Carrick hated dressing up. His bow tie reminded him of a collar that was too tight. His tail and wings kept fighting the suspenders. His shirt felt tight to his shoulders and pulled his sleeves tight around the wrists. He grumbled and fought the urge to just flex his scrawny arms and rip the shirt. She told him she liked it when he dressed up so here was looking like a man in a with wings and a tail that was visibly uncomfortable. Maybe if he was lucky one of his other forms would tap in and rip it all?

Speaking of uncomfortable. Carrick eyed the sheen on the now plastic roses. He might have bought a favor from the mansions plastic manipulator to make the roses he got for the Princess last forever. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing but he thought of it on the fly and ran with it. Two diamonds well spent at least he thought so.

Until he started to over think it again. ‘Mate!’ ”Yeah, usually what happens now. Constructive criticism would be helpful now boys. Nothing?” he asked to himself before he felt an overwhelming source of pride. Gryphon approved so it was enough for him.

Carrick hated using doors but knew she appreciated it so he knocked on her door instead of the window. It was Valentines day. Not something he normally cared about other than the occasional gig but now he thought ahead and got a girlfriend... well they haven’t discussed what the were really but Carrick was hopeful he has been spending the night a few times a week at least so she had to be interested right?

Gifts went out to the moms, flowers and a note thanking them for keeping him out of jail. He recalled it was an important date to his real mom. It didn’t feel right not giving them flowers. The nervous shifter hoped the Princess didn’t relocate his guitar. Today was a special day. Even if he didn’t give the details about the date to her just that it was a holiday designed to spend money on the each other..

The strange holidays just kept on coming. Amethyst had barely gotten an idea of Christmas, and now there was something called Valentine's Day, which, according to Carrick, consisted of people spending money on their significant others. She was not sure how it was different from any other American holiday she'd witnessed so far, but there it was. And she had a... significant other. Who insisted on not being a concubine, otherwise he would have gotten gifts a lot more frequently. His loss.

There was a knock on the door. On the doorstep stood Carrick, very much dressed up, with a bouquet of roses. Amethyst, dressed in a sky blue dress and red gold jewelry, smiled as she saw him. "I'm liking this holiday so far."

”Told ya. Any chance ya get gift eh?” he chuckled and started purring before giving her a once over. ”Ya look beautiful.” he blushed offering her the plastic dipped roses. ”Sure ya would preferred something a little more extravagant. But... eh night’s still early. Might surprise ya still. Who knows. ” he said stepping into her room and looking for his jacket and guitar.

”Got a jacket?” he asked looking around till he spotted both of them in the corner by his usual entrance. Walking over to the window and grabbing his jacket, ”Or a blanket. Bit cold out but I got some ways ta keep us warm.” he flashed his teeth in a smile and threw the jacket on after unbuttoning the wing slots. It wasn’t his best jacket but considering there’d be a little flying he thought he dressed up enough.

His tail flicked behind him as he threw his guitar on his back, ”Pretty sure I’m gonna ruin this holiday fer ya. Any one after this night is gonna be hard ta follow. Really outdone meself.” he said thumbing his nose and sticking out his chest confidently.

”Didn’t eat right?” he asked hoping she didn’t. He did mention there would be food. Carrick was sure not to explain much more than that. Walking back to the hallway. ”Got a little flying to do, unless you’d rather walk. ” he grinned.

>>”Told ya. Any chance ya get gift eh? Ya look beautiful.”

"Exactly" she agreed to both of those things, grinning as he walked in. She accepted the roses that had some shiny sheen to them, rendering them less fragile than natural flowers.

>>”Sure ya would preferred something a little more extravagant. But... eh night’s still early. Might surprise ya still. Who knows.”

"We'll see." she had surprises for him too, although the way she understood the men were expected to do the brunt of the work on this holiday. As it should be.

>>”Got a jacket? Or a blanket. Bit cold out but I got some ways ta keep us warm.”

"I have a cloak" she noted, walking to the closet to take out a thick, fur-lined velvet cloak she'd been wearing on the cold days. They were going outside, then. That was a clue. Once she wrapped herself in the cloak, she picked up the gift bag she had prepared.

>>”Pretty sure I’m gonna ruin this holiday fer ya. Any one after this night is gonna be hard ta follow. Really outdone meself. Didn’t eat right? Got a little flying to do, unless you’d rather walk. ”

"You are raising my expectations very high" the princess arched an eyebrow, walking over to the window to open it. She would allow Carrick to fly with her this time. She liked his confidence, she just hoped he would live up to it. Otherwise they were in for an awkward night. "let's go."

Carrick eyed her as she picked up her cloak and a bag. His curiosity was apparent as his tail started to flick behind him. ”Oh? Whatcha got there?” he said grinning standing on his tip toes as if he could see into the bag if he strained himself. It was more for show than actually trying to spoil the surprise.

”And we’re flying, kinda part of the deal. Can’t fly and not get high. Seems silly.” he grinned hefting his guitar over one shoulder and wing letting it hang behind him. He was planning on walking the hallways and exiting like a grounder but his smirk became apparent when she opened the window. ”Oh? What happened to exiting the normal way?” he asked with a chuckle before running back into her room and to the window.

”Know what, not gonna question it.” he set his guitar off to the side near the window and awkwardly climbed out the window given his nicer clothes that didn’t bend the way his regular worn in clothes did.

It took a moment and a little shimming but he managed to slide out the window and reach back in to grab his guitar first this time sliding a wing and arm through it so he could focus on the more important task. Carrying the Princess. ”Normally sneak out like this?” he asked knowing the answer with a smirk. His tail flicking behind him while he waited for her to climb out.

>>”Oh? What happened to exiting the normal way? Know what, not gonna question it.”

"Wise choice" the princess smirked as he climbed out the window. Any other time he would have been the one clamoring for a flight, but of course he had to remind her that she was warming up to the idea. She still did not like flying too much, but at least she trusted Carrick more not to drop her.

>>”Normally sneak out like this?”

"One more comment and this will be the last time" she warned him as she got up on the window sill, and then into his arms. It was always strange to go from standing to flying. She held on to the gift bag, trusting him to hold her and keep her safe for the flight. "I hope we are not going far..."

”Awww, but I got a few more at least and it take even longer to get where we’re going.” he grinned catching her and pulling her close. He might have started purring. His arms locked into place and he flapped a few times lifting them higher into the air. ”Sides, you’d miss all the views like this one.” he pointed to a pair of students he happened to spot earlier under a tree locking lips. It was supposed to be a romantic holiday.

”Not too far love.” he didn’t explain but already started to descend once they cleared the roof of the mansion. Where a few things could be apparent to anyone looking at the roof. A wool blanket, a small basket and a telescope. Under the telescope was a candle. If the wind didn’t mess things up he’d be able to light it.

”Figured since it was such a nice night out we could do a little stargazing.” he said lowering her into the blanket before pointing upwards. The moon was bright and new and this was probably one of the few decent places near the city where the stars could actually be seen. Starlit Picnic. A classic staple in the ‘I need to do something romantic on short notice’.

Carrick touched down next to her. ”Prime spot, had to chase off a few kids to get it.” he puffed out his chest a little and removed the guitar from his back.

They rose into the air and Amethyst braced herself for the flight... but almost as fast as it began, the trip was already over. They landed on the roof of the Mansion, and the princess looked around in surprise as she was deposited on a blanket under the starlit sky.

>>”Figured since it was such a nice night out we could do a little stargazing. Prime spot, had to chase off a few kids to get it.”

"Oh." Amethyst sat on the blanket, looking up at the moon and the stars. She didn't know what she'd expected from Carrick, but this was... nice. She looked at Carrick, who was obviously proud of himself. "I like the stars."

”And I like shiny things.” he said grinning, ”Like we were made fer each other.” Carrick said chuckling to himself. He didn’t consider himself a star, not yet at least sure he was full of hot gas but his fan base wasn’t big enough yet where he had the illusion he was one. One day maybe.

Carrick suddenly got the feeling she was expecting something else but he tried to downplay how anxious he was. This was the first time since Liz he had someone on Valentines day. More over he actually cared what the Princess thought so he wanted to impress her.

”I mean... we can go flying if this isn’t yer type of thing...” he sat down next to her, ”Figured we don’t have the best track record in the city and this is pretty close to home. Be an easy fly fer you and no car fer me so everyone’s happy.” he grinned. ”Like ta end at least one date with ya instead.” he said purring reaching for her hand.

>>”And I like shiny things. Like we were made fer each other.”

The princess chuckled. Every once in a while, some of Carrick's comments actually landed well. Comparing himself to a star was to be expected, but she felt appreciated anyway. It might not have been a big fancy celebration, but he had put thought and effort into it, and the princess was learning to appreciate that.

>>”I mean... we can go flying if this isn’t yer type of thing... Figured we don’t have the best track record in the city and this is pretty close to home. Be an easy fly fer you and no car fer me so everyone’s happy. Like ta end at least one date with ya instead.”

"That's a good plan" she smiled as they sat on the roof, holding hands. "Do you want your gifts now, or do you want to tell me about the stars first?"

”Uhhhh....” Carrick’s free hand pointed up to the moon, ”That there...” he said trying not to smirk too much. ”That there is the moon and that one....” he thought back trying to recall all the names he filed away as useless when it came to stare gazing. ”That one there is a dipper.” he looked back to her and grinned.

”You know anything about them?” he asked curiously hoping her Atlantian schooling was more than just Politics and Orgies. Not that he was complain about what she knew just he didn’t like being put on the spot like that.

”Star gazing I like, I know little to nothing about them other than they are full of hot gas. Something we have in common.” he said squeezing her hand. ”Other than that that is pretty much all I know. Thought the view would be pretty at least.”

”Yer call. I might have something small fer ya.” he said trying not to be too embarrassed. ”I might have also got yer favorite Pizza.” he said leaning back and reaching into the basket. There was a few slices of Pizza wrapped in foil (still warm) a thermos full of hot cocoa and of course a small bag of cotton candy. Carrick revealed the contents to her then reached for a slice. Seafood wasn’t really his thing.

>>”Uhhhh.... That there... That there is the moon and that one.... That one there is a dipper."

"Fascinating." the princess grinned.

>>"You know anything about them?”

"I know some of the stories, yes. From before Atlantis rose." she nodded. The sky was a faraway thing for the underwater kingdom, but they did have the myths and the legends, and illusion powers to make them seem real.

>>”Star gazing I like, I know little to nothing about them other than they are full of hot gas. Something we have in common. Other than that that is pretty much all I know. Thought the view would be pretty at least.”

"They are." she agreed. She was sure astronomy was somewhere on the curriculum, but it was not really the point right now.

>>”Yer call. I might have something small fer ya. I might have also got yer favorite Pizza.”

"Very thoughtful" she smiled, taking a slice of the pizza with all the seafood on it. Some things in New York were pretty okay. And she spied the cotton candy in the bag too. "I told you I like this holiday. Some people seem to stress a lot about it..."

”Ooooh?” he asked looking to her wondering what kind of stories she grew up with. ”Any good ones?” he asked imagining any story with a city underwater as a terrifying one.

The shifter studied the foil of the pizza and snagged one for himself trying not to study the toppings. They just put anything on a pizza now. With a mouth full, ”I ‘ave my moments.” his tail flicked towards her then curled around where she was sitting.

Kicking a leg out he shrugged, ”Don’t know, first time I had a girlfriend like this.” he said without thinking. They hadn’t had defined titles other than he wasn’t a pet. ”Easier when yer just going along fer the ride. Next time you can plan the date and I’ll go along fer a ride.” he smirked before looking up to the sky.

”Not gonna lie, was sweating fer a small moment there.” he pinched his fingers together before clearing his throat and did his impression of himself. ”Wonder where she would like to go? Ask her? Nah, ruin the surprise. Have a few back up plans instead incase one of ‘em don’t work out? Yeah, sounds better!” he took another bite of the food. ”Ya make Diamonds, stars aren’t nearly as cool shiny.” he smirked.

”Glad ya like ‘em though.” he said with a sigh of relief.

>>”I ‘ave my moments.”

He did. The princess chuckled as the tail wound itself around her. Carrick was easy to read when he was in a good mood. And apparently the festival of Valentine put him in a good mood.

>>”Don’t know, first time I had a girlfriend like this. Easier when yer just going along fer the ride. Next time you can plan the date and I’ll go along fer a ride.”

"Sure." she nodded. She could plan things, she was good at planning, especially if it was something fancy. For now, pizza on a rooftop was perfectly fine.

>>”Not gonna lie, was sweating fer a small moment there. Wonder where she would like to go? Ask her? Nah, ruin the surprise. Have a few back up plans instead incase one of ‘em don’t work out? Yeah, sounds better! Ya make Diamonds, stars aren’t nearly as cool shiny. Glad ya like ‘em though.”

"Diamonds later" she smirked at him. He really enjoyed those, although she suspected it was at least as much about the process making them as it was about the shinies. "You are doing fine. And I don't like you because you do fancy things. I'm fancy enugh for myself." she added with a chuckle. "But I did get some things for you. I'm told presents are a part of the celebration." she noted, finishing her pizza slice, and handing him the gift bag.

The shifter chuckled and nodded his head finishing his own slice. ”I would never assume.” he lied. It seemed that’s where they usually ended up but he was going to be the last person to complain about that he was enjoying the experiences way too much.

”I had a feeling, and ya are.” he said brushing some dust off of his shoulder trying to downplay his smirk. ”Otherwise I’d be alone on the room eating this pizza. Wondering what I’m looking at.” he said shifting his gaze from the sky to her.

Brushing off his hands and clearing his throat his eyes lit up reaching for the bag. ”Was told it was more fer the lady but I’ll never turn down gifts. I like stuff.” he grinned kissing her quickly on the cheek before digging into the bag.

His purring stopped when he saw the ball clothing. He wasn’t the type to get excited by clothing usually but the shiny caught his attention at the bottom of the bag before he pulled out the article of clothing. ”What’s this?” he asked as he started to chuckle holding the ball in his hand. It was a bright yellow ball. The color almost gold. That wasn’t what caught his eyes, the twinkling of the jewels did. He smirked. ”This is.... awesome.” he said eyeing the gems around the surface of the ball. His purring got louder again.

He turned the ball over a few more times then had to remind himself that there was something else in the bag. Clothing. Carrick pulled it out of the bag and held it up. ”A dress?” he asked looking at the thing and turning it over. It was a long shirt with... wing holes! ”Already tailored fer me too!” he said standing up.

It might have been a date night but any chance he had to remove part of his monkey suit he was willing. He tossed his jacket next to her followed by his shirt. His skin practically glowed in the moonlight. ”It flows!” he said slipping into his new shirt.”[/color] he opened his wings and waved them around for a moment glad for the freedom. It was even easier to move in than his normal garb.

”Defiantly killed it at the gift giving. Should have gone first. Hard ta follow up.” he said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a little necklace with a single stainless steel pendent on it. The pendent was a shape of a circle and had the letter ‘D’ on it for ‘difficult’. It was polished enough to reflect the moon light. Crouching down he offered it to her hoping she would appreciate the joke he was going for.

”Not as shiny as the ball but.... I thought I should get you somthin tangible. Other gift is the gift of song.” he said in a sheepish grin