Those who were chosen first normally didn't mind if they didn't find a Master yet, but it was a double hit to the others who had low self-esteem after the constant rejections.
It was also difficult to be with their Masters and Mistresses who were more concerned about winning and doing well than caring about their familiar—like the way Celestia cared for me.
After the conversation, everyone was generally quiet about the issue. I didn't blame them, lost in my own thoughts and wondering how the other guys had dealt with the rejections and torment their temporary Masters had caused.
A day had gone by, and I'd been trying to leave for my date today, but Celestia and Hunter had no class today and were spending it in Celestia's room studying while the others were training with their familiars.
Hunter, wanting to spend more time with Celestia, had given Noah the day off once he saw him preparing for our date. I was going to be late if I didn’t leave in the next ten minutes.
"Where are you going?" Celestia asked with a curious look.
"Air, Bru?" I replied. Celestia stared at me for a long moment and opened her mouth to speak, but Hunter groaned, turned over, and wrapped his arms around her waist as he pulled her close.
"Ah. Hunter?" she huffed.
"Let her go. I want alone time" he mumbled.
"You were asleep seconds ago," Celestia pointed out before a giggle escaped her as Hunter rolled her onto her back, pinning her to the bed.
"Yes, but I woke up," he replied.
"Out of the two hours you were asleep, you wake up now." Hunter shrugged, giving Celestia a swift peck on the lips before he glanced up at me.
"Go get some fresh air, Arielle. I'll keep your Mistress busy," Hunter declared with a wide grin. Celestia blushed and looked up at him.
"Hey?! Don't say it like that. She'll get the wrong idea. You're going to taint her mind," Celestia huffed.
Hunter laughed. "She's almost twenty, isn't she? I think we've all dealt with that stage of curiosity," He suggested, lifting an eyebrow at Celestia whose face got redder.
"I don't know what you're implying. Arielle, you can go get fresh air." Celestia shooed me away for the sake of avoiding the conversation.
"Thank you, Bru!" I replied and flew out of the room but lingered in the hall to hear the conversation that followed.
"I feel like you're hiding something," Celestia hummed to Hunter who chuckled.
"Hiding my immense love for a certain unicorn shifter," he whispered. I moved slightly to the edge of the doorway to catch a glimpse of them on the bed.
Celestia laughed. "Oh really? You're becoming smooth like Orion. Are you guys all taking a class?"
"If I confidently say yes, can I kiss you?" he murmured.
She paused and grinned. "Hmm, what if I say I think you’re lying?"
"I'd still ask to kiss you," Hunter replied.
"So either way you get the chance to kiss me," Celestia concluded, followed by a giggle.
Hunter pressed his forehead against hers. "Essentially."
"Why do I miss you even though we've been studying all day?" Celestia questioned, her eyes locked onto Hunter’s.
"I miss you too, and it's because we haven't gotten to spend a lot of time together after your trial," he whispered and lowered his lips to hers.
I blushed and decided to leave, not wanting to interrupt their alone time or lose the opportunity Hunter had given me.
It left me wondering if I'd get a chance to kiss Noah. Neither of us was experienced, but I wondered if he'd be brave enough to kiss me on the first date. I flew out the window Orion had left open since the morning and made my way to the familiar corridors. I'd meet Faelia there and hoped she'd helped help me find something quick to wear.
Maybe once the familiar test was done, I'd be able to tell Celestia that I was interested in Noah and potentially the others.
My very first date. Let's see how this goes.
"Why can't you just sleep in your human form?!" Axel exclaimed.
"Because it's so uncomfortable that's why!" Rainer huffed.
"You guys are so noisy. I want to nap," Asher mumbled.
"I thought owls don't sleep at night?" Griffin asked.
"That's when he's in familiar form, and you guys are too loud and distracting," Gabriel grumbled.
"Better than watching Noah fidget. If you faint, Noah, I'll take Arielle out on the date," Axel suggested.
"Fuck you!" Noah huffed.
"And sit your sixth ass down. We're going in order if Noah fucks up," Rainer pointed out.
"We should have done a draw for our positions!" Axel countered.
"Fine! Let's do it," the others agreed. Faelia sighed as she glanced at the doorway.
"Men. I can guarantee Axel will stay sixth."
I giggled, unable to be amused by their bickering as they waited for me to finish up. "At least they'll accept their fate if they do it that way."
Faelia nodded as she finished curling my hair. She brought over a box full of different shiny hair pins and clips, making it hard for me not to reach out and fiddle with all of them.
We continued to listen to the guys as Faelia began to put pretty white flower pieces in my long curly hair.
"Alright, ready! Each rolled up paper has a number. Let's do this!" Axel declared.
"Good, so I can nap in peace," Asher mumbled.
There was a long pause before Noah spoke. "Um so do I open mine first?"
"Sure!" the others said in unison. It sounded like they all didn't want to open and see their fate which was really amusing to listen to.
"One," Noah announced.
"I got two," Gabriel declared.
"YES! Three," Rainer cheered.
"Oh, hell nah, this is rigged!" Axel shouted.
"Sit down and let me open my paper, you impatient dragon." Griffin huffed. Axel groaned, and in seconds Griffin was laughing. "FOUR!"
"Asher? Asher? Jeez, did he actually fall asleep? Hold on," Rainer said, and a second later he laughed. "Well, sorry dragon boy, but your ass is STILL sixth! Asher got five!"
"BULLSHIT! I demand a rematch," Axel demanded.
"Oh, nah. Fair is fair!" Rainer countered.
"No, we should have done Rock- Paper- Scissors! That's the fairest game ever!" Axel shouted.
"That game isn't fair at all. Just give up already." Rainer sighed and shook his head.
"Do we need to remind you that you ALWAYS lose at Rock-Paper-Scissors?" Griffin pointed out.
"Well, today will be my lucky day!" Axel countered.
"Go battle Gabriel for the second spot then," Rainer proposed. "And stop shouting. You're going to wake up Asher, and you know how cranky he gets if you wake him up without good reasoning."
"When Arielle comes out we'll wake him up," Noah suggested.
"Come here, Gabe! I'm gonna kick your ass in this game."
"Sure," Gabriel replied, sounding unconcerned. I snickered and looked at Faelia who had a wide grin on her face.
"Axel's gonna lose, isn't he?" I asked.
"Gabriel has never lost a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, so yes," Faelia answered with a giggle.
"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!" Axel chanted. "DAMM- AH"
"Stop being so damn loud," Griffin huffed.
"I lost, and Griffin hit me! Where's Faelia? FAELIA, GRIFF-OW!"
Faelia sighed. "And now he got knocked out by Asher."
"Really?!" I asked.
"Asher doesn't play around with his sleep. His sleep schedule is essentially all over the place so once he's gone, it's best to pick him up and take him as far away from noise for the sake of everyone's safety," Faelia explained.
"Well, then. That's pretty cool," I admitted.
"Andddd he's out. Should I drag his body to his room, or wait till Arielle comes out?" Rainer asked.
"I'll take him. His ass is heavy when he's unconscious. I'll be back. Tell Arielle to wait so I can see how pretty she is!" Griffin called out.
"And Asher's aslee
p again," Rainer sighed.
"At least the order was taken care of," Noah pointed out. The room was quiet after that, and Faelia finished putting the last flower pin in my hair.
"Alright! Finished," Faelia declared, clapping her hands together. "Check the mirror."
I rose up and made my way over to the standing mirror, a gasp escaping me as my wide eyes caught sight of my reflection.
My purple-pink hair was in loose curls; the white rose hair pins designed perfectly throughout my hair. They matched my white flowy dress that reached my knees and had little pink and purple flowers on the bottom half of the dress. I wore white wedges since I couldn't walk in heels for the life of me, and I even had my nails painted purple thanks to Faelia's magic.
"One more thing," Faelia hummed. I looked over my shoulder and saw her approach with a square, purple box.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Open and find out." Faelia winked and presented me with the box. I accepted it before lifting the lid to view the necklace inside.
"Wait. Is this..." I trailed off, raising my gaze to Faelia who had a proud grin on her pink lips.
"I talked with Miona and said it would have been super nice if we were able to get you a stone of your own before your first date. So we got to work and finished it this morning. At least now, you can stay in human form," Faelia revealed.
"But, I thought you said that you needed Celestia's magic?"
"I did. I already asked her."
"Huh? When?" I asked, stunned by her words.
"Don't worry about that. I told her I wanted to make a stone for you, and since Hunter and Noah were with her, I showed Noah's stone as an example. She was totally excited and stayed really late yesterday with Finn and Orion to get it finished," Faelia explained.
"Celestia..." I whispered, blinking back tears. Faelia reached out to brush her hand against my cheek.
"Your Mistress loves you and wants the best for you. She may not show that she knows what's going on, but I have a hunch she does. She's just waiting for you to be comfortable to tell her."
I nodded in understanding, hoping by the time the familiar challenge was done, I'd be able to tell her how I felt about Noah and the others. It all depended on how this date went. Regardless, I'd make sure she knew, and I’d apologize for keeping it a secret for so long.
"When you change into your familiar form, the necklace will shrink with you. I've added a feature where it will cloak you with an outfit, so you’re not naked when you change back into your human form," Faelia instructed.
"Ya...I'd want to avoid that." I giggled nervously, picking up the stone to touch. It was amber, reminding me of Noah's, and the gold chain was so shiny and new.
"I'll help you put it on," Faelia announced. I nodded and passed her the necklace. She helped me put it on, fixing my hair before she walked back around to give me a final nod.
"You're good to go," she reassured me. "You already smell like rosemary, so I don't think you need any perfume."
"Thanks, Faelia!" I replied and gave her a big hug.
She giggled. "You’re welcome, Arielle. Now off you go on your date. I think the other guys have been patient enough. Well, aside from Axel. I'll come take a picture of you, or he'll cry for years." Faelia sighed, rolling her eyes.
I laughed and nodded in agreement. I felt bad Axel was missing out, but at least he'd have a picture. We made our way into the hall, and Faelia walked into the living room and cleared her throat.
"Arielle is ready for her date," she hummed, moving aside to reveal her work as I stepped into view.
The guys turned their heads to look at me and were silent as their jaws went slack. Even Asher sat up at Faelia's announcement, and though he seemed half asleep with his slightly open eyes, he too dropped his jaw and stared.
Faelia smiled and turned to me. "That means you look stunning and they can't find words to acknowledge how beautiful you are."
Noah was the first to recover, and he blushed as he walked up to me. "You seriously look beautiful, Arielle," he whispered, holding out his hand to me.
I gave him a sweet smile as I placed my hand in his. He lifted it up and softly pressed his lips to the back of my hand which made me blush.
He looked super handsome in his black suit, his hair gelled down and tied up in a ponytail. It was different compared to always leaving it down.
"Let's go?" he suggested.
"Yes. Oh, Faelia, picture?" I reminded.
"Ah yes!" Faelia replied, rushing over to get her phone from the room we'd been in.
Gabriel seemed to be the next to recover, and he walked over to stand next to his brother. "Arielle, you seriously look gorgeous."
"Thank you." I shot them both a wide smile.
"Arielle, come closer! We want to see more of your beauty," Rainer called out.
"Ya. Asher's half asleep so he’s not moving," Griffin added. I giggled, and Noah and Gabriel shook their heads as we moved closer to the others sitting on the couches.
"We should be nice, or Asher will kill us in our sleep," Noah suggested to Gabriel who nodded.
"Ya. I’d like to live until I get a date with Arielle," Gabriel replied.
"Um...you guys are willing to share me?" I asked quietly. All five of them turned to me before they exchanged looks. As one, they focused their gazes on Noah.
"It's kinda up to Noah. He claimed you first, so..." Griffin commented.
"And of course, it all depends on you, Arielle. You don't need to date all of us. We're normally just fooling around," Rainer added.
"But if you’re fine with it, and Noah's cool with sharing, we'd love to give it a shot." Gabriel gave me a gentle smile.
"Fifth," Asher mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
We snickered at Asher's comment, and I grinned before I looked at Noah. "Would you be okay with it?"
"Ya. As long as I get a second shot if I screw up on our date," he requested.
Rainer chuckled. "You're not gonna screw up, but if you do we'll beg Arielle to give you a second chance since we're amazing friends." He seemed to enjoy teasing Noah, throwing him a wink when he was finished.
Noah laughed and shook his head. "Then I'm down. The more the merrier, but only our crew. No other familiars get her," Noah stressed, his tone changing from sweet to serious.
We all gawked at him. Even Faelia, who had returned with her phone, appeared surprised. "Well, shit. Noah has a protective dark side."
"I knew he had his older genes hidden somewhere." Gabriel nodded in approval.
"Have fun, Arielle. You're pretty," Asher replied, laying back down. I opened my mouth to thank him, but he was back asleep in seconds.
"And he's gone," Griffin announced with a shrug. Faelia walked up to us as we shook our heads.
"Alright, let's get a group picture before Asher switches to his owl form," Faelia announced.
"How about Axel?" I asked.
"His dragon ass is too heavy to carry back here," Griffin groaned.
"Here! I got a picture of him!" Rainer declared, taking the photo out of his wallet.
"I'm not even going to ask why you have a picture of him in your wallet," Noah commented.
"Shut up!" Rainer replied.
"He has pics of all of us since we're precious to him," Gabriel whispered to me.
"I heard that!" Rainer countered.
"Alright children. We're delaying Arielle's date with Noah, so pictures!" Faelia declared.
No one argued, getting into position for us to take a group selfie with Asher still sleeping on the couch and Faelia deciding to join the picture. She then took a few with Noah and me, and then snapped a few single pictures for Celestia, Axel and anyone else who wanted a printed copy.
"You two have fun!" Faelia sang.
"We will," Noah replied, slipping his hand in mine before we headed to the door. We both took a look back at the others, who wore wide smiles on their faces, and my heart swelled with happiness.
I glanced at Noah, who shot me
a broad grin as he squeezed my hand. "Let's go enjoy our date."
I nodded in agreement. "I'm all yours."
To think I'd get the chance to meet these wonderful familiars and have the support of Faelia. I guess this is what can happen when you don't give up in life.
"Guess it's time we go home," Noah whispered. I frowned, wishing we could stay longer on the rooftop.
Noah decided the best place to take me on our first date was to enjoy the vast nature that Aslan had to offer.
We had dinner at one of the nicer restaurants in the area, Noah having good connections with the owner of the place. It was normally reserved for students who had a special rank, but the moment Noah introduced me he gave us the private booth on the patio.
It was quite the learning experience when it came to dinner time, and I was grateful that Celestia and her men had given me the talk on how to use a fork, knife, and spoon weeks before.
The food had been delicious, and it was my first time trying many of the dishes. My favorite was the pasta with the yellow flake stuff that Noah explained was parmesan cheese.
We got different desserts to try, mine being hot melting fudge cake with vanilla ice cream and strawberries, while Noah got a white chocolate brownie with chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream.
Overall, it was magnificent to talk to Noah and learn more about him. He was very knowledgeable about the background of Aslan, even though he'd only been there for two years. He explained that Gabriel loved to read, and since he didn't like doing things by himself without his twin, they would read similar books and tell each other what they learned or read.
We then walked around the different shops, and Noah practically had to drag me away from the shiny jewelry shop. There were so many pretty items that glittered even as the sun began to set, but neither of us had a fortune to buy the entire store of shiny gems.
I glanced at the new gold bracelet on my left wrist. The amber colored gemstone charm stayed right at the center of the expensive bracelet.
It was the only bracelet out of the collection that I couldn't keep my eyes off. I was going to ask Celestia if I could borrow some money from her to buy it, but the moment I told Noah, he pulled his wallet out and bought it right away, leaving me in shock.
Arielle Rainbow Page 18
