A few pinpricks of trouble stirred on one such “date” three weeks before their big day. It wasn’t anything Cho Yon did to her, far from it. He was as kindly and quiet as always, even bothering to ask first before he did so much as touch her hoof. Rather it was at the confusion showing on the kirin buck’s face. He was utterly perplexed when Seong came running up to meet him at a small glade they’d come to multiple times.

“What’s wrong? I’m not that late.”

Seong muttered, tilting her head at her fiance. She had gotten held up at the restaurant, only able to leave at the time she was supposed to meet him and as such was ten minutes after time. Cho Yon’s brow raised and he looked between Seong and another path on the opposite side of the glade.

“But, you’re not late. I just saw you! Didn’t you just run off that way?”

He said, motioning to the path opposite the way Seong came.

“I thought you circled around after forgetting something, since you had to go in a rush and all.”

“Huh? But I just got here.”

“N-No I was just with you. You snuggled up beside me and were really affectionate for a bit, then jumped up and said you had to go.”

Seong’s head lurched back slightly as her face flushed red. True, the thought of cuddling up against Yon wasn’t a bad idea. He was a larger buck, smooth in scale, and sporting a longer than average white coat; something her mother told her made a great pillow as her father had a similar build. The problem was she’d just never asked for so much contact before.

Yon’s a shy one, something like that could startle him; why you never pushed much Seong. Slow and steady.

Seong slowly shook her head slightly.

“Yon, I just got here. There was a rush order at the shop and it held me up ten minutes overtime.”

“B-But you were just here. Bit more cuddly than normal but I swear you were!”

Yon belted, looking thoroughly flummoxed in a manner it seemed like he was half expecting to be the butt of some prank. Seong puzzled, not wanting to doubt her fiance as she looked down. Before she could ask if he’d been dreaming perhaps, another odd detail made itself known. Yon always brought her a small gift from his flower and garden shop. A few fresh vegetables for her cooking, a set of bamboo pins, and or a couple of flowers. He wasn’t trying to woo her with just such, as her father said it was just his way of showing affection; but he’d always done so since the first time they met after the arrangement. But this time, he had nothing. Her observation was vindicated when Yon traced her vision to the ground around him and conferred another claim.

“Y-Yeah! I brought you some of those sprouts you like and you gobbled them up before running off. Was half expecting you coming back to ask if I had anymore given you seemed ravenous!”

Ki Seong’s face slowly sunk into a worried frown and she curled her tail around Yon’s. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but something was very wrong with this picture.