Ice cream was a rare luxury in most places. Fresh milk, sugar, cream, and assorted fruits and other confectioneries on hand to carefully simmer and mix and eventually chill and keep chilled. Any single one of those things would be enough of a luxury in your average town but in a massive city overflowing with magic and psionics in even amounts in support of an academy that
teaches
magic and psionics, such exotic luxuries were common enough as to be served in an affordable hangout for those students.
It was the perfect place and the perfect treat for use in an overly complicated plan by one lizardfolk lad trying to admit his feelings for one tiefling lass.
So as Vylesh happily accepted a scoop of chocolate and cherries, Eztli took her distraction to admire her. He thought he was being tricked when the petite purple tiefling was assigned to his dorm. Well, petite only in height. She still had more than ample curves. All of it framed by long flowing orange hair and topped by curling horns.
And she was going to be spending the year as his dorm mate.
This was a delicate situation that required the utmost caution. Which had so far manifested as Eztli completely failing to make his feelings for her known, and Vylesh interpreting absolutely everything as purely friendly in nature.
The tall, black scaled lizardfolk licked at his own blueberry ice cream and narrowed his silver eyes as he thought over how all attempts had failed horribly so far.
Hey Vylesh want to get lunch together? All of our other friends are busy but that doesn't mean we can't spend some time together. Why sure Eztli, it sure is nice not having to be alone anymore. You're a great friend.
He thought at first that meant she only saw him as a friend, and he was prepared to be fine with that and yet...he had the overwhelming feeling she simply had no idea he had been trying to ask her on a date.
Staying up late together and studying many a night had let him get to know her quite well. She was from a remote corner of the world, sequestered in a woodland mansion with no company but her mother and the woodland critters she would befriend as a druid. That and your standard issue prejudiced townsfolk who looked down on anyone with fiendish blood in their veins.
Coming to a city of millions after being so sheltered her whole life had been a shock, to say the least. Not as many care about a bit of fiendish blood when actual fiends walk the streets. And in some cases serve ice cream.
The psionic lizardfolk telekinetically tossed a few coins to the frost fiend as Vylesh smiled happily while joining him at his side. He had asked the fiend before why exactly she had opened up an ice cream parlour, to which she responded that there was little more foul in this world or any other than tooth decay. And also she was in league with the local healer who specialized in curing said tooth decay. A secret to which Eztli shrugged off, as he had the benefit of infinitely regrowing teeth.
"Should we eat here or take a walk and eat?" Vylesh asked as Eztli was broken from his thoughts.
His turquoise crest twitched a bit as he mentally reaffirmed his plan. "Walk and talk. And eat. We spend enough time sitting in classrooms or sitting in the library, let's see the city!" He said as he walked her to the door, opening it for her.
See, in between studying and classes, they found themselves on life and death adventures a bit too regularly. It honestly just reinforced that she was a sweet and all too pure soul who cared deeply for her friends. An attractive girl can catch your eye, but it means nothing if her personality can't match.
And dammit she had it all. Her looks were downright distracting at times and after spending time with her and parting he felt himself immediately missing her company. Missing her wonder at a wider world and her drive to make it better. Even if she kept expecting others to look down on her and revile her.
So that's how he came to his plan. He had to make it crystal clear that he was interested in her. That he wanted her. Attempts at subtlety had failed. In his drive to take things slow and not screw things up, he had let this sweet tiefling keep believing that someone wanting to be friends with her was unlikely enough while wanting to be more than friends remained an impossible dream.
Vylesh, meanwhile, was just happy that Eztli was nice enough to take pity on her.
The first time he got her ice cream was after a sparring match. A sparring match which he won with little contest and that left her so weak that she couldn't walk afterwards. A sparring match that she lost so badly that Eztli
had
to think of her as completely pathetic. So much so that he had no choice but to carry her to get ice cream while she regained her strength.
Which just meant that she had to prove herself on adventures even harder. To study with him to show that she was trying to get better. To see more of the city with him so that she could be a bit more "worldly".
She focused on her ice cream while sneaking glances at the city. If she didn't gawk and stare all the time then it wouldn't be as obvious how sheltered she was. He might only be here with her because he felt obligated, but maybe if he felt a little less...obligated, he would finally be honest about how he really felt and she wouldn't have to keep fooling herself into thinking people were caring about her and not just worried about the fiend girl.
"Hey Vylesh, I had been meaning to ask...my parents were having another diplomatic ball and of course I'm invited." He said deciding to get right to it while they walked. "I can bring someone with me and I want that person to be you." He stated as plainly as he could.
Vylesh somehow found a way to almost choke on her ice cream before she could respond. "O-oh! N-no that's fine! I don't know too much about diplomacy and politics and I would hate to get in the way!" It was the absolute last thing she needed. An opportunity to show yet another thing she couldn't handle? Never.
Eztli quickly hid a sigh before pressing onward with the attempt. "Really its nothing to be concerned about. The politics is all on my parents, we get to just enjoy the food, drink, and entertainment! Just a nice date for us." He said as he directed his eyes towards her while he kept walking and studying her to see how she was taking this.
"N-No its fine! I really prefer adventuring parties anyway!" She said with a laugh while missing the last sentence he spoke. Instead she was caught up in imagining herself at a fancy party. All those high society people to judge her every social misstep? Never.
The idea that he could be asking her on a date was completely failing to register. This was simply a friend...or rather someone taking pity on her, taking further pity. He was simply being polite is what she told herself as she focused on eating more of her ice cream. Eztli taking interest in her? Impossible...even as a part of her mind dared to dream of such impossible things.
Eztli's eyes focused in as he looked down to the tiefling, noting how she was blushing and clearly nervous. He was one of 20 children born to 5 mothers and one father. Most of his siblings were a completely different species to him through the miracle of magic. It was a household where one had to get quite adept at reading faces.
