Private Finished [agodr] Learning to Fly (with a Dragon)

"Better, much better actually," Celeste admitted, and actually smiled for the first time since they had been in the air. Hanging on tightly, but not as tight as before, Celeste found herself starting to enjoy the whole experience somewhat.

"If you want, maybe, we could go just a tiny bit higher?" Celeste suggested hesitantly as she looked down cautiously, and found to her surprise that she wasn't getting that dizzy feeling or panicky feeling anymore. Maybe it was because she actually knew now that nothing bad would happen and that Roldan wouldn't let her fall or do anything really unexpected to purposefully scare her.

As they climbed higher, Celeste became somewhat tenser, but at least, this time she wasn't petrified and she wasn't closing her eyes. She was getting used to the idea of not having her feet on the ground, and being up so high. In fact, she had totally forgotten about the idea that she was on Roldan's back, neck and how oddly familiar that should feel to her.

"I admit it is very beautiful up here, you can see the ocean from up here even," she admitted awed by the sight around her. After a bit, Celeste looked around and down, at decided that maybe, this was enough for today. She had met Dimitri's rules and maybe now he'd just go away.

"Roldan, could we, maybe, go down now?" Celeste asked, "I think I've had enough for today. But, also, maybe, if you don't mind, can we do this again?" she added hesitantly, knowing that it was perhaps an odd thing to ask.

When they landed, Dimitri just shrugged at Roldan's question, and walked away. He'd bond with Celeste and be gone soon anyway. He didn't quite care.

After she had climbed down, Celeste noticed how shaky her legs were from gripping Roldan's dragon form so hard with them. Nodding now somewhat distractedly, Celeste gestured to Roldan that they should sit down at a picnic table nearby.

Once they were seated, Celeste looked at him, amazed actually that he could change from a dragon to a person in the space of a few seconds. "First, that was an amazing experience, I have never done anything like that, so thank you," she told him earnestly, taking a deep breath and smelling the woods around them.

"What did you want to talk about?" she then asked him very curiously, she felt rather flushed at the moment, excited, but tired, still coming down from the high of being up so high and overcoming her fears.

At first, when Roldan said he needed to apologise to her, Celeste looked at him confused, not quite understanding why. Then when she heard his explanation, she made a little silent "oh" and sat back against the table and shook her head.

"No, don't apologize," Celeste said placing her hands between her knees, and looked at him, "the kids are fine with me seeing people actually. Shale, well, he didn't know what was happening, and sort of over-reacted, assumed things that weren't true." she said with a sigh.

"Him and I had a long talk after you left, and a few days ago, just to make sure. He says he's good with the idea, or at least he wants to be," Celeste admitted. "And I know he feels bad for reacting like he did when you came over during the challenge," she said, thinking about their conversation and how ashamed he had been for acting like he had.

"Also, I think a lot of this is partly my fault, I should have been a bit more, I dunno, forthcoming, maybe have told them that I was interested in seeing you, or at least hinted at it with them instead of not saying anything," she admitted a bit embarrassed at how everything had evolved and been more of an issue than it should have been.

Celeste just nodded at the over-reaction comment, "Yes, he also is half blind at that hour of the day, which adds to his weirdness," she explained, "The squinting and generally not seeing things properly doesn't help. He won't admit that he needs a charm that can fix that, and I can't force him either," she admitted with a shrug.

"Roldan, that's just it. He is a teenager. They don't see things like you and I do," she said with a smile, "I am a teacher remember, I see it every day... Teenagers are, well, they think they're grown-ups, yet they aren't."

"Most would never think to take a girl flowers, hold open a door or kiss a woman's hand. All that is quite, well, not foreign, but they just don't know or get why we do it." Celeste explained to Roldan, looking at him, now somewhat amused at his views about teenagers.

When Roldan asked what this meant, Celeste didn't know what to say at first, she kinda kwew she was acting much more confident than she really was feeling and had been feeling all morning. She always was more confident, or apparently, when she placed herself in teacher mode explaining things. But now, that was slipping again, and the anxious nervousness was starting up again.

"Honestly, I didn't know you..." she started a little less confidently now, "well that you were so worried." she told him looking ahead now, "I guess, we could, maybe, go out sometime if you still want to that is..." she suggested somewhat hesitantly, glancing at him sideways.