She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about the mouse as often as she thought about her duties. Though she told herself the handsome boy probably hadn't been flirting with her, that she shouldn't get attached to his presence before he left to find the destiny he sought, she couldn't help but daydream. Sometimes she replayed their meeting in her head, adding starlight and moonbeams wherever she saw fit, the moments fluttering around in her head like herself on sunny mornings. She'd never had a love interest before - no boyfriend or husband or - as her mother had told her about - been betrothed to someone at a young age. She'd been far too odd for a marriage that would benefit their infamous bloodline, she could never make a man happy the way she was supposed to, they told her.

That was mostly why she'd never dared and tried to conjure up a relationship before. Not that she had had many opportunities to do so. The male faeries they had weren't exactly her type; perhaps the adorable Fionn could have been a match, if he wasn't head over heels for the pretty Deidra nor been such a druggie. The women on the other hand... but no, she couldn't possibly! The thought was conflicting with what she'd been taught at "home"; that women were there for the pleasure of men, to stand by them and strengthen their bloodline. That's what her mother thought, anyway. She didn't believe it, not really, but it still made her feel conflicted about the feelings she had had for the beautiful siren she'd met on her travels, before the founding of the court.

She was sitting at what would soon be known as Herbalist's Fall, brushing her coat and enjoying the sound of the water. The place was beautiful; from the top of the mountain ran a stream, all the way down and eventually falling in a small lake. The water was fresh and allowed for fish, herbs and flowers. Even the rocks were green of life, and the chatter of birds could be heard as they sought out the spring berries. Perhaps in summer they would turn even more vocal, as it allowed for more berries.

It was then that the songs were interrupted by some kind of thumping. Her ears flicked around, and her head soon followed. Dante? She called when she spotted a familiar mousy coat. He was hidden by the curtain of willow branches for the most part, but she'd seen him so many times in her daydreams that it was hard to mistake it for someone else.

A muffled voice called in return, somewhat resembling the sound of her name. What was that silly goose up to now? She turned her upper body, lifting one silver paw as she tried to get a closer look from where she sat. Indeed it was Dante, making his way through the curtain carefully, carrying something she couldn't quite make out. It had lush greens and softer reds - was it supposed to be some kind of bouquet? A decorated meal? She kept quiet on voicing her suspicions, waiting instead until the boy was close by. He, too, seemed enchanted by this place.

He dropped his mess of green on the floor, and Lumi's eyes followed it. A brow raised in question, looking back up at him. Still, a smile crept on her face and he was bound to get a chuckle out of her. Well, hello. Laughter crept into her voice, but she turned serious again right after. Haven't the other faeries found you yet? She asked, slightly concerned. She was awfully sure they'd come check out who the queen had dragged inside without notice. There was still much to do to get Dante integrated into court life, if he wanted to of course, but was everyone truly waiting for some initiation?

He explained not what he had been carrying, merely poked at it with a lonely paw. The fae decided to take initiative, lowering her head to get a closer look. The reds she'd spotted was a beautiful flower. She sniffed at it softly, but something other than its scent entered her nostrils and she pulled back suddenly, cross-eyed and mouth slightly agape. She had just enough time to turn her head so she wouldn't sneeze in Dante's direction, but the trumpet was blown soon after. Blood rushed to her cheeks, eyes seeking Dante with an embarrassed smile.

She let out a soft sigh of relief when he mentioned meeting Deidra despite her concerns. He called her lovely, something she got unexpectedly jealous of, but this wasn't noticeable. He stumbled over his words as he always did, something she found rather endearing as someone who's habit it was to speak proper and whole sentences. It was a fragment of her mother that had found a way inside her soul, something she probably couldn't and wouldn't get rid of. My voice hmm? I was always told I was too soft spoken as a child. She reacted quietly. But I'm glad it made you seek me out again — I like being with you. She admitted with a smile so wide it her close her eyes for a little while.

He pulled her back into reality then, and she went back to pruning her tail. She hadn't been nervous about it at first, but Aoibh saw to it personally that she would begin to doubt every step she took as a leader. She knew she was fit for the role, knew that she wanted only the best for her own little piece of heaven — but what would the others think? It's going just fine — well, even. Everyone's really helpful, and with you here and Memory, we've grown quite a bit. She answered truthfully. This didn't make her less nervous though - even if they'd be able to become official, how long would it last? Was she fated to fail?

She chuckled lightly. Flowers? For her? What was she, some kind of deity? Still, an effort was made to appease her and she could hardly ignore it. She did like flowers; but more so when they were in the ground still. She was not a materialistic woman, and trinkets held little value for her. She knew others to be different, her own brother collected bones for a short while, she believed. Her father had been obsessed with some kind of moonstone that apparently brought him visions, and her mother had carried around a rotting tongue wherever they'd move to. She didn't understand then, nor now, what the value of those items were. Were they truly magical, or was it all just sentimentality, something they'd made up?

She picked up the red flower, the one with the large, brush-like petals, and shoved the stem in the fur near Dante's left ear. She leaned back then, admiring her work from afar. She had barely thought about her actions here, it just felt right, and the color was lovely on him. I suppose I do like flowers. She nodded with a bit of a smirk. They look lovely on you - not that you don't already. A bold comment for the supposedly soft-spoken fae, but one she was willing to make.

It was then that she decided to sprawl out a bit; the weather was lovely, and she had come here to pamper herself a little. She lounged, head tipped to look at Dante, but her willowy frame catching as much of the sun as was possible. Gods, she could listen to him talk for ours. She took to heart, his little ramblings, and listened intently even when it seemed she might be dozing off. A content smile never faded from her muzzle as she listened to the flower boy speak, though she found it odd that he put himself down so much. Then again, she was no different. The stupid were often the most sure of themselves, so she'd noticed. It made them confident - superior, emotionally, to someone like Lumiya. While she kept doubting, the stupid had already done the work and been satisfied with that. She wasn't bold nor confident, and though it made her selfless and understanding, it kept her from becoming a leader like her parents. Many faults they had, but their leadership skills weren't one of them.

I hope you're not right. She answered. For if you are, and I am on top of everything, how could I ever learn? She asked in a way that did not require an answer, looking now at the waterfalls in the distance. The droplets had to fall to create something beautiful. Perhaps there was beauty in failure.

She noticed not how the boy melted with her touches and words, how she made him a mess - or perhaps she was choosing not to. Without him freaking out about it, she felt a lot more confident, but she was sure that the first sign of discomfort or awkwardness on the mouse would become her doom. She'd retreat back into her little cave of solitude, maybe even keep him at a distance in the fear of getting hurt. The fae was the kind of person who needed constant reassurance in romance, though she hadn't found that out yet. Dante wasn't the first boy to ever catch her eye, but he was the first boy who had shown any kind of interest in wanting to be with her in return.

She felt blood rush to her cheeks as he began to move, hoping she hadn't made him want to leave with her answer to his ramblings. When he came to lie down next to her however, she calmed and the panic faded away into nothingness. Though he wasn't near enough to touch, she could swear that he was lighting up her fur and searing her flesh with his closeness. She leaned into him, softly, slowly - as if she wasn't the smallest girl of her bloodline. It felt like moving a boulder, and once there, her muscles tensed despite looking relaxed.

Hmm, I'm glad. She responded in peaceful manner to his first comment, eyes closed and face turned to the sun. When he continued, her rosy colored eye opened and she gave him a little, smirking side-eye. She couldn't keep it up and chuckled soon after, shaking her head. Lucky for you, I haven't heard many before. You are forgiven. She said. It was soon after that that she heard the familiar flapping of wings.

Her eyes searched the sky, and she spotted her little companion soon after. He carried with him a dead and bloodied mouse, and landed on the banks near the couple of wolves. He eyed Dante, face scrunched up in an angry stare. He hopped over to the pair and found his way between the fae's front paws. There, he stretched his wings and even his tail feathers in an attempt to separate the two. Oh Loinnir, what a menace you are. Lumi said to the bird, nudging him away gently with her snout, but the bird was dead-set on getting Dante away from her - probably so he could feed her the mouse he'd caught all by himself.

The peace always seemed to be disturbed by the bird. He was only peaceful when he slept, and even the he peeped and hooted as he dreamed of hunting with the small fae. She looked at Dante then, embarrassed by the behavior of her supposed friend, but he didn't seem offended. She even let out a chuckle - the situation was pretty silly after all. Loinnir sometimes forgot that Lumi could probably eat him in two bites if she wanted to - small creatures often had this cocky personality, or maybe it was a bird thing.

Hmm... I'm not even sure if I have his respect. I'm just his free ride everywhere. She replied, stare focused 'pon the little feathered creature. He slowly lowered his feathers at this, and he wasn't able to look at her directly. He probably felt a little guilty by now. He reluctantly dropped the mouse at her feet in an attempt to make amends, but she wasn't the one whom he had disrespected. That he was mean and grumpy to her was normal, but she wouldn't tolerate him doing it to those she cared about.

Her cheeks grew hot at the mention of a cuddle. Was that what they were doing? Wasn't that something for mated couples? Or maybe it was something that was normal among friends... Maybe he saw her as more of a sister or something?! This anxiety wasn't shown outwardly, but it was hard not to think about for her. Oh, he shouldn't be so jealous. We patrol together every day! She said, more so trying to convince Loinnir that she didn't belong to anyone, especially not to the bird she had saved moons ago.

Her focus then shifted to Loinnir, her eyes flicked to Dante and she nodded in his direction to make it clear she would not accept the gift. Loinnir picked up his catch, hesitated, then waddled angrily towards Dante. His cheeks were plump with bottled up embarrassment and slight anger, but he plopped down the gift in front of the boy regardless and softly hooted. It wasn't much of a meal, a single mouse, but it was a gift nonetheless. He then fluttered off to somewhere just past Lumi. Good job, I'm proud of you. She near-whispered to him in a sweet voice. His expression lifted and he hooted again, almost as if saying "oh, it was nothing". Turning to Dante, she responded; Right, right... I should probably return to my duties too... Her eyes wandered shyly. This was... nice. I'm glad you sought me out.

Was she jumping too fast into waters she had no control over? Ever since she started her work on the court, interactions had become so easy, and she had more friends now than she did only a few moons ago. She was afraid she'd forget what it felt like, the butterflies in her tummy, her insatiable interest in all the souls that stopped by to take in the beauty of their forest...

We should do this more. Oh, she couldn't agree more, but she was slightly afraid of giving into her emotions. She knew the concept of a player, a charmer - they only kept you around for a little while, sucking you dry like a leech before leaving you heartbroken. To the Gods she prayed that this wasn't the case, and she had yet to have any reason to doubt him, but it was hard to believe someone liked her. Maybe even loved her.

Agreed... Bye-bye. She replied, watching him till he was out of sight. He'd called her love. It was enough to make her dance after making sure she was alone, but she was quick to regain her posture and make her way over to wherever she was needed today.