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Winter shot up from his hunched writing, he heard the sound of low wooden scraping behind him, louder than he was used to thus breaking his concentration on a report he was writing
"Uh heyy brooo... you uh busy?"
"What do you need?" Winter said not bothering to turn around
Winter didn't get an immediate response, which caught him off guard, as Icicle isn't really known for being tongue tied in anything. With his curiosity piqued Winter turned around to see his sister...
Fidgeting with her talons?
"You okay there?" Winter couldn't hold back the chuckle
"Yes!" She snapped with her usual fury, "Just... thinking"
"Uh huh" Winter hummed, taking this moment to enjoy her usually brazen and intimidating sister struggle to think of words, "Thinking...?"
"Shut up" Icicle snapped, "I'm thinking so that my words would actually stick in that stupid-"
Icicle looked like she bit her tongue - knowing her it could be literally - and closed her eyes and took a deep breath
"I apologise, give me a moment" She said gruffly but calmly
Winter couldn't help but smile, it was nice to see his sister like this. It was far removed from the fiery furious frothing frost breathing dragon that she used to be, now she's just furious most of the time
Once she regained her composure she said in a low voice that was almost a whisper, "I need some... advice"
Winter was taken aback for a moment, "Advice? From me?"
"Don't flatter yourself" Icicle rolled her eyes
"I'm genuinely surprised," Winter chuckled, "What could you possibly get out of me?"
Icicle didn't say anything for a moment, looking around anywhere that wasn't him, then sighed and looked back at him "So like I work in security right"
Winter narrowed his eyes, now his using his full attention to try and guess what Icicle wanted advice for, "Uh huh"
"And I have a station that they assign me by, it's near a jewellery store or whatever and... there's a guy that works there and well umm... I kinda hang out with him sometimes and uh I was wondering how I could uh- I maybe- no! grrr how do you explain this!"
Winter was going off of context clues while Icicle was busy fighting with her inner demons, then the pieces clicked in his head, "Wait a minute... are you? Do you?"
Icicle stopped trying to beat words out of her throat and started staring daggers, knives, and spears at him
Winter managed to expertly hid a chuckle in a cough though the small smile wasn't really discreet, "Do you wanna ask someone out?"
There was a pause between them, Icicle looked like she was trying to pull the scales off her face and eat them cause they were turning dark blue. While Winter, was trying to keep the muscles on the corner of his cheeks from smiling, repressing the laugh that threatened to burst out with overwhelming force
He failed
"You're insufferable" Icicle grumbled
"Okay hehe hold on haha-" Winter tried to speak but was constantly getting interrupted by his chuckles
"Ughghhhhhhh" Icicle groaned, "Can you help or what snow puff?!'"
Winter managed to calm down his laughter just enough to talk, "I'm- I'm surprised that you came to me"
"Well it don't look like I have much option doesn't it!" Icicle emphasised by spreading her wings out, "Besides don't you have like I don't know experience with that nightwing and sandwing you like so much"
Winter was silenced immediately with the mention of those two almost like instinct, "I mean the circumstances are a tiny bit different though, you don't have an ancient animus or a prophecy to 'bond' over"
"Ughh so you're useless?!"
"How about your sentry buddies?"
"They're like twenty years older than me and married!" Icicle exclaimed, "It's... embarrassing" She looked away
Winter tapped his chin with another chuckle, no matter how funny he found the situation he still wanted to help his sister, this might be good for her. It was nice seeing her sister like this, this might even be good for her
"You know what, whatever I'll figure-"
"Actually I might have an idea"
More precisely, Winter knew a dragon
Icicle sat down with a small grimace in her face, and it was really small she swore it was so minuscule that you probably could barely see it, probably only she knew that she was ever so slightly frowning
That's because she was NOT annoyed by the tiny rainwing in front of her, she was only SLIGHTLY... stunned by the amount of colours that assaulted her eyes
Also she was talking really fast
And her voice was somehow dissonant for every syllable
But that's it
.
.
.
And she can't stay on one topic for-
"Ehhm" She coughed loudly
"Huh?" Kinkajou turned her head towards, "Ohhh right sorry sorry Icicle, I kinda get distracted easily"
"Clearly" Icicle gritted, Winter chuckled beside Kinkajou, Icicle shot him a look that could bite him
"So where were we... right you wanted to ask someone out"
Icicle shrunked a little, it was still... weird when said a loud. But Icicle shook it off and nodded. She leaned forward to listen to what this rainwing had to say
and waited
and waited
"So?" Kinkajou said
Icicle crew back, "Pardon me?"
"Oh you don't need permission, just tell me" Kinkajou waved a talon at her
"Huh, what?" Icicle mind was trying to rack if this was an elaborate joke and if she was justified is being angry or not
"Aren't you...?"
Kinkajou tilted her head, then her eyes went wide in realisation, "Ohhh you were waiting for me, alright my bad, you leaned forward I thought you were gonna say something"
Icicle leaned feeling... something, it was close to annoyance but wasn't quite there. She stole a glance at Winter who only shrugged and gestured with his head to just go along with it
"So yea, asking a dragon out you just... ask them you know" She chuckled, "Not sure why you need my help for"
"I-" Icicle tried to come up with response that didn't make her sound whiny, "How?"
Genius
"Oh well you walk up to them and-"
"No no not the physically act of it!" Icicle growled, "Like how do I make it not-" Icicle racked her brain to finish her sentence, "Weird?"
Both Kinkajou and Winter tilted their head at the same time, scrutinizing her with their gaze. Icicle returned it with a scowl that she hoped is icy enough to un-scrutinized her
"Weird?" Kinkajou said, without missing a beat, "What do you mean 'weird'?"
"It just is!" Icicle said, "If it wasn't weird, I wouldn't be asking for help"
For a moment the both of them just stared at her dumbly
"I'm confused" Kinkajou said
"I'm with Kinkajou here, I didn't expect it to be that reason" Icicle growled at him, "Like I understand it being awkward, but with you I would think that you would just... I don't know power through it like everything else"
"What is that suppose to mean!?" Icicle said
Winter shrugged, "You're big and scary"
"That doesn't explain anything!"
Kinkajou looked in between the both of them, "Well I think the both of your are the weird ones, I don't know what's so hard about it" Kinkajou turned to Icicle, "Like you're friends with him right?"
"I don't know!"
A second wave of that dumb pause and look was directed at her again
"You... don't know?" Winter stupidly repeated, "How?"
"It's not like he says 'you're my friend Icicle' to my face does he?" Icicle hissed at him
"W- what do you do together?" Kinkajou said with a chuckle
"I don't know, just whatever I guess" Icicle mumbled, "We talk and drink together sometimes, he has that fancy good liquor, selling jewelry and all"
"And you don't think that's friendly?" Kinkajou said
"I guess" She said with a shrug, not enjoying how the tone of this conversation is going, "I don't know..."
"Aren't your sentry friends your... friends?" Winter said
"They're my coworkers"
"Okay," Kinkajou turned to Winter, "He's your friend, right?"
"He's my brother"
"But also your friend, right?"
"He has a mandatory relationship with me"
The third time with that stupid loo- "Would you two stop looking at me like that!"
Kinkajou laughed and elbowed "She's worse than you"
"I WILL OPEN UP YOUR-" Icicle bit her tongue - literally, that hurt - closer eyes and took a deep breath, "I would appreciate it if you two would stop making fun of my relationships and actually help me"
Icicle opened her eyes to see Kinkajou looking a bit stunned but still a small smile on her face and Winter looking concerned, at least they didn't look at her with that dumb blank look again
"Right okay, sorry, it was just... kinda funny seeing a bit of old Winter in you" Kinkajou said, Icicle could only roll her eyes
"But yea you're right, you ask for help and to be completely straight with you Icicle" Kinkajou said, "You just kinda have to go along with it, weirdness and all"
Icicle groaned
"It's apart of the process, like getting amputated"
"Why was that the example?"
"Shush Winter"
"Alright fine!" Icicle said, unsatisfied with the answer but it was better than nothing, "What do I even say? How in three moons am I supposed to minimise the weirdness?"
Kinkajou rummaged her bag that she brought and pulled a quill and parchment, "Have you tried writing it down?"
Icicle was lounging around in her guard station as the sun had just passed noon
She was fine, she was fine
Icicle was almost grateful that she actually had to do something today - a business transaction gone to rowdy, a wandering salesdragon dropping her wares, a lost dragonet in the crowd - it kept her busy. So she didn't have to wait and wait and wait...
Time moved so slow today it was agonising, and yet it felt far too inevitable. For every tick of a heartbeat she felt is another heartbeat in the past as the future of the day is slowly marching towards her. Towards the thing she had to do
This was also another thing she hated about being unoccupied, her mind waxing poetic about her mundane insignificant life outside of the Ice Queendom- Ugh stop it!
A dragon flew close past her watch tower, Icicle head shot up and, ugh that wasn't him. Grah where the hell is Track-
"Afternoon C"
Icicle jumped, metaphorically of course.... to a certain extent
"Wow geez what got you so worked up?" The gruff Mudwing said
"None of your business!" Icicle exclaimed, maybe too frantically but who was cares, she was leaving!
"Oookay," Tracks said, "Well you're off duty, sorry I'm late, I kinda-"
"Okay sure whatever thanks bye" Icicle quickly grabbed her bag and flew out of her post quickly not giving the mudwing a second thought
Her speed didn't really match her travel length though as she quickly swooped down and landed in front of the building she knew so well
She took a step forward and... stopped
Why did she stop? Why isn't she going? What is happening?
She felt a deep gaping hole in her stomach and- No!
She was not gonna freeze up in front of a store like a fool! She was battle hardened soldier dammit, she cannot be faltering just because she was asking another dragon out
She willed another step forward, and another, and another. She pushed open the ferns acting as the entrance to the store and-
"Welco- Oh Icicle, hi" Mightyclaws said physically lighting up when he saw her
Icicle froze when she saw that the dragon she was supposed to woo, was in fact the dragon right in front of her right now!
"Uh hi" Icicle said, mentally cursing herself because why was this so hard, she talked to him a lot this is no different!
"What's up, I'm guessing you haven't gotten your paycheck yet, so it's probably not to buy" Mightyclaws said with a smarmy smile
"Oh of course you would know wouldn't you?" She snarked back almost instinctively
"Oh wow someone's sour" Mightyclaws chuckled, he opened the little door that lead to behind his counter, "Come on, it's a slow day, I could afford a little break"
"Wow, working hard aren't we?" Icicle said as she made her way behind the counter
They both entered the room behind the store where Mightyclaws had a table full of snacks and a pitcher of water with a couple of wooden mugs around it
"You're one to talk, ms stay in one place and watch dragons all day"
Icicle sat down in front of the table and grabbed a small fancily cut piece of goat meat, "I'll have you know that I was very productive today"
"Mhmmm" Mightyclaws hummed, sounding unconvinced
"Besides," Icicle threw the piece of meat in her mouth, and smiled, "If no one causing trouble cause they see me up there, then I am doing my job"
Mightclaws chuckled, "Whatever you say C"
"Speaking of causing trouble, oh boy I have to tell you about this... guy" Mightyclaws said, his face turning sour, "He entered my store acting like he owned the place and-"
Mightclaws was interrupted by the jingling sound of the entrance to his store, "Oop, well to be continued I guess" Mightyclaws disappeared to the front of his store again
Icicle was left in serene silence, Mighty's break room was luxurious, privilege of knowing a jeweler she guessed, she would live here if she could. Icicle stretched her wings and was about to throw another one of the pieces of meat in her mouth before remembering what she was here
Icicle stifled a groan cause she didn't want to disturb Mightyclaw's work but ughhhhhhggggggggggg.....
Icicle grabbed a piece of parchment from her bag and unfolded it- Then crushed it! Then unfurled it again. It was messy a lot of crossed out 'early drafts' that were 'too vague', 'too wordy', or 'too aggressive and stabby wait that's for me isn't it aww Icicle' damn those two
The words she ended up with were so simple, it was almost taunting her, if words could be smarmy she would've kicked these words out of her sight and make sure they can't see anymore. She took a deep breath, alright she needed to plan how she would fit this into a normal conversation, just a throw away line, so casual that it can't even-
"Hey-"
"Will you go out with me!"
Icicle's brain froze, she was so overwhelmed with embarrassment and self loathing that he mind had cocooned it self from the outside influence so all she could do is stare blankly at MIghtyclaws
and he stared back
and she stared back
and he stared back
and she star-
"Like," MIghtyclaws said, "Go out.... on a date"
Icicle mind had reverted to prehistoric times and she's running off of pure instinct, she looked at him like a sheep, "Yes"
Mightyclaws scratched the back of his head, "Uhh sure"
"Great, it's tomorrow, on the afternoon in dines n claws see you there bye!"
Icicle didn't remember anything after that
This morning Mightyclaws did what he hasn't done in a long time
Use his mirror
He always had one and it was useful for... atmosphere? Every house has a mirror right?
But no, he was better at judging what looks good on other dragons rather than on himself. He always looked fine, he never really thought much about it. He wasn't a slob, so he hadn't gave his appearance much thought really
But fine wasn't gonna cut it this time, this was a date
Mightyclaws felt himself shudder. Thinking about made it so much more nerve wracking than before. It's just lunch but it felt so much more, especially with the fact that he made the impulsive idea of closing shop just for today made this lunch feel more like an event
Not to mention that declaration from Icicle
Speaking about Icicle, he never thought that she felt that way. She's the last dragon he expected to look at him like that, she's so... scary
In a good way of course, like a scary bodyguard or an intimidating moat, someone that protects you
To be perfectly honest the thought of having her as a partner never crossed his mind, he was just glad that he has her as a friend in the first place
He's not against it...
But that was thinking too far into the future, he doesn't even know what to do in the present. He never went on a date before, with the volcano being and awful place to live let alone go on a date and the whole war and Jade Mountain the thought of going on a date or actually dating a dragon crossed his mind. He was completely and utterly lost
Luckily though he thought of the perfect dragon to talk to, plus it's also where he got his breakfast
"Okayyy.... But what can I do?"
"Help me Gharial, please!" Mightyclaws pleaded, "You're are like an expert at this"
Gharial raised an eyebrow at him, "Huh?"
"He's talking about me dear" Crystal said from behind him, cutting away at some seal meat
"Ohhhh" Gharial said before chuckling, "I mean our situation is a teensy bit different, you don't got a whole tribe seeing your relationship as... err taboo"
Gharial then blew a plume of flame to heat up a stone pot in front of him, stirring it with a laddle
"I know I know, but you're all I got here" Mightyclaws said, slumping down on his table
"An icewing right, do I know her?" Crystal asked, pouring the seal meat into the same pot
"I don't know, does Icicle ring a bell?"
Crystal tapped her chin a couple of times, "Sounds... familiar"
"Sounds like a common icewing name no, it even has the word ice in it" Gharial said with a chuckle, "Besides what do you want to know anyway?"
"Anything! I am so lost”
A bowl of hot soup slid in front of him
"Eat up first, can't go on a date when you're hungry"
"It's lunch, I have to be hungry" Mightyclaws took a sip from the bowl
"To be honest I got nothin to tell you bud" Gharial said, "I mean what were you expectin?"
"I don't know!" Mightyclaws exclaimed, "I just feel very... underprepared"
"Well is it a date or a date?" Gharial asked
Mightyclaws tilted his head, "Wha- what is that even suppose to mean?"
"Uhm I think you're thinking too much about it" Crystal chuckled, "It doesn't need to be that serious, it's not a engagement party. Have some fun with it, see if you two are compatible like that"
Mightyclaws rubbed the back of his head, "She seemed pretty serious about it"
"Oh?" Crystal said
"Yea, I mean- I don't know if 'serious' is the right word, she kinda just blurted out the invite and ran.... away"
There was a silence, MIghtyclaws took another sip of his soup kinda scared that he might've said something he shouldn't have. It was broken by a torrent of soft giggles from the couple, which Mightyclaws couldn't help but join in on, realising how absurd the situation sounded now
"Well I think she's gonna be more nervous than you if that's how she reacted" Crystal said with a smile
"She's not usually like that," Mightyclaws took another sip of his soup drawing circles with his talons, "It's an outlier"
"Yeah, you're the outlier here buddy" Gharial said still chuckling, "You're the one who got her on the ropes here, she likes you for you, just be... you and she'll probably like you more"
"That feels so... little"
"And you're concerned about how she feels, I could see why she likes you" Crystal said with a grin, "Maybe you can get her a gift or something, that'll be more than enough I think"
Mightyclaws ran the idea through his head, "Yeah, that could work... that's actually a really good idea! Why didn't I think-" Like a switch in his head something just clicked, he slammed a claw on table, and immediatley got up and ran away, "I got it, Thanks guys!"
"Mighty you still gotta pay!"
Icicle took another sip of her- Well she apparently took another sip of now only just ice in her glass now. She groaned, she wasn't here for that long, the wait was just exhausting. She was restless and it was making her really thirsty
She also felt that sinking feeling inside of that she hasn't felt since- Uh wuh ugh NO! The day before did NOT exist! Although what if her idiotic way of communicating today was why- NO! Damn her head to darkest depths of this earth, she already felt queasy enough just waiting here she did not felt like she needed to be pierced top down from her head adding on top of that. She straightened herself up because somehow she let herself slump by just waiting here, she can't have Mightyclaws's first impression on their... date - still feels weird to think about - be her flopping like a giant noodle
Should she get a refill? It would be pathetic to see she had already finished her drink before he even- Screw it!
She turned around, "Wai- Oh"
There he was
"Took you long enough" Icicle grumbled instinctively putting the feeling of her heart lurching far far into the back of her head
"Right right sorry sorry" Mightyclaws took the seat across from her, "I was- uh I was doing something"
Icicle rolled her eyes and called on a waiter, they ordered their food and Icicle got her refill
The waiter left and Icicle looked back at the only other dragon at their table now, suddenly it dawned on her again that this was a date. She felt sick again and it was worse because she was also hungry now
"So.... what took you so long" Icicle managed to ask without sounding sickly
"Ah I guess there's not better time to give you this"
Icicle raised an eyebrow when Mightyclaws reached into his bag, it took a bit of struggle it looked like it tucked in deep. He then pulled out a dark blue box, Icicle had seen them before, it was a box that he would usually use in his shop to give someone their jewelry in. He then placed the box on her side of the table and retracted his talons to himself almost like he physically shrinked after he gave it to her
"Sorry for the packaging being so plain, I tried putting a bow on it but I got nothing that matches the colour and I was already running late so- Yeah, it's for you heh..."
Icicle stared blanky at the box, unsure on what to do. He says it's for her, so she guessed it was okay to open. She looked back at him who she caught now avoiding her eyes, his talons still safely tucked in himself. She opened the box and her eyes bulged as she saw it. Inside was a shining white and blue gemstone pendant carefully cut to be shaped like a snowflake, it's facet's glimmering in the harsh sunlight above
"I know it's kinda... generic, you being an icewing and all, and it's not my best work, the cuts are kinda sloppy and the finish seems unsatisfying but I could polish it if you wa- Woah woah woah!"
Mightyclaw's concerned voice was the thing that made Icicle realise that her face was wet and her vision was blurry, "Oh- oh oh no!"
"Oh shoot did I offend you, I could-"
"No!" Icicle exclaimed sounding more exasperated than she wanted to, her voice breaking. She wiped her face with a groaned, her voice warbly, "Just- just give me a moment- ugh three moons!"
This was so so so embarrassing, crying like a dragonet in front of someone offering a gift to her. Ugh
"Give- give me that" Mightyclaws handed her the table handkerchief
She blinked the tears away trying to steady her breathing because somewhere along the lines she started gasping for air. Her chest still felt heavy as she dabbed the last of her tears, it felt like a never ending stream and Icicle was scared that it would never end, bu she managed to block the tears once she blinked them away while looking up. She managed to get herself back to a stable state
She looked back at Migtyclaws who rubbing his own talons with guilt, a strained frown strewn across his face. A pang of guilt hit Icicle like an unexpected spear to her forehead, she wanted to groan again but suppressed it
"Th- thank you Mightyclaws" icicle hated how she was still slurring her words, she took another deep breath to try on force herself to be fine again, "I- I'm sorry it's just-" She made the mistake of looking at the pendant again, and her eyes were watery again, luckily she managed to blink them away, "I like the gift... thank you"
She found the strength in herself to actually pick up the pendant - it was kinda annoying that her talons seem to think that this tiny thing weighed as much as a whole dragon but she pushed through it and managed to actually put it on. She looked down as it hanged on her neck, a smile might've slipped through her
She looked back at Mightyclaws who wore a weary smile at her, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm- Yeah I'm okay, just uhh- Can we just ignore that whole... thing?"
Mightyclaws chuckled, "Uhh of course"
Icicle found it herself to also let out small snicker, in the back of her mind she knows that she's going to kick herself and push herself down a whole cliff with her wings tied and then claw her neck open in the future.... mentally of course. But for now, maybe she could just enjoy this