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Alar stepped his way through Eversong Woods, his footsteps merely causing a light, airy rustle to the leaves and dried grass around him, no different than the breeze that followed. He was cloaked and sticking to the shadows, preferring not to capture the attention of anybody who may have been between him and Silvermoon. He wasn't wearing his vest today, just a light tshirt. He was glad to know that the heat in Ratchet persisted even in Eversong. Damn heat.
Finally, he came upon Stillwhisper Pond and glanced around. He heard the scritching of pencil on paper and knew Tyrestra was sitting nearby. Somewhere. He closed his eyes and let his ears twitch as he listened. The light scratches sounded as if they came from behind the large tree. Not unusual, but not the normal place they sit together when they meet here.
He made his way silently through the dry grass and peeked around the thick trunk--yep, Tyrestra was leaned forward, hunched over her lap with a sketchbook on her legs. She was drawing away at a design. He peered a little closer--it looked like a new schematic idea. V6 was shuffling around at her feet, its sharp metal pincers snipping at the drier blades of grass.
Alar sat himself down beside Tyrestra, still cloaked in shadow from his walk through the woods, and wrapped his arms around his legs. He looked her over for a few seconds, admiring the way her hair fell over her ears and brow. Which was then roughly shoved back amongst the rest of the mess, causing him to smile. He leaned over and pressed his palms to her shoulders, smiling. At the same time, he whispered a quiet "boo" and uncloaked, pleased when she jumped against the tree trunk.
"Alar! Alar you nuisance, why do you always do this?" He laughed as she yelled at him, his eyes closing. Her lips pressed together as she waited. He leaned away from her and let his arms rest back against his knees. He had no good answer.
"I said why do you always do that? You're a pest, I cannot stand you."
"Oh please." He continued to smile over at her, his eyes half closing as she continued to quietly yell insults at him.
"Can't you just arrive normally for once? Do you always have to try and scare me?"
Alar thought for a moment before responding. He knew she wasn't expecting an answer, most of her annoyance-filled questions were rhetorical. He looked back to her and opened his mouth to reply, his lips pulling into the faintest smirk. "I guess it's o'cause I think yer real cute when ya yell at me."
Now, that got a response. Tyrestra stopped in the middle of chastising him and closed her mouth, the tips of her ears tinging a darker shade. Her eyebrows creased in the center before her eyes shifted, looking away. "Whatever, Alar."
He smiled and stretched back against the tree trunk, his back and shoulders popping. He glanced away himself and tugged at the grass around them. His voice grew quieter. "Actually, that face you just made is a lot cuter." He let the grass fall between his legs. Tyrestra's cheeks puffed slightly, though she didn't respond.
Instead, she went back to drawing on her schematic design. Alar wondered if he'd made her mad, so he snuck a glance toward her. Her ears were redder, and the shade was tinting toward her cheeks. Oh. Maybe he hadn't made her mad after all.
"How have you and Fenidar been?" Her voice was quiet, and Alar couldn't tell if it was from her not facing him, or something else.
"Er, actually." His voice trailed off and Tyrestra glanced up. "Ah, I ain't been seein' him lately."
"Ah. Have things not improved?"
"Mmm." Tyrestra simply nodded and looked back down at her sketchbook. Alar leaned over and let his head rest near Tyrestra's shoulder. He glanced at the sketch, V6 now skittering around and between his feet.
"Ah, it's just an idea for a something." She looked up, deciding to explain further, but Alar intercepted her. He pressed his lips against hers lightly, his eyes closed. Tyrestra froze for a solid ten seconds before parting her lips and leaning back. "Wh-what do you..."
Alar opened his eyes and looked away, his chest thumping loudly. "I ah, er. I wanted to make sure it was as nice as last time." His cheeks were beginning to heat up.
Tyrestra looked downward then closed her sketchbook. She moved it to the side, then patted Alar's head gently. He moved to lay down against her lap, his face pressing against her stomach. His arms wrapped lazily around her waist and Tyrestra's fingers wound their way through his hair. From where he laid, he could tell Tyrestra's chest was beating just as hard as his.
They sat in silence, seconds turning slowly into minutes. V6 continued on its crusade against the dried grass, and the breeze played ripples and waves on the pond's surface. He closed his eyes, comfortably letting his body ease into hers, his weight pressing against her lap. Arguably, one of his favorite places in the world to rest was laying against Tyrestra in some fashion.
Tyrestra coughed, and her hand pulled from his hair. Instead, her fingers began to run over his head slowly. "You know, Alar, you could have just asked." Alar's ear twitched against her hand.
"Ah?"
His eyes shifted upward, though he didn't raise from her lap. "I might have preferred it."
Alar silently cursed himself. She was right--they weren't seeing each other, and last time was... an odd fluke. In fact, he didn't know how she felt for him. He still didn't know how he felt about her, for that matter. "You're right, I'm sorry."
Tyrestra's hand paused, and he felt nervous. Her fingertips stroked lightly across his furry ear, then scratched against the fluff. "Accepted." He closed his eyes again. "But I wouldn't have said no."
Alar, finally, raised his head and looked up toward her. His chest tightened. "Ah?" Tyrestra was glancing away, cheeks puffing out once more. He took a slow breath inward before speaking. "Then, may I?"
Tyrestra's finger flicked against his ear, just enough to tingle but not hurt. He winced as he heard Tyrestra laugh. "Yes." Alar smiled and leaned upward.