As they stepped out of the restaurant, the streetlights cast a soft glow on the cobbled paths, their shadows stretching behind them. Pao, still tipsy from the wine, walked with a slight sway, but there was a relaxed happiness in her movements. Amukelo kept a careful eye on her, hands in his pockets, making sure she didn't stumble.
After a while, they made their way to a nearby park. The city noises faded into the background, replaced by the distant chirping of crickets and the soft rustling of the wind through the trees. The gravel path crunched beneath their feet as they walked in comfortable silence, the sky above them a sprawling canvas of stars.
Then Pao let out a sigh and stretched her arms above her head. "I'm tired… Let's sit," she said, already moving toward the base of a large tree.
Amukelo followed, lowering himself onto the grass beside her. The cool ground against his back was soothing after the long day, and he let out a slow breath, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, Pao was staring up at the sky, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Wow…" she breathed. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Amukelo nodded, but instead of looking at the sky, his gaze drifted toward her. The way the moonlight caught the soft curves of her face, the gentle way her lips parted as she took in the sight above—it made his heart stutter slightly. Embarrassed by his own thoughts, he quickly averted his gaze and cleared his throat. His eyes landed on the grimoire she had been holding close all night, and he latched onto it as a way to distract himself.
"So…" he began, trying to sound casual, "how long do you think it'll take you to learn that grimoire? I mean, how long does it usually take?"
Pao turned to him, her eyes lighting up at the topic, and immediately launched into a response. "You know, I don't really know. It might take a week, or maybe a month. I mean, we have a whole week without questing, so I can spend a lot of time on it. But then again, I already have other grimoires I'm learning, so I don't know how it'll fit in with those. But since this is a growth grimoire, maybe it'll be easier to learn than a normal one? Or maybe it'll be harder, since I have to grow it? Or maybe—"
She kept going, her words tumbling out faster than Amukelo could process. There was no real structure to her thoughts, just an enthusiastic rambling of ideas and possibilities, all blending into one long, unfiltered stream of excitement. The alcohol had clearly loosened her already animated way of speaking, and now her sentences were even less coherent, her thoughts bouncing from one idea to the next without warning.
Amukelo tried to keep up at first, nodding occasionally, but after a while, he simply gave up. He found himself watching her instead, a small smile tugging at his lips. Even in her drunken rambling, there was something endearing about how passionate she was when she spoke about magic. The way her eyes sparkled, the way she gestured with her hands as if trying to physically shape the concepts she was talking about—it was so unmistakably her.
At some point, Pao must have noticed his distant expression, because she suddenly stopped mid-sentence and squinted at him suspiciously. "Are you even listening?" she accused.
Amukelo chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "You were saying that you don't know how long it'll take, and it might take a long time… or not a long time."
Pao puffed out her cheeks in indignation, her expression a mix of frustration and drunken cuteness. "Ahh… That's not what I was saying," she huffed. "Listen to me when I speak! When I speak, I speak about magic, and magic is super interesting, isn't it?"
Amukelo blinked, caught off guard by how serious she suddenly sounded. "Ughh… I mean, yeah, it is," he admitted, though he wasn't entirely sure if he meant it or if he was just trying to appease her.
Pao narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not convinced. Then, with a small, exaggerated sigh, she slumped against him. "Since you're not listening," she mumbled, "I'm going to sleep."
Amukelo's eyes widened slightly. "What? Wait—"
But before he could say anything else, she had already leaned her head against his shoulder, her body relaxing as she drifted off almost instantly. Amukelo sat there, stiff as a board, his whole body tense with uncertainty. He wasn't sure what to do. Move her? Wake her up? Just sit there? His mind raced, but when he turned to look at her, all those thoughts disappeared.
Her face was peaceful, her breathing slow and steady. The tension that had been in her earlier, from the conversation, from the wine, from everything—was gone. She just looked… content.
Amukelo let out a small, defeated sigh and leaned his head back against the tree. "Ahh… What am I going to do with you?" he murmured to himself. But despite his exasperation, he smiled.
The night air had grown colder as time passed, and Amukelo could feel the chill creeping into his skin as he sat still beneath the tree. He shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his arms for warmth before letting out a quiet sigh. "Ugh… It's getting cold if I sit like this," he muttered to himself.
His gaze drifted down to Pao, still asleep against his shoulder, her breath soft and steady. He hesitated for a moment before gently shaking her. "Hey… Pao. Wake up," he whispered. "We have to go back to the inn. You can't sleep out here." But she didn't stir.
Amukelo tried again, shaking her a little more firmly. "Come on, Pao, wake up." But still nothing.
He sighed, glancing around the quiet park. The streets were mostly empty now, the occasional flickering of lanterns casting long shadows across the cobbled path. He couldn't just sit in the cold waiting for her to wake up on her own, and he certainly couldn't leave her here.
"Well… I can't wait here all night," he muttered.
Carefully, he shifted her weight and adjusted his stance before lifting her onto his back. She was surprisingly light, her arms naturally draping over his shoulders as her head rested against the back of his neck. Amukelo took a steadying breath and stood up, securing his grip before beginning the walk back to the inn.
As he walked through the quiet streets, he thought about everything that had happened that night—the ridiculous advice from Bral and Idin, the awkwardness, the laughter, the conversation at dinner, and the way Pao had looked when she received the grimoire. He'd thought, at first, that Bral and Idin were just messing with him, making a joke out of his situation. But now, in hindsight, he felt strangely grateful for their meddling. Maybe they had been playing around, but in the end, it had worked. The night had turned out… nice. Better than he had expected.
A small, tired smile formed on his lips.
After a while, as the warm glow of the inn came into view, he suddenly felt a soft mumble against his neck. He paused, glancing back as he heard the faintest rustling of movement.
Pao stirred, her arms tightening slightly around his shoulders. Her voice was groggy, quiet. "Mmm…?"
"Oh, you're awake," Amukelo said, stopping for a moment. "Should I put you down? We're almost at the inn."
There was a moment of silence as Pao slowly registered what was happening. Then, instead of answering, she buried her face into his back, her arms tightening around him just slightly.
"No…" she mumbled. "Carry me to the inn."
Amukelo blinked in surprise before letting out a small chuckle. "You're awake now, you know. You could just walk."
Pao groaned softly in protest, her voice muffled against his back. "Nooo… too tired…"
He exhaled, shaking his head with a grin. "Alright, alright… but you owe me for this," he teased, adjusting his hold on her before continuing forward.
As they walked, Pao let out a content sigh. "Ahh… Thank you for today," she murmured, her voice softer now, more sincere. "I'm so glad… that you're not meeting with anyone else."
Amukelo hesitated at her words, his step faltering just slightly. He glanced over his shoulder, but she had her face tucked away, her grip around him relaxed. His expression softened, and a small smirk tugged at his lips.
"Of course not," he said simply, looking forward again.
But still… something about the way she said it made him feel good. Maybe it was the way she had sounded relieved, or maybe—he admitted to himself—he just liked the idea that she had been jealous over him, even if just a little.
Pao sighed again, this time sounding more like herself. "I really enjoyed today," she said, her voice filled with warmth. "And thank you for the grimoire… it really means a lot. Not just because you helped pay for it, but… because you were there with me. And I will pay you back for all of that."
Amukelo's chest tightened at her words, a strange mixture of emotions stirring inside him. He didn't quite know how to respond, so instead, he simply said, "You don't owe me anything, Pao. Not for the grimoire, not for dinner, not for anything."
She let out a small, sleepy hum against his shoulder, and after a moment, her hold on him relaxed again. Amukelo sighed, shaking his head with a quiet laugh as he carried her the rest of the way to the inn.