A/N: So guess what happens when I have an exam on Monday and zero desire to study for it? I become super productive on this instead! ;)
Hazelnut Lovage: Eeep thank you so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying it and that you ship them too! :D
One final thing, I honestly didn't originally intend for this particular chapter to even exist, but I just couldn't help myself. Here's some more Amberlynn x Pitch fluff ^_^ #sorrynotsorry
But anyway, enjoy! As always, I do not own ROTG, just my OC
Two weeks had passed since Amberlynn's last encounter with Pitch—and quite uneventfully, too, if you were to ask her. Although, the "uneventful passing" didn't stop her from having an extra spring to her step wherever she walked or a lighter air about her when she flew.
She found herself killing two birds with one stone when she decided to warm up the region surrounding Iguazu Falls in Brazil. Admittedly, warming up this particular region can sometimes be quite frustrating thanks to how much heat the water absorbs, but Amberlynn was up for the challenge today! Besides, the mortals farther up in Sao Paolo sure could use some nice, warm weather for the upcoming Festa do Peao.
The sun began to set behind the trees as Amberlynn was finishing up her work, and many of the mortals by the waterfall were beginning to pack up and leave for the day. As a little boy and his mother walked past, his eyes widened in fear and pointed at—no, not at—past Amberlynn and shouted, "Cuca! Cuca!"
The mother picked up her child and gently cooed soothing words that, while Amberlynn couldn't understand the translation, knew whatever (more like whomever she thought) had scared him was now but a distant memory.
"Did you understand a word of what those two said?" Amberlynn asked Pitch, who she knew stood right behind her. She turned her head to see him dismissively shrug.
"The small mortal thought I was Brazil's equivalent to the Boogey Man. A female crocodile monster known as the Cuca," he answered bitterly. "Mummy over there decided to educate him that there is no such thing as a crocodile monster or any other monster for that matter. And the faint gleam in his eyes was the look of one less child to believe in me...although quite frankly I'm more offended he mistook me for some green lizard-animal!"
The summer spirit softly smiled. Though Pitch is already tall, any slouch or poor posture he may have almost immediately disappears if he's been offended or upset. She knew he was more hurt by the disbelief than he let on, but she didn't press it.
Instead, she laid a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Well, on an unrelated note, what brings you to South America this early in the evening? Surely, traveling by shadow can't be easy right now. Are you here for Festa do Peao, too?"
Pitch laughed. "I think we both might have overshot Sao Paolo if that were the case, wouldn't you agree? Sometimes it's worth the extra challenge to find somewhere that I know my Nightmares won't be able to pester me for a while."
Amberlynn deadpanned. "Oh yes, it must be so difficult for you, having your own form of servants at your beck and call. How do you find the time to do it all?" Pitch sheepishly smiled and held up his hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay. I deserved that I know. But since we are both here, would you care to go for a stroll with me? I've heard the sunset's absolutely beautiful up in this region."
Amberlynn smiled and accepted his offer, taking his right arm which he held out for her. As they proceeded to walk away from the waterfall and deeper into the forest, Pitch teased, "To be honest, given the era you came from, I'm surprised you're okay about being without a chaperone right now."
"As flattered—and slightly offended—as I am that you think I grew up with the elite who needed that silly tradition," she replied, subconsciously wrapping her arm a little tighter around Pitch's, "wouldn't that require us to be courting at this moment?" Amberlynn had never seen Pitch blush before, but as the gray in his cheeks grew darker in color, the devious smile on her face grew even wider.
Before she had the chance to tease him more, a rather harsh wind—despite how warm Amberlynn made the region—blew and made her immediately regret not bringing a parka. She quickly hugged herself against Pitch, who was very caught off guard by the movement, in an attempt to warm up.
"I have some questions," Pitch said quite bluntly. "One, why didn't you bring one of your many jackets? And two, aren't you able to warm yourself up as a summer spirit?"
"I don't wanna hear it, ya pen bach," she muttered. "Though I am a summer spirit, I can either warm myself up or an entire region. I can't do both. Since I just warmed up a good portion of Brazil, and a bit of Argentina, I'm a little too drained at the moment to warm myself. And as temporary of a solution as it is to internally maintain the warmth, it's honestly easier to warm an entire region than to try to keep myself at a temperature I like. As for yer first question, I didn't think I'd actually need anything besides my blouse and jeans in this weather!"
By the shaking of his torso, Amberlynn knew he was laughing at her, which caused her to look up and scowl at him, making him laugh even more. Still trying to maintain his laughter, he said, "I can't believe you just called me an idiot in Welsh. Admittedly, it's not the worst thing I've been called in that language, either—not by a long shot. You're hopeless, but if you can give me a moment, let me try to do something for you. But you have to trust me."
Amberlynn obligingly took a step back and crossed her arms together, still a little bit cold, allowing Pitch to do whatever idea is in his head at this moment. He held his hands out and a swirl of black nightmare sand began to arise from both. I still trust ye, Black, but what on earth are ye doing? Amberlynn thought to herself as a cloud of nightmare sand—approximately the size of a large bucket—had all but become opaque in nature.
After a few more moments of intense concentration from Pitch, and increasing curiosity from Amberlynn, the cloud of nightmare sand dissipated. In the Nightmare King's hands was what appeared to be a simple, black jacket.
"It's not the most detailed wardrobe," he admitted with a shrug, "and I'm not entirely sure myself if it'll work or be comfortable. But for as long as sand can retain heat, I figure it'd be worth a shot. And you supposedly shouldn't need such heavy clothing for the milder climates. But if you—"
"Pitch, this is beautiful!" Amberlynn said in awe. She held the jacket in her hands for a moment, getting a feel for it. While the exterior was a course, abrasive texture she expected from being made of sand, the interior part of the jacket just slid through her fingers like silk. How did he do that? Not quite yet ready to put it on, she asked, "Do ye think this will try to give envelop me in darkness give me nightmares?"
Pitch's face scrunched up in thought for a minute before admitting, "To be quite honest, I'm not entirely sure. I've never made something out of my sand before without that specific purpose." He tilted his head and, with a hint of mischief, added, "I suppose there's only one way to find out, isn't there? And if it does, you're the only spirit I know who would be able to restrain it. Last I recall, you called yourself my little light in the darkness…"
"And the darkness has not overcome it," she finished with a smile. Curiosity (and cold) getting the best of her, she put it on. The slight shivering she was doing from the wind immediately ceased. She suddenly had thoughts of being isolated in Antarctica, trapped in a small cave on Mount Everest, stuck in a boat on the Yana River…
"There'll be no more of that, thank you!" she muttered aloud. Pitch watched her with amazement. Guilt initially came over him as he sensed all her fears come to focus, but Amberlynn began to softly radiate from within. Quite similar to when her hair and eyes glow as she works, her body emitted a soft, red aura. Her fears no longer coming to light, the aura about her dissipated, and yet the jacket remained unchanged.
"Huh, look at that," Amberlynn said with pride, "I guess this jacket knows who the real boss is after all. What's with that gaping hole of yers, Pitch?"
Confused, Pitch didn't even realize his mouth was open in surprise. He quickly regained his composure and replied, "Fascinating! It doesn't surprise me that you could keep the darkness and nightmares away. But how did you do that without destroying it in the process or turning it back into dream sand?"
Amberlynn shrugged. "What use have I for dream sand or ruining this beautiful jacket? Just because I have fears, it doesn't mean they need to be destroyed. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Some of us could use some good-old fashioned fear and common sense. Besides, you saw my worst fears. There's no way on earth I would let any of those happen in a million years!"
Pitch smiled and held out his arm to the summer spirit. "You truly are a remarkable woman, Amberlynn Sommers." She smiled, her cheeks blushing a deep crimson color, and took his arm as they continued strolling through the forest well into the night.