It had not been an easy few months, Akiva acknowledged that.  She had lived through a number of events that taxed her mind and body, and dragged some people down into it with her, including those that would not have needed to be part of it if she weren’t attached to them.  One particular person, Dreogan Eleor, had stuck through it with her, been patient, and shared a lot that he had absolutely no need to share with her at this point, and she really felt like he deserved something special.  He had gotten her all of those bangles after the attack, to help her cover up the nasty mark, and was accommodating to whatever she might have needed, she wanted to do something for him.  

The Ministry was also in an uproar recently (with good reason – Poor Mr. Gawain! Rest his soul), and the topsy-turvy aspects of work life were just getting a little overwhelming for everyone.  A break away from it was necessary; spending time outside of London and away from even the possibility of getting contacted by work was going to be beneficial.  She knew he was keen on staying nearby, but she wanted to get away and just spend some one-on-one, relaxing time that wasn’t in either of their flats.  It was time to be a little adventurous.  

She didn’t want it to be cliché or stupid either.  She had decided, finally, on a day of hiking.  It would be on Sunday and through the Thames Path, one of the national trails in England, and though she suspected he had walked part of it before, since he said he had a hobby for hiking, she thought it would be a good way to thank him for everything and then she could pack a picnic in a backpack, using a simple charm to lighten the load.  She made everything the night before, refrigerated it all, and then packed the backpack early in the morning.  She then took Lady on a morning walk, and put out their food for the day – everything was ready before eight thirty.  

The instructions had been vague, only to be dressed in something comfortable for some extensive activity – sneakers preferable – and to be there on time.  She didn’t want to give away the surprise, but she had to warn him just a little bit – especially because it was one of the brisker September days. The other imperative rule was no talking about work - at least not the bad stuff.  Stress, unease, anger, general ministry garble was not allowed in the least.  She intended on keeping that part strictly enforced; it would be good for both of them. 

SThey were not scheduled to meet until nine-thirty, however, and Akiva was terrible at waiting.  She was somewhat impatiently for Dreogan to arrive, glancing at her phone every few minutes to see if it was moving any faster.  It wasn’t.  Sighing softly, she just wanted to get going!   She knew by the end of the day she would be tired, her legs would hurt, and she’d probably be even just a little sweaty (though she would never say so out loud – particularly in front of him), it would be fun.  Curling up on the couch, she figured she’d rest her eyes for a second – just until he got there.  

Comfortable clothes. Trainers. Dreogan had a pretty good idea of what Akiva might be cracking up -- he'd never let on, of course. And even though he might have shown up in full-on walking clothing, he wanted her to think she had surprised him.

And if it wasn't walking, well, then he would be surprised. On the off-chance that it was not, he donned a lightweight jumper. Though nothing could hide the boots. Or the pack. Well, no matter. He intended to carry the weight -- or at least most of it -- and could not do without.

He was slightly sheepish as he looked in his reflection that morning; Akiva had always teased him about his appearance in a particular photograph she had managed to get a hold of -- Dreogan still didn't know how, but suspected the darker works of his mother on that one. While he attributed it to his euphoric smile, one could never be sure. Perhaps it was the glasses. And it wasn't just Akiva. She'd taken it to work. Put it at her station.

The old library crones were teasing, too. Dreogan could never hear the word "canyon" with an easy mind again. Still, being out in nature did have that effect.

Though he was skeptical on its potential impact today. Had it been up to Dreogan, he would have much rathered stay in town. Adon had taken that week's happenings with difficulty. He couldn't be certain, but he suspected there was a heavy dose of self-blame and regret. Dreogan knew the feeling. He hadn't seen it in Adon -- ever. It had always been someone else's fault. And now, when it was indeed someone else's fault, Adon decided now would be a good time to take upon himself  the self-loathing.

Dreogan had asked Adon if he wanted him to stay; a foolish question, for Adon did his utmost to assure him he was fine. There was no reason he should need Dreogan around and that if Akiva needed him, he ought to go with her.

And that had been the end of it. Because there was no fighting with Adon unless one wished to grow violent.

So, shouldering his pack, Dree made the now familiar trek to Akiva's flat, knocking lightly at the door as he arrived. "Kiv?" he called in, knowing she liked to know who was at the door in as many ways as possible. He'd installed for her already the Peeping Tom, but it was nice to have a voice with the face.

The second of rest turned into a full on twenty minute cat nap, which was pleasant but unexpected.  Akiva had, apparently during this hazy period, pulled the large, baby blue throw blanket and tugged it tight around her shoulders, drooling only slightly on one of the matching pillows.  When she heard the knock at the door, she started awake, realizing she had drastically underestimated the allure of a fuzzy blanket and comfy couch, Akiva threw the blanket on the other side of the couch – sending Gordon careening up the stairs, and she tried to uncrumple her clothes as she headed toward the door.

Before she actually reached it, she heard Dree’s voice and smiled to herself, “Coming!” she called, tugging her zip-up once more before putting her hand up to lean against the door, just affirming that it was, indeed, Dreogan.  The habit of looking into the Peeping Tom became routine after what happened –as did locking the three locks on her door before she left and directly after she entered.  She supposed, if there were any good things to rely on, it would be the lasting impact on how serious she was about protecting herself. 

It felt like light years had passed since the days that she had sometimes forgotten to lock her door at night.  Now, it would never happen and she often woke up several times a night just to check to make sure it really was locked.  Thankfully, she confirmed it was Dreogan – that there was nothing sinister going on – and unlocked the three locks, opening the door. 

When she took in his appearance, Akiva was not sure whether to be happy that he was ready or upset that he had figured her out.  She should have known that he was far more observant than she was, and had distinct abilities.  He looked cute – she recalled a certain photo that was in a small frame at her station at the circulation desk during the week – and on her dresser during the weekend, and she started to step out – no need to go in today. “I’m glad you’re dressed appropriately,” she smiled, kissing his cheek before she glanced around – backpack – then up at his face, giggling softly,  “Love the glasses, by the way,” she tapped the rim playfully and picked up her pack from the floor, light as a magicked feature – and reached inside. 

Out of the pack, she produced a pamphlet, the Thames trail, and held it out.  “I thought with everything, we might take a day off and do some hiking.  I packed lunch,”  With her other hand, she touched his shoulder, kind of excited about the whole prospect.  She had never been, of course, and from what she knew – he genuinely loved this kind of thing.  Even if things were a little crazy and life was hectic (she had inkling it was affecting him far more than he let on), it was a good opportunity.  “Sound good?”

Dreogan could not help but smile brightly when he saw Akiva, ready and already, it seemed, heading out the door. At the assurance that he had guessed right, he smiled more broadly. Not only was he right -- something he imagined almost anyone would like to hear, even if they didn't require the affirmation -- but Akiva was humouring him, taking him out on his favourite activity. He had enjoyed their nights in: Monty Python, late night talks, cooking sessions -- he was getting better -- and a few walks . However, they had, in their initial stages of dating, thrown out various activities out of the house and so characteristic of each other, so exciting, that had entirely been thrown by the wayside with recent occurrences. They hadn't gone rock climbing. They hadn't gone walking just yet. Dreogan wanted to take her, eventually, up to the Lakes District and Scotland. Beautiful scenery. The heather would be blooming soon; that was the time, before it got too cold. Perhaps in a couple of weeks, he decided. She was looking healthier now. Almost completely recovered.

Dreogan smirked and chuckled -- a rumble in his throat -- as she kissed him on the cheek: she was not going to get away that easily. "Mmm," he agreed, pulling her closely into a hug, hands on her elbows as he guided her to a kiss. On the doorstep; Akiva's neighbourhood was not a particularly busy one, and they had been dating for some time now. And while Dreogan was not one to venture outside his zone of comfort, Dreogan's level of comfort increased drastically with time.

He pulled away as she tapped the rim of his lenses and blushed slightly, watching her face. It was Akiva's teasing, Dreogan decided, that made her light up like that. And while he would never do anything to extinguish that spark, the teasing made him shift just a bit uncomfortably as he tried to discern why, exactly, the comment had been said. Did they look good? Or ridiculous?

When both his ability to read her tone and his fashion sense failed, Dreogan had no way of knowing.

He decided, for now, it was best not to worry about it -- there were so many other things worth worrying about if he was going to let it distract from this moment: work, Robards, Adon . . . But none of that now. Maybe in a few hours.

He stood behind her, reading over his shoulder as he slouched to rest his chin on it. "Good pick," he said, reading the map. "You know, I've never gotten as far as the ruins;" he tapped the map. "We could maybe Apparate a bit out there; be sure to get there." It seemed the sort of thing she'd enjoy. Not everyone could look at plants and flight patterns for hours. At least, not most people he'd gone walking with.

He glanced now down to the pack with the food. An even brighter smile. "Perhaps we could have just a little bit to eat before we head out on the trail. . ." he attempted in his most practised voice, reserved for negotiations.

She was feeling a lot better – happier too, as soon as he pulled her into a hug, nice and warm, and placed a kiss on her lips.  It was surprising that he would do so outdoors, but not unwelcome, in fact, she could only smile wider, glad for the somewhat normal physical contact – something a typical couple would exchange upon greeting one another, and she hadn’t felt all that typical recently.  Since she got back, a lot of the things they said they wanted to do were not getting done and she was too tired or not strong enough to do any of it.  Now that she was finally able to actually get here and there without getting exhausted in the span of ten minutes, she was glad to be doing something she knew Dree would like. 

They had been doing things she liked – nights in, talking, cooking, watching movies – it was all fun, of course, she adored those things, it really made her comfortable, but it was unfairly balanced in her favor.  Dree deserved something nice for him and it took some effort to come up with it, but she had nailed it and was very glad he was smiling and looked like he at least might enjoy himself.  He was the type to worry about everything before he worried about himself, so she thought that if she could take care of thinking about him, then at least someone would be.  She was sure his mother would be glad for it. 

Unfolding the map as he moved behind her, Akiva regarded it carefully, she did not know where to start, but figured he would have a good idea of it.  She was about to ask him, but he put his chin on her shoulder and she was just a tad distracted.  She could feel his hair brushing against the side of her neck and she giggled softly, turning her head just a tad once he began to speak – ah, and true to her thought, he had an idea about what to do.  “That sounds good to me,” she agreed looking at where he pointed out.  “I’ve never ran around on ruins before.  Surprise?” she chuckled softly and leaned her cheek against his, raising her eyebrows when he started to use an altogether different voice with her. 

It was like he was trying to make some kind of deal, and Akiva realized it was about food.  Rolling her eyes, Akiva turned and stepped away, reaching into the pack.  She had anticipated some sort of morning hunger and produced one of the things she did not actually produce, two breakfast granola bars – good for energy, not so great on taste, and definitely not homemade, but it was food.  She grinned, feeling like she had won, and held one of the bars out to him.  “Of course!  Start with this, and we’ll see about something else later.  I may or may not have trail mix if you get hungry.” 

It was only after she said it that she realized she sounded like his mother or something.  Whatever the case, she unwrapped her bar and put it back in the pack.  She took a big bite and chewed … and chewed… well, it wasn’t the easiest to eat thing in the world – but it was breakfast food and they would need it, right?  That’s what she read!  “We should probably go inside or down the road by the alley,” she indicated after swallowing, “if we want to apparate,” she added in a low voice. 

Dreogan looked into his palm, which suddenly and inexplicably held a foreign bar wrapped in green, metallic packaging. She must have slipped it there. He hadn't noticed; she looked cute with her trainers and backpack on. Outdoors-y.

“Of course!  Start with this, and we’ll see about something else later.  I may or may not have trail mix if you get hungry.” 

He frowned as he eyed it -- Kiva days were days when he did not eat pre-packaged food -- then shrugged. Then again, he lived every other day off of it. He peeled the foil from it and considered taking a bite but paused, leaning in to give her another kiss instead.

That got much harder to do with food in your mouth.

"Your trail mix sounds like appeasement. Or bribery," he responded in a teasing mood. "I can't decide which I prefer -- or which is worse." Another, brief peck on the cheek and, hand in hand, they were off. One hand around Kiva, the other around food.

Any man would be chuffed about such a situation. And, looking first up at the bright morning, then to Akiva, he had to agree that he was -- it was the happiest and lightest he'd felt in weeks, despite recent events. A sort of breathlessness in his stomach and weightlessness on his shoulders.

"Down the alley could work," he agreed, but looked back to the house with lifted eyebrows. "Buuut. . ." he suggested, tugging her lightly by the hand back towards the door with a mischievous grin as he shifted his hand about her waist, giving her a light squeeze. "I think inside works better." He tilted his head to her and said, "You know. A bit more . . . private."

Akiva could not help but be exceptionally pleased.  The morning was starting off on quite the right foot, and Dree was in a good humor, choosing to ignore the pre-packaged food, something he did not appear to expect, and give her another generous kiss – after she finished swallowing, of course.  She decided she had the same opinion about the bar – rather upset she had not bothered to make some herself, though that would have been another task to set upon herself the previous evening, and she had already prepared two lunches and things… but it would have been better than the chewy, yet crunchy at the same time, bar they were both expected to eat for energy. 

Resting her empty hand on his shoulder, she played with the ends of his curly hair, which was getting a tad long.  She wondered when the last time he got a haircut was, and considering it was Dreogan who was, first of all, a male, and second of all, completely inconsistent in taking care of himself, she gauged it had to be some time ago that he had bothered to take care of it.  Perhaps later she’d take her wand to it – she had always been very good at charms, and cut her own hair when she needed to, so Dree’s wouldn’t be that difficult – unless he was attached to the dead ends.

That was not what she was supposed to be thinking about, she reminded herself, shifting her eyes from the dark, curl in between her fingers to his big, brown eyes.  He teased her about the trail mix, which she thought might have actually been the better choice, but shook her head, returning the sentiment.  “It’s only bribery if I’m asking for something in return,” she pointed out, leaning her cheek up for him to kiss and taking his hand, ready to set off. 

She was very excited for this and couldn’t wait to get out into the country a bit.  She enjoyed London, but there was too much going on right now – nothing, with few exceptions, good either.  And just feeling the good energy Dree was giving off in conjunction with the excitement she was experiencing – the craziness of everything else not part of her life for this afternoon – it was enough to put a distinct spring in one’s step, which, for Akiva, translated into a gait very similar to one Lady had when she was much smaller – her pony tail bounced accordingly on her back. 

Tugged to a stop, Akiva looked back at Dree in confusion.  Did he not want to go?  Tilting her head to the side, she was again tugged back toward him and his arm found its way around her waist.  Giggling softly, she could not escape the decidedly pink tint that rose to her face – flattered and slightly embarrassed.  Surprisingly, it didn’t bother her that much, and her arm slinked up and around his neck, the other still holding his hand, and she leaned up to give him a kiss, “Private, eh?”

She extracted her arm from his neck and semi-danced away, putting her hand in her pocket to pull out the keys to the flat.  Holding it up for a second, just for him to see, she unlocked the separate bolts (all three) and led the way inside, shutting the door behind him – hitting the locks again, out of habit.  She turned, leaning her back against the door with a playful smile illuminating her features,  “So, Mr. Eleor, private enough for you?”

Now inside, door closed, Dreogan gave a sheepish smile. It was still dark -- she had not bothered to turn the lights back on, so perhaps she was catching on. At her teasing tone, he leaned in, tilting his chin down to catch her eyes as he ran his fingers along her collarbone to fidget with the furry hood of her fleece.

“So, Mr. Eleor, private enough for you?”

Mr Eleor was grinning now as he managed a humming sort of "Mmhmm. . . but upstairs is even . . . privater. . ." he whispered into her ear before pressing his lips against her neck and tugging her in that direction.

~~~~~~

Something about the mood in the air made him step softly, move slowly. It felt peaceful; Dreogan felt more at ease than he had in what seemed ages. It was a good way to start the day -- dizzying, remarkable, wonderful, really -- and while Dreogan was not sure how much time had elapsed, he felt in no rush to make it to the ruins by lunch time like they'd planned. In fact, as Dreogan waited for Akiva to get her things together once more, he picked up her backpack -- very light, obviously magicked for effect -- and, peering up to make sure she wasn't watching, dipped a hand in until he felt it rustle against the paper bag.

Now, he could do this without being detected, he was sure. . . but was it worth it?

A glance back in her direction and he zipped the pack back up before slipping it onto his shoulders and moving quietly back to her side, wrapping his arms around her. "You ready?" he asked, preparing to Apparate.

The tingles moved quickly down her spine as she felt his breath rustle against her neck.  She had not made the jump from playful teasing to action in her mind before, but it was certainly a pleasant option now. Peering upward, through her eyelashes, she met his gaze and smile with the same sort of expression, her slender hands finding his waist and hooking her thumbs into his belt loops. 

"Mmhmm. . . but upstairs is even . . . privater. . .”

A small gasp and giggle followed his brazen kiss and tugging, also accompanied the sounds of feet shuffling toward the stairwell and upward.  Gripping his hand, she followed up quickly, there was certainly nothing to hesitate for. 

~~~~~~

That had not been what Akiva expected, quite the contrary.  Her thoughts had been that they wanted to get out of the house – not spend even more time in it.  She had no complaints, of course, just found it funny that when they tried to leave, they just ended up retreating back into a comfortable spot.  Now, to be sure, it was not the same comfortable spot – but it was one that made Akiva move with less anxiety, relax more readily, and though she was not as eager to leave, she still wanted to get on the road and see these ruins, spend the day the right way. 

It had certainly started the right way, now to keep that going.  Tugging on her trainers again, Akiva focused on tying the laces and then putting on her zip-up over the tank top.  Glancing over her shoulder, she caught the final glimpse of him removing his hand from her pack and she rolled her eyes with a laugh under her breath.  She wouldn’t call him out this time, and when she was finally ready, joined his side. 

She wanted to carry the pack, of course, and when he put it over his shoulder, Akiva shook her head, wrapping her arms around him.  “I’m carrying that as soon as we get there,” she slipped her index and middle fingers under the strap for a moment and kissed him.  “With that said, yes, I am ready.  Let’s go,” she glanced at her watch, “it’s already almost eleven thirty!”

“I’m carrying that as soon as we get there,” she slipped her index and middle fingers under the strap for a moment and kissed him.

"Huh, well then I'm--" Dreogan began to protest before the kiss which, as always, distracted him as he closed his eyes and, as she pulled away, kept him from breathing a moment. "You can't get out of all our debates that way, you know," he muttered as he grinned.

He wasn't complaining. He was just asserting. "In fact," he added, "it's gonna take a lot more than that to convince me." He grinned. "Fantastic as it is." He just wouldn't mind more.

“With that said, yes, I am ready.  Let’s go,” she glanced at her watch, “it’s already almost eleven thirty!”

He laughed into her hair as he wrapped his arms more tightly around her waist. "Mmmhmmm," he muttered before Apparating with a loud crack!

It appeared, when visions cleared, that they had arrived. A trail through some light brush, weaving through moderately hilly terrain. The grasses were already browning, looking golden in the early Autumn. "Well," he said, orienting himself, trying to determine if they should walk onwards or backwards in order to reach the ruins, "judging from the sun, which is --" he looked up, "directly overhead . . ." He looked back at her, blinking furiously at the black dots. "Don't look at the sun, by the way. It's bad for your eyes. . . Pick a direction, o navigator," he said, clipping the backpack's straps about his waist and chest. It wasn't heavy, but it was a precaution against Akiva trying to take it back.

After all, it was going to take more than that to convince him.

"You can't get out of all our debates that way, you know," he muttered.  “In fact," he added, "it's gonna take a lot more than that to convince me… Fantastic as it is."

Akiva giggled softly and raised both of her eyebrows at him, “Maybe not all of them,” she conceded, “but I’m willing to give it a shot for most.”  She giggled and turned her cheek into his neck, tightening her hold as they readied themselves to apparate.  She hated the feeling, but at least it’d be quicker than taking a cab or borrowing an auto. 

Wincing at the sound and the immediate crushing sensation, it was a good thing she was feeling much better and healthier.  It had been one of the concerns when she was found – and for the following weeks, as it was taxing on the system – evident by the exceptional pressure and twisting feeling it elicited.  Thankfully, it was not the longest trip in the world and when they arrived, Akiva let out a deep sigh and reoriented herself. 

Blinking, Akiva was at least pleased they were in the right place and not splinched together.  She trusted Dree’s ability to disapparate far beyond her own, and though she stumbled slightly, Akiva managed to retain all of her dignity upon landing.  Of course, the place they ended at, though on the path, did not allow her to figure out where exactly they were.  Frowning, she moved behind Dree and reached into the pack, laughing as he looked up at the sky – clearly not the smartest thing to do at almost noon. 

She did not comment, rather placed a teasing, comforting kiss on his cheek before opening up the map.  It was the same one as before, no noticeable differences, and looking around the surroundings, there were no markers that would even indicate which direction they should go in – and then she saw the compass on the map.  A little gasp passed her lips and she smiled, “Hold this,” she handed him the map and dipped back into the pack, extracting her wand and placing it on the ground in front of both of them. 

“Point me!” she announced happily, watching as it spun into place, rigidly pointing toward the path through the open field and toward the hills, brambling along – North.  “That’s north,” she added with a hint of pride at the fact she actually understood something about a practical art – navigation being something every witch or wizard should have known.  “So...” she motioned to the map, “based on that…” she siddled up by his side and leaned her head against his shoulder before reaching over and pointing, “it looks like… “ her face fell a tad, “we still have no idea where we are.”

Akiva giggled softly and raised both of her eyebrows at him, “Maybe not all of them,” she conceded, “but I’m willing to give it a shot for most.”

"Well, just you try," Dreogan challenged with a grin. "As often as you like. It won't work." But he did want her to try. Dree held her closely upon arrival until she'd steadied herself -- perhaps holding her a bit longer than necessary before giving a squeeze and letting her go.

He chuckled at her enthusiasm to use magic. He leaned over, nodding at her assessments, trying not to grin. "Mmm," he said as she confessed their predicament. "That way" he pointed behind them. "The trail takes us east to get to the ruins. So it's that way. . . did you ever learn the phrase 'Never Eat Soggy Wheat?" he asked, pointing comically in each direction, clockwise: North, East, South, West.

"Good advice generally, though," he said. "I think the snacks might be getting soggy, in fact," he persisted, slipping one arm out of the backpack straps so he could shift it to the front and rummage through.  He looked up, puffing a curl of dark hair with his breath away from his face. He doubted she'd let him without a fight.

But if she tried to convince him -- and he knew her preferred method of argumentation, now -- that might not be too bad. "I'll only let you take the backpack if we empty it of some of its contents first. Ah, this will do," he said lightly, a delighted smile spreading across his face as he pulled out a bag of trailmix and handed it to her.

Raising her eyebrows at Dree, Akiva laughed and shook her head.  “You’d like that too much,” she teased, giving him a generous squeeze back before disentangling their limbs and making progress on her own.  Granted, it was a crazy little circumstance, one that she did not anticipate – for some reason she did not foresee navigational problems, though she supposed that came with the fact she had never actually intended to have any particular destination in mind.  Her idea had been to basically wander aimlessly until they were tired and stop for lunch, and then wander more before they decided they wanted to go home.  Dree, it appeared, always needed a destination in mind. 

It didn’t surprise her, that he was goal oriented, and though she felt that way at times, she supposed she knew very little about the whole process of hiking  - she just didn’t know where to start.  Thankfully, she had a better navigator than her with her.  “I’ve never been especially gifted with directions,” she confessed with a bit of a laugh, watching him point the directions of the compass, NESW.  She giggled, shrugging her shoulders.  “Learn something new every day,” she added with a bit of an amused laugh, folding up the map.  He seemed to know just where they were going and Akiva was satisfied with that. 

She bumped her shoulder against his, a teasing little grin spreading across her face, “I’m glad you’re good at this or we’d be lost like you wouldn’t believe,” she giggled and started walking in the direction he indicated, slowing down as she realized that he was not walking quite so quickly, and the sounds of rustling meant he was fussing with something.  Turning, she walked backward for a moment, gaping at him as he opened the pack.  “Dree!” she chastised, despite the fact she couldn’t stop smiling, “Get out of there!” she stopped moving forward, and instead trotted toward him, trying to grab the pack. 

He, of course, had his hand inside of it before she even got a chance to tug it away and she rolled her eyes.  He blew one of the curls out of his face and she reached over, tucking it behind his ear before pulling his face down for a quick kiss, “You’re horrible,” she frowned, taking the trail mix from him.  “And for that, you’re carrying the pack for the rest of the day,” she stuck out her tongue at him for a moment and then popped open the sealed bag of trail mix she made, “And I’m eating all the chocolate pieces in here.  You can have the leftovers and your energy bar,” she smiled primly, popping a chocolate chip in her mouth. 

“It’s such a shame you’re missing out on this,” she held up the bag, waving it a little as she jogged a few feet ahead, playing keep away with the trail-mix.  “You enjoy that energy bar though – I’m sure you’ll be very happy with it stuck between your teeth for the rest of the day,” she added, popping another handful of chocolate pieces in her mouth.  Cockiness overtook her and she swayed her hips just a little more than normal, "not soggy at all, by the way," she added with a crunch on a piece of granola, giggling to herself all the while.

It seemed Akiva was being contrary for the purpose of being contrary. He could see what she had said about her childhood, just then. Stubborn. Clever. Adorable. So she would refuse kissing him to quell arguments simply because he'd like to too much? Dreogan smirked.

"I don't think you'd mind it too much, either . . ." he countered a bit hesitantly. "At least I'd hope not." They had, after all, gone well beyond kissing at this point.

She darted ahead, just out of reach, as though she suspected another kiss and Dreogan shook his head as she swayed her hips, holding the trail mix up enticingly. "Is that the carrot on a string to get me to keep going?" he called ahead, trotting a bit to keep up. "Why don't I just--" he said before there was a faint *pop* and he appeared just in front of her, wrapping his arms around her waist and swinging her off her feet. He gave her a brief kiss as he set her feet back down. "--do this." He smiled and they resumed walking a few steps.

Akiva bumped her shoulder against him. “I’ve never been especially gifted with directions,” she confessed with a bit of a laugh, watching him point the directions of the compass, NESW.  She giggled, shrugging her shoulders.  “Learn something new every day."

He smiled warmly at this, giving a soft, shy chuckle as he pulled on the straps of her backpack -- still on his shoulders -- before stating in as close to a non-chalant voice as he could manage, "And that is why I love you." He tugged once more on the straps, pretending there was something wrong with them as he waited -- it seemed like she would never speak, but it perhaps hadn't been more than a few seconds yet -- for something. Anything. The chocolate chips didn't sound so tempting at this moment anyhow, his stomach turning and twisting.

Shooting him a look, Akiva giggled softly and did not dignify his response with her own.  She knew he was right, she would not mind kissing at all.  Instead of answering, she took another chip and pushed it past her lips, giggling a bit before she continued walking forward, dangling the carrot (much less healthy carrot… made of chocolate…) for him to just try to grab from her. 

She, of course, did not expect that he would use apparation against her and gasped as he popped in front of her, grabbing her around the waist.  She let out a shriek of surprise – as well as happiness – and wrapped her arms around his neck for an anchor against the force of being twirled.  Without much effort to push him away, she let him kiss her and almost dropped the bag of treats in the process.  “We’re never going to get anywhere if you keep stopping for such silly things,” she teased, trotting by his side to kiss him on the cheek. 

Taking his hand as they walked, she swung their arms back and forth, casually walking along side him, very much enjoying what they had decided to do for the day.  The sun was out, even if it was slightly chilly, and there were a few clouds in the sky, the breeze rustling the branches on the trees.  It was normal, country weather, and Akiva found it particularly comforting.  She remembered visiting her grandmother’s cottage, even after her grandmother passed, and just enjoying being away from the constant sounds of the city. 

No autos, no yelling, nothing disruptive except birds that chirped too loudly and crickets, lots of crickets.  Right now, it was light out, practically noon, so the warmest part of the day with the sun streaming down and it was comfortable.  He started to speak and Akiva lazily offered him an ear, gazing down the field toward a couple of cows that were grazing – only managing to turn her head to catch it. The L word.

She was slightly stunned, since it had come somewhere out of left field, but not unwelcome.  She had felt something along those lines for a few weeks, but had never said much of anything.  It felt wrong to burden him with what could have been her premature thoughts.  There was really only one suitable response, given her feelings and the situation considering.  She wouldn’t have opened up her life as much as she had to someone who did not deserve the phrase, and certainly didn’t throw it around lightly – though tried to make it as least awkward as possible, so she tugged his hand and wrapped it around her waist, leaning her head on his shoulder comfortably, “I love you too,” she responded with a content sigh, entwining her hand with the one that she had put on his waist.   

“Want a chocolate chip?” she giggled putting the bag over his opposite shoulder for him to see/take.  She didn’t want to hold it anymore, but was in far too comfortable a place to put it back in the pack – happily pressed against his side and cheek on his arm.  Good day.