Since he had planned for Gallant Sindri to have lunch with him on their picnic, Gonuret had let the others know in advance that they were to eat without them. By the time the two of them had returned, the other Gallants and Ansar were finished just about finished with their food. Solare Vitara was seated amongst them. They all stood up when they caught sight of Sindri.

"You are all free to do as you wish," Solare Vitara told the Gallants in a dismissing manner. "That includes you as well, Visionary Ansar."

Ansar, who was hoping to catch Sindri alone for a final debriefing on the Gallants, huffed and dragged his feet to his room. Kelius sent a glare towards Gonuret as they walked towards the room they shared. The others took off in different directions.

When she was finally alone with Sindri, Solare Vitara gave him a sympathetic smile. "Tomorrow you are to narrow your choice down. After the last couple of dates, be prepared to make your final decision. Do you have any questions or requests before then?"

Sindri watched as everyone was dismissed before turning his attention to Solare Vitara. He nodded. He already had it narrowed down. After his date with Ruthed, he and Emyve were out. Ilohir had asked him to not pick him from the beginning, and he respected that. He did feel a connection with Madhal, but it felt platonic...that left only Kelius and Gonuret. "As of right now, I only have one question." He said as he turned to look at her. "I know what my responsibilities will be after I choose a lifemate, but, what happens to the others when all of this is all over?" He hoped that he would get to see them again. After all, it would be a shame to start new friendships if he wasn't allowed to see them for a long time. "It may sound childish, but I do hope to see everyone again. I've made many new friends."

"That part is up to you as the new Solare," Solare Vitara replied. "The Gallants are usually free to go back and forth from their home biome to Middlemost. Most choose to have two residencies, one here and one in their biome. Should you need them, as you probably will soon, you can summon them to the Gallant Hall for any serious decisions pertaining to either a single biome or the entire planet."

Sindri was glad to hear he would at least see them again. All of them had become friends as well as dragons whose opinion he highly valued. "I see. That clears some things up. Though, I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions for everyone as we go along." He replied with a small smile. "Thank you again." That being said, the two of them bid themselves a good night and walked away.

::::::

Ansar fed his rabbit mulishly while Ruthed happily played with his own. "Madhal should just come out and publicly say that he wants Ilohir as his lifemate instead of Sindri."

"We're not allowed to choose for ourselves until the Solare representative makes his choice. Only then are we free to choose whomever we wish," Ruthed reminded him.

"Still, I don't think it's-" Ansar's reply was cut short when the door to their room was slammed open to reveal a fuming Kelius. "Ack!" He gasped in shock.

"One of you!" Kelius hissed. "Switch places with me as Gonuret's roommate before I do something I'll regret! I can't stand that stupid, goofy smile on that little fucker's face! All I want to do is punch it right off!"

With a shrug, Ruthed hopped off his bed and walked out of the room with his rabbit in tow. Ansar, who was still in shock, watched the teal-haired dragon abandon his spot without question. Kelius practically slammed the door right behind Ruthed on his way out.

"The freak's the matter with you?" Ansar questioned warily.

"I don't know how, but I think that pale punk managed to outdo me on his date," Kelius growled. "But, I'm not going to hand Sindri over to him so easily..."

"My best friend is not a possession," Ansar pointed out. "You keep talking as if he's some kind of trophy."

"Just what do you know, you're not even a Gallant!" Kelius retorted.

"Well, I know what not to do when it comes to the way I treat loved ones!" Ansar countered.

Kelius let out a derisive snort. "Oh? Kind of like how you knew what not to do when you shoved me into the lake without even knowing how to swim?"

"Th-that was your fault for dragging me with you!" The beige dragon huffed. He stood up to glare into crimson eyes. "And you've yet to allow me to properly thank you for saving my life. Argh! Forget thanking you! You don't deserve it."

The copper dragon's jaw dropped. "You are an insufferable spoiled brat with moths for brains!" Kelius declared. "Maybe I should have just let you drown!"

Ansar gasped loudly in an indignant manner. "You know what? Fuck you!" He rushed towards Kelius, ready to shove him hard with his hands when his wrists were grabbed, and he was pulled off balance. The next thing he knew, a set of full, soft lips pressed against his in a punishing kiss. His complaints became muffled, and then non-existent as a warm tongue invaded his mouth. Ansar's lids felt heavy, and he closed his yellow eyes as his struggling completely died out.

Kelius didn't know what compelled him to do such a rash thing, but once he started, he couldn't bring himself to stop. Why did the brat's mouth taste so good? The trembling tongue that hesitantly slid along his somehow excited him even more. When he felt himself becoming aroused, he snapped out of it and pulled away, his red eyes wide. "Shit. I...I didn't mean to do that. I was angry. I shouldn't have let out my anger on you."

Ansar's eyes lowered to the ground as he tried to hide his pain from the other dragon. "D-don't worry about it. It never happened. You can sleep on Ruthed's side. I'm going to get some fresh air!" He rambled as he all but ran out of the room.

The copper dragon raked his fingers through his auburn hair and pulled back on it in frustration. "Fuck!" He hissed, feeling more confused than he had ever been in his life.

::::::

Ansar was seated on a window sill in one of the hallways furthest from the Gallant Hall. His knees were bent, and his elbow was sprawled over them as he rested his head on his arm, gazing at the darkening sky with vacant eyes. Tears were still silently falling down his cheeks as he tried to uselessly will his feelings away. He couldn't afford for his heart to give way so easily for that blasted Gallant! Not when Sindri hadn't made his decision yet. The beige dragon would never willingly destroy his best friend's happiness over some stupid, sexy dragon. So, why couldn't he stop the tears from falling?

Sindri was making his way back to his room when Ansar seated upon one of the window sills. He smiled as he approached him, but the smile quickly turned into a frown when he realized that the beige dragon was crying. "Ansar, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

The brunette heard Sindri's voice distantly as if the apricot dragon stood further away than he was. Ansar didn't like to hear the worry etched in his friend's voice. And, he liked it even less that he was the cause of it. "N-no real reason," He replied with a sniffle. "Just kinda worried that the Sentains might not let me stay here to help you when you're officially the Solare in a couple of days." What he told him was true, but that wasn't what worried him the most. Either way, he aimed to ease his friend's concerns.

The apricot dragon sat down next to his friend. "Surely, if we both talk to them, we can convince them to let you stay." He needed to find a way to cheer the other up. "I can't tell you who, but I've narrowed it down to two people. I think I know who I'll choose now, but I want to see how the dates tomorrow go."

Ansar didn't know how he managed it, but he summoned up a smile just for Sindri. "Good. C-can't wait to see who it's gonna be."

::::::

The following day, after breakfast, all of the Gallants lined up just like they did during their first introductions. Ansar remained seated next to Sindri as the blonde revealed who was going to go on a second date with him.

"Everyone, I've narrowed it down to two people. Some weren't chosen due to private or personal matters." He started. He knew that Ruthed and Ilohir would be alright with his choice. He just hoped that Madhal and Emyve wouldn't be upset, in turn. "Gallant Kelius. Gallant Gonuret. You are the two that I have narrowed it down to." He only hoped that the two didn't try to fight each other over this.

Madhal sent Sindri a wink. "Well, since I'm out of the running, I'm going to go and compromise all of Ilohir's time," He stated as he held out his elbow for Ilohir to take. "Shall we?"

A flustered flush formed across Ilohir's face. "A-alright." He replied softly as he took hold of Ilohir's elbow. "Good luck to you, Gallant Sindri." He said over his shoulder as they walked away.

Emyve nodded in acceptance while Ruthed hopped from one foot to the other in joy. "Thanks, Sindri!" The aquamarine dragon squealed as he tugged Emyve by his wrist out of the ballroom. "Come on, Emyve, let's go do something fun, you big lug." He certainly loved the tall, dark, and handsome type.

Ansar looked over at Kelius, but the copper dragon's gaze was centered only on Sindri. With a sigh, he stood up. "I'm going to…take a long walk." He said as he walked away.

As soon as Ansar's back was turned, Kelius's crimson eyes followed the beige dragon's every step until he left the ballroom completely. "I have the first half, right?" He affirmed as his gaze went back to Sindri's.

Sindri smiled when he saw just how happy the others seemed with his decision. Not a single one of them had countered it. He was glad that they took it so well and he hoped that everything worked out between the two apparent pairs. He looked over to Ansar as he walked away, frowning and a bit, and confused as to why the other was acting that way. The blonde eventually turned his attention towards Kelius. "That's right." He replied before looking over at Gonuret. "Would you please keep an eye on Ansar until I've returned?" He asked the white-haired dragon.

Gonuret was surprised when Kelius chose the first half. The auburn-haired dragon had been so fired up about his having the lasting impression on Gallant Sindri the day before. Why would he want to risk his having the final lasting impression now? When the apricot dragon asked him to watch over the brunette, he gave him a reassuring smile. "Certainly," He replied as he headed in the direction of the beige dragon.