I have decided to post all the chapters in one go. This story should have been completed months ago but I was too busy outlining the sequel to Fire and Ice. This way, I can focus on completing the current story I'm writing.

Hope you and enjoy...

...

Chapter 2

To her delight, the Sapphire Star had been making frequent visits to the Lunar Terrace, and with each visit, the happy Pub lass grew bolder. Initially starting out flustered and bashful the first few times, she soon grew more confident with each subsequent meeting.

Much to the surprise of others, she had begun to openly flirt with the Sapphire Star. Other hunters in the vicinity had immediately grown jealous of the Sapphire Star, mostly because he was the only one the Pub lass looked at differently. But much to Clara's frustration, it would seem the person of interest has yet to notice the numerous hints she gave him.

It was frustrating really. She had made sure to be extra clear in her words while being ambiguous at the same time, yet the man would remain quiet, nod, and instead ask her about the quests. Was he that dense, or is he simply uninterested? The latter she hoped wouldn't be the case. Deciding to call for assistance from her friends back at Astera, she wrote and sent a letter to them, hoping they would know what to do.

The replies came back just a day later. The first reply was from Lyra:

I'm glad you asked! Well for starters, how about offering some drinks on the house? Do that and get him to talk to you and you're on your way to winning his heart! That's how my boyfriend and I met!

Drinks? Clara was fairly confident in her bartending skills so perhaps this would do. The second reply came from Mira:

Perhaps try cooking? I heard the best way to a man's heart is through food.

Clara knew how to cook, but she wasn't the best. This probably wouldn't work. The third reply came from Hatsu:

Take him out on a date! Just the two of you!

That would be great…if the man wasn't as dense as a brick! Surprisingly, Anya also wrote a reply:

Silent treatment. That stuff always works. Oh, and play hard-to-get as well, that's bound to make men desperate enough to do anything for you. And after that, you can exercise that power to bend them to your will and-

Yeah no. The last thing she needed was to humiliate the Sapphire Star in front of others. She wanted to win his heart, not break it dammit! However, Anya's first suggestion did sound plausible. The man is incredibly dense and if perhaps she were to act slightly mean, then maybe it will finally make him come to his senses? Yes, perhaps that could work.

…

When the Sapphire Star approached her desk, as usual, to ask for a quest, she went through with her plan.

"Please choose a quest."

The man looked confused for a second before silently scanning his eyes at the quest book. She's acting unusually…cold. Once he pointed out a quest, she flashed him a customary grin and signed the paper. "Good luck," she said, waving at him before averting her eyes away from him and back to writing on her notebook.

The Sapphire Star was still too busy trying to process her actions, standing there completely still. Is she…mad at me? Hunters around him giggled and whispered, 'she's giving him the cold shoulder!' He watched as she greeted another hunter with the same smile on her face. He continued to stand there like an idiot as the pink-haired woman seemingly did not acknowledge his existence. Seeing this, the Sapphire Star's Palico sighed and jumped onto the man's shoulder, slapping him on the back of his head.

"Master, it's time to depart."

The Sapphire Star snapped out of his trance and quietly turned to walk towards the wing drake area. The Palico took this opportunity and hopped onto Clara's desk. The pink-haired woman slightly jumped in surprise.

"Y-Yes?"

The Palico shook their head and pointed with a clawed thumb at their master. "I suggest you try something else. Master isn't the brightest when it comes to relationships after all…"

"Oh…I'm sorry."

The Palico shrugged their shoulders. "Meh, it's alright." Before the Palico could leave to catch up to their master, Clara interrupted them.

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

She was blushing hard, but she had to know, or else all this effort would be for nothing. "Does he…does he share the same feelings?"

At this, the Palico stared at her for several seconds before a grin formed on their face. "He doesn't look like it but, yes. He's interested in you as well." And with that, the Palico gave her a brief wave and ran off to depart with the Sapphire Star.

Clara had the biggest and dumbest smile on her face for the rest of the day.

…

The next day, she eagerly waited for the Sapphire Star's arrival, hoping to make up for her behavior. She made sure to dress as nicely as possible and had mentally steeled herself so that she could look him in the eye and not stutter in her words. Note to self, don't ever listen to Anya's advice again…

Lo and behold, she saw him enter the hall, looking quite anxious despite wearing a helmet. She saw him fidget around in his spot before his Palico hopped onto his shoulder and said something to him. The man briefly nodded before making his way…towards her!

He's heading towards me! Uhhh…Smile Clara!

The moment he stopped in front of her desk, she grinned sweetly at him. "Hey youuu!" she said with her usual greeting.

Once again, the Sapphire Star simply stood there, staring at her. She continued to smile albeit uncomfortably, playing with her fingers on the desk and waiting for him to say something. "Hello?"

She heard another high-pitched groan. His Palico jumped onto her desk and smacked the man in his helmeted face with their tiny paw. Clara raised an eyebrow, confused at the display. I guess this kind of stuff is normal for them… The Palico turned towards her. "Sorry for that. But whenever Master doesn't know what to do, he just freezes up."

She giggled, "I see."

The Palico jumped off the table and pushed the Sapphire Star closer to the desk. The man coughed. "Umm…hi."

"Hi!" she replied. "So, umm…Can I help you?"

He began sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. "I was wondering if you…if you…are free this afternoon?"

Clara cocked her head to the side. "Am I free this afternoon…If you're referring to my shift, it ends in a few hours."

"Oh…well then…is it possible that we…" Once again, the man seemingly froze on the spot. "That we…" Sensing his plight, his Palico smacked him in the back of the head this time.

"C'mon! Out with it!"

The Sapphire Star groaned and suddenly, picked up his Palico by the scruff of their neck. "Wha- Hey!" Clara watched in amusement as the Sapphire Star chucked the Felyne far away into one of the pools.

"Do you two always act like this?"

"Only during times like this. Honestly, that damn Felyne can be a real pain in the ass."

"But they're still your partner."

"Wouldn't trade em for the world."

Clara smirked at that. "So? You were about to ask me something?"

"Oh! Uhh…" He was grateful his helmet hid his face, otherwise, she would have seen the blush on his face. "Look, if you're free after your shift…I was wondering if you'd like to…go with me somewhere…"

"Go…with you?"

"Yeah…on a…date if you want. Just the two of us."

Just the two of us? Did he just…ask me out on a date?! Immediately, Clara turned a deep shade of red. She abruptly turned around, hands on her face and suppressing a squeal. Oh my god! The Sapphire Star just asked me out! Holy crap!

She turned back to face the man, steeling her resolve. "I-I would love to!"

Though she couldn't see it, she had a feeling he smiled at her. "Great. I'll see you then." He lingered there for a moment before taking his leave.

…

Clara had just finished sorting out the bottles of ale when she spotted from the corner of her eye, the Sapphire Star entering the hall. She giggled excitedly. He's on time too… She had been incredibly anxious and nervous before but after some helpful encouragement from her colleagues, she was able to forget about her nervousness and focus solely on the fact that she was going on a date with the Sapphire Star.

"I hope you didn't wait too long," he said from behind her table.

She smiled and turned around, flashing him a pretty smile. "Not at all. Shall we?"

As she followed him out of the hall, she looked back and saw all her colleagues gave her a thumbs up and congratulatory grins. She grinned back and shook her fists with excitement before quickly catching up to him to walk by his side.

"I noticed that your Palico is not around?"

He hummed, "I sent em to accompany some other Palicos to fetch some materials for me." He gave her a knowing look. "As such, we have the entire day to ourselves."

Clara blushed and continued to walk alongside him. At some point, she grew bold and tentatively held onto his arm. She felt him stiffen for a brief moment before relaxing. She sighed happily. Along the way, they passed by the Provision's Manager, who whistled at them.

"Taking your girl out for a walk?"

The Sapphire Star nodded in response.

"Is the Commander alright with this?"

"I already asked permission so as long as I keep her safe," he stated confidently. "I'll defend her with my life if I must." Clara beamed at him and squeezed his arm tighter.

The Provision's manager nodded, "Good, good. Anyway, how about buying some Hot Drinks for the lady? The Hoarfrost Reach is incredibly chilly after all."

"That would be great. Thank you."

After buying some extra supplies, it was time to leave. "Normally, my Palico and I would depart on our own via Wingdrake but with you around, I can't risk you falling to your death. As such, we would be taking the cart."

"O-Okay."

As expected from riding the cart, it was a risk-free journey. Along the way, they made some small talk, with the Sapphire Star asking her about her job and vice versa. She found that he was a great listener, chuckling whenever she recalled to him unfortunate but funny events that happened to her during her training. Soon, it wasn't long before they arrived at the Reach. The Sapphire Star led her to his camp that had already been set up in a secluded part of the Reach, safe from monsters. He reached for his Hot Drinks and handed one to her.

"Stick close to me at all times," he said as they crouched underneath a branch. Clara obediently followed him and soon, they found themselves standing on an open forested area. She could see a herd of Popo peacefully grazing about.

"Wow." Clara had never been out on the field before, so this was all new to her.

"Amazing right? It gives off a similar feeling to the Old World, so when I first stepped here, I was actually glad to finally hunt in an arctic region. As much as I love how lush and bright the New World is, I couldn't help but feel like something was lacking."

He stayed close to her as Clara excitedly looked around. She felt like a young girl after seeing their first monster. "Damn, I wish I brought a camera with me so I could take pictures…"

The Sapphire Star chuckled as he watched Clara giddily move around the area. However, he made sure to stay close to her, knowing that despite this peaceful mood, the presence of herbivores made this the perfect for predators to hunt.

Just then, he spotted something in the distance, swimming towards them in the snow. He immediately knew what it was. "Clara!" He quickly rushed over to her and grabbed her hand.

"Huh!"

They moved away from the area and behind some bushes. Clara looked at him in confusion before he simply smiled at her and pointed at the distance. "Look."

Clara looked in the direction he was pointing and not long after, a big smile formed on her face. They watched as a Beotodus swam through the snow and towards the Popo herd. The fluffy herbivores panicked immediately and began to scatter as the Beotodus quickly singled out a member of the herd. Diving under the snow and displaying only its horn, it began to rapidly circle the lone herbivore. Trapped and with nowhere else to run, the Popo was easy pickings for the Piscine Wyvern. Seconds later, the Beotodus disappeared under the snow. A low rumbling could be heard before it burst upwards from the snow and directly underneath the Popo, impaling it with its horn. The lifeless corpse fell to the ground as the Beotodus swam over to it and began to feast.

Clara had watched all this with wide eyes. "Woah…" She couldn't help but be amazed at what she had seen. Like most of the non-hunters, she never had the chance to observe these animals in nature due to how dangerous it was. For hunters and Guild scholars, however, this was a regular occurrence.

"This is so cool!"

"Glad you liked it. However, I'm afraid that we can't venture any further than this. The Beotodus is nothing compared to what lives deeper in the Reach."

"Oh…" Clara deflated but understood why.

"But I do want to show you something. Follow me and don't worry about the Beotodus. They aren't very aggressive after eating." Cautiously, she followed the Sapphire Star as they circled around the back of the feasting Beotodus. He held her firmly against him and in that moment, she felt incredibly safe.

Soon, they passed the Beotodus and towards an upward slope. She noticed the snow getting deeper, now reaching up to her waist. Seeing this, the Sapphire Star mustered up the courage to do something bold.

"Wha- Woah!" Suddenly, she found herself being lifted and onto his arms bridal style. She blushed furiously.

"I hope you don't mind. The snow is very deep and can make movement difficult without proper gear."

"I-It's alright. I-I don't mind…" she replied, still blushing. He smiled under that helmet and made his through the deep snow. It wasn't long before he stopped before a wall of rocks. Clara then noticed the hole between the rocks, small enough for a Felyne to pass through but also big enough for a human to crawl under it.

"It's right through here," the Sapphire Star gestured at the hole. She followed him wordlessly through the hole. Not long after that, Clara found herself standing in a closed-off and secluded area with two large hot spring pools. She could see small furry animals peacefully floating on the water surface, not minding the presence of the two humans. She then noticed the Sapphire Star walk over to the corner of the area and knocked on a pile of wood stacked there. Moments later, a small furry two-legged creature popped out from behind the pile of wood. Subsequently, many more popped out. It's family perhaps? The first creature to pop out briefly glanced at Clara before turning to the Sapphire Star and making some head movements and noises.

"No need to worry about her," she heard the Sapphire Star say as he made some hand movements as well. The creature glanced at her again before making a high-pitched squeal. Suddenly, the creature's kin quickly crowded around her, squealing and shaking up and down. Noticing Clara's tense posture, the Sapphire Star walked over to her.

"They won't attack you. They just acknowledged you as umm…" To her confusion, the Sapphire Star fidgeted in his spot and stared at the ground.

"As what?"

"As umm…my 'mate' so to speak…" Clara turned as red as a tomato in response. "A-Anyway, these little fellas are called Boaboa. They're relatives to the Gajalaka, and like the Gajalaka, I've befriended them, and they effectively considered me a part of their tribe." He paused. "Well, this tribe to be specific…" he added.

"Oh, that's really cool to hear. But how did you learn to communicate with them?"

"Actually, it was my Palico who taught me. I figured; it would be easier if I was able to talk directly to them rather than always relying on my Palico to translate for me."

"I see." Her fear died down and was soon replaced with curiosity. She bent down towards one of the Boaboa. "Hey there." The Boaboa shook its body and spun around.

"That is its way of greeting you," the Sapphire Star said with a chuckle.

Clara giggled. "They're very cute, aren't they?"

"Yeah."

For the next hour, she and the Sapphire Star mingled with the Boaboa tribe after they allowed her to enter their den. The little creatures presented her with various trinkets and items, all of which had been hand-crafted from various monster parts and ore. They even showed her the massive skull of a particularly large Beotodus, placed in the middle of the tribe's den.

"I was the one who slew this Beotodus. It had been terrorizing this tribe here so when I took care of it, they were very grateful to me."

She beamed at him. "That's very kind of you."

"…Wish I could say the same for the other Boaboa tribes though. This is one of the friendlier tribes but those living deeper within the Reach?" She saw him tremble. "They're worse than the Gajalakas in the Caverns of El Dorado…"

A few more hours pass. Much to Clara's disappointment, the Sapphire Star announced that it was time to leave as it was getting dark. He had mentioned to her that most of the Reach's predators are more active at night. She didn't like it, but she understood why.

After they bid farewell to the BoaBoa tribe, the two made their way back to camp.

"So how did you enjoy the date?" he asked as they sat on the cart heading towards Seliana.

She huddled closer to him, causing the man to blush. "I loved it. Thank you so much. That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me."

"Anything for you," he said, and he immediately regretted it.

Clara flushed red too but sighed in happiness, not wanting to let go of this feeling. She leaned closer to him and closed her eyes. "Wake me up when we arrive at Seliana and…I hope we go on another date again."

"It's a promise," he replied, and Clara smiled.