Akshay moved around a couple things as he fished into his backpack. He had promised Emerald that he would show her the art work that was apparently and accidentally inspired by her. Sadly he had forgotten to clean out his backpack so he needed to move a couple of things around: books, comic books, new drawing pad, Emerald’s rose. It was only when he finally moved the last object did he see the original character concept that he had drawn for Slaagathor. It was inked and painted by his own hand so he was just aching to show it to her.

After all, that’s actually what got him this date, right?

>> "Ready? Ready for what…I won't be too harsh of a critic, I promise."[/color]

He smirked as he sat up, holding the drawing carefully to his chest so that it could not be peeked at prematurely.

“Well…I DID promise to show you the drawing that I’ve been telling you about. You reminded me so much of that character,” he said with a little grin.

It was true. When he went looking for his original character concept and found it, he was indeed shocked by how much she did look like Emerald (minus the skimpy, fantasy warrior outfit). But there was just something about the face and the body that made him actually see Emerald whenever he looked at it. That was why he just had to show her. He didn’t know if he just picked up on some psychic waves when he was creating her or if she really just stepped off the page, but it was not something that he could keep to himself.

“Okay,” he finally said. “Remember, you promised to not criticize too harshly.”

With that he presented the drawing across the table for her to take and examine at her leisure. Nervously he sat there, watched her for her reaction. He hoped she didn’t think he was some perv for the rather revealing drawing. To be honest, that was just the style of the times. But he waited patiently…until he finally just asked a little meekly...

“Well? H-How does it look?”

The wolf girl had almost forgotten about that drawing that he had been doing when he met her. He had said that she reminded him of his comic book character. While she didn't understand why he thought that way, she didn't question it, after all he was still the artist.

"Alright, show it to me already, I won't criticize it I already promised." Emerald told him with a still slightly confused look. This drawing was really important to him and she really had no right to judge or anything like that. The wolf girls tail wagged back and forth curiously waiting for what he was about to present to her with baited breath. She was used to her older sisters artistry style and didn't know of many who could say they have as much talent as she did, so she knew better than to judge. Besides, crazy people tended to draw better anyways.

Once the drawing was shown, Emerald took several moments to study it, hardly able to believe her eyes. This guy was good, he was damn good at drawing, hell Emerald may even take a look at his comic sometime now that he had shown her this. She only didn't really read comics because that she never was int rested in them, too much back story to keep track of her her to keep track. That and most of the characters had even more tragic pasts than she did.

This drawing though...this was one of the best things she had ever seen and what really made her blush that bright red was the fact that this seemed to be what he saw her as. The drawing wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, after all she could have just been plain ole naked. But he seemed to have been drawing this character long before he met her. Later on though, he said that he was reminded of this character when he saw her.

Was this what she looked like t him, this flawless creature that was staring back at her from the page?

"This is...really good.," Emerald said, her face in a light blush. She stared down at her feet for a moment, trying to find something interesting or something else to say but instead. "I remind you of her? Cause I'll admit, I'm flattered cause she's sort of flawless looking."

Akshay was quiet as he sat back, watching Emerald look over the drawing that he had done. It was one that reminded him the most of the link that he saw between Emerald and Slaagathor. Looking at the two subjects together really was like the melding of two worlds that Akshay simply could not make sense of. To him it really was as if his character had jumped off the page and was sitting there and surveying his own work of her. It was just insane. He never thought that a thing such as this would ever happen.

But sitting here, watching her look it over, he knew the reality of the situation. It was just inspiring to see her look over his masterpiece. He hoped that she liked it and didn’t think he was some chauvinistic pig for the type of drawing he did. After all, not a lot of people enjoyed looking at comics in which scantily clad women were to subject.

The seconds that passed were done in agony. Being an artist, it was obvious that he both loved and despised criticism. Would he get praise? Or would she slap him and storm off in anger? When he saw her look up, he knew the answer to that question was coming…

>> "This is...really good…I remind you of her? Cause I'll admit, I'm flattered cause she's sort of flawless looking."[/color]

He smirked at her response! The look on her face was enough to make him grin from ear to ear. She really did like the drawing and she was not going to try and kill him! He was extremely thankful for that.

But listening to her statement he could only shake his head with a tiny smile on his lips.

“She’s not flawless,” he said with a nod. “You see, there’s a bit of a philosophy around comics. No one can get behind a hero that is flawless. Flawless heroes are…not human. There is nothing to connect with.” he shrugged. But a small twinkle in his eyes appeared as he watched her. “That is why you remind me of her. You’re strong, beautiful, but no one is without their trials in life. To me that makes you, and my character, far better than anyone trying to be flawless. It makes you human...and that's what I like the most...”

Emerald would watching Akshay carefully, hoping she didn’t see anything wrong by making the comment. The she-wolf would then blush further as he began to talk, feeling him lead up to possibly talking about her. Once he did start to compliment her though, that face while still blushing, it was also soft, like what he was saying really meant something to her which it did.

He didn’t think she was flawless, which was good because that was the last pedestal she needed to be hoisted on. Emerald knew she wasn’t perfect and apparently Akshay did too, and that’s what he liked about her. The Alpha female felt her tail wagging back and forth rapidly, feeling her heart beat faster and faster as he continued. This was some heavy stuff he was laying on on the first date and yet she wasn’t as intimidated as she thought she would be. He did knock her off guard, even with her Alpha instincts she didn’t see that coming at all.

Trials and Tribulations, yeah I’ve had my fair share, but in a way I guess it does make me stronger. Emerald thought.

More and more lately, Emerald had found that trials like hers weren’t often experienced, much less those who got out of it virtually unscathed. While at times she wasn’t exactly stable during certain times she still got out of it almost completely sane. She had refused to let it beat her and because of that she had gotten a lot stronger because of it.

“You know Akshay you are way too nice,” Emerald teased, a grin appearing on her face. “Seriously though, thank you, it’s been a while since I’ve been with a guy as sweet as you. You have a good heart, most people don’t see much behind the whole werewolf thing. You on the other hand, instead of the whole werewolf thing, you go straight towards how well I fought when we first met and I’m pretty sure you’re the only person that has called me beautiful in quite a long time. That’s actually something I really like about you, you never cease to surprise me in the most miraculous sort of ways.”

Akshay had waited patiently for Emerald to finish glancing between the picture that he had drew and himself. He had exaplined exactly why he liked her. Not just because he thought that she was a beautiful woman but also because she had this vulnerability about her that she used to make herself strong. He could see it when he looked at her, even if she didn’t. And that was honest what was the most appealing.

But was it too much? Would she take it as simply another line that he was trying to feed her? He knew guys could be real jerks that loved to say things like that to disarm any women. He really and truly hoped that she did not think the same of him.

>> “You know Akshay you are way too nice.”[/color]

For a split second, Akshay flashed back to the majority of his relationships. Relationships that ended with phrases exactly like he uttered. Yeah, he was just soooo nice that he deserved someone who could actually appreciate that. Unfortunately it seemed as if every woman he dated had the exact thing to say of him. He was actually beginning to hate being considered the “nice guy”.

But, judging from Emerald’s expression, it seemed as if that was not what she was trying to suggest. As a matter of fact…she looked pleased…

>> ”Seriously though, thank you, it’s been a while since I’ve been with a guy as sweet as you. You have a good heart, most people don’t see much behind the whole werewolf thing. You on the other hand, instead of the whole werewolf thing, you go straight towards how well I fought when we first met and I’m pretty sure you’re the only person that has called me beautiful in quite a long time. That’s actually something I really like about you, you never cease to surprise me in the most miraculous sort of ways.”[/color]

Akshay just grinned from ear to ear as he listened to the praise coming from Emerald’s lips. That was definitely a new one for him. Yes, he heard the “you have a good heart” line before but from Emerald it really did feel heartfelt. At this moment he really did feel like a good hearted man.

He nodded as he beamed at Emerald.

“I hope I never stop surprising you,” he said with a coy smile. “It’s the least a woman like you deserves.”

Once again Akshay proved that he was just too darn nice for his own good. Most women could have easily taken advantage of such kindness in such a man. Or they could have been unease by his niceness and ended this date right here.

Then again, Emerald wasn’t like many women and she would like to think she was one of a kind. She returned the grin that was given to her tail wagging back and forth rapidly. She was happy, that much was clear but she was happy for reasons she couldn’t even describe at the moment.

“Good, keep surprising me, it’s a good way to keep this Alpha on her toes anyways.” Emerald teased, that tail of hers still wagging.

It didn’t take her long to find something else to talk about, not wanting to keep this conversation too lovey dovey for long, even if it was making her feel all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings inside.

Truthfully, she hadn’t felt so warm about someone in a while and even though they only me a little while ago Emerald really did feel something for Akshay that she didn’t feel for many others.

Could this be her chance to just…trust another man again? It had been so long since she had, she didn’t think it was possible, but here she was, having a fun time and actually enjoying another person’s presence. It was amazing how things changed.

“So, isn’t it your turn to ask me a question?” Emerald asked, handing him the drawing back for him to put it in the bag, after all she didn’t want to get any food on it or anything like that.

>> “Good, keep surprising me, it’s a good way to keep this Alpha on her toes anyways.”[/color]

Akshay just had to chuckle. It was good to know that he was keeping her on her toes. He really did like her and he enjoyed where this date was going. Normally by now he would either be slapped or some other mishap would go on. But not this time. It seemed as if he were actually saying the right things, for once, to a young woman whose company he truly enjoyed. Though this was only their first date, he hoped that many more would follow that would have the same flow.

The picture was handed back to him and Akshay gratefully accepted it. Once it was safely in his hands, he reopened his backpack and slipped the protected paper inside, nestling it amongst his drawing book and the rose that he had brought her.

He backpack once against set at his feet, he turned his attention back to Emerald. He smirked because he could hear that happy wag of her tail. At least he was doing this right and he was thankful for it.

>> “So, isn’t it your turn to ask me a question?”[/color]

“OH! I guess it is, isn’t it?” he said with a light chuckle.

Now, Akshay did not want to be too nosey and ask a bunch of questions that Emerald would find inappropriate. Though he could have certainly laid those out in a joking manner, that was not his intention. Instead the young wordsmith pondered for a couple of minutes on exactly what to ask her. What would be appropriate but not too vague either? After all, he wanted to get to know her, not ask her a bunch of mysteries. Maybe it would be better to keep things general…

“Okay, Alpha,” he said with a little smirk. Since he kept surprising her so much, he could at least give her a bit more power over the conversation. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself? Where do you work? Have family? Battle evil spawn of the underworld? Whatever you want to tell me.”

So now Akshay was going to ask her a question and thank goodness it was an easy one and relatively open ended. Technically she could tell him as much as she wanted but where would the mystery be in all that. After all, she didn't want to tell him everything about her nor did she want to not tell him a darn thing, it was all up to her really which was just how she liked it. Akshay was unintentionally learning more about her with every question she asked, which Emerald didn't know if she liked or didn't like.

"Alrighty, I have 2 other sisters, I'm in the middle. My big sister Sapphire and I, we just don't get along, I'm the embarrassing bestial sister while she is the elegant artist and I doubt that will ever change. My baby sister on the other hand, I'm really close to and sort of overprotective of her, her name is Ruby and she was really little when she was born and I sorta took on that overprotective role early on because of that,"Emerald smiled fondly a little at the thought of her baby sister.

The little spark fox was honestly one of the main things that kept her in New York, Ruby really wanted to come back to the Mansion, but she refused to do it if Emerald wasn't with her. Considering the fact that the wolf girl would rather die than to leave her little sister alone in New York, she came back early to wait for Ruby to be done with her training form her mother so she could help the younger girl get situated, while there was no guarantee she was going to stay at the mansion, she figured she would keep the room nice for Ruby while she was gone.

"My parents are great too, Mom's a mutant, dads a human and they are honestly some of the best parents anyone could ask for. Mom has a really kind nature and has a big heart, but she has one hell of a temper,which is where I get it from. Dad on the other hand, well he's sort of a brainy mad scientist type, he's really awkward around other people and actually messed up and yelled how beautiful my mom was when he first met her. "Emerald chuckled a bit at the thought of her goofy father, who most of the time had a hard times getting things just the way he wanted, but when he did, boy did they happen beautifully.

She really did love her parents and her family, even the ones she didn't get along with and that much was certain by the excited way she talked about them.

"As for where I work, there is a dinner down town that's mutant friendly and they tend to get hassled a lot so I stay there when they call me in in order to keep the place, "under control" I'm pretty much a bouncer for a place that sells flapjacks as ridiculous as that sounds," Emerald rolled her eyes a little.

She did love her job though, it was a lot of fun and there was no other job in the world that you could throw people out/beat them up and not have a fun time with it.

Those blue eyes of hers would look at Akshay curiously, wondering if she had settled his curiosities at all. "So hows that and no I don't battle evil spawn, I do help when I see someone in trouble though. I'm not supposed to because "Blah Blah blah" let the police handle it and you really shouldn't beat up a guy whose holding a gun to a woman's head or don't jump into that building thats on fire, but I tend to not listen to that when I hear a cry of help, just in my nature I suppose."

The wolf girl tucked her hair behind her non mauled ear and shrugged a little as she finished. She never really viewed herself as a hero like Ruby and some others did, she just always felt like she tried her best to do the right thing. That was all that really mattered.

Akshay was quiet the entire time that Emerald related to him exactly what she wanted to. She explained that she was the middle of two other sisters, one older that she didn’t get along with and one younger that she loved and protected. Akshay had always wondered what it would be like to have siblings. Though he lived in many foster homes that had other children in them, it simply was not the same. Akshay had never felt like he really was a part of any of those families to truly call those other kids siblings. Besides, many times they were shifting homes so much that he never got a chance to stay long enough to feel close to any of those kids.

He was adopted by lovely people, though. They had no other kids and adopted no others, but he at least did know what it was like to live with a complete family. Though siblings would have been nice. From Emerald’s account, it sounded like it was both fun and a trial. He wondered if he would have ever made a good brother.

The conversation then shifted to the Emerald’s parents. In some ways they reminded him a little of his own. The stern mother and the goofy father encompassed the Iris family completely. Though his mother was not as stern as all that, simply protective of him to the point that it seemed like she was being stern. Akshay had to admit that Emerald’s family sounded nice. Maybe one day, he would get to meet them.

Her job sounded interesting too! At least far more interesting than his own job. Though Akshay loved the comic book world and everything to do with it, he did love to meet mutants. Emerald worked as a bouncer at a diner and that was really just too cool. On top of all that, from how she described her inability to keep from helping people, she must have been some type of real life hero as well! He was just geeking out too much over this woman. She really did seem far too good to be true.

In the end, all Akshay could do as he looked at her was smile in a little goofy smile. She was so modest about herself and her actions that it was simply unbelievable. Though he had never heard of the wolf girl’s antics before, he was sure that she probably helped more people than she would ever admit to.

“Wow,” he said with a tinge of awe. “You really have a far more interesting life than mine.”

He remembered the one time that he had tried to be a hero. Back when he was a kid and he was first adopted and living in New York City, he tried to help someone being mugged. It nearly cost him his own life…and actually seemed to be the thing that unleashed his own mutant powers. Though Akshay never really called himself a coward, at times it felt like it. He’d done a good job so far of avoiding danger and he prayed that if he ever got caught in it again, he wouldn’t turn tail and run. It was wishful thinking, though.

Just as he was entertaining these thoughts, though, there was suddenly the scent of cooked food coming closer and closer. A peered out of the corner of his eye and watched as the waitress returned, laden with a pair of dishes, obviously both Emerald’s and Akshay’s orders, along with their drinks. The waitress beamed happily at them as she set their food down on the tables.

Emerald never really thought of her life as all that interesting. It was exciting, and she was risking her life half the time but otherwise not really that interesting. Then again, she never really understood the definition of an interesting life so that may be why she didn't understand about the whole "your life is intresting thing."

"Nah my life isn't that interesting. I have pretty normal stuff, and I help people that need to be helped. Isn't that what we are supposed to do?" Emerald shrugged, being a heroic type was normal for her. The wolf girl looked genuinely perplexed that someone wouldn't want to help another person at least a normal someone. She just found it wierd when other people didn't want to actively help others. Maybe it was just a wolf state of mind that made her think that. Most packs helped each other no matter what, unless the pack member did something wrong.

Her deep, usually introspective thoughts were distracted by the wonderful smell of meat that was coming out of the kitchen. Oh, she was able to smell it and identify it long before it came to the table. Her tail started to wag a mile a minute, and the grin on her face was absolutely infectious. Once that food was put in front of her, the werewolf dug in, nearly forgetting to use her utensils. The she-wolf pulled up her head at the last second to grab the fork and the knife, a blush clear on her face and begin cutting the meat like a semi-civilized person.

The meat was fairly easy to cut, and once she cut all the way through it, she quickly popped it into her mouth. As she chewed and swallowed it a look of pure bliss appeared on her face. She hadn't eaten for a little while now so this was the perfect recharge. Not only that, but it tasted pretty damn good too.

"This is great, great choice Akshay." Emerald told her date, cutting up another piece of meat, trying her best to be somewhat civilized about it but struggling a little.

Akshay was still a little on cloud nine as he watched Emerald and her adorable method of being modest. Though he called her life interesting, he had no doubt that she did not put as much faith in that statement. What he would call “exiciting” or “interesting” was simply a “Tuesday” for her. It was just like any other day. Akshay could only wonder what a life like that was.

But maybe that was what was so impressive about Emerald. She took something like helping people and it was nothing to her. She did it because she wanted to, or so he gathered. She was not trying to save people for the sake of fame or fortune, it seemed like she did things like that simply for the sake of helping people.

Akshay remembered what he did the last time he had tried to help someone. He nearly ended up being beaten half to death. But that came with the territory, no? Helping people, throwing yourself into the line of danger in order to protect others, that always came with harm, right? Akshay was simply not accustomed to it. It was a lame excuse but all it took was that one experience of trying to help someone else to ruin his inclination to really do so again.

Not that he would ever stand back and watch someone get stabbed or something but he more than likely would not run into a burning building or try to stop an armed robbery all on his lonesome. Nope, Akshay feared that indeed he may have be a coward in some respects. He hoped that Emerald would not have to see that side of him…

Thankfully, before he could get too deep into his thoughts, the food had arrived. Emerald looked positively excited and Akshay had to admit that it smelled so good that he wanted to salivate. But he managed to control himself as the food was set down before them.

Emerald looked ready to rip into it, but she managed to control herself. Akshay could only grin. With food this good smelling, he would not have blamed her.

>> "This is great, great choice Akshay."[/color]

He grinned as he nodded.

“Even I have to agree with that,” he said as he picked up his knife and fork. “Well…dig in…”

Oh, Emerald wasn't hesitating in the slightest at that order to dig into her food. She was positively chowing down on it, and enjoying herself immensely. While it would have been better if it was rare, she figured she would try to act civilized for once, even if that meant giving up the grand old fun of delightfully tearing into the meat with her large, sharp teeth.

Maybe I should show him how to hunt sometime, It would be interesting to say the least. Emerald pondered, while cutting another piece of meat from the rapidly dwindling whole piece.

The redhead tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, trying her best to prevent it from falling into her food. She was usually silent when she ate, mainly because she enjoyed her food so much, she tried to devour and savor every bite at the same time. So it was hard for her to socialize while eating, the good thing was that she did eat relatively fast so that mean she would be able to get back to the talking part of the date sooner, surprisingly, that was her favorite part. Emerald wasn’t used to enjoying someone’s company this much, but this was just…nice.

The she-wolf puckishly ate at her starch, the potatoes, only eating enough to keep her energized but not too much, her focus was clearly on the meat which she had all but licked clean at this point. Her stomach felt nice and full, so Emerald leaned back in her wonderful seat and rubbed it approvingly, tail thumping dully against the chair with gleeful fervor.

“Stick a fork in me, I’m done,” Emerald yawned, that tail of hers still wagging back and forth. She had a big grin on her face and of course had some excess food around her mouth, which she noticed this time and cleaned it off sheepishly, light blush on her cheeks. “Man, that was awesome, how did you find this place Akshay? Because if you find food places like this all the time, I may have to eat out with you more…more then I’m already planning on anyways.”

Emerald looked at him with that still playful gaze, but she was serious about this. It had been a long time since she enjoyed herself like this and she hoped that he would want to do this again with her.

The food was so good that Akshay could scarcely find a reason to want to say anything to Emerald. Not that he wanted to be rude or anything, but it was almost as if there was an actual pain his body every time he stopped putting food in his mouth. Thankfully, though, it seemed as if Emerald suffered from the same condition. She munched and chewed on her meal with never a word uttered towards him the entire length of their meal. He could only inwardly smirked. He loved it when a woman had a good appetite and it was apparent that Emerald had a very, very good appetite.

The steak was devoured, bite by bite, the sides followed the same fate, as did his drink. Akshay could certainly pack away the food but he had one of those high metabolisms that ensure that none of it had ever turned into fat on his body. Sadly that also meant that Akshay could scarcely gain any muscle either. Many times his tried but he never managed to be more than just his usual, scrawny self.

Ah well, people everywhere had their crosses to bear.

Before long the food was consumed and Akshay grinned as he looked across at Emerald’s plate to see that she had completely inhaled her steak and left a good majority of her sides. She was a carnivore by nature so he was not in the least surprised.

>> “Stick a fork in me, I’m done,”[/color]

He chuckled as he too had to finally drop his fork and lean back against his own seat. He was thoroughly impressed by the amount of food she had eaten, but one look at his plate and it was obvious that he too had just as healthy an appetite.

>> “Man, that was awesome, how did you find this place Akshay? Because if you find food places like this all the time, I may have to eat out with you more…more then I’m already planning on anyways.” [/color]

“Hah, what can I say? I’m a natural, born forager” he said light-heartedly. “Nah, but seriously, the owner of this place, his son is like a complete comic nerd and I hooked him up one day with a hard to find comic so he gave me a free meal here as thanks. Ever since then, don’t go anywhere else for steaks. I’ve been spoiled,” he said with a laugh. He then smirked as he nodded to her plate. “I take it your meal was satisfactory?”

Their meal done, Akshay smiled happily across the table to his date. Their conversation had continued as they found topics to share and laugh about. All-in-all, he was enraptured by the redhead. So far the date that been an extreme success, in his opinion. The conversation was good, the food was excellent, and she had actually enjoyed the art he shared with her earlier. This evening could not have done any better.

When the check had come, Akshay won the battle again and managed to get the convince Emerald to split it down the middle. It was obvious that she was fearful of letting him pay, but the young wordsmith could be just as stubborn. Before long, she finally agreed to the check was paid for.

Everything taken care of, Akshay and Emerald returned outside to meet the chilly air of the evening. He sighed a bit happily since he knew that the night air was perfect for a bike ride. Unfortunately this one would be a little bittersweet since this meant the end of their date. It was time for him to drive her back to comic shop so she could pick up her own bike and they would part ways. Would he get her number and the possibility of a second date, he didn’t know. What he did know was that the whole way back to the comic shop, he would be thinking about that.

Standing outside the steakhouse, Akshay smirked at Emerald as he began to slip his helmet on again.

“Emerald? You ready to go back?” he asked as he slipped onto the back of his ducati and waited for her to join him.

"I would like to say that my meal was as awesome as surfing the Hawaiian pipeline but nothing can really meet that level of awesome, so I think a normal level of awesome will suffice," The she-wolf smiled, stretching her arms out a little bit.

A full bellied werewolf was a happy werewolf and that's what Emerald was right now, happy. She continued to talk with Akshay after dinner, mainly the small stuff, nothing every too large or momentous, just small, soft things. This was something she didn't mind in the slightest, things being so casual and so nice, it was truly a relaxing experience for her. For once she didn't have to keep her guard up constantly and while she was still being vigilant as a force of habit, she believed that she truly didn't have to be.

The two soon payed for their meals and left the restaurant, a small argument ensuing but eventually akshay won, paying for half of the meal. Emerald walked outside with the young comic writer, sliding her helmet on her head securely. She couldn't help but ponder what she should do next in this whole thing. Em would have time to think about it on the way the the comic shop, but she had to think of something fast.

"Yeah, lets go." Emerald told him, sliding on the back of the mighty cycle, now pondering the possibility of giving him hr phone number, starting a relationship, for real.

>> "Yeah, lets go."[/color]

Akshay smirked as he pulled down the visor to his helmet and felt the young woman slide onto the bike behind him. Turning the ignition to his bike, he revved the engine and glanced back to make sure that she was secure and had her helmet on securely; after all, it would have been quite ruinous for their relationship if she suffered head trauma because she did not follow safety precautions.

Once he saw that she was ready, Aksahy revved the engine once more and rolled off into the street. The engine roared as he rode to the place that was ingrained in his mind. Everyday Akshay rode to his comic shop so it was of little wondering that he could make the trek with his eyes closed. But for the purposes of this journey, the wordsmith decided to take the slightly longer route back to the comic shop. He simply wanted to extend their time together since he feared his chances of actually getting her number and that coveted, second date.

The world around him melted away as he rode through the streets, feeling the wolf-girl’s tightening grip around him. He wanted this moment to last forever. Zipping through the streets, his stomach full of good food, his head full of good memories, and his heart full of good tidings, Akshay felt like he was on cloud nine. This certainly had to be one of the greatest nights of his life.

The minutes rolled by as Akshay soared through the streets until finally he found familiar corners and shops he could easily recall. He sighed as he glanced down the road and spied the glowing, neon sign that spelled out “One Comic to Rule Them All”. It was time for the moment of truth.

Turning to sidewalk, Akshay carefully brought his bike to a stop directly in front of Emerald’s own motorcycle. His heart was racing a little. It had been a long time since he was this nervous about something. Carefully he removed himself from his bike and pulled off his helmet which he had left sitting on the seat of his bike.

He turned around to face her with a smirk on his face.

“Um…well…here we are,” he said with a slightly nervous tinge in his voice. Reaching back he rubbed the back of his head. “Oh!” he suddenly said as he brought up his backpack and removed the long flower that he had been carrying for Emerald. He gently handed it out to her. “I…I really have a good time, Emerald. Thanks, you know, for agreeing to go out with me.”