This was it. It was time. Time for what, you may ask?

Time for Rinni's date, of course!

Yes, Rinni had a date. An actual date. Not like Ko Lesalt taking her out just cause he felt sorry for her. And not like her accepting his offer to go out as a way to apologize for throwing cabbage in his face. But an ACTUAL REAL DATE with a boy who ACTUALLY LIKED HER. And she wasn't sure yet... but she may like him to. The only question was, what would they do on their date?

Rinni was currently in her hotel room brushing her hair and tying it into a ponytail. Too much? Maybe she should just leave it straight. Or what about a braid? Braids were nice. After a million styles with trial and failure, she opted for straight with a simple ribbon for a headband, just to keep her hair out of her face.

She activated her Pocket Dimension Ring and went through a half dozen outfits before settling on winter boots, long winter pants, a sweater, and a winter coat with gloves, scarf, and earmuffs. Why did she even bother worrying about her clothes? She ended up bundling up so much that her outfit doesn't even matter anymore.

Gods, winter sucked so much.

After several hours of preparing for her first date, Rinni Faithe finally left her hotel. Outside her beautiful Tempest Wolf was waiting patiently for her arrival. She ran her hand along his jaw and snout before hugging the large wolf and climbing onto his back.

Storm Fang:

"Let's go, Stormy. We have to get to the park to meet up with Oda." She said to Storm Fang as the large wolf growled and rose to his feet.

The massive beast then headed toward the park, trotting at a fast pace through Oak City but not going at full speed so as to not hurt any pedestrians along the way. Once they reached the park, he slowed down as Rinni sniffed the air and looked around for any sign of Oda.

"Is it too much? It's too much, isn't it? Oh no..."

Oda was in a park in Oak, seated on a bench, looking himself up and down. Next to him was Mr. Madds, the yellow cat-blob, observing him as well with a furrowed brow, stubbed hand pressed against its... chin? Or an area where a chin might be? It was unclear. Regardless, Oda had called forth one of his summons to help him decide on an outfit for this day - this really important day that could very well determine his entire life from here on out, marriage and kids, good god! - and decided to go with what he was currently wearing.

The squire wore a white button-up long-sleeve shirt, black dress pants, and some light brown dress shoes. He also wore a red tie, which he felt was a bit overkill, personally. It wasn't as if he knew how formal or informal it would be, so... things just sort of played out as they did. While looking for clothes, the boy having nothing that he'd consider "date worthy", Mr. Madds would jump around and dramatically point or otherwise cross his arms with a grave expression to determine his approval on things. At first Oda had considered going with a full business suit, but was informed wordlessly, somehow, that dressing up to that extent for a literal walk in the park would be a horrible idea. But even so, even if it's like that..., Oda pondered, hand pressed to chin in mimicry of his summon doing the same.

"Even so, why do I still feel like I went too far with it?!", he exclaimed aloud with worry, weirding out a few passing citizens. Realizing this, he reeled himself in, sighing. He looked at Mr. Madds, who gave a thumbs-up with his stubbed hand morphing into a single thumb, the way only a cat-blob could do, and giving an approving wink.

"You're married, right, Madds? So I guess you would know more about women than me...", Oda began, Mr. Madds nodding with pride, knowing his worth as a wingman and as a husband. However, the summoner's expression would sour upon remembering further. "But... didn't your wife leave you? I think I remember hearing about that from Daystra. So maybe I should have just decided what to wear for myself, after all...", Oda concluded with a gloomy demeanor.

Mr. Madds' eyes would pop with sadness and tears, and he would take D-rank emotional damage from Oda's unintentional insult. The cat-blob would begin to fade away back to his world, having taken too much damage to stay nearby for now. Seeing this, the squire would quickly jolt himself to realization, waving his hands frantically. "Oh! No, no, I didn't mean to say it that way! I just meant that you kind of failed your first time around! I'm soooorry!", Oda would blurt out, delivering a second pain to Mr. Madds accidentally before the cat-blob faded away.

At that, Oda would compose himself once again, sighing. This was a good day, so he couldn't let his nerves get the best of him. At least, he hoped that's how it would go. He needed to appear strong and confident the way a man would, no matter how nervous he was underneath. It was in the middle of this that he saw out of the corner of his eye, a massive wolf. At first he turned white as a sheet, but relaxed upon seeing Rinni on top of it. So she was friends with wolves, then? Some kind of animal lover? That was always an admirable trait. If animals liked and trusted her, then that meant he could, too. His expression warmed after thinking this.

"Heeey! Rinni, over here!", he would call out while waving from the bench, though she would have been able to smell him already.

Indeed, the werewolf had caught his scent way before she even noticed him waving her down. For a split moment, she thought she smelled fear, which he quickly recovered from. She gave the large wolf beneath her a look and stroked his thick white fluffy mane of fluff. Perhaps bringing him along wasn't a good idea, as she assumed the sight of a tempest wolf frightened her date a bit. Date. Huh. It was still a weird word to process, as Ko was her first date and it wasn't even intended to be such. Whereas, this is an actual date with a boy her own age. A very cute boy at that.

Rinni realized she was blushing. As Stormfang approached the bench where Oda sat, his rider attempted to compose herself coughing awkwardly and trying to shake off the red flushing her cheeks. The massive animal hadn't even laid down so as to allow his rider to dismount safely. Instead, the girl jumped off his back landing gracefully in a squatted position with both feet and one hand on the ground as she pushed herself to her feet and approached her date. She noticed his outfit, her eyes pausing on the tie.

It seemed she wasn't the only one stressing about overdoing it. But unlike herself, who settled for minimum, it would seem Oda went a step further. Rinni put her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle as her amber eyes trailed up to examine the half-elf's facial features and expression. "Don't worry. Stormfang doesn't bite. Despite his name." She joked to break the ice. She then bit her lip with one fang and became awkwardly silent. She wasn't entirely sure what to do or talk about now. She was still fairly new to this.

She wondered if she should start off with honesty, and just get the fact she was a werewolf out of the way. Most people she had encountered recently had been quite open and accepting of her for what she was, and it was slowly making her more comfortable in her own skin. Still, he was startled by Stormy, so maybe adding the fact she was a monster wasn't a good way to start her date. Her discomfort was quite obvious as she fidgeted with the bottom of her sweater, tugging at it and twirling her foot on the ground.

She wasn't the same confident, strong, Ranger Oda had sparred with. Today he was seeing the real her. A shy, insecure, awkward teenager. Not much different than himself. And just like him, she was unsure of what to do, what to say, and more importantly where to go. "So umm... I think I saw a food vendor... if you're um.... hungry?"

"Oh! Stormfang, huh? That's a cute name. But I guess you'd be good at picking out cute names too with how you are.", Oda replied to her introduction of her mount, not realizing what he'd blabbed out before he'd already said it. He instantly mentally facepalmed, and a bead of sweat crept down the side of his cheek realizing that he'd no doubt already said something really, really stupid. That was fine! This was all fine, wasn't it? Yeeeeah, he was doing just fine.

Oh wow, this is completely the opposite of fine, what am I doing?!, he'd think to himself, drawing every beat out into an eternity, not realizing that he was looking at her with a flushed face for several seconds. Finally, upon realizing this, he would look away for a moment, and then back. "I like the outfit, by the way! It looks really good on you, and the ribbon brings out your eyes. Over in the Rune Knights, we don't get the chance to wear anything all that special while on duty, so I sort of liked the opportunity to dress up too!", he continued, a beaming smile crossing his face; he knew he had overdressed for the occasion, but after seeing her, it didn't bug him as much as he first thought. Or at least, it didn't bug him as long as it didn't bug her, and he thought that was fair.

Externally, he was doing fine. Internally, all alarms were going off and panic mode was established in his chest. His heart was beating like a drum, knowing that with his experience with women - or lack thereof - there would be no chance for success if he suddenly exploded into a nervous wreck. Thus, the only choice for now was to bottle it all up and release it in tears later when she's out of sight! Yeah, that was the way to do it. He endured this while listening to her suggest a food stand, and he had to admit to being a bit hungry, punctuated by an appropriately timed stomach growl which was, of course, the perfect cliche.

"Sure! Lead the way? I'm glad you know your way around, I'm still a bit lost in this town honestly.", he would say, and then stand before Rinni. He'd stay standing there for a moment, unsure but maybe kinda sure? This is the part where the guy would take that sort of step, right? That vital first step on a date, to show some kind of affection for a girl, maybe. Or was it too soon...? The squire had no clue, and since he was clueless, he figured he'd just risk a heart attack in order to see where it would go!

Without saying a word, Oda would slowly and shakily hold out his hand towards her, palm facing the sky. "Is... this something you'd like to do, Rinni?", he'd ask, now looking towards her, wondering whether this was an acceptable step to take or if something like this was too soon.

Oh! Stormfang, huh? That's a cute name. But I guess you'd be good at picking out cute names too with how you are.

Rinni blushed at what he was potentially implying with that statement. Her heart was racing and she cleared her throat, looking away in a feeble attempt at hiding how flustered she was. It was probably a failed effort, as the redness developing on her cheeks was probably a dead give away. She could tell that he was just as nervous as her, which made things a little less awkward. She could smell the sweat on him as he fumbled over himself in a lame attempt to impress her. "O-oh... Oh! I... I um... well... Are you... umm... are you saying you think... I'm cute...?"

Oh god, why did she say that? She was making things even worse with her own fumbling. Was that question too obvious? Too forward? She bit her lip and glanced toward his face, her eyes then trailing to anything other than his eyes. She felt so embarrassed right now and hoped he didn't notice. Her hand idly moved to stroke the fur of the massive wolf that stood silently by her side. Stormfang growled low and nuzzled her hand affectionately and reassuringly. She blushed more but at the same time felt less awkward about their previous fumbles when he chose to compliment her outfit.

"Ah, thanks. I like yours too, Oda. You're um... you look good." She said timidly, her amber eyes peering at him through her lashes.

She couldn't help but grin when her question about food resulted in his stomach growling as an answer. Her grin faded when her own stomach growled back. 'Guess I'm hungry too.' She hadn't even noticed. "Oh, I don't really." She stated when he mentioned her knowing her way around. "I could smell the food before I saw the vendor."

Was that too obvious? Should she be more subtle with her senses? Normal people could smell the food too, right? Or... was the scent not that strong? She had contemplated telling him she was a werewolf before things go too far with this relationship; but what if he would become scared of her if he knew the truth? She was aware that, though there were people fine with her race, there were many that would see her as a monster. Though she wasn't a bad werewolf, nor was she a born werewolf, and she was slowly accepting what she was... she still had that fear of rejection. She sighed softly, lost in her thoughts and doubts for a moment.

It could wait. She'd simply tell him later. It was safer to get to know each other first, rather than jumping into more personal details. Besides, he'd probably figure it out on his own soon enough. Unless he was as slow as Jan Ren. That one she had to bear fangs at and flat out admit to his face what she was. How did he take her confession, you ask? He pulled her mouth open and examined her fangs! Rinni shook her head and ran a hand through her hair, grabbing a few strands and running her hands down it.

Is... this something you'd like to do, Rinni?

His voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she looked at him, her amber eyes trailing down to realize he was holding his hand out toward her. She blushed and her heart drummed in her chest. Considering everything that happened to her recently, maybe this could be the one good thing to help her through it. That silver lining. She knew everything couldn't be so grim, right? Gunter couldn't be right. He was the very monster he was trying to eliminate. His journey for peace was causing more pain. How would that ever help anyone?

She realized her mind was wandering and she was growing angry. She felt a low growl stuck in her throat and forced it back. She would rather not think of that. She was on a date. This was supposed to be happy. She reached for his hand with her own, careful not to scratch him with her long nails. Her nails were obviously sharp, and not simply a woman's fashion sense. The girl was obviously a tomboy, based on her clothing and attitude. In fact, Rinni normally had her nails cut short. But ever since she was bitten, her nails have grown longer, and trimming them does no good as they grow back pretty quickly.

"So um... tell me about yourself?" she bit her lip, walking beside him as they held hands, her nails lightly brushing his skin. "Or... if you prefer... you can ask me about myself?"

Why was this so hard? She battled an army of kobolds, defeated an alpha werewolf, destroyed a bunch of ghosts... but yet dating was the most complicated thing she ever did. All things considered, this should be a cakewalk. So why was she sweating? Why was her heart pounding? Why was she tripping over herself?

Being shy and awkward sucked.

He was touching Rinni's hand. Her hand. It wasn't as if he'd never wash it again, because that'd be disgusting, but he did treasure this moment. If anything, it was probably the first time he'd gotten even this intimate with a girl? Either way, it was apparent that things were going good, maybe. His hand would get clammy after a while, but he also didn't really want to let go unless it made her uncomfortable. He'd also become nervous when she asked if she was cute, not sure how to reply. Would it be too forward to say she was...? Yeah, it probably would be. He'd accidentally fumbled out his statement the first time, but he didn't know about round two. Oh no. Why couldn't she have just brushed that one off?!, he thought, trying his best to maintain any expression that wasn't panic as he pondered a response.

"Ah... yeah, I think so? Not to sound weird or anything! I just think that... you're really...", he would trail off as he looked into her eyes. They were so close now, holding hands, that it was the first time he'd been close enough to look at her with such detail; the very realization of this was a brick wall in his sentence progression, just looking at her for a moment before continuing. "Uh... I-I do, yeah.", he would squeak out while maintaining eye contact, and then looking away shortly after as a bird flew overhead.

H-Hey! Look at the bird go! He's flying, ahahaha!", Oda exclaimed, pointing up to the sky where a stray sparrow took flight towards the horizon, an obvious distraction off of himself. He did this while full of anxiety and fear, hoping that she wouldn't kick his ass for admitting something like that. She was cute? Who would ever want to hear that about themselves? He also sheepishly thanked her for commenting on his appearance, mumbling out a, "Thanks." while screaming on the inside that he'd done good today! Maybe Mr. Madds, though divorced and an alcoholic, would be better for relationship advice than Oda had first thought!

As they walked, he was asked about himself. Well, he wasn't a very interesting person based on his past, so what could he say that would be impressive? He'd had a pretty normal life, all things considered. There wasn't any overly tragic backstory or secret hidden power at his disposal, he was simply himself.

"Well, I'm a Page in the Rune Knights, mostly working patrol duty or for emergency medical procedures during a crisis. It's been that way for a while now, though I want to move up one day and become strong enough to fight threats to Fiore! It's all I've ever dreamed about, and I don't know what I'd do otherwise. There are a lot of awful people and things in the world, and I want to do what I can to beat back the dark forces at work. But seeing people as strong as you, I have a long way to go, I think...", he would say and then trail off, replaying the fight in his head and what a one-sided encounter it truly was. He was a knight trying to impress a girl, but it didn't seem to go the way he'd planned at all.

After finishing that explanation, he would look to Rinni once again, less of a blush and more of his regular and optimistic expression, visibly less nervous for the moment as he beamed at her. "How about you? I think we're about the same age, but you're really powerful and cool-headed! How did you get to that point? And what are you doing nowadays?"

Rinni lowered her amber eyes toward her feet as they walked together, her cheeks flushed from Oda's confession. She was used to being teased or being given the nickname Little One by those older or bigger than her. She wasn't used to being called cute, or pretty or anything of the sort. It was nice, actually, though she was too shy and embarrassed to admit it. After all the hell she'd been through these past few days or so, she felt like she needed this. Like she deserved this. This chance to be a normal teenager and go on a normal date with no combat, no drama, no pain. Stormfang quietly followed the couple as they approached the food vendor, hand in hand. She could already smell his nervous sweating, so it was no surprise when she held his hand that it had become clammy. Honestly, she was sweating a little as well. After her previous experiences... trusting someone enough to touch her seemed almost alien.

H-Hey! Look at the bird go! He's flying, ahahaha!

Instinctively, Rinni looked up and watched the sparrow as it flew overhead. She appreciated the random distraction from her own thoughts. Oda may not realize it, but he was helping her a lot more than he knew. Just by being himself, he was keeping her from thinking of her recent losses and betrayals. She appreciated his company even more for that. She lightly squeezed his hand a little tighter, her long nails scraping but not puncturing his flesh. Could she truly trust him? Her brother would know. He was a Rune Knight too and she was pretty sure they had updated information on each other... the Rune Knights, that is... right?

She wondered then if Oda knew her brother.

She smiled sweetly as he thanked her for her comment on his appearance, and listened in silence as he told her about himself. As he spoke about his time with the Rune Knights and his dreams for the future, she ordered a cheeseburger from the food vendor with some fries. Her eyes glanced toward the hotdogs, and she remembered Kratos. Honestly, that dardian may have ruined the sight of hotdogs for her forever. She gripped Oda's hand tighter and felt her long sharp nails piercing his skin. If he reacted in pain, she'd quickly release him and mutter a rushed apology, avoiding eye contact.

He'd then ask about her, to which she'd sit at a  picnic table with her burger and fries in front of her and gingerly pop a fry into her mouth. "I'm not that strong." She stated modestly, taking a bite of her cheeseburger and revealing her fangs in the process. 'I wasn't strong enough to protect Winter...' She thought bitterly, a flicker of sorrow in her eyes. She then glanced up toward the Page. "I'm an A-Rank Ranger. I used to practice with a toy bow with my dad and brother all the time as a kid. You sound a lot like him. My brother dreamed of joining the Rune Knights and being a big hero. We ended up joining Penumbral Guard together. But umm... it's... gone now. When the Rune Knights reappeared, my brother, Masado, jumped at the opportunity to join them. Perhaps you'd heard of him?" She paused, allowing him a chance to respond if he chose to before she continued. "Anyway, I started my training as a Ranger and took my first jobs at age 15. I'll be turning 17 this summer..."

She then silently ate another fry as Stormfang took a spot on the ground not too far from the picnic table and decided to lay down for a nap. As the massive wolf slept, Rinni bantered back and forth with her date. She really liked Oda. She just hoped she wasn't making another mistake. She wasn't sure she could handle any more pain. Unsure what to say next, she silently nibbled on her food and allowed the boy to steer the conversation for now.

Oda did his best to hide a pained expression as her nails dug into him, not wanting to concern her with his own admittedly low pain tolerance. He had to be the man, and that meant shrugging off things like this in the end. Whatever was bothering her was for her to divulge as she would, and in the meantime it was his duty to carry on as if he didn't notice. That's how that whole thing worked, didn't it?

If she's not strong, who is?, Oda would think to himself when Rinni denied his claims to her power. Though physical strength aside, she seemed like a strong girl emotionally too, if a bit awkward - the same as him, really.

He'd listen to her speak of herself, finding it admirable that she'd spent so much time practicing even as a kid. He'd sit there, opposite her on the picnic table, and listen attentively as she explained. It sounded as if she'd led a determined life up to this point - a life of somebody doing her best to follow her dreams. He smiled at this as she talked about her training, looking at her, but that smile faded as she began to talk about some group - perhaps a guild - with grief. "Penumbral Guard? Do you mind if I ask what that is? A guild, maybe?", he'd inquire, his face turning into one more of worry with the shifting mood that was becoming more and more apparent.

As he listened to her speak, munching down on his own burger, he almost spat out his drink when he heard of her years of training. Or rather, how little there was. "T-Two years? Not even, at that?!", Oda would blurt out with an expression of shock, wondering how she'd gotten to her current point so quickly. It felt as if it had been ages since the Page's own training had begun, and for him it seemed as if he'd stood stone still in terms of power progression. Maybe she was some kind of prodigy.

"I think you're seriously understating your value here!", Oda would say aloud, still surprised as he put his burger down to acknowledge her growth as a fighter in so short a time and while still so young.

I think you're seriously understating your value here!

Did he really just say that? It was a bold statement. And one that caused Rinni to blush. She quickly lowered her gaze to the food in front of her and ate rather quickly as an excuse to not respond. She wasn't really sure how to respond. No one had ever really complimented her in such a way before. Her ex-boyfriend referred to her as a meek kitten and himself as a powerful tiger. Most saw her as a weak little girl or a child because of her gender and age. But, Oda was different. Possibly because he was the same age as herself. It was a stark contrast to everyone else in her life, as she didn't know a lot of people her own age. There was Masami, but she hadn't seen him since the Guild fell. Last she heard, he was a high-ranking Rune Knight. Maybe Oda knows of him, or Masado ran into him?

In an attempt to steer the conversation elsewhere, Rinni swallowed a bite of her burger and looked at Oda as she asked casually, "So, do you know Masami or Masado? All the Rune Knights know each other, right? Or... at least have like records or something of each other, I guess." She gave her best guess, knowing little about the group and assuming that such a big important army type group probably has some kind of knowledge about the members. She didn't expect to know too much, of course, as every guild had its secrets.

Still, she felt left out when her brother couldn't even really talk to her much regarding the guild. She felt she needed a new Guild. With Lucian being all she has left of her old guild, and the only one who understands her (sorry, big brother), she had decided to follow him wherever he goes. Whatever guild he chooses to join, she'll do the same. Once Oda answered her previous question, Rinni would pop a fry in her mouth and continue speaking to him.

"Sorry, that was probably a stupid transition. Forget I even said anything. So umm... you're a summoner mage?" She asked, stating the obvious before quickly adding, "That's pretty cool. You're never alone, at least..." She trailed off, remembering Winter, and she felt something cold and wet touch her hand. She ran her hand along the long snout and fluffy face of her Tempest Wolf. "Uhh... so how did you end up being a summoner?"

After a few hours of talking and eating, Rinni was ready to head on her way. She liked Oda just fine and enjoyed his company but she had a lot going on in her head and a lot of pain to sort out in her heart. So she bid him farewell and headed on her way.

-Exit cause traveling soon-