An Awkward World

The crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot was the only noticeable sound in the otherwise silent forest that surrounded them. Nothing but trees, bushes, and the occasional bird could be seen in their path as they walked single file through the thick foliage. Val was leading the way forward, and Cael was right behind, watching her long violet braid sway with each step.

The day they'd decided to leave for the crystal cavern had come.

They'd already been walking for about an hour now, having left just as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon and bathed the forest in a dull blue glow. The sky had been clear, the air crisp, and the grass damp with morning dew.

Now, the sun had risen a little higher, heating the air just enough to take the edge off the chill. However, their breaths still came out in wisps of fog, vanishing as quickly as they formed.

He glanced around to keep lookout. Though it was a mystically beautiful sight, he couldn't enjoy it. The thought of monsters lurking behind every tree kept him on alert—he vividly remembered the karmaw encounter and much preferred not to repeat it.

To cut down on time, they were traveling through its heart to reach the cavern. However, the deeper they went, the darker its shadows became, and the thicker the mist got. It clung to the ground in a thick haze, obscuring everything more than a few feet away from the path.

The trees were getting more gnarled, too, their roots twisted and their bark peeling.

He sighed and refocused briefly on Val. She'd been rather quiet since they had left. He wondered if it was because of the journey, or if it had to do with the confession he'd made the other day.

Val cautiously chanced a glance over her shoulder at him. However, just when their eyes met, she quickly averted her gaze and blushed a light shade of red.

…Probably the latter.

He could feel his face redden too, and his heart sped up in response to her attention. His palms grew sweaty, and he had to resist the urge to rub them on his pants. This was ridiculous. Why was he feeling like this now? It wasn't like it was their first time together or anything.

But… well, in a sense, it sort of was.

They hadn't really discussed their new relationship status in detail since the night that they'd confessed. There'd only been a few days of preparation before today's journey, and that had included the time Val had spent trying to organize her emotions. They'd been busy enough just gathering all of the supplies and necessities that they needed to survive a few days in the wilderness.

Not that they had a shortage of time to talk, though. It would take a while to reach the cavern. Perhaps even a whole day's worth of hiking. And that meant that they had more than enough opportunity to discuss things during their travel.

He chanced another look around. An eerie silence still hung in the atmosphere, but nothing concerning had popped up.

Maybe now was a good time to start talking?

"Uh… Val," he greeted, his voice coming out weak and cracking slightly.

You got this Cael. Just casually bring up the topic. Don't make it weird. Don't make it weird.

"Yes, Cael?" she responded hesitantly, her voice soft.

"…Y-you said this was safer than going to the city, right? Erm, I know you touched on it earlier, but could you elaborate a little more?"

Damn it! He mentally cursed himself. Why was it so hard to talk about it?!

She relaxed a little and looked back at him again. "I'm afraid I'm not sure how much more I can elaborate. I'm… not the adventurous type." Her eyes focused on the path before them once more.

"…Right. Sorry, I just thought that—"

"N-no need to apologize!" Val interrupted him, sounding a little flustered herself. "I'm not bothered by you asking. It's just, every time I went, I made my trips as fast as possible and stuck to open streets whenever I could."

"Every time?" he asked, curious. "You've never gone deep inside the city?"

"I've explored a little," she admitted, "but only when I needed to. I've only gone in to scavenge what was necessary, and that was it. Canned food, clothing, other necessities, and the rarer reagents that were required for the summoning ritual. The reagents were the reason for my last trip there."

He nodded to himself. That made sense. She didn't seem to be someone who'd willingly risk her safety for something trivial.

Okay, so now that the awkwardness was wearing off and the conversation had begun, it was time to ask the real question.

He cleared his throat.

"S-so… how did you even do the summoning ritual in the first place? I've been curious about that for a while now." He scratched his arm. "Like, what did you need to do?"

Oh come on!

This was just pathetic. He needed to get a grip.

"Mmm… I found an ancient tome during my first trip to the city. Then, I brought it home and learned from there," she looked reminiscent as she spoke. "Afterwards, I had to go back many times to gather what was needed. It took six years before I had everything."

Cael blinked. "Wait, hold on. You said your mother disappeared six years ago, right? Did that mean you immediately started preparing to summon someone after that? When you were twelve?!"

Val paused and her mouth scrunched a little.

Damn it! Agh, he was really screwing this up! She was still coming to terms with the revelation of her mother, and now he had to be insensitive and bring it up.

He was about to open his mouth and speak again, but before he could, she answered him.

"…Yes, that's correct." Val turned around to meet him fully, briefly walking backward. "Wouldn’t you do the same if you had a way to bring someone you loved back?" she asked, her tone a bit sad.

"Um, well… Probably. I don't blame you for that," he admitted, looking away. "I guess I'm just a little surprised that it was that soon, is all."

Val shyly smiled and nodded, then went back to facing forward again.

"…" Cael sighed. This was a mess. He was a mess. He couldn't even handle normal conversation anymore.

Just say it, you idiot! Say it!

He steeled himself for the inevitable. "Hey, uh, Val?"

"Yes, Cael?" She stopped and looked at him, tilting her head slightly.

"About us…"

"Hm?"

"What exactly is… the nature of our relationship?"

Her eyes suddenly flicked to the corners of her vision and she fidgeted, twiddling with her braid with a light smile. "W-well, um… What do you think it is?"

Darn it, Val! After all the courage he had to muster just to bring it up?

"N-no, you don't get to put that on me. You've had time to read those romance books right? I need to know what exactly your world defines a relationship as. I don't want any misunderstandings on what it means." His face was burning hot in embarrassment.

"Ah, well, erm, uh…" Val was flustered as well, her cheeks growing redder and her hands moving to fiddle with her sleeves instead. "I-I think perhaps… lovers?" She nearly squeaked out the word.

"L-lovers?!" Cael's eyes went wide. "Not partners, or say, boyfriend or girlfriend?! D-do you understand the implications of what that means?"

"Of course!" she replied, her voice raising in pitch a little. "Lovers are a pair of people who love each other, right? I don't think that's the wrong word, is it?"

"Well, I mean, I guess?! But I sort of thought the term hinged a lot more on the physically intimate side of things?!" He wasn't sure what else to say. This was uncharted territory for him. "Is that really the word you want to use?!"

She looked like she was beginning to panic, which made him feel even worse.

"W-well, what do they call it in your world then?! And I have no idea what you mean by boyfriend and girlfriend!"

Cael gulped. Of course the concept didn't translate perfectly. What else had he been expecting?

"Uh, well, we'd probably call ourselves a couple. Like, two people who are… 'dating'." He struggled to find a word to explain it in Val's language, so he just said it in his own.

"'D-dating?'" She frowned, confused. "Is that similar to… to… mating?" Her face went beet red at the mention of the word.

Cael almost tripped face first into the ground. "N-NO!!! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! The terms are completely separate—maybe a bit related—but not the same thing at all!" He waved his arms frantically in front of him.

"T-then what are you saying?!"

He gulped, trying his absolute hardest to explain it better. "Well, in my world, 'dating' refers to preparing two people for the same level of intimacy as what, erm, your parents may have had, I guess. It's a step before that, like a pre-marriage!"

Val's eyes went wide. "M-m-marriage?!" She looked like a deer in headlights. "I-I've only really learnt that term, but isn't that rather fast?! But… well, if you really wanted to skip right to it—"

"NO! NO, NO! That is not what I'm getting at either!" His voice cracked in sheer, overwhelming embarrassment.

Damn it all, why was he such an idiot?!

He buried his face in his hands and let out a frustrated sigh. "Let's just drop the topic. I'm sorry for even bringing it up. I'm clearly only making this worse."

"No!" Val shook her head furiously. "No! We can talk about this! It's important! I want to understand! We need to figure out where we stand and what we are!" She suddenly reached out to take his hands, and he could see the determination in her eyes. "Cael, what are we?"

He stared down at their clasped hands, and then up to her beautiful, golden eyes. Oh man, she really wasn't backing down, was she?

"…Romantic partners?"

"Romantic partners," she repeated softly, as if testing how the words sounded.

"Yes, that." He nodded. "A couple that's romantically involved. Not too physically intimate, not too emotionally detached. A perfect middle ground."

"R-romantic partners…?" she mumbled one last time, her face flushing a light shade of pink. She stayed quiet a long while as she mulled over the term.

Cael swallowed nervously, not really sure how to respond. He just waited patiently, hoping desperately that he hadn't offended her or something similar.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a small smile appeared on her face.

"I… I think I like that."

Cael immediately felt the tension leave his body like air escaping from a deflating balloon.

Thank goodness. He'd screwed it up a lot at first, but in the end, it had worked out—

"Romantic partners still get to sleep with one another, right?"

Cael sputtered and choked on nothing.

"V-Val!"

"Sorry!" she squeaked. "I didn't want to assume!"