He said it was perfect but he liked all the little things she thought about and worried about. It was part of her charm. Always thinking about the little details. It was how she so expertly picked out his new favorite scarf.

There was a pause between them as she looked away. He grinned as her bangs fell in front of her face. He was starting to get used to the little moments she used to conceal the blush of her cheeks. It gave him a moment to hide if there was any red hue to his face as well. Her bangs fell in front of her face and her hair tickled the top of her shoulders, making her seem even more alluring in the red dress.

The chef appeared to take their orders and Noyiah smiled at him. She turned to face the chef and give her order but Kaz simply sat thinking about how nice it had been to wake up to that same smile since he came back to Era. It was almost like the idea of how dangerous both their jobs with knights were lost in the background. Things were chaotic with the knights, never knowing if the next day would be boring or dangerous. But the pleasant constant was knowing she'd be there. With her wide smile and a quick-witted joking remark that always seemed placed at the perfect time.

He placed his hand in hers as she held it out across the table. A grin came upon his face when she rubbed the back of his hand. It really felt like a date now. He picked her hand up and pressed his lips to her hand for a kiss before setting it back down, still holding it, while they talked.

A quick flicker of panic in her eyes gave birth to drops of anxiety in Kaz. Worried he was saying too much or if she thought they had moved too fast and she was having second thoughts. His hand tensed in hers but her blush and smile washed away that anxiety. He was glad he could see it though. Happy that he didn't have to try and guess what she felt and she wouldn't with him either.

He leaned closer as she almost began to speak but lost the words. Patiently waiting, he looked in her eyes searching for the words she was trying to find. "phew, you had me worried for a second," he joked about her pause, not really knowing the serious topic that was on her mind.

"A leap?"He asked with a tilted head. his hair swept across his cheek.

"oh," he replied, a bit surprised by the question. With his free arm, he put his elbow on the table and his chin in his palm. His index finger tapped on his cheek. "hmmm," he was taken by serious thought just like his focus in picking out her leggings.

He looked at the table like it was a blueprint and began mumbling to himself but it was clear for Noyiah to hear, "gonna need a place close to headquarters. Gotta have an office space for you...A balcony for myself. Big enough for the griffon to land. Unless we get a house instead of an apartment. Could have a courtyard then, I suppose."

He suddenly looked back up at Noyiah, "House or apartment?" He asked casually as if they had already had the talk and he accepted. "Ah yeah. There is some land I'm getting near Sin. It would make a great place to move into when winter hits here."

Noyiah judged how he took her question, it was something she hoped would go just as smooth as any other one she had proposed.  He questioned her bad phrasing, leap was certainly not the right word, but it was the only one that came to mind on the spot.  He seemed to understand after she re-alliterated the question. He didn’t seem upset or even Really complexed about her question. It was certainly not as forward as she could have been, and maybe the situation called for her to be more upfront but either way Kazimir seemed to understand and was thinking.  The pause felt like forever, and when he finally started to speak again, she felt the sting from holding her breath to long.
House? She mentally Questioned, it was something she hadn’t even considered, her Single lifestyle never needed anything more then an apartment, and she never had to accommodate a griffon before either. “House does seem more appropriate doesn’t it?” she said starting to lighten up a bit more, she felt the tension she held in her jaw and shoulders fade away as relief washed over her.  Noyiah reached for her water and took a drink from it, the ice clinking as it slides back down, she replaced the glass where it had been siting moments before.  “Near Sin?  Where’s that?” She asked looking back over, her hand started to make its way across the table again for him to hold, but quickly retreated when the waiter came back with the wine and two glasses.

~~~~~
He placed the glasses down and popped the bottle of wine open with a corkscrew, leaning the bottle over his forearm to pour the glasses before placing the bottle onto the table. “The Chef has selected a Pinot Noir from the wineries in Worth Woodsea, selected for its Cherry undertones and mildly dry consistency, enjoy” The waiter would say bowing and backing out from the table before returning to work elsewhere.
~~~~~

Noyiah would nod “Thankyou”. She looks back from the waiter back to Kazimir. He seemed invested into this talk and she would say softly “You mean a habitat for Griffon, something for him to stay in if the weather is bad, I’d hate for him to have to stay outside of town especially if he’s a friend” Noyiah was in better spirits now, she was back to her usual self now. She had not mentioned anything about her office, though it meant a lot that he had considered it already, he didn’t see her investigations as a hobby or a way to past time, as others had before, which is likely why Noyiah was so independent.

~~~~~
The Chef had started their order, the Chicken breast was placed on the searing hot grill. He Swiftly Took a Brush with the Sesame Sause and gave it a generous coating. A brownish surgery substance with a spackling of sesame seeds layered over the chicken breast.  He waited a bit before he put on the tuna steak, after all it was traditionally server raw, but a light grilling for the marks and the trap the sauces into the flesh.   It would still be a little bit, but the chef had started plating the sides, a Skewer of Roasted Vegetables and Rice pilaf with a balsamic orange Demi-glaze
~~~~~

Noyiah looked from Kaz to the chef a few times but would actively listen to anything that was said, after all they were planning a house together, though she had no real idea what kind of money he had, nor did he really know what she had either.  After their talk about the house Noyiah would lift her glass of Red Wine and toast with Kaz “ To a man that is both breathtaking, incredible and keeps impressing me more everyday”  

it wasn't until now that he noticed the undue stress that his pause caused her. One that came from his contemplation about what the house would look like because his answer was already decided before she needed to ask it.

"Oh, Sorry. I forgot the important part. Yes, of course, I'll take that leap with you. Without a doubt," he said reaching back over the table to take her hand in both of his. They were soft but still showed the strong signs from years of training she had done.  "You didn't even have to ask. You could have just said we were moving," he added with a smirk.

"A house would be nice but could be hard to find by headquarters, especially because its on a mountain. But I suppose we could find a place at the base. I'd just like somewhere high. A place where we could look out over the town or a forest. An apartment could provide that too, and may be easier to find." He was okay with either. His smile and gleam in his eye revealed that he was going to be happy just being with her regardless of where that was.

After she took a drink of her water, he opened his hand to hold hers as she reached back over. A moment that was stopped by the arrival of the wine. He looked at the bottle of wine with a raised brow. He didn't really know what all the chef said, meant, but he trusted his suggestion. Kaz nodded at the waiter as he turned to leave and took the bottle of wine, "Sounds good."

"Sin is my homeland in the east. Well, in a village on the border of Sin. I'm the last of the clan so one day I'll need to go and make sure the land is okay," he took a sip of his water and spoke about it casually.

"A habitat. I guess I didn't think about all he would need. Maybe just something small. A place for him to land and sleep," He smiled at her understanding of the situation. She didn't question the griffon at all or was worried about what kind of needs or challenges it would bring. "Yeah...he is a good friend of mine. Thank you." He was starting to see more and more how easy this big leap would be.

The smell of the food wafted across their table. His taste buds sprang to life as the scent did justice to the hype of the establishment. He was ready to eat but it was secondary to the conversation he was having with Noyiah.

He smiled at her words that rang smoothly in his ears. They were heartfelt and tender words that caused his heart to skip. He rose his glass to meet hers, "to a woman that is beautiful, captivating and whose smile keeps me excited about each day." He tapped her glass with his and took a sip of his wine. With what she said he could have leaned over and kissed her right there. They still had much to talk about, but for now, he was lost in her blue eyes as he set the cup back down.

"I suppose we'll need to start looking soon. Gonna need to be a pretty specific place," he grinned thinking about it. It wasn't long before the chef was putting the finishing touches on the dinner and was dressing the plate.

"Here you are. Enjoy and if you need anything else let me know. I'd be happy to help,"the chef said as he placed their plates from the grill to rest in front of them.

Now that the meal had arrived and the plates were steaming, he stuck in his fork, looked up at Noyiah and asked, "So. What do you think of the knights?"

Her Mistake Was capitalized on again as Kaz made a joke with her bad choice of words, though it was light hearted and silly, which she just smiled and shook her head lightly.   A Smile which got a little wider when he added in the part about telling them they were moving.  It was so easy to talk to him, very go with the flow, happy to accept anything thrown at him and to shake off anything.

“They have places at the base that fit that kind of description?” she asked after he finished talking about the idea location, Noyiah took mental notes of what he wanted out of a home, Tall, with a View of forest or town with a Spot of Griffon, an office for Her, A Balcony or lookout. Maybe if they had a view like that Noyiah would sit at home to drink her coffee.

He Went on to Answer her question about Sin, which made sense, as far as his clan, she chose not to bring up anything more during their date, after all he had admitted before to having  Hunted down some of them down in his lapse of control, which didn’t make for the best of date discussions.

When the topic of the Griffons Habitat was being discussed Kazimir Seemed Thrilled that she was so on board about him,  but Noyiah didn’t Know any other way, she was the kind of person that would make it work, though she didn’t have the first clue as to how to care for a Griffon, rest assured it would be a topic she researched. She would smile as he said thank you, it was very endearing how polite he was, and in that moment sparked a feeling of love, she craved to hold his hand again, an action that was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of their wine.

When She Proposed her Toast to him, she watched him light up, but like the hopeless romantic he was, he created a toast to her on the spot, one that made her blush again, though she wore it with pride this time. After they drank to the toast, she would place her wine down and look to the chef.  The taste was nice and smooth, a tad dry but rich in flavor and seemed very appropriate for this occasion.  She gave the Small window a light tap with her finger nail, just enough to bring attention to her.  After he made eye contact, she would give a signal that the wine was perfect.   Her thumb and index finger touching at the tips to create a hole while her other fingers spread out as if she was motioning for 3.  And then she mouthed the words ~Perfect, Thankyou~  she could tell just by the Smell of the means cooking that they would pair very nicely.

She would look back over to Kazimir  who hadn’t really looked away from her, which she smiled before picking her water back up mostly to hide her grin behind and taking a sip while he began to talk. She Was in very good spirits, now that the weight of her question was gone. After her finished she decided to add in “  Well luckily you have a very beautiful, captivating investigator at your fingertips,  that has been known to look into a few things like this” She teased playfully before their dinners came.

They smelled and looks Fantastic, something that would undoubtedly burn a hole in her wallet, but she was willing to trade this off, after all this was working out to be one of the best nights of her life.  Silence fell onto them both for a few seconds. Noyiah would unwrap her cutlery and place the white cloth over her lap, before going back to retrieve her fork.  She would take it up with her right hand. Her left hand resting on her lap.  Kazimir dug into his dinner, and asked how she liked the knights.  She thought for a instant, it really had been interesting, different than what she had thought but not too bad. “ Its been stimulating, I never run out of the endless paperwork, and training has been going over well. “she said before taking a bite of the rice. “Besides I’m familiar with the forms and I haven’t had too many issues, thought I haven’t really been sent out on a mission yet. Just causal duties, like patrol, prisoners and book-keeping “ she said after chewing her forkful and swallowing it. “besides my rope burn is gone, the magic of medical and Hand Lotion” She joked with a smirk and a slight laugh before taking her left hand and showing him her palm. A Small light line still rested in her palm, but it was extremely faint and no longer had a texture, after he looked at her hand she would use it to get her wine again taking a mouthful.

"Hm, I think they do, but then again I don't know if it would be that great of a location," he sipped his water, "What do you want in a home,"he asked knowing that she probably had some ideas already. And that she was probably the one who would decide most of the decorations and layout. If it was up to Kaz...well it wouldn't be very pretty. And the question served as a sneaky way for him to learn a little bit more about what she liked.

She didn't ask any more questions about his clan. Something he appreciated as it would change the mood of the date, but something that they would need to talk about sometime. Something that he wanted to share with her, if nothing else but because he wanted her to know about him. whatever there was to know. He wanted to share himself with her.

There was suddenly a shine in her eye that was more passionate than he had seen before. it reached out to him and sparked a desire dwelling within. Her hand was going to cross the table, and he could almost feel the strong electric connection that was moving with it but it had to wait. Even though their hands didn't meet, her emotions found their way across the table and his eyes reflected back what she felt.

He shook his head with a smile as she signaled to the chef. She was so caring to all those around her and went out of her way to make sure they knew it. He didn't take his eyes off her even when she turned back to hide her smile behind her cup.

A small happy laugh left his lips at her playful statement that used his words against him as he had done to her in the past. "I sure do," He reached out now, not able to wait any longer. His hand gently held her forearm and stroked down it and then back up towards her wrist, where he rubbed it with his thumb a couple of times. The way she felt to his touch sent a shiver through him and a rush like he was falling. And he was falling for her.

Once the dinner arrived he moved his hand back across the table. The meal was fantastic and Kaz almost wished he had already complimented the Chef's skills. More importantly, he took in bite fulls as Noyiah talked about the knights. in-between bits and swallows, he added, "At the Page-level, unless you are traveling with a higher ranking knight it is mostly just that unfortunately. But I have a feeling you'll progress out of that fast," he grinned and was completely serious.

"I'm glad you're adjusting well," he added. It could be a tough transition at times but Noyiah was made for it and he was sure she would sore through the heights of the organization.

"I may have to look into that. Mine don't heal so cleanly," he smiled back and took her hand to look at the scar. "It was a nasty burn you had. You did really good on the exercise. Second nature to you. Your reaction time and agility were impressive." He kissed his fingers and softly pressed them on the faint scar on her hand before letting it go.

As they sipped their wine, the waiter returned, "Can I interest you in dessert when you finish your meals. We have a delightful cheesecake, chocolate cake, and tiramisu."

“ A home?” she questioned at first,  it was a good question, and she already had a flood of thoughts that made it hard to organize, some were a naive sense of what a home might be, some of it was nostalgia from when her father was still around, she took a moment to answer it, not because it was a hard question but because she was organizing what she wanted to say. “ I guess I always made do with wherever I was,  and I haven’t thought about this since I was a kid playing games with my sister.” She admitted, stalling a bit for more time to organize what she wanted to say. “ I guess I have always wanted something that felt homely, cozy, something with a woodstove and room for some pets, and kids.   I use to think I would move to the Era, strike it rich and live in a mansion” She said admitting one of her childhood underestimations for how easy life would be “ somewhere I don’t have to ever move away from, somewhere I could settle down and have a family  but also a place I can work from” Each point she made Brought forth more and more  to sift through mentally. “Somewhere I could make my own, have a garden and either be in the mountains or by the sea” She spouted off a few more. “ I guess I have not thought about this in a long time,  in short I want something homely and cozy, where we can hide from the winters cold with a book by the fire, or Sun tan in the summer’s heat” Noticing she had sort of admitting to one day wanting kids, she looked back to Kaz to see how he had taken her answer.

Noyiah enjoyed the gentle touch on her forearm, it was not quite a tickle, but it was pleasant and each time he would run his fingers back down towards her wrist she would almost shiver, she had no idea how much she enjoyed that and eventually pulled her arm away when the dinner arrived but mostly because she wasn’t sure how she felt about the trembling.

As they ate, they started to talk about the Rune knights, and Kazimir explained that until she reached higher ranks she likely wouldn’t be called out too often but Noyiah was grooming for this most of her life, even if she didn’t really realize it until later in life. “ Thankyou, it was a bit of a pipe dream, and somedays it doesn’t feel as magical as I thought it would, but I have been working closely with them for a few years and I know their paperwork, and as it turns out I’m quite a good pencil pusher” she said with a bit of a smirk between bites.

When she showed off her healing wound Kazimir kiss his fingers and run them over the scar “Vitamin E is Key for skin health” she said with a smirk and a waggle of her free hand, almost in a mocking tone, but not enough to be obvious. After ward grabbing her wine glass for a drink.

During this time the Waiter returned to check on them and see if they were going to have desert,  Noyiah’s Eyes widened a bit, she  kind of wanted some, but she knew she would struggle to eat all of her food already but her mouth betrayed her as she unknowing said “ I love tiramisu” she said before hiding behind another sip of wine.  She looked to Kazimir to judge what he might want, but would offer “ I would share a desert if you also might want some” she said sneaking it In, hoping her might say yes so that she could have a bite or two of his.  Though she would be happy to have a bite of any of the ones listed.

After the waiter would leave she would bring up something she had brought up unintentionality when she talked about what a home was to her. “ how do you feel about children?” she asked, he had taken everything else in stride, and she wasn’t even sure if a Nephilim could have children.

Kaz ate his food patiently waiting on her answer. Thoughts about what it was she could want raced through his mind. He had snuck in the phrasing 'home' instead of 'house' and she caught on to it immediately. What she said next only made him think about what Noyiah was like as a child. What bound did she have with her sister?

The conversation did bring a smirk to his face, "and here I thought you already had things mapped out for what the home would look like. Seems you're a bit of a free spirit too," he joked with her.

He listened intently to each word she said. "Homely and cozy...I like the sound of that." She went on to mention spending winters together by the fire and he smiled again knowing that she intended to be with him for a long while it seemed.

"Well I think we can still have a mansion. That sounds like a lovely set of things. Somewhere to settle down," he said the last part wistfully. He hadn't really thought of anything like settling down at a place. It wasn't something that he had thought about avidly for awhile. Mostly because he was so caught up in other things. But it was certainly a topic he didn't appear to shy away from. He sat curious about his own thoughts and what Noyiah felt, but she was making it more and more clear.

"Holding you by a fire on a winter's night is something I'd look forward too," he then gave a lopsided smile, "I don't know how well I tan though." he did catch the statement about kids but he remained unphased. It wasn't a thought that crossed his mind before, with how dangerous his lifestyle had been the past few years. But it was something he considered in the past and once he settled down...

Their conversation was halted as dinner came and they didn't have the chance to expand on the idea of living together and a family. They shifted towards work as they ate. He laughed as she complimented her natural talent for dealing with paperwork. "Well don't worry, it does get a lot more magical. I plan on taking you on some grand adventures. Although it does get a bit dangerous, but I' sure you can handle it. Just don't blame me for being too worried about you," he added with a small jest, but his concern for her future endeavors was real. A feeling that came innately with caring about someone.

At her quick comment about vitamin E, Kaz leaned back in a false cocky way, "Let's just call it an ancient Sinesse remedy."He was clearly joking especially because he had already admitted to not knowing much about that culture.

Kaz rose an eyebrow, seeing her expression brighten at the mention of one dessert in particular. "We'll have a tiramisu shared between the two of us," he told the waiter and then took a bite of his food. he quickly swallowed that bite of food, "A whole dessert is probably too much for me too."

The waiter nodded, "Excellent choice," and went off to put in the order. Once the waiter left Noyiah brought back up the same thing she mentioned before. The topic of children.

Kaz sat up straight in his seat and then rest his arms on the table to lean forward a little. His expression was calm and compassionate but there was a seriousness in it. "It has been a long time since I've given it any thought. Mostly because my life hasn't been calm enough to give it some thought. But, I like the idea of having a family one day. I was adopted so I never really had that kind of experience." He started with a content gaze but slowly a faint concern appeared in his eye, "But, if we are going to move in together and take things more serious then there is something I have to do. A small trip to take care of things with my clan. I'd hate for that to come back on you somehow," he spoke of it like it was just another errand but except for his concern for her.

After they finished that talk if she had questions, his eyes abruptly widened, "Oh yeah. I'm not sure if I can have kids," he leaned looked up to the left and thought. "And if I could, what would they be? Would they have wings?"

“ its not about how well you tan, its about showing people you have the free time to try “ She joked poking her tongue out of her mouth for a second. She enjoyed that he liked some of her idea’s.

She would nod as he talked about the idea of leaving Era for a bit to adventure. “ I always liked adventure,  but I also like routine” she said with a smirk , it was a conundrum, She liked Safety but she liked adventure and the only way to achieve both was to either travel with Kazimir and hope he could protect her, or she could up her training and strive to be able to handle herself in most situations.  “ I think I would enjoy that, even if your worried for my well being” She spoke Casually, and was a bit curious about the Land holdings in Sin, it was not something she considered,  to her Era was the only home she had ever had, only traveling very scarcely to visit other places as a kid, but it had been so long ago she hardly Remembered those times.

When she showed her hand, and he mentioned it was a Sinesse remedy, she looked at him blankly Not understanding what he meant in the least.

When the waiter interjected with Dessert options, and Noyiah had blurted out her interest in the Tiramisu, Kaz Ordered it to share.

Noyiah placed her fork down and wiped her hands on the cloth on her lap, as Kazimir explained about him not really having an family experience, thought she imagined a clan was like a family, though she didn’t have too much experience with a clan.  “I would be up for a trip, I haven’t had a vacation. . “she paused to think for a second “  I don’t think I have ever taken a vacation actually “ Noyiah contemplated for a moment of what she would have to wrap up in order to go,  silly things like having her mail held,  talk to the Magic council about a minor personal leave and then a thought came to her. “  Maybe that might be one of those occasions we can take Iris with us for “ she suggested.

~~
If he was to mention if he could even have kids, she had already thought about it. “ We could always adopt as well,  but we will cross that bridge when we get there, I’m sure it’s a while away anyways.” She went to take a Drink of her water only to Cough and almost lose it as he casually mentioned they might have wings. After coughing and getting a few breaths she would place the glass down and look at him “wait do you have wings!?!?” she asked abruptly, she didn’t really understand what a Nephilim was, though by his explanation, he was just divinely chosen by an angel, he hadn’t mentioned that he was an angel because of it.  A thought that started to add up more and more when she considered the scars, she had seen their first night together.

She stuck her tongue out and Kaz gave a playful scowl that quickly turned to a smile. "Well, then hopefully we'll have plenty of time to lay out,"he added.

"hmm, I tough spot then," he said in a not so serious way. "I think we can manage to have adventure and keep a routine for you. I know how much you like the dishes done, after all," he teased about her need to make sure they were done each night. he could tell she like routine as she frequented the same coffee house often. "I feel like I've been traveling for so long, a bit of routine may do me some good."

She mentioned being okay with him worrying which only served to put a smile on his face, "Good. because even if you become stronger than me, I always will," he said with a light-hearted and easy-going tone.

"As far as the land in Sin is concerned. It is home to a clan I was close with. They are no more and the land has fallen to me. But," he waved his hand in front of him. "I don't mean that we should move there. I think it would be nice to have a home here and one there. Perhaps visit that one when we feel like traveling."

He leaned forward in his chair, "You've never taken a vacation?" he asked but stopped to think about his own history which was not too far off from that. "I suppose I don't really either. I think we are well overdue for one." he was speaking about it all gleefully but hadn't really explained the details of his return home.

"I think that's a great idea. There would be a moment when I'll need to deal with clan business and it will be a bit confrontational. But I can run off and take care of that quick enough,"his voice tried to still be upbeat about it but it was rough business he was speaking of and as much as he would like her by his side it was a danger he couldn't expose her too. "Having Iris come along would be nice. There is probably some rune knight business there that we can get her transferred to take of. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to speak to her again yet."

He wouldn't be hesitant to answer any questions about it. It was a topic he had come to terms with and it wouldn't ruin his mood. But that was only if Noyiah felt the need to inquire about something personal or if she'd save it for after dinner. "But once my work is done, we can get back to the relaxing vacation. perhaps to a hot spring," he tilted his head with a smile before taking the final large bite of his meal.

"Adoption is something I could do. Do you always have a backup plan?" he asked but felt like he already knew the answer and asked in jest. "But whether or not I could have kids never really occurred to me till now. But yeah, we do have a bit of time before that," he was surprised at how easy it was for him to talk to her about all these important conversations from having a home together to starting a family. It was all so effortless.

Kaz's eyes got wide as Noyiah coughed up her water. He immediately scoured the table and grabbed up two handfuls of napkins. He reached the napkins out to her "NOYIAH, You okay?" he asked, holding the napkins across the table in front of her, ready to hand them off or catch spewed out water.

When she finally spoke, his arms relaxed and laid across the table while he let out a short nervous laugh, "Oh yeah. I suppose the cats out of the bag now. I was going to surprise you. That was my first thought on how to get here, but with your dress, it wouldn't have gone so well."

He recomposed himself on his side, "but yeah, hehe, I do have wings," one hand went to rub his opposite shoulder. "But not in a typical way. I can conjure wings of light when I tap into my divinity. So they aren't actually a physical part of me, in a way," with that explanation it was probably clear that the scars weren't related oddly enough.

"I can show you when we go outside. They are a bit large for inside, and I don't want to cause a scene or knock something over," he just finished his sentence as the tiramisu arrived. The delicious smell drifted into their noses. It was mouth-watering. Kaz lifted his fork and nodded for Noyiah to take the first bite.

“ I think we could manage that” Noyiah said about managing Routine and Adventure, Though he teased her a bit about her compulsive need to make sure her dishes were done before she went to bed, it didn’t bother her though, she smiled having a bit of fun with it.

“ to my understanding you have quite a Lead on me, so I wouldn’t worry about me Sneak past you” She reasoned, though she knew he was capable of quite strong magic, Noyiah was preceptive, and that can go a farther distance then just blowing everything away, or at least to her it felt like it would “but I suppose I should be  happy to have such a handsome Protector” She teased to see if she could get a blush from him, seeing as she had been blushing most of the evening it only seemed fair.

“ Like a Cottage?” she asked, she was smart enough to pick up his Intentional burying the lead, the real questions about his clan were not something Noyiah was going to Attempt to get answers for, respecting his privacy, it was from a life she didn’t know him through, and it wouldn’t be fair to dredge up his past. Not to mention the potential to ruin the evening giving that she had known he had to hunt down some of his clan.  She had a feeling that it would run along the same kind of theme, which would bring a damper to their date. Instead she just listened and kept her questions to herself.

Noyiah would shake her head softly when Kaz restated that she hadn’t been on vacation before, but then he rationalized that he also likely hadn’t been on one, this brought a smirk to her lips. “its not easy to just stop doing what you strive to do every day” she rationalized.

“While you do your Business with your clan arrangements, I can make us a picnic, and set up for a day of Relaxation, maybe have a fire for real Smores” She mentioned trying to keep a Straight face, but eventually Broke into a smile. “I’m sure Iris would appreciate the time out, I managed to get some time with her the day before our Training session, the morning I was gone before you got up. I brought her some pancakes, I felt it was suiting, she’s starting to warm up to me, but she is skeptical of any sort of kindness shown towards her” She said getting a little quieter towards the end of her sentence, it was quite Tragic what happened, though Noyiah still wasn’t convinced she was capable of Stealing the Royal Jewels, she also didn’t Know Iris well enough to say that without a doubt she was innocent. There was a lot of things she didn’t know about Iris and she wasn’t the most forthcoming with answers.

“ is Sin Known for its hot springs?” She asked having only a Rudimentary understanding of what the land of sin consisted of, it felt small and she had an image in her imagination of a Small island With mountains to north, Tropical Beaches all around and jungles thick with vegetation, White Sand lining the coast, where the sun was warm all day. She knew it wasn’t likely like that at all, but it was the mental picture she conjured the more Kazimir explained about the place.

Noyiah took a few more bites of her meal in between the discussion, when he asked about her backup plan about kids she Simply Shrugged and said, “yeah and Back up for backup plans   The next  one is, Cats maybe a dog?” she said nonchalantly, it really didn’t concern her either way, so far as long as Kazimir Was in that future she would be happy. “or maybe we Find Griffon a Mate and we have Little Griffon Pups? . . .Hatchlings? . . .Squabs? . . . . Cubs?” she questioned the Terminology a few times before giving up, her point was valid enough without the politicly correct term.

After she took a Drink she coughed, but she managed to not Spit water everywhere, but it didn’t feel so nice, when Kaz offered out napkins, she would wipe her mouth, then her Nose before lastly wiping her chin to make sure there wasn’t anything sitting there. “I’m good thanks “she said weakly as soon as she was able. “just didn’t really think about the implication that came with being superhuman, though I likely should have known better” she didn’t seem upset, just have been caught off guard mid drink.

Noyiah listened to him talk about how his wings functioned, and after he mentioned they were made for light she seemed confused for a second as she added up her ~facts~  but she dismissed it, and decided to try and not to Muddy it all up with logic,  Magic Tended to be an exception to the rules of logic. Taking it at face value she nodded and smiled “I would love to see them some time, they sound beautiful, but you don’t need to show them off for me” She declared reaching her hand back out for him to hold while they placed the desert down.

He offered her out the first bite. Taking her right hand, she wiped her fork off on a napkin and then took a small forkful of the tiramisu, she brought it up and offered the forkful out to Kazimir instead, “I’ll have some after I’m done my dinner, besides if we don’t uphold the rules who would? “she teased, she didn’t have too much left on her plate, but she seemed to be more engrossed with the conversations and being around Kazimir rather than the delicious food.  After he took the bite she would bring her fork back and wipe it off again and then continue to eat her dinner.  If he didn’t take the bite she would hold the fork around mouth level and give him increasingly more questioning looks until he finally broke down and took the bite.

He was glad that she took his teasing well. Her need to clean them was one of the many quirks that he liked about her. With her comment about him having a lead on her, he slightly turned his eyes away with a grin. It was a nice compliment that she appreciated his abilities but he was too modest to take it completely, "We are both strong in different ways."

It hit him even harder with her follow-up compliment that brought a bit of a red hue to his face for the first time tonight. Only this time he didn't look away, un-embarrassed about how it made him feel. "I have something worth protecting," he added. She was getting pretty good at making him feel surprised, elated and flattered at once.

"Multiples of cottages. It's a small village in the forests. I think you'd like it. There is a waterfall that runs next to it and a lake. You can see a decent view of the land." He left it at that and Noyiah listened without asking questions. probably for the best considering the topic. It was nice that she didn't seem to judge him for it or pry but he did want to share it at some point. One where they weren't just trying to enjoy a delightful meal together.

"Yeah. I suppose we just get too caught up in our own work. A vacation would be great. Time to really unwind. Something we could probably both use. We can go anywhere. Maybe stop at a few places on the way to sin. Really make a trip out of it."The more he spoke the more excited he became about the idea of the trip.

He didn't hold back the smile that took over his face. There was an easiness and appreciation in his eyes. She didn't worry about what he had to do and would be waiting and ready for him. That level of kindness penetrated his heart. "That would be beautiful. I'll be sure to get back to you as soon as I can. Wouldn't want to miss out on any of the food."

Talking about Iris was a tricky matter. The young girl had a lot going against her in life and there was a lot of mystery still surrounding her. "That's nice that you got to spend some time with her. She could certainly use a friend. I may be getting promoted soon and have thought about officially forming a team and having Iris on it." He didn't mention Noyiah on the team because he assumed she already knew that she would be.

"I don't know if they are popular all over Sin," he rubbed his chin with a quizzical look. They were answers that he didn't have given the few amounts of times he had actually gone into the culture. "But there is one near my village. The village is nestled in a forest, surrounded by trees that brush across the sky. Branches thick enough to run on."

"Oh, more pets huh," he said raising his eyebrows quickly and lowering them back. It just made him think about a home with cats and dogs running about and a griffon trying not to eat them. But the thought made him smile at how whimsical that may make their lives.

Kaz shrugged and let out a laugh while he put his fork down, "You know. I don't have the slightest idea. What their offspring are called." It was one of the many things that had slipped his mind. He wasn't much on research and just dove in and went with things.

With a smile still on his face, he waited for her to regain composure. He set the napkins on her side of the table with a cheeky grin. "It probably something pretty knew," Kaz looked at his own hands and thought about his transformation, "Really I don't know how much of my physiology is different, he brought his eyes back to her, "But I still feel pretty human," he shrugged and tilted his head, "Well except for the wings and the glowing eyes of course." He spoke about it like it was just any other casual conversation.

He happily reached back out to interlace his fingers with hers as they held hands on the table. "Yeah I'll show them to you. I don't really know how they work either because they are made of light and they do flap to move me through the air and I can feel them...kinda. It's weird," he chuckled at the end. He wasn't sure how to explain it and didn't understand it completely himself.

He cocked a brow, "Well dessert after dinner sounds like a rule that Isn't for me," he teased back. When she extended the for to him, a look of surprise washed over his face. He expected the bite to be for her. He gestured for her to take it but she just stared at him questioningly. He moved his hand to take it from her and she continued her questioning stare.

Finally, he smiled and breathed out from his nose. He opened his mouth wide and moved at the tiramisu slowly but once his mouth was in position he closed down fast and stared at Noyiah with a grin. if she pulled the fork away he would clinch it between his teeth trapping it for a moment. Only until her next tug and he would let it slowly slip out.

"Thanks," he said with his mouth full and pushing the food to the side. He quickly swallowed it. "oops sorry," he swallowed again for good measure. "It was good."

Noyiah nodded when he said they were strong in different ways, it was nice to say but Noyiah knew that she had a long way to go still, but it was nice of him to try and play it off like she was already strong.

This time she was ready, after she called him a handsome protector, she suspected he would try to compliment her back, but his comment wasn’t as literal as she thought it would have been, in fact it was quite wholesome and touching, she would smile softly knowing her plan to make him blush worked.

She continued to work at her dinner as he discussed how the cottages worked, that he’d hate to miss a picnic with smores. She didn’t really have anything more to add to the topic without prying too personally in to what she was already silently swore she wouldn’t get into. Though she smiled at his excitedness for his to wrap up the matters and for the possibility of a vacation.

Noyiah smirked at his comment, she had gotten to spend a bit of time with iris, but it wasn’t the best encounter and it hadn’t been overly successful, but she got answers to some of the questions she had, though she urged Kaz and her to never try to help her, that she wasn’t worth it and they would all fail together if together. The saddest part of it all was that she truly seemed to believe that.  Noyiah nodded softly when he mentioned a team. She didn’t know all the ins and outs of what the team would do for iris but if Kazimir was planning on doing this, it would likely not be for nothing, iris would get to benefit from it somehow and she would just trust him to do what he planned.  “ it’s nice that your efforts are getting recognized  ” she said smiling at him before taking a sip of wine.

With a little more information being offered up to her about sin, she had a little more information to formulate questions that weren’t to invasive, she asked about the hot springs, and his answer was quite satisfying, not one of the things he mentioned seemed bad, it almost seemed like a paradise of sorts.

When she answered his question about back up plans that her pertained to children and slowly turned to back up plans of adopting, and then reaching a multitude of pets, and slowly shifted down to raising griffons.  It was an interesting train of thought, but he teased her and she smiled and shrugged again innocently.  Kaz admitted after that he didn’t have a clue what a baby griffon was called, but Noyiah was already planning to investigate griffons more, she intended to befriend Kaz’s friend.

After she cleaned up her mess of coughing and regained her composure, she had thanked him, and he went on to talk about the wings she had questioned he explained them a bit, and Noyiah listened to him speak about them, she didn’t have anything in her life that was remotely comparable to them.  The desert arrived at this time and Kazimir held her left hand softly onto of the table.

She had explained that she was going to eat her dinner first but carved him a piece off with her own fork, she offered it out, which he looked blankly at her until she shifted her eyebrow higher.   He went to grab the fork and she would shuffle it to the side a bit and raise her left eye brow as high as she could. He broken down just in time as she reached her capacity for questioning glances. She slowly tried to retreat the fork back to her side of the table but was stopped as the fork clench between Kazimir’s teeth.  She gave him another questioning glance, but his playfulness broke her first as she smiled and let the fork go.  Resting her right elbow on the table she leaned her chin onto its wrist which tucked under her jaw. She would smile and reply with “ i know your game, and it won’t work, you can’t keep at the utensils for every eventually you’ll have to share the tiramisu with me” she said as seriously as possible, but her face would tell him easily she was teasing.  She would unlink her left hand with him and give to top of his hand a pat, before using it to get her wine, and finish off the glass.

Moving her chin off her arm she reached for the bottle of wine, where she would fill her glass back to half, and would top off Kazimir’s glass as well.  Placing the bottle down out of the way she would offer her hand out for the fork. And if he refused, she would snap her fingers with her right hand and attempt to snag his unmanned fork with her left, a classic misdirection

She carefully tucked her chin in her hand and looked at him first questioning and then with a smile. She let go of the fork and Kaz gave a smirk with the utensil still in his mouth. A declaration of his victory but she could see it was all just an innocent game and an attempt to get her to smile. Although he didn't know what to expect in what her reaction would be.

His eye shifted towards the tiramisu with the thought of teasing her a bit more by taking another bite but it was only an empty threat and he made no real move towards it. Instead, he just gave a lopsided smile with the fork still in his mouth.

"Game...what game," he replied with a mumbled voice as the fork bobbed on his lips and against the inside of his mouth. She had given up too easily and he didn't trust it as she filled his glass with wine but he nodded in appreciation. He took the fork out of his mouth and wiped it on the napkin as she reached out for it. It moved closer to her hand but then veered down slowly towards the tiramisu. Before the fork could arrive she snapped her fingers taking Kaz's attention away and before he knew it she held his fork now.

He gave a playful scowl at her trick that turned into a smile, "I'm gonna have to keep an eye on you,"he joked and waited for her to enjoy her meal or the tiramisu with her new fork.

"So Noyiah. I feel like I've talked about myself a lot. You know almost all there is worth knowing. But there's still a lot about you I want to know more about. I know about who you are now, and where you want to go. But I don't really know where it is you came from?" It could be taken literal or with a deeper meaning. But Kaz meant it in a deeper way. To know what made her who she was, and who was she before. Given that they had talked about living together and children, this seemed like a conversation they should have had before. All the more reasons he enjoyed her company. Who knows where their talks would lead them.

The Misdirection worked wonders as she held his fork, a Smirk rose to her lips as she cockily wiped the fork off, proud of herself, as he mentioned having to keep and eye on her, it was a compliment of sorts “ Luckily I’m reasonable, and I propose a Trade, what do you say “ she asked offering her Newly Stolen fork out in one hand and  held her other hand out for the exchange.

Once their Silly game was finished, she would get asked a question about her past, something she didn’t often talk about, something she left rather vague for the most part, mostly because she didn’t feel it was ever worth mentioning, it was rather quiet and nothing too horrible happened to her. Part of her wanted to keep her past to herself, after all there wasn’t much to tell, at least to her. “ Well you see at the beginning of time.” She stopped holding a Smirk to see how long it would take him to see she was pulling his leg.

After he clued in or enough time passed, she would take the last bite of her dinner, swallow it and clear her throat. “I don’t really even know where to start. I’m not as interesting as I might have lead you into believe, I grew up with my sister and my mother, my father wasn’t around a lot, and when he finally did stay around he was quite sick.” She left out the single most Traumatic moment in her life, but definitely thought about it. “ We never really Left Era, my mother stayed at home until my father passed away where we move to another part of Era, where we stayed with her mother,  My sister left to pursue Magic and I was left in limbo,  I made the most I could for myself and never really stopped to look back.” She tried to hide her discomfort with the topic, it wasn’t fair to leave him in the dark about who she was or where she had come from, and she did he best to tell him without ruining the evening.

“I’m sorry I’m just not that interesting.” She said with a shrug, before wiping her mouth with a napkin, and taking another sip of wine, she felt warm, though she wasn’t sure if it was because of her nerves or if it was because of the alcohol. “Besides, someone’s past is behind them, and id prefer to move forwards and not look back.

"fair enough. I suppose I've been silly enough," he replied with his own cocky grin. But tonight was meant to be one of romance and not just whimsey.

He wiped off her fork and placed the handle back in her hand and took his own. "One of us has to be the reasonable one," he added with a smile.

As the game had finished and Kaz asked his question he waited for her reply. Noyiah began to speak as Kaz finished the last bites of his meal. Her response got almost an immediate eyebrow raise from the wind mage. He set his fork down, leaned back and crossed his arms, "The beginning of time huh? We may need a few more dinners for that one," he broke into a small smile.

As she began to speak in earnest, he uncrossed his arms and leaned forward. His arms rested on the table. She she said she was not that interesting it was easy to see the luck of disagreement on his face.

He listened intently and a look of compassion flashed across his face when she brought up her father's sickness but he didn't ask about it. If she wanted to speak on it then he would be there for her.

He knew some of her past already and about her sister but not anything about what she was like as a child or her home life. Topics she still seemed to keep vague or felt weren't interesting but it kept Kaz's attention the whole time.

It was a tough life to make the best of what she had after feeling like she was in a sort of limbo. but he hoped she knew how far she had come.

Once she finished, Kaz scooted forward in his seat. Her wine glass touched the table after her sip and Kaz reached out to her. His hand brushed Noyiah's bangs to the side and his hand moved down to gently caress her cheek.

"Noyiah. Don't ever think anything about you isn't interesting to me. I ask because who you are in the present is interesting. You've captivated me already. Anything about you is something I find interesting. I just like learning more about you. Our pasts define us but you're right that moving forward is the way to live. And I look forward most to moving forward through life with you. The most interesting woman I know. "

He leaned halfway across the table and would gently pull her closer to him to give her a kiss if she let him.

Once the kiss was done or she turned the kiss away he would say, "Who you are is why I didn't have a second of doubt about finding a place to live with you. And if you don't want to talk about your past that's fine. There are things I don't like to talk about either. But I'll be here any time you want," he smiled back at her.

Picking up on the fact that her past was not something she wanted to talk about, he wouldn't ask her any more about it. It made him think about his own life and what it took for him to decide to move forward.

Noyiah Looks at him as he clenched the fork in his mouth and spoke, he seemed to come to his senses but Noyiah was Skeptical ready to play with the situation further, but he cooperated, they exchanged forks, Despite Noyiah’s Initial Thought of Swiping them both for herself, if only to continue to tease him.  But they were being civil now.

Though her first potion of her answer to his question about herself was playful and more tongue and cheek.  But she eventually said a bit more, it was not something she particularly enjoyed. But when she finished with what she thought would be an adequate amount, Kazimir encouraged her more and told her that she was a very interesting person. There was a Mixed Feeling of both shame and she knew her answer was lackluster.

After Kazimir Lean across to kiss her, his hand guiding her to him gently, it made her feel little better, though she understood how unfair it was to him, he had asked so little, and she always had questions for him.  She Returned the affection giving him a kiss.  After she returned to her side of the table, she drew her fork back in her hand, taking a small Corner piece of the Tiramisu, as he tried to comfort her.

She took the bite and nodded, it was nice that he was so very understanding, but it wasn’t right, she would think about what she wanted to say a bit more as she tasted the dessert.  “It’s quite good” she said quietly wiping her lip with her thumb and popping the bit of frosting that was stuck there into her mouth. Placing the fork down she looks over to Kazimir, and smiled “I’m sorry, it’s difficult to talk about sometimes, but you deserve to know anything you want.  So, lets walk home and ill fill you in on anything you want to know. “She offered, but here wasn’t the place she wanted talk about anything.  She was quite Vague in her descriptions because she didn’t like when people felt bad for her, nor did she enjoy feeling Venerable but for Kazimir She would lay everything out.

Noyiah glanced about the room, before she would shuffle out of her seat. “I’m going to use the restroom, feel free to finish the Tiramisu “she flashed a smile, before picking up her bag and heading towards the bathroom, though if she was watched it would be quite clear she just went directly to the front desk and paid for dinner, before heading to the bathroom.  She wanted to avoid any chance that Kazimir Might get the bill, because she had a feeling, he would gladly pay for it. Though true to her word she went to the bathroom, she would change from her dress, despite how nice it was, she knew the sun going down meant it would get quite cold and she was prepared.

When Noyiah Returned she would have the rose in her hair still, but she wore her coat over her dress, and the leggings under her dress. When she returned, she gave a slight smirk, before shuffling back into her seat. She took a Drink of her wine and look at Kazimir and how far he was on the food he had left, once he was done, she would finish off the last sip of her wine.  She was ready to leave whenever he was done. “Thank you for having this dinner with me, it meant a great deal to me” she said softly, an endearing look resting on her face.

"it is," he answered about the taste of the tiramisu, agreeing with her. He didn't want her to feel bad, or change the vibe of the same but she seemed a bit take back by the topic. All things came in time, he reminded himself. He didn't want her to feel any uncertain way, and let her think for a moment.

"It's okay, really. I plan on being in your life for awhile. We have plenty of time to talk about those things," he pat her free hand with his. A feeling of similarity in his eyes about his own information he held back. "there are also things in my past that are difficult to talk about. When we're both ready we can talk about all that."

He brought his hand back and grinned wide trying to veer the conversation to something less serious and towards his goal. "Besides, when I mean about your history, im really curious to know about your beginning as an investigator. I'm sure there are some great stories from starting out. I know I was a mess when I first started with the knights." it was a question he was genuinely interested in and also one that was hopefully more pleasant to talk about.

"You sure you only want two bites," he questioned with a sly grin, remembering how much she had liked it when they ordered it. As she left Kaz did glance over her way to steal another look of her in the dress and the elegance she had in crossing the room. He shook his head with a smile when he caught her paying for the meal. As sneaky as ever.

Once she was gone Kaz waved the chef over.

"Yes sir, can I help you?"

Kaz leaned forward. His hand held the lip of the lease that separates them. "uhm...yeah. Is tiramisu hard to make? And can I have a box for this?"

The chef stood proud and knew exactly what was going on. He gave a small self indulgent chuckle and put up a finger telling Kaz to wait. "I have just the thing," the chef said as he walked off and dried his hands leisurely.

Kaz kept looking back to see if Noyiah was returning. The chef knocked on the ledge just as Noyiah appeared from the bathroom. "Here. This should do the trick. A generally recipe," the chef said as he slid the paper  and the box across the counter. Kaz palmed it in his hand and whispered, Thank you.

He slipped the note into his pocket and wasn't sure if Noyiah had seen or not. Although he wouldn't doubt she did given her skills. He tried to get the paper in his pocket quickly and flipped open the lid to the box to place the tiramisu inside. As she sat down he took one more quick bite of the tiramisu and closed the lid

"I could hardly finish all this myself," he said with a smile.he finished off the rest of his wine as well. It gave him a rush of warmth that he wasn't completely uses to, but it didn't bother him.

"It meant a lot to me as well. And so do you," he stood up and put his jacket on and then the scarf she picked out for him. He extended his arm for her to take.

"Shall we. Hopefully it's not too cold. And I can't wait to hear some more about your investigations and of course...what I assume was the purpose of this dinner. To talk about what our future house or apartment will be like." He happily awaited for her and if she took his arm they could begin the walk towards the door.

The night was still young and the dinner had been amazing. What would await them outside was a festival of lights as the sun had set.

Noyiah nodded as she got up “yeah I’m quite full” she would say before parting to pay the bill and get ready for the cold.

When Noyiah returned she combed her bangs with her finger nails, pulling them behind her ear, as Kazimir pocketed the note, Noyiah was none the wiser when she reclaimed her seat.  She looked at Kazimir and then the box he had, as he commented about, he barely could finish it either.  Noyiah took a measuring glance  at the bottle they had, she assessed it as she reaches to lift it up, there was still close to half a bottle left, apparently she had wanted less then she thought she would but she was already devising a plan, knowing normally you’re not allowed to bring a bottle out into the streets.

Noyiah scanned the room, before she moved the bottle closer to the edge of the table. Before telling Kazimir how appreciative she was that he wanted to be here with her, and he returned her comment back with a little extra charm, which made her feel a little warmer, she held a smile as she stood up and got ready with him. As he put his jacket back on, she stretched and cracked her back rolling her shoulders up and then pushing her chest out quickly.  Before turning back and placing the white cloth she had on her lap onto the table, and then grabbing her satchel again, this time she opened it up and asked “would you like me to put your left overs in here?” If he wanted to she would arrange it into her bag with some of her case files, a pair of mittens and a few other assorted things like pens, markers and some makeup. If not, she would just close the bag and slide it to her shoulder.

She picked up the bottle and looked at Kazimir and then asked, “did you want to sneak this out for the walk?” She asked with a smile that turned quickly to a mischievous grin.  She already had a backup plan, for if he said no.   If he did decline, she would walk past a table and place it down, a table had a young couple at it and she would just say ~enjoy~ and head out with Kazimir, if he did want more, she had her ways of sneaking it out.

Either way she would rejoin Kazimir locking her arm around his, he felt far warmer to the touch then she, and as they made it to the door a shiver would run down Noyiah’s back because of the sudden bit of cold that rushed in as they exited.

The winter night was upon them, the sun had freshly set, and a soft quiet filled most of the area around aside from the muffled music from inside and the people softly talking as they waited for a table.   A clear night let the moon shine out on small patches of snow that had fallen while they were inside, none of which stayed on the warm paths but hung to tree branches so delicately. Noyiah would snuggle in a little closer as she felt a second chill.

As they started to walk Noyiah would begin mentally preparing for what she wanted to say. “I guess I always wanted to debunk mysteries, but instead of sciences, I liked the idea of magic, something about it was so alluring, the idea of anyone have such a power was so fascinating.  I gave up my hopes of becoming a mage when I was younger, my sister found out quite early she was magickly positive and I knew the odds that we both had magic was so low, it was practically impossible.” Noyiah looked over to see how Kazimir was taking it before she continued to talk as she directed them towards the park they had spent the first day together talking and eating pancakes.

“I went to school and never really struggled with it, I read a lot about psychology and sociology, I read books about the mysteries of the world. But I never quite got out there and did it myself you know.   So, when I turned eighteen, I moved out, my sister had already gone to be mentored under a wizard in Hargeon.   So, I got myself an apartment with a roommate, her name is Maisy, and when I failed to find a job right away, she offered to let me manage her paperwork.   From there I helped Maisy out with her investigations, after a while a handle on things myself and started offering my opinions and worked my way to partner of the business working everyday with her and studying about magic in the evenings.” Noyiah took a look at the fountain they had been near the first day they met, the water was dried up, likely turned off due to the cold.  She took a deep breath and continued a bit more “after I made partner I worked closely with Maisy for a little while, and I found myself in awe with how great she was at her job, how much I admired her and found it hard to separate my feelings for her from work.   But long story short, I moved out and got an era investigation license, and I took the cases she declined or wanted help with.  Luckily, we stayed friends and she mentored me in how to set it up.  But now that I am working with the rune knights, I haven’t had a lot of free time to talk to her.”  Noyiah glanced back over to Kazimir to see what he thought about it, she hadn’t really given him too much time to talk while she raffled off more and more.

"Oh, yes. Thanks," he replied as he placed the box in her bag, careful not to bump anything inside and to position it in a way which it wouldn't pop open. "We can split the rest of it later," he added, letting her know he did not intend to eat all that sweetness himself. He casually took a glance at the contents of her purse. All the things that he would have assumed inside.

He didn't pay any mind to the bottle that she moved to the end of the table. Not until a mischievous grin came upon her face as she spoke about sneaking it out. A small glimpse into the rebellious side of her. He stepped close to fix her jacket to disguise his next words, "You are full of surprises. That sounds good...but how?" A look of intrigue appeared on his face. whatever she was plotting he would go along with it and cover her if need be. It was something small but exciting. Kaz had rarely been a part of innocent mischief like this.

Once they made it to the door, Kaz would look relieved that they got away with the bottle. He glanced over his shoulder for one last check if they were followed. But all was well as far as he could see. As soon as they breached the doorway to the outside he felt Noyiah's brief shiver and pulled her closer to him for warmth.

The street lights gleamed off the lightly frosted tree leaves. A second chill caused Noyiah to snuggle closer and Kaz unhooked their arms and slid his arm around her shoulders, so she could be as close to him as she desired. He invited her in with a soft squeeze on her arm that led to a side hug while they walked.

Kaz rose his brows when she began speaking about her past. He had expected her to leave it where it was earlier but he was happy she felt comfortable enough to tell him about it. He listened intently to the story. Most of it did not come as a surprise to him at first. Some of the details were mentioned before but only in passing words. It looked like her words made Kaz ponder. He didn't know the thoughts behind magic and hereditary circumstances nor how rare it would be for two children to have it. "Magic does contain a lot of mysteries. In my case, it wasn't hereditary. All the people in my clan and the neighboring one were gifted magic by a guardian spirit," he said if nothing else but the hopes that the little bit of knowledge would aid in her understanding and research on magic and how it worked. Although it would also imply that she could potentially have the ability to learn magic, that's something that Kaz wouldn't outright say.

Kaz looked around to notice the familiar direction they were walking in. it didn't hit him until they were back in the park by the now dried up fountain. He smiled as she had chosen an appropriate place for their moonlit walk. He continued to listen about the trail that led her to this moment. About Maisy and the investigation business. "Sounds like you had made a good friend. Must have kept you busy to balance study and work like that?"

He caught the faint hint of something when she mentioned separating feelings from work. He rubbed her shoulder with his hand, knowing that all this was probably difficult to talk about. "That is indeed an interesting tale. I'm sorry you and Maisy have drifted apart recently. It is worth admiring that you took what she taught you and founded your own path with it. Created your own business." Kaz felt there was something more to the Maisy story but all that was personal details that he wouldn't pry on. Whatever feelings Noyiah and Maisy shared was between them and in a time before Kaz.

"It must have been tough to make that leap," Kaz said as he turned to sit on the bench they met at, and gestured for her to snuggle up next to him. Unlike the first time they were here, there were no others were in the park this cold and brisk night. "How do you feel about all of that now?"

Noyiah would smile as he mentioned they could share it later as he packed it carful into her bag, after which she would slide the bag onto her shoulder.  

After she asked about the wine, he seemed surprised, and stepped a bit closer to talk to her,  after asking she would simply smile and say “ a magician never reveals her secrets.” With that she was in motion, scooping the bottle up she turned the corner towards the bathroom, where she had gone past before.  She leaned against the counter and talked to the receptionist for a second, when she pointed out the bathroom. The receptionist seemed to nod and head towards the back.  She would  immediately take the candle they had lit,  Placing the end that wasn’t lit into the top of the bottle she quickly lifted up into view she twisted it and broke the bottom of the candle stick off creating a seal before  using the other candle to melt the broken bottom, where she stuck it back onto its stand using the heat to reseal it to the candlestick. Giving it a quick tip upside down to see if it would leak, after it passed the test, she would pop the bottle into her bag.    After which the receptionist returned and gave her a paper bag.  She would thank him, and then rejoin Kazimir linking arms with him and head out, a successful heist.

After they started walking Noyiah started to explain a bit about how she started into the investigations, and she had gotten to nuzzle in a bit closer for warmth.  

After she paused to see what he thought about her first piece, he mentioned that his magic was gifted to him like all of his clan.   Something that Noyiah would nod about, it was something she knew about from their first talks, and something that had filled her with hope that she could eventually find a way to harness magic of some sort.

As they made it into the park and to the fountain,  “ it was  but I don’t regret it in the least “ She said with a warm and cozy smile as she looked at Kazimir,  it  felt so right being held by Kazimir, and every decision made had led her to this moment, and for a few minutes nothing felt like it could ever go wrong.

As they got to the bench she had eat pancakes with this once stranger, they made their way to it as she continued to talk.  As Kazimir sympathized with her not getting a lot of time with Maisy, Noyiah just simply waved it off. “ It happens, life is funny that way, but I know that we are still close, even as competitors”

As they say down Kazimir mentioned how it might have been a tough leap.  a small Smirk lit Noyiah’s face up as he reused the same phrase of leaping, that she had mentioned at the start of their dinner date. “I guess you could word it that way.” She said down playing it.  Before she curled up on the bench, she pulled her feet up and leaned into Kazimir’s chest. Leaning over to open her bag and get the wine from it. She would pop the wax seal out with her thumb and pointer finger nail in a pinching motion.  Noyiah would then offer the bottle up to Kaz as she ditched the wax plug into her bag while listening to his question. “good, ultimately everything has worked out amazingly for me, I have a great job, I have decent friends not to mention remarkable sweetheart, I mean what more could I want from life” she said with a slow wave of her hand as if to motion to everything they had.    Noyiah placed her head softly to his chest and listened to his heartbeat, something that was so calming and emanated warmth.

“ I guess I haven’t really given you too much more to know.” She said softly letting the words drift into the cold night.  It was so quiet in the white lit park, the lights gleamed off the snow around, there was a stillness that Noyiah would love to keep forever.  Time seemed to stop for a few seconds as she thought of what else to mention. “ Masiy and I kept in touch after I started my business, and we exchange cases, or ask for help if one of us is stumped, but I feel like I can make my position at the Rune knights better, and I feel like I’m helping people fast then I could by myself,  and I improve every day, either mentally or physically. I really am a lucky girl” She said as she reached her cold hand up and touched Kaz’s face, leaning up too make eye contact.

He could only smile about her magician line. In a world full of magic and spellcasters it was her magician's secrets that intrigued him the most. Seeing her in action he realized how she had come so far in what she did. It was an effortless task to accomplish the mission she set out to do. While Kaz's method was just to blow things apart, her subtlety was a nice counterbalance.

She looked up at him and spoke about no regrets. The look in her eye somehow hinted that this moment was a part of the reason for that. He gave her a small squeeze and never wanted to let her go.

They sat on the bench and she didn't seem too broken up by her time away from Maisy and in fact, had accepted it as a part of the process of moving through life. "'m glad you two are still close then. Having people you know you can depend on is important in the world we live in, he said as much about her situation as he did about how he felt about her.

She snuggled up next to him on the bench, just as she had when the first sat here. It brought a feeling of warmth and comfort rushing through him. His arm wrapped around her, still holding her. he took the wine bottle she offered and eased the top off, "Using wax. You have quite a bit of talents,"he remarked about the whole bottle scenario and how crafty it was to use wax for it.

He took a small sip from the bottle and then handed it back to her. With his free arm, he wiped the moisture left behind on his lips, onto his sleeve. His heart started to beat a little faster as she placed her head on his chest. The warmth of her body spreading to him. His face once again blushed a little when she called him her sweetheart. Her hair fell across his body as it did when they slept next to one another and was just one of the many things that were small but he enjoyed.

"You've given me a lot more than you think," he responded with a warm smile. The silence in the park was calming. A small slice of a hidden winter paradise for the two of them. It was so easy for him to exist with just her around. He could lay by her side forever. There were no words between them for a moment but there didn't need to be. Kaz simply enjoyed her presence next to him.

She began to speak about her own improvement. And she was right, even in the brief amount of time she spent in the knights she fit in perfectly. He thought of a few things to say back to her but her cold hand touched his face. It sent a shiver through him, not because she was cold but because of the energy he felt between them.

He closed his eyes for a second and placed his hand on hers. "And I am a really lucky guy, Noyiah," he opened his eyes when he said her name and looked into her eyes. He wanted to say how he felt about her in a million different ways but nothing came out. Instead, he ran his hand down from her hand to her arm. Both his arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer.

He leaned closer to kiss her. Their lips almost touching as he smiled and stopped just short with a smile. A playful tease amidst the cool night air and he wondered how she would respond. He kept his eyes closed and was close enough to feel her nose against the side of his.

Noyiah nodded as Kazimir said how happy he was for her. Something that she definitely took a bit for granted.  It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate having people to Rely on, she planned and strive to not have to depend on on other people or at least to depend on people as little as possible. There was a difference with them though, at least Noyiah felt that relying on Kazimir wasn’t really the same thing, if he was as serious about their relationship as she was, to her they were a team, it was them against the world.

When she handed him the bottle and he commented about the wax she had used to seal it. “I’m resourceful if not anything” she commented very matter-of-fact-ly.  After he took a drink he handed it back to her, and Noyiah pressed her head against his chest, putting the bottle to her lips she leaned her head back slightly,  Kazimir would likely feel this as she was up against him,  taking a swig of the wine she would hold onto it for a bit until he requested more or there was a break in conversation.

His immediate Response to her about giving him more to think about made her smile wide, it seemed her efforts to open up weren’t in vain but she had already formulated what she wanted say more about, so she bestowed what she had prepared for him.

She felt the cold Thaw from her as she made eye contact, her name sounded so sweet when said by an Angel, or perhaps it was just that he seemed to understand her in a way that no one else had before. She would lean forwards closer as he seemed to be going for a kiss, her eyes closed shut as she moved for the kiss, but it never seemed to arrive. After that didn’t end in a kiss, her eyes flickered open blinking a bit in her confusion, to see him beaming a grin.   Mustering up all she could as she immediately played the pity card and looked as offended as possible. Pushing up to her feet and cross her arms, the bottle still clenched in her left hand. As she huffed misleadingly and then unable to hide it further, she smirked and looked back at him and then Retorted his little game with “Fine then no kisses for you” she said taking a swing of the wine again. If he wanted to play games, she would aspire to be the queen of these games.

Noyiah smiled and then started walking deeper into the park, looking back to see if he followed her, if he had started, she would continue her pace, if not she would turn around and Beckon him with a quick motion of her hand before proceeding into the darker side of the park.

This Section of the park was not really all that dark, as the light shined off the small amount of snow that covered the grass, but it wasn’t as lit up as the other areas they had gone to.  The path was still warm enough to keep the snow off it, but the same couldn’t be said about the tree’s that lined both sides of the path she  started down.

Kaz contibued to hold her as she took a drink of the wine. Everything about the moment felt like they had been this way with each other for far longer than they actually had. Things were just natural, and he'd want to walk through life with her for moments like this.

She was certainly right about one thing. She was indeed resoursful, he thought in agreement as he looked up into the night sky. It was only for a moment before the warmth of her presence brought his focus back fully to her and her golden hair. He kept listening to her speak until the moment they were about to kiss.

He grinned playfully at her but she met it with a stark offended look. A look that sent a panicked shiver through the wind mage. He rose his hands as she pushed away and too her feet, "Oh no, no,no. I was only..." he began to say he was just joking.An attempt to quickly clean up what may have been an error, until he saw her smirk.

It was in that moment he realized his grave mistake.She was a woman not to be triffled with. He could already see that there was no hope in beating her once she got serious. None of the years of training could prepare him to face off against Noyiah in a battle of games and quips,

"None at all," he coyly called after her. But even though he knew that she'd best him in the game, it made him fall for her even more. He stayed seated on the bench as she began to walk away, half expecting her to return. When she turned and waved for him to follow, Kaz stood, straightened his coat and trailed behind her.

She began down a darker path. The trees kept it secluded from the other places and led to an ever darkening area of the park aside from the shimmer of snow giving a gentl light to walk alongside. She looked just as beautiful with the gleam of snow dancing across her fair skin.

Kaz wandered back behind her thinking about how he'd approach her. The snow still clung to the leaves of the trees above. He dashed forward trailed by the wind. His arm scooped around her waist and he kissed the top of her shoulder. The wind blew across the branches, shaking snow crystals free and cascading around them.

He spun around her to stare into her eyes now, "Sorry. I told you at the restaurant, no more games, didn't I." He said and would pulled her closer if she let him but there was still some space between them.

His eyes flashed white and a gentle light appeared behind him. Two 3 meter long wings made of white light sprung from his back. His clothes were undamaged, seeming to materilize out of the air. "As promised. You've now seen all of me. All for you," his eyes returned normal and his wings moved to wrap around her and hovered close to her body. If she touched the wings they would feel like feathered wings but much smoother, being made of light.

His hand came to interlock his fingers with hers and his other caressed her cheek. Now he had to see if she would kiss him or if she'd get revenge on him for what did to tease her earlier.

The seer Panic on his Face as she retreated away was a clear winning point for Noyiah as she cracked a smirk, that fast turned to a smile as she started down the darker path, a Smile which only widened as he called out ~ None at all? ~.  

She Lured him into the forest covered path in their own winter wonderland, it was like they were the only two people in the entire world, the whole park seemed to be there just for them.  As Noyiah pushed on deeper into the unlit forest, she turned just as Kazimir started to pursue her.  The whoosh of wind pulled the snow from its resting places and caused them to dance about, falling again anew.

She felt Kazimir’s arms reach around her scooping her by the waist as she was Captured from behind, feeling the caress of kisses on her shoulders gave warmth to her and she felt warm all over again. She opened her mouth to make a comment, but was suddenly Spun to face Kazimir, and seduced by his charm was unable to summon the witty remark she had planned.  Suddenly she forgot everything, lost in his eyes a Smile grew wider as the longer she looks at him in the still quiet of the night air.  If possible, her smile widened further until she was almost embarrassed enough to look away. “how careless of me I must have forgot” she said in all honesty her words, trailing off a bit as she looked at him, his arms still wrapped around the small of her back, she felt him tighten up a bit.

Noyiah’s head tilted a bit as she anticipated him taking the kiss that she ran away with, but there was a glimpse of light that formulated in his eyes, which caught Noyiah off guard as she looked a bit puzzled keeping her head at a tilt.  And then suddenly in full force the entire grove where they stood, once dark from the shadows of the trees, lit up in a glorious white light, bright enough to cause Noyiah to close her eyes before forcing them open to see what had changed.   The Light softened as the form of wings held onto Kazimir’s back.  

They were truly magnificent, and Noyiah couldn’t recall the last time she had been so surprised and filled with curiosity. Her eyes lit up with a bit of excitement as she looked the wings over, almost too stunned to leave his arms she remained where she was, almost like in that moment she forgot she was able to move on her own. “ i. . im almo almost speechless” she said awestruck by the beauty of them. They truly were a sight to behold, but her gaze trailed back to his eyes as she felt his hands shift past her sides and interlock with her hand.  The other hand touched her cheek and made her instantaneously blush.  There was a magic in the air aside from Kazimirs wings and Noyiah was Surly under his captivating spell.

It was hard to find a way to breath. As she stood at the edge of the world, her eyes locked on his as she interlocked her fingers around his, her other hand moved up to his cheek, her temperature not quite on par with his.  She felt compelled to lean forward, so she did her face hovering close to his, but she didn’t quite make it all the way as she seemed to freeze up but inches from his face. A kiss ready on her lip, for when he made it connect.  Her hand the rested on his cheek would slowly move down and brace against his chest. in a moments notice she had gone from all powerful temptress to spellbound girl.

He held her in his arms, her smile sending his hear flying. Snow danced around them in a paradise for two. Their eyes locked onto each other, melting away the rest of the world. He was enthralled by everything about her, even the playfully seductive way she led him into the dark of the forest. A haven for both of them with nothing but the beating of their hearts and the gentle stillness of their breaths.

Her head tilted for a kiss but was met by a light pushing back the shadows that surrounded them. He smiled as she flinched, knowing that it wouldn't be long before the light dimmed and they could see one another clearly again. A feeling of warmth rushed through Kaz as Noyiah examined the wings. He had only come to accept them himself and it was pleasing to see she was intrigued and excited to see them, and continued to accept Kaz's less human seeming aspects.

"Sorry about that. I don't have any control over how bright they are yet,"he said softly. When she interlocked her hand with his a wide smile took his face. One that grew as she blushed when he touched her face. The energy between them was mesmerizing. One could easily find themselves swept away in it. "Me too,"he replied to her about being speechless but directed it about how he felt for her.

She leaned forward and Kaz moved his hand from her cheek towards the back of her neck. She came close, hovering just in front of his face. He had run across the winds and soared through the skies but nothing compared to this.

Her face held close to his and ready, he could feel her soft breath upon his lips. This time was different. He could feel it in the air around them. This kiss meant something more than the others they shared.

He held for the slightest second, taking in the full anticipation of the moment. She may have been spellbound by him but he was wholly and completed captivated by her the moment she turned back and waved him into the woods.

Leaning closer now, his hand tightened in hers. He kissed, once at first, soft and quick. Only pulling back to brace for the next more passionate kiss as he pulled her as close to him as was possible. His feet felt as though he was already flying. The light of the wings dimmed until they were in a singular bubble of light amidst the dark forest. The light reflected on the snowfall and shimmered around them on its way to the ground. It was even more clear to him now, just how much he cared for her.