Chapter X: The Orchid and The Rasberry

"What are you thinking about dear?" Riddle asks as they lead Cerelia down a dark path.

Cerelia laughs softly. "Just wondering how you're gonna murder me is all."

Riddle tsks and shakes their head gently. "I promise, I'm not gonna murder you." They gently squeeze the others hand. "The paths about to get really bumpy so can I pick you up? I don't want your beautiful shoes to get dirty."

Cerelia laughs more as she nods. "Of course totally not a murderer."

Riddle rolls their heterochromic eyes. "I'm not a murderer." They say as they lift Cerelia with ease, casually carrying her bridal style down the muddy rooted path.

Cerelia chuckles, leaning her head gently against Riddle's chest after shaking it. "That's exactly what a murderer would say!" She exclaims in a joking tone.

Riddle sighs but laughs along. "I suppose you're right about that." The woods start to clear the further they walk. Riddle twists and turns through the woods, a very faint path underneath their feet. "I promise we're almost there."

Cerelia nods. "Alright, I wouldn't mind if it took another hour though, I'm quite comfortable."

Riddle scoffs playfully. "I'm sure you are."

Cerelia's smile grows as she sees Riddle's normally cold demeanor start to crack in her presence. "They seem so… relaxed right now." She thinks, relaxing her head into Riddle's chest.

Riddle cracks a small smile down at her. "So cute.." They mumble quietly, continuing to walk down the strip of withered balding grass which resembled a path - if you could call it that.

Cerelia lifts her head, looking around to see if she could gain any sense of where they are. She could see what appeared to be water flowing in a small stream next to them but she couldn't hear it. The water-like substance glows as they continue to walk past it, some lines floating in the air not too far above it.

"What's that?" She questions, nodding in the direction of the substance.

Riddle glances towards it and shrugs. "I honestly don't know? All the times I've been here I've never regarded it as anything besides water."

Cerelia shrugs it off. "Okay!" She snuggles back up against Riddle's chest, getting comfortable again.

Riddle shakes their head in an amused manner. "Alright Rasberry, we're almost there."

Cerelia giggles childishly at the nickname and nods. "Okay!" She keeps her head on a constant swivel from them on, hoping to find anything more identifiable besides the river of water. Looking ahead she can see a faint pinkish purple glow in the distance.

Riddle chuckles as they see the direction Cerelia is looking. "Close your eyes. I don't want you to see the beauty of this place yet."

Cerelia pouts playfully. "And here I thought I was the beauty of it."

Riddle shakes their head, playfully rolling their eyes as well. "Oh hush you, I meant the beauty that lives here."

Cerelia laughs softly, closing their eyes slowly after resting their head back on Riddle. "I trust you, please don't drop me."

Riddle tsks. "I'll think about it." They joke though their tone conveys no semblance of it being one.

Riddle's smile grows as they continue to walk. After a little longer they finally make it to the middle of the clearing. "Give me one second." They say, repositioning Cerelia in their arms so they're now only holding her with one.

They let out a low hum as they begin to think, outlines of a picnic blanket appearing in the air. After a few moments it becomes solid and they carefully place it where they'd like it.

"I'm going to set you down now, please don't fall. Your legs are probably asleep." Riddle says, their tone is soft for a change rather than their usually cold one. "Oh and please keep your eyes closed."

Cerelia giggles softly, jittery with nerves and excitement as Riddle allows them to stand. "Now watch, any second I'm gonna fall into a pit of spikes." They joke as they stumble a little before regaining their balance. Riddle rolls their eyes. "Oh shut up."

Cerelia giggles as she feels Riddle's arms drape around her shoulders. "Can I please see now? I can't see any of this supposed beauty except for a bunch of glowy lights!" She groans out, her tone having a slight joking manner but it obviously conveys her eagerness.

Riddle laughs. "Yes yes you can look." They whisper quietly in the other's ear just to tease.

Cerelia shivers at this but giggles excitedly as she opens her eyes. She opens her eyes to find a large glowing Wisteria tree in front of them with a classic red and white picnic blanket underneath it. "It's beautiful!!"

Riddle chuckles. "You haven't even seen everything yet idiot." Their fingers graze her chin, ever so gently turning Cerelia's head to look at the beautiful skyline behind the river and waterfall of glowing water.

Cerelia gasps. "Woah.. I didn't even realize we were up high enough for any sort of waterfall!!"

Riddle rolls their eyes. "You literally can be up any amount of height and it's still a waterfall."

Cerelia pouts as she turns to look at them and sticks out her tongue. She gasps as she sees the strings of fairy lights along the trees behind the elder. "When did you have time to do all this?!" She asks excitedly as she runs over to them, trying to find out where they go.

Riddle looks confused as they notice the lights. "I uh?.. I didn't do those, I did the blanket but not the lights."

Cerelia laughs. "Maybe fae did it! Yeah they probably heard our giggling butts on the way up here."

Riddle chuckles. "I suppose your right. They probably did." They smile faintly as they see Cerelia frantically looking for a power source. "Oh come on, let's enjoy our night. Don't worry about the lights."

Cerelia pouts like a little kid who just asked an adult where babies came from and the adult avoided the question. "Alright!" Her pout disappears as she happily bounces back over to Riddle who was now sitting on the blanket.

"It's weird that lights were here though… I don't remember leaving these the last time I was here. Fae couldn't have done this, they don't like their space being intruded on so even if their were fae here there's no way they would've done this." Riddle thinks as Cerelia sits down next to them.

"So what's with bringing me here for a first date? Most people usually pick a movie theatre or roller skating or something." Cerelia asks, her head cocked curiously.

Riddle chuckles softly. "This place means a lot to me, it's where I went to cheer up as a teenager. I figured… it might help you too considering the topic of our earlier conversation.." Their face was slightly flushed from embarrassment.

Cerelia's face falls a bit, she had completely forgot about that whole… ordeal. "Oh.. right.. I'm sorry about that by the way, it was rude of me to assume and-"

Riddle cuts her off, gently taking her hand. "Don't worry about it. You had every right to assume something like that, hell everybody does." They sigh gently. "Don't worry about it okay? I promise, I don't mind."

Cerelia sighs. "That's a lie." She mumbles as she notices something about Riddle.

Riddle huffs gently. "It's not a lie! Besides, how would you know!" Their tone indicates a pout however none is visible on their face.

Cerelia laughs softly as Riddle's head turns away from embarrassment. "You have a tell for when you're lying. I know that we haven't known each other long but I've noticed it."

Riddle rolls their eyes. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Cerelia chuckles, gently turning Riddle's face to look at her's. "It's the same thing you do when you're embarrassed, your nostrils flare ever so slightly. Most people wouldn't notice but I did simply because I like looking at this handsome face of yours."

Honey..

The mesmerizing, soothing, and sweet liquid known as honey was exactly what Cerelia's voice sounded, and felt, like to Riddle in that moment. Riddle's face flushes a bright red, their nostrils flaring gently as their eyes widen. "I- I do not!!" They huff.

Cerelia laughs softly, her laugh rich with joy as she sees Riddle do it again. "See! There it is! You just did it again!"

Riddle blushes more, still from embarrassment as her nostrils do the thing again. "Whatever." They mumble, a slight pout on their face as they look away.

Cerelia giggles mischievously as she gets up. She quickly grabs Riddle's hand as she does so, giving the other no time to process the romantic action as she runs straight towards the water like substance.

She kicks off her shoes and jumps in, the water surprising her as it seemed oddly thick to be water. "Come on!!" She yells to Riddle as she resurfaces. "Please?" She says, the word being accompanied by a pout and some puppy eyes.

As she looks at Riddle she can see some of the water which slashed out when she jumped still floating without a care in the air. She smiles at this, thinking the sight is just beautiful but, not quite as beautiful as her companion for the night though.

Riddle laughs softly. "Okay fine fine, I'll get in." They take off their boots, carefully setting them down next to Cerelia's. They take off their cloak as well but hang that on a tree branch instead.

They smirk a bit, deciding to indulge in their childish side for a bit. They sprint towards the water and jump right in, instantly catching Cerelia off guard.

Cerelia laughs as she gets splashed with the substance. She looks up in awe as she sees the swirls, lines, and dots of the water filling the air. "Riddle look!! Isn't it absolutely Nebe!!"

Riddle laughs at her choice of words. "I suppose this can be our little sanctuary then, our little Nebe."

Cerelia blushes softly. "So does that mean we can come back one day!?" She asks excitedly as she swims right up to the older, being mere inches away from their face.

Riddle jumps back in surprise but laughs. "Yeah sure. I don't see why not. Maybe we could bring Belli here one day too."

Cerelia blushes at the thought. "I'd like that!! I really like her too! She seems really cool!"

Riddle chuckles softly. "Are you trying to tell me something dear?"

Now it was Cerelia who's face flushes a depe red. "I- I n- no!" She stammers, unsure of what to say.

Riddle laughs, swimming back over and kissing the youngers forehead. "I don't mind, I think I might like her as well.. seeing her again after all these years.. I guess all those past feelings came back." They laugh softly.

Cerelia laughs. "Yeah I get that." Her face was still a depe red as she lays her head on Riddle's shoulder. "So what is this whole date thing anyway? Is it just a way to cheer me up or?.." She looks at the older hopefully.

Riddle blushes a little. "It was a way to cheer you up yes.. but also a way for me to get to know you a bit better. Yes we've spent plenty of time together already but I wanted to get to know you better.." They say, in reference to the time Cerelia had bugged, no stayed, with her while Vincentius was gone.

Cerelia giggles excitedly. "Is this your way of asking me to date you? Cause if so I'd happily oblige!"

Riddle laughs softly at the youngers care free behavior. "As much as I'd love that, let's get to know each other better first. Sure we know small things about each other but not really the meaningful things."

Cerelia takes a moment to process but nods, gently taking her head off Riddle's shoulder. "Alrighty! That makes sense! So what exactly do you wanna know? I'm an open book! I don't have anything to hide!"

Riddle laughs. "Alright fine, but we should get out of..  whatever this is first." They smile gently, smiling towards the shore and getting back into solid ground. The thick substance was dripping off their clothes. They shake their head and brush the substance off, feeling annoyed when it just continued to cling to their clothes. 

Cerelia laughs as they see Riddle fail to clean themself. "Hold on, I'll get it for you." She says as she gets out herself. Waving her finger around the substance it begins to float and move back into the water, now leaving Riddle perfectly dry and clean. 

Riddle smiles a bit. "Thanks but you didn't have too."

Cerelia shrugs and giggles. "What's the point of having these awesome powers if I can't use them?" She says jokingly as she does the same to herself however due to the color of her dress the substance ends up dying it a light blue. She pouts a little. "oh come on!! This was my favorite dress!"

Riddle laughs. "I'll make you an exact copy when we get back okay?" They smile a little as they gaze at Cerelia in the new color. "Though I think it looks great on you." 

Cerelia blushes a bit. "Thanks!" She smiles wide. Riddle couldn't help but compare it to the sun, wide, bright, and fully genuine. 

"No problem. Now let's go relax." They mumble shyly, their hand gently brushing Cerelia's as they walk towards the blanket. 

Cerelia giggles softly. "Awe, someone's not being so bold anymore hm?" 

Riddle blushes gently, not meeting the others' gaze. "Hush. Just sit down already." They say as they sit down themself. 

Cerelia shakes her head playfully as she sits down next to the other. The rest of the night was filled with playfully conversation and even more playful jokes. It was safe to say they were both extremely happy by the end of the evening. 

Cerelia sighs happily as she gazes out over the skyline, her head resting gently on Riddle's shoulder. "This night has been great..  I'm really glad you brought me here." She says, her grin wide and full of happiness. 

Riddle blushes a bit as she giggles. "I suppose it has." They smile a little, still a bit conflicted about showing emotions too freely. "I really did have a great time." 

Cerelia nods. "Me as well. We should do this again sometime soon, definitely with Maribelle too!!" Her tone was full of excitement as she proposed the idea. 

Riddle laughs softly and nods. "Definitely. I'll be sure to ask her the next time we go out." 

Cerelia's smile grows as she listens to Riddle talk. To her the others voice was like a spiders silk, something so beautiful but also something that could be dangerous if you get lost in it for too long. As she listens to Riddle talk her mind starts to become hazy with sleep. Her eyes flutter closed and snap open a few times in a feeble attempt to continue listening. 

Riddle chuckles softly as they notice the other is now fast asleep. "I suppose it's time for us to head home." They kiss her forehead as they reposition her in their lap and stand. Grabbing their shoes they begin the journey back towards their home. 

As the leave the fairy lights begin to dim and a calm aura drifts around the place. Once they're sure the couple is far enough away a person emerges from the shadows of the land. They grab the blanket and take the fairy lights off the trees, a trace of longing joy in their icy blue eyes.

The person had a small smile on their face as they sit down at the riverbank, staring out across the sky. "My little moon.. I hope you're enjoying yourself. Soon enough we'll meet again and I certainly cannot wait to hold you in my arms.."

The person rises, still holding the blanket and the lights in their hands. Their heeled shoes easily crush the grass beneath their feet as they retreat back into the woods.

Their face was filled with joy as they walked back. The only reason they were so happy was because they had noticed what Riddle was wearing on their left ring finger.

Riddle holds Cerelia tight in their arms as they walk back, enjoying embracing the younger. They never imagined the night to turn out like it did, they had shared small secrets, their favorite colors, favorite meals, just the small things. Neither of them wanted to damper the night with talk of pasts or upsetting topics so they hadn't. It simply was an unspoken agreement that this night was only to be filled with joy.

Riddle's face returns to their usual cold demonour as they walk back into the dorm building then back into their dorm.

Vincentius was still waiting up for them, watching some stupid drama on the TV. His head turns as he hears the door open. His smile widens as he notices the position they were in. "Someone feel asleep huh?" He laughs.

Riddle growls gently. "Wake her up and I will kill you." They threaten quietly while walking towards Cerelia's room.

Vincentius chuckles but nods. "I appreciate you guys not coming back too late." It was ten minutes of one so they had came back before their given curfew.

Riddle stops for a moment as she turns to look at Vincentius. "Of course. You only wanted the best for her so yeah.." They turn back and continue walking.

Vincentius smiles and nods approvingly, turning back to finish his drama.

Riddle gently sets Cerelia down on her bed, still careful not to wake her. They put her shoes away then exit, not wanting to risk waking the younger anymore.

They walk over to their room and quietly open the door, finding a sleeping Maribelle and Xena in their bed. Sighing, they shake their head quietly. "Guess I'm sleeping on the couch tonight." They think, smiling a little.

They quietly put their shoes away and change into their night clothes. Their smile grows as they walk over towards the sleeping duo. Riddle leans down and gently kisses both their foreheads, Xena shifting a little as they do so.

Riddle gently pulls out their phone and snaps a picture. After adding that to a new album they exit their room, walking down the hall they find the living room now deserted. They smile a this, thinking that tonight would be peaceful despite sleeping on the couch.