The pathway seemed to go on forever, Frieren and Guest walking ahead, Stark and Fern walking behind in that awkward rhythm that meant they were trying to hide something, neither of their two mentors cared

Guest and Frieren had long been acquaintances, Guest being the objective best fighter and definitely no slouch when it came to spell work, working alongside each other had been a skill no one else on the surface of the planet possessed, the both of them knew each other inside out, little tells that always meant something

And right now, Guest could tell Frieren was worried about what Fern and Stark were doing, the subtle fidgeting with her grimoire's pages, he knew she wasn't planning at all to tell him what her worries were

Deep in her own mind, Frieren couldn't shake a feeling she'd never had before, a feeling that had begun growing while she was part of the Heroes Journey, and had further fermented with the eighty years that had passed with Guest

Nothing in her grimoires mentioned it, and she couldn't figure it out herself, the swell in her heartbeat whenever she saw Guest smile or laugh

From behind them, the muffled sound of Fern's giggling could be heard, something that Stark had said, no doubt, looking at them both Guest could almost feel the romance brewing between them

"Stark...quickly before they realise...kiss me"

He pretended not to hear the muffled secret, knowing Frieren was too engrossed in her Grimoire to realise what Fern had just said

The following silence told Guest all he needed to know

Just a few feet behind them, Stark had Fern pressed into a tree, and his tongue firmly pressed into her mouth, neither of them knew Guest could tell their little secret, neither knew their secret was safe with him

at least for a while