Cry for Love Chapter 9, a dragon's bait fanfic

Chapter 9: Date and Spying

"Did he ask me out?" Alys asked confusedly.

After what happened at the shop, Selendrile and Listria made sure she was alright before returning to work and home. The rest was a blur. Risa rapidly blinked at her friend with mischievous delight at having to see Alys so hungover the fact of Selendrile asking her out on a date. Terribly if I might add, it was a good sign that Alys was thinking so much on this date. Maybe she can be her old self once again.

"Yes, he did. Now we have more important matters to discuss what you're going to wear for this date," Risa said.

She was ignored, and Alys' mind continued to wander and wonder why Selendrile asked her out. Risa shrugged at Alys for not answering and went off to her closet to browse for tomorrow's outfits. Passing, moving clothes aside from the rejected clothing and opening shoe boxes to help visualize an outfit idea than going to accessories to finish the image. Nothing helped. Risa couldn't find the perfect outfit for Alys's date.

"I need him to give me the complete plan, so this can be easier," Risa mumbled.

"Hm, huh, did you say something, Risa?" Alys asked, getting out of her trance.

"Yes, I did, but it seems like we're going to have to wait for your soon-to-be hubby to contact us so we can know where he's going to take you," Risa answered. Risa rolled her eyes at Alys for not listening to a single word she uttered this whole time.

Sighing, Alys collapsed on Risa's bed and stared at the flower ceiling fan rotating continuously. Turning her head to the walls, Alys started to think about tomorrow, and fear washed over her. Closing her eyes, Alys consumed the emotion with hesitation and painful acceptance. Feeling a finger poking her bruised cheek, the physical pain slammed into her like a falling tree that was cut down. Brown colored eyes became uncloaked by their protective cover. They angrily stared at the one that was responsible for bringing the pain back. Risa gazed back curiously and smiled childishly at her friend.

"It's time to clean your wounds and eat something. I'm starving for your cooking, so let's do this."

Alys sighed once again and lifted herself off the bed to follow Risa in the kitchen.

"Sit here while I get the first aid kit, and you start cooking, missy," Risa ordered.

She left the room and went Alys alone to her own devices. Opening up the fridge, Alys searched thoroughly through the shelves imagining what to make. Seeing nothing that seemed appetizing, Alys continued her food search, finding a box of pasta. Images of different pasta dishes passed through her mind's eyes until she decided to make something simple and not too flashy. Taking the box of pasta out of the cabinet, she then went to the fridge to see what ingredients would shape this pasta meal into a particular dish to feed Risa. Opening up the cold machine, Alys gazed around to find veggies, meats, and cheeses. Grabbing the perishables that were needed, Alys started to begin cooking. Heating the skillets drizzled with oil, and warming up the oven to the appropriate temperature. Chopping up the healthy veggies and boiling the water in the pot, Alys began seeing her meal come alive after putting everything together. Grabbing left and right for the materials to finish up the meal. It was complete, but not at the same time.

'What is missing?' she thought.

Gazing at her masterpiece with contempt, Alys was on the stump. Sure she could make homemade sourdough garlic bread and salad, but it needed more than that regular norm. Alys just had to think... wait...nevermind. She left it be after she brought out aromatic oil and the fermented rye bread.

"Risa, it's time to eat."

The stomping of 6 1/2 feet was running towards the kitchen at top speed while carrying the first aid kit. 'Bang.' Alys turned around in time to see Risa slide and slammed head-first into the table. Rubbing her head, groaning, Risa sat down. Alys tried not to laugh at her dear friend but couldn't contain it anymore. Giggles bubbled in her throat, and she released a loud laugh. Risa glared at the cook and pouted once again.

"It's not funny! I could've gotten a concussion from that impact," Risa represented, "don't you care about my well-being?"

"Of *laugh*course, I do Isa, but it was too funny," Alys laughed out. Sitting, Alys began fixing hers and Risa's plate. After giving up one dish, Alys grabbed her utensils and started eating.

"At least I haven't had twenty or so concussions," Risa mumbled under her breath. Alys stopped and glared at her friend.

"Yeah, but at least I'm still here to keep you company," Alys snapped back.

Paris

Selendrile was once again in his office, staring out the window with a blank gaze. He's been like that since coming back with his mother from Alys' store. The incident was still fresh in his mind. Him asking his wife-to-be to go out on a date...tomorrow. The only funny part was Alys crashing into the door from the confusing shock. Of course, he doesn't blame her. Alys didn't or wouldn't warm up to him as she does with Selendrile's family. Taking a deep breath, Selendrile tried to go back to work. Still, he realized that there wasn't Anything for him to do, so he decided to look up some eatery places to take Alys tomorrow on their date. Selendrile was going to stick with his original plan of walking around Paris with Alys. Still, the problem was finding the right places to eat on their little foray. He was typing away, trying to keep whatever he wanted in mind. Searching thoroughly at each review, Michelin stars, news articles, business community relationships, and any other essential things. Getting slightly irritated with the dinner search, Selendrile decided to call his favorite restaurant to set up a lunch reservation for two at noon. With one part settled, but the other issue not so much. Groaning and pulling hair, Selendrile went back to his search. Mumbling here and there about how stupid women are and how he's going to make Risa and his mother pay for getting him into this mess. It was going on to the third hour, and Selendrile found three that he deemed suitable, but he couldn't decide where to take Alys.

"I really shouldn't make this so hard for myself," he mumbled.

Going through more reviews and relations, Selendrile narrowed it down to two. After deliberating, Selendrile decided on Le Moulin de la Galette for the dinner spot. Before he could call the restaurant, he heard his office door open and the familiar steps of the very person he despises walk right in. There was Atherton in all of his lawyer glory, smiling like he just accomplished something. Rolling his eyes, Selendrile glared at him for interrupting him and for coming unannounced.

"What do you want?" Selendrile asked.

Atherton felt the fiery anger seeping out of Selendrile's glare. Hurrying, Atherton sat down and began going through his briefcase. While he was occupied, Selendrile took this to his advantage. Picking up the phone, he quickly pressed the numbers for the restaurant.

"Um, well, sir, I'm here with the process of your arranged marriage.." Atherton looked up to see Selendrile on the phone with someone. "I don't remember hearing the phone ring."

"Bonjour, my name is Jakue. How can I help you this evening?"

"Yes, my name is Selendrile Presd'eaux, and I would like to make a reservation for tomorrow night around 7."

"Of course, Sir. Let me check if we have a table available."

"Thank you." Selendrile could hear the host turning sheets of paper in the reservation book. He gazed up to see Atherton staring at him with a bit of anger. Selendrile smirked at him and succeeded in getting under Atherton's skin.

"Sir, it seems like we have a spot for you at the requested time. How many people will be with you?"

"That's great. It's just going to be myself and my fiancée. It'll be under Presd'eaux."

"Thank you, Sir. Everything is ready for tomorrow night. Is there Anything else you need today?"

"No, that would be all. Thank you, and have a nice day."

"You as well, Sir. Bye."

Selendrile hung up the phone and went back to a now sour Atherton.

"You were saying?"

"Yes, I was saying that I have more information on Alys for you. Here are some notes that I have taken while speaking with Mr. Gower this morning." Atherton handed him the notes, and Selendrile began reading them. To his amazement, it was everything that he already knew; her likes and dislikes, her friends, school, and her job (which she owns). Selendrile rolled his eyes at Gower's lawyer for being so stupid. He placed the useless notes into one of his drawers to burn or throw away for later.

"Is there anything else you need to tell or show me?" he asked with a mental plea for him to say no and leave him be so that he can plan his outing with Alys a little more.

"Mr. Gower was hoping to discuss with you about considering coming over for dinner this week or the next?"

Selendrile was quiet for a minute and nodded to the invitation. "I can come next week."

Atherton nodded and left Selendrile's office to talk to his other client. Selendrile began once again to plan the outing and to make sure the weather was comfortable. He told his secretary that he would have a day off tomorrow for personal reasons. With that finally done, Selendrile decided to leave for home.

In a Dark Alley

Atherton's nerves were acting up, and he worried about getting caught with the echoes of his footsteps on the cobblestones didn't help either. Stopping next to the dumpster, the stranger waited for a companion who was a little late meeting him. After a certain amount of time passed by when he heard heels stomping on the stones coming his way. The newcomer appeared before him in a black trench coat and tilted black hat hiding their face.

"Do you have anything good this time?" the unknown person asked.

"Yes, it seems like he's taking her out tomorrow. He has a reservation at a restaurant at 7, but I don't know where or what he's planning to do tomorrow," he said.

The unknown companion nodded and kept silent for a while. Maybe wondering if what this guy was saying was the truth or not.

"I'll have one of my spies follow them since one of our targets wanted to be secretive. Good job, for now, but next time, I want more information."

"Understood."

Paris

Selendrile collapsed on his bed with the most massive sigh that has ever passed his lips. Hiding his amethyst eyes, he tried to go into dreamland until he heard his sister stopping right at his door. Pleading with all of his might that his sister would leave him alone, but it wasn't meant to be. The door opened, and his sister popped her head in to see Selendrile lying down, looking at her.

"What do you want?" Selendrile asked.

"Did you tell Alys what she should wear tomorrow and what are you wearing?" she explained?

With eyes wide, Selendrile glared harshly at the ceiling. He realized his mistake of texting his fiancée on the weather. Sighing tiredly, he moved to his left side to grab his phone, went through his contacts, and when he found her number, he sent a text message and went back to laying on his back. His sister rolled her eyes at her little brother's carelessness and closed his door so that he could get some sleep.

The Next Day

Selendrile was in the kitchen, making breakfast for himself and the family. The blood coffee was brewing while he was scalping the squirrel to finish the meal. Usually, Selendrile doesn't eat in the morning, but it was only right to serve them since he has a company. Going deep into his thoughts, Selendrile started wondering about how his life would be with Alys. Sadly, there wasn't Anything to go by since they don't know each other at all. Sighing, he went to finish making breakfast—the silent footsteps of four predators coming downstairs, stretching their limbs while heading towards the kitchen. Taking a courteous inhale, the four dragon's stomachs started rumbling from hunger. Listria was peeking through the kitchen doorway to see who was making breakfast. To her amazement, she saw Selendrile placing the delicious morsels in the middle of the table. Gasping, she hurriedly moved away from the door and stared shockingly at two children and mate. They looked at her with concern.

"What's wrong, mom?"

"Did you see something unpleasant, my mate?" Taurus asked. He came over to his mate and wrapped his arms around her waist to be of comfort.

Taking a few breaths, Listria calmly answered, "Selendrile is…"

"Did something happen to our little brother?" Corvin and Tira asked.

"Is Selendrile hurt?"

"He's cooking."

Silence. Listria stared at her mate and children to see 'you gotta be kidding' and 'are you serious' looks.

"What? You guys don't see it as odd that Selendrile is in the kitchen... cooking!"

"It's not a big deal, mom. I mean, it is his house, so of course, he's going to use the kitchen."

"I know, but have you ever seen him cooking in the kitchen while we're here?"

Silence.

"Well, no, but there might be a reason for him cooking us breakfast," Corvin mentioned.

"Maybe, but what is the reason? Oh, it might be because-," Listria mumbled.

"Will you hurry up and get in here to eat so I can go pick up Alys," Selendrile yelled from the kitchen.

Going over to the one of a kind coffee maker and began filling up the cups. Seeing his family hesitantly coming into the kitchen, and sat down.

"You might as well start eating. I'm on my way out to go pick up Alys. Enjoy," Selendrile said.

Selendrile grabbed his keys and tried to dash out the door until his father said, "Where are you taking her? She might be eating breakfast, come to sit down at the table, and eat."

Selendrile groaned annoyingly but listened to his father. Sitting down next to Corvin, and began nibbling on squirrels and sipped on blood coffee. Silence coated the air, and the sounds that were heard were the clattering of silverware. Listria glanced up from her meal to look at her family. She was happy, but then she frowned sadly at her youngest child. He seemed upset and unhappy. Unhappy? Why? She didn't know the reason why he wasn't happy with them.

"So, Lendle, where are you taking Alys today?" Corvin asked, not liking the atmosphere.

"... I'm giving her a tour of Paris," Selendrile answered, glancing at his watch.

"That's it?" Tira asked shockingly. "That sounds boring. Aren't you going to stop at some shops?"

Selendrile shrugged and finished the last drop of his coffee. Getting up, Selendrile dusted himself off and began walking out.

"I'm off. Don't wait up."

Before anyone could say Anything, the door of the apartment was closed shut.

At Risa's

Risa was sitting in the living room waiting for Alys to finish getting ready before Selendrile came. The outfit Risa chose was bound on the description that the 'pedo' husband finally sent last night through texting Alys. With that, Risa was able to put an outfit together. She sipped on her coffee and nibbled on a blueberry scone leftover from breakfast.

"Risa, do you know where the other shoe is?" Alys yelled.

Already knowing this would happen, Risa purposely took one of the shoes and placed it next to the recliner she was sitting in.

"In here," Risa yelled back before popping the last bit of the scone in her mouth.

"Okay, I'm coming."

Risa waited for Alys to come into the living room. Already hearing Alys coming towards her way to the living room, she swallowed the chewy remains of her breakfast. Risa got ready to see Alys in the outfit she laid out for her.

"Where is the other shoe?" Alys asked, entering the room. Risa already had the shoe in hand and handed it over to Alys. Alys took the pump and slipped it on.

"Done. Is there Anything missing? She asked. Risa analyzed the outfit but found nothing except happiness. Alys looked great in the clothes Risa laid out, and it went well with weather climates and how it wasn't too much either. Giving out a smile and mentally pat on the back for making Alys look irresistible. Shaking her head no to the question, Alys sighed and started getting fidgety.

"What's wrong?" Risa asked, noticing the fidgeting and nervously biting her lips.

Alys didn't answer Risa's question because she didn't know how to respond. This was her first official real date with a person. Alys didn't know how to act or what to do on dates.

"Aaa-lys. Earth to Alys, is anyone there? Hello?"

"How do you date? What do I do? How am I supposed to act?" Alys rashly asked.

Risa stepped back from the power of the questions flown at her. After recovering, Risa was reminded that Alys never been out with a guy or been on a date.

"Why'd you ask?" Risa asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well, you had a lot more experience in dating than me, and you're right here! Besides, Tommy is in a different country for modeling, so I can't ask him," Alys explained.

Risa nodded in understanding Alys's explanation. Alys was right and had every right to be nervous about going on this date with Selendrile. Thinking for a few minutes when an idea came with a sneaky but helpful intention.

'I better call his family to see if they'd like to join me,' Risa thought.

"Just be yourself and please try to have fun," Risa advised.

Before Alys could answer, the doorbell decided to ring. Risa got up from her seat and went over to the window to see who was at the door. It was her 'pedo' husband-to-be, Selendrile.

"Is it him?" Alys asked.

"Yeah, it is. Are you ready to go?" Risa confirmed. She was worried about her best friend, but she had to let Alys experience this new world of dating by herself.

"Sigh, I need to. Let me get my bag, and I'll be ready. Can you let Selendrile in?"

Risa nodded while Alys went to get her purse out of her room. Risa went and opened the door to see Selendrile looking around.

"Hi," Risa greeted snarkily.

"Hello," Selendrile replied, ignoring her tone, "is Alys ready to go?"

"She's getting her purse."

Selendrile nodded and started looking around. They waited in hated silence; with Risa, it's not accepting him for her friend. With Selendrile, it was being in this situation and taking Alys on a date for her ring size. Risa leaned against the opened door and sizing up Selendrile's outfit. He was wearing army green cargo pants with a cafe color polo shirt. Risa could tell that he tried to dress for the occasion.

'At least he's not dressed like those Ivy League rich boys,' Risa thought, 'is he willing to give this a try, give Alys a try?'

Before anyone of the two would express weakness to talk to each other, Alys came back with her purse in hand.

"I'm all set. You're ready to go?" Alys asked, checking to see if she was missing Anything.

Selendrile finally decided to switch his attention from the trees to his date. He wasn't expecting to see what was in front of him.

'Wow, she looks amazing,' he thought to survey Alys up and down. She was donned in a teal flowy sundress with a cream knitted jacket around her shoulders. Her hair was in big wave curls that surrounded her face very well, baby blue sneaker wedges on her feet that stopped at her ankle, leaving her legs to show. Alys was also wearing a little bit of jewelry on her fingers, wrists, ears, and a bit of perfume that smelled like jasmine spring.

"Mhm, what a wonderful, delectable, feisty soon to be mate we have here," his dragon side thought, snickering sinisterly. Selendrile agreed but sneered mentally at his inner dragon self.

"She's unwanted in my life... I mean our life. Why are you interested?"

"She's interesting. I want her," said his dragon side, slowly disappearing.

Noticing that his inner was going back to sleep, Selendrile became irritated. Alys and Risa stared at him for some time, wondering if he was alright.

"Um, Selendrile, are you okay?" Alys asked worriedly.

Selendrile shook his head and gazed at the girls. "Yes, I was thinking of something. You ready?" he growled.

Alys flinched and nodded. Risa and Selendrile notice the flinch. Risa turned to glare at Selendrile, but instead, she got his back. After Selendrile saw Alys flinch, he felt terrible and turned around from seeing her face. He began walking towards his car. Risa hugged Alys and set her off to the dating world. Alys followed Selendrile to a black Benz. Selendrile opened the door for her like a pure gentleman and helped her in. Alys murmured 'thank you,' climbed in, and started putting on her seatbelt. Selendrile closed the door, walked over to his driver's side, and was about to go in but stopped. He began breathing in the fresh air, so the tempting smell of Alys' perfume mixed with her natural scent was out of his system before being surrounded by it during the drive. After a couple more deep breathing, Selendrile got in the car, started it up, and drove off.

At Risa

Risa watched the whole interaction with Alys and Selendrile and smiled. After seeing them drive away, Risa grabbed her cellphone. She dialed a number and heard the ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mrs. P, it's Risa. Alys' best friend."

"Oh, hello there, sweetie. How can I help you?"

"I was calling to see if you and the family wanted to join me in the quest of following/ spying on the two couples' date?" Risa explained. It was silent on the other side of the line. After a few minutes, Risa was about to hang up until she heard some movement on the other line.

"Sorry about that. I had to discuss it with the family. We would love to join you on this quest," Mrs. P said joyfully. "We'll pick you up."

"Okay, thank you. See you soon."

"See you soon."

They both hung up, and Risa went to get ready to spy on her best friend's date.

Paris

Selendrile and Alys were a few minutes away from entering the Paris border. It was quiet in the vehicle. Both hadn't said a word since leaving Risa's house. Alys gazed out the window, watching the scenery pass by them at a gentle, fast pace. She didn't notice that Selendrile would peek a glance at her once in a while or how he would take a deep breath of her scent infused perfume. Selendrile tried to keep his eyes on the road but found that he would steal bits of a glance towards her.

'Why am I doing? I shouldn't be staring at her at the least. I mean, Alys does look nice and smells wonderfully delicious. Even my true form seems interesting. What is it about her that is so special?' Selendrile thought.

They made it to Paris with no trouble. Selendrile decided to park at his workplace to decline any mishaps in finding parking spaces. He turned off his car, got out, and went to open Alys's door. Once again, she thanked him and got out. She closed the door while Selendrile locked up the vehicle.

"The tour carriage is arriving in the front of my building to take us around Paris, so we might as well go up there," Selendrile explains.

Alys nodded and followed him to the front of the building. She gazed around the surrounding area and noticed that Selendrile's name was on top of the building's roof.

'That bastard! He never mentioned owning a business when I asked about it,' she angrily thought. 'But he did mention this was his building in the parking lot not too long ago.' Still a bit confused about the situation, Alys decided to confront Selendrile later on the subject. Selendrile and Alys made it to the front just in time. Their guide hadn't arrived yet, so it gave them some time alone. Selendrile sat on the steps while Alys leaned against the wall. They were silent during the wait. They didn't even notice two vehicles: a black SUV and the one a white car. Una and Atherton were in the black SUV while Risa and Selendriles' family was in the white car.

Risa and the Presd'eaux Family

"Why aren't they talking?" Listria asked.

The family and Risa watched the two nervous people sitting/ leaning on the building doing nothing, but on the phone or looking the other way, deep in thought.

"I don't know. Maybe they are nervous and don't know what to say," Corvin answered.

"What are they doing for the date?" Risa asked curiously.

"Selendrile thought it would be better if they went on a tour of the city," Tira said.

"Not bad."

Una and Atherton

"How long do you think we'll have to wait?" Una asked while checking her nails.

"I don't know," Atherton answered.

"Wwwwwwhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyy not," Una whined, sliding down the car seat.

'This is going to be a long day, and I better get a raise for this torment from this girl,' he thought.

With Selendrile and Alys

Minutes passed, and the tour guide still hadn't arrived yet, and Selendrile wasn't happy. He hated late people, but now it was growing to kill intent. Alys wasn't in on the anger as Selendrile was. She didn't even know that the guide was late. Alys was on her phone checking on the business accounts to see any imbalance or if the bills were paid. Then she checked the emails to see if there were any competitions or any meetings that she needed to go to, but there wasn't one there. There was only a couple of orders that need to be filled. Putting her phone away, Alys started looking around. She has just been to Paris once, that was for business, but she never got the chance to be a tourist and experience the beautiful city. Now, she can, and she was excited.

"I wonder where we're going today," she mumbled.

"That's it. I can do a better job than this late guy," Selendrile said.

He got up from the stairs and turned to Alys, and motioned her to follow him. Alys peeled herself off the wall and began trailing behind him. Selendrile was about to start his new job as a tour guide until he noticed that Alys wasn't next to him. He stopped and felt his betrothed bump into his back.

"I'm sorry," Alys hurriedly said with closed eyes. She was waiting for the painful contact, but it never came. She slowly opened her eyes to see Selendrile curiously-worried gaze at her.

"I just wanted you to walk next to me instead of behind me. Is something wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Oh, nothing, and no. I'm not hurt anywhere," Alys answered, embarrassed with red-tinted cheeks. Selendrile kept looking at her knowing something was wrong, but he let it go. They started walking again, but this time side by side. Selendrile began pointing out the different buildings and telling her about the history of each one. Alys absorbed every bit of information Selendrile was spouting from his lips. They would stop at boutiques, and Selendrile let Alys gaze around the shops and buy some souvenirs for Risa, Tommy, Nathan, and Selendriles' family grudgingly for him too. She didn't forget to buy things for herself. They continued going to Paris and still not noticing that they were being followed. Risa and Selendrile's family was inconspicuously trailing behind them, and Atherton was driving behind them. Risa wasn't digging the stopping and then going method, so she took off her seat belt and opened the car door.

"Risa, what are you doing?" Corvin asked.

"Look, this is getting old. Park somewhere, and we can go on foot," Risa answered matter-in-factly.

"What if they recognize us?" Listeria asked.

"I bought Alys, and I disguised kit for this occasion. Now, park the car and which hair you would like. Purple with black highlights or green?"

The family stared at Risa and sighed. They went along with the plan. Corvin found a free spot to park his car and put on their disguises. They started putting on their costumes and left the car to hurry and continue following the couple without being noticed.

Selendrile aimlessly continued showing Alys around the city. They would still stop at the stores until it was lunchtime. Alys was having a wonderful time on this little date.

'I wouldn't mind going on another date like this,' she thought.

Selendrile leads Alys to his favorite eatery. He let her go through the threshold of the door first before following her from behind. Alys looked around the eatery place with interest. It had a friendly atmosphere, and it was peaceful. Her excitement had calmed when the host came towards them.

"Bonjour mademoiselle and monsieur. Do you have a reservation this lovely evening?" the host asked them. Selendrile was about to answer when he noticed that the host was staring at Alys with prurient interest. Selendrile felt a bit angry at the host looking at his fiancee like that. Alys didn't seem to notice the host hungrily looking at her since she was staring at the paintings on the wall.

"Why is he looking at our mate to be? Let's fix that by burning his eyes," growled his inner dragon.

"Let me deal with this without getting sued and banned from my favorite spot," Selendrile said.

"Fine, I'll let this go just this once, but if it happens again, I'm coming out."

"Deal."

Selendrile confidently put his hand around Alys' waist and glared at the host. "Yes, a table for two under Presd'eaux, and thank you," he smiled.

The host backed off and stared at Selendrile with a challenge of acceptance. He wasn't going to lose to this guy. The host smiled, grabbed two menus, and said while staring at Alys, "If you would please follow me this way."

Selendrile was peeved at the host for not backing down.

"What is wrong with this so-called host?!"

"I don't know, but he hasn't stopped."

"Here are your seats and oh, let me help you with your seat, ma'am," the host said. He took her seat out from under the table, and Alys sat down and thanked him. Selendrile watched with jealousy.

"Here are the menus, and I'll be back for your orders. Is there anything you wanted to drink this evening?"

"I would like your cucumber and lemon water," Alys said.

"Excellent choice, and what about you, sir?"

"I will take the same as my companion," Selendrile answered.

The host went away to give them some time to look over the menu and help his other patrons. Alys went over the table d'hôte and flinched at the prices. She glanced up at Selendrile to see him unfazed by the prices. He continued looking for something to eat. She went back to the menu and tried to find what to eat. Selendrile did notice the flinch and smirked amusingly at his fiancee's reaction.

"She owns a business and is still not used to high-priced places?..keep her. She's golden. Maybe she can help budget our spending habits."

Selendrile rolled his eyes at his dragon, but he did have a point. They have expensive taste in almost everything down to their feet and up to the top of their head.

"Guess who's back." From the corner of his eye, Selendrile noticed the host was coming their way.

"I'm back with your drinks. Here you go, and are you ready to order?"

"I would like your light spring salad and the little sliders," Selendrile ordered. He gazed up at Alys, waiting for her to order so the host would go away. Selendrile noticed that Alys was still having trouble finding what to eat. Selendrile smirked at her and decided to do it for her, but the host beat him to it.

"I recommend this scallop and steak salad. It is very light and not so heavy for your stomach."

"Oh, then I would have that. Thank you for the help," Alys said with a smile.

"Y... you're welcome. Let me put your orders, and it'll be a few minutes," replied the blushing host.

Selendrile rolled his eyes at the guy and decided to look out the window. Alys grabbed both of their menus and gave them to the host with a picture with a good smile. The host took hold of them, still blushing like a schoolgirl, and excused himself from the couple. Alys began feeling the nerves again and started messing with the hem of her outfit. Selendrile's image noticed Alys fidgeting and continued staring at her, wondering why she was acting strangely.

"Can you stop doing that? It's getting annoying," Selendrile scoffed. Alys' head shot up from his words, and she glared at him, which Selendrile appreciated seeing.

"Well, I'm sorry if I'm not experienced as you are at dating," she retorted at him. Selendrile raised an eyebrow at her accusations. He was shocked that this was her first date ever and his inner dragon relished the fact.

"For your information, I never had time for dates. Business dates, yes, but never a date that was intimate like this one," Selendrile corrected.

"Never?"

"Not one. I'm way too busy even to consider dating."

"That's unbelievable, but you do have this 'don't mess with me' vibe," Alys remarked.

Selendrile smirked at her observation. He went back to gazing through the window, leaving Alys again with her own devices. The wait was unnerving to them because they didn't know what to say.

The Spies

Risa and the Press d'eaux family walked into the restaurant. They were directed to a booth not too far from Alys, and Selendrile was seated. The Press d'eaux family gazed around the eatery with wonderment. They never knew this place even existed. Everywhere they would look, there were fey creatures, and humans were talking together and in total harmony. The smell of food that was drifting in the air was delicious. Their stomachs were growling with hunger. Risa glimpsed at the menu and almost fell over from the prices.

"Why did he bring her here?" Risa hissed, "this place is too expensive."

Selendrile's family wasn't paying attention. They already started ordering food for the whole table. Risa smacked her forehead at her fellow spies and turned to check on her friend, but she caught a glimpse of Una and Atherton sitting three booths away from them.

"Shit! Why the hell are they here? Did Gower send them to spy on Alys' date? Are they on a date or something?' Risa thought. She has known Una since they were kids in their small little town. She was a snake and was mean as a t-rex. Una had a reputation that marked her into a black hole of society for years and years to come. If you looked up the definition of two-faced, Una's picture would be there. It did become a surprise to Risa that Nathan was still with Una with a reputation. Una had more than 20 boyfriends and cheated on them all with no care in the world, but her parents had enough money and power to keep everyone quiet.

'She better not ruin this for Alys, or so help me I'll make her wish she was never born.'

"Risa, you should try this lamb pork buttered rolls," Corvin said, "they're delicious."

Risa placed her attention back to the table to see it overflowed with food. Her mouth fell open at sight. "What, why... why did you order this much food?"

"We couldn't just decide on one dish, so we just ordered all of them," Tira explained. Risa rolled her eyes at them and began to eat the food.

"Wow, this is delicious.".

Alys and Selendrile

The couple was still quiet and waiting for their food. Alys wanted to say something to her fiance but wasn't sure how to say it. Selendrile continued to gaze outside and staring at Alys at the corner of his eye. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was beautiful, and he had to admit after so much contemplating with himself. Selendrile wanted the annoying host to bring their food and go back to their city tour. His wish came true, sadly, but the flirt began once again.

"I'm back with your food. Here are your salad and sliders for you, Sir and the lady, the scallop, and the steak salad. I hope it suits both of your tastes. Enjoy," the host said.

They both nod their thanks at him, and he left them to their meal. Alys and Selendrie began eating the food. Eyes agape from the realization of how this food was delicious. Selendrile was used to the restaurant's fare and decided to watch Alys amusingly. Her expression was expected, and he relished in knowing that his favorite spot.

"I can see that you're enjoying the food," Selendrile announced. He was going in on the slider while waiting for Alys' answer.

"It is delicious, and I'm glad that you have brought us here. How did you find this place?" Alys asked. She started cutting into her scallop and steak salad, waiting for him to rid her curiosity.

Selendrile wiped his mouth with a napkin and answered, "I found this place when I first began living on my own in Paris and kept coming ever since."

'Hmm, even the serious business owner can melt by the power of food,' Alys thought. They continued with their meal in silence. The host kept coming over, checking upon them, which got on Selendrile's nerves. Selendrile gladly paid for their meals and were finished so that they could leave.

"Have a nice day and come again," replied the host towards Alys with his smoldering eyes. Selendrile's inner dragon was getting more upset about the host flirting with his mate. Selendrile was ready to continue with this tour and head to their other eating spot.

"Thank you, and I will come back with a friend of mine," Alys said with a smile.

Risa and Presd'eaux Family

The food was so good that they didn't see the couple leave the restaurant. It took them a couple of desserts; after that, they were gone. Taurus paid the bill, and they rushed out of the restaurant.

Una and Atherton

"Order for me," Una demanded.

"How old are you? You can order on your own."

"But I want you to order for me, so do it."

"...this is so not worth my salary."

Selendrile and Alys

The tour continued where it was left off. Selendrile took Alys to the South and East side of Paris. It was nice and slummed, but he made sure to show her the safe places so he wouldn't scare her. They stopped at more places, and Alys went on a little spending spree, and Selendrile would wait outside for her to get the items that she was buying. After she came out, Selendrile lured Alys to some historical sites in Paris like the Grand Palais, Arc de Triomphe, and the Pantheon. Alys has enjoyed the tour of the city and hoped that it wouldn't end. Still, the sky was starting to turn dusk, and Alys was getting hungry again but decided against it. She glanced up at Selendrile, thinking of telling him that she was getting hungry and her feet were hurting. The tour was coming to an end, and Selendrile leads her to Le Moulin de la Galette. Selendrile was quite surprised that the place wasn't that far from his job. The building was very welcoming with the white arc and black text. Flora was surrounding the outside perimeter of the building with the tables inside the little mini-forest clearing. Alys' eyes twinkled with a wonder of the place. It was beautiful and filled with wonder. Alys felt like she was in a fairytale story. Selendrile liked the welcoming atmosphere on the outside. It was new and had a calming effect on him. They walked under the archway and entered the restaurant. The mood was the same from the outside decorations. It was warm and covered you with a calmness that was welcomed.

"Welcome to Le Moulin de la Galette. Do you have a reservation with us this evening?" asked the host.

"Yes, it's under Presd'eaux," Selendrile answered. The host nodded and motioned them to follow him to their table outside in the middle of the floral ring. The host pulled Alys's chair out for her and placed the menus in front of them.

"While you're gazing at the menu, would you like Anything to drink while you wait? Would you like to see the wine list?"

Selendrile nodded at the offer. A glass of wine did sound good, but he was driving, so it wasn't the best idea at the moment. He thought Alys would want a drink instead. The host placed the list on the table, and Selendrile handed it to Alys. Alys silently gazed over the menu but didn't want Anything. She only drinks once every year.

"No, thank you for the wine, but I would like water with lemon and cucumber," Alys politely declined with a smile.

"That is okay, ma'am. I'll get the water for you, and would you like the same, Sir."

"Yes, water with lemon and cucumber," Selendrile replied.

The host nodded and went to get the drinks and to help more patrons. Selendrile went to the menu and heard a gasp from his companion. He glanced up and saw Alys' eyes were big from looking at the prices. Selendrile chuckled at her and continued searching for something to eat. Alys continued to study the menu and decided to go for the most eye-catching naming dish she could find.

"Do you want an appetizer and dessert?" Selendrile asked. 'The desserts have great options here.'

Alys scrutinized the options and fell in love with Creme Brulee with Bourbon Vanilla. Still, she didn't find any that piqued her interest.

"I would like the desert, but not the starters."

Selendrile nodded at her decision. He didn't want any starters either, and dessert sounded more appetizing to him more.

"How about you two start a conversation that is longer this time maybe," mentioned his inner dragon.

'Hmm, maybe. What do I say to Alys? She's quiet and doesn't like to speak about herself.'

"Anything would be good. Alys is just timid, and she did mention that this is her first date. She doesn't have much practice with the male gender. Talking is the best way to get her out of her shell."

'I'll think about it.'

"Hello, my name is Alex, and I'll be your waiter this enjoyable evening. I have your waters, and are you ready to order?" announced Alex.

"Yes, I would like your Oven-Baked Shoulder Of Lamb as my primary, and for dessert, I would like the Cheesecake And Red Fruit Coulis," Selendrile replied.

"Excellent choices and for you, ma'am?" asked Alex while writing down Selendrile's order.

"Um yes, I would like your Ravioli Stuffed With Spinach And Cheese, Champagne Sauce and for dessert, I would like to try the Creme Brulee with Bourbon Vanilla."

"Again, excellent choices. I will send this to the kitchen and will be back with your meal."

Alex left to put the order in, and that left Selendrile to think about something with Alys so it wouldn't be awkward again. He eyed Alys to see what she was doing, and he noticed that she was taking pictures of the restaurant.

"How sweet! She wants to remember the date. Take a selfie with her for a commemoration of the date," said inner.

'I don't like taking pictures, though.'

"TAKE A PICTURE WITH HER! Damn, you're hopeless. Taking a selfie will make the atmosphere less tense between you two, and it will be a lot easier to talk, now go take a picture with her."

'Haaa, fine. You can be so annoying, sometimes."

"Only for you, and I do want to get to know our fiery little mate."

Selendrile rolled his eyes at his inner dragon and stared at Alys, taking more pictures of the beautiful scenery. The scenery was beautiful, and having a memory of it wouldn't be so bad, honestly. He knew his dragon side was right about wanting to get to know their fiancee, but it was hard for him to do. They got into this marriage without knowing one another or consent. So it was understandable for her to be leery of a stranger you have never met: but is forced to be together by their families. Selendrile doesn't know how Alys feels about this arrangement or would even talk with him. Maybe, he could give it a try.

"Do you want to take a picture of us?" Selendrile asked. Alys stopped what she was doing to stare at Selendrile shockingly.

"You...do you want a picture together?" Alys asked cautiously. Selendrile raised an eyebrow at her question.

'Is she scared of me?' he wondered.

"I'm not scared of you, but just a bit shocked that you asked," Alys answered honestly.

"I can't believe I said that out loud. Well, I thought it would be a good idea, and it might lessen the tension between us," Selendrile said. Alys nodded while continuingly gazing at him. He was correct in the tension being less if they do something besides being distant. She was willing to try but still felt a bit shy.

"Okay, do you want to come closer or stay where you are at?" Selendrile got up and carried his chair closer to Alys. Alys switched her photo settings to the selfie option. She raised her arm so she could get them in the frame together. Selendrile coyly smirked while Alys smiled. She took a couple of shots of them before their food came.

"Do you want me to send it to your mother or…?" Alys commented.

"Send it to me," Selendrile interrupted her. He didn't want his mother to coo over these photos and shoving them in his face always.

Risa and the Press d'eaux Family

"I can't believe we have lost them," Risa mumbled. After eating that delicious food like wild animals in the jungle, and lost sight of their targets. They noticed when they turned to see the couple gone and another in their place. They had to hurry out of there so they could catch up to them.

"But..the food was so good and tasty that we couldn't just leave without scraping all the plates clean," Corvin said, rubbing his stomach in satisfaction. Risa couldn't reply Anything about that. The food was excellent, and it was rude to leave unfinished food behind. Still, the place didn't have taken away containers, so they had to stay and finish the morsels they ordered. They were looking for Alys and Selendrile for a while; Tira found them going into another restaurant.

"Hurry, let's sneak in and watch them. Don't order Anything; I'm still full from earlier."

"Okay." They quietly snuck into the establishment, and Taurus grabbed a couple of menus so they could hide behind them so Alys and Selendrile wouldn't notice them.

Are they taking a selfie?" Tira asked.

"Aww, how cute. I want those photos," Listria lightly squealed.

"I do too," Tira agreed.

"Don't worry, I gotcha, girls. I know Alys' passcode on her phone. I can send it to you later," Risa confirmed with stars in her eyes at the adorable scene in front of them.

"Thank you."

Una and Atherton

Atherton noticed that Alys and Selendrile were gone after a couple of hours later. He was trying to tell Una, but she was flirting with the host. He sighed and decided to leave the girl by herself. Atherton was a couple of blocks away when Una caught up to him.

"Why did you leave me?" she panted.

"You seemed busy with that young man, so I left to give you two alone time," he answered.

"Well, how thoughtful. I'm hungry again, so let's stop here and eat."

"You just ate not too long ago. How are you still hungry? I wouldn't mind wanting a sweet dessert, so fine," Atherton grumbled. They walked in, and unnoticing, sat two seats behind Selendrile and Alys.

Alys and Selendrile

Their food came right after the selfie. They both thanked Alex and started to dig in. Selendrile was surprised at how tender his lamb was. Alys' ravioli was creamy, that she wanted to talk to the chef about the recipe; that was how much she enjoyed it.

"So, you're at Burgundy Uni?" Selendrile asked. He decided to try to conversate with Alys so they could start getting comfortable with each other. Sadly, it was kind of weird, to begin with, a conversation with a female without it not dealing with business matters.

"Yes," Alys answered him. She could tell that he was trying very hard to make this experience better, and his efforts touched her, so she decided to work harder.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get in Burgundy? It's a very prestigious and expensive school, and the only way to get in is through connections?"

"I got a full-ride scholarship from them after my thesis on Evolutionary Ecology and Shakespeare," she replied, taking another bite of her ravioli.

"A full-ride scholarship? On two thesis papers?" he asked, highly impressed at his fiancee, "That must have been a big feat for you to accomplish."

"It was, but it was worth it. How about you? Where did you go to school?"

"I went to University of Aix-Marseille, Yale, and Harvard," he commented, finishing off his lamb. He heard a utensil fall on a plate. He looked up to see Alys' mouth wide open from shock.

"Y-you went to those top schools?" she asked, surprised. Selendrile nodded with a smile with great honor. "Wow, now I'm impressed. I got a golden boy as my fiance."

"Ha, if I'm such a golden boy, then you are a silver girl," he joked, trying to get a rise out of her. It worked but surprised him.

"Hey, I graduated from Princeton and Dartmouth University; thank you very much," retorted.

"Really? That is also an accomplishment. I guess I can't call you a silver girl then."

Alys pouted, nodded, and turned away from him. He insulted her intelligence, and now she didn't want to talk to him because of her pride and ego becoming hurt. Selendrile was doing so well, and now Alys didn't want to talk to him anymore. He knew he had to fix it, so he tried changing the subject.

"Look, Alys, I'm sorry for hurting feelings. I'm not comfortable opening up to anyone because of my troubled past. Can we try to talk again?" he honestly said. Alys glanced at him, and her anger went away slowly from her eyes.

"I guess I can, and I accept your apology. Don't call me silver girl again. I worked hard to get my degrees, and I don't appreciate you looking down on me based on the impression of my person," she replied. Selendrile knew what she was coming from, and he experienced it before. Now, here he is doing it, someone who worked as hard as he did. They were silent for about a couple of minutes until Selendrile couldn't take the atmosphere anymore.

"You're right, and I am truly sorry. How about we talk about something else. How about we discuss it…"

"Um, sorry to interrupt you, but isn't that your lawyer?" Alys asked. While Selendrile was apologizing to her, she saw Atherton gazing at the menu across the way from their table.

"Atherton?" Selendrile said. He turned around to see precisely what Alys said. Atherton was just diagonally across from them, gazing at the food list and Una changing her seat to sit right next to him.

"Atherton, what are you two doing here?" Selendrile loudly asked. Atherton jumped a bit at Selendrile's tone and began fumbling out of his seat, pulling Una with him.

"You see, sir, I was just…" he tried to explain.

"We were spying on you both," Una answered cheerfully.

"No, that's not what we are doing," Atherton stuttered. "We were discussing... Um.."

"Excuse me, but sorry to interrupt you. Sir, I need you and this young lady to leave," said Alex. He noticed the new customers but didn't see them in the reservation book. Hence, he had to kick them out without disturbing his other customers, but it seemed too late since the trespassers were discovered.

"What? Why do I need to leave?" Una yelled, "Do you know who I am?"

"No, and I rather not know who you are. Please leave before I call the police."

"Wait, we'll leave. Don't call the authorities," Atherton said.

He grabbed Una's arm and dragged her out of the restaurant. Alex turned to his patrons and apologized for interrupting their evening. He went back into the restaurant to finish his job. Selendrile scrunched up his nose with his fingers from irritation from seeing Atherton and Una spying on them. Alys was so embarrassed by seeing her cousin being so bluntly spying on her to appease her father.

"I'm so sorry for their behavior. I didn't know Anything about this," they both said together. Alys blushed, and Selendrile cleared his throat. Alex came back with their dessert, and the air calmed down a bit. Selendrile thought it was safe to talk now, so he started where he left off.

"When did you open Love to the Eye?" he asked, taking a bit out of his cheesecake.

"Risa and I started it when we first started our third year in high school," she answered. She broke the hard surface of Brulee and began eating.

"Both of you started in your third year? Wasn't that a bit pretentious to do it that early?"

"Perhaps, but we had all the talent of selling and crafting. We decided to go for it, and there were hardships on the way, but we got through it and are successful now."

"True. Your store is greatly recommended." The wind at this time was starting to pick up gently. Sadly, Listria's blond wig was carried off by the wind and landed on Selendrile's head. Alys and Selendrile were quiet. The wind slowed down, and time seemed to stop.

"Um, Selendrile, there's a wig on top of your head," Alys said.

"I can tell. The strands gave themselves away. Um, Alys, if you don't mind, can you take this off of me, please," Selendrile replied.

"Sure." She got out of her seat and gently took off the wig from his person. Selendrile was able to see clearly and turned to thank Alys until he heard and saw his mother.

"Oh no, my wig fell off Risa," Listria said.

"Mother, father, Tira, Corvin! What are you doing here?" Selendrile asked.

"Risa, why are you here?" Alys asked.

"Damn, our covers are blown," Risa mumbled.