an arm around his shoulder, she laughed, "Sure! Although Leann probably put you up to this, didn't she?" He slowly nodded, she knew however inside, that little immature girl inside of him erupted with happiness, especially because Douglas whom was the biggest, strongest, most terrifying person she knew, still had that little girl.

"Okay Aria." Katrina growled, "We need to get back to training!"

Sighing, she unlatched her grip on Orland and smiled to him, "There was something I needed to get to Tanya, see you tomorrow, kay, good!" Giving him no time to respond, she was already running off into the distance.

Shaking his head, he sighed.

"Humans…"

TBC