On a cool autumn night in Rigbarth, Scarlett sat at her table, deep in thought. As a ranger, her responsibilities included drawing patrol routes, carrying them out, and responding to rare emergencies. All of this work kept her extremely busy, and for the longest time, she would work half of each week with only two or three hours of sleep per day. Still, despite her fatigue, she took great pride in her work, and her efforts ensured that Rigbarth was always peaceful and happy.

Tonight, however, she wasn't buried in her usual work. Instead, on her table sat a cardboard box. The cover held a photograph of three blue crystal flowers, and the words "1000-Piece Puzzle" were printed above the image.

On the rare evenings where she had time, Scarlett's hobby was completing jigsaw puzzles. She had just finished a previous 500-piece puzzle, and she eagerly started on this new one as soon as she received it. Yesterday, she had finished putting together the border pieces. Now it was time to fill in the rest of the picture.

Although Scarlett lived in this room in the SEED outpost for most of her assignment at Rigbarth, she now lived with her spouse upstairs. Still, because nobody was assigned to her old room yet, she was allowed to keep most of her belongings there. She could leave her in-progress puzzle out on the table, and she could also have quiet time to herself there.

As Scarlett was thinking, she heard two knocks on her door. The person behind the door hadn't said anything, yet Scarlett instantly recognized the rhythm and tone of the knocks.

"Come in, Beloved."

The door opened, and Ares stepped inside the room. "Hi, Sweetheart. Are you still working on the puzzle?"

"Yes. I've made good progress so far." Scarlett smiled and gestured at the puzzle frame.

Two days before, Ares had noticed the puzzle by chance while he was talking to a travelling merchant. Knowing that his partner enjoyed puzzles, he purchased it for 6000G and gave it to Scarlett once she returned from her patrols. The way her eyes had lit up upon receiving her gift was still fresh in Ares's memory.

Ares walked over to the table. As he set his hand on the chair in front of Scarlett, she interjected "You can sit next to me. That way you can see the puzzle right side up."

"Ah, you're right." Ares maneuvered around the table to the chair right of Scarlett and sat down in it. As Scarlett slotted another piece into the picture, Ares set his elbows on the table and rested his head in both hands. His gaze slowly drifted between his partner, the puzzle, and back again. A few minutes of silence passed before Scarlett spoke.

"Isn't this boring for you?"

"Not at all. I'm happy just being here with you." Ares gave a loving smile, but Scarlett still felt sorry that he was sitting there and doing nothing.

"Do you want to assemble this puzzle with me?"

"Are you sure?" Ares asked, and Scarlett nodded in response. His eyes sparkled in excitement. "Yeah, that'd be great! It's been a while since we last did this together."

Scarlett believed she had made the right decision. Though she liked facing the challenge of puzzles alone, she had also enjoyed the one time she cooperated with Ares on one. She set the box with the loose pieces where both of them could reach it, and the two rangers began gradually filling in their halves of the puzzle. Progress was slow, and for every piece that fit, several more were returned to the box. Even so, they were enjoying both the activity and being in each other's company.

As she continued placing pieces, Scarlett abruptly said "Thank you, Beloved."

"For what?"

"For helping me with my patrol schedules. It's because of you that I have more time for these sorts of things."

"I'm happy to help," Ares replied as he continued working. "I don't like seeing you overwork yourself, and that stuff is my responsibility too."

"I never noticed how much sleep I was missing. These days, I'm working with much more vigor."

"That's great to hear."

After placing the piece in his hand, Ares paused to look at Scarlett. Whenever she was patrolling or reporting to Livia, Scarlett's expression was always measured and serious. At this moment, however, her face was completely relaxed even as she focused on the puzzle. A small but warm smile formed on her lips. Ares couldn't help but lose himself in admiring her. "I might be the only person to see Scarlett like this," he thought. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

Scarlett must have sensed Ares's gaze on her, for she turned to look at him, only to find that his attention was back on the puzzle. His eyes shone with determination, and his bright smile reflected his happiness in the moment. A lingering blush was the sole evidence that he was admiring his beloved only a moment before. "Somehow," Scarlett thought, "he looks more lovely with each passing day."

The two continued making gradual progress on the puzzle. Occasionally the two would accidentally bump hands, and they would blush and pause briefly before returning to their original pace.

"Um, where should we go for our next date?" Ares asked.

"Anywhere is fine," Scarlett answered initially, then a memory reminded her. "Oh, except for the primeval skeleton."

"Oh yeah. Honestly, I don't even know why that brochure recommended it." Ares scratched his head as he reminisced about the past.

"Right. The view was undeniably nice, but standing on a giant skeleton is still…"

"Just about the least romantic thing ever."

Ares and Scarlett looked each other in the eyes, then began laughing. When they were still new at dating, Ares and Scarlett had browsed a travel brochure for couples in search of potential date spots, and included among several great locations was, bizarrely, the primeval skeleton in the Kelve Volcanic Region. Against their better judgment, the two rangers decided to give it a trial run. Although the top of the skeleton did provide a great view of the surrounding forest and volcano, the fact still was that they were standing on what was most likely a deceased dragon. Combined with the ghosts haunting the area during the day, the outing was almost a complete wash. They avoided mentioning the date to Livia for fear of sickening her.

"How about the Verdant Waterfall Bridge, then? It's beautiful there during fall. Should we go the day after tomorrow?" Ares returned to the topic at hand.

"That sounds great! It's a plan then." Scarlett didn't feel the need to hide her excitement about the date. Ares nodded, and as the two of them turned back to the puzzle, he shifted his chair right next to Scarlett's and leaned against her shoulder. This made moving her arm more difficult, yet Scarlett didn't mind in the slightest. The two slowly continued filling in the puzzle, and before they knew it, an hour and a half had passed.

"Phew, this is starting to come together." Ares looked at work they had accomplished. "Should we wrap this up for now, Sweetheart?"

"Yes, we have an early day tomorrow. Shall we work on this more tomorrow night?"

"Of course! I'm looking forward to finishing this together."

"Me too, Beloved."

For a few seconds, the pair closed their eyes and rested their heads together. Once they were satisfied, they stood up and pushed in their chairs to the table.

"Hey Sweetheart, I'm planning on making curry rice for dinner tomorrow," Ares remarked as they approached the door.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, I'm trying a new recipe. I know you're usually neutral on curry rice, but I think you'll really like this one."

"I'm looking forward to it then. Your cooking is always amazing."

With that, the two rangers closed the door to Scarlett's old room. The puzzle was still far from complete, but come the next night, Ares and Scarlett would eagerly continue assembling it. Their lives were busy, and this made their nights of relaxation together all the more valuable.