Sweet and Sour Emotions

After getting dressed and cleaned up, Reinhart followed Vexille through Grin'nix, still blown away by the architecture of the cavern city. Arriving at Maze's quarters, he found the Queen waiting for him by a large and neatly laid-out spread of food. Her eyes twinkled like the stars as she spotted him, causing his heart to thump loudly in his chest without warning.

"Reinhart!" Maze exclaimed, approaching him quickly. "It's been some time since we last saw each other. How was your training?"

Reinhart couldn't help but smile at her genuine excitement. Her personality was infectious, even more so than her beauty. They had both been in the world of Fallenia for a relatively short time together, but he couldn't imagine anyone else by his side in this chaos. They had shared difficulties and victories alike.

"The training was, uh, intense. Vexille pushed me hard, but I made some progress, I guess," Reinhart cheerfully shared, a streak of sweat trickling down his forehead at the memory of his intense training.

As they conversed and ate, Reinhart felt what he had thought was impossible - a sense of peace in a world wired for perpetual chaos. It was as if every fleeting moment with Maze was a victory, a personal triumph. Throughout their dinner, they shared stories of their training, swapped ideas about Mana, and even had time to discuss Maze's kingdom and the challenges that lay ahead of them.

Towards the end of the dinner, emboldened by a surge of confidence from Sprout, Reinhart decided to showcase his newfound Mana control. He focused his energy, extending his hand over the middle of the dinner table.

With the Queen watching curiously, he manipulated his Mana much the way he had envisioned it was during his construction days. A miniature wooden cabin grew up from the table with intricate details. With the right amount of concentration, he was able to craft each piece of the structure to the tiniest detail. The makeshift cabin stood as a testament to his progress, mesmerizing Maze with its precision and the skills that crafted it.

"This is amazing!" Maze exclaimed, and Reinhart nodded, but he did not look as excited about it. "What is wrong?"

"I am getting a good grip on how to create structures, and how to use the other elements. The problem is that I only really understand how to do things like run water, provide heating, even run power," He explained, and Maze frowned.

"What kind of power?" Maze asked, then pointed to herself, but Reinhart shook his head.

"No, I don't think Fallenia has discovered this yet, but there are ways to use stored and controlled electricity to give power to other devices. Still, I don't really understand how I am supposed to use it in combat," Reinhart explained, and Maze shrugged.

"Well, I don't think every skill has to be used in combat, Reinhart," Maze replied gently. "Your abilities and knowledge may come in handy in several other ways. We just have to look for the right opportunity."

As Maze spoke, Sprout stood up in Reinhart's front robe pocket, gave a little stretch, but then leaped onto the table. It started to bounce around the miniature cabin, not causing any physical damage but metaphorically expressing the merriment it derived from Reinhart's creation. Its rippling rainbow essence radiated a joyous aura, filling the room with a gentle glow as it skipped about.

The sight was so endearing that both Maze and Reinhart couldn't help but chuckle. The moment seemed right, and without any second thoughts, Maze reached out for Reinhart's hand. Her soft touch instantly ignited a current that electrified his senses.

Their connection became more intense when without warning, Maze wrapped her arms around him in a celebratory hug. The proximity, the fragrance of her hair, the rhythm of her heartbeat, everything was simply intoxicating. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest, their faces dangerously close, lips barely inches apart. Could this be it, that fateful moment they had been leading to all along?

However, instead of the expected passion-filled kiss, what followed was a surprising puff. Maze's eyes widened in surprise as she found herself hugging a packet of instant dinner. Reinhart had transformed back, right when their lips were about to meet.

The cliffhanger moment became oddly humorous, as Maze took a step back, a look of utter bafflement etched on her face. Sprout jumped around on the table, releasing a whimsical "Prrrdt", somehow finding the situation extraordinarily amusing, leaving an amused Maze clutching a packet of chicken alfredo.

"Sorry," Reinhart said, but Maze laughed.

"It is okay, but I think Saava might be right. Do you mind if we both concentrate on our training until it is time to leave?" Mazed asked, holding the instant dinner up to her face. "I know that this is hard, but we will have lots of time to spend together as we travel to Grammel."

Reinhart shook but mentally sighed before speaking. The nonstop training was grueling, but this was all for a purpose. "I will do my best to learn everything that I can to protect you and help take back your kingdom," Reinhart said, floating out of her hands slowly.

"Good, but just remember that we can't just stop at Grammel. We have to bring all of Fallenia together so we are ready to fight this Great Evil that is coming," Maze replied, and Reinhart nodded his package.

"Yeah, I haven't forgotten. I will give it everything I have then," Reinhart said, but he dreaded the next part of his training.

"You don't sound that excited?" Maze asked, and Reinhart let out a sigh.

"Sword play, and fighting in general have never really been my thing. When my parents were alive, my dad used to train me with all sorts of weapons," Reinhart explained, and Maze's eyes went big.

"Oh? Your father taught you how to use weapons but you didn't like it? Was it the killing?" Maze asked, but Reinhart shook back and forth.

"No, No, No. My parents were nerds that loved something called LARP or Live Action Roleplay. The world I come from is far more advanced than this one, and we use different and more dangerous forms of weapons to fight. LARP is basically where a bunch of people get together and reenact an old battle with fake weapons. So, yes, I was trained with many weapons, but they were all foam covered, or made in ways that you couldn't seriously hurt someone," Reinhart explained, and the Queen remained silent for a moment.

Maze was not sure how to respond to this as she was still trying to process how anyone but nobles would have time for such a thing.

"Interesting," she finally said. "Well, I may not fully understand your world's customs. But you've always had a knack for tackling the impossible, haven't you?"

"Well," Reinhart replied, his voice a little lower than usual, "We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Mine are just a little unusual."