"Good," Dimitrius grinned as he slid his hand under her knees while his other slid around her waist, "Now I don't know about you, but I'm starved, let's go and see if Aunt Lina has dinner ready, shall we love?"

Not waiting for a response, he stood up, Ariala in his arms, and walked off in the direction of the Kitchen.

"Dimitrius, put me down." Ariala said, playfully, afraid that his aunt would not be happy to see her in his arms.

Chuckling, Dimitrius shifted her in his arms as they neared the kitchen, "Nah, I think it'd be good fun to make you squirm."

Shifting her so that she was pressed against his back, her arms around his neck and a leg on each of his sides, he walked into the kitchen and stood by his Aunt, ignoring the protesting Ariala on his back, "What's for dinner?"

"Dimitrius..." Ariala whined, burying her face, which was now completely red, into his neck.

A chuckle was the only acknowledgment that Dimitrius had heard Ariala's whne, "It smells amazing, Auntie, and we're starved."

Cindalina smiled, "We're having vegetable stew and baked bread." Noticing Ariala, she couldn't help but laugh, "Trius, darling, let the poor girl down and quit torturing her! She probably thinks you've gone insane by now!"

Dimitrius laughed, "Nah, she's fine, right Ari?"

Ariala looked shyly up at Dimitrius' aunt. "I've known he's insane for a quite a while." She said with a joking grin. "But I might feel safer if both of my feet were on the ground. Do you need any help setting the table?" She asked.

Dimitrius grinned as he let go of her legs for a second before catching them once more, allowing her to drop a couple inches, "Why, love? Afraid I'll drop ye?"

Cindalina laughed as she nodded, "If you'd like. The bowls and plates are in the cabinet over there and the silverware is in the drawer to the left of the sink, Dimitrius will show you."

Dimitrius smiled as he walked over to the cabinet and turned so Ariala could grab the bowls and plates without having to leave his back.

"Oh, this should be interesting." Ariala mumbled, trying to maintain a grip on Dimitrius while balancing the three bowls and plates. "It smells delicious, Cindalina." She added, keeping the plates and bowls between Dimitrius' back and her chest.

"That it should," Dimitrius chuckled as he walked over to the tabled and bent his knees so she could place the objects on the table without breaking them while Cindalina called back, "Thank you, child. I just hope it tastes as delicious as it smells!"

"Of course it will Auntie! We all know you're cooking is praised throughout Winterglade."

Cindalina waved a hand at Dimitrius, "Pish-posh, they do nothing of the sort and you know it."

Dimitrius chuckled as he walked over to the drawer, got out the proper silverware with one hand, and handed it to Ariala before placing his hand back under her leg and shifting her so she didn't fall as he walked back over to the table.

Ariala placed the silverware on the table. "Are you going to let me down to set the table or are you going to continue to keep me hostage and just move around the table?" Ariala asked playfully.

Cindalina chuckled as she brought over the stew to the table, "Trius, child, let the girl down. You can't expect her to eat while on your back, do you?"

Dimitrius chuckled as he let Arala slide off his back. "I would have preferred to keep you hostage," he murmured in her ear before kissing her cheek and sitting down to the right of his Aunt, who had just placed the bread and butter, as well as a pitcher of water, on the table and had sat in the center chair.

Ariala smiled happily and slid into her chair. "So, Cindalina." Ariala began, taking a slice of bread. "What made you interested in clothes?" She asked, biting into the warm bread.

Cindalina smiled as she poured a glass of water for all three of them, "Hmm.. it wasn't more of a 'something' that got me interested, it was more of a 'feeling'. You see, we Winter Elves do not choose our talents nor do we always appreciate what we are given. We feel our talents within us, and until we learn to control those talents, whenever we get excited or sad, our magic lets loose and wreaks havoc over the village for a little while. When I was a child, no such phenomenon happened; they all believed I was one of the common late bloomers. What they never realized, was that after seeing pictures of a certain gown, which you now have in your possession, I became inspired to create. One of the very rare talents of Creation had sprung within me, very few Winter Elves are lucky enough to experience the joys of this talent, too few in my opinion. So therefore, I began showing my sketches to my mother, my sisters, and finally my friends. By they time they had circulated through the entire village, I was well on my way to learning to sew and create my designs to fit my sisters, my friends, and occasionally myself. I much prefer designing clothes for others, however, so I rarely keep any designs for my personal use. I do, however, keep the occasional few just to add a touch of 'flare' to my wardrobe," she added with a chuckle before beginning her soup.

"That's different from Elimlee." Ariala said, taking a sip of her soup. Dimitrius wasn't kidding, her cooking was amazing. "We are put into our jobs based on how powerful our magic is and the different abilities we have." Ariala paused to take another bite of the warm bread. "Some of us will tend gardens for food, others the gardens of the castle, some will have lives of traveling to the Human World from time to time. I, personally, couldn't imagine doing anything that wouldn't involve growing plants."

Dimitrius sighed as he buttered another piece of bread, "I couldn't stand that. Not being able to do what comes naturally? I couldn't possibly imagine trying to do what Emelaide does, I can barely change the temperature a single degree!"

Cindalina laughed, "Then it's a good thing your talent lies in the weather, Trius child."

"But how do you stand it, Ariala; being forced into something you don't love - especially if it's not where your talent lies?"

Cindalina glanced over at Dimitrius, silently telling him to not ask so many questions at once, "It is her way of life, dear. Things are different for every Season Elf; each Season has it's own customs and it's own set of magic. Not every Season has it as easy as we do; did you not pay attention to your classes as a child?"

Blushing, Dimitrius took a bite of his bread so he didn't have to answer the question.

Ariala let out a small laugh. "I think you're mistaken." She said, "You see, my magic is what I love, its my talent, and using my magic is exactly what I want to do every day for the rest of my life. My magic is a large part of who I am and I couldn't imagine going a day without using it." She said, giving Dimitrius a smile.

Dimitrius groaned, "Your talent lies in growing things, right? What if you couldn't do that anymore and you were assigned to thawing the ice and keeping the temperatures down? Would you be happy then?"

"You don't understand." Arial said, "I'll be placed in a job based on my abilities not despite them."

Dimitrius sighed as he propped his chin up with his hand and shoved another piece of bread into his mouth.

Cindalina laughed and said in a soft aside to Ariala, but was still heard by Dimitrius, "Trius must not have caught that minute detail and now he's sulking because he doesn't want to admit he heard wrong or missed something you said."

Dimitrius rolled his eyes as he took a drink from his goblet.

Cindalina chuckled. "You see?" she teased before eating her soup.

Ariala smiled and nudged Dimitrius' foot with her own. "You know, you're much cuter when you're happy." Ariala said teasingly.

Dimitrius smirked as he teased back, giving her foot a gentle nudge with his own, "And you're cuter when you're freezing, lost, and in distress."

Cindalina smiled and gave Dimitrius a 'be nice' look as she simply continued to eat her soup, letting the couple tease and banter.

"Yes, well freezing, lost, and being in distress has always been my best look." Ariala said, laughing.

Dimitrius grinned, "I always thought so, love, 'twas what first made me notice you; and I must say, I just love making you blush so I can see that flush in your cheeks again."

The very comment made Ariala's cheeks flame red and she ducked away from him, focusing on her soup and bread, which she was nearly finished with. "Well, you seem to be good at it." Ariala said.

Dimitrius laughed as he reached across the table, took her hand in his, and brought it to his lips in a gentle kiss, "Then I'm happy, for when you blush I can't take my eyes off of you and it gives me an excuse to simply lovingly stare at you."

Cindalina laughed as she gently tapped Dimitrius' arm, "Trius, child, don't tease her so! She must be so embarrassed with you carrying on in such a way in my company. 'tis the first time we've had the pleasure of meeting, and all you've done is tease the poor girl." Turning to Ariala she smiled, "You must forgive him, Ariala, dear. Either that or you can ditch him right here and we'll find you a more suitable Winter Elf, one who won't shame us completely!"

Dimitrius laughed, "Auntie, you know you don't mean that."

"Don't I?" Cindalina teased.