Phoenix

The Holy Dragon

"Let's go. It's going to get dark soon."

"Emi, where are we going?

Emi continued to drag Sting outside. She had shown up to the dragon slayer's apartment unannounced and told Sting and Lector that they needed to come with her.

"Lady Emiko, it's cold outside."

Emi turned around and gave Lector a small sweater that he could wear. The exceed looked at the sweater before shrugging and putting it on. Sting continued to follow her as she gripped and pulled at his arm.

"Here we are!"

The two looked around and saw that it was an empty park.

"What're we—"

"You said we could go on a date when I had free time, and I'm free!"

Sting blushed bright red and looked out at the blanket of snow on the ground. He looked to Lector before he gave Emi a confused stare.

"How many dates have you been on with each other at this point?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Mira agreed, "it looks like we skipped ahead a little."

Cana slurred as she looked at Sting, "I think it's cute how you guys were already dating and you still get nervous."

Lector asked the question on Sting's mind, "Lady Emiko, why am I here if it's a date?"

Emi looked surprised at the question before blushing.

"Oh," Emi started as she laughed, "I guess I didn't think of that."

Emi turned back around to look at the empty park and smile at the snow. She ran to the middle of the park's field and jumped in the snow piles that had formed from everyone shoveling and playing. Sting chuckled as he watched her excitement grow.

"Hey Lector, don't you think she's hav—"

Sting didn't get to finish his sentence as a snowball came darting at his stomach, making him bend over in pain. Emi stood proudly in the field as she held another snowball. Emi went to throw the next snowball, but it was caught by Sting's left hand.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Emi giggled before pressing another pile of snow into a ball and hurling it at him. Sting laughed before making his own snowball and gently throwing it at her.

"Oh come on! You can throw harder than that."

"I don't want to accidentally hurt you—"

Sting was hit by another snowball. He looked at Emi and she was also on the ground with snow scattered on her stomach. They both looked at each other confused before they heard Lector laughing. Sting gave the exceed a dirty look, causing Lector to let out another loud laugh. Emi picked herself off the ground and made more snowballs before throwing them at both Lector and Sting.

"Hey!" Sting protested. "It wasn't me who threw it."

Emi's mouth curved into a smile as she ran over to the pair. She stopped right in front of Sting and grabbed his hands.

"This is so much fun. I haven't played in the snow since I was really little."

"Wait, really? Why not?"

Sadness clouded her features before explaining that she trained with Cain for over ten years and they never had time to enjoy the snow. Sting looked around and discretely picked up some snow and dropped it down Emi's cloak. Emi screamed in surprise as she jumped from the cold. Lector and Sting snickered as she tried to remove the snow that was slinking down her back. Emi's mouth twitched slightly before bringing her hands down to the snow.