Winx Club 5
It was the week before Midterms as Riven was walking through Magix in a somewhat exhausted daze.
"Why is it that every date with Darcy have me feel drained by the end. It's not like we do anything that strenuous." Riven complained in his head.
Just as crossed the streets towards a coffee shop, he thought "I'll get some caffeine in my system, then head back to the dorm."
He walked into the shop and immediately sat down at the first empty booth he could see and heard a familiar voice nervously say "Hey Riven."
The Specialist was surprised to see Flora sitting in the same booth with a pair of round frame glasses on her face along with books scattered on the table.
"Oh sorry , I wasn't looking and just grabbed the first empty seat I could find." Riven apologized as he sat back up.
Flora grabbed Riven's wrist and said "Don't worry about it, we can share a table."
Nervously Riven took a seat and sheepishly said "I don't think I said this before, but I'm sorry for what happened at that alleyway."
While she was still scanning through her books, Flora says "We all make mistakes, that fact you admit it is signs you're trying to improve."
Attempting to change the subject Riven questioned"So what are you studying?"
Flora yawned as she answered "Researching for midterms… and the potion exam seems to be a killer."
Surprised Riven says "Really, but I thought you were the potion expert of the group."
"That's doesn't mean I know everything, you probably don't know every Wind Rider model to exist." Flora snapped as she gave Riven an annoyed glance.
Riven rubbed the back of his neck "I didn't mean to touch a nerve."
Flora sighed as she rubbed her temple "It's not you… it's just I ran into my ex the other day."
Stunned by this information, Riven says "Really? Huh, I didn't expect you to dated anyone before coming here."
"Everyone has a past Riven and this guy is apart of it I want to leave behind." Flora mentions as she took a sip of coffee.
Riven further prods for answers "So how did this idiot manage to mess your relationship up."
Flora sighed as she traced the lid of her coffee cup "Hyde seemed to be an okay guy at first.. but after a while he started making me feel worthless. Every mistake or any flaw I had, he'd point it out and make it seem I could be anything without him."
Riven slammed his fist to the table and yelled "Don't you ever let that asshole make you think that!"
The Specialist shout drew attention towards their table as he whispered to the nature fairy "Look we don't know each other that well, but that guy has to be blind to not see how awesome you are. Hell you even forgive an ass like me."
A small smile formed on Flora lips "Thanks Riven, but you don't have to worry. I've learned not to let him get to me as much anymore."
Riven nodded his head "Good, you don't need guys like that in your life. If he tries bothering you again, you can count on me and Austin to take care of him."
"Thanks but why did you bring up Austin." Flora averted her eyes as she blushed.
Riven smirks "Come on, we all know there's some sort of sparks between the two of you."
This caused Flora to blush even redder as she stuttered "S..Seriously why does everyone think that. We're just friends."
"Sure you are, so you'd react the same way if Timmy was wrapping up your knee?" Riven nodded as he was unconvinced at the girl's statement.
The girl gritted her teeth as she struggled to answer "Sure, but enough about me what about you and Darcy. I'm still surprised you two hooked up."
"Me too, she helped me on the Day of the Rose after that helmet incident." Riven said as he leaned back in his chair and mentally examined his relationship with the witch.
While he did have fun with Darcy, something about their time together felt unreal. He felt he barely knew who she was and yet the witch could tell everything about him.
"So do you still blame Bloom for your crash?" Flora hesitantly asked in an attempt to break the silence.
Riven looked down "No… I doubt she'd even know how to get a rigged helmet like that. Probably Icy or Stormy played a trick on her."
"And yet you're still dating the third member without any issues." Flora thought , not wanting to agitate the Specialist.
"I mean , it's not like she could've known about, right?" Riven asked uncertain if he was trying to convince Flora or himself.
At the same time at Red Fountain as Timmy was flying on a serpentine like creature with white scaly skin and a pair of yellowish wing, Austin was on the ground with Bloom.
The beast tamer summoned a crimson red octopus with a turret-like mouth, yellow suction cups. "This is Octavia , Bazooka Krakens are known to be quite the dangerous predator on Andros."
Curious Bloom asked "And why's that, she seems so cute?"
Austin chuckles "Maybe but it's able to stretch its tentacles at insane lengths and squeeze hard enough to break the shells of the Scarlet Shelled Crabs. And that's not even mentioning her ability to shoot blast of water with the force of a cannonball."
Bloom took a step back and said "Honestly, how you managed to tame some of these creatures is beyond me."
"Well it's not easy, but if you put in the effort and be relentless, you can do pretty much anything." Austin smiled as he petted Octavia.
Bloom noticed Austin's pendant and asked "So if each petal on your pendant represents a creature you tamed, that means you have six right."
Hesitantly Austin responds "Yeah… guess you catch on quick?"
"So can you some me number six or is something wrong with them." Bloom asked concerned based on Austin's answer.
Austin explains "I haven't fully trained Polaris, hell that Yeti is the reason I was out of commission for months."
"So what made you specifically hunt a yeti, the rest of your creatures seem to act as support or transport rather than fight for you." Bloom said prodding further to discover Austin's reasons.
The beast tamer sighed as said "16 years ago, my mom's home realm faced an extinction level threat. Though a good amount of people managed to escape, her and her home perished."
Bloom placed her hand on Austin's shoulder "I'm so sorry, so taking a yeti helps you how?"
"I wish to traverse the now frozen wasteland and try to recover as many artifacts as possible. And potentially…" Austin was interrupted as Timmy was flung from the dragon.
Octavia extended her tentacles to catch Timmy in midair as the specialist said "Thanks for looking out" as he was lowered to the ground.
"So good news is you broke your record on staying on." Austin mentioned.
Timmy scoffs "Still I'm falling behind on compared to the other guys. So are there any tricks in gaming Topaz."
The dragon landed on the ground as Austin nuzzled the beast's neck "You have to show strength to command their respect, but be compassionate enough for them to trust that strength. Besides the exhibition isn't for months."
"Even so with the semester break coming up, I need to bond with Topaz ASAP if I don't want to look bad for the audience." Timmy retorts.
Bloom asked "So what are your plans for the break? I'm probably going back to Earth."
"Me and Riven are joining Austin to work under his mentor." Timmy replied.
"So is he a beast tamer or a Wild Beast Fist user?" Bloom asked.
Timmy shook his head "From what Austin told us he's just a professional specialist."
Austin pats Timmy on the shoulder "He's not "just a pro-specialist" , Kenny is one of the best. Ever heard of bell tower incident?"
"Yeah, a student attempted to ring the bell with an arrow but it ended up cracking…." Timmy explained until he connected the dots "What that was him!" He exclaimed.
"Even cooler was he did it from the window of his dorm." Austin mentioned.
Bloom smiled as she says "Make sure to tell me all about it when we get back."
Riven walked up to the three and asked "So Timmy, made any progress?"
"Getting there but Topaz is still being stubborn." He replied as he gave an annoyed look at the dragon.
"It's been nice hanging out with you guys but I definitely have to get back to the dorms. Gotta study for finals." Bloom said as she checked the time.
The three boys waved her goodbye and once she was out of ear shot, Riven asked "Do you think she left because of me?"
"I don't think so, from what Tecna told me the Winx don't completely hate your guts anymore." Timmy shrugged his shoulders.
Riven nods "True, well at least that's what Flora says."
Curious, Austin asked "Wait you and Flora talk, that's definitely a weird combo."
Jokingly , Riven responds "What are you jealous, don't worry I'm already taken."
"He's just more surprised that you managed to have a civil conversation." Timmy states.
The group heard their stomach growling in harmony as Austin says "That's the signal for us to leave, so let's get Topaz back to her stable."
The two guys exclaimed "Wait Topaz is a Girl?!"
"Yeah, the eyes and wing patterns should make that obvious." Austin said as he lead the dragon towards the stables.