The duo sat across from each other in the rolling carriage; cards held tight as they eyed each other with piercing eyes. Between them stood a pile of crisps with Arylos having the larger stack and Iris having none left. As if their lives depended on it, they stared at each other with eyes that pierced like spears, waiting for whoever would move first.

“I win,” Arylos snickered with an evil smile as he showed Iris the cards in his hand, revealing sequential numbered cards of the same colour.

“Dammit!” Iris squealed while throwing down her cards and Arylos began gathering up her pile of snacks that she just lost. “I swear, you’re cheating! I don’t trust it when you shuffle the deck!”

“You shuffled this round and I still won,” Arylos mocked with a fanged smile. “You just fall for betting wars so easily. I figured that you would have figured out how to read my emotions by now.”

Iris puffed up her face as she crossed her arms. “You’re just a big mean idiot. You could go easy on me.”

“I was going easy on you,” Arylos laughed while gathering up the cards. “Anoron and I used to play this game with a few others. Our stakes were…well, outside your price range.”

Iris groaned as she leaned backwards and stretched her legs. “How much longer until we can stop? My butt’s starting to hurt from being cooped up in here.”

“That’s your fault; Keratos offered a stop a few hours ago and you said no,” Arylos teased while stretching out on the floor of the carriage across from Iris. “Plus, you sit on your legs; that’s not good for blood circulation.”

“You’re not good for blood circulation,” Iris spat back while sticking her tongue out.

Arylos cracked a fanged smile and let out an entertained growl. “Your attitude isn’t good for blood circulation.”

“Your face isn’t good for blood circulation!” Iris barked, giving Arylos a rude gesture.

“Your butt isn’t good for blood circulation,” Arylos teased with a wider smile.

Iris’s face went red as she gasped in disbelief. “How dare you say that?!” she squealed while waving her arms.

“I win again,” Arylos responded while sticking his tongue out.

Iris turned away while secretly trying to find something she could throw at the Titan. “You can’t just make rude comments like that about a woman’s body.”

Arylos laughed as he started to climb onto his feet and move towards the front of the carriage. “Your butt is an exception because you’re not a woman; you’re a little girl.”

Iris squealed once more and grabbed one of her boots and threw it at Arylos but the Titan ducked out of the way and the boot harmlessly hit the wooden wall of the carriage.

Arylos turned towards the boot and slowly turned back towards Iris. “HA–”

His laughter was interrupted by another boot hitting him square in the nose, sending him backwards as the hit sent him back in time a year.

“I win!” Iris squealed with a sparkle in her eyes.

Arylos slowly raised a finger as he tried to get language to come back to him. “You win this time, little girl,” he commented as he slowly got back up. He carefully climbed out into the front of the carriage next to Keratos and turned back to give Iris a final wild smile. “A butt-less little girl like you should win every now and then,” he commented with a wide smile.

Iris screamed and lunged at him but Arylos closed the wooden door on her, locking her inside and he couldn’t help but to laugh as he saw Iris shout and try and stick her arms through the bars on the door to get to the Titan.

“Oi, Keratos, mind if I join you up here to get some masculine company for once?” Arylos asked while laughing.

“Just make sure I’m not between you and her and we’re good,” Keratos laughed in response while handing Arylos a dark bottle.

“You better take that back you ass!” Iris shouted while pulling on the door.

“See that? I’m no longer ‘big idiot’; I’ve been upgraded to ‘ass’,” Arylos laughed while taking a drink from the bottle.

“If you two keep fighting and get my expensive carriage damaged, then we won’t be camping for the night,” Keratos warned with a laugh in his breath.

Iris grunted with anger as she eyed Arylos. “Don’t expect me to camp with this…this…inhuman idiot!”

“Oh? Inhuman? I was expecting you to bring out the ‘monster’ card,” Arylos teased with a smile.

Iris’s expression changed from frustration to sadness as she slowly let go of the door. “No, no I won’t say that.”

“How come? It’s true,” Arylos pushed forward with a smile.

“No it’s not,” Iris whispered while backing away and sitting down on one of the benches and wrapping her arms around herself.

Arylos’s laughter slowly faded as he saw Iris no longer playing. He let out a sigh as he took one more drink from the bottle and handed it back to Keratos. He took a sharp breath and opened the door back up and re-entered the back of the carriage. “Are you going to throw anything at me?” he asked in a half-joking tone.

Iris took a quick glance at him and turned away while shaking her head.

Arylos sighed and slowly sat down next to Iris as she continuously shook her head. “What’s going on? You know I was joking with you, right?”

“You’re not a monster,” Iris whispered in a stern voice.

Arylos sighed as he gently rested a hand on Iris's shoulder. “You and I both know that I am.”

“Shut up,” Iris whispered without looking at him. “You’re not a monster. You’re an idiot, but not a monster.”

Arylos shook his head gently, trying to understand what Iris was thinking. “Iris, I–”

“Not a monster,” Iris insisted like a small child as she turned to face the Titan. “If you’re a monster, then that means that all of this is wrong; us being friends is wrong.” Iris slowly reached up for Arylos’s face to grab his cheek. “It means that what I feel–”

Iris was interrupted as her fingers touched Arylos’s face and he closed his eyes and leaned into her hand, almost like a dog wanting to be pet. She could hear an odd growl in his voice; a reminder that while she doesn’t think of him as a monster, he still wasn’t human. Iris was shocked by this reaction as she slowly rubbed his cheek and Arylos pulled her close.

“...is wrong,” Iris slowly whispered as she watched the Titan react to her. “Are you alright?” she found herself asking as she pulled her hand away.

Arylos slowly opened his eyes and let out a shuddered breath as he corrected himself. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me.”

Iris slowly nodded as she and Arylos pulled away from each other and looked away, too shy to acknowledge either of their unnatural reactions to each other. Iris clenched her fists tight as she wondered what that reaction of his was about. She felt her heart race as theories came to her faster than floodwaters and she secretly began to wonder how he felt on the inside.

“I’m sorry,” the duo told each other at the same time, startling the other as they laughed nervously.

“I’m sorry,” Iris cut in after clearing her throat. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Arylos corrected while his nerves continued to make him laugh softly. “I shouldn’t have made those kinds of comments about your body. It’s not my place and it was disrespectful.”

“No, it’s alright, I promise,” Iris responded in a shy voice. “Although, you could be nice every now and then. Like compliment me or something.”

“Would that make you happy?” Arylos asked in a lighthearted voice.

Iris nodded as she began to blush again. “Yeah, it would. Like how you noticed my dress during Youseiki and thought I looked pretty. That made me…really happy.”

Arylos smiled and rubbed Iris’s scalp as her expression slowly turned to a soft smile. “Alright, I’ll remember that.”

The duo felt the carriage start to slow down to a stop. They looked forward towards where Keratos was sitting and saw him pulling back on the reins.

“If you two are quite done, we can set up camp here for the night,” Keratos called back to the duo as he began sitting up from his seat.

Arylos nodded and let Iris go and went outside. Iris stayed inside and clutched her chest, feeling her blood warm up in anticipation. ‘I’ll remember that’?! She squealed in her mind as she repeatedly stomped on the carriage floor. That’s all you had to say?! What kind of big idiot are you?! That was your chance to say something nice!

Iris took deep breaths to try and settle herself back down as her anger and anxiety were intertwined. She wanted Arylos to say something and yet she was too afraid for him to say it. She couldn’t help but feel like he was doing this on purpose at this point; purposefully teasing her and pulling her along like a fish on a hook.

Or I’m falling head over heels for him and he’s too dumb to realize it! She added in her mind as she hid her face in her hands, feeling the blood rush to her face. She fanned herself with her hands as she tried to steady her breathing once more.

It’s okay, it’s okay, breathe Iris; just breathe, she told herself while trying to regain her composure. There’s plenty of chances to sort everything out on this trip. Maybe even a nice romantic getaway for us where we can bond. Maybe a night of drinking and laughter that eventually…

Iris squealed again and shook the image from her head, trying to not get her hopes up. She eventually gave herself a couple of soft slaps on her cheek and got up and climbed out of the carriage, letting the warm air and setting sunlight warming her skin bring her back to reality for a moment. She looked around and saw Keratos and Arylos heading over to one of the other carriages and Iris, feeling like the odd one out, ran over to join him.

“I’m thinking we use this time to stretch our legs and build some places to sleep,” Keratos suggested as Bellona came out from the carriage. “We have some provisions, but it would be best if we could hunt some fresh game from the forest.”

Iris instinctively perked up and raised her hand in the air, practically jumping in place and grunting so she could get noticed.

“Yes little girl?” Arylos asked while laughing.

“It’s been a while since I’ve hunted, could I take care of the hunting?” Iris asked with a determination she had not felt in a while.

“I think leaving it to Arylos would be better,” Bellona suggested while stretching her back. “His senses would make the hunting task quick and easy.”

“Excuse me, I’ve been doing it for longer,” Iris returned in a snarky voice as her skills were questioned.

“Excuse me, little girl but you have done precisely nothing longer than I have,” Arylos returned, baring his fangs.

“At least I’m not a big idiot, Arylos,” Iris growled while glaring at the Titan.

“And at least I’m not a jealous little girl, Iris,” Arylos returned while bending down to give Iris a solid glare.

“Settle down girls; you’re both pretty,” Bellona mocked while laughing at the duo. “How about you both get a room, kiss and make up, huh?”

Iris blushed just as Arylos turned and gave Bellona a smile. “Careful there; the little girl might actually want that.”

Iris’s embarrassment quickly faded away to anger as she returned a glare to the Titan. “I’m still a better hunter than you, and I’m willing to bet on that.”

Arylos turned his gaze back to Iris and raised an entertained eyebrow. She had his attention now. “Let’s talk terms,” he whispered in a soft growl.

“First one to track and hunt an adult deer wins,” Iris called out without hesitation. “Hunting equipment only; no magical swords and no magic or hyper senses.”

“Obviously,” Arylos returned with a smile. “I don’t have a bow with me so I’ll have to use one of Keratos’s.”

“I don’t trust you to use a Khymr’s bow; it probably has some cheat in it,” Iris insisted while keeping her glare intense. “And I only have one bow, big boy.”

“That’s alright, little girl,” Arylos replied with a widening smile. He then knelt down and picked up a brick-sized rock and spun it around in his hand to gauge the weight. “I’ll just use this rock then. No magic, no weaponry, just me and a rock.”

Iris’s smile widened; this practically guaranteed her victory. Not only would Arylos not be able to use his magic nor his senses, he’ll be handicapping himself on top of it. Iris spent most of her life hunting so there’s no way Arylos could have her beat.

Yet she wanted to up the ante.

“And the loser gives the other a back massage,” Iris added as her excitement grew.

Arylos laughed under his breath as the look in his eyes practically begged Iris to go through with it. This was her failing; she didn’t know how to quit while she was ahead.

“You’re on girl,” Arylos replied with a low growl as his eyes shone a bright red. The Titan would play with the human.