Happy Friday! And it's a very happy Friday, indeed!

On a very personal front... I have finally finished my master's degree- yay! :) You're probably wondering why I'm bringing this up. I only started writing and posting fanfic because of all the stress from school... and because my work situation went from dream job to toxic. Without getting into too many details and being a whiny drama llama, let's just say that between the pressures of working on a degree part time and drama at work, it was a tough place to be.

In a way, FT and being part of the fandom sort of helped me through a very confusing and difficult time for me. But that's largely thanks to you guys. For a while, getting to write for you and share with you every week was the one and only thing I looked forward to. And getting to connect with everyone was amazing. It really helped a lot. So THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who supported me through this. Thank you for reading. Thank you for reviews and PMs and fun conversations. Especially those who I've really connected with and had to put up with my different moods and phases and all that during this transition. Thanks for becoming one of my friends.

My work situation has since cleared up, and I am now finished with school. I'm hoping that means that I'll have more time to spend writing, but it is worth pointing out that my initial reason for writing no longer exists. I'm not sure if that's going to have an impact or not. I'll keep you guys posted.

But for now... let's get into some Jendawg! This week we get some Lamia Scale and we finally get to see the start of the date!

- K. Chandler

Sherry was the one who came up with the plan, and for that, Toby was grateful. Lyon seemed pretty fed up with him and Toby still wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

"Here!" she said, pulling something woolly over his head. "What do you think?"

"What's this?" asked Toby, reaching up to tug at it.

Sherry smacked his hand before offering him a mirror. "It's a beanie. Cute, right?"

"I think he's adorable," Chelia chimed in with a nod.

"That's one word for it," snorted Yuka.

"Isn't it too hot for a hat?" asked Toby.

"Maybe, but it's the perfect way to hide… this!" Sherry held up her fist, fingers open to reveal…

"Your lacrima?"

"Your lacrima. With your dog ears, you'll be able to use the beanie to keep the lacrima against your ears. Then Lyon can call you and he can tell you what to say. Perfect, right?" bubbled Sherry.

"And how am I supposed to know what they're talking about?" interjected Lyon.

"You'll just tag along," said Sherry reasonably.

"I'm not his chaperon," said Lyon.

"Do you have a better idea?" asked Sherry.

Lyon grumbled something unintelligible while Yuka chortled.

"Why don't you follow them super-spy style?" suggested Chelia. "That would be cool wouldn't it?"

"Maybe to you," said Lyon.

"They call me Vastia. Lyon Vastia," said Chelia in an awful imitation of a secret agent. Then she started humming the theme from a popular old animated spy series.

"Oh, I loved that show!" Toby hummed along, bobbing his head in time to the beat.

"What are you doing now?" sighed Lyon.

"Humming Lyon's danger theme," said Chelia.

"My what?" Lyon's eyes widened. "Good lord!"

"This will be fantastic," snickered Yuka. "I can already tell."

"Speak for yourself," muttered Lyon. "Perhaps you'd like to step in?"

"Oh, no," said Yuka, waving airily. "You see, I'm not the relationship type."

"We'll see about that!" said Chelia.

"Threats again, Chelia?" asked Yuka.

"How is that a threat?" Chelia protested.

Lyon left the rest to argue amongst themselves as he ushered Toby out of the guild.

And that was how Toby ended up pacing the sidewalk, feeling anxious and flushed as he waited for Jenny to arrive.

He glanced over his shoulder. A very sullen Lyon was watching furtively from the store across the street.

"Toby!" Jenny waved cheerfully at him from down the street. Her white dress flounced around her knees as she sprinted up to him. She looked like an angel. Toby had to try hard not to stare.

Toby took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It would be fine. Lyon would get him through this.

"Hey, you," she said.

"Hi, Jenny," he said.

"You look lovely," Lyon's voice prompted, sounding tinny as it came through the lacrima.

"You look lovely," Toby echoed obediently.

"Thanks! You ready to go?" asked Jenny.

"Sure am," said Toby, looking around. Shops and boutiques and little eateries lined the streets for blocks and blocks, as far as Toby could see. "Wow, this is place is huge. It's almost like a little town."

"What'd I tell ya?" said Jenny. "Isn't it awesome? Just about anything you'd ever want to do for fun is here. What do you want to do first?"

"Can I—maybe hold your hand?" he asked timidly.

"Toby…" groaned Lyon.

Toby winced. "Or, if that's not okay, that's okay too… I mean, not that it's okay. But it's okay. I… I… never mind."

Jenny giggled, reaching out her hand slowly. "That's cool. Just don't tell the paparazzi," she whispered, her eyes wide and solemn.

"What?" laughed Toby nervously, the heat rising to his face as Jenny's knuckles brushed against his.

"I'm kidding," said Jenny, reaching for his hand, giving his hand a playful squeeze. "Besides, there are enough legendary Pegasus mages in town that I don't get too much trouble from cameras and stuff."

"I guess that makes sense," he said.

"Do you want to get food?" asked Jenny.

"I like food," said Toby. Then he cringed. Why did he say that? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!

"Toby, listen carefully," said Lyon. He probably sensed Toby's frustration. "There's an Italian place down the street. It's a chain, but it's nice. That's where you want to be. Now, ask her if she likes Italian."

Toby nodded. "Do you… Do you like Italian?" he asked, trying to stay calm.

"I'm good with just about anything," said Jenny. "I'm not picky. Did you have someplace in mind?"

"Yeah… I think so," said Toby, his head still bobbing up and down.

"What is it?" asked Jenny.

Lyon hissed sharply in Toby's ear. "I can't see the name from here," said Lyon. "Stall."

"Stall," blurted Toby. No, no, that wasn't right!

Lyon's groan of frustration crackled through the earpiece. "Toby!"

"Like a food stall?" asked Jenny, puzzled.

"No, not a food stall!" said Toby quickly.

"What's then?"

"It's… a surprise…" said Toby lamely.

But Jenny didn't seem to notice.

"I love surprises! Lead the way," said Jenny.

"Can't believe you managed to salvage that one," said Lyon.

"You do? Oh, good. Follow me," said Toby. "Once I figure out where I'm going. Where'm I going?"

"Do you see the black and white stripped awning? That's the place."

Toby and Jenny walked to the restaurant, hand in hand.

"Open the door for her," prompted Lyon.

Toby blinked. What exactly did that mean?

"Don't just stand there. She's going to think you don't know how to even use a door," said Lyon.

"This the place?" asked Jenny with a nod of approval. "Nice choice," she said, opening the door herself and holding it open for him after she stepped through.

Toby caught the edge of the door with his hand, following her inside dumbly. He'd screwed that up.

"It's fine," said Lyon, as if reading his thoughts. "Just keep going."

Toby gaped. Lyon hadn't been exaggerating when he said it was a nice restaurant. This was the sort of place where there weren't just tablecloths on the tables. There were tablecloths on the chairs, too! Each plate was surrounded by multiple wine-glasses of varying heights and topped with a cloth napkin folded into a swan.

Toby shook his head, horror rendering him speechless. He was going to screw this up.

"Maybe an upscale restaurant wasn't the best idea," sighed Lyon.

Toby fidgeted uncomfortably, tugging at the button down he had been forced into. Lyon was probably right. Formal was not his thing.

That's when he and Jenny were approached by a man in a neat waistcoat. He looked a little like a penguin. He twitched as his eyes fell on Toby, jaw tightening slightly.

"May I take your hat, sir?" he sniffed.

"What?" said Toby.

"No hats," he repeated, extending a hand, palm up, as if demanding Toby's beanie.

"No, I can't take my hat off!" blurted Toby, pulling the beanie further down his forehead with both hands. If he took his hat off, then Jenny would see the hidden lacrima. Even worse… he wouldn't have Lyon helping him. And then what would he do?

"Toby. Stop. You're making a scene," said Lyon.

"Hi, Jeeves," said Jenny. "Been a while."

"Miss Jenny! It certainly has. Delightful to see you again, dear," Jeeves said.

"I know it's only two of us, but can we get our usual spot?" asked Jenny.

"Usual?" echoed Toby. "You… you come here a lot?" asked Toby.

"Sometimes," said Jenny. "Like when the guys and I finish up a big job."

"Friend of yours?" asked Jeeves coolly, still eying Toby as if he were something that he'd like to clean.

"This is Toby," said Jenny. "Isn't he the cutest?"

Lyon choked back a laugh before the sound from the lacrima cut off abruptly.

Toby's eyes widened. Hopefully, Lyon just put himself on mute, and they didn't get disconnected.

Jeeves looked like he wanted to make a judgmental comment, but he forced a polite smile instead. "Right this way."

Toby looked around wildly, letting Jenny take the lead. It was fine. It was fine. Totally fine.

"Have you ever been here before?" asked Jenny, sliding into the U-shaped booth.

"…No," Toby admitted.

"Okay… we're going to do a backwards date," said Jenny brightly.

"A what?" asked Toby.

"You know. A backwards date," said Jenny.

"What in God's name is that supposed to be?" muttered Lyon. "Don't repeat that," he added.

"I've never heard of that," said Toby.

"It's way fun, trust me," said Jenny. "We'll have dessert first and we'll work our way backwards to appetizers and drinks. But every course has to come from a different place."

"So, dessert here? And we'll do food somewhere else?"

"Pretty much. Wanna split a sundae? This place has decent food, but the ice cream is to die for! It's all homemade and it's super amazing."

"Okay," said Toby. He could do this. Then they would be out of here and onto someplace more normal.

"Okay, here," said Jenny, pulling sliding the dessert menu out of the pile. "What sounds good?" she asked, pushing it towards him.

Toby craned his neck, looking at the featured options. "I like—"

"Let her pick, idiot."

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking," mumbled Toby.

"Are you ever?" Lyon's voice crackled through the speaker.

"What was that?" asked Jenny.

"Nothing! Nothing… What do you think sounds good?" he asked.

"All ice cream is good," said Jenny, with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Besides, this is place is right in my backyard. I can come here anytime I want. You can pick."

"Are you sure?" asked Toby.

"Surprise me," said Jenny. "That seems to be working well for us."

"I can't tell if she's being sarcastic or not... Well, now that she's said to, I suppose it's fine," sighed Lyon.

"Okay," said Toby, looking over the menu. "I'll be right back."

"Something wrong?"

Toby shook his head. "I'm just going to ask the waiter to put our order in. It won't be a surprise if you hear what I'm ordering."

"I didn't think of that," said Jenny.

Toby stood, careful not to accidentally yank the tablecloth or upset a chair or something equally embarrassing.

"Go with something simple and classic," advised Lyon. "You have no idea what this girl likes, so you'll be safer going classic hot fudge or something."

"Can we get the Taste of Asia Sundae as that table over there?" Toby asked someone who looked like they were on the restaurant's waitstaff.

"Um… sure…" The waiter frowned, confused at being asked to take an order in the middle of the hallway.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Oops."

"At least remember to ask for two spoons," he sighed.

"Two spoons, please," declared Toby dramatically.

"We'll bring that right out to you."

"How was that?" asked Toby.

"At least it's over with," said Lyon.

"Two spoons, two spoons," chanted Toby. Something had gone right! Maybe this was the start of a fun afternoon.

"What did you actually order?"

"Hm? Oh, the Taste of Asia is a bunch of Asian-inspired flavors."

"What do you mean Asian-inspired?" asked Lyon. Toby could hear the edge to his voice.

"Like green tea and red bean and black sesame? It looked really good," said Toby. "Was that a bad choice?"

Lyon gave a huff. "I'm… I'm sure it'll be fine," said Lyon, not sounding sure at all.

"This is going to be bad, isn't it?"

"Quite possibly, yes."

Toby whimpered, slinking back to his seat and trying not to panic.

Dessert was served in a shallow glass goblet with a sturdy stem. Six perfect spheres of icy confection were heaped inside. Drab grays and off-greens mingled with muddy purples.

"Is that…" Jenny's eyes widened.

Toby's heart sank. What had he been thinking? This was an awful choice.

Jenny spooned a bite before squealing. "I love matcha!" said Jenny. "How did you know?"

Toby blinked, his racing mind needing a second to catch up. "Really? Me too!" he managed.

Toby breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness! Lyon was wrong, for once! He was getting nothing but silence from the ice mage, so Toby could only assume he was doing well. That, or Lyon had died from humiliation. Hopefully that wasn't true.

"I didn't know they had it here," said Jenny. "Otherwise I'd be here every week. I've never seen it on the menu. What did you actually order?"

"It's called Taste of Asia."

"No wonder I never noticed it! I've never ordered that before. Okay, what's the grey-looking one?"

"Black sesame, I think," said Toby, sampling a bite. "Yep. That it is."

Jenny tried a bite. "That's pretty good too. Not as good as the matcha, but not bad."

"What do you think the purple one is?" asked Toby.

"I'll bet it's taro," said Jenny, before digging in. Her eyes lit up. "Ha! It is!"

"Okay, watch this," said Toby. "Special attack: taro-mango!" he proclaimed, digging into both flavors of ice cream at the same time.

"Mango-ginger!" countered Jenny, tapping her spoon against his playfully before scooping another bite of ice cream.

"Mango-ginger-red bean," said Toby. He wedged his spoon under hers to 'counter the attack.'

"Hey! Oh, you asked for it! Mango-red bean-black sesame-taro," said Jenny, loading her spoon with each flavor in turn.

"I am defeated," declared Toby, putting his hands up playfully. "I yield."

Jenny giggled. "Oh, come on. You could do one better than that. Just get a bite of the matcha with it."

"I like the matcha green tea just the way it is. Why would I want to change something that's already perfect?" asked Toby.

"Sometimes, I want to ask you the same question," sighed Jenny, as if to herself.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," she said, waving him off. "Okay, who would win the ultimate snack smack-down? The Terrible Taro? Or Mango Madness? What do you think?"

Toby looked to see if Jenny was making fun of him. It didn't look like she was.

"Depends," said Toby. "Any special attacks allowed?"

"Nope," said Jenny. "This is a one-on-one battle royale."

"I'd have to give it to the mango," said Toby. "Smooth, tart, fresh. A winning combination, I think. The other one's not for everyone."

"An acquired taste?" said Jenny.

"That," agreed Toby. "Although, I think they might be better together."

"You know, I think you might be right about that," said Jenny, tapping her spoon against his.

Toby felt his heart ricochet in his chest when she flashed him that cheeky grin.

"Well, what are we waiting for? We have to test it out," said Jenny.

"Let's do it!" he said.

So... he has the word sashimi tattooed on his arm. She came to the Grand Ball in the GMG (which didn't happen in this universe) in a kimono and her take-over is a mech. To me, there was zero chance they didn't share an appreciation for Asian art, culture, food, and anime. Props to Jenny for rolling with the punches and helping Toby through the nerves (and managing to gracefully give Toby an out from the ritzy restaurant).

Next time, in [Mazeverse] Call Me Cyrano, we get to learn a little more about the enigma that is Miss Jenny Realight, and why she's on this date at all. Jenny laughed. "Seriously, though. What do you think when you see me?" asked Jenny.

Stop back next Friday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.