(POLL) Celeste Academy - Eighth Date (Patreon)

Carida's phone buzzes against the countertop. As she reaches for it, Carida already has a pretty good idea of who it is that's messaging her. She swipes away the notifications from Wondr and the ongoing timer for her soufflé, and sees that her hunch was right.

Hello Carida, hope you're enjoying the lovely weather. Here is a "selfie" of us. Don't we look good?

Carida smiles as she types a reply. With Carida's coaching, Fauna had become a lot more adept at using her phone. Especially when it came to the camera. She and Carida had been exchanging pictures throughout the past days. Photos of a nice view or a pretty flower that one of them would encounter. It was obvious from the skewed angles and blurry images that Fauna was still learning. But it was fun, and there was a certain appeal to it as well.

The picture she just received shows half of Fauna's chin and a slice of her arm, as well as a nearly out of frame bluebird. Still, the sun is shining and the grass in the photo is emerald green.

it looks beautiful there! and both of you look great. i'm inside cooking but i should get some fresh air. here's what i'm working on

She turns on the oven light and then kneels to take a picture. The baking soufflé is a lovely golden-brown, and a rich buttery smell fills the kitchen. She attaches the photo to the message and sends it.

At the window, she decides to take Fauna's advice and pull the curtains open. Immediately, she's greeted with sunshine so bright that she has to shield her eyes for a moment. When she opens the window, the sound of chattering birds and a breeze in the trees can be heard. It's a vibrant, early spring morning.

For a moment, she just pauses to enjoy being alive. 

When she takes the time to appreciate it like Fauna does, Carida has to admit that it's easy to see the appeal of her lifestyle. Being totally in tune with nature, and with herself… While Carida may have been teaching Fauna about her phone, she feels like there's a lot that she could learn from Fauna, too.

The same could be said of any of the other ladies whom she'd gone on dates with since her whole journey began. It's hard to believe that she was over halfway through the Love Witch's promise by now. There was a good chance that she had already met her true love. Her heart races at that thought, just like it has before.

In the kitchen, Carida leans against the counter and takes her phone out of her pocket. The notification from Wondr is still there, cutesy and pink.

"Three new matches," it says.

Agatha, 22

❤: Gardening, reading, boardgames, engineering

A night spent reading is a night well spent. Bit of a housebody.

As you might expect, I'm not exactly the life of the party; swipe if you'd prefer a walk on the mild side.

The reason my local library's doorframes were extended during renovations.

Maya, 19

❤: Learning, learning, learning!

Moved here recently, and still getting to know the town. On a journey to become the highest level mage around, but I need a party to get there.

Looking for other students to  ̶s̶u̶f̶f̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ enjoy life here with. Dating or friendship is fine!

Florence, 32

❤: Cars, fashion, high dining.

Let me be your prince. Don't worry about the waltzes and balls, though; I know much better ways to spend a night.

Wanting something casual, or more long-term? It's up to you. The first date's on me - I'm always up for spending time with new and interesting people.

Writer's note:

I wrote this interlude, but the date itself will be written by Suriko! Suriko's the writer for the upcoming game First Snow which will be published by Bellhouse. You might also know him from the Lilly route in Katawa Shoujo.

-Josh

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