Aly's expression immediately looked concerned.

"A condition?" she asked.

"Oh, no... what is it?" she asked him.

"People like you shouldn't have problems like conditions and such." she then went on, looking away as well.

"Bad things shouldn't happen to nice people."

Aly was shocked.

Stunned.

Her eyes had a look of genuine sadness to them, and she looked ready to cry.

"Oh, you poor thing..." she said.

"That's... just not right..." she said further.

"This world... really isn't fair..." she mumbled, looking away.

"I'm so sorry I brought it up. You must think terribly of me right now." he went on, sounding immensely guilty.

A flurry of different emotions raced through Aly, and it showed.

She was still a bit sad, then flattered, then embarrassed, then happy, but it ended on confusion.

"I... uh.... what?" she asked, shaking her head.

"I... would love to go on a date with you." she told him.

"But... using you for your name? You mean Eke?" she asked him further.

"Or... do you mean your family name? Because I don't know what it is." she admitted, Eke being able to tell she was sincere in that.

Aly was silent for a moment, before looking shocked.

"Oh... my..." she said quietly.

"I'm... heh..." she then chuckled. "I never thought I would meet an elder dragon like this." she admitted, before composing herself a little more.

"Friday at 7 works for me." she told him.

"Where do you want to meet?" she asked, before taking her other hand and gently placing it atop Eke's hand, effectively cupping it with both of hers.

Aly nodded in response, and smiled.

"All right." she replied.

"You have a brother, though?" she asked.

"That's nice." she told him.

"I'm an only child. I don't know what it's like to have siblings." she then admitted.

"I feel lonely sometimes because of it." she went on, before shaking her head.

"But I don't want to dwell on bad things." he quickly said with another smile.

Aly looked to be smitten with Eke's story about how he met Ryker, and how the relationship developed, but it quickly and sharply shifted to concern when he started to cough.

"Oh, dear..." she said.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"Anything I can get you to help with this cough?" she asked further.

She then seemed to be thinking about something... like something had come to her mind, and she was trying to organize it before she said anything. But she was still paying attention to Eke, making sure he would be all right, or if he needed help.

"........" Aly was silent as Eke said what he did, before sighing.

"All right." she said.

"I believe you." she told him.

"That cough is still bad, though." she insisted.

"But all that matters is that you're all right."

Aly's face turned red when he said that.

"Eh-heh. Heh heh..." she chuckled nervously.

"Y-you flatter me." she told him.

"But no... nobody's ever told me that." he then admitted.

"I've always thought they were just... regular eyes."

"You say the sweetest things." Aly responded.

"It makes sense. You're such a sweetheart, after all." she then reasoned with a giggle, even though she was very clearly embarrassed and flustered from all the praise she was getting.

"And if you should get home, get going." she told him, before writing something down on a paper and handing it to her.

"Here you go." she said.

"My number."

Thankfully, Ryker wasn't home at the time.

And he was a bit later than expected as well.

Eventually, he returned home.

"Yo, Eke!" he called out.

"I'm back!" he said.

"Got something for you, too!" he then added.