"Ah," Zephyra said as she drowsily made her way back to camp with a content smile on her face. "That was one heck of a party! I should really hang out at local pubs more often!" It was then that she spotted Ananias, who had apparently been assigned lookout duty for the night. She sluggishly waved at him. "Hey there, Annie-Bear! Got stuck with lookout duty tonight, huh?"

Ananias sighed before nodding his head and dully answering, "Yeah. And could you stop calling me that? It's already hard for some people to take me seriously considering my background. I don't really need a nickname like that to bring me down even further."

"Aw," Zephyra playfully teased. "But it suits you!" She then ran up to him and gave him a cuddle, which Ananias, due to him simply being him, stiffened at and exasperatingly permitted. She smiled mischievously at him. "You're just like a giant teddy bear! I can just hug you whenever and however I want and you'll always just let me! You even don't hug back like a teddy bear would!"

"Do you want me to?" Ananias deadpanned.

Zephyra shook her head. "Of course not! Then the nickname wouldn't make any sense!"

"I think the two of us have bigger problems than nicknames not making sense for each other," Ananias replied.

Zephyra let go of him and nodded. "Yeah, but you've got to admit, compared to our world, we've got a lot less to worry about! Don't you think?"

Ananias shrugged. "I guess," he admitted.

Zephyra giggled. "And with less to worry about, that means we'll have more time to focus on having fun again!"

"Like going to a party at a local pub?" Ananias asked.

Zephyra snapped her fingers and gave Ananias a playful wink. "Now you're getting it!"

"But you ditched your chores and training sessions and were at that pub for hours," Ananias pointed out. "Are you really that starved for fun that you'd ignore training, go out to a party, and stay there past curfew?"

"Aw," Zephyra waved her hand dismissingly, "I don't think about curfews. They take away from the fun you could be having!"

Ananias sighed. "Well, I guess you can at least say that you have no regrets." He shrugged. "On the bright side, that means that you're ready for some peace and quiet for tomorrow with your chores, right?"

Zephyra laughed as if Ananias had uttered the funniest joke she had ever heard. "Peace and quiet?" she repeated incredulously. "Why would anyone want peace and quiet? What a waste of time! Besides," she leaned in and wrapped her arm around Ananias' shoulders, bringing his ear closer to her lips as she whispered, "I've got a date tomorrow." She grinned proudly at him. "Isn't that great?"

Ananias frowned and shrugged. "In a way. But you say that as if your date with this guy is going to take all day. Just how long are you planning on dating this guy tomorrow?"

"Well," Zephyra shrugged, "that depends if he's any fun or not."

Ananias raised an eyebrow in surprise. "And if he isn't?"

"Then I'll just ditch him and find something else to do," Zephyra nonchalantly replied.

"That's kind of harsh, don't you think?"

"Bah!" Zephyra waved Ananias' criticism away. "Who wants to impress a girl by boring her half to death on the first date? First impressions are important, you know!"

Ananias considered this for a moment before giving her an acknowledging shrug. "I guess you've got a point there," he muttered.

Zephyra smiled smugly. "Of course I do!" She then gave Ananias a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't be so down about it, big guy! Once you've acquired as much dating experience as I have, you'll start to understand the ins and outs of it just as much as I have!"

Ananias raised an eyebrow in surprise. "As much dating experience as you have? How many have you dated since we got to this time?"

Zephyra giggled. "Honestly," she whispered, "I stopped counting after the seventh one." She giggled again as Ananias' eyes widened slightly.

"Do your parents know about this?" he asked.

"Ah, they wouldn't care," Zephyra nonchalantly reassured. "And honestly, why would they? Mom's not well and dad's always worrying about mom. They've got more important things to worry about than how many people their daughter has dated."

Ananias gave Zephyra a funny look. "You sure about that? Because my family's obsessed with money and even THEY would be a bit surprised if I told them that I've dated more than seven girls without them knowing."

Zephyra gave him an annoyed glance. "Good for you, Annie-Bear," she congratulated sarcastically. She then yawned. "Well, time for me to hit the hay." She walked into camp and gave Ananias a wave goodbye. "Smell you later, Annie-Bear! Early to bed early to rise!"

Ananias continued to watch her leave for a moment before muttering, "But you're the one who stayed up late in the first place."


Author's Note: So, what do you guys think about Zephyra so far? Hope you guys liked this support overall! See you next time!