have a slice. [Lynch]

Charmaine absolutely loved Froom Valley, with all the wind and open land. There usually weren't too many clio around either, though she wouldn't mind someone to talk to. She walked through the valley, feeling the wind pick up behind her, as if trying to playfully push her forward. She giggled a little as Diesel scattered from one shoulder to the other, practically falling off in the process. He sat up, his paws holding on her head.

The wind is playing with us, Diesel said, his fur blowing into any direction that the wind forced it to go.

I know, it's wonderful! Charmaine replied, throwing her arms out to the side and spinning around. Diesel held onto her head tighter, wrapping his tail around her neck.

Stop! Diesel said, though the two of them knew that this was fun. Charmaine finally fell to the ground like the wind wanted her to do, and her and Diesel just stayed on the grass, laughing and giggling.

Lynch had been climbing the tallest tree in Froom Valley, as a sort of challenge to himself to see if he could get to the top without using Eilemaiden. He always liked to make at least one accomplishment per day, and this was the one he was working on. He was about two thirds of the way up when he heard laughter from below.

He carefully inched his way out onto a branch that jutted out into the open air, holding his arms out to the sides to keep himself balanced. It probably would have been smarter to crawl, but whatever. He wasn't afraid of falling. Shnoo flew around the tree more wearily.

He saw a pretty girl and a cute little...thing (he'd never seen an animal like that before) laughing and giggling on the ground far below him.

"Hey!" he called down to them. He waved, compromising his balance and wobbling a little bit. "What's so funny?"

Diesel had crawled onto Charmaine's stomach and started tickling her, so she was laughing obnoxiously now. Diesel suddenly stopped when he heard someone say something, but Charmaine hadn't stopped laughing quite yet.

She opened her eyes (they had closed from the tickling) to see a boy in a tree, talking to them. Her giggling stopped little by little as she answered him. "We're just having some fun," she said with a last giggle. She sat up, Diesel sliding into her lap as she crossed her legs. "What're you doing up there?" she asked, wrapping her arms around her daemon's stomach.

"I was seeing if I could get to the top," he called back, nearly losing his balance again. "Whoa! But I never pass up the chance to chat up a pretty lady like yourself, so I'll just have to put my current activity on hold."

He bent his knees and then pushed down on the branch to shake it, and to get it to move up and down. Then he pushed off and lept off the branch like a springboard, freefalling most of the way down. Once he was about two feet from the ground he used the air below him to bring him to an almost complete stop, before gently touching the ground.

He grinned. "I'm Lynch. May I ask your name?"

Tch. Show off, Shnoo huffed indignantly, fluttering down beside him.

Charmaine smiled as he performed a nice little show for her. She realized when he stopped by the ground that he must be Cuir, and she sort of recognized him a little bit. Maybe she'd seen him around the base a few times or something.

"I'm Charmaine," she said, not knowing how to address the "pretty lady" comment with anything other than a light blush in her cheeks. "It's nice to meet you, Lynch. I'm from Cuir, too."

"That's cool," Lynch replied conversationally, looking Charmaine up and down. She was a pretty little thing. He thought about it for a second, then decided to see where this could potentially go. Smiling, he said, "So...Want to go out, Charmaine?"

You just met her, Lynch! Shnoo exclaimed. Of course she's going to say no.

Probably, Lynch agreed, waiting for an answer.

Charmaine couldn't help but giggle and blush a little at the random question. She honestly hadn't expected that at all.

"Well, we just met," she said, smiling. "But I guess a date would be a good way to get to know each other." She looked down to Diesel, who looked up at her like she was crazy.

You're crazy! Diesel said.

No, I'm curious, she replied. Who knows, it could be a lot of fun.

"When do you wanna go? And where?"

"Now and here sound loverly," Lynch replied, looking around. Froom was a perfectly romantic place. It was a beautiful day. "I think outdoor dates are much better. You're so trapped and constrained indoors. But outside you can do anything."

He sat down next to Charmaine. He spotted a pretty flower on the ground and picked it, presenting it to her. "For you," he said.

Charmaine was glad that she didn't have to go somewhere else. She loved it here. "Awesome," she said, watching him sit down. "Thanks," she said with a giggle as he handed her the flower. "It's really pretty."

"You giggle a lot," Lynch commented cheerfully. "It's kind of annoying."

Charmaine didn't know what to say after that comment. She wasn't sure if he was directly insulting her or just saying a fact. "Uh, wow. You're really honest," she said, for lack of anything else to say.

"Sometimes," Lynch agreed solemnly, nodding. "I don't pretend; although I do lie occasionally. I say what I want to say." He tilted his head to the side. "That's probably why I've never had a girlfriend for more than a week at a time."

"I see," she said, looking him in the eye. "I've never been with anyone for a very long time, either. I've just never felt that I needed anyone like that to make me happy. I'm perfectly content with having friends, though it is nice to get out and have some more fun than that every now and then. I don't mind dates."

Why was she talking so much? She hoped that she wasn't being annoying, she was just trying to make conversation. Diesel snuggled up in her lap, wrapping his tail around his face and closing his eyes. He would still continue listening to the two, he just wanted to get more comfy while he did so.

"Me too!" Lynch smiled. "I think happiness is something you make for yourself, not something someone else brings you. I didn't used to ever be happy until I realized that. Now I am, and I try to never look back."