"Jack, I wanted to apologize."

It was such a surreal situation that Jack found himself in, poised to pick up Ivy complete with a picnic basket in hand, watching as Alear walked up to him with Sommie balancing on his head.

Jack blinked several times, looking Alear up and down as if he was seeing some sort of alternate timeline where the Divine Dragon went completely nuts and began to wear Sommie-themed merchandise. After a while, however, and long after the silence had grown awkward, Jack shook his head and spoke.

"Apologizing for what? You haven't done anything," he said.

Alear frowned, looking down as Sommie gently patted him on the head with one of his forelimbs. Or were the nubs? Jack could never tell with the little dude.

"That isn't true. Lately, I feel like I have become… distant from everyone. Including you. I realize I have been unintentionally short with you and I apologize," Alear said, closing his eyes. "I was not lying when I said you are my friend."

Jack looked down as well, placing the basket in his hand on the ground as he let out a sigh.

"To be honest, Alear, you have every right to be short with me," Jack replied, "I've made plenty of mistakes so far, trying to talk down Brianna being one of them. If I were you, I would've kicked myself out of the army long ago."

Alear tilted his head, looking at Jack with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean by that? I do not blame you for that. If it was Veyle, or Alfred who was in the same situation, I do not think I would have had the strength to fight them."

Jack's lips thinned. "Strength? Is that what you see it as?"

Alear didn't reply, so Jack kept going.

"It wasn't strength. It was… apathy. I didn't care. And that terrifies me," Jack said, letting out a shuddering sigh. "I haven't even visited… no, I can't- I gotta keep myself together. I've got a date with royalty."

"You can talk to me, Jack. You know that," Alear said.

Jack nodded. "I know I can. Veyle said the same thing. Céline did too. I… I might actually take you up on that offer, but not right now. Not like this."

"Are you sure?" Alear asked. "If it is really distressing you, maybe it would be a good idea to get it off your chest now."

Jack shrugged. "I just want one day, Alear, where I don't have to have it riding on my back. One day where I don't let it just control me like a puppet. I promise I'll tell you all about it after today, but until then… I'd just like to go on a date with a girl I have a crush on. Is that so much to ask?"

He could barely stand to listen to his own voice. He sounded like an absolutely pathetic whiner, in his own eyes. Nonetheless, Alear backed off, nodding his head with a smile.

"No time to talk about feelings when a girl's involved, huh, Jack?" Alear said.

"Picture it, Alear," Jack said, sidling up beside Alear and holding his arm out in front of him, as if he was gesturing to an expensive car he'd just bought, or wanting to snap a selfie. "You're exhausted, tired, and have just gone through the most grueling night of your entire life. Your face hurts, and you don't know if you'll see the morning light over the horizon. Then… a woman appears, with long, almost purple colored hair flowing with the air. She then helps to heal your wounds and absconds with you from your place of torment. That's what happened to me."

Alear looked at Jack with half-lidded eyes. "Did you really need to explain it that way?"

Jack shrugged, chuckling sheepishly to himself as he stepped away from Alear. "Thought I'd do it to set the scene, but it didn't really go the way I'd planned. Anyway, the point is, I think I've been nursing a crush on her ever since that moment. And… well, I genuinely believed there was a chance we wouldn't make it out of the ancient city alive. So, I just went for it. And here we are."

"Would you call it 'love at first sight'?" Alear asked, stroking his chin as if he had a beard.

Jack shrugged. "I don't really believe in things like that. Always felt like 'infatuation at first sight' to me. Sure, it can lead to something more, but I've seen too many broken marriages to really believe that you'll just automatically know the person you're supposed to be with for the rest of your life. I guess that's why I'm doing this. Stuff like this? It's harmless."

"I wonder what the nobles of Elusia would say about this," Alear hummed, "I haven't heard very good things about the courts of Elusia from Ivy and Hortensia. It sounds like they'd eat you alive."

Jack let out a breath and crossed his arms. "To be completely honest with you, Alear, I don't think there will be much of an Elusian court left by the time the place is liberated."

Alear closed his eyes and nodded. "That's very grim. But also probably true. You said that… in the timeline you saw, a good portion of Elusia's peasantry was transformed into the Corrupted, right? Sombron will probably try to convert as much of the nobility as possible to get numbers like that back. We're going to need to be careful."

"As if we've been anything but careful so far," Jack noted, "But, yeah, you're right. Anyway, uh, I kind of have a thing I was going to do. Like I said, I promise to tell you tomorrow at the latest, alright? Just… for today, can I have this? Please?"

Alear nodded, smiling. "Go ahead. It'll still be a few more days until we're ready to set sail to Elusia, so make the most out of that time as you can."

Jack nodded, a small smile on his face. "Thank you, Alear."

Jack stood outside of Ivy's tent, hearing hushed whispers and more than a few curses from behind the canvas. He was a bit concerned, yes, but perhaps Ivy merely wanted to make sure she was ready - he didn't want to judge. The food he had prepared would be alright for a while, after all, but still, he couldn't help but feel a little indignant.

Beyond the fact that they were still on the Somniel, in the little tent village that had been erected in its small countryside, Jack wondered what, exactly, was going on there. He didn't have a watch on him, but he still felt like it was late.

Jack let out a breath, a bit louder than he had intended, and suddenly, the whispers and murmurings went deathly quiet. He blinked, tempted to look inside the tent to make sure everything was alright, before realizing that was the beginning of some of the worst scenes in anime he had ever seen, so he stopped himself.

Instead, even as the whispering came back with a force, Jack looked down at his attire, wondering why he even bothered with something so fancy. It was something called an 'Ebon Jacket' or whatever it was the shopkeeper of the Boutique called it. He thought it looked nice, and that it would be comfortable to wear outside. He was right, but he couldn't help but feel as if he was punching way above his station while wearing it.

Of course, he was already 'punching' way above his station doing what he was doing then, so it evened out in the end.

"Get out there, now!" Jack heard a voice suddenly shout, and a person nearly flew out of the tent and directly into him, stopping just short of knocking him over. Jack looked behind them to see Hortensia in the tent, glaring outside with her nostrils flared and her brows furrowed so far, her entire face looked wrinkled.

Of course, all other thoughts were voided from his mind when he saw her.

Jack had seen her in it before, but somehow, standing before him then, it felt like he truly saw her for the first time. It was a luxuriously made but simple purple dress that reached down to her ankles. A sash was wrapped around her waist, held in place by a rose clamp, and she wore a dark veil over the back of her head. The dark colors contrasted nicely with her pale skin, which was quickly turning red the longer Jack stared-

How long have I been staring!?

Jack coughed into his fist, holding his picnic basket behind him. "I, uh, I didn't mean to stare. I just- I think it's been a while since I've seen you in that dress, so I was just a bit shocked is all."

Ivy hummed, her expression schooled into neutrality, but Jack could see her playing with her fingers nervously. "I see. Yes, I suppose it has been quite some time since I have worn this. Truth be told, without my fascinator, I feel… oddly exposed."

Jack patted his chest. "And without armor, I feel like a stray dagger could come outta nowhere and- you get the point."

Ivy blinked. "Was that intentional?"

"What was intentional?" Jack asked, scratching his scalp.

"That joke you just made," Ivy clarified, holding a hand up to her mouth. "Please, tell me that was intentional."

Jack's lips thinned as he looked down, trying not to smile. "I'm afraid I can't, because if I did, I'd be a liar."

"You…" Ivy whispered out, before a giggle escaped her. "You didn't even mean to do that. And I have been stressing this entire time…"

Jack let out a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I'm a… I'm a dad now, so I guess I've gotta make dad jokes. Haven't scared you away yet, have I?"

"On the contrary," Ivy said, her hand falling from her face - and Jack was again spellbound by her. The smile across her lips could blot out the sun, it was so radiant. "I am now convinced that this was never a mistake to accept."

Jack held out his hand. "Well, then. Shall we?"

He meant it as a way to segue into gesturing toward where they would leave the Somniel, but to Jack's surprise, Ivy took his hand in hers. She seemed surprised that she'd done such a thing, judging by her wide eyes, but Jack didn't shake off her grip, and soon enough, the two went hand in hand toward their destination.

The rolling hills of Lythos met them like an old friend. A cool breeze swept across the grass, and Jack couldn't help but smile the entire time. Every so often, he'd look to Ivy and see that she looked the happiest he'd ever seen her. Of course, a deep red blush spread across her face once she did something else. She laced her fingers with Jack's, and he felt as if his heart was about to explode just from that gesture alone.

Finally, however, they made it, and Jack gestured to the view that greeted them. Ivy let out a gasp before he had even said anything.

"What do you think?" Jack asked, "Scouted this place out the other day. I thought you might like it."

"In all my life… I have dreamed about visiting Lythos," Ivy whispered, "the holy land of the Divine Dragons. The reason I am here right now…"

"No need to dream anymore!" Jack said, laughing. "We're already here!"

"I could stare at this scene for the rest of the day, and never grow tired of it…" Ivy said, "B-but, I suppose it would be extremely rude of me to simply shirk off whatever it is you have made for us. Shall we set it up?"

Despite a bad feeling in the back of his mind, Jack was enjoying himself. Actually, fully enjoying himself for the first time in what felt like forever. Sure, he'd had moments that were fun, but all of them had the backdrop of something happening, and it was just a way to cope with stress. Sitting there, however, talking and looking at Ivy - someone who he was beginning to think he genuinely loved, even if they had not known each other for more than a few months - everything about it felt right.

He tried to look at the blanket he had set down for the both of them, or at the opened basket beside him, but he couldn't.

Lythos Castle stood sentinel far away from them, and Jack knew what it contained. And that was where the thoughts in the back of his head came from. He felt as if he should be doing something else, but he reasoned with himself that one more day away would not be too terrible.

"I actually showed up here, or around here," Jack said, taking a bite out of his sandwich. He pointed around, as if trying to find the location based on memory alone. "It was around here, I'm sure of it. I can't remember exactly what I did, but after a little looking around, I saw Lythos Castle."

Ivy nodded enthusiastically. "And from there, you knew what you had to do?"

Jack shrugged. "If you think 'I gotta do something if I wanna survive' then, yeah, I knew what to do. Anyway, my story can't be anywhere near as interesting as yours."

Ivy chuckled to herself. "You would be surprised, Jack. Before I joined the Divine One's army, before this whole war, my life was… uneventful. There were incidents with my siblings, but as they… shall we say, went away, it just became me and Hortensia against the nobility of Elusia. All eyes were on me."

Jack looked down. "I didn't mean to-"

Ivy took his hand, surprising him again.

"I know you did not. I would much rather talk about my days at the academy. Ah, but I still think of them sometimes. Everything seemed so… carefree, even if the nobility was rampantly corrupt and awful, at best," Ivy said, quickly changing the subject.

Jack was almost put into a trance by how warm Ivy's hand was, but he was able to keep a conversation going. "Heh. When I went to college, all it involved was a long commute and more stress than I could deal with."

"Hmm. You must not have been to a good one, then," Ivy said, "my days at the academy - it may sound boring to you, but I enjoyed the lectures, the long nights studying. I even enjoyed writing papers, although I despised it when my hand would cramp from it. If it was not for my royal duties, I like to believe I would have become an author of some sort."

Jack shrugged. "Who says you can't?"

Ivy blinked, turning away. "I suppose I could do both, yes, but then I would not have time for anything else. And even then, what would I write about? Nothing that I would find entertaining. Let my letters be used to tell what happened by historians - it will give them a challenge."

Humming, Jack replied, "I guess that makes sense. If I become a chef in your kitchens then I suppose I won't have much time to do what I want either, I can't imagine what it'd be like with an entire country resting on your shoulders."

"Hm, a chef…"

Jack tilted his head. "What? Gonna rescind that job offer?"

"No, I was… merely giving the idea some more thought. The offer still very much stands. Anyway, this sandwich," Ivy held up hers. "How long did it take you to make? I can taste smoked turkey, and perhaps some soft white cheese and figs…"

"Fig preserves, to be more specific," Jack said, "I also packed a few apple slices and maybe a scone or two. I didn't make those last two myself but I harvested the apples by myself. Truth be told, there wasn't a lotta stuff I could make that would last - and these are just picnic foods I thought of when I remembered when me and my family last did it. Those were premade, so it was a bit of a learning experience, actually - why are you laughing?"

Ivy tried to hide her mouth, but with both hands occupied, she merely looked as if she was looking for a way out, and before long, a blush crept up her cheeks - for what felt like the tenth time that day alone.

"It's hard to explain!" she professed, "but whenever you begin to speak about subjects you are passionate about, this expression appears on your face and I can't help but find it… incredibly cute."

Jack sputtered. "That is not true!"

"Oh, it very much is."

"I am handsome," Jack said, running a hand through his hair after putting down what was left of his sandwich. "I am a handsome man, not cute."

Ivy's smile grew wider. "You are adorable."

"These are vicious and slanderous lies, Princess Ivy," Jack said, sniffling. "You have really hurt my feelings. I don't believe I'll ever be able to recover from this gross insult you have dealt me."

"Will you be able to recover enough to have a talk with my sister?" Ivy asked, looking up to the sky. "I believe she has circled around us several times now."

Jack's smile faded. "What?"

Ivy nodded upward, and Jack followed her gaze. Sure enough, there was a pegasus up there. He hadn't paid much attention to it, considering they were not too far away from what had become the Lythosian staging area, but once he narrowed his eyes and looked closer, it was definitely Hortensia's mount.

"I was wondering what you and her were doing in that tent," Jack murmured. "She really doesn't like me, huh?"

Ivy shook her head, her gaze level. "That is not true. She may not think the world of you but she does not hate you. It is… complicated, what we have gone through in the Elusian court."

Jack crossed his arms. "She actually tried to warn me off… I don't even remember what she said specifically, but she tried to keep me away from you. It was really awkward."

Sighing and rubbing her temples, Ivy said, "Of course she would do that. Such things seem just like her. Rest assured, I do believe she was just trying to keep you out of harm's way. The Elusian court has left its mark on both of us. What she doesn't realize is… there's not much of an Elusian court to speak of anymore."

Jack nodded. "I heard about that."

"I like to tell myself that there was not enough time to save them, that most of them would throw themselves at Sombron willingly. The common folk were the ones worthy of saving, the future of Elusia laid with them," Ivy said, before closing her eyes. "But I know, deep down, that I wanted them to fall. Wanted them to be destroyed after everything that they have done. My sister, her mother, my siblings - none of them deserved what they were given just because of useless court intrigue and back-stabbing. So, I…"

"You left them behind," Jack said, squeezing Ivy's hand. "I'm not gonna try and say stupid stuff like 'they deserved it' or 'murder is never the solution'. I think what you did was the best thing you possibly could have done, given the circumstances. If you had tried to save all the nobility, chances are they would've sacrificed you to Sombron within the month."

Jack felt Ivy shiver at that. "You do have such a way with words, don't you, Jack?"

Jack let out a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I have my moments, I admit. I probably could've worded that better, but it's the truth. The fact that there's an Elusia at all right now is nothing short of a miracle. Some of the things I saw done to its people in the timeline I saw is… well, let's just say that you saved a lotta lives."

Ivy let out a long, shuddering breath. "I see. I suppose I can go on living with that knowledge. Thank you, Jack. My point stands, however - Hortensia is worrying about something that is no longer a threat. At least, for the moment. In a few centuries, I imagine the new court will much resemble the old court. Such is the way of kingdoms, I am afraid."

"You're really well-educated, Ivy," Jack remarked. "Damn, I almost wish I went to your academy now."

"Why? Is it so strange? I did not go to the academy because I felt like it," Ivy scoffed. "I toiled for several years to receive my honors. Unlike some, who merely cruised along by their parents' money, and then dropped out when it no longer entertained them. Such people… they are the reason Elusia became the way it was: a festering, disgusting hole of decadence and violence."

"I didn't mean to imply that I didn't expect you to be smart," Jack said, turning away. "I really am just awful with words."

"No, of course you did not. This is just a sore topic for me," Ivy replied.

"You know, I do think I'd like to know something about Elusia that I never got the answer for," Jack said. "Do you mind?"

"If it will be the last, then by all means. I'd much rather enjoy the nice afternoon we were having than discussing my homeland," Ivy said.

Jack nodded, taking a deep breath. "How exactly did Elusia begin worshiping the Fell Dragon?"

Ivy paused for a moment. It didn't seem like the question disturbed her - it was just taking a moment to collect her thoughts.

"...It is, or was, a very recent development," Ivy began, her eyes downcast. "It is hard to pinpoint exactly where it happened, and it was the one blind spot the academy's libraries had, and I believe that was on purpose. As far as I can tell, it has only been this way for a century and a half, and it began with my great-great grandfather. If the constant Brodian incursions were bad in my lifetime, then they were in full blown war of annihilation back then."

"That sounds… not good," Jack murmured.

Ivy let out something between a scoff and a laugh. "Quite. The weapon your sister uses - that crossbow, it was created during that time. A prototype to be given to the masses that had no access to a magical education. Although, hers is modified by quite a lot, such that it can be charged to deal devastating explosions to anyone it strikes."

"Are there any more of them?" Jack asked.

Ivy shook her head. "None that I am aware of, or that are working. Many weapons of war have been lost since then. My ancestor prayed and pleaded with the Divine Dragon Monarch to try and negotiate peace, but then he demanded that Brodia be made to pay for its crimes. Queen Lumera tried to mediate, but the bitterness of blood and death had run too deep, and so my ancestor prayed to a different god for deliverance… and he received his answer in the form of Zephia."

Jack snorted. "I guess it makes sense that she'd still be around. Dragons can live for thousands of years."

"I will not get into much more detail than that," Ivy said, "but that time is over. Worshiping Sombron saved my people in the past, but now it has nearly destroyed them. It was always a mistake, but that is more obvious now than ever before."

"For what it's worth, Ivy, I think you'll do an excellent job," Jack said.

"And you know this for a fact?" Ivy asked, tilting her head.

"Well, I don't know anything for a fact. Not anymore, at least. But I have faith in you, specifically. You care about the common people and how they are ruled, which is more than can be said for some of the rulers of my own world," Jack explained.

"I was under the impression that your world had no rulers," Ivy said, "Or at least, not rulers or monarchs as we think of them."

"Heard about that, huh? Or maybe I told you," Jack rubbed his forehead. "It's a bit hard to explain - hell, I'll probably explain it wrong. But, eh, why not. The place I come from, the United States, well, it's not perfect, but…"

Jack and Ivy ended up talking for hours, about everything they could think of. Jack would talk about his homeworld, Ivy would explain how Elusia worked, about its history and inventions and innovations in magic - Jack would explain his country's own history, to the best of his ability, his own homeworld's technological achievements, and everything in between. They spoke for so long that the remains of their food was long forgotten, and the sun went orange.

"Jack, this has been a wondrous day," Ivy said, quietly, a small smile on her face. "I never thought it would feel like this, to be… pursued, in a way."

Jack laughed. "You mean to tell me that a girl like you has never had any man or woman pursue you? Really?"

Ivy giggled. "Well, if it is really so hard to believe for you, then perhaps the fault lies not with me, but with them. I have had… crushes before. There was a girl when I first joined the academy I was smitten with, and a boy I knew who tried to befriend me that I could not speak to without my heart going aflutter. But none of them dared to ask me to accompany them like this. It feels so… normal. Ordinary. I don't think I can quite explain what that means to me, Jack."

"Their loss is my gain, or something like that," Jack smiled, "I've really enjoyed this too, Ivy. Maybe, when this is all over, we can do it again?"

"Absolutely," Ivy nodded enthusiastically. "Perhaps I will even be able to convince Hortensia to not circle over our heads for hours on end. Ah, but there is one thing I should probably tell you."

Jack nodded. "Shoot."

"I… have been paying visits to Connor. Your son," Ivy said, her gaze trailing downward, almost guiltily. "That is to say - I suppose I cannot stay away. I helped some of the servants with him, as it seems as if they have had little experience with helping to raise a child. Not that they should have much issue with that, considering- are you alright?"

Jack's skin had turned almost sheet white at the mention of Connor, and he stood up, holding his mouth.

Ivy followed a moment later, tilting her head. "Jack? Is something wrong?"

"I-" Jack said, a golf ball growing in his throat. "Can I… can I tell you something, Ivy? You can judge me for it, if you want. I wouldn't blame you."

"I don't understand," Ivy said, crossing her arms. "Has something happened?"

"No. At least, that actually might be the problem. I'm…" Jack took in a shuddering breath. "I don't even know why I'm about to start saying this. You don't deserve to have my unloading all of my insecurities on you. Nobody does. I don't want you to think I'm… that I'm a whiner."

"I can only come to that conclusion if I hear you out," Ivy said seriously. "So, please, tell me what's troubling you. We have a little while longer before we are expected back."

Jack ran a hand through his hair, trying to collect his nerves. After a few more moments of silence, he sighed and began to speak.

"Have you ever been afraid?" he asked.

Ivy blinked. "Of course I have. Many, many times."

"Have you ever let it control you? Let it dictate your actions, like a coward?" Jack continued. "Because, well, that has been my life ever since I can remember. Fear. Just, scared of anything and everything. Scared to the point where I can't move, I can't act. Or can't feel."

"I believe that everyone has been through something like that, Jack?" Ivy said.

"But have they let it control their entire life?" Jack asked pointedly. "Everyone's been asking me if I've been alright since Brianna died, and no, I'm not. I haven't been alright in a long, long time. Brianna's death… I didn't feel anything. I felt nothing. Because by that point, I was scared to feel anything, so I blocked her out. Made a few attempts to reach out to her, but if I really wanted to do that, wouldn't I have tried to go after her when we fought her the first time?"

"We were beset upon by Husks and Corrupted," Ivy pointed out, a deep frown settling on her face. "There was nothing you could have done."

"I could've done a lot of things, but I didn't. I could have at least appealed better - but you're right, Brianna was set in her ways. And now I'm neglecting our son."

"Neglecting? What do you mean? You cradled him as we left the ancient city!"

"And what have I done since then? I've checked on him a few times, but beyond that? Nothing," Jack said, pounding his chest. "Because I'm a coward. Even right now, I'm trying to sabotage this burgeoning relationship with you, because I'm afraid of you."

"You are the one who asked me to do this," Ivy said, fury settling in her voice. "You are the one who told the Divine One about the future. If those are the actions of a coward, then I am actually the queen of Solm."

"I…" Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, it's not hard to see the logic there. I got in good with Alear and Lumera because of that. And… I dunno. I just don't know, Ivy."

"No, I can see perfectly well that you are a coward," Ivy seethed. "A coward… who is trying to do better. Who has done good things even though he knew that it would lose what knowledge he had of this strange world. Am I not correct?"

Jack sat back down, feeling strangely hollow. "Sometimes I don't even know myself."

"Then believe in me, you foolish man!" Ivy finally snapped, grabbing him by the shoulders. "You would not even be here if you were half the coward you say you are! And if you are struggling with this, with these feelings, then we will help you. If you refuse even that… then you truly are a coward, worth pitying."

Ivy was so close to him, that Jack could smell her perfume. He couldn't quite tell what it was - it was like a pleasant flowerbed, but he couldn't tell which kind it might have been. Nonetheless, Jack felt the beginnings of tears at the edges of his eyes.

All that time, he had been afraid. Afraid of anything and everything. It had dictated his actions and controlled his mind. Every so often, however, perhaps it let him go, and he could be the person he always wanted to be yet never had the courage to do so. If Ivy and the others were willing to help, then maybe…

Jack lifted his hand up and grasped Ivy's forearm. Not to push it away, but to keep it there.

"You're right," Jack said, looking down. "You're right. And I… if you can- I don't want to be this way. Who would? I shouldn't have to need somebody else to help me out of this, but if you want…"

"Why else am I still here?" Ivy asked, her voice growing softer with each word. "I have seen the man you can be, and I am willing to help you be that. It may take work, and it may not always seem easy, but I am willing to see it through."

"But… why?" Jack asked. "Why would you do that?"

Ivy let out a deep breath. "I suppose I am not willing to let someone like you, faults and all, escape my grasp so easily. Or maybe it is the time we have spent together, flirting and joking back and forth, that have helped me realize this. Or maybe there is no reason I can put into words - maybe you and I are merely… good for each other. Maybe you can help me in turn, keep me on my path. Look out for me, as I have promised to look out for you- by the Divine One I am bad at this. I-"

Wordlessly, Ivy's hands trailed up, until they cupped Jack's cheeks. They were warm - so warm, Jack never wanted her to remove them. Their faces were so close together, their breath intermingled. The only thing Jack could see was her - her magenta eyes, her face, her hair - it was breathtaking.

It was at that moment that Jack thought that something would have happened. That someone would have come to interrupt them, that there was some terrible calamity that was befalling the world.

But there was none. Nothing but them. And a moment later, Ivy pressed her lips against Jack's.

It was different from Brianna - so much different. He didn't want to compare, and soon enough, he no longer could; his mind had gone completely blank. He was cognizant of Ivy's arms letting go of his cheeks and slipping around his neck, and he was aware of his hands feeling up her back, the silky texture of her dress and the body beneath sending electric shocks through his hands.

They were like that for a while, tangled up with each other, before finally they had to part for air. Even when they were apart, however, they were still close - neither let go of the other. Ivy's hands went up to ruffle Jack's hair, and his went down to her hips.

Ivy pressed her forehead against Jack's, keeping her eyes completely focused on his.

"Look what you have gone and done…" Ivy whispered breathily. "How shameful of you. What are you going to do to make this right?"

Jack swallowed, his mind telling him to do one thing - try and backpedal, but he didn't let it.

"W-well," Jack began, licking his lips. "I-I suppose I'm going to have to take responsibility, aren't I?"

"Yes, yes you are…" Ivy murmured. "This feels right, though, doesn't it? Do you want to… keep going?"

Jack didn't answer, instead reaching his hand up the small of her back and kissing her again, and she squealed slightly before getting back into it.

Jack didn't know how long they were there for. It could've been only a few minutes, or it could've been even a few hours. All he knew is that it probably would have gone much farther than that if they hadn't finally been interrupted.

"Ivy! Jack! We need you! I know you're on a, blegh, a date or whatever, but the Somniel is-!" Hortensia said, her pegasus touching the ground before she finally saw what was going on, and made a few dry-heaving noises as she hid behind her mouth. "That was too much! Too much! Disgusting!"

Ivy practically leaped off of Jack, and Jack began wiping his mouth as he got up. He looked at Ivy patting herself down, trying desperately to get the wrinkles out of her dress, and Jack looked down to see that his jacket had been unbuttoned, and there was only a thin shirt keeping his chest from being fully exposed. He briefly remembered Ivy getting rather handsy with his torso-

Now is not the time, Jack!

"H-Hortensia! I-I wish you had been more, er, loud, to signal your descent," Ivy said, "What is it you said? What is happening on the Somniel?"

Hortensia peaked out from behind her, her nose wrinkled up as if she had seen something absolutely disgusting.

"Well, I was gonna talk about something important, but if you two aren't done smacking your- ew, ew, ew, that was, ew!"

Another flier landed right beside her - Rosado, presumably, judging by the decor on his wyvern.

"Something has happened," Jack said, his heart finally steadying. "You talked about the Somniel. Please, tell us."

Hortensia's face grew serious.

"The Somniel's under attack. By, well, by more floating islands."

Jack blinked. "What?"

"This is the first I have heard of more floating islands besides the Somniel…" Ivy remarked.

Hortensia shrugged. "It's what's happening. They came outta nowhere, and the Divine Dragon went to Lythos for help while the others barricaded the place. Come on, I'll explain more as we fly."

Jack and Ivy exchanged glances.

What they had done, and the fallout thereof, would have to wait. There was a battle that needed to be won, lest they lose everything they had all achieved.

Phew, that got heated, didn't it? Good thing Hortensia was there to save us. And also the invasion of the Somniel.

Anyway, guess I can go ahead and put the relationship tags up now lol.

Here's a link to our Discord: discord. gg/u89gs745fn

See you guys next time!