Cypher arrived at the front gates of the Cilan Mansion exactly at noon. He had spent the better part of the morning deciding on what to wear. He had also been trying to find a way to fix his hair so that it wasn’t quite as shabby looking as it normally was. However, to his disdain, he couldn’t really do a whole lot with it.
He liked it long enough to hang down around his neck, and that wasn’t going to change any time soon. Thus, he had simply braided the sides and pulled the whole thing back into a neat-looking ponytail. This was the best he could really do without cutting it short. He wasn’t a stylist after all, and he had never really cared about his hair’s appearance before.
That of course made him stop and wonder why he was putting so much effort into his appearance in the first place. Why did he care? It wasn’t like he was meeting with the King himself or anything. He was puzzled as he got ready, but a stray thought crossed his mind and made him blush.
He didn’t understand how he hadn’t thought of it before. It was so simple. The truth was that he was attracted to Melodi!
It wasn’t like he had never been attracted to a woman before. Glenda was quite stunning and possessed a very curvy and attractive body even though she was much older. Throughout his trips in and out of the city, several women had caught his eye which left him with certain thoughts and urges. However, none of them had been worth the time to pursue.
He was wholly dedicated to his journey as a Conductor and meeting a nice woman and settling down hadn’t really been on his to-do list. In fact, he saw it as a massive distraction. Having a girlfriend would only slow down his advancements, and he would always be forced to think of her feelings whenever he took on life-or-death missions.
So why then was he so flustered when it came to Melodi? Perhaps it was because she was also a Conductor and knew the details and risks of that kind of life. Or maybe it was the way her hair fell over her shoulders and blew in the breeze. Her eyes were quite mesmerizing to look at and…
Cypher slapped his cheeks and headed out of his house. He had no time to think about stupid things like that. Even if he was attracted to her, it wasn’t like this was a date or anything, only a tour of his house, and maybe a chat over dinner or something. He had to be hospitable right?
In any event, he was now standing before the gates and the same guard from yesterday greeted him. This time though, he quickly motioned for his partner to open the gate and allow Cypher inside. “Don’t try anything stupid kid, we’ll be watching you the entire time got it?” said the guard.
Cypher nodded and smiled a little bit. He could defeat almost every one of these guards in a one-on-one fight. That said, all together they would be quite the challenge for him. Of course, none of that mattered, he wasn’t about to start a fight here, and so he lowered his battle pressure to near zero.
The guards all seemed to ease up a bit at that, and they quickly led him into the main building of the Cilan estate. “Presenting Miss Cilan’s esteemed guest, Cypher Ceraunus!” yelled the guard guiding him. The guard bowed and then left as Melodi popped her head around a corner and smiled at Cypher.
He simply smiled back and clumsily made his way forward. His eyes went wide as he took in Melodi’s appearance as she walked towards him. She was wearing a light blue sundress with floral patterns all over it. Her hair was pulled up into a loose bun and she wore a pair of interlocking bracelets around each wrist. A small pendant hung around her neck intertwined with her Ark, and she wore a beautiful pair of sapphire earrings.
Cypher was left speechless as she approached and he blushed again as she finally met him up close. “You uh, you look nice today Melodi,” Cypher said. Melodi smiled and curtsied to him.
“Thanks, you don’t look too bad yourself. I hope this isn’t too much, by the way. Mother insisted that I look presentable even if it was only a small outing. She has a weird complex about these kinds of things.”
Cypher shook his head and replied, “No you look great, actually I’m the one who should be apologizing I probably could have worn something a little more appropriate.” Cypher had ultimately decided on wearing a black tunic with a white, long-sleeved undershirt. His pants were a dark maroon and a black leather belt tied around his waist kept his tunic neat and even.
“Well, we aren’t getting any younger, shall we head off then?” asked Melodi, and Cypher nervously nodded. At that time, a guard appeared from the left and moved to accompany them. Cypher looked at him with a confused look and Melodi sighed.
“Don’t worry about Stubbs, he’s just my bodyguard. My parents insist that I be accompanied by one whenever I roam around the City and it can be quite a bother. Don’t worry though, he’s mostly harmless.”
Cypher nodded again and shrugged it off. ‘This is good Cypher, no need to be so flustered. If anything it’ll make this less like a date and you can relax and be yourself,‘ he thought. However, that didn’t make him feel any less uneasy.
The two walked out of the estate and started down one of the main roads, Stubbs following behind them a few paces. Melodi grabbed Cypher’s arm and pulled herself close to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder and Cypher could feel his cheeks growing hot and his heart suddenly kick into overdrive.
“Don’t worry Cypher, we’ll lose him once we get into the crowds up ahead. I really hate it when they follow me so I’ve gotten quite used to slipping away from them. Just play along and we’ll be on our way,” she whispered, and Cypher let out a strange grunt of understanding.
What the hell was happening to him? He had never been this rattled before. Not when he faced down the Rank-Two back in his youth, not when he fought against the Order Conductor on his way to Seven City, hell, not even when he had faced down that Vampire Lord. This feeling was very offputting for him and far removed from what he was used to. He just wanted this day to be over.
Yet, at the same time, he somehow didn’t want it to end. Melodi was warm against his side, even in the heat of the day. She was cheery and even smelled nice, like lavender and sweet pine. The two kept walking and soon entered a crowd of people in the Market district.
“Alright Cypher, we’ll split up here, meet me at your Hawthorn grove once Stubbs loses sight of you. I’ll catch up as quickly as I can, it shouldn’t take too long,” said Melodi, before she pulled away from him and took off running toward a few of the kiosks.
Cypher was left feeling a little lonely, he hadn’t wanted her embrace to end so suddenly. However, he slapped his cheeks to regain his senses. Now wasn’t the time for boyish ponderings and silly crushes. He sighed and turned around to see Stubbs staring at him with sharp eyes.
