Princess Lovebug.(Private w/Dual)

Perhaps it was due to his different worldview compared to the reserved yet love-resonating being she was, but she likely had an easier time being affectionate without being passionate than him at the moment, shuddering lightly at the kiss and having mildly hoped she'd say they could be lovers soon. But, even so, he could feel her intent and meaning well enough, and hoped he could be a suitable companion as he let her hold him off the ground. He'd smile more eventually, cuddling with her in return for as long as the kiss would last. As far as he was concerned now, their relationship was in a perfect spot and could keep blooming.

Eventually, he'd have his chance to talk, and when he did so, he'd caress her face with a bright smile even as she held him. "... If this is what it means to be friends with you, then you can bet I wanna be your best friend." He chuckled softly. "So... Ready for that workout morning routine by the beach...?" He then tilted his head lightly and stroked her mane instead. "... Or should I help you make your braids first?" He liked it more loose, but her braids had their charm on him still.

Thryssa considers the offer. "I think that at least for today, I can hold off on keeping my mane in a practical braid. I think you like it a little better that way, although I don't think you'll admit it unless strenuously interrogated." She winks to him. "So we can move right to a nice exercise session on the beach. After, of course, we get into some clothes." She grins in a fangy way at him. "For now, the only people who get to see me like this are my XO and my family, and as much as it would amuse me if Lepinora somehow conspired to replace the entirety of the village with my immediate and extended family, I sincerely doubt she has." She pecks him on the cheek and then starts selecting some casual clothing and dressing on the spot, having no hesitation in letting him see her bent over and in various positions and poses as she does.

Sugary got a light blush along with a stupefied smile once he was let go, unsure when Thryssa figured he liked long loose manes. He was certain he never told her specifically, but she was right. "Am I that easy to read for her?" He pondered, and also pondered further if she was teasing him as she got dressed up, watching her positions and poses intently, and then snorting to snap himself out of his trance and get dressed himself. "If she knows that, then...!"

He thought to have fun with it in turn, very slowly and intently trying to dress up as if doing a strip-tease in reverse. His movements accentuated and body flexing just before covering himself up, especially doing a little shake of the rump when putting on trousers and shorts, and shirt sliding down flexed abs and then turning to show his back as he stretched out to make it seem like he was adjusting it further. Once done, he looked to her again, torso lightly leaning back and to the side like a glamour model despite his face being rugged still, one arm on his waist, the other flexing as he used his thumb to point outside. "That's fine by me, as along as I get to see your real smile when we get back." She could look like any mare, or dragon, if she tried hard enough, but only her Changeling looks mattered to him.

And having made his flirt, he waited for her to transform before going out and stretch lightly on the sandy path and taking deep breaths while enjoying the cool shade sand under his hooves with a soft neigh. He was more than ready to take in the fresh air of a good vacation.

"Oh, you'll see my real smile the entire time, Mister Market," she assures him with that fangy grin, adding some cheekiness into the gesture. " I've been working really hard on being able to fine-tune a little so I can do this." She lights her horn and the viridian fire of changeling shapeshifting magic sweeps over her and out the other side comes... pretty much her. Her chitin is replaced with black coat, her hair is light turquoise and unchanged, she's the same height, same build, same shape, and when she gives him a shy smile, he sees that she's even kept the changeling tooth structure which she probably did because it can be hidden with ease. The only really noticeable difference is that her spiraling changeling horn is more conventionally unicorn and her dragonfly wings have vanished. She grins at him in that fangy way and poses. "So what do you think, Sugary? Good disguise or not?" When he gives his reply, she follows him out along the shady sand, seeming quite happy with life at the moment and why wouldn't she? She has a handsome stallion, no responsibilities, and is pretty much walking around openly in her own skin, sans a single really notable change.

Sugary chuckled softly at her look. "I think hiding in plain sight is the best kind of hiding." He cocked his brow a bit pensively though. "Just try not to smile too much at anyone else we might pass by... Might make them trip in surprise!" Overall, he wasn't worried at all and stretched some more in place, glad he could still have more or less the same Thryssa out with him in the open with the same charming smile he loved... Even if it was one of the sharpest set of fangs in the entirety of Scarabi given her royal blood.

It was then he clapped his hands and pumped his fists up in the air briefly... "That said, let's go! Just listen to that morning breeze and water nearby~!" Again he jogged in place, urging her to follow him out the little path and onto the nearby beach. It was... a rather ordinary beach in and off itself. No particularly impressive details about it that would make it a tourist spot aside from getting some locals now and then, but it was also perfect to just move through the soft dry sand or refreshing wet sand. It did come with a far view of little else but sky and clouds afar, sun rising over the horizon still. A modest but calming place for a future Queen and Military matriarch to let the soothing sounds and salty scent keep her company along with her companion who was all too content standing over the sand like he belonged there with his constant grin, and sniffing the air a lot. "Aaahhh~... Perfect... Just perfect..." He began to stretch, slowly, but looked to her to see if she'd try to imitate him or find some other way to warm up.

Thryssa laughs. "You know, Sugary, your completely random bursts of passion and enthusiasm over utterly random things is a real delight. Life is an adventure for you, or at least that's how you act." She follows her shorter companion out onto the beach and the simultaneously cool and piping hot sand, barely stopping herself from smiling so broadly that it shows off the delicate points of her changeling fangs... at least until they're seemingly alone. Then she's not nearly as shy about smiling with full fang and making no attempt to hide it at all. She takes in the salty sea air with a happy sigh and looks out over the water. "It reminds me so much of home, strangely. A sea of endless sand and water stretching in all directions. Granted, the water is actually a mirage in the Barrens and yet, it still reminds me of the place I really belong." She reaches over and taps lightly on the tip of his horn. "As do you, Mister Market." She then begins going through all the classic pre-exercise stretches, warming up her legs and arms, limbering her back and torso muscles, even doing odd little exercises with her hand and fingers. She then lights her horn and from her viridian magic, a speed bag is formed out of magic and thin air, and she begins working it with enthusiasm, keeping it moving at a blurring speed.

During the warming up, Sugary's heart warmed greatly as Thryssa regarded him in a homely manner; He was most pleased by this as it showed in his bright smile and blushing cheeks while they continued to stretch about. Her own honest and dangerously fangy smile eased him up further, oddly enough.

And soon after she began her precision practice, he began his own. Clumps of sand were levitated up so he'd punch and kick swiftly out of the way, keeping some distance to not bother her with spreading. While it looked simplistic at first, his strikes became faster as he gathered up more clumps, even occasionally hitting multiple at once or in fast order with his limbs; This required focus and a sharp mind to grab soil, place it where he pleased, and then hit them with high accuracy again and again as he moved his body towards them. More clumps and more strikes about made it look like he was constantly trying to keep up with himself between magic and muscle-reflex, his stamina being apparent as well with the flow of movement all over.

He'd stop eventually, looking over to her as sand hovered around him. "Hey, you wanna go for a run, or do you feel like sparring?" Either way, he was eager; But there seemed to be a twinkle in his eyes for a fight.

Thryssa keeps at the speed back for several minutes, and then dismisses it and replaces it with a regular punching bag projection. The way she's keeping her head slightly down and keeping her wrist directly in line with her arm, he could probably guess that she's hitting the projection fairly hard although because it's magic, it shows no sign to indicate how hard it's being hit. She stops doing that part about the same time that Sugary finishes his turf destruction, dismissing the construct and breathing a little more rapidly than normal, her brow having a light sheen of sweat. "I think... I'd much prefer to hit constructs... than Sugary sweet stallions..." she pants a little to him with a fangy smile. "At least, not right now. I think a good vigorous run might get me more in the mood for it, though, because... a good run is sort of taking a breath for me. I've always been far better... at cardio than strength exercises, at least in terms of endurance. The Barrens sort of require that kind of exercising and training orientation, endurance and cardiopulmonary over power." She grins now. "Besides, we might find a good solid branch I can drive into the sand... so I can work on something new."

Sugary moved a bit closer, starting to jog in place with a curious grin. "Not much into power? Could've fooled me after that last Officer's test... Unless, you've been skipping out on some of your own drills, hmmm~?" He teased, figuring Changelings in general were stronger when relying on their emotion-based powers, and continued. "But hey, fine by me to see you gracefully galloping on the beach some more... And I'm curious to know what you got planned." He kept jogging in place, smiling at her expectantly and contently to keep going; His full recovery was more than apparent, the patient stallion showing seemingly endless vigor right before her as he hardly broke a sweat so far.

Thryssa gave him another grin with fangs. "Not skipping out on any of the drills, dear Sugary. It's just that it's considered a bad fault to break things on your dance partner when sparring and testing. A good fighter must deliver exactly as much force as they need to accomplish their goal, and to snap a wrist when you really meant to put someone in a hold means that you lack control, finesse, and precision. Besides, I only point the big guns at enemies, and you will never be my enemy." She kisses him on the forehead and then joins him in jogging in place before she lets her horn glow and begins taking off across the beach, running lightly across the sand and, he might notice, her footprints are much larger than her feet, as if she's somehow wearing invisible clown shoes. Whatever she's doing appears to make it easier for her to move as she's not sinking in quite so much."

A realization would come to him as they jogged, and it wasn't the spell she was using in particular, but how she was using it. And to him, they seemed excellently structured yet simple. He smiled to her. "... I'm really glad you're enjoying your vacation. Please remember that you can always ask me to practice anything you never quite had time to before. I've so much I'd love to learn still, and share." Perhaps he was looking at it the wrong way, but he thought her use of a spell he had not seen her use before to simply run easier was her showing less attention to her usual duties and worries. He'd gladly support any curiosities she allowed herself to rehearse these days.

"I'm glad I'm enjoying my vacation too, Sugary," she says to him, not really breaking a sweat or seeming to breath hard yet from their run. "As to practicing on you, and sharing things with you, I think that we can worry about that back in a more private setting." She giggles--actually giggles--at him in an especially carefree manner before turning her head back to the direction she's going and continuing their journey across the sand, naturally swaying in all kinds of intriguing and enjoyable ways as she goes.

His chest nearly fluttered at her most genuine giggle since they met on top of taking his suggestion into consideration; Though he felt she had more in mind than highly affectionate showers, and that only got him more anxious and excited for how things would go between them.

As they ran, he'd gleefully keep up, but her cheery mood made him look her way a fair few times to glance at her jollyness. It also got him to slow down ever so slightly to watch her sway effortlessly about, but tried not to be too obvious about it; His light blush and light grin could only be hidden so much though, ever slowly becoming more attracted to his boss the more they had their leisurely time together.

But it was that which gave him an idea as his grin grew more as he got right back to her side. "Say, Thryssa? I think I know a way we can train and have some more fun..." It was then he raised an hand to her face, lightly stroking it as she would whenever she was about to share a kiss with him. Boldly, he let it linger on her cheek a bit, but then he giggled with mirth and ran faster. "Tag! You're it~!" Would his idea pay off? Was she willing to have their running on the beach while they chased each other about?

Thryssa blinks a moment, watching him run, before she grins and starts chasing him. "I don't have the slightest idea what it means to be 'it' but I think you want me to chase you, Mister Market!" she declares to him as she follows. "I'm not sure why, but I like chasing a fleeing stallion. It makes me feel all scary and predatory and good about myself, although... it leads to a thought..." She pants a little from exertion and then grins at him, although he probably can't see that. "If I'm the predator, then you are the prey and it's time to try to see if it's thrilling to hunt." Her horn lights up and she takes a step, gathers herself, and launches up into the air with magical assistance, twisting around as she flies so that she lands a few feet in front of him turned towards him and waiting. "'Allo, moppet!"

He can hear well enough as she runs behind him, and his smile becomes all the more gleeful with how she's taking the role. She was technically right, but he felt her interpretation of it was even more fun. And then he spotted her jump right in front of him, to which he yelped a little and spoke as he dove to the side to avoid her. "You'll have to try harder, guv'ner~!" He was likely going to prove to be a slippery one when he rolled over the sand on the downwards slope and quickly tried to get going again. He was closer to the water's edge now though, and seemed hesitant to want to get wet so soon again as a wave came near him.

Thryssa dives for him as he dodges to a side but fails, and goes sprawling on the sand for a moment. She then grins and pushes herself to her feet, brushing off, not seeming to be overly concerned with the fact that her prey is outdistancing her, and then she starts off again, angling towards the water. She reaches the water's edge, gather herself for another magic-assisted leap, and then takes a long jump into the waves, beyond the edge where the shore would drop off into serious depth, and disappears under the water. Sugary would find himself suddenly and seemingly alone on that shore, with no one chasing him, but then Thryssa comes rocketing out of the water like she's being propelled by some kind of rocket with her arms outstretched and a mischievous grin on her face, trying to take out his legs in a glorious tackling leap worthy of a movie slow-mo.

Sugary kept going at first, but took a double-take behind him when he saw Thryssa fall into the water. He didn't understand what happened, thinking she had tripped the wrong way instead. And so he looked back warily for a bit, moving slowly, and then a little concerned when she didn't get back out from the water just yet. But just as he was about to go back for her, he realized, all too late, that she set herself up for a surprise attack when he saw sharp teeth rocketing his way. He became the guppy to her shark attack as she caught his legs, making him yelp as he was tackled down and splashed hard.

Thryssa beams up at Sugary as she successfully takes him off his feet and then lets him go just long enough to crawl upwards a bit and hug him around the torso. "I win!" she declares happily, sounding much younger and more carefree than he's ever heard her sound before. "The predator has caught her prey with outstanding and great success." She sort of snuggle him on the beach, dripping wet and getting sand stuck to both of them. "So... what happens now? Do I let you up and you run and I try to pounce you again or do we reverse the roles and I become the fleeing prey before a ravenous stallion predator?"

Laying defeated upon his back, he could hardly complain for the loss given she was amusingly gleeful of her victory; More so than he ever thought possible. He chuckled along with her obvious joy, though her snuggling was far more endearing than he would've thought as he gently hugged her back and looked down to her with a blush. "Well... If the rules required you to keep at it, I don't think I'd get this moment again quite the same way. So, feel free to enjoy your victory this round before you decide to let go and make a run for it." His eyes then gained a sharp playful stare to go along with his growing grin, his body remaining subdued under hers, but muscles twitching ever so slightly in eagerness to give chase the moment she did leave his embrace.

"Oh, so I do get to play as prey!" Thryssa grins up at him with cutely sharp fangs. "Sounds like fun, although I think it's fair warning to say that I'm liable to cheat. For example, jumping into the water and using a bit of power to race through it and get enough momentum to tackle you from within it. Because all's fair when you're predating or preying." She continues to snuggle him for a couple more minutes before kissing the tip of his horn and getting to her feet, taking his hand and pulling him up after her. She brushes the two of them off and then stands there, looking completely innocently anticipatory. "So... was I right about me playing prey to your predator or is there more to the game now?"

He admittedly enjoyed the lasting snuggles though, despite her claim to be ready to make a run for it. But that left him wondering if she was actually gonna go for it or just stall pleasantly as he caressed her wet back and mane in turn.

Hi horn sparked a teensy bit after the kiss, and he arose a little flushed, but curious as he looked up at her. "... Uh... You're making it kinda hard for me to chase when you're just standing right in front of me..." He rose a brow along with a smirk. "Are you trying to tease me, or are you trying to test me?" It was hard not to feel teased when she took her sweet time, adorably ignorant of what he was expecting of her or just clever, and wearing a very wet shirt on a very wet body that stood well within his reach that made him a little hot and bothered; Or maybe it was just the sun and salt doing that.

Slowly, but very deliberately, he raised and spread his arms, grinning more like a playful predator, and bent his knees a little as if about to pounce on her to get her going... And if she didn't, he would actually pounce her right there and then.

Thryssa's eyes twinkle mischievously, her horn lighting as he bends his knees. She waits until he actually leaps at her before she does the very short-ranged teleport, blinking to only a couple steps beyond his reach when he lands. She extends a hand and waggles her pointer finger at him in a playful tsk-tsk gesture before turning around and starting to run. Notably, she's actually sinking into the sand a little with each step, no longer using magic to give herself any kind of advantage. It's now purely a contest of speed, his against hers, and based on the giggles that are floating back from the fleeing partly-disguised changeling mare, she's enjoying this quite a bit.

With a semi-graceful flop upon sand, he looked up to her with mild bemusement at her trickery that quickly became a grin again as he got up on all four of his limbs, neighed, and galloped after her using his knuckles and hooves to push fast against the sand. He'd then quickly get up again, and pick up more speed as he ran after her quite fast. "C'mere, I just wanna give you a hug~!" A playful half-truth, as he chased after the taller wet beautiful mare with an excellent view of her flank to motivate him into keeping up. Of course, she did have the longer stride, but he'd still try and corner her against the bushes or the water again at any turn he could, arms ever ready to wrap themselves on the prize.

Thryssa looks over her shoulder as she runs and sees Sugary chasing her on all fours. "I see my stallion really wants somepony to ride him," she teases with a slight breathlessness before turning around again and putting her concentration into fleeing the pursuing stallion. Naturally, Sugary gets to enjoy a lot of extended viewing of that firm mare flank flexing and wiggling in time with the movements of her legs, toned and athletic and ever so very inviting to kneed... if only he could catch it! Which is getting increasingly likely as being a bit more top-heavy than he, she sinks a little lower and actually moves slightly slower despite having a better stride. The conclusion of this race is inevitable and Sugary soon finds Thryssa within tackling, glomping, and/or hugging distance.

Fortune be in his favor as she runs over a particularly soft mound of sand where her hooves sink and slow her down enough for him to catch up with his pace, leaping strongly with all his momentum and glomping her from behind, his warm sweaty body pressed up against her back and his arms wrapping around her like a beast on a hunt, his muzzle snorting hard against her neck as they tumbled forward... Which would be starkly contrasted by the care he took afterwards with his horn glowing mid jump and them being wrapped in a barrier that absorbed their fall into the sand like a gentle cushion before settling slowly against the warm ground. Soon after, a light nuzzling against the back of her neck began, though she might also feel his smugness as he had a broad grin to go along with it. "Gotchaaa~"