The redness in her cheeks deepened, and she blinked a few times. Unexpected, but not unwelcome, even if she wished it was, to make things easier. On that note, she slipped back into her room, eyes flickering to the ring as she shut the door quietly. This wasn't going to be easy, for sure.
(Uh, time skip to morning, maybe?)
((Lmao yeah. My start, or yours?))
((Hmm, I could start. I was thinking maybe he invites her to a morning ride with him?))
((Heck yeah. Sounds nifty))
((Sweet))
Rhydar yawned and ran his fingers through his already messy hair. He had foregone his usual jewelry/piercings and only had in his lip ring and brow piercings. He was just feeling too lazy today. He did, however, have some braided leather bands around his wrist—but that was pretty much it. As for clothes, he had gone with his usual loose and casual clothing, with a sleeveless top and normal pants, as well as his riding boots. His snake tattoo on his arm was visible, but he didn't care too much. It was a result of a drunken adventure two years ago, but at least it looked decent.
He glanced at Lily's door as he passed by and paused, tapping his teeth against his lip ring. Having some company during his ride didn't seem like a bad idea, and she had said to leave room in his schedule for her. Before he knew it, he was knocking on her door.
Lily hadn't gotten much sleep last night, between the thoughts consuming her and the nightmares that had been a constant since that day. Meaning, she'd been up for an hour now, curiously taking the opportunity to explore the room that she was staying in. The knock on the door as she was braiding her hair startled her, and she tilted her head as she made her way towards it. She assumed it was Cinthia, as that seemed about on par with the girl's personality.
She pushed open the door with one hand, covering a yawn with the other at the same time that she spoke. "Morning? What can I-Rhydar?"
He opened his mouth, then closed it, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, hi." He dropped his arm. "I was just about to go on a ride this morning, and I was wondering if you'd be so kind as to accompany me? My mother reamed me out last night for being so absent, so I don't know how much free time I'll have available today as I'll likely be getting dragged around from girl to girl, and I figured that this morning was as good a time as any…And now I'm rambling." He sighed and shifted. "Ignore all that." He straightened and offered a lopsided smile. "Would you care to go on a ride with me?"
I think the rambling is cute. She blinked, taking a moment to sort through the information and catch up with her brain. She shook her head, before looking up at him. "I would love to go on a ride with you." She said, her lips quirking up into a small smile. "I have to warn you though, it's been quite some time since I've been riding."
He shook his head in relief, smiling slightly. Oh thank the gods she said yes. "Don't worry, I won't be going faster than a trot," he said. "I'll wait out here if you need some time to get ready." He jerked his head in the direction of the hall.
"Just have to put my boots on." She assured, smothering another yawn with her hand. "I've been up for an hour and I'm still yawning. It's an epidemic." She muttered, mostly to herself, as she stepped back into the room, leaving the door open.
He leaned on the doorframe, watching her after quickly scanning the room. Cin has certainly gone out of her way to set the two of us up… he mentally grumbled. When he caught her words, he chuckled. "You look tired," he commented. "Not get much sleep?"
"I never really do. I just need some fresh air to wake up." She said, shaking her head as she sat on the edge of the bed to pull on her boots. Despite having just been braided, her hair was already once again falling in her face.
"Then it's a good thing I came along," Rhydar joked with a half smile. He folded his arms over his chest, patiently waiting. He couldn't help but noticed how easily they talked compared to when they first had met. He also noticed just how…at ease…she seemed to be around him, at least as of late. He had noticed that she was usually shying away from people and closing herself off.
"Definitely." She agreed, lacing up her boot before slipping on the next one. She finished up quickly before standing, brushing her hair back out of her face as she crossed the room, slipping out into the hall. "I'll admit, I was considering going and visiting Danzing today."
"I'm sure he'd appreciate your company," he said as he trailed after her, once again giving her some space. "Who knows? Maybe he'll even let you ride him today. Or maybe not, and we'll have to find you a temporary horse until that magical day arrives," he mused with a half smile.
"I can definitely try." She nodded, slowing her pace to match his. "Did I miss anything too exciting last night?" She asked, looking over at him with an eyebrow raised. It was half a joke, but if he had an answer, she wouldn't mind it.
"Besides my mother pulling a Cinthia and ripping me to shreds with her words?" he asked jokingly, then shrugged. "Nah, at least none that I know of. I didn't go back to the ball after I left you. I actually went to this pond outside of the palace to have some time to myself."
"A wise decision." She shook her head, huffing a laugh. "The one highlight of that night, before the lightning bugs, was the strawberries. I can't imagine it got any better." Instead of fiddling with her sleeves, she seemed to have turned to fiddling with the ring.
He snorted. "So you're a strawberry gal? There's an orchard around here where we get those strawberries. I can take you there sometime to pick your own, if you want," he offered, looking down at the ring that she was playing with. She's still wearing it…
She blinked a few times, her face lighting up. "A fruit gal in general, but yes. You'd really be willing to take me?" It was the same smile she'd had when she first saw the strawberries at the ball, the bright one that almost seemed to make her glow.
He stared at her smile for perhaps a little too long. He cleared his throat and nodded. "Of course I am," he said, "Anything to get out of here," he then added with a playful wink. Gods, that smile.
She huffed a laugh, shaking her head. "Well, when you get some free time, we'll have to go. Gods, I haven't been berry picking in forever." She tilted her head as she thought, trying to remember when the last time actually had been, her nose scrunching up.
"You haven't done much in forever," he commented curiously with a tilted head, then caught himself. "Ah, at least from what little I've gathered. I'm not really the best at…" He trailed off, not really knowing where he was going with that. "Actually, just forget I opened my mouth," he grumbled.
She blinked, a bit surprised he'd even payed enough attention to note that. "You…aren't wrong. Things happened, and I haven't exactly had a lot of time to do things I used to." She said, shrugging a shoulder. It was as close to the truth as she could offer.
"Fair enough," he said, accepting that snippet of truth from her with a nod. He wasn't hurt that she was being vague. Everyone had their secrets, and obviously something had happened that she didn't want to talk about, if her reaction to touch was any indication.
"When was the last time you went berry picking?" She asked, playfully raising an eyebrow as she looked up at him. Her hands returned to her pockets, fingers brushing the photo. It never brought the comfort she was hoping for, had stopped doing that a while ago, but it was the main way she remembered the faces of her family.
He smirked down at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Never." He never really had a reason to, but he at least paid attention enough to know where it was. Now, he guessed, he actually had a reason to go berry picking.
((Sksksksk aaaawwww
"Never?" She made a face, looking slightly surprised. "Well, now we definitely have to go." She decided with a nod, before shaking her head. "I can't believe you've never been berry picking."
"Hey, I'm a prince, remember? Supposed to be all tough and manly—a knight in shining armor, there to protect his precious princess." He scrunched his nose at the very thought of being like the typical prince, sparring with the guards and going on hunting parties.