Chapter 19: Getting To Know Each Other

Shadic looked around and sat on the bed. He was feeling excited, to be honest. Being able to learn how to use magic would be a great help to him and his family. He walked out of the room, heading toward Abimael's. When he got there, he knocked on the door and waited. A few minutes later, the door opened and Abimael stood there. Shadic blinked; the cat anthro was wearing a dress.

"Hello, Shadic," Abimael said.

"Abimael?"

She grinned. "What do you think of my dress?"

"It's beautiful."

"You really think so?" Shadic nodded, and Abimael blushed. "Thank you."

Shadic followed Abimael into her room, but tripped on the rug. Abimael turned around and saw him fall but her eyes widened in surprise when Shadic's lips connected with hers. They pulled away from each other and Shadic stuttered out an apology.

"Shit," he said, looking at her. "I...I'm sorry, I..."

"Tripped," Abimael finished.

"This is so embarrassing...I've never kissed anyone before..."

"That wasn't a kiss," Abimael said. "Just...mouths running into each other for a few seconds."

"That's what a kiss is," Shadic said, standing up. "I'm sorry; I have to go."

He walked out of the room. As he returned to his own room, Shadic thought over what had happened. It wasn't that terrible. Just a kiss. Because he tripped. Shadic frowned and shook his head. Worse things could have happened. It still would've been nice if that hadn't been his first experience with kissing someone. What did Abimael think? Was she embarrassed too? Shadic sighed and shook his head. There were other things to focus on right now.

Abimael walked down the hall towards her father's room. She was still thinking about what had happened. "Hey dad," she said. "Can I talk to you?"

Silver stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "Of course you can."

"Um...Shadic came to see me. He walked into my room and tripped. We ended up...kissing...as he fell."

Silver nodded and hummed. When Abimael didn't say anything else, he spoke. "And?"

"What should I do? That was my first kiss, even if it was on accident."

"What do you want to do?"

Abimael shook her head. "I don't know. What do you suggest?"

"If there was more than just a kiss, I might have advice but..." he sighed. "It depends what you want to do about it."

"He did tell me I looked beautiful."

Silver smiled at her. "Well, how do you feel about that?"

The cat anthro thought about it. "It was a nice compliment, and it made me feel happy."

"You could talk to him about it."

"Alright. Thanks for the advice, dad."

"You're welcome."

Abimael smiled and left. She walked towards Shadic's room and knocked on the door. Shadic opened it and saw her. "Oh, hello, Abimael."

"Hello. I wanted to thank you for the compliment."

"You're welcome. I'm...really sorry about what happened."

"It's not that big of a deal..." Abimael said.

Shadic smiled. "You want to come in?"

"If that's okay with you." Abimael went into the room and the male hedgehog let her pass. Abimael stretched and looked around, then sat in a chair. Shadic sat on the bed across from her. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?" Abimael asked.

"How long does it take to learn shapeshifting?"

"Years. A lot of depends on your natural ability and what exactly you're trying to change."

"How long did it take you?"

"I've been learning my entire life; there were no set years where I was learning."

"That's incredible...didn't you say you would show me your forest form?"

"Later. We would have to out of Winterhold for me to show it to you."

Shadic smiled. "Your father mentioned you can become a dragon. That sounds impressive."

"I can. But it's difficult, and... It isn't something I can do much anymore. Not since the dragons started waking up."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... All the dragons I have seen are male. From what I understand, females are rare and..." Abimael flushed.

"And what?" Shadic asked.

Abimael shook her head. "It's a little embarrassing. A few of them have tried to mate with me. On three separate occasions, but that was enough times for me to be more careful where and when I take the form."

"Are you able to take on a male form?"

"Probably if I felt like it."

"You mentioned you can do alchemy?"

"I can. Not half as well as others here can."

"How powerful of a mage are you, Abimael?" Shadic asked.

Abimael shrugged. "Decent."

"What do you think of werewolves and vampires?"

"I find them fascinating."

Shadic smiled. "My dad, Shadow, is werewolf, and my other dad's brother, Manic, is a vampire."

"Really? Do they get along at all?"

"Yeah, sometimes. They don't really like each other much. Not because they're werewolf and vampire, though. So, Abimael, tell me about yourself."

"What would you like to know?" She asked.

"How long have you lived here? What are your hobbies and interests?" Shadic asked her.

"I have lived here all my life. My hobbies are studying, practicing magic, and reading."

"What do you study and read?"

"Magic, mystical creatures, and some history."

"Those sound like great hobbies," Shadic said. He smiled at her. "What else do you like to do?

"Just those."

"How old are you, Abimael?"

"Seventeen."

"I'm eighteen," Shadic told her.

"Cool." She smiled at him and stood up, stretching. "Your turn."

"I was born and raised in Whiterun, but about a month ago it was destroyed by a dragon. My hobbies are reading, and I like to go on adventures."

"What kind of adventures?"

Shadic grinned. "Oh, just exploring Skyrim. My father, Sonic, likes to visit various ruins and temples."

"Do you go with him often?"

"I do. My other dad, Shadow, sometimes goes with us but he usually stays home."

Abimael blinked, confused. "You have two fathers?"

"Yeah...that doesn't bother you, does it?"

The female shook her head but grew even more confused. "How were you born?"

"A mage cast a spell on Sonic, making him female. He still has the ability to become one."

"He does? That's... interesting. Do you know if he ever uses that ability?"

"Yeah, he does," Shadic told her. "Sometimes he stays in his female form."

Abimael nodded, thinking over what she just learned.

"How often is he...she...a female?" She asked Shadic.

"Often enough? I'm not sure."

"Does he like being a woman?"

"I'm not him, so I have no idea."

"This is very interesting information," Abimael said, smiling. "I've never known someone to be gender neutral."

Shadic shrugged. "I'm sure there are plenty out there. They just don't talk about it."

"I see." Abimael smiled, and her stomach grumbled. She giggled. "Would you like to get something to eat, Shadic?"

"That sounds like a great idea."

The two walked out of the room and headed to the kitchen.

"What kind of foods do you have here?" Shadic asked as they walked.

"All kinds," Abimael told him.

"Could we get pie?"

"That sounds delicious."

"Do you know what choices there are?"

"No, I don't. It varies every day."

"Awesome."

Abimael smiled and led him to the kitchen. Once they were there, Shadic eagerly went to look at the pies.

"These look delicious!" He said.

"You can have a piece of whatever one you want."

Shadic smiled at her. He looked at the pie pieces, then chose a slice of pumpkin pie.

"Is there any whipped cream?" he asked.

"Afraid not," Abimael told him. "We just ran out."

Shadic frowned down at the piece of pie, then looked at Abimael. "Do you want this? I don't want it if there's no whipped cream."

She took it and smiled. "Thanks. You like whipped cream on pies, then?"

"Pumpkin needs a lot of whipped cream," Shadic explained as he turned and looked at the rest of his choices.

Eventually, he decided on key lime pie.

"Another favorite?" Abimael asked.

"Yeah," Shadic told her. "What's your favorite kind of pie, Abimael?"

"Strawberry."

The two sat down at the table across from each other and began to eat.