Dungeon of Niflheim

As Frost pulled back from his intimate advance (thankfully one Khione didn't notice) the two remained seated on the public bench staring deeply at one another, their hearts beating with vigour and delight. The moment was special, comforting and warm, bringing them closer, enhancing the trust that had begun to bloom within.

Khione instinctively placed the young man known as Frost deep into the centre of her heart, standing right beside her parents and most cherished siblings. Someone who was but a stranger days ago was now irreplaceable to her. Just a flash in her mind of his face, of his voice, of his smile or of any one of their earlier interactions even the bad ones brought a smile to her lips and filled her heart with joy and blissful warmth.

It'd been so long since she felt so naturally happy, so giddy that her body felt like a cloud that could rise to the heavens and gracefully soar high in the sky. Her lips curled upwards, her eyes narrowed, and she felt a tingling sensation across her skin and hot in the areas Frost touched. Those feelings that she did her best to ignore and restrain creeped through her defences, inciting her desires.

The two silently looked at one another, Frost doing his best to reign in his urge to corrupt this beauty while Khione gradually came to terms with her own desires. Her gaze subtly changing, sparkling with lust and want as she gazed at him in his handsome attire, her mind conjuring images of what lay beneath. Those perfectly sculpted muscles, his smooth jade-like skin and of course that intimidating appendage that made even someone of her size shiver in trepidation.

Such erotic temptations still invoked a sense of fear within her, but the push back was no longer as strong thus she felt encouraged by it, desiring to gradually test her limits. A decision that resulted in her stomach being filled with butterflies as her gaze rose from Frost's lower body to land on his lips, memories of seeing her family members kissing their partners appearing in her mind. Curious to feel what they felt.

Alas she was still rather shy and nervous, the moment that thought entered her mind she quickly remembered where they were.

Not far from the national museum, seated on a public bench the two were in full view of dozens of people walking by, some whispering and even giggling as they passed them. Catching a couple of their comments Khione turned red in the face, steam threatening to spew out of her ears as her embarrassment rose to an extreme level.

A reaction that made it even harder for Frost to restrain himself, finding her current expression almost irresistible. Even Maya his little rabbit Fenrir wasn't this cute when she was embarrassed.

Not wanting to cause her embarrassment to shift into anger he subtly removed his right hand from her cheek as well as his left from her shoulder. And instead he used one to firmly grasp her hand and the other to gently rest on her left thigh (close to the knee), keeping contact but not being too intimate. A move that Khione quickly noticed, her cheek suddenly feeling colder and slightly uncomfortable. She greatly enjoyed his caresses and thus felt a void when he pulled away. Thankfully he didn't retract the connection completely, merely moving to a less intimate area thus she could still feel and enjoy his touch without being too embarrassed.

'He's so sweet and thoughtful.' Khione internally praised Frost's skills. A good man who paid close attention to her emotional state and placed it above his own interests. His stock rose even higher in her heart if that was even possible.

Feeling that things were getting a bit awkward (a situation wherein they couldn't move forward nor wanted to move backwards) Frost spoke up before his strength left him. "Thank you Khione, because of you I don't feel quite so overwhelmed by what awaits me when I return… with you by my side I feel strong as though even if the heavens were to fall on my head I'd be able to stand tall." To show off his positive mood and surge of strength Frost tightened his grip on Khione's hand and flexed his muscles. He then leaned in to whisper in her ear. "And I promise to keep your adorable little secret, but you truly have no reason to be ashamed. I'd love to see the day when you can comfortably reveal your true nature to the world." His words were filled with reassurance and a slight teasing in reference to Khione's little hobby but for the woman who'd just granted permission for her desires to make their presence known the secret that sprung to the forefront of her mind was not the one that involved her playing with dolls despite being a fully grown woman but the one where she moaned, groaned and even came after being mercilessly spanked by the same hand that was now intertwining with her fingers.

That red blush that had started to recede returned with a vengeance and her replying words came out in a nervous stutter.

"N…N…No prob…lem." She didn't have the guts to even look at Frost and his enchanting smile right now, her mind already delving headfirst into the gutter.

A couple minutes later the young couple returned to their date, Frost feeling much lighter than before as though he removed a heavy weight from his chest while Khione's struggled to focus on the task at hand, her mind awash with intruding thoughts that brought a perverted grin to her lips.

Their next destination was the national gallery which was set up practically next door to the national museum. Here impressive works of art from statues, paintings, carvings, poems and even the occasional piece of exquisite equipment were set up in their own display halls, protected behind barriers formed of dense mana and or translucent ice. Even if he wielded the [Wolf howling at the moon] in perfect condition and used his strongest skill he wouldn't even be able to leave a small scratch on the barrier, such was the determination to protect these works of fine art. A strange notion for the young Dungeon core to comprehend considering the struggles he'd seen Icethorne go through, to protect itself from invading forces.

'Niflheim's in a class of its own.' Frost shook his head trying his best not to think about it. What a rich man considers garbage could very well be treasure in the eyes of the poor and he was most definitely the poor man in this scenario.

The gallery didn't take as long to complete as the museum, but it was still rather educational. In his 18 months of life Frost hadn't much opportunity to appreciate the arts of Nova.

'Perhaps I should look into seeing a play or opera when I next get a chance.' There were several posters and bulletins on the walls of the gallery informing the public about upcoming events some of which looked quite interesting but since their time was rather finite (and the fact that Khione herself wasn't much of a fan of such things) attending a play was crossed off the potential list.

'Next time then.' He was determined to give it a try and knew deep in his heart that this wouldn't be his only chance to tour Niflheim nor travel somewhere with Khione by his side. There was no way he was letting go of this prize winning catch.

By the time they left the gallery the sky was already in the process of darkening and in response magic lamps lining the city streets lit up with a mixture silver, blue and even purple glows giving the entire place a different and almost romantic feel.

"Perfect timing the botanical gardens are much more beautiful once night sets in." Seeing the dark skies and the lighting of the streetlamps Khione nodded her head and smiled from ear to ear before dragging Frost to the nearest teleportation point that would deposit them at the doorstep of their 2nd to last destination of the day.

Their date would finish on a cruise through the Modanya current, a highlight that was only made better when night fell according to her mother. Khione didn't really understand her subtle intentions but didn't question her since she too thought a night cruise would be a fitting end to the day. Wonderful sights, easy access to food and drink, entertainment and possibly the chance to see the realm's resident behemoth. What more could you want from a tour's final destination.

First however was the botanical gardens which held a great deal of fond childhood memories for Khione, memories she was quite keen on sharing with her young paramour.

When Frost exited the teleportation point he could already see a very tall wall keeping at bay an even larger blue tinted tree with bright red flowers spanning its heaven reaching branches.

The darkness of the night sky seemed to allow the plants held within to come into an even greater degree of beauty, dancing against the moonlight as they gave off a certain luminescence.

Unlike the museum there was a cost to enter but Khione was able to wave the fee because she had a membership card and Frost counted as her plus one thus allowing them access through the barrier but not before an assigned guard gave the usual warning, listing the many rules and regulations for those visiting. Rules that when Frost heard them made his body involuntarily shiver.