“Summoner! There you are!” You can’t help but cringe as you hear his voice call out. You look behind you to see Naesala strolling over with a smirk. You have no clue where he came from but you think to escape him quickly. Or at least keep walking until you make it indoors. 

“Naesala,” you say coolly, not slowing down nor turning to face him. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” He wastes no time in jogging to your side. You sigh but walk alongside him nonetheless, letting him speak. 

“Oh, just checking up on our darling Summoner. It can be dangerous around here when it gets dark out, you know.” He laughs a little as he speaks. “And we are still quite a ways from the castle. I figured you’d like a little company on your way back.” 

“How thoughtful,” you say, casting him a glance. He’s all smirks, with a devious glint in his eyes. You make sure there’s a respectful distance between you two. Naesala does not. “But ultimately, not necessary. You know I can take care of myself.” You move forward confidently. Best not to show him any sort of weakness. 

“Of course you can. But do you ever take a break?” He casts a glance to you in turn. Your head stays pointed forward and you try to keep an impasse. “Seriously, what are you going to do after this, more work?” 

“Well I…” You falter and quiet up a little. “Maybe.” You huff. “Someone has to help the younger heroes get to bed…” Now, you stop in your tracks, Naesala a half step behind you. “What does it matter to you how I spend my time?” You counter, trying to ignore the heat you feel crawling up your face. 

“You need to relax sometimes! Honestly, when was the last time you let someone else take care of you?” He quips back, leering at you.

“I…” You pause, taking a moment to think on it. “Okay, so maybe I don’t remember. Doesn’t mean I want anything you’re offering.” You look over your shoulder at him, frowning. 

“Aww come on! It will be fun! I promise I’ll take real good care of you.” Naesala saunters up to your front and, with two hands takes one of your own. “I know you’re scared, but I wouldn’t dream of hurting you.” You try to keep your frown on your face but truthfully Naesala’s change of tune is getting to you. “The view from the sky is beautiful at this time of night, all I want is to share it with you.” 

“Stop being so sweet.” You look away from his eyes, unwilling to be charmed more so that you already were. “It’s not because I don’t trust you, I just…” You feel anxiety pool in your stomach at the thought of being so high in the air. “I just⁠—heights, they… scare me.” You finally admit aloud, looking pointedly at the ground. 

“That’s so cute,” Naesala laughs, not making you feel much better about it. “I’ve seen you lead countless Heroes into battles that could make others turn and run. But it’s heights that make your blood turn cold?” His backhanded compliment has you flustered even more. 

“It’s not like I can help it!” You cry, looking him in the eyes. “I, I just,” You frown and look away again. “I just don’t like them.” This time, Naesala doesn’t laugh as he gives your hand a gentle squeeze. 

“Just give me a chance. Who knows, I might even help you over that little fear of yours.” Hesitantly, you look at him. 

“You promise not to make fun of me?” You can’t help but pout as you speak. “And… if I ask to come back down, you’ll do it? No questions?” You lock eyes with him. 

“Yes of course. Your safety is my top priority.” You can’t help the way your heart beats a little faster as he says that. “You won’t have anything to fear with me, anyways.” Ah, he just had to ruin it by being cocky. 

“...Okay. Fine.” In the time you spent talking with Naesala, the sun has further descended beyond the horizon. Not much light remains outside, just enough to see by. “Just… be gentle? Don’t fly… too fast?” You grimace. 

“Whatever you wish.” Again, with that devious glint in his eyes. His hands that were gently holding yours drop to his side as he moves beside you. “May I?” He asks. You nod and without much fuss, Naesala hoists you into his arms. You cling to his neck with both arms, and he supports you with one arm under your knees, and his other supporting your back. You have no doubt of his strength but it's still a marvel to see him hold you with such ease. 

“Will you be able to fly while holding me?” You look past his face to his large, obsidian wings.

“What do you take me for? Of course.” His wings open wide under your gaze and with one powerful gust, you feel the two of you take off. You instinctively close your eyes and cling to him. You don’t care to know how high Naesala has taken the two of you. You think he’s stopped moving up at least but you don’t dare open your eyes to check. “Whoa, take it easy, you’re trembling.” You suppose you are, though you’re so scared you can’t feel your own violent shaking. 

“I-I don’t think I wanna be up here anymore.” You don’t know how you got the words out so clearly. You can feel your throat seizing and your heartbeat going crazy. “Naesala, p-please take me down.” You hide your face in his chest. So close to him, you can feel the powerful seizing of his wings. It may have been something to marvel at, if fear wasn’t dictating your every move. 

“Come now, we haven’t even been up here a minute! All I’ve done is bring us up.” Naesala’s grip on you doesn’t falter but he doesn’t seem to want to move. “Open your eyes, just for a moment.” 

“I don’t think I’ll be doing any s-such thing, not until we, we reach the ground.” Your voice is a little muffled from how much you’ve smooshed yourself against him, but Naesala can’t help but indulge in your closeness. 

“Aww come on, do it for me?” You can feel the hand wrapped around your shoulder rub it in a not so terrible way but it does little to comfort you now. “It’s not as bad as you think.” 

“You say that but this is everyday for you!” You cry. “Just, please please please let me down.” 

“Only once you’ve taken a look.” You can’t help but whimper as he says the words. “If not at the scenery, then at least look at me.” Again your heart is beating for a whole different reason. You know he won’t do as you ask until you’ve at least taken a look at him. “I’ve kept you safe, haven’t I?” Hesitantly, you peak your head from his chest and look up at Naesala. His blue eyes are trained on you and the barely dark sky framing him is just beginning to be dotted with stars. It makes for a beautiful site, one you don’t mind taking a moment to take in, wide eyes and all. Naesala, for his part, stays quiet and merely gazes right back at you, perhaps just as taken back. It’s a nice, quiet moment before he has to go and ruin it. “It's not all bad, is it?” 

“I… guess not.” Bashful, and heart still beating a mile a minute you look away from his face, back at his chest. Still, the idea of looking at the ground far below you sends your stomach spinning. 

“I’m going to start moving now, okay?” He says, doing just that. 

“What?” You cling to him again. “N-no, wait!” Once more you close your eyes and hide against him, your tremors coming back with fervor. “P-please stop. It’s almost bearable if you don’t move.” 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Naesala’s voice has gone soft as he speaks to you once more. “Keep your eyes on me, and it will all be okay. It won’t be long at all.” You hate to admit you trust him but it's enough to get you to open your eyes again. Naesala clouds your view of anything else and even as he smiles down at you, he knows where he’s going. 

“When did you get so good at comforting people?” You accuse, still staying close to him. It’s almost not scary, at least, being in the air, but it's getting harder to keep looking at him without growing flustered. Naesala is at home, here in the night air. His hair whips behind him, powerful wings move in tandem, and he just looks so… alive with that happy look on his face. You don’t think you’ve ever seen him so energized, so full of life as he does now in the air. Suddenly, it hits you why he wanted to share this with you so much, why he was so insistent on getting you up in the air. This is something so special to him that he wanted to share… with you. 

“Actually… wait.” Naesala notices the shift in your voice and looks at you with interest. “Could you um, stop a moment? I think I want to look down.” 

“Oh?” His voice is dripping with curiosity. “Why the sudden change in tune?” Still, the smile on his face is so genuine. 

“It just… hit me how special this must be to you.” You say softly. “And well I figured… you brought me up here to share that experience with me. It would be a shame if I didn’t at least try to take a look.” With how much your heartbeat had been picking up tonight, it was becoming your new norm. 

“That’s great.” He looks away from you, glancing at where the two of you were. “We’ve actually made it to our destination, so once you’ve taken in the view, I can take you down.” You feel anticipation and relief swirl in you at those words. Still, after taking a longer than necessary deep breath, you turn away from Naesala (perhaps holding him a little tighter; he holds you closer in turn) and daring to peer to the world far below you. You still shake as you do, but you’re amazed to find the two of you above the Order of Heroes, with little torches of fire and the still barely there shapes of the inner garden below. You dare to look above where a sea of stars awaits, and for the first time, you actually take a moment to feel the sweet night air. Still, it all comes tumbling down with a feeling of dread. All too soon, you tuck your head back into Naesala’s chest, screwing your eyes shut. 

“Let’s go down now, please.” Naesala says nothing, has no tease or quip as he takes the two of you down to the ground. You think you feel as the two of you hit the ground, but still you cling to him. 

“We’ve made it to the ground, _____.” Rarely does he use your name. You open your eyes and sure enough, the innocent surroundings of the castle's inner garden greets you. You can hear the sounds of night once more and it soothes you. Carefully, Naesala sets you on the ground. You quickly cling to him again as you realize your legs aren’t quite ready to hold your own weight again. “Hey, easy there.” Now, he holds you steady by the hips, once more capturing your gaze. “So, was it as terrible as you imagined?” He teases. 

“I wouldn’t do it again any time soon…” You laugh. “But… you were there, so it was okay.” Naesala only seems to puff up from your comment, lighting up in the cutest way. 

“I’m glad.” As you feel the strength come back to your legs, you let go of his neck. His hands linger on your hips a moment longer before dropping as well. “Whenever you’re ready for another flight, I’m always available.” You can’t help but laugh. 

“I… can’t say I’d hate it.” You smile at him, something warm and soft taking space inside you and filling you up. “So um, even if I was a little difficult, thank you, Naesala.” He seems a little dumbfounded after your words and, despite the softness of the situation, you feel a little smug at making him speechless, if only for a moment. 

“Well…” This time, it’s his gaze that leaves yours. In the faint light of the torches, you think you see his cheeks darken. “You’re welcome. It was my pleasure.” You smile, and Naesala finds his eyes naturally making their way back to yours. It’s silent an awkward moment, neither of you quite ready to leave the other's company but also unaware of how to keep things floating along. “Would you, um, like to help me finish up my last duty for the night?” You smile a little at him. He huffs, rolls his eyes a little but nonetheless that usual grin is back on his face.