"Soren!?"
Soren flinched in surprise, head jerking up to look at the door to Spire's Peak coffee shop, "C-Claudia?"
His sister's look of disbelief turned into a hurt frown as she stomped over, "I knew it! I knew it was you!"
"Um," Soren tried to come up with a reason why he was sitting in a coffee shop - he nervously noted the bags his sister was carrying, meaning she'd probably been shopping nearby.
"Why are you here?" Claudia asked, "You don't even like coffee!"
"Claudia…" her brother said, glad it was afternoon - any earlier or later, and Spire's Peak would be busy. And Claudia definitely didn't care about making a scene.
His sister gasped dramatically, "Unless you've been lying to me!"
"What?" Soren asked, "No, why would I ever-"
"Is there a problem?"
Soren winced - not because of the question, which was asked very politely, but because of the asker. Still, he turned with a forced smile to say, "No, Ibis - um, this is my sister, Claudia."
Ibis was tall - like all elves. Specifically, he was a Skywing elf, and Soren might have made a lame joke about his hair being a bird's nest when they first met. Except, instead of being mad, the man had laughed and agreed to the irony - which was probably what had caused Soren to come back.
"Oh," the shop owner said, then smiled, "I see - nice to meet you. You're the mastermind behind Hot Brown Morning Potion's brews, right?"
"Well," Claudia scoffed in false modesty, "I don't know if I'd say mastermind… hey, wait a second!"
And Soren saw it - the moment of realization hitting as she looked between them. He sipped his iced tea, trying (and failing) not to blush.
His sister grinned, "Oh, I see."
"Pardon?" Ibis asked - thankfully not comprehending.
"Sorry for yelling," Claudia said, "I was just so surprised to see Soren in a coffee shop, since he hates coffee and all."
"Oh, I see," the Skywing elf chuckled, "Yes, your brother usually gets tea - I focus on cold drinks, you see. Iced teas and coffee, as well as cold brew."
"Actually," Claudia looked around the elf to see the menu, "Could I get an iced coffee? For research!"
"I understand," Ibis chuckled again, "Here, as a fellow brewer, I'll let you try the first one free."
"Thanks!" the teen said, and looked at her brother slyly as she added, "You seem like a really nice guy, Ibis."
Soren blushed harder, not sure how to respond without giving himself away. The iced tea was good - and unlike his dad and sister's shop, the menu was very consistent, so he didn't have to figure out something new to try every time. Combine that with the food - traditional pastries from all the different elven nations - and he was pretty sure he would have kept coming back even if Ibis's warm smile didn't make his stomach do a flip.
Which was why he stopped by in the afternoons, when it wasn't busy - because then Ibis would have time to chat.
"You can't go given' away free coffee to everyone," Rayla - one of the part-time baristas - complained. She didn't like Soren at first - until she'd recognized him as a Crownguard, one of Katolis's Swordplay International competitive team members. The youngest member, actually.
Her parents were both members of the Silvergrove team - and their family was close with the team leader, Runaan. Soren had gone up against him during last year's competition - and Rayla had wanted to know everything. Apparently, she intended to become a competitor herself soon.
"Gotta agree, Boss," Nyx, the full-time barista, added lazily, "Especially not to competition."
She was a Skywing elf as well, except she actually had wings. She'd teased Soren about his crush before, but said it was more fun to watch him squirm than rat him out. Which was… something?
"It's a professional courtesy," Ibis disagreed, pouring a cup from the tap himself. It was pretty quick, and he handed it off to Claudia as he said, "Besides - we specialize in different areas, so we're hardly competitors."
Claudia nodded along, and took a tentative sip. Then her eyes lit up as she asked, "Where do you get your beans?"
"Well, since it isn't something you could easily replicate, I'll tell you," the owner said, "They're imported from the Storm Spire."
"Whaaaat?" Claudia asked, then sighed, "No wonder they're so good…"
"Thank you," Ibis said, smiling.
Soren sighed, watching as the coffee nerds talked about a bunch of coffee stuff he didn't understand while enjoying iced tea and mooncakes.
When a call came in, Claudia wrapped up her conversation and walked over to sit at the table with her brother. She grinned, "So."
"Please don't say anything," Soren sighed, face still red.
"Well," his sister considered, then shrugged, "Since you aren't here for the coffee, I guess I'll let it slide."
Her brother sighed in relief, then asked, "So, what were you buying?"
"Huh?" Claudia asked, then her eyes lit up, "Oh, I heard a new boutique opened up with a bunch of cute clothes - and look what I found!"
Soren smiled along as his sister showed him the clothes she'd gotten - until she noticed the time and took off, needing to get home.
Since he'd long since finished his drink and food, Soren decided to head out, too - he didn't live at home anymore, but still. There were already more patrons filing in, anyways.
"Soren," Ibis stopped him, walking over with a pastry box and a smile, "Here - a thank you for your continued patronage."
"You don't have to do that," the human replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he accepted the box anyways.
"Well, we didn't get to chat today, either, so consider it my way of making up for it," the Skywing elf replied, chuckling.
Soren blushed in surprise, then cleared his throat to say, "I mean, at least you got to talk to someone who likes coffee…"
Ibis chuckled, "I was more excited to talk to someone close to you, actually."
"O-oh?" Soren asked, feeling his heart stutter, "I mean, yeah, I guess I talk about Claudia a lot, so that makes sense…"
"Of course," the Skywing elf said, "You're her brother - it's sweet."
"A-anyways," the human said, holding up the box, "Thanks again - though I'll have to work out extra hard from the extra sweets!"
Ibis smiled in a softly knowing fashion - then winked as he turned away, "Extra sweets are always worth extra effort."
Soren's entire face went red, and he was glad the other man had already walked away as he half-ran out the door. Calm down, he was just being nice.
Soren had found Ibis's shop after he moved into the area - his apartment was close enough that he usually walked. Besides, it was good exercise. So, after walking for about a block, he decided to check out what the elven coffee shop owner had given him.
He opened the box to the delicious smell of Sunfire spiced rum cake - and then paused.
Written on the lid in sharpie was 'Dinner?' and a phone number.
Soren's face had just managed to calm down, but it flushed again as the implication hit. Without really thinking about it, he immediately dug out his cellphone and sent a message:
Yes.
The reply was almost as quick.
You may want to start with your name next time…
And Soren could just hear the amused chuckle that went with the statement, and blushed harder as he texted back.
Sorry, it's Soren - I just, um, got excited.
Well I'm certainly glad you're excited - are you free tonight?
Soren ran the rest of the way to his apartment - tonight? That fast? Well, not that he wasn't free - and it wasn't like they were strangers.
He knew Ibis had retired from being the liaison to the Dragon King and Queen - which was why he had the privilege of growing and using coffee beans from their home, the Storm Spire. He was also a master mage of the Sky Primal - which was how he'd gotten the liaison position.
He'd come to Katolis because he was less recognizable in a human majority country, and wanted to peacefully run a coffee shop.
And Soren had told him plenty about his own life - moving out as soon as he'd gotten enough money from sponsors for being a Crownguard. His parents being divorced - his dad being… well, his dad.
So, he replied:
Completely.
Meet in front of the shop at 8?
Works for me.
Soren spent the time until the meet-up getting ready - taking a quick shower after his run, deciding what to wear - Ibis hadn't mentioned anything fancy, so casual was probably fine, but he still wanted to look nice, you know?
So he texted Claudia, since she knew way more about clothes and stuff - only to have her immediately call him.
"You have a date?" she squealed, "Tonight!? Is it with Ibis?"
"Er, yeah," Soren said, looking at the mess of clothes he laid out on his bed.
"How did he ask?" Claudia sounded excited, "Give me all the deets!"
"Why are you assuming he's the one that asked?" her brother replied.
His sister scoffed, "Uh, cause you've never had the guts to ask out anyone in your life? Well, no one you liked, anyways..."
Thinking back to high school, he couldn't really argue with that… so instead, he said, "He gave me some extra sweets as I was leaving and wrote his number in the box."
"You didn't think it was weird he gave you free sweets?" Claudia asked.
"What? No, he does that all the time," Soren replied.
"... wow, Soren," his sister said.
"What?" her brother asked.
"Just…" his sister laughed, "This guy must have been flirting with you for a while."
"What?" Soren asked - again, dumbfounded.
"Ugh, you're killing me, Sor-bear," Claudia groaned, "What did he say when he gave you the box? I bet it was a line. Come on, what was it?"
"..." her brother blushed as he realized how obvious it was that had been flirting. Wow, he really was an idiot.
"Well, whatever," his sister sighed, "You called about what to wear, right? Do you still have that Crownguard tee I got you?"
"Isn't that kind of lame?" Soren asked, picking up the shirt in question. He tucked his phone into his shoulder to look at it - a black muscle shirt with a white and gold cut out down the middle with the Crownguard symbol.
"I mean, he's already into you," Claudia teased, "But seriously - if it's not a shmacy thing, a nice muscle shirt is the way to go - especially for a lunkhead like you."
"Thanks, Clauds," her brother rolled his eyes, but decided to go with it.
"You're the one always bragging about your muscles," his sister scoffed, "If you wear that with jeans and your black boots, I'm sure your new boyfriend will love it."
"It's one date," Soren said, pulling on the shirt anyways.
"Yeah, with a guy who's been flirting with you for who knows how long," Claudia snorted, "If he was patient enough to wait for you to get it, he must really want to date you."
Her brother found himself at a loss for words because… well, if that were true, it was… well.
"Oh, Dad's home," Claudia said, "Have fun on your date! Tell me about it later!"
Soren sighed as his sister hung up. He hadn't been on good terms with his dad in… a while. Then he shook his head - didn't matter, he had a date to think about!
Looking in the mirror, he groaned - he should have asked what to do with his hair…
Soren tried to walk casually back to the shop - he hadn't ended up doing anything special with his hair, but he wasn't really dressed up, so it probably looked fine? But still, his heart was racing from nervous excitement - and it skipped when he spotted Ibis.
The Skywing mage was in a different outfit than his plainer work clothes - high waisted light gray pants and a short-sleeved green jacket with a wide collar. It was casual, but more… fashion-conscious.
Ibis looked up from his phone and smiled as he saw him, "Soren - you look nice."
"Uh, yeah, um, you too," the young man said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
The elf chuckled, and held out a hand, "Thank you - shall we?"
Soren blinked in surprise at the gesture, then blushed as he took the other man's hand, "Yeah."
Ibis smiled as he led the way - walking, so probably somewhere else nearby, "You know, I was surprised when Rayla said you didn't know I was flirting with you."
"She did?" Soren asked, keeping pace with the taller man's long strides easily thanks to his high level of fitness.
"I don't think she knew I could hear her," the elf replied, "But judging by your reaction, I suppose it was true."
"Sorry," the human replied, thinking, he must think I'm pretty dumb now…
"Don't apologize," Ibis laughed, "I thought it was cute."
"O-oh," Soren said, then chuckled sheepishly as his mouth worked before his brian, "If you thought that was cute, you must think I'm really cute."
"I do," the elf said, before he even had time to regret it, "I think you're adorable."
The young man's face lit up red and he covered it with a hand, "Man, you're just… so cool!"
"Am I?" Ibis chuckled.
"Absolutely!" Soren said, holding his hand out for emphasis, "You just… said that! I was making a lame joke and you just…"
"It is simply the truth," the elf said, and nodded ahead, "There is it."
"The park?" the young man asked, surprised.
Ibis held up a basket Soren had failed to notice (probably because he was too busy looking at the man himself), "I wanted to show you one of my favorite spots."
Soren just felt… warm and light at the sentiment, and let the elf pull him along as the sun dipped in the summer sky. It was already a warm day, but late enough that it wasn't unpleasantly hot.
Ibis led the way up a short trail, to the base of a small bluff. He let go of his date's hand to hold out the basket, "Could you hold this for me?"
"Sure, why?" the young man said.
"Because we're going up the fun way," the elf said, and backed up a few steps. He held out his arms and spoke an incantation, the symbols on his arms glowing - before his arms sprouted into wings.
Soren was utterly floored - he thought he hated magic. When his dad and sister used it, there were all kinds of weird ingredients, and it made his skin crawl just being around it. But this… this was beautiful.
"They're called mage wings," Ibis smiled warmly at the awestruck reaction, then turned around and crouched, "Though I'll have to ask you to hold on for this to work."
"Huh?' Soren flinched, taking a minute to comprehend, "Oh. Right."
He looked up the bluff face, a little nervous about flight - but he trusted Ibis, so he hesitantly wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders. He put the basket up his arm, so he could grip his own forearms for more stability.
"Ready?" Ibis asked.
"Yeah," Soren said, grip tightening a bit.
The elf used a wingtip to draw a rune in front of him without standing up, and said, "Aspero."
Ibis spread his wings and flapped, jumping up just as he sent a magical wind towards the ground to push them up.
Soren made a noise of surprise, then gasped when they straightened out. It was… exhilarating, the wind whipping across his face as Ibis flew in a small circle. The view of the park and city was incredible, and the young man hardly noticed that his date took a few minutes more than necessary to land.
"How was it?" Ibis asked once they'd landed and Soren had shakily gotten his legs under him.
"I see why you call it the fun way," the young man laughed, "That was more of a rush than a 50 yard dash!"
The elf laughed, pulled a folded up blanket from his basket, "Well that's certainly an endorsement."
"Here, let me help," Soren said, grabbing one end to help spread things out.
It didn't take long to set out the food Ibis had brought - which was from a trendy restaurant in the same area, and included wine Soren was pretty sure was more expensive than he wanted to know about it.
"So, what makes this your favorite spot?" Soren asked once they'd settled.
"The view," Ibis replied, waving a hand forward.
The young man followed the gesture, then whistled, "I forgot how big the park is. Damn, that is a view."
From their vantage point on the bluff, they could see over the entire forested area - and the sunset on the horizon.
"It is," Ibis chuckled, "And now it's perfect."
Soren looked over, and blushed when he saw the elf was smiling at him. He looked away, and asked, "So, uh, how long have you been flirting with me?"
"Does it matter?" the elf asked, "We're here, aren't we?"
"I guess I'm just not… used to this," the young man said, "I mean, even my sister teased me about not realizing it sooner. She wasn't trying to be mean or anything, but…"
"But?" Ibis prompted.
"I'm not… very smart," Soren said, "And most people… point it out."
"I've never thought of you as 'not very smart,'" the elf replied, "People have different ways of thinking, and thinking differently doesn't make you dumb. I think you're cute because you're very straight-forward - you take everything you hear at face value, which is very sweet. It's also very rare, and makes talking with you easy, since I don't have to worry about you looking for double meanings."
"I mean," the human looked back, smiling, "You always say what you mean, so I don't have to try and think about it."
"Not everyone appreciates that, though," Ibis sighed, leaning back on his arms, "Some people believe I can be too blunt."
"I don't know," Soren said, sitting with one leg stretched out and the other tucked up at the knee, his arm resting on his raised knee, "You've never seemed blunt to me."
"But I am blunt to you," the elf said, "It's your own fault I only have good things to be blunt about."
The human laughed in surprise, "What does that mean?"
"Despite the circumstances," Ibis smiled softly, "You're a sweet and kind person - I'm sure it wasn't easy. So, the only person to blame for me only having good things to say… is you."
"I'm not that great…" Soren blushed, looking down, "I told you how my Dad was close friends with the CEO of Uneven Towers, right?"
"Even if you hadn't, the story is well known by now," the elf replied.
"Yeah," the human sighed, "Anyway, Harrow has two sons - Callum and Ezran. We all kind of grew up together - like, Aunt Sarai-" Soren paused, "Erm, Harrow's wife," he wasn't sure how to explain why Harrow wasn't 'Uncle' Harrow, so he pressed on instead, "Aunt Sarai would watch us while our Dads were at work, after my mom left. But…"
Soren sighed, leaning back, "Okay, so, Aunt Sarai was a widower, before she married Harrow - Callum's her son from her first marriage. And… I guess I was jealous of how obvious it was that Harrow loved Callum as his son, so I always picked on him. Always reminded him he wasn't Harrow's real son. Stuff like that."
"Does Callum know?" Ibis asked, tilting his head.
"Yeah," his date replied, "After I left home, I talked to him about it. Apologized. We're good now… but that doesn't like… erase me being a jerk, you know?"
The elf laughed, "Sorry, but… that doesn't change my opinion of you."
"What?" Soren asked, honestly surprised.
"You can be a kind person and still make mistakes," Ibis said, "Learning to manage your emotions so that you don't hurt others is something everyone has to do. The important part of this story isn't that you were a 'jerk' - it's that you recognized you'd hurt someone, and apologized."
The human rubbed the back of his neck, considering.
"It's true you cannot change the past," his date said, shifting closer - around the food in the middle to bump his shoulder against Soren's, "And it is also true that it is better to not do harm in the first place - but no one is perfect. So it's best to know what to do after you cause harm."
"And what's that?" the human asked, looking up and over to his date.
"Apologize, and do better," Ibis said.
Soren smiled - and then noticed how close their faces were. He blushed, clearing his throat as he looked away, "So, uh, we shouldn't let this get cold, right?"
"Right," Ibis chuckled - but didn't move away.
Dinner conversation was lighter - more familiar. Soren talked about the latest shenanigans that had come up in group training - when your team captain was dating the captain of a different team, there tended to be a lot. But Captain Amaya liked things interesting.
"But she's not your 'Aunt' Amaya?" Ibis asked, when Soren mentioned she was Sarai's sister.
"No, it's…" the young man sighed, "So Aunt Sarai just… she insisted on being Aunt Sarai. Horrow's just… Harrow. Captain Amaya's… well, she's the one who inspired me to want to be a Crownguard. So she's always been the Captain."
His date considered this for a moment before asking, "Insisted?"
Soren snorted, "My Dad didn't really like the 'aunt and uncle' for family friends thing. I don't know, it's his hangup. So when we were home he would try to get us to just call her Sarai, and one time I called her Sarai after I'd gotten used to calling her aunt, and she just like… looked my Dad dead in the face and said," he fixed his face into a sort of deadpan glare as he tried to imitate her tone, "'It's Aunt Sarai.'"
Then the young man grinned, "And he never said anything about not calling her aunt after that."
Ibis chuckled, "She seems like a formidable woman."
"She is," Soren said, then sighed, "Which is probably why she got my dad fired."
The elf blinked, "Ah."
"She doesn't hate my dad or anything," his date went on, "But… she doesn't agree with how he does things. And she didn't want Harrow to get caught up in it. Which… I get it. Captain Amaya doesn't like my dad at all. But… neither of them have ever held it against me. Or Claudia. Not that Claudia will talk to Aunt Sarai anymore… or Harrow…"
"Do you still talk to them?" Ibis asked.
"Actually, since I moved out, Aunt Sarai invites me over for dinner all the time," Soren said, "And… we do talk. But I feel like I'd be intruding, you know?"
"I don't think she'd invite you if you'd be intruding," the elf said.
"... yeah," the human sighed, "I just… don't know if Aunt Sarai is the only one who feels that way."
"You won't know unless you go," Ibis prompted, bumping their shoulders together.
"Guess not…" Soren shook his head, "But, hey - let's not just talk about me. What are the Dragon King and Queen like?"
"Zubeia and I are quite good friends," the elf said, accepting the change in topic easily, "She's very kind, but she also has a mischievous streak. I think our friendship started because she enjoys the way my… unexpected bluntness throws off dignitaries. She's a terrible gossip, by the way."
His date laughed, "And what about Thu- uh…"
"Avizandum," Ibis smiled, still amused by the human nickname for the King, "He is… stubborn. Old-fashioned - he often complained about the world changing too fast. He means well, but he can be… too entrenched in old ideas. Zubeia was often the softer touch between the two."
"Ezran thinks he and Zym," Soren waved a hand, "Prince Azymondias - could be friends. Oh, wait."
Ibis looked over curiously as his date dug out his cellphone.
"He had Callum draw what he thinks Zym looks like - since there are no actual pictures, think you could judge the likeness?" the human asked, holding out his phone.
"It's…" the elf blinked in surprise, taking the phone to look closer, "Startlingly accurate, actually."
"Really?" Soren asked, "Huh. Weird."
"Would you mind sending me this?" Ibis asked, handing the phone back, "Zubeia told me that her son claimed to have a human friend - but she thought it was just an active imagination."
"Double weird," the human said, but did send off the picture, "Maybe they really are friends in some… weird magic way."
"Perhaps," the elf chuckled, letting his phone go off for later, "I'm sure his parents would understand where he gets some of his… stranger ideas from."
"What were… are? Your parents like," Soren asked, taking a sip of the wine. He was starting to feel a warm buzz. At least, he was pretty sure that was from the wine.
"Typical, I suppose," Ibis said, "Well, for Skywing elves. They were not… together, so I mainly lived with my mother until I felt old enough to go out on my own. I think I was… twelve or thirteen."
"Wait, you just… left home? By yourself?" Soren asked, putting his own phone away.
"It's not unusual," the elf replied, and smiled, "You did so yourself."
"Yeah but not at thirteen," his date laughed. Then frowned, "Wait, how-"
"Do you want the answer to that question?" Ibis asked.
"... maybe some other time," Soren said.
The elf chuckled, then said, "Those born with the Sky arcanum are free-spirits - we are often spread out, unattached to any singular location. The only societal centers we really have are schools for mages. After wandering for some time, I entered one. However… our schools are not structured in a way you would be familiar with."
"Yeah?" the human asked.
"Our studies are… self-regulated," Ibis explained, "There are books, and there are master mages - but there are no classes or lectures. I learned from reading and questioning, from experimenting and trying the things I read myself. Like many, I took to one master in particular - her name is Minerva. When she left the school, I went with her."
The elf leaned a little closer as he continued, "She had friends in all the other elven nations - mostly other mages. Making their acquaintance through her was what made me the natural choice for liaison some years later when I had acquired my own masterage."
"So…" Soren frowned, "You don't really remember your parents?"
"Not really," Ibis replied, shrugging, "If I think of anyone in that role, it would be Minerva - I spent far more time with her than either of my parents."
"What was she like?" the human asked.
"Very wise," the elf replied, then chuckled, "Naturally - blunt more along the lines you are familiar with. She was… abrasive. Every bit of knowledge I gained from her was a challenge - a riddle. She'd made her friends chasing down ancient bits of knowledge and lore. You could even say she was a hunter of knowledge, so fervent was her desire to find more."
"And you?" Soren asked.
"I do not have that level of drive," Ibis chuckled, "Nor have I made my knowledge so hard to obtain - I answer questions freely. I am more concerned with sharing knowledge than finding it myself."
"So, why were you drawn to Minerva as a teacher then?" his date asked, leaning back into his date a little as well.
"I may not enjoy challenging others," the elf said, "But when I was younger, I did enjoy being challenged. And I suppose the old adage holds - opposites attract."
"Then maybe it's a good thing I don't know a lot," Soren joked, "Since it makes us opposites."
Ibis sighed, "I wish you would stop that."
"Stop what?" the human asked, nerves jumping into his throat.
"Calling yourself stupid - even obliquely," the elf said, "I know a lot about magic. Specifically Sky magic, but some of the other Primals as well. I know much of ancient and recent history, specifically elven. I know nothing of how to fight with a sword, or optimize a diet and exercise plan - I don't know Katolian sign language, either."
"I mean-" Soren started, but was cut off.
As Ibis leaned forward only a few inches to kiss him.
The young man blinked and blushed as his date pulled back.
"There is more than one form of knowledge, and just because someone," the elf raised his brows significantly, "Values some forms over others does not mean they are right."
Soren opened his mouth… then closed it, leaning into Ibis more as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking down, "... I'll work on it."
"I know it won't be easy," Ibis replied, "Maybe I should just kiss you every time you start."
The human scoffed, "Then I would definitely call myself dumb more often."
His date smiled, holding back a laugh, "Then maybe I should kiss you when you say you aren't dumb."
Soren looked back up, flushing.
Ibis just smiled, waiting.
"I'm…" the young man glanced down at the elf's mouth, and back up, "Not dumb?"
The elf chuckled and kissed him again.
It was chaste, but lasted for a few minutes before Ibis pulled back.
"Um," Soren said softly, "It's… getting dark."
"And we finished dinner," Ibis said, equally as soft, "Ready for dessert?"
"I didn't see any…?" the human said, pulling back a bit more to check.
"It's a surprise," his date replied, putting a finger to his lips and winking.
"Oh," Soren said… then blushed harder as the realization hit him, "O… oh."
Ibis chuckled again, and stood and stretched, "But first, we'll need to clean this up and head back."
"Right," the human said, and got up to help as well.
It was a quick glide back down from the bluff, and a short walk back to the shop. Rayla and Nyx had closed up for the night by the time they returned.
However, Ibis led the way to the side of the building, "I actually live above the shop - easier commute."
Soren snorted, following a bit hesitantly, "I'll bet."
The elf hummed as he unlocked the door to a second-story apartment, and set the basket on a bench inside the entranceway. As he took off his shoes, he said, "Feel free to do the same."
Soren did - having to take a moment to lean against the wall since he'd worn boots. His heart was hammering in his chest. Were they really going to…? On the first date?
Ibis watched him slyly, with a secretive smile as he walked through the den and into the kitchenette. He pulled out two bowls of mousse he'd gotten earlier - all his pastries came from local bakeries.
When his date followed him awkwardly and saw him setting the mousse down, the clear mix of relief and disappointment on the young man's face made Ibis laugh.
"What?" Soren asked, taking a seat at the island.
"Were you expecting something else?" Ibis replied, leaning over the island, across from his date.
"Er, no," the human replied, blush giving him away as he tried a bite of the mousse, "Um, what is this? I mean, it's good, just-"
"Because if you were," the elf interrupted, walking his hand up his date's arm, "We could do that, too."
Soren's entire face went red, and he accidentally choked.
"It's Skywing style citrus mousse," Ibis replied idly, "My favorite."
"Oh," the human replied, getting a hold of himself.
"We also don't have to do anything but eat mousse if you prefer," the elf said, hand still resting on his date's arm, taking a bite of his own dessert.
"No, I-" Soren cleared his throat, looking at the food, "I would like… to do more."
"So would I," Ibis said, leaning up to kiss his date's cheek.
"But… after this?" the young man asked, holding up a spoonful of mousse sheepishly.
His date chuckled, "Of course."