Perzys Āeterña | Hope Mikaelson

Chapter 18

California reminded her of Tērragoñh.

The sandy beaches, the cold water, heat and palm trees, birds that would steal what you were eating if you were too careless. It was perfect.

"You're a dragon," said Ryan tiredly, hoisting himself back onto the yacht they'd stolen to carry them deeper into the sea. "How are you not bothered by the water?"

"Why should I be?" she said, wiggling her feet. "I was built for everything."

"Well, last time I read something about a dragon in the water, it did not go well."

She began to swim back to him, pulling herself up and resting her chin on the edge of the boat. "Maybe I should've been a mermaid," she cooed. "Or a siren. Then my singing could lure you back in."

"Oh, you don't need to be a siren to convince me to get back in. I'm just struggling to breathe. I may not be able to die permanently but I can still drown if I give up. Jeez, Rhysaenya, give a man a chance to breathe."

She reached out to hold his hand, tracing her fingertips over the lines on his palm. "This is fun, you know? Just hanging out here, no responsibilities, Triad money to burn..."

"You are so lucky I remember those passwords and that Triad is basically... my inheritance. As soon as I jump through a few hoops." He flipped her hand to kiss it. "I'm having fun, too. I can shamelessly admit that seafood is my favorite and this is just about the best vacation I've ever been on."

"I love it, too. Ah, I think I sense one..." she gestured beside her. "Aim the spear right over–"

He slammed it in, ripping it out and pulling up a fish. "That makes ten. Enough for our contest."

"Which I'm totally going to win, by the way."

"You underestimate how much I can eat."

Their contest was held right at the pier, under a string of lights that illuminated only their little table, the fish prepared perfectly to their liking with an expensive bottle of white wine they found in the yacht. Rhysaenya had, in fact, believed her stomach to be capable of more than Ryan's, but as it turned out, that was a complete lie. Golems could be just as carnivorous, not to mention their lack of a normal digestive system meant they didn't feel pain when they ate too much.

"Are you happy here?" he whispered, resting his cheek against hers as they danced, listening to the live music on the boardwalk. They swayed slowly, letting the breeze caress them as they danced.

"Very," she replied. She drew back to cup his face. "Word from back home is that Dr. Saltzman is considering a longer break. A month instead of two weeks... to give Josie time to get better... so we can start with both him and Caroline running the school. We could do this for a while longer. Every day is a new adventure. Good food we make together. And at night..." she looked up, "dancing under the stars by the sea before we take a ride over the water where no one can see us. Then run back to the hotel to fall asleep in beds that are unbelievably fluffy. If this is what dating is like, I enjoy it."

He smiled. "One of the nicer aspects. It's much more complicated than this, long term. A few weeks aren't enough to show you just how wonderful it can be, and they certainly aren't enough to show you what else relationships entail. Some days are boring, some days are tough. I do promise, though, that I will make sure every day is good for us. Even if we're not together, we can have fun... we can find meaning in the little things."

"Then I look forward to that," she whispered, closing her eyes when she felt him leaning in to kiss her.

As soon as the extended vacation was approved, they moved on from California, making the eventual return to Mystic Falls a road trip. Rhysaenya got to bowl, golf, see monuments and beautiful national parks, and try foods that she swore were too good to be true. Every moment she spent with Ryan made her crave what she had at the Salvatore School less and less. She still texted her friends nearly every day, and everyone seemed to be doing well enough on their own. In fact, it was as if they all enjoyed this a lot more. Anything probably felt better without the added burden of schoolwork.