Beach-side Beginnings

”Wow, it’s so…so…blue!”

Hugging the chunky moose stuffed animal to her chest – warranting a couple of curious looks from the beach goers – the young woman openly admired the beauty of the location. Crystalline waters turned to white against the light, tan sands and in the distance she could just barely make out where the edge of the ocean gave way to the skies. Rolling cotton balls of clouds mixed about above, mostly dancing around the edges of the vast blue as if afraid to get in the sun’s way of shining down, adding a certain glow and glitter to everything. Even the green of the flora astounded her, as if someone chose to only paint in vivid colors, screw everything else!

Even the people seemed to be sporting a variety of rainbow as bikinis, swimsuits, and trunks milled around her vision. If it’d been her style, Shade might’ve reconsidered her choice of the white bikini set so plain by comparison, the white skirt tied around her waist dancing lazily in the occasional breeze not very decorated outside of a few pink petals at the bottom rim. The notion never occurred to her however as she finally stepped on the sand and felt the slight vibration beneath her equally white flip flops as they ground the grains together. It was so foreign the girl couldn’t help staring at her feet for those first few steps as she became accustomed to the sensation.

When had she last been to the beach?

Had she been to one before?

’Surely I have before? But it’s probably been quite a while. Definitely not the last visit.’ She frowned, trying to find any recollection and ignored any glances in her direction, but none came to mind.

”Shouldn’t you be looking for the guy?” a deep voice curiously quipped, the dark moose giving a slight wiggle in her arms to jar the short girl from her thoughts.

”Oh, you’re right!” she exclaimed aloud, startling nearby, their chatter little more than white noise to the white haired girl, ”I think it said he’d be wearing…a chef’s hat?”

It’d been some little odd event distributed places, the girl having come upon it at the corner of the bar back at the guild hall and stumbling upon it by pure luck. Intrigued by this notion of “Blind Date” she’d filled out the little form and handed it to the bartender, happily skittering off and forgetting about it until days later the same fellow offered her a letter. At first she’d tried to recall if she started corresponding with a pen pal before giving into curiosity and opening it, finding a letter declaring they’d chosen a match for her as well as a time and place that fit both of their availability – considering how open her’s tended to be though it wasn’t hard to do.

What luck she’d had when one of the little comments from the mysterious fellow had involved being hungry! Though heavens help him if all he offered was a lackluster (or soggy) sandwich! Luckily for him she had mentioned a love of ice cream and “interesting foods” – she hadn’t been specific, deciding that people should figure out it meant something along the lines of “exotic.” Generally she liked sweets, but ice cream had sounded positively wonderful at the time, and had been delicious too! With the heat however she couldn’t help imagining a bowl of the delightful treat even as she started looking for this fellow.

”Do you suppose he’s part monkey? I hope it’s a cute monkey and not like a chimp.”

”Aren’t those apes?”

”Quiet you…still it said he was half human, or not to mind them at least. I’ll be disappointed if he’s not at this rate. But could be worse: he could be part slime monster.” She had mentioned she wasn’t fond of overly goopy things that just so happened to be sentient, so if those people had decided to pair her with a slime monster then she’d see to it they found Paradise all right…As a man approached her those magenta eyes observed him, particularly around the head region, and just as his mouth opened to utter whatever nonsense the white haired mage dismissed him, ”You’re not him.” So stunned he didn’t even pursue her as Shade continued down the beach to find this chef-hat, monkey fellow.

A date. A blind date at that. Something he had never imagined going on. Sure, when he became an ace of Black Rose marriage in the future had been spoken of, but he'd never really seen himself as getting married and settling down. He enjoyed wandering and searching for new ingredients and recipes too much. Still, with the loss of Kaya and Jin he had become increasingly depressed. Everything seemed to be going wrong in the guild, except his cooking of course, so he decided that he'd give this whole date thing a try. It was sure to be a fiasco, but at least it gave him a potential new audience member for his cooking and was something new. He wondered if Fira had dissapeared with Jin and Kaya or if she was still around. He hadn't seen her, but then again he hadn't really been looking.

The date location was arranged to be the beach and he was told to look for someone with something like a stuffed deer. It wasn't exactly the most normal thing, but then again nor was wearing a chef's hat, or tote if you preferred, at the beach and that was what he'd chosen as his identifier.

He'd arrived very early and chosen a good spot. It was quite flat and had a good view of the sea, but wasn't going to get effected by the tide anytime soon. Once the spot was selected he'd focused his magic and stood silently waiting for the arrival of his date. He had no idea what she or even he looked like. All he knew was that she liked ice cream and strange foods and didn't like goopy things. His plan was typical beach fare in regards to food and drink but with the Victus touch that turned any meal into a taste experience.

Considering this was a date he'd followed some sort of protocol at least and decided to bring a box of chocolates. Chocolates he had made mind you. Each of which shaped like a perfect flower and the box itself was shaped like a rose. The box in itself was a bit of a work of art, not just due to the shape, but due to the fact that it regulated the temperature of the chocolate perfectly for each individual piece. They were neither be too cold that they became hard or too hot that they would turn too soft or melt. 17.77778 degrees celsius for most, but due to the internal ingredients there were would be a few differences. He doubted anyone but he and a few other gourmet experts would really appreciate the intricacies of that, but that didn't bother him. Working on it had distracted him.

As a starter for his date when they arrived he had also prepared a box with some rather special onigiri inside. Three kinds. One that contained  a mixture of pork meat, garlic and honey, another that contained chicken, sake, scallion, ginger, sugar and sesame seed and finally one that contained shio kombu and cheese. They were a perfect starter as they were quite light and tasty. They tended to fill one up a bit to hold off the appetite, but left the eater wanting more soon enough. It was ideal.

He looked at the bbq in front of him. The coals were heating nicely now and would soon be ready for cooking some delicious food on. He'd used a rather special coal that would generate a smoky flavour, but not too overpowering. It would be perfect BBQ food if the right ingredients were cooked on it. He wondered though where his date was. Maybe he should of waited a bit longer before firing up the grill?

More faceless entities filled the area, but the woman continued to pay them little mind as she searched for The Hat – not just any, but a chef’s one. She’d become focused on this little thing called a “date” and woe to either beach bum or player that tried to get her attention. Without a second thought she ducked beneath outstretched arms and silently walked past those who tried to hail her in attempts to “hang out” or whatever it was they said.

Strangely enough it wasn’t the hat that caught the girl’s attention so much as the thing protruding from his back side – though her eyes had drifted up enough to note the proper head adornments. However they promptly drifted back down and half of her really wanted to simply reach out and grab it to make sure that it was real…but that wouldn’t really discern whether the coloring was natural or not. No, for that she’d have to get his attention first…and probably also make sure she had the right fellow. At this point though even if he wasn’t the man from the little event she might give up on the actual fellow, not sure if he’d be half as entertaining.

The fact that whatever he might be cooking smelled too tantalizing to pass up may or may not have played a small factor in the decision.

”Excuse me?” her cheery voice piped up from behind him, arms secured around the odd moose plushie, ”I don’t suppose you’re here for a date by any chance?” Never mind that asking it could’ve been awkward to most, Shade preferred to cut to the chase. At least then she could move onto the next, more interesting subject like what he was making and perhaps convincing him to share somehow if he played hard to get about it.

As a light breeze swung some of her pure white locks a hand absentmindedly curled a few strands behind her ear, Shade tilted her head a bit at him, a small smile on her lips.

A woman approached him and spoke out asking if he was here for a date. He turned to face her and in that same motion moved the fan he was holding to the tail's grip and continued to fan the BBQ to prevent it going out or the coals cooling too quickly. His eyes swept over her body. Her clothing was frankly beautiful and her face was very pretty. She wore typical beach attire but with a twist. Her white tied bikini top was tied and accented her breasts nicely, the white skirt hid part of her legs, but the fact it revealed less was somehow more tantalizing. Mystery always caught his attention which is why he would try almost any food. However, what caught his eye was the stuffed animal she was holding. He'd been told it was a deer of some kind, but to him that looked more like a moose. Still, he doubted this was the wrong person. AFter all, she had asked about a date and had approached the guy with the chef hat.

"Yeah I am." he said with a nervous grin running a hand through his spiky red hair. He hadn't had much interaction in the dating world and here was a very attractive girl who was meant to be on a date with him. "Its great to meet you. I'm Magna Victus...err...I made you some chocolates and onigiri." he said gesturing to the rose shaped box and the black bento box on the table near his bbq. "I'm planning to cook some stuff on the BBQ. You a vegetarian or allergic to anything? Oh...and i promise it won't be goopy" he said adding that last bit with a slight chuckle. He loved the word, but he could see why people didn't like goopy things. Considering she'd been so forward he decided to be a little forward himself. "You look beautiful by the way." His face turned almost as red as his hair as he said those words. He tilted his head though as he realised something. Her skin was quite pale and he couldn't see any sign of any products on her skin.

"Sorry if this sounds a bit rude, but are you wearing any sun protection? Don't want to get sunburnt after all." he said and then with a flick of his wrist he conjured up a bottle of something. "I have this one I made, its really good for the skin and should last you all day unless you go swimming."

The tail wasn’t for show was her last thought before focusing more on the man in general, eyes widening as she stared into topaz orbs. They reminded her of various predator species and yet she enjoyed the way his grin held a hint of…timidity? Nervousness? She almost wanted to pat him on the head as he hesitated, mentioning and motioning to some pre-prepared food on the nearby table. Though he’s not really a dog so his tail wouldn’t wag…probably a good thing though.’

As eyes shifted to the food though her mouth opened in a little “o” shape and Shade moved towards it, setting CM aside to pick up one of the little flowery chocolates in wonder. They could do that with chocolates? Impressed by the details she gently set it back to again admire the picture as a whole, absentmindedly answering his questions, ”I like meat as much as veggies. No allergies, but no peas or coconut please.” Briefly she wondered if one of the chocolates might have one, but the white haired girl’s mind quickly wandered over to the “onigiri” as he’d called it, curiosity peaked by this round orb of rice. A smile curled around her lips, pearly white teeth peeking out at the mention of “goopy.” BBQ sauce was one thing after all as long as the meat didn’t melt into gelatinous blobs and skitter off to parts unknown.

Picking up one of the balls of rice she studied it, carefully holding it with both hands as if afraid it might crumble. Hair whipped about as her head jerked to stare at him, wide eyed and a little pink dusting her cheeks before a large smile broke out, ”Thank you! I really like your tail as well, it reminds me of candy canes!” The words came out with absolute honesty, in Shade’s mind the comparison a compliment even if he didn’t think such.

” “Sun protection?” “ the repeated words came out slowly as Shade’s mind caught up on the idea and then her eyes slid away with a small frown. It might be a good idea as sunburns didn’t sound fun, but she held the sneaky suspicion it’d be a little slimy and if it was – and worse: tasted horrible! – then she’d rather not get it all over her hands lest she eat these orbs of rice with a hint of “sun protection.”

Naturally a brilliant mind such as her’s came up with the perfect solution as the frown gave way to a gleaming expression and her excited suggestion, ”Good idea, you should apply it for me!” Only with a slight, questioning mental reminder from CM about manners did she tack on a delayed, ”Please?” Moving closer to him Shade continued to beam at him, clearly pleased with this idea.

Magna paused as she complimented, or so he thought she was, his tails by comparing them to candy canes. It wasn't exactly the most inaccurate description either. Of all of his monkey parts his tail probably was his favourite and the colour was a delicious blend of ingredients. The white of the snow spider monkey and the orange of the fire spider monkey. A perfect blend of hot and cold, two key aspects to his life and his magic. What caused him to almost leap out of his skin in surprise was when she asked him to apply the sun protection. He basically froze on the spot for a moment. Especially when his teenage mind wandered to the areas where it would need to be applied. With a gesture of his hand a towel formed upon the ground, it was basically an over large tea towel, but it would work for these purposes.

[color=darked]"Erm...err...ok."[/olor] he said and gestured to the towel for her to lay down upon it. He was nervous as hell and his cheeks were as red as his hair. His tail had even gone dead straight briefly in surprise and shock. "If you lie down and undo the back of your errrr... top. Then I can apply it to the back...its most likely to get burnt."

In his head he was trying to keep his mind calm by focusing on the dishes he planned to cook lest another piece of meat appeared unexpectedly. He held the bottle in his hand nervously waiting and wondering how shed react if she found out how he was feeling. She really was beautiful and her skin was exquisite. As soom as she had offered the chance to touch it, even for this, his body wouldn't let him say no. Even if his mind said no.

Kindly he supplied a towel – something Shade completely forgot to bring since this whole beach adventure – the girl beaming at him all the more for the gesture. ’Excellent, I should’ve thought of that! Who wants to lay in the sand anyways? Always gets everywhereeeee.’ Careful to not let the spherical formation of rice – and the contents in the middle she had yet to discover – touch the ground at all she laid face forward on the towel, barely fighting the urge to kick up her feet as she often did when relaxing at home. He mentioned untying her top, Shade humming a little as she pondered over that direction…

Well, she supposed it held merit as burning sounded unpleasant and her top might shift a little here and there so it’d be best to cover all her bases so to speak.

Bringing the rice ball to her mouth, Shade opened her mouth large enough to hold the thing in place, pausing a moment to make sure she wouldn’t drop it before undoing the lower set of ties. After all if he did something untoward CM was just right there on the table: her loyal moose would surely protect her in a time of need! If it were any other of her little friends they might be rolling their little marble or button eyes.

She bit down on the thing, eyes widening in surprise as other tastes gushed into her mouth as the rest plopped harmlessly back into her palms, a noise of exclamation hummed through closed lips. ”MMMH!” Childish as she could be at times though, Shade properly chewed her food with her mouth closed rather than try to talk around it lest she spew granules here and there, too busy actually tasting the combination of flavors. Too focused she had yet to pay attention whether he’d started yet or not until finally she swallowed and immediately exclaimed, ”This is delicious! What’d you put in here?! Is this pork? What’d you call these again?” Each question tumbled out one after another as she peered closer inside to try and determine the ingredients locked inside the rice casing. ’What a neat idea to hide things in a rice covering! I wonder if they’re all the same?’

”Err…um…if I may?”

Belatedly she realized CM had been attempting to get her attention mentally for who knows how long knowing the nervous moose, the plush still sitting where she’d placed him like a good boy.

”Err…if I may…should you not introduce yourself? He did say his name was Magna.”

Well, she supposed that was fair, having been sufficiently distracted as she considered this over another bite of the treat. Once that chased after its predecessor her voice piped up at a more controlled volume, ”I’m Shade…Shade Sumire. The moose is CM by the way…I can’t actually remember what it stands for anymore. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance by the way.”

Her method of laying down without dropping the onigiri or even getting close to it was intriguing. It seemed she really appreciated food. That was to him a massive plus. He didn't like people who didn't appreciate food or the effort that went into preparing it nicely.

He blushed slightly as she actually undo the bikini, though fortunately it was after laying down so nothing was really exposed. That was good, otherwise he wouldn't be 100% sure how he would react. He slowly bent down applying the cream to his hands as he did so. He began to rub it into her shoulders as she asked the questions. Her skin was so smooth and silky. "Ah you got one of the honey pork and garlic ones." he said as he began to rub it in trying to stop himself from blushing or getting too 'out of control' as it were in the 'downstairs' department. "That one is Pork Belly, Garlic, Miso, Honey and Sake." he explained. "The others are negishiodare and Shio Kombu Cheese. I think the pork is my favorite though, the honey really softens the meat and makes it super tender."

He continued to apply it to her shoulders and neck, then slowly slid his hands down her back including rubbing it on her sides. However, eventually he came down to her buttocks. Now whilst these were covered by her bikini bottoms it was still quite an intimate area. It needed suntan lotion to prevent butt burns, but it was also the most intimate area he'd touched so far of any person ever. He'd never really even done anything close to intimate with a girl. Even if this was just as friends it still had a sensuous aspect. He briefly skipped the buttocks and did the legs and feet though ignore the inner upper thigh.  Eventually though his hands would have to enter the that intimate zone. His hands did go to the buttocks first though and whilst he was gentle he couldn't resist giving a slight squeeze. However, he pretended this was accidental and then went to the inner thigh briefly.

"Your back should be safe from burns and the lotion should nourish the skin and make it even smoother and silkier...if thats even possible." he said complimenting her again. Her skin really was fantastic. He'd never seen such perfect skin, not even in the high class establishments he'd served food in. "Erm...do you want me to do the front as well?" His face went even redder, his hair looked pale in comparison. After all, the front had a much more intimate area that would require the application of sun tan lotion. An area his eyes had been drawn to earlier. Not the most intimate area on a girl, but it was close. Plus he'd been on top of her to apply it. That could get perhaps be taken the wrong way.

"Your name is very pretty, not as beautiful as you though."

’Honey and meat? What an interesting combination.’ Even as the final bits vanished, allowing the girl to simply lay her head in her hands Shade considered the combination. She’d tasted dishes that combined ‘sweet’ tastes with meat, not particularly fond of some of the overly orangey or pineapple-sauced chicken or beef, or whatever it’d been. There’d been enough for a taste, but it hadn’t felt drowned like the other ones as a few giggles escaped, her feet unfortunately sensitive even with attempts at hiding the gesture. The shuddering of shoulders though would’ve been an obvious enough giveaway despite ignoring the desire to yank her feet away with outright giddy laughter.

She’d been purring before that and had started to relax when she felt a slight, extra pressure on her buns. Perhaps this had been a bad idea as a small squeak escaped and the girl caught her control before it slipped. How embarrassing it’d be to not only reveal her animal side, but potentially blindside him with a bundle of tails! ’Perhaps this had been a bad choice…’

Reaching behind, Shade fixed the knot back into place before sitting up, careful to keep her back to him as she felt a slight shift to her pupils before they reverted back to their humanoid form. Giddy, a giggle escaped, ”Why thank you, your hands are quite nice as well. If you ever decide to take up a hobby masseuse might fit you~” Unfortunately she couldn’t accept his second offer, but the girl didn’t want to give up his attention quite yet either as she considered a different avenue.

Smile in place, Shade gently grabbed the bottle to squirt a dollop onto her palm, eyes sliding towards the table, ”No, I think I can handle that if you would do me a small favor…and feed me a chocolate or two? I’m afraid I don’t know where to start, but they looked quite wonderful.” Lightly smearing the lotion across her chest the girl started massaging it into her skin, making sure to slide beneath the straps over her clavicles and paused over the ribbon around her neck, ”If you don’t mind, that is.” She’d wait until his back was turned to quickly slide her fingers beneath, not willing to show off that scar – certainly not on the first date.

"Well, i'm a chef and my hands are probably my most important tool." Magna replied with a slight smile. He;d never considered the idea of being a masseuse before. Then again with his knowledge of anatomy, combined with the skill of his hands it could be a good side business. Or a theme for a restaurant if he ever got some reliable cooks to work under him. So far few were really ready to cook at his level. He wasn't cocky, he just had done a lot of cooking and cooked with lots of people in lots of contests and never lost. He'd only want the best in his restaurant. Otherwise why come to the place at all if you weren't going to get the best.

His hands really were important. Its why now when he went on jobs he brought his special gauntlets, the Black Velvet. However, today he had left them in his pocket dimension. He didn't need them today. It seemed she was interested in his chocolates and had come up with a good compromise which allowed less awkwardness. "I am happy to feed you the chocolates." He turned towards the box of chocolates, which prevented him seeing where she applied the lotion. When he turned around the ribbon was black in place and part of her body already had the lotion on her chest. He paused as he looked at the box trying to keep his eyes from staring at her bosom. He selected a seemingly random chocolate and gently placed it to his beautiful lips. It seemed random the one had selected, but he had a specific order for serving these chocolates. You started with the outer ones and swirled your way in. Each chocolate was delicious alone, but eaten in the correct order the various fillings, which didn't include coconut, would actually enhance the flavour of the next. The final one was described by some of his taste testers in the Black Rose guild as a true taste explosion. He just hoped she wouldn't get addicted. However, then again her getting addicted could be a way for them to stay together.

He actually quite liked her. It was strange. She was beautiful, but he knew plenty of beautiful people. She was appreciative of good food, but he knew plenty of people like that. He knew plenty of people with great skin as well. However, it was rare for those three aspects to all be in one person. Plus she seemed really nice and sweet. Was he falling for her? He didn't know, but he wondered if she might be interested in a second date and maybe helping him out with his ideas for restaurants in the future.

Finishing her chest, Magna gave cause for staring as magenta eyes stared at the chocolate flower no betwixt his lips…she admired his forward attitude, truer, smaller smile replacing the more flirtatious one. She could admire that quality and yet he hadn’t minded catering to her little whims either, the girl a little more amused at some of the liberties he took, but she chalked that up to the creative portion of his chef side. A little anxious – though whether for the chocolate or the kiss was anyone’s game – Shade jumped up and was before him all too soon, leaning into him and forcing her monkey-tailed date into the table a bit. Her smile may as well have been stolen from a feline about to finally get the family goldfish, an eyetooth poking out before she went for the kill.

Her mind blanked against anything her little denizens might be saying, most of them merely whooping or jeering as she tasted chocolate and tested to see if maybe he sported a peppermint taste to match his tail. Much to her pleasure she found the fiery haired man pleasantly warm and yet not broiling, sighing happily as she leaned into him more, unaware that behind him CM no longer remained still like a proper, good stuffed animal.

Ears caught the tell-tale light tapping of his hooves against the table before realizing it was too late to regain hold of the reigns as they slipped.

A slight ‘pop’ noise emanated from her as human ears gave way to a pair of tall, triangular soft ones atop her head. Pulling away from him and slowly blinking Shade became aware that she could now wiggle one…no, two limbs above her rump as she came back to her mind enough to prevent all of them from revealing…but a few escaped all the same. One flick, two flick, three flicks of her ears as if to reassure herself that yes, the things had manifested a pout and minor look of annoyance took over and a word unbefitting a lady slipped out, ”Oh…poop.”

”AAAAAAAAHHHH I KNEW THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!” a voice wailed from behind Magna, a certain guardian distressed in his failed duties. Not that any of the others would be surprised, having taken bets on how long before the slip happened if the date went well.

”I…don’t suppose I could convince you…not to hold this against me?” she muttered loud enough for only Magna to hear, her expression a mixture of pouting and mild hope.

As the first chocolate passed her pale red lips she suddenly lunged forward pressing her lips against his. He sunk into the kiss, tasting the chocolate upon her lips and then wrapped his arms around her gently holding her as he kissed her back. His first proper kiss. Yet just as he was enjoying the kiss there was a tapping of hooves and she broke away revealing she had somehow lost her normal human ears to be placed with tall triangular ones atop her head. They looked smooth and silky. He had the strangest urge to scratch behind those ears.

A voice from behind him caused his gaze to move from her to reveal the source of the hoof tapping. It was a moose of some kind. The stuffed moose had also vanished. So it seemed that somehow the moose had become real. He hadn't expected that. Magna did not answer her question with words straigh away. Instead, he moved next to her and pulled her in close.

"I'd rather hold you against me then anything against you." he whispered and placed his lips against hers once more. He didn't know what made him do it, but he knew he didn't want to lose her over something like this. Besides who was he to judge about someone being animal like. He had a monkey tail and slight pads on his fingers to provide extra grip. He held her close but not too tight. He didn't want to let go, but he also didn't want to hold her against his will.

”Oh-!” she quietly exclaimed as he again pulled her close, the following line inspiring a rosy dusting of pink to her cheeks as Magna evened the score with a stolen kiss of his own. The shock melted away quickly, little more than an ice cube over a campfire as she leaned back into him, delicate fingers threading through messy locks. Behind her the twin tails curled around each other in her delight and to prevent embarrassing wagging on her part. Again she forgot about her little plush friend who’d decided to instead hide under the table in his meager attempt to give them some “space.”

Yet it tickled the girl at how Magna just brushed off the minor eccentricities, the girl almost feeling bad she’d hidden it. But with the suddenness of kiss number two she hadn’t the opportunity to fall prey to a silly line of reasons behind it, ranging from understandable to ridiculous and completely forgot about it as she pulled away with a sigh.

There were better things to focus on in life after all as her eyes moved to the platter of chocolate sitting nearby.

Unwittingly she grabbed the next one in line with her free hand, merely following the flow of the design, and admired the finely crafted confection. Truly almost a shame to eat a work of art and yet far more wasteful to let it go to waste, the white haired vixen emulating his earlier move and waited as if in offering. When he’d make his move however Shade would move her head back and let the tasty treat fall into her mouth to melt. Only once she’d properly experienced the taste of the second one would the girl allow Magna access to the flavor – or pull him in to offer one if her impatience won out before his.

The kiss broke, but only for her to tease him with one of his own chocolate before putting it between her lips and eating it. He smiled at her as she seemed to really be savouring the chocolate, almost like he'd been savouring the kiss. It was at that point that he noticed the sounds of cat calling all around. He wanted to kiss her again, but he also had something else on his mind. That was the barbecue. The charcoals were slowly smouldering. They were fine for the time being, but they wouldn't last forever. He decided to be slightly intelligent and with a click of his fingers some burgers, ribs, wings and sausages fell onto the grill. Spatulas appeared in his tail and he pressed down on the meat for a moment. He nodded as the sizzle and smell sounded just right.

With that done he pulled her in close again eager to taste her lips and the chocolate upon them. He couldn't decided which tasted better, but if he was forced to make a choice he would probably say he preferred her. He could feel his cheeks turning red again and his heart beginning to flutter. He was certain now. He wanted her in his life. He was falling for her and falling hard. Who would of guessed that suntan lotion and chocolate would lead to something like this.

Eventually the kiss broke apart again and he smiled at her. "I know its early, but...want to arrange a second date?" he said nervously. He didn't know what she would say, but he hoped it wouldn't be no. He definitely didn't want to lose her. If people were ingredients than she would be rated above jewel meat and rainbow fruits by far. He really hoped she'd say yes. This was one ingredient he really wanted to have in his kitchen beside him.

Between the delicious present and the distracting kisses Shade completely missed both catcalls and the little trick, ears deafened to the sounds of grilling meat behind Magna. Even as the third one ended a happy hum left the girl as her eyes opened to meet topaz as he suggested another meeting before the first could end. It truly was all she could do to refrain from wagging either tail or letting more pop out, not wanting to deal with the mass of appendages as her eyes glittered, ”Oh, yes please!” What a strange feeling to already be excited at seeing someone again when she had yet to bid them farewell, a small sense of anticipation welling up and then turning to a simmer as the ambient sounds slowly filtered back to audible levels.

Briefly the summoner considered unleashing CM’s true form if only to scare away some of the people even as their hooting and the like started to calm down. Another part of the girl tossed around the idea of simply sticking her tongue out at the likely jealous people before shoving that aside as well, not wanting them to think it some sort of invitation either. No, she should try to behave somewhat, an alien notion of not wanting to scare him off filling her even as curiosity blossomed as to the sizzling sounds behind him.

Barbeque.

She already wanted to start picking at it, not having grilled meat in far too long. It was the issue with her long breaks back there, Paradise ironically not the best place for food and stood as one of her gripes against the place. Then again she didn’t really know what it’d take to create a cook like Magna either, doubtful she could toss a few cookbooks into a denizen and hope for the best. Some experiments simply weren’t worth it right now.

Sticking close yet finally giving the man some space to use more than just his tail, Shade sat her rump on the table and again considered the gifts he’d already made. “Dates” sometimes involved “presents” for the other person, something she vaguely recalled from her last foray outside of Paradise. She couldn’t recall much of ones in the past, and the notion of giving something seemed foreign and yet…perhaps she’d keep a keener eye open between now and “next time?” Another spot of excitement jolted inside as she hoped to find something good even if she had no ideas currently. Grabbing one of the other onigiri she gingerly broke it in half and then bit into it, letting the shio kombu and cheese dance over her taste buds before offering the other quarter to Magna, eating it if he opted not to, ”I don’t suppose you might have a date or place already in mind?” Partially she just wanted to know, always a little too excited about things she considered surprises or exciting.

To his surprise and delight the girl that he was now certain that he had fallen for. She seemed genuinely excited for their second date much like he was. He was perhaps almost as excited for the second date as he was enjoying the first date. He took the onigiri from her and began to eat it. He really did like this one, but his favourite was still the garlic pork and honey. There was just something about it that got his appetite going.

As she fed him the piece of onigiri she moved away a little giving him more room to cook. He paused closing his eyes and then a spatula appeared in each hand. A smirk came to his face as he flipped all of the meat upwards at once and struck each precisely with the spatulas to send them hitting the grill, dripping a little bit of meat juice onto the coals causing a bit of smoke. This smoke was on purpose though as it would give the meat a slightly smoky flavour. The charcoals were also rather special in that its composition would cause the smoke it produced to enter the meat and tenderize it as well as unlocking hidden umami.

"I was thinking perhaps Hosenka, the spa town." he said as after a restaurant and the beach it was the most romantic place he could think of. What beetter place to take his date then to treat her to a full spa day. A day to make her skin even more exquisite. He wondered if she did anything to keep her skin like that or if she naturally had such beautiful skin. "Or maybe a picnic at the Serene Cliffs. The view there is beautiful, though I think you would outshine it by far."


As he said this he suddenly flipped up the burgers and sausages into the air again. This time when they came down they landed on plates he had in his hand, on buns that were perfectly cut. "Would you like cheese on your burgers? Or any salad or sauce on them? Or on the hot dogs?" he paused again and then nodded. "The rest should be ready soon."

It was fun watching him, Magna demonstrating a level of skill that led one to imagine if even temporarily achieving a similar level…but cooking wasn’t her style. All Shade could likely manage was mixing a glass of chocolate milk without destroying a kitchen one way or another. Gods knows the kitchen staff back at her guild hall had been a little less-than-pleased by the amount of pots and pans lying about when she tried to make a sandwich, though the girl figured they really shouldn’t have hid the cutting boards like that either. As the smoke rose up she lightly covered her nose just in case a stray gust of wind blew it her way, looking down in time to watch as CM shuffled his feet in a panic to escape some sand crab when a simple gallop would’ve sufficed…maybe she’d made his legs too stubby though it was hard to say as both stuffed moose and crab disappeared back under the table.

”Hosenka?” It sounded intriguing, though a more private picnic held appeal to as she could imagine all sorts of picturesque scenes from simple cloud watching to sunsets. Perhaps they could flip a coin over it and leave the other for a third date, and suggested such as eyes watched the meat go airborne a second time.

”Hmm…yes I’d like cheese and…a bit of lettuce and tomato! Umm….I’m not sure for the hot dog,” tilting her head at it, the food looked familiar but she couldn’t recall seeing what people usually ate it with, ”Umm…what goes best on the hot dogs? That red liquidy stuff and a little of that yellow stuff?” What had they been called again? The words were on the tip of her tongue and holding on for dear life so as not to leave it, much to her vexation. Regardless she’d have to be careful not to fill up on them before trying some of the other dishes still on the grill.

Having watched him though and the way his lips twisted happily as he cooked she couldn’t help asking, ”Why do you like cooking so much?” He seemed to garner such joy that it reminded the girl of other instances of watching people performing various tasks and yet retaining some form of a smile as they did it. What things might he share in common with the seamstress who’d helped Shade pick out her beach attire from her shop? Even when the woman rejected a style or color with a small frown there’d been a slight smile to her, fond of each creation for one reason or another. The woman had merely laughed when Shade asked her a similar question, evoking a pout that dissipated with confusion when she’d answered, “I simply love too!”

"Ketchup and mustard?" he said trying to guess what she meant. They were the typical hot dog accompaniments. However, would you think that Magna would have such boring fare? Of course he would, but would it be ordinary every day ketchup and mustard? Heck no. As for the burgers lettuce, cheese and tomato? Well once again they would be out of the ordinary. The tomato was neotomata. A rather rare ingredient that was highly nutritional and tasted extremely fresh The cheese was mineral cheese a super rare and very expensive type of cheese known for its high nutritional value and enchanting taste. The lettuce was giga crispy lettuce. He grinned and threw the burgers, buns into the air and snapped his fingers again causing lettuce, tomato and cheese to appear on the plate. He flicked them up too and then leaped upwards. As he did so his arms seemed to multiply into six and his faces seemed to change to three. Was it an illusion? That wasn't clear. His arms blurred rapidly and when he landed he had two burgers, perfectly prepared, and two hot dogs also perfectly prepared. With the requested ingredients on both prepared flawlessly. The extra arms and faces seemed to have vanished.

He smiled and handed her a plate with a burger and hot dog on. He'd probably shown off more than necessary, but he wanted to impress her if he could and with more than just the quality of his cooking. Besides, about 15% of the eating process was with the eyes and about 6% of that was the preparation.  "As requested. Hope you like it. The cheese should be melted nicely." he said with a smirk. How he had melted the cheese wasn't clear, but he had. "Hosenka is a spa town incase you didn't know. Its supposed to be really good for relaxation and for the skin." he said and sat down upon the large tea towel and began to eat his burger. It was truly delicious. He glanced at the chocolates and then with a gesture of his hand a small cooler appeared and he quickly stood up and put the chocolates in. "Don't want them to melt now do we?" He paused and then looked at her. "You want a drink of anything? Soda, juice, cola?"


He considered her question for a moment. "Why do I like to cook? Well, when I was young I looked up to my parents, they were both chefs and really good. I helped them in the kitchen whenever I could because I wanted to be like them." he paused again a note of sadness in his eyes. He hadn't really brought up his parents in conversation for a while. "When they died seven years ago I was taken in by some people and used my cooking to pay my way, but even if I hadn't of been paid then I would of still done it. I like to see people enjoying something i've made and if it fills them up and allows them to keep going then all the better. Though I guess the main reason is I just love cooking. IS there anything you love to do?" This wasn't the whole truth there was another reason behind it, but he wouldn't mention that for now. He didn't know her well enough to reveal his dream of assembling certain ingredients for a certain purpose.

Surely her eyes tricked her, Shade blinking as she could’ve sworn she saw extra arms and perhaps even faces appear…but they vanished so quickly she chalked it up to pure speed. ’Where does one even go for that kind of training?’ Perhaps she’d start watching the chefs in restaurants from now on to study their abilities and capabilities, curious how much had changed or if Magna might be some sort of exception rather than the standard. Accepting the plate the girl relocated to the towel from the table, sitting cross-legged and allowing their skin to lightly touch as she surveyed finished meal, or at least the first part of it. ”Cola please.”

So it was something of an inherited interest with a hint of inspired. A child eager to both help their parents and emulate them. It sounded happy so the encroaching sadness confused her until he admitted they’d died some time ago. A part of her wanted to comfort him yet no words came forth, voluntarily or otherwise. She couldn’t assure him they were in a “good place” because she’d been tied to a single place considered…well, she normally ignored what it truly was, but for a split second Shade accepted it as an “afterlife.” Not knowing the people however the girl didn’t know which one they might’ve ended up in, much less if they’d found their way to “Paradise” in death – silently praying they hadn’t. A strange thing for her to even consider so she let it pass. As words failed her entirely a hand would merely touch his shoulder in lieu of condolences or assurances.

In the end though it boiled down to such a simple concept: he loved cooking. ’Is it really so simple?’ For all the times she questioned people to understand some of their ideals and reasoning for them, the white haired girl had yet to truly understand why they did the things they did, only reaching a sense of “necessity” versus “desire to do this task.” The fact they could be that simple boggled her mind as his question registered and she bit her lip.

What did she love to do?

”I…don’t know…” staring down at the plate she stalled by trying to decide which to start with, ”I guess I’ve never stopped to consider it much.” Back then there hadn’t been much to do, not in that room where they’d left her for so long. Vague recollections of neck aches from keeping her ear to the doors or walls for mere sounds caused her to absentmindedly rub the back of her neck, careful to avoid the ribbon out of habit. When they finally let her out…there hadn’t been a lot of time to think about hobbies, more pressing matters gripping her attention. Even a quick glance at CM immediately nixed another idea as she didn’t consider the denizens a “hobby” or “thing she liked to do” per say: they were merely a way to pass time and avoid being alone. If anything she considered them a necessity.

”I suppose I like to travel?” It came out more as a question as the summoner finally settled on starting with the burger, ”I do like seeing how different people can be from one place to another: be it clothes, architecture, and even food. I wouldn’t put the passion as anything close to your’s, but it’s probably the closest to a hobby I have right now.” Biting into the burger a bitter-sweet taste filled her: while the food remained as delicious as the rest the girl couldn’t help feeling she’d simply existed in all her time while Magna had truly lived in his shorter time.

"Travel huh? Well, I guess that's one thing we have in common." he said with a smile as he twirled his finger forming a tray upon which were two glasses. A bottle appeared above each and poured in a brown liquid that was filled with bubbles. This was mellow cola. The highest grade cola he had yet been able to procure. Even through all his experimentation he had never found a better ingredient or recipe to make a better cola. Its carbonic acid was said to outclass soda water and champagne combined. The carbonation was like a fire cracker and the drink itself provided enough energy to completely revive all cells within the body. It wasn't the best drink he had ever made or served. No, but it was the best cola. He placed the tray down and then took a gentle sip from one of the glasses before placing it down. "I've traveled a lot. Not so much for sightseeing though that is fun, but more to try and find new ingredients, new recipes, new techniques. I'm a good chef, sommelier, mixologist and bartender, but I'm far from being the best. One day I hope to be able to cook any ingredient put before me and make meals that every one will enjoy and travel to taste." He smiled and then winked at her an idea forming in his head. A rather charming idea that he liked the sound of. "Maybe next time either of us goes on a trip we should take the other along. What do you think?"


Whilst waiting for an answer he finished his burger and hot dog, truly savouring the food. He smiled and took another small sip of the drink, before standing up and attending to the other food. He stared at it for a moment and then closed his eyes focusing entirely on the smell and the sound. He nodded and flipped the chicken wings and ribs into the air. As they fell his knife blurred and two plates formed in his hand. The chicken wings and ribs landed perfectly to form the shape of a rose. The ribs formed the stem, the wings the flower. He quickly sheathed the knife and then bones fell down and landed in a bin he conjured up. He'd deboned the chicken somehow. He nodded and placed the two plates down conjuring up a bottle of brown liquid. This was a rather excellent BBQ sauce made from many ingredients. There was also a bottle of red liquid. This was an oriental style sauce. The ribs and chicken were specially prepared so they would absorb the liquid quickly.

"I hope you enjoy. If there's anything else you'd like let me know."

Okay she couldn’t help it this time, but when he listed all his talents in the culinary world Shade shot him a small, jealous pout before taking a hefty bite of the burger. The fruit of his labor and studies went down wonderfully with the bubbly beverage, one small sip enough to help return some of her more jubilant personality even if it failed to quash the bit of jealousy. ’And yet I can’t help but admire her…’ Lost in thought she belatedly realized half her food already sat in her stomach, staring down at her plate in surprise. Deciding it rude to keep him waiting she nodded, the idea holding perhaps more appeal than the date suggestions, ”Yes, it would be nice to travel with someone for once…especially if it’s you…”

Whispering the tail end Shade quickly started working on the hot dog as her date attended to the grill yet again. Those last four words slipped out unbidden, creating a fluttering in her stomach that she wanted to blame on the cola and couldn’t, but it’d been an honest sentiment even if she half-hoped he’d missed it.

Again her performed feats never before seen by the young woman, creating another edible flower that forced her mouth into a small “o” shape. ”No…this should be plenty for now,” she assured him, opting to start with a rib lightly coated in the brown sauce she could only guess must be some form of BBQ sauce. Though Shade wasn’t afraid of showing an appetite unlike some women she liked to avoid stuffing herself unnecessarily if only to avoid the discomforting sensations. Carefully she ate the rib, not wanting to make a mess if it could be helped as she tilted her head at her personal chef, ”I like the flowers, but I’m curious…how often do you make other things? Have you ever made a chicken using scrambled eggs or a little volcano out of onions? Do you cook in front of customers or do you prefer to stay behind the scenes? I imagine people would go to you for the quality of the food…but watching you is a wonder in of itself. I could’ve sworn earlier you even had extra hands!”

If he could do all of this with food then she couldn’t help pondering his possibilities in sand castle building. Eyes drifting back to the meat-formed flower the idea cemented itself, ’With his eye for detail he’s probably pretty good.’ Though if they were to spend time in the sun building one…she eyed him in a suspicious manner, ”Now that I think about it though…did you apply the suntan lotion too? It wouldn’t do for someone who cooks to become burnt meat himself.”

He blushed at those last four words. She thought travelling would be fun. Especially if it was with him. That made him happier then he'd been in a long time. "How about next time we meet we bring a few location ideas and pick one out?" he suggested as an idea. That way he could spend time trying to think of a great location for her and one where he could further show off his skill in the kitchen. He tilted his head as she asked about other things he had made using food. Flowers were a specialty of his, especially roses, considering he was part of black rose. However, that wasn't to say he couldn't make other things. Still her suggestions were rather entertaining. The idea of making a chicken using scrambled egg or a volcano of onions was entertaining. Perhaps he could do that in the future. He did enjoy making cooking a show, but what if he could also make the meal itself more beuatiful. Perhaps portraits or landscapes made of food?

"I do prefer to cook in front of others. I find that if you cook in front of them then the sounds and smells will whet the appetite. Live cooking is my style. I normally go for more traditional beautiful items as its what people like, but I can do other things. Think I should expand on that?" Magna said with a smile. She seemed to enjoy watching him cook as much as eating what he cooked. That was a goal achieved at least in regards to her and right now she was all that mattered to him. It was a weird feeling for a single person to be so important to him/ "Ah you saw the extra hands...that's part of a new magic I gained recently. Extra hands means I can do more at a time."

He chuckled at the joke as she mentioned suntan lotion and then raised a finger his mouth open as if to say something like of course, but paused. Now that he thought about it in all his fluster for getting his food ready for today he had neglected that. "Now that I think about I guess I forgot." he said and looked at his attire. He was wearing a white chef uniform, but that didn't protect his face nor did it help him if he decided to take off some of this later to sunbathe or something. Or maybe, and the thought caused him to blush ever so slightly, she might want him to take off his top or something. "I should probably put some on."

’Oh, that works,’ she nodded, agreeing with him. Picking out a selection would prove interesting and time occupying itself. Shade would try to pick ones she believed he might not have been to as of yet…but even if she failed then he might be able to show her around…’Either way I win!’ She’d get a few opinions from people later, mentally telling Gaspard to remind her of the special job so it wouldn’t slip her mind. Unlike CM he was less prone to needlessly worrying, so she tended to trust the canine denizen with more secretarial tasks.

A tiny bud of pleasure welled up, pleased that she could offer any kind of suggestion. While he exhibited a high level of finesse to his style, the girl enjoyed some of the slight comedic antics of a chef who’d done the things she described. Any recollections of him vanished in a puff of smoke as she exclaimed, ”I knew it!” Okay, she may not have completely known “it,” but there’d been that itty bitty suspicion that his hands weren’t just moving at inhuman speeds. ’Did he learn that magic merely to further his cooking abilities?’ His dedication was admirable even if a little intimidating, yet it inspired her in a variety of ways: for one not wanting to leave him the only one impressed (even if it might have to wait until another occasion).

The pause said it all, but Shade waited until he admitted it out loud before letting the smug little smirk slide into place. Ah ha! A victory! Tiny as it was, it was still one! Granted the shirt protected him and he probably hadn’t wanted the heat of the grill and sun to cause him to sweat the stuff onto the food or…maybe he plum forgot? Regardless even if it hadn’t been as important earlier she doubted he planned to wear the attire the entire time, the place rather warm due to the sun and all. Burnt by the sun or broiled in the shirt: neither sounded pleasant. Obviously it was up to her to look out for him, the sweet fellow having thought about her quite a bit after all. Grabbing the bottle next to her, the foxy mage smiled at him, ”If you’d like I’d be more than happy to help you with your back, since you were so kind to help me with mine~”

Squeezing a small drop into her palm she stroked her hand up his arm, inching closer, ”Besides, I was thinking after food it might be fun to see how you are at crafting things out of sand since you’ve proven your skill with food~”

He removed his shirt and laid down revealing his well sculpted shoulders and toned back. "That be great thanks. Even with the extra arms I can never get the back, its a bit of a pain to be honest." he said with a smile and then considered the idea of making sand castle and other things. He'd never done it, but thinking about it it was just a matter of shaping the sand using water to harden parts of it. "Making sand castles sounds fun. Never really done it before." He wondered if he could impress her with that somehow. He wanted to impress her more than anything. Perhaps his toned body would help. It was strange to think of someone be well sculpted and toned when they enjoyed the art of the culinary so much. Perhaps it was the travel? Or perhaps he just liked to keep his body in shape for cooking purposes. His back was toned and well defined, but it was also, unusually, covered in scars and burns of various shapes and sizes. Yet despite the unusual or weird nature of having so many scars or burns he didn't seem embarrassed to show his back. No, it seemed to be the opposite. He seemed proud to show off the scars he had gained. How he had gained them wasn't clear.

The date in his mind was going very well. Their first course and second course were complete, well the first was pretty much complete. They hadn't eaten all the onigiri or chocolate but that didnt matter. They had enjoyed what they ate and had the extra course of eachother. He still had dessert to prepare but he had it in his mind what he was going to do for that. Yes, he would bring out his specialty ingredient for the dessert. Well, that was assuming she liked sweet stuff.

"So shall we make it a contest. Who can build the best sand castle?" he suggested deciding to add a competitive element to it. Perhaps then he would see her magic as it tried to compete against his own. Or maybe magic wouldn't be allowed. That would make things fairer. That would make it pure skill. He wondered what exactly it was that she would want to make and if she had any skill in the art of sand castle building. "Or is it sand sculptures you'd prefer?"

Excellent, perhaps she’d turn out better! As they’d been there she’d gained some vague memories concerning beaches and someone teaching her how to form the sand into shapes. Her experience may not have been great, but that didn’t stop Shade’s hope from spiraling up as she surveyed Magna’s back. It was hard to decide what to focus on as he’d kept in great shape, yet marks marred his flesh here and there. ’Surely this isn’t all from the kitchen?’ she thought, a finger lightly tracing over some of the marks. Magna hadn’t faulted in showing them, leaving her to wonder if there might be some interesting stories at hand. For now though she’d return to the task at hand as she grabbed the bottle…

…and proceeded to make a smiley face with the lotion.

Smiling back at it with a tiny giggle the girl set the bottle aside and proceeded to smooth it over his skin. Careful to avoid his tail – not wanting to goopify the hair there – she made sure to get his sides as he’d done for her. Occasionally her touch lightened over another scar here and there, momentarily distracted before she continued, making sure not to leave a patch of his back spare of the lotion. Marks were better earned from enemies and effort…not the sun.

”Yes! Prepare to be whooped as I'll make your sand castle look like the summer home compared to mine!” her cheeky voice piped up. Her determined smile came with a bit of mischief as she snapped her fingers…and more odd, little, stuffed critters appeared. Seeing as he sported some handy skills from cooking then surely a bit of help wouldn’t be overboard? Besides if he used some of that magic for extra limbs then it would be perfectly reasonable she used a bit of her’s! Five new little friends stood in the sand, CM quickly moving to join them – and almost knocking a little blue wolf over in the process – as if to stand at attention with the rest. Then as if this might be the most normal thing in the world because it was for her, Shade turned to Magna and introduced him to each one, ”Meet some of my other little friends! The horned wolf is Gaspard, this foxish fellow is Zero, the pink lion looking one is Celty, the white kitty is Macha, and this fluffy wolfy fellow with the X eyes is Kumei! Everybody this is Magna!”

A round of voices offered varying greetings, all of them polite for the most part as her attention returned to her date-turned-opponent, ”I figure it’s fair for you to use some of your skills and magic if I get to use mine!” Since they weren’t in their true forms it was easier for her to manifest multiple friends, their fuzzied state so powered down it hardly bit at her magic power. ”Hmm though…I suppose it’s not a competition without some form of prize or punishment…Any ideas?” The only one that came to her mind readily involved the loser getting tossed into the water, but with the heat that wouldn’t be much of a punishment.