THE MOMENT
"Was that a dragon!?" Ziya asked the question as soon as she was close enough to Honey. She stood by a wooden fence at the edge of her farm. In the distance, a blue, winged creature could be seen in the baby blue sky. It flew away from them. Ziya spotted it on her way to visit Honey, and she dashed the rest of the way once she saw it. The question was followed by deep gasps as she tried to catch her breath.
"Hi, Ziya!" Honey nodded. "Yep! I have enough room on the farm for one now," she said. "What's up?" Honey turned to give Ziya her full attention. She wasn't expecting a visit from her friend today, but she was glad for it. The two girls became fast friends once they met and Honey enjoyed showing Ziya around the AlterNet.
"I finally finished meeting with Mundo," Ziya began her answer. Honey suggested Ziya talk with Mundo as soon as possible; but, Ziya did not have the time to sit for that many hours at once. She visited Mundo several times to get all the information she needed. "...and..," Ziya continued with notably less confidence. "...there's something I wanted to ask you," she said.
"Shoot," Honey nodded. In the back of her mind, she guessed what Ziya was about to ask. Coming straight to her after finishing with Mundo was more of a clue than Ziya realized. She began mulling her decision even as Ziya stumbled over her words. There was a lot to consider; not least of which was that she considered Ziya a close friend.
"Umm, so... Mundo explained about Sols like me. He said I'm A-tier right now, but I can get a lot stronger," Ziya said. Honey nodded and smiled while giving Ziya a chance to sort her thoughts. But, each word she spoke convinced Honey that she needed to be ready with her decision.
"One of the ways to get stronger is to make my own Court," she explained as if Honey didn't know. But, she was still getting used to the explanation herself. She was repeating it to register the idea in her mind. "If I pick strong Uniques to be in my Court, we all get stronger by sharing our power."
"Uhuh," Honey nodded. She wanted Ziya to know she was still listening without trying to sound like she was saying, "I know already."
"And, I was wondering...I mean, I know you're a busy guildleader, and the Honeybees is one of the more popular guilds in the AlterNet; but, if you have time.... maybe sometimes...," Ziya looked around at the green rolling plains around them, and the clear blue sky. She looked at anything she could to avoid looking at Honey while she posed the question. But, as she ran out of rambles, she finally met Honey's translucent golden eyes. Her wide grin put Ziya at ease enough to ask.
"... will you be the Champion of my Court?" she asked.
Honey had spent the last few minutes wondering how to let Ziya down gently. Her past was a mystery but, she occasionally had horrible flashes of things she did. Stray, half-memories popped up from time to time to remind her of a blood-filled history. Honey was friendly with everyone she met because deep down, she was afraid of what she was like when she wasn't friendly. She never wanted to put Ziya at risk of discovering her unfriendly side.
But, the way she looked into Honey's eyes with hope. The way Ziya nervously entangled her hands to keep them busy caught Honey off guard.
"Of course!" Honey's answer surprised both of them. "I can't think of a better Court I'd rather be a part of," she added as they hugged.
"I was so worried you'd say no..," Ziya sighed. "You're so popular, but you're not in anyone's Court. I couldn't figure out why...," she said.
"Sometimes, it's just a matter of the right person asking at the right time," Honey shrugged. Again, she meant the answer for both of them. It was her way of rationalizing what she just agreed to. Then, the subject was changed by the sound of large beating wings overhead. "Duck!" Honey said. She and Ziya hid behind the fence as Ziya looked for the source of the sound.
"Wooow...," Ziya said. A large green dragon landed in the valley just beneath the hill. It landed by a large pile of gold that Ziya hadn't noticed yet. But, as soon as its feet touched the ground, it roared angrily. It flapped its wings to try and fly up, but it was stuck to the ground by a viscous golden liquid.
"I don't want a green one either...," Honey sighed. At her words, the dragon managed to break free and it flew away as fast as it could.
"Were you… trying to catch it?" Ziya asked. As she studied the pile of gold, she realized it was surrounded by a lake of golden honey.
"Uhuh," Honey nodded. "They're not real dragons, they're AlterNet NPCs. And they're easy to catch. If you have more than a certain amount of gold in one place, a dragon will inevitably find and claim that gold as their lair. The hard part is getting enough gold to use as bait while still paying for weekly upkeep."
"Oh wow," Ziya was impressed. But, now that she had more free time she decided she would visit Honey's farm more often. But, she also had to finish what she was there for now. "So, welcome to my Court?" Ziya asked. She extended her hand towards Honey and she began to glow with a soft golden light; Mundo taught her how to access her abilities.
"I'm honored..," Honey replied. She began to glow with the same light; but her golden glow was brighter. They shook hands and Ziya's glow became more intense.
"Whoa..," she giggled. She held on to Honey for support as she became light-headed for a moment. She did not expect to feel so much power flowing through her. "... you're strong!" Ziya said. She knew Honey could destroy entire Earths with minimal effort; but, now she felt like that was a fraction of Honey's true strength. She felt energized.
"Yeah...," Honey smiled at Ziya. She knew she would always be friends with her, no matter what. She wouldn’t let her other side out. "... I really am."