Seth smiled softly as Astra dismissed her armour, the metal dissolving into silver liquid that began to retreat back and reveal the clothing underneath. He got a brief glance of a black and white T-shirt, with the design of an anime girl making a very strange expression, before the retreating liquid immediately reversed course. It slammed over the T-shirt, blocking it from view and immediately forming into armour once more.

Astra let out a soft whimper that was simply adorable, as she blushed deeply. She pointed to the sky, stuttering over her words slightly.

"I-I... I have to... I'll be back in a few minutes!"

Her eyes glowed brightly, her hair lifting as sparks flew around her armour, striking against the grass before she launched herself into the sky once more, the force of her lift off leaving a deep crater in the dirt.

As she flew off, Seth could almost swear he heard the thunderous crack of a sonic boom.

He laughed softly, shaking his head and brushing his hair from his face.

"Next time, Definitely pick her up yourself. I mean you've got the best ride in the world, who cares if you can both fly. Nothing wrong with riding in style. Omelette likes her anyways... Just gotta make sure he wouldn't say anything embarrassing... On second thought, maybe flying ourselves is better."

He chuckled to himself, before looking out onto the field in front of his chosen spot. The beautiful field of crimson grass had been replaced by churned up dirt and a massive hole. It looked like a meteor had fallen to the earth, then spontaneously decided to take up farming.

Letting out a soft sigh, he crouched down and started to drag the blanket around the trunk of the tree, so that it was facing the non-ruined part of the clearing. It didn't look at good as the last part used to, but it was better than it was now.

Roughly 50 minutes later, Seth was still sat underneath the shade of that tree as the sun hung high in the air, blessing him with one of the few instances of good weather that this country got. It was almost like the world itself was working with him, despite the fact that he was still sitting alone.

He was reading one of the many books he had downloaded into his Knowledge gift to pass the time, when he heard the angelic tones of Astra once more.

"Sorry for the wait... I hope you're still wanting to have that picnic with me."

"Oh of course I do, Defi-.... Wow..."

He raised his head from the book, beginning to speak only to have his voice, and his mind entirely, trail off when he laid eyes on his date in her returning form. She was drifting down through the air, arms held out like the wings of an angel to support her flight.

Her two tone hair fluttered gently in the wind, as did her flowing skirt. It was a black, white and grey tartan skirt, matching her hair perfectly, with slight frills which stopped halfway down her thighs.

The embarrassing anime girl T-shirt had been exchanged for a plain white tank top, with the faintest hints of a band's name and logo on it, but which had been worn away from the countless years. By the vague, unreadable squiggles and jagged, lightning bolt looking lettering of the band's name, it could really be any metal band so Seth's hopes of figuring out who were long gone.

Silver bracers covered half of her forearms, intricate runic carvings covering their body while small sparks of electricity crackled on their surface, as they allowed her to lift into the air.

Heavy boots, with metallic soles, supported her from below as she gently touched down onto the grass, a far cry from the frantic and destructive landing she had previously.

Her usual pale face was still flushed with the colour of blush, accentuated by the small hints of make-up. The main features being the thick, black eyeliner that made the startling blue of her pupils pop, while the warm darkness of her brown iris' drew you in. Like a black hole, with its bright orbital disc. An enthralling beauty that didn't try to hide its dangerous power.

Black lipstick painted her lips, making them stand out even more, and when those lips curled into a smile Seth's heart performed an entire cirque-du-soleil act. The blush of her cheeks and darkness of her lips also helped her scars stand out, the three parallel claw marks that started below her left eye, moved down her cheek with one of the lines being intersected by those black, pillowy lips, before the scars moved down the length of her neck.

But if you could ever think that such things would ever be a mark on her beauty, then you would only ever be wrong. Did a diamond sparkle less because of a few simply lines across its surface?

Not just that, but it helped serve as a reminder of what made Seth fall for her. More than just a pretty face like others, she was always there by his side ever since they met. When he needed someone, he could always look to his right and find her.

Ready to fight, ready to sacrifice herself. Not worried about scars or vanity. Simply perfect in her imperfection.

It was such a simple outfit over all, yet every part of it captured Seth's attention and made him simply unable to look away. His jaw was still hanging open from when he stopped mid sentence, and it seemed as if his brain was broken, unable to do more than appreciate what was before him. Not that that was a bad thing, as what was before him was simply radiant.

Astra walked over to him, her footsteps practically gliding as she did so. She moved through the carpet of hanging fruit as they rubbed against her exposed skin. Before Seth could warn her, the warning turned out to be ironically fruitless.

The last time he had been here, he had watched those fruits devour a blink rat whole. He had sent an armour bear tumbling into them, to help him defeat what was at the time one of his toughest opponents. Even if he could defeat that bear with a wave of his hand now, the fruits still could cause some damage.

It was why he picked this spot, to let them act as his own veil of protection to allow them to sit in true peace and relax. He was supposed to warn her and open the way for her, yet it was entirely unneeded.

They brushed against her skin and twitched from the jolts of lightning that coursed through them, pumped in through contact with her when she wasn't concentrating, and those deadly weapons in disguise simply hung there like normal fruits, unwilling to latch onto the deadly, shocking prey.

There was, however, one benefit of him forgetting. By the time she reached Seth, in the fruit free and safe inner ring close to the trees trunk, she was covered in the pheromones that the fruits produced. Every inch of her smelling as sweet as she looked, making it feel like a true sirens trap to lure Seth in.

But this was no trap, it was the real thing. However if it was, he wasn't so sure he would be able to resist it.

His nostrils fluttered as he took in the scent of her new, naturally applied perfume, before her slender hands touched his chin, gently pushing his mouth closed. Her hand moved around his face, until it rested on his cheek.

Her thumb gently rubbed back and forth against his cheek as she pressed against him, looking deep into his eyes as if she was peering into the very secrets of his soul. Secrets he would give willingly.

Seth was surprised by how rough her fingers were. Usually women had such soft hands, but it made sense. Not just by the roughness caused by all of her swordplay, but because of how her hands had always been.

Since he had met her, her fingers had always been black. The entire finger, including the nails, all the way up to her knuckles, on both hands, were always black as if they were dipped in oil... or burned.

They were rough like charcoal, and the slight scent of ozone drifted into his nostrils, mixing with the floral sweetness. When he gained his powers, it was agony. Like his bones were being drilled hollow, to make way for the spiritual threads.

Perhaps this was the cost of her power.

Reaching up to his cheek, he gently pulled her hand away and took it in his own. He rubbed his thumb across her palm, before gently caressing her fingers. He glanced down at them, then up at her, only to get lost in those eyes once more. His thoughts must have been written all over his face, or perhaps she simply knew him so well, because she simply gave him a soft smile.

"Yes, It hurt. It hurt a lot. Especially when I use my powers, that hurts a lot too. But right now... They don't hurt at all. In fact, they feel better than they have ever felt before."