A/N

It's been a tough few days.

If I'm being honest, I'm tired of the constant angst since Seabound. I do have some hope for Nya to return, but all the angst the fandom has been producing has been killing me slowly. I miss the fluff days a lot.

I hope I can at least make one person's day better with these stories. I don't know.

Enjoy.

♡♡♡

She was as nervous as she was ecstatic.

She had never been on a date before, nevertheless with a cute boy. Just the thought made butterflies fill her stomach.

She had tried her best to stay calm when he asked her, yet she was sure her face was red as Kai's shirt that morning. Plus the fact that she had just woken up, all messy and unprepared... She didn't want to think about it.

Well, at the same time, it wasn't like she wasn't always messy and unprepared. Kai always told her she looked just fine, but hearing his 'friends' talking behind her back told her otherwise. No friend or boy approached her, so her brain stuck with the easiest excuse.

That didn't stop her from wanting to try, however; if movies and books had taught her anything, it was that people always dressed up for their dates.

Yet, looking at her closet, not one thing seemed appropriate.

Her cheongsams, some old T-shirts, her smithing apron... none of these were formal.

So, she took her wallet and went off to the only place she could think of.

Kai was asleep at that time in the morning; not even the shop had opened. So, she quietly passed his room (what used to be their parents') and headed off in a hurry.

Part of her felt bad for disobeying him. He told her to talk with anyone but him; but what he didn't know was that he was the only person she could trust in that village.

A few minutes of walking later and she had arrived at the shop she was looking for.

She dusted herself off and walked inside, a pit forming in her stomach when she spotted the owner behind the counter.

She was just finishing up another dress (one clearly too big for her), not paying attention to the girl that had just walked in.

She knew she had to choose her words wisely; it was dangerous walking straight into the dragon's lair, the biggest gossip of the town.

She cleared her throat. "Ms Ming?"

The woman turned towards her, ecstatic when she saw her face.

She walked right up to her, squishing her cheeks and giving a kiss to each one.

Nya wiped them off, but she made sure she didn't see that.

"Nya! You haven't been here in ages!" she said.

"Yeah... I..." She sighed. "Remember some years ago when you told me that you owed us a favour?"

She smiled. "Of course. After what your parents did for me, it's the least I can do."

She never really bothered to ask, and she didn't need to at the time.

"So, what will it be?" Ms Ming smiled at her again.

Nya fidgeted with her hands, trying to smile back. "I need a dress," was all she said.

The excitement on the woman's face only made her more nervous. "What for?" she said.

She didn't get to answer, the blush on her face betrayed her.

"Nya, you know you can be honest with me." Her tone sounded ominous even if it wasn't meant to. "Who is the date with?"

Well, that was her social life going down the drain.

But she already knew, so... how could it possibly get worse?

"Is it with my son?"

She tried not to puke in her mouth. "No."

"Is it with the farmer's son? I heard he's a hardworking boy."

"No..."

"Is he rich?"

She didn't know how to answer that. "I don't think so."

She shook her head as she picked the fabrics. "Nya, you have to consider these things when picking someone. How will you and Kai survive?"

Right... her quite traditional self was starting to show.

A lightbulb lit up above the woman's head, and Nya's anxiety spiked.

"It's with that foreigner, isn't it?"

Nya could only look at the ground in shame.

"I won't tell anyone, don't you worry," she said. "But you know how these boys are, Nya. They just go into small villages and steal the girls away..."

"I... don't think that's how it works."

She shrugged. "That's how it worked in my days." She approached her, bending down and placing her hand on her knee. "Now, how long do you want it to be? Since this is a date, we could go..."

As she started to raise her hand up her thigh, Nya quickly backed away. "Knees is fine!" she squeaked, her face as red as the fabric of her future dress.

"If you say so..."

Nya stepped onto the stool she had as the woman started to take her measurements.

"Um, Ms Ming?"

"Yes?"

"Don't let Kai know about this."

"If you say so, dear. But news spread fast, you know that."

♡♡♡

Jay was nervously pacing the outside of the shop.

Nya told him that Kai would be out at that time, but he was still just as nervous to knock on the door.

Eventually, he gathered up the courage to ring the bell. He didn't care what happened next.

He heard light footsteps on the other side; and when the door opened, he gasped.

The dress itself was quite simple, just a red dress with a bow on its waistline.

Yet, he couldn't help but think it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Hi," she said, her hands fidgeting. He looked so underdressed compared to her...

He cleared his throat, taking his other hand from behind his back. "Here," he said, offering her the single rose.

He was too ashamed to admit he couldn't afford a bouquet; but it was better than nothing.

He couldn't help but notice the red tint on her cheeks as she took it. "Thank you."

He smiled. "No problem."

And as they walked down the hill, she was still inspecting the rose, running her fingers through its petals and smiling at herself, almost as if she had never seen a flower before.

"Has anyone given you a flower before?" he said.

Her smile turned into a grin as she held the flower close. "No, never."

He gathered the courage to take her hand in his. "Well, I'm glad to be the first."

He let her lead the way, and for once, she didn't mind passing through the village with him by her side. No matter how many people stared, she would just lean closer to him with a shy smile on her face; it felt nice.

When he expected them to turn left, she took a right.

"I think you're cool enough to know about my secret spot," she said and winked.

He nodded slowly, letting her lead the way.

Through a small, hidden path, a couple of bushes and some trees lay a small lake, one that wasn't even on the map they had studied while traveling there.

It was quite peaceful as the setting sun reflected its light on the weak waves.

"I remember my mum taking me here once, even though I was practically a baby before she..." She paused. "You know."

He nodded, joining her on one of the large, flat rocks by the shore.

"It's really beautiful," he said, but he was only looking at her while he spoke.

He took the flower from her hands, gently placing it in her hair. "There."

They tried their best to look away from each other, but their blush betrayed them both.

Nya reached into the backpack she had brought. He looked inside curiously, until she pulled out their metal bird.

"We still haven't given it a name," she said, pressing the button on its chest to make it flap its wings.

"Do you like... Falcon?" he suggested.

"It doesn't look like a falcon."

"Zippy?"

"Nah..." She thought for a bit. "Echo? That sounds... sciency enough. And birds chirp... which echoes?"

He couldn't help but be amused as she tried to connect the dots in her head. "I like Echo."

"Echo it is, then."

She placed it between them and lied down, urging him to join.

He moved it above their heads, however, just to scoot a bit closer to her.

Their hands still intertwined, he sighed. "We're leaving tomorrow," he said, looking away from her.

"What?"

"Yeah... I tried to convince them to stay longer, but..."

"Oh."

"You can still come with us though!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

"To... the Monastery." He sighed. "I mean, I guess you should know the truth..."

"What truth?" She shook her head. "Jay, what is it?"

"So... funny story," he said. "We do live in a Monastery, dragons and talking skeletons do exist, and the world is kinda dependent on your brother coming with us?"

She blinked. "What?"

He went on to explain the same story he had heard every night; the story of Wu and his brother, how they separated, and how he was seeking revenge.

Seeing her face go from confused to somewhat... understanding was a relief in the end.

"Sensei Wu believes that Kai is an elemental master as well... That's why he was trying to make him come with us."

She hugged her knees, disappointed. "And he sent you to pursue me as well?"

"No, no! I really, really like you Nya," he said, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'll still send you letters, and maybe even visit... Unless you come with us, that is..."

"I'm not going anywhere without Kai... I'm sorry."

He sighed. "It's alright. That doesn't mean I don't still like you."

She lied back down, looking at the now dark sky above. "Can we sit here, at least? One last night?"

"Of course."

He hesitated to do so at first, but when he raised his arm and she scooted under it, he felt at peace.

He didn't want the night to really end; so when they fell asleep, he made sure to hold her close.