292 Skollwood Adventures Part 14: Together

The moment the words left her mouth, she quickly covered her mouth with both hands. If she could die of embarrassment on the spot, she would have done so immediately. Looking up at Dygo, she could not read his expression at all. 

The man had a skull for a head, after all, he did not have the facial muscles to form any facial expressions. 

"I… I did not mean it that way! I meant… this… we just…" 

"It's alr-"

"It's not that I would not date you or anything like that! I mean I totally would, but I…" the more she tried to form coherent sentences in her mind, the more she fumbled. 

"What I am trying… trying to say is, thank you for the flowers."

She received the bouquet from him and brought it close to her nose to smell the fragrance of the roses. 

"Ah, these are umm… frost roses. They don't have any fragrance," Dygo commented. 

If her face was not red enough before, it would be now. Vy laughed awkwardly, trying to play it off. At the back, Lycster and Aether were both snickering as they watched everything unfold before them. It was too good to be true. 

Vy could hear them from where she stood. She turned back to them with a cold death glare which sent shivers down both of their spines. They stopped laughing immediately, but it was difficult for them to keep it in. 

"Bonetimer, could you help me put these in a vase please?" Vy asked with a genuine smile on her face. 

The sentient skeleton butler appeared from behind to take the bouquet from Vy, "Of course, Miss Blackfire. You might want to get going if you want to get a good spot to view the fireworks."

"You're right, we should get going. Lycster, Aether, let's go," Vy called out as she walked out of the door and again bumped into Dygo a second time. 

"Ah, sorry about that," she apologised as she looked to the side in embarrassment. 

"That's alright. I was in the way," Dygo responded as he took a step to the side. 

"You look great by the way," he muttered under his breath. 

Vy perked up, "Did you say something?"

There was something about her outfit and her eyes that mesmerized him in that moment. Had she always looked this beautiful, this radiant? Or was it just the effect of the moonlight shining down upon them. 

At that moment, Dygo did not know if he should repeat what he said. 

-Do you need me to teach you? Just repeat what you said.- a voice echoed in his head. 

Dygo realised it was Aether, Vy's Familiar. 

"I said you look beautiful today," 

Vy blushed again. It was getting increasingly difficult to keep her emotions in check. She could feel the heat on her cheeks as she avoided making any form of eye contact with Dygo. 

"Thank you," she whispered in return. 

-You're welcome.- Aether said triumphantly to Dygo. 

Most travellers who came to the island were at the expanded night market. It was packed with many more stalls, that featured a variety of activities, unique goods to purchase, food and drinks. 

This was their final day to be dressed in costume so Vy wanted to ensure they made the best of it. The day before, they managed to convince Dygo to get an outfit as well despite his protests. In the end, he went with Vy's suggestion and was dressed as a steampunk vampire hunter.

He had a dark brown cowboy hat, long leather trench coat and a pair of matching coloured boots. He had a mechanical crossbow that he could carry on his back, and he carried his staff as usual. 

The silence between Dygo and Vy was alarming. Uncertain of how to break the ice, Vy ran through numerous conversation topics she could bring up. She had hoped one of them would stick but nothing seemed to fit. 

She was so focused and flustered that even Aether could not get in her mind to speak to her. 

"Did the shirt fit well?" as soon as those words left her mouth, Vy cursed beneath her breath. 

What kind of question was that to begin with? She could have asked him how he was enjoying the festival so far. Yet that was the only question he could form the words for. Dygo was caught off guard by her question, but he was glad that Vy initiated the conversation. 

He too did not know what to say. He was also desperately trying to think of a suitable topic to break the ice with Vy. After all, they had been walking side by side for quite a while. Dygo looked at the shirt he was wearing, it had a higher collar than he was used to but it styled well with the outfit he was wearing. 

"It fits well. Thank you for helping with the picking of the outfit," he replied. 

Vy nodded with a smile plastered on her face. How was she going to continue the conversation? Aether, who decided to remain in his human form, trailed behind the young man and woman alongside Lycster. 

Lycster leaned in close to Aether and whispered, "They seem so awkward," 

Aether nodded. He pondered for a while before a sinister thought floated by in his mind. 

"Let's make it more awkward,"

"Vy," Aether called out, it was difficult for the Familiar to keep his evil grin at play. So he played it off as a smile. 

"Yes, Aether?" Vy answered as she turned around to face them alongside Dygo. 

"Lycster and I will go find a good spot for the fireworks. I will let you know where we are via telepathy. You both can continue to explore the night market." as soon as Aether finished his words, he grabbed hold of Lycster by the arm and swiftly went off in the opposite direction. 

"Wait… wha-" Vy did not have any time to react. 

Aether waved goodby to the two of them. But for a split second, he gave Dygo a death glare. 

-If she is missing even half a strand of hair, you and I are going to have a problem.- he hissed to the skull head man. 

Dygo gulped as he felt a shiver down his spine. He could feel it in his bones; that threat was very real.