Colt was in his room getting ready for his 'assumed' date. He tried to make sure that he was alone all day, the last thing he needed was the guys giving him 'advice'. Luck suggested they should just have a death match, and no one reacted so it was clear that was normal for him.

Colt was already nervous, it hasn't been just him and Sara in years, the last time the pair were at Corvins they were celebrating Sara's birthday and Ryko left early while giving him a cheeky smile.

If Colt was being honest with himself, he had no idea how he felt about Sara. He did think highly of her, he definitely thought she was beautiful, and he always admired her fighting spirit. His mind wandered back to when he was six, he remembered playing house with Sara he'd play the husband she'd play the wife, Colts cat would play the child. Every now and again Ryko would join and play the nosy neighbour that would come around and borrow something a never return it, to this very day Colt had no idea what became of his father's spectacles. He always enjoyed playing games with her, he always felt more comfortable around her than any one and that didn't change until her father separated them.

This was an opportunity to fix their friendship along with maybe see if there is anything else there, because he'd also be lying if he wasn't curious. "You nervous?" Colt jumped out of skin startled by Mads who was leaning on his door frame with a cheeky smile on her face. "I'll take that as a yes."

"What do you want?" Colt asked with his on his chest trying to calm his heart that was trying to jump up his throat. "And how are you here? I used Casing Eye to check the base. Most are out, it was supposed to be Charmy in the kitchen, Sally in the lab and some… weird fluffy ghost that was surrounded by birds…" Colt quirked an eyebrow as Mads looked at him like he was nuts. "Asked the captain about it… Said his names Henry but that's about it."

"Okay… Any way I was doing some training out in the forest most of the day, I like training in the woods. Snakes natural habitat and all that. Had a snake sneak in here and spy on you for a while." Colt stared at her wide-eyed. "Not while you were in the bath, relax. Though it wouldn't kill you to some crunches if you want to impress this girl."

Colt stared down at his stomach knowing what she was implying. "Look it's not like that. It's just two old friends meeting for dinner."

"Yeah sure, and Captain Asta doesn't work out." Mads said with a chuckle as she walked into Colts room. "Look as the person who has spent the most time around you since we joined the squad let me give you my two cents. You need to stay out of your own head."

"What's that supposed to mean."

Mads picked up Colts scarf off his bed. "You think too much." She threw his scarf at his face, Colt missed with a slow reaction and it wrapped around his face. "If you're supposed to be a thief you need to be in the moment, if you think too much about what could go wrong, it will go wrong."

Colt unwrapped the scarf from his face. "Look I get I have Thievery Magic but that doesn't make me a thief."

"point still stands though. Also, it wouldn't kill you to practice thievery, why do you think I was in the forest. Snake mindset. It's very useful, and I'm not saying keep what you steal, try and nick, I don't know Charmy's breakfast."

"I see what you're saying, but I'd rather start with something with less egregious consequences."

"Yeah, you're right. Anyway, weather it is a date or not the fact is don't get in your head just enjoy the moment because I guarantee you, she is just as nervous as you are."

Colt started laughing at that remark. "Look Mads I appreciate your advice, but trust me, Sara is as cool and unshakable as the platinum she shifts into. There is no way Sara is as nervous as I am."

0

"No, no, wrong, lame, tacky, out of date, GIFT FROM THAT LAME ASS SUITER DELIVERED EIGHT MONTHS AGO WHOSE NOSE I BROKE." Sara tore up the frilly blue dress that probably cost enough to feed a small village.

Erin and another Sea Dragon Named Rena were sitting on her bed frozen and wide-eyed seeing this out of character behaviour of their rookie. "You got it bad for this boy don't ya." Said Erin.

Sara looked at her with murder in her eyes. "I told you it's not like that."

Rena pointed to the floor. "That confetti there would beg to differ."

"Guys it's just that… this guy was my best friend." Sara held scraps of dress in her hands and stared at the floor. "My childhood would have been complete misery without him, and I know that for a fact because the past two years without him was absolute hell."

Erin stood up and walked over to her "Sara."

"Look I just need this to go okay."

"Don't worry girl. If you're really that nervous." Rena pulled out a bottle seemingly out of nowhere, "There's a cure for that."

"RENA!" Erin yelled at the smirking blond. "Are you nuts she's 16, she's never even touched alcohol before."

Sara looked away from Erin. "Yeah totally. Never touched the stuff." She said eyeing the bottle of what looked like a rare single malt whiskey from the Diamond Kingdom that would have gotten to Clover Illegally. But she wouldn't know anything about that because she never touches the stuff. "Not even once."

"Okay fine I'm putting it away." Rena put the bottle away. Wherever that was. "I don't see what harm it could be, it would help with the nerves."

"And if she does something drunk and stupid?" Asked Erin.

"Oh, c'mon one shot isn't enough to get someone drunk, and she's already going to do something stupid anyway." Rena retorted.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Rena." Sara said deadpan.

"That wasn't an insult. The fact is every time someone goes out on a date, they're both bound to do something stupid so why worry about doing something stupid? Just lean into it." Rena said with a rather big smile on her face.

Sara and Erin looked at each other. "Is it weird that, that makes sense." Asked Sara.

"Yeah." Erin responded.

Rena wasn't known around the Sea dragons for her nuggets of wisdom. The blond beauty was more known for her abilities in double talk duplicity, not known to many but Rena was recruited out of prison after a scamming spree of the noble realm. Noelle heard about her and temporarily recruited her during an investigation of a noble businessman who was scamming people in the Heart Kingdom. Noelle felt her talents could be useful in the future so kept her on the Sea Dragons.

"Okay look, judging from what you've said about this guy, wearing some of these fancy cloths may actually make him nervous or may make him think to much." Rena got Sara's wardrobe. "He's there to see you so let's not think too hard, I think we should go with this, this and this, and maybe do something with the hair."

Sara was surprised, the ensemble didn't actually look bad.

0

Colt had arrived at Corvins a bit earlier than he intended to be. He stood outside Corvins just watching the wooded sign with a raven on it, sway back and forth on the wind. "Relax you idiot just relax."

"Colt."

Sara's voice came from behind Colt. Colt turned to face her and was stunned by what he saw. Sara was wearing a teal shirt with a black jacket with golden embroidery similar to his scarf and vest, he figured it must have been a gift from his mother as well, she was also wearing green leggings along with boots that touched just bellow her knees. It was probably the most dressed up he's seen her since they became magic knights. Before then she was normally stuffed into dresses by her mother.

"Sara?"

"Yeah?" Asked Sara with a cheeky smile. Rena was right, he was just as nervous as she was. suddenly she didn't feel so self-conscious. She eyed him up and down, he'd also gotten a little dressed up, he was still wearing his scarf and vest, she wondered if she should tell him that his mother also made the jacket she was wearing, he was also wearing a white dress shirt under the vest with the sleeves rolled to his forearms which she noticed was very muscular, along with dark grey pant. . "So, shall we?" She asked.

"Yes, lets." The pair walked into the restaurant together side by side, Colt kept his hands in her pockets while Sara had hers behind her back. The pair walked through the door and a small corridor then they got into the restaurant, it was small, but it had a sense of class on the inside.

"Well now that's a sight I never thought I'd see again." A deep voice from behind the bar caught the pairs attention, he was an older gentleman, tall, skinny with grey short hair and a thick moustache that hid his top lip that took the shape of a smile. "And look at you two, all grown up."

"Hey Corvin, still running the place behind the bar?" Asked Colt with a smile.

"Well it's where all the interesting people come to talk. I thought you two weren't speaking these days, something about your Father Sara."

"Well let's just say Magic Knights don't have to listen to their parents." Sara said with a innocent grin.

"Wait you got into the Magic Knights? The both of you?" The pair nodded. "That's fantastic the both of you, congratulations. Hey Morris!" one of the waiters turned and walked over to Corvin. "get these kids the window table with the view of the canal. That was your usual table wasn't it."

The pair nodded again. "Everyone knows, Corvins memory never slips." Said Colt.

Corvin chuckled. "Before you guys head over, I'll get your usual." Corvin pulled a few bottles from the shelves and started to mix them up, then poured them into two separate glasses. The drinks were a bubbly clear drink with a yellow, orange tint.

"Thankyou Corvin." The pair said in unison.

"Oh, and before you go." Corvin pointed to the pair them. "Is this finally happening?"

Both Sara and Colt went crimson at the allegation. The pair tried to explain but they just kept falling over their words. Corvin just stood there smiling at the pair watching them freak out. Eventually the pair managed to calm down enough to go to their table with a trail of steam following them with Corvin laughing.

"Don't you think that was little much." Said an elderly woman who was behind the bar with Corvin.

"What? It's funny messing with teenagers. Remember when James brought home Agatha. We tormented that poor kid all night." Corvin said with a chuckle. "Don't think he spoke to us all week after that." Corvins smile just kept getting bigger. "Besides that, there's gonna happen, even if they don't realise it. I was right about those two captains, weren't I?"

"Yeah you were." The woman said with a chuckle.

0

Over at the table Colt and Sara were struggling to say anything. Corvins teasing wasn't helping the situation. Colt was fiddling with his hands struggling to look at Sara, that was in part to the fact that Sara had covered her face with her menu to hide her blush.

'you shouldn't worry about saying something stupid, you're bound to so something stupid so just go with it rather than panic about it.' Rena's words echoed in her head. Sara put down her menu and looked Colt straight in his eyes scaring him a little. "So, how's things going?" 'That was the best I could up with? Seriously?' she though to herself.

"Uh, not bad I guess." Colt replied. "Training with the bulls, going on missions, not going to lie practicing magic is getting a little easier."

Sara raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? You had problems before?"

"Oh yeah, self-resentment kind of does that to a person." Colt said remembering some lower points in his history. "Though there is still one spell I'll never use."

"Really, can't be that bad, what does it do?" Colt leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms unable to look at her. "Colt it's me, you can trust me. I didn't rat you out when you replaced the butter in my kitchen with chunks of spoilt milk."

"That was you."

"Right. But I didn't rat you out when you put pate on the souls of my dad's shoes so when he went hunting, the dogs would sniff around him rather than hunt."

"Again, you. God you were a menace. How did your parents never send you to a monastery to study to be a woman of the cloth?" Sara's eyes shifted. "Oh my God!"

"Yeah, it kinda happened after a violent outburst after this punk son of some noble that my dad was schmoozing thought it was a good idea to go through my dresser to see what's hidden under the crap dresses my brought for me."

"That wouldn't have ended well for him."

"No it did not, but boy it was fun beating him. You can tell his dad never even gave him a spanking cause he cried like a little bitch." There was an evil smile crawling on her face. Colt pushed his chair back a little. "So, after that cost my dad what ever deal he was trying to get, said he was tired of my 'un-lady like behaviour' and shipped me off."

"Did you run away, or did they kick you out?"

"A little from column A, a little from column B. but the point is you can trust me… I spent three weeks training in a monastery to be a nun." She shifted her evil smile to one of innocence. Colt laughed shaking his head knowing she wasn't going to give up asking. He leaned forward and whispered to her his spell Black Palm. "Are you serious?"

"Why would I lie about something like this. It freaks me out every time I think about the fact, I have that spell in my grimoire."

"Colt, that kind of spell is next level insane, it could probably make you more dangerous than the Wizard King."

"You think I don't that. It's terrifying just thinking about the results of that spell."

"but you have to admit, it's a spell that could change the course of any battle. It'd be very useful in a fight."

Colt looked at Sara with disbelief. "Seriously? Are you insane?" he said a little too aggressively.

"Okay jeez, don't have to get so testy. Just trying to help."

"I'm sorry it's a bit of a touchy subject for me, let's just move on." Colt took a deep breath trying to calm down.

"That's probably a good idea. I came out tonight to have a good time, not to argue."

The pair agreed to drop the subject and just enjoy their night. They talked, enjoyed a meal, shared some laughs, talked about their respective squads and members and caught up from over their missing years.

Sara just finished the last bite of her dinner "Okay now, this is a very important subject." Colt leaned forward with interest. "Captain Asta and Noelle are definitely in a relationship, right? She said no but I kept hearing things around the squad, and also there were things after the cave, like I heard things about Nebra and some daughter."

Colt looked around making sure that no one was listening. "Ok you pretty much already know, so here's the deal." He leaned in peaking Sara's curiosity. "I can neither confirm nor deny the relationship status of the captains Noelle and Asta." Sara kicked Colt in the shin. "OW."

"Jerk."

The pair just laughed it off, though Colt could still see her eye twitching out of frustration. "You always were a helpless romantic."

"Well excuse me for enjoying a good story of two people from different worlds managing to find love amongst this crazy world whilst battling the prejudices of the realms." Colt stared at her dumbfounded. "Oh, don't give me that look just because you don't have the sophistication to enjoy a romantic adventure."

"You don't need sophistication for romance." Colt and Sara turned to the new voice to find a sleazy looking man probably a little older than the pair, black hair slicked back, wispy facial hair, obviously expensive red and gold suit. "Hello again Sara, such a pleasure to meet you again."

Sara sighed. "Hello Andrew."

"Who's this guy?" Colt asked.

"One of the idiots my dad tried to set me up with." Sara said.

"Oh, I'm so much more than that." Andrew moved forward and leaned on their table with his back turned to Colt. "I've gotten a recent promotion within the Crimson Lions. You're looking at a tried and true Intermediate Magic Knight Third Class. Why don't you come an join me and my friends in our little party?"

Colt lent back to look over at the table where Andrew came from, he saw most of them were more brutish figures, they looked more like a security detail rather than friends, and they probably were. "Quite an assortment of friends you got there."

Andrew turned to Colt with a cold look on his face. "You should be more respectful to you superiors Junior."

"Yeah so how much did that promotion cost you?" Asked Sara.

Andrew turned back to Sara with an evil smile, he leant in and whispered. "Not as much as buying you from your father."

Colt's fist clenched at that remark, he turned to Sara but noticed that she was relatively calm, she stared back at Andrew blankly. She then leaned in her chair to face the bar. "Corvin?"

"Relax I got insurance on this place, go nuts."

Sara then grabbed her clean plate and proceeded to smash it across Andrews head. He stumbled of the table Sara grabbed him by the front of his shirt and punched him with a platinum hand sending him flying over the table. She was so focused on Andrew she didn't notice on of his goons rushing her. Luckily Colt did and broke his chair across his face. The pair looked at each other briefly, both knowing what was about to happen.

The rest of Andrews goons rush towards the pair, what followed was a blur of flying plates, glasses, utensils, splintering chairs and tables, regulars sitting at the bar watching the events while the new customers ran out the door screaming. Corvin was serving drinks to the people at the bar while yelling out the occasional piece of advice. "Watch your back Colt got be more alert than that, got to be more like Sara, don't think the girls missed a step."

The fight went on with the occasional black string or chunk of platinum thrown across the room. Eventually the dust settled, and Sara was standing atop a mound of thugs that were wrapped in Colts strings.

Sara found Andrew in the pile up and put her boot on his head. "And what did we learn tonight Andrew?"

Though bleeding and swollen Andrew managed to glare at Sara. "You're going to pay for this, don't forget the Tournament next month. I am going to humiliate you and your pathetic thief."

"Good luck with that little man."

"Well that was entertaining, now if you two are done trashing my establishment can you please take out the trash on your way out." Corvin was standing over the destruction.

Colt gave Corvin a guilty smile. "Sorry Corvin, guess we got a little carried away."

"Actually, I thought you were going to bring down the entire building, so I guess I won't be getting that insurance. Crow Feather Magic: Nest Restoration."

Clusters of black feathers flowed around Corvin then spread around the restaurant, fixing everything that Colt and Sara broke and placing everything back into place. "I get the feeling that, that spell gets used a lot." Said Colt.

"Oh yeah, the rowdier magic knights like to come here, so I use this one a lot." Corvin watched as his establish repaired itself. "Now do you mind getting rid of them."

Colt and Sara dragged the group and threw them out the door. Most ran away when they got up while others lay there still unconscious. The pair said their goodbyes to Corvin. "You kids stay out of trouble. Or get in some. I don't care, chances are when you're old enough to drink I'll be responsible for half the trouble you get in."

They then left together, laughing at the same joke Corvin always told when they left. With no destination in mind the pair simply walked through the city.

As time went on Sara even linked arms with Colt with the pair barley noticing. "So, your telling me that you keep a logbook of all the snooty suiters you've beaten?"

"Yep, along with which bone I broke and punishment that I got with it."

"Only you could turn punishments into trophies."

"It's a gift. What about you? Parents never tried to set you up?"

"Kinda difficult when the entire kingdom thinks you're a criminal."

"What? No girls that like bad boys?"

"Oh, please look at me. When girls think of bad boys, they think the big beefy guys that'll get them into all kind of exciting trouble."

"Okay you might not be beefy, but you do get into plenty of trouble." Sara said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, only cause you dragged me into it." Colt said with a smile as he held pulled her slightly closer.

"I never dragged you into anything." Sara stopped in her tracks stopping Colt with her, they found themselves near a fountain in a large space that would normally be filled with people and pop up shops. "You were always right there with me." Sara turned to Colt and looked into his eyes.

"Sara?"

"You have no idea how amazing this has been. Being with you again." She looked away for a second. "And Ryko occasionally." The pair laughed as they both began to lean into each other. "You were always there with me, and don't think there's anyone else I'd rather have for a… partner in crime."

Colt leant in a little closer. "Same goes for me, I don't think I felt happier than when I saw you again at the Exam."

"Hopefully we don't go that long without seeing each other again." Sara began to stand on her toes to close the gap between them.

"That's exactly what your father is of Niece."

The pair separated and turned and saw a squad of royal knights being led by a portly man who's wearing a uniform a size to small for him, a balding head and a thick greasy moustache.

Sara stared at the leader. "Uncle Roke."