Laura reserved the restaurant for the following evening, so she spent the rest of her day, and the following day working. She loved Zenesha, but she hated having a job. However the anticipation was killing her, to the point she hardly noticed the time passing.
Before she knew it, it was time to go.
"Is this what you were doing yesterday?" Zenesha asked as they walked into the restaurant.
Laura wore black tuxedo with an orange dress shirt underneath. Unlike her usual style, where she would leave the top button open, and keep her coat unbuttoned, Laura decided it was more appropriate to dress correctly. She still didn't wear any shoes, however.
Zenesha for her part wore a dark blue silk dress that was longer in the back than the front. She wore stockings to cover legs since it was slightly chilly that night, along with dark blue flats. The fox hated heels.
Laura lifted her hand to scratch her head feeling nervous, but stopped herself, remembering the fact she actually styled it today. Both of them had their hair done up to go with the special occasion. Laura because she didn't want to mess this up, and Zenesha because she saw the wolf attempting to tame the nest, she calls hair.
"Well, I figured it'll be nice going on a fancy dinner like we saw on TV that one time." Laura said.
"Well, I think it's sweet. Thank you."
A wolf's and a fox's tail both moved back and forth in happiness for different reasons. After they sat down and ordered their food they started talking. It was mostly mundane stuff. None of it was about their day since they spent almost every second of it together.
"I found a Dwarf in the city yesterday." Laura mentioned.
"Oh? I didn't realize we had any Dwarves living in Zari." Zenesha responded with a tilt of her head.
"Yeah, turns out they can create pure flame too."
"Interesting. We may need to do some research on Dwarves after this."
The food eventually arrived at their table and the two of them went silent. So far, the night was going just as expected, but that didn't stop the wolf from feeling nervous. The silence that came as they started eating did however let her calm her nerves a little.
"How much do you know about my kind?" Laura eventually asked.
"Not much, only scattered accounts through history and what you've told me." Answered the fox. "Why?"
"Was just wondering if you knew about our cores."
"Your… cores…." Zenesha thought about it for a second before speaking. "Not really, but I have heard you mention it once or twice in passing."
"You know nothing about them beyond that?"
"Nothing."
"I see."
Laura shifted in her seat as her tail gave a nervous flick. Laura tried to hide her nervousness of course, but unfortunately it seemed to be unsuccessful. The fox put down their utensils as they gave the wolf her full attention.
"What's wrong Lola?" Zenesha asked with concern.
"Nothing is wrong per say… just nervous is all."
"Nervous?"
"You'll find out later." Laura said with a smile. "You don't have to worry, it isn't anything bad. It's actually all good news."
Zenesha searched her face to see if the wolf was lying to her. After a few seconds she smiled back and went back to eating.
=======
"I never knew it'll look so pretty here at night." Zenesha said as she looked up into the trees. Within the thick canopy were small dim lights, casting a faint golden glow onto the path below. It was an enchanting sight to behold.
"Heh, of course it's enchanting." Laura smugly said, puffing out her chest in pride as if she personally set the light.
Zenesha rolled her eyes in exasperation. "How did you even know about this place?"
"I do go out and explore the city, you know." Laura said.
'Mainly so I can teleport more easily through it.' She thought.
"I'm surprised. I didn't think you left the tower without me." The fox admitted. "Other than to go to the R&D building anyway."
"That's mostly true." Laura agreed.
She really had no other interest in this world after finding Zenesha. The only reason she's even mildly intrigued by the city was because it was the fox's city. Meaning she would make the effort to learn about it so she can do stuff like this.
"You really need to get a hobby away from me." Zenesha teased. "But I'd be lying If I didn't say it felt nice having some care about me this much."
"Glad to hear it." Laura said as she led the fox towards the pavilions nearby.
Dinner, a walk, then a small area to rest and talk. Laura wasn't intimately familiar with the courting rituals of mortals, but she did her best. With her nerves once again becoming agitated, with both her ears and tail flicking at odd intervals, Laura sat on the bench under the wooden pavilion.
The two of them found themselves near the river from where they sat. With the water reflecting the lights of the city on the other side, and the soft golden glow from the trees around them, the two Arveses felt like they were in their own little world.
"Zen." Laura started as she stuck her hand into one of her pockets. "Wanna know more about what the core of a void creature means?"
"I would love to learn more about you." The fox said.
"My… kind don't have souls like yours. When we die, we're gone. Forever." She started. "Our Cores are about as close to a soul as we can get."
Zenesha didn't say anything when Laura paused. The wolf was clearly gathering her thoughts and the fox patiently waited for them to continue.
"Anyway, our Cores are very important to us since we can interact with them." She continued. "Letting someone else interact with our Core's, even if that means having some just look at it, is an extremely intimate gesture."
"Do you plan to let me see your Core?" Asked Zenesha.
"Laura smiled and shook her head. "One of the reasons our Cores are so intimate to us is because it's how we reproduce."
"What do you mean?"
"Unlike you mortals, those of se from the Void reproduce by taking pieces of our Core's and combining them. "She explained. "After a while someone new is born to the Void."
Zenesha nodded along intrigued. The intimacies of Voidling and Forsaken culture wasn't known, and hearing Laura talk about it fascinated Zenesha.
"Anyway, my point in bringing this up was for this." Laura stood up and turned to face the fox. She took out a small black box from her pocket and held it carefully.
"Zen, I wanted you to know the significance behind what I'm about to do before I give it to you." Laura continued. "It's your choice on whether you take this gift or not. However, I really hope you take it."
Laura then opened the box, revealing the blue necklace within.
"Inside this pendant is a piece of my Core." She explained. "With this I will be able to tell where you are at all times, and when you're in danger.
Zenesha stared at the pendent in silence for several minutes. Cold sweat ran down the wolf's back as she felt like the fox was going to reject her. She didn't know how she would feel if that would happen.
Was it the core that was making her hesitate? Or was it the necklace itself. Was she wrong and Laura would've preferred something fancier looking? Or did she just dislike the look of the necklace?
Laura's worries vanished when Zenesha looked up from her seated position with a wide smile.
"It's lovely Lola." She said softly, standing up herself.
Brushing the wolf's cheek, she leaned in for a kiss. It was deep and long, by the time they pulled apart the both of them breathed heavily. They were still close enough together to feel the warm breath of the other.
"Thank you for the gift, Honey." The fox continued. "I'll treasure it."