My Servant Is An Elf Knight From Another World

What a question that was.

What a question, indeed…

Everything about this moment screamed utter perfection; the night, the wind, the view, the way we were, how we were… there really might never be a more perfect moment than this.

So yes, indeed… what does happen now?

Amanda slowly turned forward again, taking her smile with her… bleary, weary eyes exploring the infinite horizon before us both. She jutted forward, slumping both her head and arms against the fence, and simply laid there in wonder.

"Sigh…"

"Did you just audibly sigh?" I asked.

"Sigh…" she sighed again. "If only, you know?" she sighed even louder, peering up at the twinkles in the sky almost as if hoping that one would fall. "If only I wasn't sniveling and snorting all over the place, we could have done so much more."

Sadly, she couldn't seem to find any no matter how hard she looked, and so slightly disheartened, she sought for comfort… and found me in her sights once more.

"If only, right?" she mourned even more.

"You say that like you aren't enjoying this," I said. 'What's wrong with what's happening right now?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. There's nothing I can complain about when I'm spending time with you," she said, still smiling wide, yet still sighing deeply. "I just wish it was all a little more, is all."

I didn't say anything. I'm thinking she's forgetting. I mean with everything that's going on, all the coughing, the talking, the enjoying, it might have just slipped past her what my original intention of this date was actually supposed to be.

Maybe it's good that she's forgotten, maybe it's better that she's wishing… that way I can just surprise her, that I can just show her she didn't have to wish, she didn't have to hope…

That there was a little more, after all.

All I had to do was simply reach into my pocket, pull it back out, and hold it steady, just slowly, but also quickly… while she still wasn't looking.

"Amand - "

"You know what I'm thinking right now?"

I saw a familiar glint in her eyes, the musing, playful kind, and immediately my Amanda-senses began to tingle with dread and panic. Slowly, I pulled my hand out of my jacket, an empty hand gripping onto the fence; bracing myself.

"Umm…" I began to answer. "...how much of a pain it's gonna be walking back down this hill?"

"Oh, crap," her look faltered for a moment. "I never thought about that part. Aw, man…"

"I can always carry you again."

"Getting sidetracked, forget about that now," Amanda said, waving her hand. "Actually, I'm thinking about how much like a drawing this view here is."

"Ah, yeah, I know exactly what you mean," I said, drowning my gaze again deep in the scenery. "The town feels like - "

"Not the town," she interjected. "I mean you."

I spun back at her. "Me?"

"Yeah, you… with the backdrop and everything, the way you look. You're practically my new unlock screen right here…"

Amanda trailed off into a cough that had her head glued to the ground, and when she returned again, a brand new look in her eyes had replaced the old, and promptly my Amanda-senses fell right off the Richter scale.

"In fact, it's making me feel just a little bit competitive," she said.

"Competitive?" I asked.

"Care for a small challenge?" all of a sudden, the little sling around her shoulder flipped open, and Amanda pulled out a large, white sketchpad complete with a set of drawing utensils, which she then held out right beside her smile. "We'll take turns drawing each other, we'll each have ten minutes to finish, and the best drawing wins! Simple."

I heard each and every word, I think, I hope, I'm sure, and yet…

"Say what?"

"It's a trend right now. I saw a few clips the other day," she began to explain. "Couples would take turns sketching each other and posting it online, that kind of stuff - you know? Here, take a look."

From the same little sling, Amanda took out her phone, tapping and swiping around to a few dozen short clips of exactly as she had described: lovey-dovey couples of all shapes and sizes taking turns behind the canvas struggling to weave out their own variation of the Mona Lisa to rather… iffy results most of the time.

But there was no denying the infectious fun the pairs of two were all having with it, the rapport, the laughter… the views. Outside looking in, I gotta admit the urge to pick up a paintbrush myself was pretty strong.

Yeah, it does seem like a good time.

Just one problem though.

"Do you have any idea how many levels of unfairness it is that I have to be competing against you?" I asked her.

"There are no losers," she said, flipping the pad to an empty page and plucking out a single pencil. "This is just solely for fun and nothing more."

"Ten minutes, and you'll bring me to life on the page no problem. On the other hand, you'll get a sorta blondish, human-ish figure from me. You're fine with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she responded, completely impervious to every single kind of dissuasion. "That's exactly what I want. You'll be so embarrassed and flustered, and so utterly helpless… aww… do you mind if we get started now?"

"You really wanna do this, huh?"

"Of course, it'll be fun," Amanda said, and with that, she handed me both pencil and pad, stepping back once and blowing another sigh. "And it's at least something a little more, you know?"

And really - was I ever gonna say no? Like, come on now…

I held up the sketchpad, staring ahead at her standing amidst the breeze and the view, as always looking like the personification of grace and beauty… and slowly shifted my eyes to the blank canvas in my hand just waiting to be etched with strokes of creativity.

I sighed. "Only ten minutes?"

"I can give you fifteen if you really need it," Amanda said. "I know the eyes can be quite tricky to get right."

As if getting her eyes just right are the top of my concerns here, yeah…

"And why am I going first?"

"Less pressure, right?" she shrugged at me. "Won't you feel better if there isn't a high bar present?"

"I'm up against you, Amanda. The bar's in the stratosphere."

"I'll go easy on you, okay?" she smiled sweetly. "Now come on - draw me like one of your French girls."

No point stalling. Might as well just get this over with quick and easy and without too much of her taunting and teasing my inner Da Vinci.

After all, it's just a little more...