While training with Wren had gone on for a few hours, the old woman was merciful enough to let him go a bit early so that he could meet up with Fay for their date. Though, he hadn’t escaped without a bit of advice and criticism.

  He’d appreciated his mentor telling him about a few good restaurants to take Fay to, but he could have gone without her insulting his clothes. Sure, they were a bit basic, but the blue jeans and black T-shirt that he wore felt like they were perfectly reasonable for a first date. It wasn’t like Fay had told him he had to dress up or anything

  …

  Right?

  Suddenly Lucas began to feel a lot more worried about the date, wondering if he should change into some nicer clothes. But then that brought up a new issue, how was he supposed to get any nicer clothes if he didn’t have any money? The obvious answer was to ask for a favor from Lissa and Magnus, but that required getting within range of Fay’s father and Lucas was very much trying to avoid that outcome for as long as he could.

  He was so lost in his thoughts that the teen didn’t even realize that he’d nearly gotten back to the Stella household until he heard his name being called.

  Lucas looked up to find Sasha standing outside Fay’s home, leaning up against one of the walls. It looked like she’d been waiting for something, and he quickly realized that something she’d been waiting for was him.

  “Hey, Sasha,” He called back, sending a wave her way as he approached.

  The brunette met him halfway, pushing off the wall and appearing before him between one step and the next.

  It was the first time he’d clearly seen Sasha’s magic at work, and it was strange, to say the least. The effect was subtle, but he’d been able to see how the air between himself and Sasha sort of warped as she stepped forward. The area seemed to be squished together, and it made looking at the sight almost headache inducing. Thankfully, the effect lasted less than a second and faded the moment Sasha had cleared the gap between them.

  “So, I hear you’ve got a date tonight,” She began casually.

  Lucas felt his muscle tense as she leaned in. And he wondered how much trouble Sasha was going to give him for trying to date Fay.

  “I guess so,” He admitted. “Only found out about it this morning.”

  Sasha laughed quietly and shot a glance back towards Fay’s home. “Yeah, that does sound like Fay.”

  “Are you here to read me the riot act?” He asked blandly.

  Sasha grinned and gestured behind her towards the house. “Nah, not my job. I’ll kick your ass if you break Fay’s heart, but Magnus is the one who’ll kill you.”

  When Lucas shuddered at the idea, Sasha barked out a quick little laugh and rested a hand on his shoulder.

  Thankfully, she’d been smart enough to not put her hand on the shoulder that Dusk was resting on. The little fox still wasn’t a big fan of Sasha after the brunette beat Lucas up the first time, and she’d been holding a bit of a grudge. As far as people went, Sasha was towards the lower end of Dusk’s favorite people.

  “Much as I’d love to threaten you and tell you to treat Fay nice, I don’t think I have to. No, I’m here to help you. Just a bit,” She explained.

  The look that he gave her clearly showed just how skeptical of that he really was. “Hey! I’m serious. I am gonna give you a hand,” She added. “We might not be best friends, but I do want to help you out.”

  “Really? How are you gonna help me?” Lucas finally asked.

  “Fay’s my best friend and she clearly likes you a lot. She wouldn’t stop talking about you this morning when she told me about the hunting trip you two went on. She lights up when she’s talking about you, and it’s clear that you make her pretty happy. So, I’m going to give you some advice and, if you’re smart, you’ll listen. Shouldn’t be too hard for you,” She joked.

  Lucas rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide the little hint of a grin on his lips. Sasha could be pretty funny when she wanted to be.

  “Ok. What’s your advice?”

  “Fay will probably be out soon. When she does, you should suggest that you two get some burgers. Fay has a favorite place called Zeke’s. If she doesn’t suggest it herself, you should mention it. She’ll always be happy to go to Zeke’s.”

  “Zeke’s. Got it,” Lucas mumbled as he noted the name.

  “And you,” She said, looking at Dusk. “Should stay home and let these two enjoy their date together.”

  Lucas didn’t think he’d ever seen Dusk look more offended before. He actually watched the fox’s jaw drop a bit at Sasha’s sheer audacity.

  “If you let them have some fun together, I’ll get you some food.”

  Despite her dislike of Sasha, the brunette had found the one way straight to Dusk’s good side.

  Food.

  Dusk’s ears perked up and Lucas had to hold back a chuckle as Sasha grinned. “So? How about it? You leave him be for the night and I’ll grab you a nice bit of meat to snack on to make up for it.”

  Lucas could see the exact moment when Sasha won over his familiar. And when a commotion could be heard from inside the house, Sasha grinned and gestured for Dusk.

  “Sounds like she’s just about ready. Have fun on your date and make sure to make her happy, Lucas,” Then she turned to Dusk. “C’mon. Let’s go get you some food.”

  Dusk took the time to lick Lucas’ cheek once before hopping off his shoulder and bounding after Sasha as the brunette made her way back to the Stella’s home. Lucas would have laughed if Fay hadn’t burst out the front door a moment later.

  “Gotta go, bye!” She called back behind her as the blonde blurred forward thanks to her magic. Lucas blinked, surprised as he suddenly found Fay’s hand in his and her face inches from his.

  Then she was kissing him, her lips pressed to his for a short little moment where Lucas just forgot everything. When she pulled away, Lucas nearly lost himself in those green eyes as the blonde smiled at him.

  “What was that for?” He asked, surprised but quite happy at the same time.

  “I’ll tell you later,” Fay replied as she glanced back towards her house. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat. Is there anything you’re craving?”

  It was a miracle he even remembered Sasha’s advice after the kiss. “How about burgers?” He suggested.

  “Oh! I know the perfect place we can go to, then! They’re the best burgers in town!” Fay beamed, grabbing his hand and pulling Lucas along towards the second ring.

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  “Have fun, you two!” Sasha’s voice called after them as girl and fox slipped in through the front door Fay had left open.

  With Fay leading the way, Lucas got the chance to actually see what his girlfriend was wearing for the date. Thankfully, Fay hadn’t dressed up especially fancy like Lucas had been afraid of. She wore a cozy-looking tan turtleneck shirt and a pair of tight, form-fitting navy-blue jeans. The biggest surprise was that her normally free flowing long, silvery blonde hair had been braided instead.

  She looked beautiful, and Lucas voiced those thoughts a second later.

  “You look amazing, by the way.”

  Fay didn’t stop, but she did turn back to give him a blindingly bright smile that almost hid her suddenly pink cheeks.

  “Thanks. You look great, too.”

  He didn’t quite feel like he’d dressed up or made himself look very nice, but he couldn’t quite argue about it with Fay. Instead, he just followed her as the blonde led him through the streets.

  It didn’t take long for them to get to a portion of the second ring that Lucas hadn’t visited often. The restaurant district was mostly full of, you guessed it, restaurants and food shops of all kinds. The many aromas of various types of foods cooking, roasting, and grilling filled the air, and Lucas could feel his empty stomach demanding food.

  Eventually, Fay dragged Lucas to a very small little shop nestled between a nice-looking Italian restaurant and a pizza shop. There, in between the two, was a little brick and mortar shop called ‘Zeke’s Burger Bar’. The large glass window covering most of the front wall let Lucas peek in and see the interior of the small shop. It reminded him a lot of an old 1950’s style burger shop.

  Fay was quick to pull him inside and drag him towards the front counter. Lucas could see the large flattop and kitchen behind the counter, allowing anyone inside to see their food being made. And at the counter was an older man, looking to be around forty or fifty. His green eyes, a duller shade than Fay’s, lit up when they saw the blonde come in.

  “Fay! Haven’t seen you come by in a bit. Where have you been?” The man called out.

  Fay laughed as she walked up to the counter and gestured towards Lucas. “I’ve been out on a hunting trip, sorry Zeke. This is Lucas, by the way, he’s still a bit new in town so I needed to show him to my favorite restaurant in town.”

  The older man gave the two a look over and shot Fay a knowing grin when he noted the two still holding hands. Fay clearly noticed the grin and went a little red in the face.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Lucas. So, what can I get you two lovebirds today?” Zeke asked.

  Lucas could feel his own cheeks heating up a little, but he pushed it down and focused on figuring out food, first. Hunger was a powerful motivator, and he’d been working hard all day.

  A lot of Zeke’s menu was almost the same as what Lucas would expect to find in a burger shop in the Ordinary side of the world, but he also had a few standout items that were not nearly as normal. One of them caught Lucas’ eye.

  “Could I try the boar burger?” He asked.

  “I was just looking at that, too!” Fay chimed in at his side. “I’ll get one as well. Fries for both of us, too, Zeke.”

  “Nice choice. Anything to drink, you two?” The man asked.

  Lucas asked for water while Fay got some soda.

  “That’ll be two silver for everything,” Zeke said.

  Instinctively, Lucas went to try and pay, only to stop when he realized that he didn’t have any money. Fay didn’t even bat an eye and easily grabbed the two silver to pay the man.

  “Your food should be done soon. Feel free to grab a seat anywhere.”

  As Zeke began to work on their food, Fay gently tugged Lucas towards a booth in the corner.

  “Sorry you had to pay for that,” He mumbled as the two slid into their seats.

  “I’m the one who suggested the date, so it’s only fair I pay,” Fay shot back.

  “I guess so,” Lucas admitted. “… So, you come here pretty often?”

  The blonde grinned as she glanced over towards Zeke. “Zeke set this shop up decades ago. Mom and dad used to come all the time, so I pretty much grew up eating Zeke’s burgers. It’s my favorite place to go for food in town.”

  He nodded his head, thinking back to the small little pizza place back home that he’d go to almost every other week. “Yeah, I get that. Comfort food, right?”

  “Exactly!” Fay beamed.

  “So, what was with the kiss earlier?” Lucas asked.

  “Oh!” Fay’s expression brightened even more, and she practically began to bounce in her seat. “You were right, back on the hunting trip. I managed to figure out that ‘double jump’ idea that you gave me!”

  “Wait, you did?” He asked, perking up at that as well. “That’s awesome!”

  “I know!” She replied happily. “Now I’m going to try working on that other idea you mentioned. If it works too then I’ll be one step closer to flying.”

  “You know, you never actually told me why you want to fly so badly,” Lucas pointed out.

  Fay immediately went quiet and Lucas watched as her cheeks gained a bit of pink.

  “It’s kind of dumb and silly. Promise not to laugh?” She asked, her voice quiet as she glanced away from him.

  “If I laugh, you can kick me,” Lucas shot back.

  That managed to get a smile out of the blonde and she relaxed just a bit more.

  “It was back when I was a kid. I don’t remember how young I was, but I had a dream one night. I was a bird flying through the air, looking down at everything from above. I could feel the wind blowing through my feathers and I could see every detail of the world below. It all looked so real and it looked so beautiful. Seeing the whole world from so high up just made everything look so small. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”

  Fay’s eyes were distant as she told him about her dream, and he could easily see that she was reliving the dream all over again.

  “The dream felt so real. When I woke up, it stuck with me, too. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to fly high and look down on the whole world. When I got my magic and got Dove as my familiar, I was sure it was a sign. Then I found out I had a Wind affinity, and I was sure of it. I was going to fly one day.”

  The passion in her voice was impossible to miss, and Lucas fully believed that the blonde would figure out how to fly one day. It didn’t matter how long it took; he was sure that Fay would do it.

  Lucas reached across the table, gently grabbing Fay’s hand and squeezed it. “That sounds like an amazing dream. I wish I’d had one like that.”

  Before the conversation could go any further, the two were interrupted when Zeke walked over with their food. The older man grinned slyly as he saw the two teens quickly separating when he approached.

  “I’ll leave you two to your food. If you need anything, just shout for me. I’ll be in the back checking inventory.”

  As Zeke walked away, he shot Fay a little wink and Lucas had to hold back his laughter as he saw the blonde go bright red and try to sink into her seat a bit.

  “Maybe I should never come here ever again,” She mumbled.

  The laughter Lucas had barely been holding back spilled out as Fay glared at him. Thankfully, food was a good peace offering.

  The conversation halted as the two dug into their burgers, and Lucas was left in awe at just how amazing the food really was. The boar burgers were incredibly juicy, and Lucas quickly realized that it was the single best burger he’d ever had in his life.

  Fay, who had been watching Lucas, laughed. “That’s how I reacted the first time I had one,” She teased. “Zeke apparently has an affinity for Food magic, and it really shows.”

  Lucas froze, the burger inches from his lips. “You’re telling me there’s Food magic?” He asked.

  “Mhmm,” Fay replied as she took another bite of her own meal. “Like we told you, there are some pretty strange magic affinities. Somehow, they all exist. Zeke won’t tell me exactly how his magic works, but apparently it lets him always know what ingredients are the best to work with and it lets him enhance his foods with magic.”

  Lucas glanced down at the burger in his hands, perfectly made and looking like a piece of art. Then he looked back at Fay and sagged in his seat.

  “You’re completely ruining normal food for me,” He groaned.

  “I know!” Fay chirped with a wide grin.

  Suffice to say, the food didn’t last long between the two after that. But with the food gone, the conversation continued.

  “So, you never had some big dream of your own when you were little?” Fay asked.

  “Not really,” Lucas shrugged. “I never really felt like I fit in much at home. Honestly, I guess my dream was always to live a life like one of the characters in the comics I read. Kinda funny now that I think about it.”

  “That you get to live out your dream?” Fay asked.

  “Yeah…” He mumbled, staring down at his hands.

  He was getting the chance to live out his dream, sure, but would he still be able to live it after he got home? Did he really even want to leave?

  “Well,” Fay said as she reached out and took his hand. “I’m glad things happened the way they did. I got to meet you because of it.”

  The way that she smiled at him made Lucas’ heart flutter and he couldn’t help but return that smile with one of his own. And when she leaned across the table to press another kiss to his lips, he felt his worries fade away. How could he regret coming to this crazy magical world if it had brought Fay into his life?

  Even if, deep down, it made him question if he really wanted to go back home.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~