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"Jude?" Penelope's soft voice inquired with an old timidness. She huddled under Jude's palm.

"Do you ever wish I weren't so little? That... I could do more with you?" She felt like she was cheating him of some experiences giant and human lovers were deprived of.

“Sometimes." He was reluctant to admit.

Jude rubbed her back slowly. "Don't you ever wish I wasn't so big?" He turned the question back at her. He was sure they both wished they could be together in certain intimate ways that their size difference prevented. But he would never ask her to change. He loved her the way she was.

"I want to be with you as the man you are. I love you as you are, but... Even just to have that one act... For just a little moment, then you could go back to the way you are..."

Pen closed her eyes and leaned her back against his loving touch. "But this...All of this...I'm happy with you as a giant. I love you as one."

"I know.” He sighed. “And I love you as the human being you are. But... One night would be nice..."

Penelope shifted forward toward the warm expanse of chest before her, burying her face into the folds of Jude's shirt. His vivid scent calmed her unbelievably. She ran her hands over his shirt, spreading then to hug him the best way way she could.

"Jude…" How she loved to speak his name.

The way she said it sent a shiver of happiness up his spine. Jude held her a little tighter, feeling her proximity. He stroked her silky loose locks once with his uppermost finger.

"Mmm... You're wonderful..." He sighed, leaning back against the pillows.

The sun already shed amber light, the sign of a dying day and Pen felt the weight of everything weighing her down. Had they skipped dinner? It was likely but she want to be held by Jude a little longer. She hummed and drowsily buried her face against his body.

He kept massaging her back with his fingertips, soothing away the mutual bittersweetness about not being together the way they want.

"Hey.." He said, glancing up at the fading light from the open window.

"Do you want to have a night out on the town? Explore a bit and grab a bite? Not that you weren't delicious, but I am still hungry."

Pen nodded and pressed a kiss to his chest before smiling up toward Jude's face.

"I'm not too filling anyhow." She winked. "Let's get some food that you can actually swallow." She giggled and hugged Jude's chest a bit. "I don't think I've ever been here before so… This should be an interesting adventure."

~~~~~

Jude held her close outside their lodgings. Contrary to Bergen and Dunhelm, this city was closer towards giant country, and therefore humans were the minority. While there were plenty present, enough that he still had to mind his step, the number of human-only shops was zero to none. The stares they got his time weren't bewildered or disgusted; unless he was mistaken, Jude was pretty sure most of them just thought they were a cute pair. There were several pubs, bars, and little joints like that. Turning a corner, a whole row of intermediate shops and restaurants were illuminated by strings of lights.He should have been cautious at the notion of bringing a human into a city filled to the brim with people many times her size. But somehow, he knew that she would manage to have a great time. Besides, he'd be there to protect her from any mishaps.

"This place is beautiful at night. It must look like a collection of stars from above." Pen breathed.

She felt oddly more at ease around such a giant oriented area. Though everything felt enormous and far more exaggerated, that thrilled her to the core. She'd never been somewhere this full of giants before. They were massive- all of them- and frankly they impressed her simply by existing. They were people as well; not simply slovenly, large monsters as the falsehoods spoken from ignorant parents to impressionable children said.

"I'd love to see an entirely giant town. To see your world entirely."

She gazed up eagerly toward Jude, her elation clear. He looked down at her, raising his eyebrows. Her obvious excitement over the concept made him smile.

"I'll take you back home with me 'round my next visit. How's that sound?" Jude offered. Pen nodded serenely.

"If I'm going to advocate for your people, I want to be able to speak to them, to know them." She said.

The scholar had taken hold of her entirely. Pen donned her new traveling attire, spectacles donned upon her youthful face. Something about her seemed older, more experienced; she still retained her whimsy none the less.

"I need to prove to the ignorant masses that you are all people and that our differences should not define and divide us all but rather unite us both under the mutual understand that we are all of us individuals."

"See, this is why I need your help" Jude looked down at her, impressed. You're so good at coming up with poetic lines like that off that top of your head."

He walked down a little further. He had his eye on a homely Italian restaurant on the corner.

"It comes from paying attention to how speech can affect others. Honestly, though..." Pen stared ahead with her eyes attentive and focused, her determination as ironclad as ever. "If I have the power to do some good for this world, I will do it. It's a shame that so many leaders don't realise that they are in service to their people, not the other way around."

"Hang on... You want to go before we meet the king, yeah?"

She grasped Jude's thumb as a gesture of affection and sent him another bright smile.

"I would love to. Gives me time to see everything before I talk to the Prime Minister."

He felt so lucky to even know this girl, let alone be her boyfriend.

"Alright. We'll start that way tomorrow."

~~~~~

"Table for two." Jude informed the hostess. The employee's eyes darted to the human in his hand.

"Ah, so you're one of those types of girls." She winked at Pen and reached back below the entrance podium to grab one of the human-sized table and chairs they kept stored there.

One of 'those types of girls', eh? Pen took that to mean the hostess was talking about her affinity for a certain gargantuan man and beamed brightly. Yes, indeed she was the sort of girl who could love a giant.

"Follow me, please."

Jude glanced down at Pen and quirked an eyebrow before following behind the hostess to a two person round table by the window. She set the table and chair down on the giant table, then produced a tiny menu from her apron pocket and placed it on top.

"Your server will be right with you." She smiled at them and returned to the entrance.

Pen left the warmth of Jude's hand to step across the table and sink into her seat. She opened the menu and already could detect the scent of food. She picked up basil and spices of all sorts, garlic and butter and something being fried. It was breathtaking and perfect and tantalizing.

"Get a whiff of the air, Jude." Pen closed her eyes and took a deep inhalation. Now she could smell the faint aroma of red wine. She guessed it was being used to cook something.

"Oh I have. My nose led us here, if you'll believe it." He opened up his menu and inhaled deeply as he perused it. They had stuffed peppers, one of his favorites. But the angel hair with sausage was also tempting.

"Man, I didn't realize how hungry I was till I got in here." He glanced back at the kitchen, which was instigating the tantalizing aromas.

"I'm taking the butternut squash ravioli with Alfredo sauce. Maybe with a glass of Pinot Noir."

She had decided what she wanted quickly. Ravioli was one of her absolute favourite things to eat. Ever.

"Still struggling on what to get?" Pen grinned up at Jude from the table top.

He glanced up, eyes instantly warming when they settled on her.

"Yeah... I'm stuck between two favorites of mine." He saw the waitress approaching their table. "You go first, I'll make up my mind."

He ended up getting the stuffed peppers and a glass of Merlot. The waitress collected their menus and then they were alone again.

"So.. You're a red wine person, huh?" Jude smiled approvingly and leaned forward to focus on her.

"I've always been a fan of wine, though cider's probably my favourite thing to drink."

Pen fiddled with her hair, her long braid starting to irritate her. They damn thing just wouldn't sit straight. She stuck out her tongue and squinted her eyes as her fingers fiddled away. She'd all but tuned out the sounds of the giants around them both. There didn't seem to be a human in sight save for her. She was getting the odd look simply because of what she was.

"Mmm. I like wine, i just usually don't have the occasion to drink it." He said with a small laugh. Simpler stuff like whiskey and hard cider was more suited to him, he felt.

An amused smile spread across his face as he watched her fiddle with her hair. He couldn't see quite what she saw wrong about her hair; it looked just fine to him. "Does squinting like a blind chap help?" He chuckled.

He was aware of the stares she got, but chose to ignore them for the most part. He didn't want it to bother her.

"It feels crooked, damn thing..."Pen growled to herself in exasperation.

She'd already pulled out the ribbon holding her braid in place as was letting her hair flow freely, wavy from being braided. She decided she'd re-braid it later.

"I swear...Hair is such a pain in the arse. I should have kept it short." She chuckled.

"Hmm." Jude reached down and tucked her hair behind her back, twisting it just a pinch so he got an idea of what she would look like with short hair.

"Yeah. Short hair would work well with you, too." He appraised with a shrug, replacing her hair he way she had it with careful fingers. "You've got that cute face to show off."

"While long hair is pretty and damn fun to play with, good God is it inconvenient."Pen chuckled and leaned forward on her own table top. "Cute face..psh. You've got a damn nice face yourself, darlin'." She blushed.

He exhaled through his nose, somehow conveying his fond amusement.

"Glad you approve." He laughed quietly, looking down at her warmly. This was nice. The atmosphere of the restaurant made it feel like 'normal' date. Well, as normal as they could get.

The waitress set down their glasses of wine in passing and assured them that their food was being prepared as they spoke.

"I wish autumn lasted longer. Always feels cut short to me." Jude thought aloud. "This weather's lovely, don't get me wrong.. but I miss that crisp breeze at my neck, and the vivid foliage."

"I think that a little bit of cold can be bracing."

Pen made a show of giving an exaggerated shiver before picking up her stemmed wine glass, swirling the lush contents around and inhaling before taking a sip.

"Paaah...This is good."

He agreed. The Merlot was deep and bitter, with a fruity undertone. He set his glass down to the side so he still had a clear view of her.

"Come on, you're not afraid of a little chill are you?" He grinned.

"As long as it doesn't come with the kind of snow that buries me I love the cold." She laughed and sipped her wine, savouring the warmth it bequeathed along with the elegant, rich flavour that snaked across her palette and down her throat.

"Ugh. I'll pass on that." He said, recalling his freezing experience with the snow. He took another sip of wine and looked around. It was noisy, but not overwhelmingly so.

"What will you do?" He asked quietly. "After all this blows over. You think you'll settle down somewhere with a cleric position?"

Pen noted with highly masked caution the appearance of two potentially unsavoury looking human men sauntering into the restaurant. She kept her eyes on Jude instead of paying them any real mind.

"I was thinking of traveling a bit. See where the wind takes me."

He warmed visibly at that. It was right up his alley; what he had been born to do. He could see them traveling together far into the future.

"I rather like the sound of that." He said in a unhurried tone of voice, lips slowly curling into a smirk. "Afraid you'll have trouble getting rid of me, though."

Pen shook her head and grinned up at Jude.

"Come on. You are the ideal traveling partner. You're nice and warm, when I'm with you I don't have to walk, you're about a bazillion feet tall so there's really no chance of losing you and let's not forget the witty banter."

She replied, gesticulating with her hands. He leaned back, breaking down laughing. He was both entertained by her perception of him, as well as flattered.

"-I am not 'a bazillion feet tall'..." He shook his head, still beaming ear-to-ear. "You're just travel-size. And a delightful conversationalist, to boot."

Pen's brow lifted as she smirked up at him, leaned against the surface of her table.

"Then how tall are you? You look about a bazillion feet tall to me."

The cleric teased before proceeding to remove her glasses and lean back again to clean up the lenses on her shirt. Jude gave a quiet smile and glanced away,

"Heh. I'm barely six feet by giant standards. To you, I guess that would be..." He trailed off for a moment, doing the conversion math in his head, using his fingers absent-mindedly to help keep track. "Um... Almost seventy feet tall." He concluded confidently. He leaned back in his seat and scratched the back of his neck. Feeling a tad self-conscious, he looked back down at his date.

An appreciative whistle left the young cleric as she grinned mischievously.

"My boyfriend, the mountain." She laughed, accompanied by a quick wink. "A very attractive mountain with a nice smile."

He rolled his eyes, but gave her the benefit of a smile.

Jude's gaze flickered away when he sensed a pair of eyes watching him. It turned out to belong to a human man with slicked back hair and a tattoo creeping down his neck to his upper chest. But he was looking not at him, but at pen. When he noticed Jude's stare, he lazily averted his gaze onto his friend sitting across from him at the low table. Reluctantly, he returned his gaze to Pen.

"...I'm gettin' the eyes." Pen murmured almost inaudibly.

She took a sip of wine and flicked her eyes briefly to the tattooed man; he made her skin crawl and instinctively fix her top to avoid any chance of cleavage being shown.

"He's nothing I can't handle." Jude allowed himself the slight cocky air. It was appropriate, he felt, given the circumstances. He gave her hand a light pat for added reassurance.

Pen silently hoped their evening would end without an incident but the tattooed man looked nothing short of untrustworthy. She could practically feel the unsavoury thoughts running rampant through the man's head and good lord did she not like it.

“It's fine. He's just looking, I guess." She said. She sat straight and tried not to make eye contact. She smiled. She had Jude here.

Jude slid an unamused look back to her smile. He was a guy; he had a good inkling of what was running through that fellow's head... He didn't like it.

He smiled tightly back at her, just waiting for the man to try something so he could give him a piece of his mind. The arrival of their dinner broke the tension, and the immediacy of the mouth-water aromas removed all thoughts from their minds except how good hot food tasted.

"Thank you." Pen nodded her head graciously to the server and set to work demolishing her meal, all thoughts of the filthy grins and perverted human men far beyond her reach now. She was on a date with good food and and even better boyfriend.

Jude practically inhaled the first pepper. With the second, he slowed his pace in order to savor the homemade flavor and intricate mixture of spices. Pausing to take a deep drink from his wine glass, he looked at pen over the glass. He didn't really need to ask if she liked it by the way she was eagerly consuming her entrée.

"It's good, huh?"

Meanwhile, Pen looked a little more like a starving hamster with her cheeks bursting with as much food as she could get in them. Her eyes were bright and fiery.

"Mpphhgggllmm." She gave him a thumbs up.

"I hear ya loud and clear." He chuckled, focusing once more on the task of cutting the peppers into manageable bites. The spicy flavor set his taste-buds on fire, and he had to ask the waitress for a glass of water.

Finally, about half an hour later, they both sat back from heir cleared plates and sighed contentedly. He glanced over his shoulder, then pushed his chair out.

"Hey, I'm going to run to the john." He stood and informed her. He protectively glanced over at the sleaze-ball a few tables away. He was hesitant to leave her side... But it was only a couple minutes.

"Go on. I'll be ok." Pen smiled up at him and remained as she was with a content smile, hiding her relative unease at being without Jude even for a moment. She stole a quick glance at the tattooed man to check on his movements before staring back down at her empty plate, swishing the remains of her wine around in her glass.

He smiled quickly at her, unaware that his concern had been visible. Jude turned and left, walking past the table and out of sight down a corridor in the back. The more he rationalized, the more he realized he was just being overprotective. Yes, she was small, but she wasn't completely helpless... Besides, those guys didn't even have a way up to the table. This night would end quietly, and he was probably just getting her worked up by being worried. He washed his hands and dried them on a hand-towel, glancing at his reflection. All in all, he had only taken six minutes or so. He watched his step out of habit and strode purposefully back towards the table.

~~~~~

"I'm said that I was here with my boyfriend. Now screw off before I kick your ass." Pen growled.

"But that's the thing. That man shouldn't even be with you. Now just come home like a good girl. Like your grandmother wants."

The tattooed man crooned from the ground beneath the table. Pen was regretting her compulsivity; one negative comment about Jude had made her climb down to chew them out and now they were making a grab for her.

His buddy was already standing there with a rope in hand. No one seemed to notice the goings on of humans. The man with the rope lunged for her and managed to grab her. Pen growled and struggled.

"C'mon, ya little bitch. Stay still!" The tattooed man grunted.

Pen spat in his face once he'd gotten too close. She attempted to kick the guy who was holding her in the groin back couldn't reach.

"I'm not going back there, no way in hell!"

Jude returned to an empty table. He stood by, glancing around to see if he had missed something. Had she climbed down and gone to the bathroom herself? That was fine he supposed; he knew she was independent, but he worried about her here. She had to be extra cautious when she was one of the only humans in the establishment.

He was about to head back to check when he heard a small voice from the floor that rose above the general clamor of diners. Sounded like her... But who was she talking to? The notion of how weird he looked getting on his hands and knees didn't even cross his mind. He lifted the table cloth partially obstructing his view and peered under the table.

His eyes widened- initially with shock, but soon flat-out anger. What the hell were they thinking, binding up a girl? And in a public setting like this, no less? He wasted no time in removing her from their reach. He snatched up both men in his other-hand, stowing the hand in his pants pocket as he got up and sat down again.

He uncurled his fingers from around her, setting he on her feet on the table.

"Are you alright?" His blue-green irises were pools of concern hovering close by her.

Pen stood on the table top as soon as Jude had set her down. No sooner had he saved her than she was about ready to explode.

"Take them out of your pocket now, I am going to kick their asses!" She shouted, turning even a few giant heads. "They tried to smear you and they wanted to bring me back! My goddamn grandmother sent them!"

Jude delicately put a finger to her mouth. The waitress was returning with the bill. Pen found herself silenced and glared at him, sorely tempted to bite down on Jude's finger.

Suddenly the notion of a quiet, uneventful dinner seemed so out of place. He quickly paid, never once loosing his hold on the scumbags squirming in his hand. Luckily no one had noticed him grab them. They were sweating, he could feel the nervous moisture accumulating. He stood and offered his free hand to Pen.

"I want to have a private chat with these two bastards." He explained under his breath.

If what she said was true, then he was betting her gran hired them to bring Penelope back at any cost. He wouldn't be surprised if there was a price on his head, either.

She was pissed and knew she wanted to unleash the wrath of hell on those jerks. She stormed onto Jude's palm and was about ready to snap.

"I want to kick their asses!" She growled, hands fisted and eyes blazing.

"Soon." He shushed her, swiftly carrying her out of the restaurant. He was more than happy to let her have at them, but he wanted a few words with them first.

The damp alley beside the restaurant was a short walk away. He pulled out the two ruffians none-too-gently. Both were noticeably paler, and the nearby streetlight illuminated a sheen of perspiration on their faces.

"I don't like using my size to my advantage, but in your case I might make an exception." Jude glared at the humans struggling to sit up in his open palm.

"L-listen, we were just following orders-" the tattooed man found his voice.

"I don't give a damn what your orders were. If you even touch her again, I will break your arm."

A part of her wanted to shiver at the chilling affect of Jude's anger because she could feel the promise in his words. However, Penelope felt no fear. Rather, she felt more encouraged than ever to beat the living hell out of these idiots to ingrain in them that she was hardly an easy target and Jude was not the only force that could strike terror into their hearts.

"Put us down on the ground."

Pen was itching to let loose some of the limited self-defense she knew. It was little more than how to punch and kick mixed with the grace of childhood dance classes but she wanted a test run.

"I want them to know I'm not a damsel in distress. And I want them to tell anyone who my grandmother might be sending that nothing they try will work." She narrowed her eyes.

His eyes were still hard when they focused on her; Jude was really pissed off. He took a brief moment to contemplate her demand. But one look at her face said he would be doing her a disservice if he refused her.

Jude crouched down and laid his hand flat on the ground to let her off. In contrast, he deposited the thugs on the ground beside her in a gruff manner, performing none of the courtesy he always ensured her. He took a step back, but stayed squatting down so he could keep her well within his sights. But he knew she was going to enjoy this. So was he.

"You son of a whore-pig-freaking runt swilling scum cock!"

Pen stormed immediately up to the tattooed man but gained no fearful reaction. He still seemed entirely terrified of Jude...And she couldn't have that, could she?

"Fuck you..."

She wound up a punch and socked him in the nose, sending him backward onto the ground.

"And the pig you rode in on!" She hollered.

With the tattooed man on the ground, his lackey decided to attack next. Pen dodged a punch and a kick and then another punch before using the momentum of one of his blows to throw him off balance, causing him to fall hard on his back. Pen let out a war cry and jumped on the fallen lackey before proceeding to start punching the crap out of him.

However, she didn't notice the tattooed man get up until she'd turned her head and found herself letting out a yelp of pain and being kicked to the ground. But Pen wasn't out yet. After spitting out a knocked out molar and a mouthful of blood from swollen lips, she stoop up again and raised her fists

"Why don't you just give up, princess?" The tattooed man said as his partner lay moaning on the ground.

"Funny. I was about to say the same thing." Pen spat out more blood as they circled each other.

Jude wasn't sure if he was more impressed by the amount of curse words she managed to fit into one sentence, or her strong right cross. The giant flinched when the tattooed man kicked her. He spotted the blood on her lip- it took every shred of self-control for him to resist giving that punk an intimidation squeeze. But he knew that Pen wouldn't want that. This was her fight; to prove she was strong enough without his aid.

He respected that, but he couldn't stand to see her hurt. When the pummeled guy on the ground started to get up and lunge at her from behind, Jude ended the cowardly act, pinning him to the ground with one finger. It was at least going to be a fair fight.

Pen and the tattooed man continued to grapple, both of them landing blows on the other. She'd clip his jaw, he'd get her arm. She'd kick him in the gut, he'd recover and kick her in the shins. But the fight quickly grew unfair when he lost his temper and pulled out a knife causing Pen's eyes to widen.

"You coward!" She cried in outrage as she dodged his swipes of his knife, getting her arm grazed by it. "Asshole!"

A flash of metal glinted, a swipe at her midsection. Jude's eyes widened. Her pride be damned, she was in danger. He dropped to his knees and leaned in to pinch the man's wrist as he raised the knife again.

"Enough is enough." He twisted the arm, eliciting an gasping cry of pain. The knife clattered to the ground. He lifted both men up by the back of their shirts, dangling them in front of him. "We would appreciate it if you left us alone from here on out, and make your your employer knows that."

He set them down. With venomous glares from both Jude and the fiery red-head who looked liked she was about to pounce again.. They didn't need a second chance to start running.

"I believe you took them down a notch or two, darlin'" his voice was transitioning from gravelly and threatening back to kind and soft. A fond smile tugged on the corners of his lips as he gently wrapped his hand around her and held her close to him. "Thank God you're okay."

Pen huffed and puffed and cupped her hand over her bleeding mouth, stifling the flow from the tooth that had been knocked loose.

"Asshole knocked out one of my teeth though." She chuckled dryly, a light glowing from her hand and spreading to the sight of her bleeding tooth root, sealing it off. She nestled herself against Jude. "Thank you for protecting me."

"I couldn't just stand by..." He muttered.

His concern quieted once he saw her healing. He didn't feel like he protected her very well, and that pleasant glow of satisfaction did not appear. Distraught, he stood and started back towards their room. He was just glad that she was safe with him. But they would definitely need to cover some ground tomorrow.

"You did what you had to and if you hadn't, I might have been killed by that knife." Pen reassured as she leaned in and pressed her lips to a calloused fingertip of his. She wrapped her arms around the giant's massive finger and placed her forehead against the pad, her eyes drifting shut. "I proved what I had to anyways."

"Trust me, I wanted to do a whole lot more..." Jude said under his breath.

The residual anger ebbed away when she embraced his finger, and he felt her fragile body press up against his skin. He slowed his stride, turning onto the correct avenue. "You are the most bad-ass girl I've ever met, hands down."

He rubbed her back with his thumb and grinned.

"Trust me, you were plenty scary." Pen laughed and seemed to be able to inject some humour into the situation, desiring to salvage their date as much as possible. "I thought they were about to pee their pants."

He allowed himself a chuckle. "I think one of them did..."

She grinned. It would take time to fully repair her lost tooth but soon her smile would be back to normal.

"I just thought I oughta take 'em down a few notches. Prove I'm no prissy lady."

Jude pushed opened the door to the inn and started down the hallway to the left of the bar. "You're many things, Pen. But 'prissy' is not one of them."

"Prissy. PAH." Pen snorted before summarily hawking a loogey off the side of her boyfriend's hand, careful not to hit him. "Let em come after us. I'll beat up of their prissy asses and show them who's the princess."

Jude chuckled at her spunk as he unlocked their room. Once the door was closed, he felt a small weight relieved from his being. He sighed and flopped down onto the bed, holding her tightly to him.

"Mmm." He finally released her, kissing the top of her head and setting her down next to him.

"I'm sorry we lost the chance at dessert in that struggle back there."

So much for a normal date night.

Pen scaled what was a small incline on the bed to Jude and what seemed like a hill to her until she reached the pillow and laid down on her side to look up at his. She tried as hard as she could to be afraid of him after seeing how scary he could be to others just as a test to herself but came up short. She could only bring herself mild unease at most but it felt forced. Jude did not scare her and he likely never would. She smiled and scooted closer and moved in to give him a kiss on the lips.

"I think I'll manage."

Description

"Jude?" Penelope's soft voice inquired with an old timidness. She huddled under Jude's palm.

"Do you ever wish I weren't so little? That... I could do more with you?" She felt like she was cheating him of some experiences giant and human lovers were deprived of.

“Sometimes." He was reluctant to admit.

Jude rubbed her back slowly. "Don't you ever wish I wasn't so big?" He turned the question back at her. He was sure they both wished they could be together in certain intimate ways that their size difference prevented. But he would never ask her to change. He loved her the way she was.

"I want to be with you as the man you are. I love you as you are, but... Even just to have that one act... For just a little moment, then you could go back to the way you are..."

Pen closed her eyes and leaned her back against his loving touch. "But this...All of this...I'm happy with you as a giant. I love you as one."

"I know.” He sighed. “And I love you as the human being you are. But... One night would be nice..."

Penelope shifted forward toward the warm expanse of chest before her, burying her face into the folds of Jude's shirt. His vivid scent calmed her unbelievably. She ran her hands over his shirt, spreading then to hug him the best way way she could.

"Jude…" How she loved to speak his name.

The way she said it sent a shiver of happiness up his spine. Jude held her a little tighter, feeling her proximity. He stroked her silky loose locks once with his uppermost finger.

"Mmm... You're wonderful..." He sighed, leaning back against the pillows.

The sun already shed amber light, the sign of a dying day and Pen felt the weight of everything weighing her down. Had they skipped dinner? It was likely but she want to be held by Jude a little longer. She hummed and drowsily buried her face against his body.

He kept massaging her back with his fingertips, soothing away the mutual bittersweetness about not being together the way they want.

"Hey.." He said, glancing up at the fading light from the open window.

"Do you want to have a night out on the town? Explore a bit and grab a bite? Not that you weren't delicious, but I am still hungry."

Pen nodded and pressed a kiss to his chest before smiling up toward Jude's face.

"I'm not too filling anyhow." She winked. "Let's get some food that you can actually swallow." She giggled and hugged Jude's chest a bit. "I don't think I've ever been here before so… This should be an interesting adventure."

~~~~~

Jude held her close outside their lodgings. Contrary to Bergen and Dunhelm, this city was closer towards giant country, and therefore humans were the minority. While there were plenty present, enough that he still had to mind his step, the number of human-only shops was zero to none. The stares they got his time weren't bewildered or disgusted; unless he was mistaken, Jude was pretty sure most of them just thought they were a cute pair. There were several pubs, bars, and little joints like that. Turning a corner, a whole row of intermediate shops and restaurants were illuminated by strings of lights.He should have been cautious at the notion of bringing a human into a city filled to the brim with people many times her size. But somehow, he knew that she would manage to have a great time. Besides, he'd be there to protect her from any mishaps.

"This place is beautiful at night. It must look like a collection of stars from above." Pen breathed.

She felt oddly more at ease around such a giant oriented area. Though everything felt enormous and far more exaggerated, that thrilled her to the core. She'd never been somewhere this full of giants before. They were massive- all of them- and frankly they impressed her simply by existing. They were people as well; not simply slovenly, large monsters as the falsehoods spoken from ignorant parents to impressionable children said.

"I'd love to see an entirely giant town. To see your world entirely."

She gazed up eagerly toward Jude, her elation clear. He looked down at her, raising his eyebrows. Her obvious excitement over the concept made him smile.

"I'll take you back home with me 'round my next visit. How's that sound?" Jude offered. Pen nodded serenely.

"If I'm going to advocate for your people, I want to be able to speak to them, to know them." She said.

The scholar had taken hold of her entirely. Pen donned her new traveling attire, spectacles donned upon her youthful face. Something about her seemed older, more experienced; she still retained her whimsy none the less.

"I need to prove to the ignorant masses that you are all people and that our differences should not define and divide us all but rather unite us both under the mutual understand that we are all of us individuals."

"See, this is why I need your help" Jude looked down at her, impressed. You're so good at coming up with poetic lines like that off that top of your head."

He walked down a little further. He had his eye on a homely Italian restaurant on the corner.

"It comes from paying attention to how speech can affect others. Honestly, though..." Pen stared ahead with her eyes attentive and focused, her determination as ironclad as ever. "If I have the power to do some good for this world, I will do it. It's a shame that so many leaders don't realise that they are in service to their people, not the other way around."

"Hang on... You want to go before we meet the king, yeah?"

She grasped Jude's thumb as a gesture of affection and sent him another bright smile.

"I would love to. Gives me time to see everything before I talk to the Prime Minister."

He felt so lucky to even know this girl, let alone be her boyfriend.

"Alright. We'll start that way tomorrow."

~~~~~

"Table for two." Jude informed the hostess. The employee's eyes darted to the human in his hand.

"Ah, so you're one of those types of girls." She winked at Pen and reached back below the entrance podium to grab one of the human-sized table and chairs they kept stored there.

One of 'those types of girls', eh? Pen took that to mean the hostess was talking about her affinity for a certain gargantuan man and beamed brightly. Yes, indeed she was the sort of girl who could love a giant.

"Follow me, please."

Jude glanced down at Pen and quirked an eyebrow before following behind the hostess to a two person round table by the window. She set the table and chair down on the giant table, then produced a tiny menu from her apron pocket and placed it on top.

"Your server will be right with you." She smiled at them and returned to the entrance.

Pen left the warmth of Jude's hand to step across the table and sink into her seat. She opened the menu and already could detect the scent of food. She picked up basil and spices of all sorts, garlic and butter and something being fried. It was breathtaking and perfect and tantalizing.

"Get a whiff of the air, Jude." Pen closed her eyes and took a deep inhalation. Now she could smell the faint aroma of red wine. She guessed it was being used to cook something.

"Oh I have. My nose led us here, if you'll believe it." He opened up his menu and inhaled deeply as he perused it. They had stuffed peppers, one of his favorites. But the angel hair with sausage was also tempting.

"Man, I didn't realize how hungry I was till I got in here." He glanced back at the kitchen, which was instigating the tantalizing aromas.

"I'm taking the butternut squash ravioli with Alfredo sauce. Maybe with a glass of Pinot Noir."

She had decided what she wanted quickly. Ravioli was one of her absolute favourite things to eat. Ever.

"Still struggling on what to get?" Pen grinned up at Jude from the table top.

He glanced up, eyes instantly warming when they settled on her.

"Yeah... I'm stuck between two favorites of mine." He saw the waitress approaching their table. "You go first, I'll make up my mind."

He ended up getting the stuffed peppers and a glass of Merlot. The waitress collected their menus and then they were alone again.

"So.. You're a red wine person, huh?" Jude smiled approvingly and leaned forward to focus on her.

"I've always been a fan of wine, though cider's probably my favourite thing to drink."

Pen fiddled with her hair, her long braid starting to irritate her. They damn thing just wouldn't sit straight. She stuck out her tongue and squinted her eyes as her fingers fiddled away. She'd all but tuned out the sounds of the giants around them both. There didn't seem to be a human in sight save for her. She was getting the odd look simply because of what she was.

"Mmm. I like wine, i just usually don't have the occasion to drink it." He said with a small laugh. Simpler stuff like whiskey and hard cider was more suited to him, he felt.

An amused smile spread across his face as he watched her fiddle with her hair. He couldn't see quite what she saw wrong about her hair; it looked just fine to him. "Does squinting like a blind chap help?" He chuckled.

He was aware of the stares she got, but chose to ignore them for the most part. He didn't want it to bother her.

"It feels crooked, damn thing..."Pen growled to herself in exasperation.

She'd already pulled out the ribbon holding her braid in place as was letting her hair flow freely, wavy from being braided. She decided she'd re-braid it later.

"I swear...Hair is such a pain in the arse. I should have kept it short." She chuckled.

"Hmm." Jude reached down and tucked her hair behind her back, twisting it just a pinch so he got an idea of what she would look like with short hair.

"Yeah. Short hair would work well with you, too." He appraised with a shrug, replacing her hair he way she had it with careful fingers. "You've got that cute face to show off."

"While long hair is pretty and damn fun to play with, good God is it inconvenient."Pen chuckled and leaned forward on her own table top. "Cute face..psh. You've got a damn nice face yourself, darlin'." She blushed.

He exhaled through his nose, somehow conveying his fond amusement.

"Glad you approve." He laughed quietly, looking down at her warmly. This was nice. The atmosphere of the restaurant made it feel like 'normal' date. Well, as normal as they could get.

The waitress set down their glasses of wine in passing and assured them that their food was being prepared as they spoke.

"I wish autumn lasted longer. Always feels cut short to me." Jude thought aloud. "This weather's lovely, don't get me wrong.. but I miss that crisp breeze at my neck, and the vivid foliage."

"I think that a little bit of cold can be bracing."

Pen made a show of giving an exaggerated shiver before picking up her stemmed wine glass, swirling the lush contents around and inhaling before taking a sip.

"Paaah...This is good."

He agreed. The Merlot was deep and bitter, with a fruity undertone. He set his glass down to the side so he still had a clear view of her.

"Come on, you're not afraid of a little chill are you?" He grinned.

"As long as it doesn't come with the kind of snow that buries me I love the cold." She laughed and sipped her wine, savouring the warmth it bequeathed along with the elegant, rich flavour that snaked across her palette and down her throat.

"Ugh. I'll pass on that." He said, recalling his freezing experience with the snow. He took another sip of wine and looked around. It was noisy, but not overwhelmingly so.

"What will you do?" He asked quietly. "After all this blows over. You think you'll settle down somewhere with a cleric position?"

Pen noted with highly masked caution the appearance of two potentially unsavoury looking human men sauntering into the restaurant. She kept her eyes on Jude instead of paying them any real mind.

"I was thinking of traveling a bit. See where the wind takes me."

He warmed visibly at that. It was right up his alley; what he had been born to do. He could see them traveling together far into the future.

"I rather like the sound of that." He said in a unhurried tone of voice, lips slowly curling into a smirk. "Afraid you'll have trouble getting rid of me, though."

Pen shook her head and grinned up at Jude.

"Come on. You are the ideal traveling partner. You're nice and warm, when I'm with you I don't have to walk, you're about a bazillion feet tall so there's really no chance of losing you and let's not forget the witty banter."

She replied, gesticulating with her hands. He leaned back, breaking down laughing. He was both entertained by her perception of him, as well as flattered.

"-I am not 'a bazillion feet tall'..." He shook his head, still beaming ear-to-ear. "You're just travel-size. And a delightful conversationalist, to boot."

Pen's brow lifted as she smirked up at him, leaned against the surface of her table.

"Then how tall are you? You look about a bazillion feet tall to me."

The cleric teased before proceeding to remove her glasses and lean back again to clean up the lenses on her shirt. Jude gave a quiet smile and glanced away,

"Heh. I'm barely six feet by giant standards. To you, I guess that would be..." He trailed off for a moment, doing the conversion math in his head, using his fingers absent-mindedly to help keep track. "Um... Almost seventy feet tall." He concluded confidently. He leaned back in his seat and scratched the back of his neck. Feeling a tad self-conscious, he looked back down at his date.

An appreciative whistle left the young cleric as she grinned mischievously.

"My boyfriend, the mountain." She laughed, accompanied by a quick wink. "A very attractive mountain with a nice smile."

He rolled his eyes, but gave her the benefit of a smile.

Jude's gaze flickered away when he sensed a pair of eyes watching him. It turned out to belong to a human man with slicked back hair and a tattoo creeping down his neck to his upper chest. But he was looking not at him, but at pen. When he noticed Jude's stare, he lazily averted his gaze onto his friend sitting across from him at the low table. Reluctantly, he returned his gaze to Pen.

"...I'm gettin' the eyes." Pen murmured almost inaudibly.

She took a sip of wine and flicked her eyes briefly to the tattooed man; he made her skin crawl and instinctively fix her top to avoid any chance of cleavage being shown.

"He's nothing I can't handle." Jude allowed himself the slight cocky air. It was appropriate, he felt, given the circumstances. He gave her hand a light pat for added reassurance.

Pen silently hoped their evening would end without an incident but the tattooed man looked nothing short of untrustworthy. She could practically feel the unsavoury thoughts running rampant through the man's head and good lord did she not like it.

“It's fine. He's just looking, I guess." She said. She sat straight and tried not to make eye contact. She smiled. She had Jude here.

Jude slid an unamused look back to her smile. He was a guy; he had a good inkling of what was running through that fellow's head... He didn't like it.

He smiled tightly back at her, just waiting for the man to try something so he could give him a piece of his mind. The arrival of their dinner broke the tension, and the immediacy of the mouth-water aromas removed all thoughts from their minds except how good hot food tasted.

"Thank you." Pen nodded her head graciously to the server and set to work demolishing her meal, all thoughts of the filthy grins and perverted human men far beyond her reach now. She was on a date with good food and and even better boyfriend.

Jude practically inhaled the first pepper. With the second, he slowed his pace in order to savor the homemade flavor and intricate mixture of spices. Pausing to take a deep drink from his wine glass, he looked at pen over the glass. He didn't really need to ask if she liked it by the way she was eagerly consuming her entrée.

"It's good, huh?"

Meanwhile, Pen looked a little more like a starving hamster with her cheeks bursting with as much food as she could get in them. Her eyes were bright and fiery.

"Mpphhgggllmm." She gave him a thumbs up.

"I hear ya loud and clear." He chuckled, focusing once more on the task of cutting the peppers into manageable bites. The spicy flavor set his taste-buds on fire, and he had to ask the waitress for a glass of water.

Finally, about half an hour later, they both sat back from heir cleared plates and sighed contentedly. He glanced over his shoulder, then pushed his chair out.

"Hey, I'm going to run to the john." He stood and informed her. He protectively glanced over at the sleaze-ball a few tables away. He was hesitant to leave her side... But it was only a couple minutes.

"Go on. I'll be ok." Pen smiled up at him and remained as she was with a content smile, hiding her relative unease at being without Jude even for a moment. She stole a quick glance at the tattooed man to check on his movements before staring back down at her empty plate, swishing the remains of her wine around in her glass.

He smiled quickly at her, unaware that his concern had been visible. Jude turned and left, walking past the table and out of sight down a corridor in the back. The more he rationalized, the more he realized he was just being overprotective. Yes, she was small, but she wasn't completely helpless... Besides, those guys didn't even have a way up to the table. This night would end quietly, and he was probably just getting her worked up by being worried. He washed his hands and dried them on a hand-towel, glancing at his reflection. All in all, he had only taken six minutes or so. He watched his step out of habit and strode purposefully back towards the table.

~~~~~

"I'm said that I was here with my boyfriend. Now screw off before I kick your ass." Pen growled.

"But that's the thing. That man shouldn't even be with you. Now just come home like a good girl. Like your grandmother wants."

The tattooed man crooned from the ground beneath the table. Pen was regretting her compulsivity; one negative comment about Jude had made her climb down to chew them out and now they were making a grab for her.

His buddy was already standing there with a rope in hand. No one seemed to notice the goings on of humans. The man with the rope lunged for her and managed to grab her. Pen growled and struggled.

"C'mon, ya little bitch. Stay still!" The tattooed man grunted.

Pen spat in his face once he'd gotten too close. She attempted to kick the guy who was holding her in the groin back couldn't reach.

"I'm not going back there, no way in hell!"

Jude returned to an empty table. He stood by, glancing around to see if he had missed something. Had she climbed down and gone to the bathroom herself? That was fine he supposed; he knew she was independent, but he worried about her here. She had to be extra cautious when she was one of the only humans in the establishment.

He was about to head back to check when he heard a small voice from the floor that rose above the general clamor of diners. Sounded like her... But who was she talking to? The notion of how weird he looked getting on his hands and knees didn't even cross his mind. He lifted the table cloth partially obstructing his view and peered under the table.

His eyes widened- initially with shock, but soon flat-out anger. What the hell were they thinking, binding up a girl? And in a public setting like this, no less? He wasted no time in removing her from their reach. He snatched up both men in his other-hand, stowing the hand in his pants pocket as he got up and sat down again.

He uncurled his fingers from around her, setting he on her feet on the table.

"Are you alright?" His blue-green irises were pools of concern hovering close by her.

Pen stood on the table top as soon as Jude had set her down. No sooner had he saved her than she was about ready to explode.

"Take them out of your pocket now, I am going to kick their asses!" She shouted, turning even a few giant heads. "They tried to smear you and they wanted to bring me back! My goddamn grandmother sent them!"

Jude delicately put a finger to her mouth. The waitress was returning with the bill. Pen found herself silenced and glared at him, sorely tempted to bite down on Jude's finger.

Suddenly the notion of a quiet, uneventful dinner seemed so out of place. He quickly paid, never once loosing his hold on the scumbags squirming in his hand. Luckily no one had noticed him grab them. They were sweating, he could feel the nervous moisture accumulating. He stood and offered his free hand to Pen.

"I want to have a private chat with these two bastards." He explained under his breath.

If what she said was true, then he was betting her gran hired them to bring Penelope back at any cost. He wouldn't be surprised if there was a price on his head, either.

She was pissed and knew she wanted to unleash the wrath of hell on those jerks. She stormed onto Jude's palm and was about ready to snap.

"I want to kick their asses!" She growled, hands fisted and eyes blazing.

"Soon." He shushed her, swiftly carrying her out of the restaurant. He was more than happy to let her have at them, but he wanted a few words with them first.

The damp alley beside the restaurant was a short walk away. He pulled out the two ruffians none-too-gently. Both were noticeably paler, and the nearby streetlight illuminated a sheen of perspiration on their faces.

"I don't like using my size to my advantage, but in your case I might make an exception." Jude glared at the humans struggling to sit up in his open palm.

"L-listen, we were just following orders-" the tattooed man found his voice.

"I don't give a damn what your orders were. If you even touch her again, I will break your arm."

A part of her wanted to shiver at the chilling affect of Jude's anger because she could feel the promise in his words. However, Penelope felt no fear. Rather, she felt more encouraged than ever to beat the living hell out of these idiots to ingrain in them that she was hardly an easy target and Jude was not the only force that could strike terror into their hearts.

"Put us down on the ground."

Pen was itching to let loose some of the limited self-defense she knew. It was little more than how to punch and kick mixed with the grace of childhood dance classes but she wanted a test run.

"I want them to know I'm not a damsel in distress. And I want them to tell anyone who my grandmother might be sending that nothing they try will work." She narrowed her eyes.

His eyes were still hard when they focused on her; Jude was really pissed off. He took a brief moment to contemplate her demand. But one look at her face said he would be doing her a disservice if he refused her.

Jude crouched down and laid his hand flat on the ground to let her off. In contrast, he deposited the thugs on the ground beside her in a gruff manner, performing none of the courtesy he always ensured her. He took a step back, but stayed squatting down so he could keep her well within his sights. But he knew she was going to enjoy this. So was he.

"You son of a whore-pig-freaking runt swilling scum cock!"

Pen stormed immediately up to the tattooed man but gained no fearful reaction. He still seemed entirely terrified of Jude...And she couldn't have that, could she?

"Fuck you..."

She wound up a punch and socked him in the nose, sending him backward onto the ground.

"And the pig you rode in on!" She hollered.

With the tattooed man on the ground, his lackey decided to attack next. Pen dodged a punch and a kick and then another punch before using the momentum of one of his blows to throw him off balance, causing him to fall hard on his back. Pen let out a war cry and jumped on the fallen lackey before proceeding to start punching the crap out of him.

However, she didn't notice the tattooed man get up until she'd turned her head and found herself letting out a yelp of pain and being kicked to the ground. But Pen wasn't out yet. After spitting out a knocked out molar and a mouthful of blood from swollen lips, she stoop up again and raised her fists

"Why don't you just give up, princess?" The tattooed man said as his partner lay moaning on the ground.

"Funny. I was about to say the same thing." Pen spat out more blood as they circled each other.

Jude wasn't sure if he was more impressed by the amount of curse words she managed to fit into one sentence, or her strong right cross. The giant flinched when the tattooed man kicked her. He spotted the blood on her lip- it took every shred of self-control for him to resist giving that punk an intimidation squeeze. But he knew that Pen wouldn't want that. This was her fight; to prove she was strong enough without his aid.

He respected that, but he couldn't stand to see her hurt. When the pummeled guy on the ground started to get up and lunge at her from behind, Jude ended the cowardly act, pinning him to the ground with one finger. It was at least going to be a fair fight.

Pen and the tattooed man continued to grapple, both of them landing blows on the other. She'd clip his jaw, he'd get her arm. She'd kick him in the gut, he'd recover and kick her in the shins. But the fight quickly grew unfair when he lost his temper and pulled out a knife causing Pen's eyes to widen.

"You coward!" She cried in outrage as she dodged his swipes of his knife, getting her arm grazed by it. "Asshole!"

A flash of metal glinted, a swipe at her midsection. Jude's eyes widened. Her pride be damned, she was in danger. He dropped to his knees and leaned in to pinch the man's wrist as he raised the knife again.

"Enough is enough." He twisted the arm, eliciting an gasping cry of pain. The knife clattered to the ground. He lifted both men up by the back of their shirts, dangling them in front of him. "We would appreciate it if you left us alone from here on out, and make your your employer knows that."

He set them down. With venomous glares from both Jude and the fiery red-head who looked liked she was about to pounce again.. They didn't need a second chance to start running.

"I believe you took them down a notch or two, darlin'" his voice was transitioning from gravelly and threatening back to kind and soft. A fond smile tugged on the corners of his lips as he gently wrapped his hand around her and held her close to him. "Thank God you're okay."

Pen huffed and puffed and cupped her hand over her bleeding mouth, stifling the flow from the tooth that had been knocked loose.

"Asshole knocked out one of my teeth though." She chuckled dryly, a light glowing from her hand and spreading to the sight of her bleeding tooth root, sealing it off. She nestled herself against Jude. "Thank you for protecting me."

"I couldn't just stand by..." He muttered.

His concern quieted once he saw her healing. He didn't feel like he protected her very well, and that pleasant glow of satisfaction did not appear. Distraught, he stood and started back towards their room. He was just glad that she was safe with him. But they would definitely need to cover some ground tomorrow.

"You did what you had to and if you hadn't, I might have been killed by that knife." Pen reassured as she leaned in and pressed her lips to a calloused fingertip of his. She wrapped her arms around the giant's massive finger and placed her forehead against the pad, her eyes drifting shut. "I proved what I had to anyways."

"Trust me, I wanted to do a whole lot more..." Jude said under his breath.

The residual anger ebbed away when she embraced his finger, and he felt her fragile body press up against his skin. He slowed his stride, turning onto the correct avenue. "You are the most bad-ass girl I've ever met, hands down."

He rubbed her back with his thumb and grinned.

"Trust me, you were plenty scary." Pen laughed and seemed to be able to inject some humour into the situation, desiring to salvage their date as much as possible. "I thought they were about to pee their pants."

He allowed himself a chuckle. "I think one of them did..."

She grinned. It would take time to fully repair her lost tooth but soon her smile would be back to normal.

"I just thought I oughta take 'em down a few notches. Prove I'm no prissy lady."

Jude pushed opened the door to the inn and started down the hallway to the left of the bar. "You're many things, Pen. But 'prissy' is not one of them."

"Prissy. PAH." Pen snorted before summarily hawking a loogey off the side of her boyfriend's hand, careful not to hit him. "Let em come after us. I'll beat up of their prissy asses and show them who's the princess."

Jude chuckled at her spunk as he unlocked their room. Once the door was closed, he felt a small weight relieved from his being. He sighed and flopped down onto the bed, holding her tightly to him.

"Mmm." He finally released her, kissing the top of her head and setting her down next to him.

"I'm sorry we lost the chance at dessert in that struggle back there."

So much for a normal date night.

Pen scaled what was a small incline on the bed to Jude and what seemed like a hill to her until she reached the pillow and laid down on her side to look up at his. She tried as hard as she could to be afraid of him after seeing how scary he could be to others just as a test to herself but came up short. She could only bring herself mild unease at most but it felt forced. Jude did not scare her and he likely never would. She smiled and scooted closer and moved in to give him a kiss on the lips.

"I think I'll manage."