[MELT.1] RAZCH: Warming up

Warming up

Dialogue markers:  Razch;  Eleanor;

Ah, winter. The season where forests fall silent and the leaves lay buried beneath thin blankets of white snow. Finley wrap themselves in warm clothes, trying to preserve what little warmth their body could hold, keeping the cold at bay and trying their best no to let the icy breeze send shivers down their spine.

On this particular Saturday, Razch had made plans to meet Eleanor, a Nyulop friend he had been quietly infatuated with for quite some time. They had been friends throughout their entire adolescence, sharing countless memories and growing up side by side. The Draken had always held onto the hope that, someday, he would finally gather enough courage to confess his feelings and that the two of them might build a happy life together, perhaps even a family of their own. Unofrtunately for now, the thought of taking that first step was enough to make his heart race at the prospect of rejection. He wanted to impress her first with a display of really impressive fire magic before finally asking her out. Unfortunately, even the simplest spell seemed determined to remain beyond his grasp.

Razch had never been the kind of finley blessed with effortless talent or good fortune. Nothing ever came to him on the first try. Whatever he achieved was earned through persistence, sweat, and more than a little frustration. For weeks, he had been practicing the ability to raise his body temperature at will, a skill that was considered almost instinctive among fire Drakens. It was one of the most basic abilities they were expected to master, yet Razch still struggled to produce even the faintest warmth on command. Drakens his age with their gems already fully formed could perform the feat with remarkable ease, while he remained stubbornly behind. And with Eleanor waiting for him later that day, the pressure to finally succeed felt heavier.

Just before leaving the house, the draken paused in front of the mirror to check his reflection. A long, fur-lined coat covered his torso, while a simple beanie sat snugly over his head lacking the pom-pom it once had (it was torn off by Razch himself). He slowly moved his arms and legs making sure everything was in place, before realizing that one important piece was missing: his scarf. He wrapped it securely around his neck and after one final glance at his reflection, tried to raise his body temperature to ward off the morning chill. The result was only a modest success, hardly enough to make a real difference, but it was sufficient to keep the cold wind from bothering him too much.

He walked for a few minutes before reaching Eleanor's house, which happened to be on the way to the café where they had planned to go that morning. Razch took a moment to steady himself before pressing the doorbell. He waited patiently on the doorstep adjusting his scarf as he watched the door, until he heard movement from inside. A moment later, he saw the door open timidly revealing the blonde nyulop.

“Razzie! You arrived right on time. I just finished getting ready.” The Nyulop gave a few playful pats to the front of her overcoat, smoothing it down.

Razch nodded, watching Eleanor close the door behind her before coming to stand beside him. She was roughly the same height as him, their eyes naturally meeting whenever they looked at one another. It meant he always had a perfect view of those amber eyes he liked so much.

“So, shall we?” she asked, gesturing for them to start walking.

After a few minutes, they reached the café and settled into a table beside the window. They ordered two hot chocolates and a plate of cookies to share, chatting idly as they waited for their drinks.

“It must be much easier for you to go out in this cold,” Eleanor said. “I spent almost half an hour trying to convince myself to get out from under the blankets. I was shivering like crazy.” She laughed softly.

“Not really. I get cold too.” Razch replied with a little laugh, joining hers.

“Your element doesn't help at all?” she asked, genuine curiosity in her voice as she tilted her head slightly.

“Well… my body is a little warmer than a nyulop's, definitely” Razch admitted. “But it's nothing special.”

“Hmm, you know what? You could learn some magic to keep us warm,” she teased playfully, wrapping her arms around herself and pretending to shiver from the cold.

Razch looked away, slightly embarrassed. Fortunately, a waiter arrived just in time to save him from having to come up with a response, setting down two steaming cups of hot chocolate and a plate of cookies. Eleanor picked up her cup in her paws and took a careful sip, feeling the warmth spread through her from the inside out.

“Ahh, much better. This is exactly what I needed.” the Nyulop said, pulling the cup away from her lips and placing it back on the table.

“I... I’ve been trying to learn how to use magic to actually control my body heat, but it’s harder than it looks.” the Draken admitted nervously as he reached for one of the cookies.

Eleanor’s ears twitched and a small, knowing smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Those things are difficult, silly. Have you ever seen a Nyulop spellbook? It’s absolute HELL. Magic takes literally forever to learn, just because you're dealing with fire it doesn't make learning any easier. Only crazy people try to rush through a bunch of techniques all at once.”

Her words made Razch relax a little. Maybe he wasn't as far behind as he had convinced himself. Gathering some courage, he decided to show her the progress he had been making.

“Give me your hand for a second.” He held out his free hand towards her “Try to notice the difference in temperature.”

Eleanor did as he asked, placing her paw against his palm. Razch closed his eyes and concentrated, focusing on the warmth in his body and slowly coaxing it to the surface. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then Eleanor's ears perked up.

“I felt it! It’s getting warmer!” she exclaimed with a bright smile spreading across her face.

“You could feel it?” Razch asked, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.  “I’m going to try to keep it this way for the rest of our outing.”

For the first time in weeks, Razch felt genuinely satisfied with his progress. It was one thing to notice the change himself, but hearing someone else confirm that his magic was actually working made all the difference.

“Dude, you actually did magic.” Eleanor finally let go of his hand and reached across the table for another cookie. “That’s so freaking cool.”

“Heh, thanks.” The nervousness that had weighed on Razch all morning had vanished completely. He could now simply enjoy the day with his best friend and his not-so-secret-to-himself crush with one less weight resting on his shoulders.

“I’ve been thinking about learning magic too, but honestly, the number of books I’d have to read just to get started is incredibly discouraging. I hate reading,” Eleanor complained.

“If you can just focus and get through the reading, you can do it easily, Ellie,” Razch encouraged her. “If I can do it, so can you.”

“I know, I’m just really lazy when it comes to reading.” She huffed, shaking her head. “I’ll put it off for a little longer before I start learning, it doesn’t have to be right now.”

Razch nodded in agreement, and the two continued chatting about their lives as they made their way through the rest of the morning. All the while, he kept his body temperature warm, carefully maintaining the same intensity of magic. By the time they finished their sweet breakfast, the morning had grown a little brighter and the cold no longer seemed quite as harsh.

The Draken walked Eleanor back to her house, and as they reached her doorstep she suddenly took his hand without a warning, checking his temperature out of curiosity.

“Damn, your hand is still as warm as the hot chocolate we had at the café, that’s really cool. Anyway, see you later! We’ll catch up soon!” She gave him a cheerful wave before stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

Razch stared down at his own hand for a moment, a small smile creeping onto his face. He slipped both hands into his coat pockets and began walking home feeling strangely content and warmer, both literally and metaphorically speaking.