Asta hesitated slightly when he reaffirmed his statement, nodding slowly. "I want to believe you. I'm trying to believe you." She answered quietly, tilting her head back and into his hand as he moved away. She watched him go with a sad smile. She took a small step forward and set a hand on either side of his face, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. She pulled back and tried to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling over, rubbing her thumb gently over his cheekbone. Goodbyes were now her least favorite thing.

"Guess this is the part where I leave and go do epic shit, right?" She joked wearily, slowly letting her hands drop from his face.

Shutting his eyes as she pressed their lips together, he hardly moved but to return the kiss. When he opened hem, she was about to cry. E's hand came up under her chin, rubbing her cheek over with his thumb.

"I'll be here. Kick ass and take names for me love." He laughed quietly, holding back a reaction to the little stabby pain it gave him. His hand came down losely, giving no look of sadness, figuring she was racking her mind for reasons to stay for him.

Asta tilted her head slightly into his hand, sighing and nodding slowly. She offered him a weak smile for his joke. "Yes, sir." She nodded teasingly, pausing for a moment to get a good look at him. "Try not to die or let anyone else around die, okay?" She offered meekly, backing away so the instinct to never leave was, at least, less plausible.

E smiled at her and dropped his hand from her face, resting at her wrist. A gentle and unconscious motion, it looked a little like he was feeling her pulse- which he was.

"I will, come back with either cool scars, asses you've taken or good news." He let go of her, fighting the urger to keep ahold of her. "Please be safe, love." He backed up a foot or two as she moved away.

Asta offered him a weak smile as he touched her wrist, taking a deep breath and letting the momentary contact comfort her. "I'll try." She nodded slowly, trying to look strong and brave as he let go. "I'll do my very best, but I can't make any promises. I'll see you. Either in this life or the next, y'know?" She added, her words meant to come across as a joke- though they fell exceptionally flat. "Bye." She added, turning to walk away and tensing her fingers slightly. Her nails bit into her palms, and she didn't quite know how else to distract from the idea of leaving. She had already said her goodbyes to everyone else, so with a final glance over her shoulder and a wave, she made her way to Castor.

E took up a less tired look as she bravened up, a subconscious mimic. He grinned gently as she attempted dry humor, even if it was too emotional for it to really hit, he still liked it. He hesitated for a second, "Bye." It was as strong as he would make it sound at the moment. He waved, his hand falling, he hugged himself sighing. He watched her. Unbelievably proud but so worried. Somewhat of a new sensation. This was the most real thing he'd ever experienced. Even when his dragon had dropped him the first time, really it didn't exactly compare.

Asta took in a deep, slightly stuttering breatha s She fought tears. Stupid, ridiculous, dumb tears. She shook her head and kept marching across the yard, running up Castor's front leg and slinging herself into her seat. She couldn't look back. If she looked back, she would cry, and she'd go running right back to the love of her life and leave everyone else to die. She had never wanted to be selfish so badly in her life. But it was without a backwards glance that she urged Castor on, up and over the treeline and on towards her quest.

Skippy skippy to when Asta brings back a sufficient amount of stray dragons and people?))

Yeas)

It was weeks later when Asta finally set sail back to the house. Maybe two, maybe three, maybe a month- she hadn't been counting. She just knew every day away from Ethan was a day from their already limited time together. But she had spent her time, however reluctantly, seeking out as many stragglers as possible. It included 12 dragons and 15 people- not an army by any means, but it would have to make do, since she couldn't spend any more time searching without it becoming useless. And so on She flew the riot of dragons back to what she considered home base, just barely keeping Castor slow enough for the riot to follow. It was an hours long journey before they all alighted in the frontyard of the little shack.

Just short of leaping, Asta slid from Castor and stared at the house in front of her, practically buzzing with excitement and worry and fear- and anticipation.