Well...ya see...it's like this...sorta...(closed, Torriana)

[Zeke]

Zeke shuffles his feet, squirming nervously at the task he must undertake. He's not entirely sure how to say what he's gonna say, nor does he know what he should do after he's said it. But...he's got no choice, he has to do it. She promised to meet him here, under the biggest tree in the garden.

"This...just sucks."

[Torriana Marx]

A voice murmured softly over his shoulder. "What does?" asked Torri, eyebrows lofting inquisitively as she raised herself on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck, from behind. Her forehead then creased with concern, noticing just how tense he was; the tone in which Zeke had delivered his message to rendezvous here had worried the Padawan, but she refused to allow that to register in her expression. The times when they had a chance to converse were becoming rarer nowadays and she didn't want a matter as trivial as this getting in the way. She was probably just reading too much into things... right?

Canting her head sideways, Torriana smiled. "It must really, really suck for you to be so uptight." Although her uneasiness still managed to seep through into her words, she gave a small laugh, then kissed him quickly on the cheek. "I missed you..."

[Zeke]

Zeke's heart tightens.

"Y-yeah..."

There's a lump in his throat, and his eyes sting. His face burns and a rare emotion comes crawling up from the depths of his soul to lurk in his heart and mind. Guilt. He's wrong for this; so wrong...

"Torriana...it's...it's good to see you!"

He manages a smile. It's never felt false to smile before now.

[Torriana Marx]

"Yeah, throw down the red carpet," she said amiably, rolling her eyes in mock sarcasm. "Come on, what's wrong? It sounded urgent."

[Zeke]

Zeke looses a short, barking laugh.

"Yeah...about that..."

How does he say this, how does he say this...

"Torriana...it's...like this..."

[Torriana Marx]

She stared at him blankly... or at least, tried as best as she could to maintain that mask of impassiveness. A knot was slowly forming in the pit of her gut, clenching inwards tightly. "Like what..?" She hesitated.

[Zeke]

Zeke hugs her to him, holding her tightly as he slowly comes up with the words...the words he's been dreading for a long time now.

"Torriana...I've...got something important to say."

There. Now that's established.

"It's about us."

[Torriana Marx]

Torri moved away slowly from his embrace, letting her hands slide down his arms to his fingers, lacing between them with her own. "What... what about us?" she whispered. She cleared her throat; her voice was beginning to break. "Zeke, what's going on?"

[Zeke]

"I...we...can't keep on like this. I'm sorry, but..."

He shuts his eyes, steeling his resolve, bracing himself for what's to come.

"...I'd be lying if I said I feel the same way about you now as I did the day I rescued you...I...I'm sorry...we can't keep dating each other."

[Torriana Marx]

"...oh."

Her hands slipped away from his and came to rest limply by her sides. Torriana's head inclined to the side and her eyelids drooped low as she stared nonchalantly at the ground before his feet. Dark mahogany locks spilled over her features, a bemused smile playing across her lips - he made it all seem so.. so... simple. And it was just that straightforward: it was over. Simple as that. So simple...

Torri's head snapped around to face him and this time, her lips curved upwards with absolute sincerity. "I want you to be happy, Zeke. No matter what." She offered another swift hug before continuing, "And if this is what makes you happy - if she makes you happy - then that means I'm happy too." Her smile widened and she punched him playfully in the arm. Unlike her expression, however, the gesture was weak. "Quit looking so glum, will you? It's not that big a deal."

No, not at all; nothing that important...

[Zeke]

"It is a big deal...after all we've done...been through...I feel like I'm letting you down."

For the second time in his life, Zeke feels like he's really, truly, done something horribly wrong. He can't remember feeling so bad since the Happy Child was destroyed.

[Torriana Marx]

"All that's in the past. It doesn't matter anymore," she said, although her distant tone of voice suggested Torriana was attempting to convince herself of that more than she was offering it to Zeke as consolation. "Don't feel bad; there's no need to. You're doing what's best for yourself, and that's what counts..."