An Evening of Wonder [Private/Corliss]

Yato opened his eyes as he awakened from his sleep in his apartment. His vision was a bit faded at first as he tried to get his bearings. The sun was shining in through the half-opened blinds by the singular window in his room. Once he was fully awakened, Yato slowly pulled his bed sheets off and stood up next to his bed while stretching his back after his rest. He took a look at his calendar on the wall and he had realized that it was the day of his date. It was with a girl that he had never met before, but he was set up by some of his buddies in the Rune Knights. He wasn't told anything except that she was a very attractive girl. Yato didn't have any other plans for that weekend, so he figured that he didn't have much to lose. Besides, it had been a good while since he had gone on a date with anyone, so it would be a good way to break up the time he spends doing Rune Knight things. With that, Yato got ready in the bathroom and requiped into his stunning new tuxedo that he had purchased specifically for the occasion. The celestial spirit grinned as he looked at himself in the mirror and went out the front door to go meet his potential lover.

The spruced up spirit walked down the streets of Magnolia on his way to the pre-assigned meeting place. It was a five-star restaurant in the very center of Magnolia itself. Yato enters through the front doors and takes in his surroundings. The floor was made of a stainless mahogany wood, The walls had what looked like priceless artwork, and all of the people there were wearing nothing but the finest clothing. The restaurant was nearly full with the exception of one perfectly laid out table to the left of the front door. It had immaculate white cloth draping over the sides of the table, three candles with small flames that added moody and romantic lighting, and the silverware perfectly laid out on each side of the table. Yato took his seat there and began to wait for his date to arrive.

WC: 372

Yato was sitting down in his seat in the restaurant with his elbows on the table, waiting for his date to arrive; The chandelier over the table shining dimly over him. 'Its almost time. I feel like im starting to regret this.' Yato thought to himself. What if this girl was actually mean and ugly, and the guys at HQ were doing this as a prank? What if everything just goes downhill from here? What would he do? All of these thoughts were racing through Yato's mind at once as the clock's hand ticked closer to the official time the date was scheduled. But then, Yato caught a glimpse of a girl approaching his table, and all of his doubts quickly drained out of his mind s his eyes widened. She was one of the most beautiful women that he had ever had the pleasure of laying his eyes on. Her crimson red eyes matched her dress perfectly; And her immaculate white hair formed the perfect backdrop to the gorgeous roses that were placed there. She approached at his table and asked if he was Yato. It was then that Yato realized that he was forgetting the most basic of table manners and scrambled to remove his elbows from the table. He looked up at the beautiful woman again and felt his cheeks become flushed. "uh-uh, y-yes. I am in fact Yato Akiyama." Christ, what was he thinking? He probably looked like a fool in front of her right now. Yato thought. Not exactly the greatest start to his blind date; But he tried rolling with it anyways. "Oh, where are my manners?" Yato said as he dashed to quickly offer a seat to the madam on the opposite side to his own.

WC: 294

The date had not started in the greatest way possible. Yato had imagined himself being much more suave in his mind than he was actually being. But then again, it could have been much worse, he figured. Before he knew it, they were both properly seated and looking over the menu. While deciding what to eat, Yato realized how pricey the food actually was. He went in with a hefty amount of jewels since he knew he was going to be going to one of the nicest restaurants in Fiore; But he still hadn't expected such ridiculous prices. 1,000 jewels for a rib-eye steak, just as an example. That was almost half of an entire job's pay. Ah well, not much could be done at that point, Yato thought.

Yato looked up to see his date scanning the menu in order to find a meal suitable for her tastes. He found himself staring at her gorgeous hair and the bed of roses within, contemplating how well they complimented each other. His head was slightly tilted and his eyes were slightly dream-like. He came back to his senses a moment later and quickly returned his gaze to his menu, blushing slightly and hoping that she didn't notice. A few seconds later, she had begun to try to make some small talk with Yato. He responded with a slight chuckle, "Yes, I am a Rune Knight indeed" He thought for a moment before answering her next question as to why he joined. Should he tell her that he is actually a celestial spirit? He decided against it for the time being simple because he was afraid of what kind of dynamic that would bring between them so early on in the date. He would tell her once they had gotten to know each other a bit better, he figured. "I became a Rune Knight with the explicit purpose of bringing justice to the people of Fiore." This was not really a lie at all. That was exactly why he was sent by the celestial king to earthland; and Yato thought that the best way to achieve that goal was to join the law bringers of Fiore. "As to what i recommend..." Yato said. He then thought for a moment after uttering the sentence. "I'm honestly not totally sure. This is my first time in this place. Actually, this is my first time in such a nice restaurant to be perfectly honest."

Yato decided to try and carry on the conversation while the mood was still present to do so. "So, Corliss, correct? You are a very lovely woman" Yato blushed a bit as he said that part. He really wasn't very good under this kind of pressure. "Would you mind telling me a bit about yourself? You seem like a very interesting person."

WC: 472

Yato continued to make conversation with Corliss as the date continued. The lightning of the restaraunt became moodier and more romantic slowly over time as the sun set outside in a luscious red and orange hue across the sky, which painted the streets of the city beyond with the same colors of dusk. The lovely lady commented that she was in fact from Black Rose; The guild that had very recently turned from Independent to Legal. Yato was always happy to see people and guilds turn fully to the light; Although he never really had anything against Black Rose when they were neutral, as they did not seem to commit to many evil deeds, in contrast to a few other Independent guilds. Corliss then brushed her gorgeous hair to the side with one hand and mentioned that she was very fond of roses. She also described her pet that she seemed very fond of and enthusiastic about. The girl seemed to start fumbling with her words slightly.

Yato chuckled a little bit in a friendly and reassuring manner and responded with, "Ah, roses... Beautiful flowers. Always full of life with their crimson red petals and alluring aroma. They always have so much to say in their patterns and liveliness. Almost as if each individual rose tells its own story. It is a flower that fits you perfectly, without a doubt." Now this date was starting to go better, Yato thought to himself. It had been a long time since he had been on a date; But his suave side seemed to finally be kicking in. Then, the waiter finally arrived at their table. He was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt underneath. The man pulled out his pad to jot down orders in and said, "Good evening, sir and madam. What would you like to order on this wonderful evening?" Yato looked to his date and said, "Why yes... It is an evening of wonder indeed." He followed up with his actual order. "I'll have a glass of water and a rib-eye steak. Cooked medium-well, if you would be so kind."

WC: 355

The date was progressing reasonably well as the sun began to set further on the horizon. After the waiter took Yato's order, he handed him the menu and awaited the man to take his date's order. The waiter turned to his left and asked Corliss what she would like to have. Just before, Corliss looked like she was daydreaming while Yato was ordering. Once she was asked her meal of choice, she looked rather flustered and fumbled around slightly with the menu. She quickly named an item and proceeded to hand the waiter her menu. It was apparent that she was a little embarrassed as her cheeks were flushed and she awkwardly turned the flower at their table into a rose. The waiter thanked them both and went off to turn in the orders to the kitchen. Yato could tell that his date was feeling a little uncomfortable and he really could not figure out exactly why. Regardless, he decided to attempt start another conversation to lighten the mood in the air between them. "So, your magic revolves around roses, I see. That's fascinating. What all can you do with such a magic?" Yato asked sincerely. As long as he could carry on a good and interesting conversation, the date would follow in the same trend; Or so he hoped.

WC: 222

The conversation smoothly continued at the dinner table as the subject changed to the types of magic that they used. Corliss discussed her rose make magic that she possessed. It sounded like a fascinating magic to Yato; with a great deal of grace from the description of it. "Any maker magic has the potential to bloom into something far greater than almost any other magic, simply by definition; Just like a rose." Yato said. Corliss also inquired as to what kind of magic Yato used. Yato responded with, "Well, I use Re-Quip magic; A knight style Re-Quip to be more specific." I've been training in martial arts and blade wielding for..... Well, lets just say for a long time." Yato wondered for a moment whether he should reveal his true self as a celestial spirit to her or not. He looked at Corliss for a few moments and thought about how he had no idea how she would react to the information; So he decided against it, even though he knew that he would have to tell her eventually, as he did not want to deceive the innocent looking girl in the shroud of a lie.

1 Hour Later

Yato and Corliss were served their meal and they both ate happily. The conversation had ceased for the most part as they ate; with the food being to good to think about much else. Almost as soon as they had finished, the waiter had come back with the bill. Yato's heart sunk a little when he saw exactly how much the meal would cost in total; but he did his best to hide his horror with his beaming smile and paid the hefty bill nonetheless. As they got ready to leave, the sun had already set in the horizon, and the night sky was clear as it was in months. Not wanting the date to end yet, Yato asked Corliss,

"Hey, would you like to spend a little more of the night together? We could go stargazing outside since it's so beautiful outside right now. I know the perfect spot."

WC: 351

Once Yato had asked Corliss if she would go stargazing with him, she accepted the offer. In fact, she seemed overjoyed at the idea, to Yato's relief. They exited the restaurant side by side and began walking down the streets of Magnolia. The many stars above their heads lit up the clear night sky. Yato looked up at the stars and saw the constellations of some of his allies. The warmth of their light shone down on him and filled him with confidence for the rest of the date to come. He could even see Pisces glowing slightly more brightly than the rest; almost as if he was personally encouraging him to keep going strong. Despite the extremely late hour, the streets were still bright and filled with activity of Magnolia's night life. Everything was happening from upper class citizens crowding into the high end bars and taverns nearby, to homeless people struggling to sleep in their alleyways due to the cold. As they walked to the perfect stargazing location that Yato mentioned before, he began to notice how cold it was outside. He could see his own breath. If it was cold for him in his suit, he could only imagine what it was like for his date who was wearing a dress. "It's pretty cold out here, don't you think? Are you sure that you want to go still? I could walk you home if you've changed your mind." Sure, Yato still wanted to go stargazing with his beautiful date; But he wasn't one to make a lady potentially suffer out in the cold on his behalf.

WC: 270

Yato and Corliss continued walking down the streets of Magnolia in tandem, as Yato led the pair to this magical spot that he had been hinting to this entire time. As they happily strolled along the concrete path, Corliss mentioned that she was in fact rather cold, and hinted at wanting to wear Yato's coat. While putting on the most sincere smile he could, curving his lips just slightly, he replied with, "You just read my mind." Yato quickly slips off his coat one sleeve at a time and wraps it around his lovely date's shoulders to keep her warm from the unrelenting cold. He also decides to wrap one arm around her shoulders. He paniced a bit at first, as he didn't know if he was being too physical or not, but he just tried rolling with it and hoping that it was the right thing to do. As he does so, he noticed a little color return to her skin.

Corliss had also inquired as to where exactly they were headed. Yato raises his head and looks further up the street. They had reached the outskirts of Magnolia by this point. He sees a huge river flowing gently enough along that you could see the dazzling reflection of the stars within it, but still hear the soft and soothing sound of flowing water. Next to the beautiful river, was a levy holding the water back. This levy was covered in some of the greenest grass in the city that shone dimly in the starlight reflected from the river. There were even a few small flowers there from the budding spring season that was fast approaching. "This was the perfect spot that I was talking about." Yato said rather dreamily. "I used to come here all the time and watch the stars for hours." While holding Corliss's hand, he excitedly jogged over to the levy and let go just in time to jump down onto the ground and land lightly onto his back, with the grass acting as a cushion for his body. He motioned for his date to join him and put his hands behind his head while staring up at the sky.

WC: 367

Once Yato had relaxed his muscles and let the bed of grass surround him fully, he stared up at the sky and watched the infinite sea of stars smile down on him from above in an array of light. After basking in the moment for a brief few seconds, Yato felt a warmth appear near his right side. He looked over and saw Corliss laying down next to him and joining him in his pursuit of solving the endless mysteries of the sky. Even to a celestial spirit like him, the stars were just as mythical and mysterious as they would be to any human. Her warmth became more apparent when she moved closer to him, and Yato simply smiled and took in the moment that they were sharing. But that all ended when she dropped the bomb on him, so to speak. She asked him if he was from Magnolia or not. The smile on Yato's face faded and he was all of a sudden faced with an ultimatum. He could lie and say that he was from Magnolia; or Era, or anywhere else on earthland for that matter; Or he could tell the truth and reveal himself to be a celestial spirit and a member of those infinite stars that they were staring at. Part of his mind was screaming at him to just lie and play the question off. But deeper down he knew that he had to accept reality and not just create a fantasy for them. Yato takes in a deep breath and releases it in a big sigh. "Well.... I'm not really from here. And by here, i don't mean Magnolia. I mean this... realm. I know that I should have told you earlier, but im actually..... a celestial spirit." When the words had finally left his mouth, he felt a tang of regret. Like he had made the wrong decision. But before Corliss had any time to react in any meaningful way, he sat up slightly and pointed up towards the sky. "You see that constellation up there? It's a little off to the right. That's me right there. Seiryu, The Azure Dragon."

WC: 361

Yato's body twitched ever so slightly as he lie down on the grass waiting for the information to process in Corliss' mind. He saw her perfect eyes as they connected the dots of the stars to reveal the form of his constellation. He waited with baited breath since he had no idea how she would react to his revelation. His heart rate was increasing by the second, and a bead of sweat trickled down and dripped off of his hair. The moment seemed to last for an eternity before she finally said something.

“Woah, really? That's so cool! What are you doing here? Do you have a key? How many copies of your key are there? What's it like being a celestial spirit? Do you have a-a dragon form or something? Is that why your eyes are so blue?”

She sprang up and looked down at Yato, asking a barrage of questions in his direction. He could barely even keep up, being perfectly honest. The questions just kept coming one after the other. But right when she finished speaking she appeared to be waiting for a response to her endless curiosity. Yato looked up and met her eyes. He was just glad that she seemed fascinated by who he was rather than being angry or horrified. Yato opened his mouth slightly to say something in response to her, but then she asked him:

“Yato, how old are you?”

the question was uttered in such a soft tone in contrast to the enthusiasm of her previous ones that Yato hesitated. He broke off his gaze and looked at the ground for a moment. It was clear that the thought troubled her. Yato simply looked up at the stars again while his head lay against the grass and replied with, "I'm honestly not entirely sure. I have existed since the day the universe was conceived. It's been so long since then that i don't even remember anymore; So i guess you could just say that I'm ageless." Once his statement was out in the open, he looked back to Corliss. He could see his reflection in her eyes but with a red hue over his skin and the ground around him. He had been so worried about the situation for so long that he had almost forgotten how beautiful his date was. He picked up his head from the ground slightly and raised his hand, gently brushing her hair back behind her ear.

WC: 411

When Yato reached out to tuck Corliss' hair back, he saw her cheeks become a light shade of red as he continued to be infatuated by her crimson red iris's. He could feel her body heat cut through the cold air towards him as she moved closer. They both just stared into each other's eyes for what felt like ages. Firefly's were dancing around nearby, sounds of doors from nearby stores were heard as they locked for the last time before the next morning, and the moonlight from above shown down onto the pair all the way from the heavens above. But then, everything became silent for but a few seconds, and the white haired beauty closed the gap between them and let their lips meet. Yato's eyes opened ever so slightly wider in surprise, but he quickly let the information his body just received sink in and closed his eyes to savor the moment. It was a moment that he never wanted to truly end. It was a moment of relief from the strenuous nature of life. It was a moment of pure bliss. But like any other moment in life, it soon had to come to an end. Their lips pulled apart and he looked his date in the eyes again. Her eyes; it was a feature that Yato could never quite seem to get over about her. They were the most perfect shade of crimson imaginable. Even more red than the roses which she creates.

WC: 249

After their lips split apart from each other, Yato wondered where exactly the hours had gone, despite the kiss itself lasting only a few seconds. Once he was jerked back into reality just a few moments later, he smiled to his date and looked over to see their reflection against the starry night sky through the river. Looking back to Corliss, he noticed that she seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. She then spoke up and said that she had to be leaving, Causing Yato to think that he had done something to upset her. But before she left, she planted a light kiss on his cheek, causing him to lightly blush and to wash away the doubt from his mind that he screwed up in any major way at least. Yato responded with, "I had a great time too. It really has been a pleasure being able to meet you." With that, Yato began waving goodbye to Corliss as she began walking back to Magnolia. She turned around once again when she was already a fair distance away however, and told him to stop by if hes ever around Black Rose. Yato yelled back, "Thanks. I just might take you up on that offer." Then, before he knew it, she was gone. While remembering everything that had happened on that wonderful evening, Yato fell back onto the grass with his arms sprawled out on the ground. Corliss was surely someone that he would never forget; even centuries from then. He looked back at the night sky once more and saw a constellation up in the sky that he hadn't yet noticed. It was Leo the Lion. Yato could almost sense that Leo was looking down his way and helping him out that night. Yato grinned and muttered "Thanks buddy." Before drifting off to sleep right there on the ground with the sounds of nature all around him.

WC: 322