The Date (10 years in the future, closed)

[Kwiet Ideya]

Kwiet Ideya is 16 years old. He's developed into a fine young man, if you ask his mother. He's a diligent student of both normal studies and the Force, and has developed strong illusory abilities. He grew up handsome, too. It's what Hana Forester has told him a few times, at least. Tonight he's going to take her out to dinner. He's not thinking much of it, but his mother's been teasing him.

"Kwiet has a date!" she teases, coming up behind him as he prepares himself in his room. "Are you actually going to comb your hair for this?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kwiet answers. "What's a comb?" Dae sighs at him and starts to fuss over his appearance, tying his headband around his forehead to keep the hair away from his eyes.

"At least wear this headband she gave you. That way your hair won't be so messy."

Kwiet lets her tie it on, adjusting his clothing and considering a change for the umpteenth time. It's just dinner, there's no need to dress fancy. He's wearing loose jeans and a pair of sneakers. On his upper-body he has a white t-shirt, over which he places a red button-up shirt with the GJO insignia, which he leaves unbuttoned.

"Is it good?" he asks. His mother shrugs as the doorbell rings. "Guess I'll just ask Hana."


http://server.panic.hopto.org/y/albums/userpics/10005/Kwiet%26Hana.jpg

[Hana Forester]

Hana Forester, now 17, stands at the door, also fidgeting with her appearance. Her long straight hair is hanging loosely around her face, and she's adjusting the semi-short skirt on the light pink dress she is wearing.

The door opens and Kwiet greets her with a smile. She can feel her cheeks warm, and she looks away for a second. The two of them have know each other for ten years now; since they were children. But still, she finds him amazing. She's just an ordinary girl, and he's on his way to being a Jedi Knight.

She leans up and plants a soft kiss on his cheek. "Hey you. Hello Ms. Jinn."

Kwiets' mother smiles and waves, leaving the two of them alone. Hana folds her hands in front of her, looking up at him.
"So, where are we going tonight? More karaoke?"



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[Kwiet Ideya]

"Um..." he mutters, looking her over once quickly before checking on his mom. Dae has disappeared into her bedroom, leaving him alone. Good, he hates when she watches him and Hana...she always whistles when Hana kisses his cheek. Then, after Hana's left, she makes fun of him for blushing at it.

"Nah, I'm a little too broke. I figured we could just go and eat dinner. Y'know...go out to someplace nice, but not a wallet-killer, eat and chat and then come back here to the garden or whatever...just a simple something."

He looks at her again, scratching his head before biting his lip and looking at the floor. She's gorgeous, positively amazing. He doubts if he'll ever get over it. This woman is the same little girl that surprised him at the Bar and Grill ten years ago with a little kiss on the cheek. He can't believe it.

[Hana Forester]

"Oh. Okay, sounds good."

She would offer to pay for everything - except Kwiet is incredibly stubborn. Her family is wealthy, and he knows it. When they go on dates, she isn't allowed to pay for anything, and she doesn't want to hurt his pride by offering.
She slips her hand in his as they walk out of the Jedi living quarters. The sun is bright and warm as they walk down the crowded streets. Hana suddenly stops, then drags Kwiet through a very familar gate.

"Do you remember this place?" She asks, giggling as she takes a seat on a swing.

[Kwiet Ideya]

He leans on one of the swingset's supports with a smile.

"I do," he answers. "That's the swing you were sitting in when we came here the first time. I talked you into jumping out of it, but you didn't want to. I felt so horrible when you fell, and I kicked myself over it a lot for a day or so after that."

He shakes his head and wanders over to the other swing.

"These things are so small. I can't believe how long it's been, and how everything's changed. It feels like only yesterday I was trying to show off for you here at the playground."

[Hana Forester]

"No, you're just too big!"

She laughs as she swings softly through the air. When they first met, she was at least 3 or 4 inches taller than him; now he towers over her 5'2" self. She looks over at him as she swings back.
"I was so impressed by all of your talk of Jedi. Remember when we tried to find a master for me? What a disaster!"

[Kwiet Ideya]

"Yeah. I remember feeling so bad for you, too. You were so excited about being a Jedi. I remember going home to mom and crying on her shoulder for hours because you couldn't use the Force."

He laughs a little to himself, leaning over with his elbows on his knees.

"I wonder what you would've specialized in."

[Hana Forester]

"I don't know. Do the Jedi have a specialty involving studying?"

She pumps her legs faster, swinging higher, and jumps. This time, she lands on her feet, with her arms going to push her skirt down.

"Eep!"

[Kwiet Ideya]

Kwiet looks up just in time to see her land and turns bright red, gawking for a moment before he catches himself and looks away.

"Well...people are just naturally good at some things. I'm an ace in illusions, but I'm absolutely talentless with telepathy. I couldn't send a thought if I wanted to."

He hazards a glance back at her.

[Hana Forester]

She's looking over her shoulder at him, noticing his bright red ears and flushed cheeks. He's so cute!

"Hmmm, I guess that's true for everyone, Force sensitive or not."

Hana makes her way back towards Kwiet, a grin on her face. She leans down, kissing him on the lips. It's not a passionate kiss -- they've only just started kissing each other on the lips, and Hana would have no idea what she was doing -- just a simple, ordinary kiss. "I still think you're the best Jedi at GJO, Kwiet Jinn."

[Kwiet Ideya]

He returns the kiss, turning her and pulling her down to sit in his lap as she pulls away. He wraps his arms around her waist and rests his chin on her shoulder, hugging her with a happy sigh.

"I'm glad you think so, Hana," he answers. "Too bad I'm the only illusionist Padawan there. It's easy to be the best when you're the only one."

[Hana Forester]

"Well, that just makes you stand out even more. I'm sure most of the other padawans wish they could be great illusionists."

She snuggled against him, placing her hands on his. "Sometimes I worry about you, you know. All of this Jedi stuff, I don't understand it. It all seems so dangerous..."

Her voice trailed off as she looked down at his feet scuffing up the dirt below them. "You had better be careful, or I'll never ever forgive you."

[Kwiet Ideya]

"I'm a wily guy," he answers. "It'll take a lot to put me in any danger."

He knows that probably won't console her. She worries almost more than his mother.

"I promise that every time I go out, I'll come home to you. As soon as I get in from missions I'll call your house."

[Hana Forester]

"You better."

She gives him a quick peck on the chin. Of course she worries about him - she has no idea what jedi do, and would rather not think about it. She decides a change of subject is in order.

"So, where are you taking me for dinner, Mr Jinn?"

[Kwiet Ideya]

"Yog's," he says lamely, looking embarrassed. "It's the best place I can find that won't cost me an arm and a leg. They've got food from just about anywhere, and it's all made to the best of the chef's ability, which more often than not is better than the high-class places Mom takes me sometimes. Is it okay to go there?"

[Hana Forester]

"Of course it is, silly. I love going to Yogs."

She musses up his hair as she gets up, stretching. They end up at Yogs a lot - it's near the Jedi grounds, the food is good (and cheap), and the atmosphere is friendly and familar.

[Kwiet Ideya]

He stands up too, rolling his neck to keep from watching her too much, and reaches out to take her hand. Together the pair walk up the street towards the diner. What should he say? The whole walk passes in silence until they get to the door. He holds it open and gestures for her to preceed him.

"After you, Hana."

[Hana Forester]

"Thank-you."

Their walk here was in silence. She bites her lip, a bit nervous. What if she said something wrong?

The guards nod hello, and she makes her way to their favorite booth, Kwiet following closely behind. She takes her seat, and grabs his hand from across the table, smiling.

[Kwiet Ideya]

He sighs with relief when the guys by the door don't cat-call her or give him trouble. Once he brought her here and they wouldn't stop teasing him for their whole meal. He sits across from her and squeezes her hand gently. What to talk about...he doubts if she wants to hear about his last Force lesson, or start another worried discussion about Titian's eternal lack of sleep. He sighs as he sits there, looking into her beautiful green eyes, and finally just says what's on his mind.

"You are the most beautiful girl I've ever met."

It's a simple statement, direct and to the point, but now that he's said it, the phrase sounds cheesy. Like he's just trying to butter her up, or something. No time to regret it though, may as well act on it. He kisses her hand softly and smiles at her.

[Hana Forester]

Her cheeks burn bright red as he kisses her hand. She isn't used to his compliments, and it always embarasses her and catches her off-guard. She smiles, and opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out.

A small droid approaches, which spares her any more embarassment as it beeps loudly to get the young couples attention.

[Kwiet Ideya]

He smiles at the droid, idly dumping some salt into his hand..

"Get her order first, pal. It's good manners."

The droid chirps agreeably, turning over to Hana.

"Anything," Kwiet says mysteriously, sprinkling the salt over the droid's head. "Anything at all, this magic machine can bring! Cheeseburgers, root stew, bantha steaks, caesar salads..." His mouth twitches as he tries to keep a straight face. "Ask and it shall be yours..."

[Hana Forester]

Hana giggles, trying her hardest not to laugh as the little droid is given a good coating of salt.

"I'll have a burger combo, please. With a chocolate shake."

The droid chirps and beeps as it moves towards Kwiet. Hana casts a glance over her shoulder, hoping that the bartender hasn't seen the "magic show".

[Kwiet Ideya]

The droid beeps questioningly at Kwiet. Salt on it's head?

"Magic dust," Kwiet explains. "You're now the Magical Droid of Food Deliverance, capable of bringing out a cola and a pizza with the works."

It whistles at him.

"Get me your smallest one, please. Y'know, the five slice one."

The little droid trundles away.

"I think I get the same droid every time I come in, because every time I order a pizza for myself, it whistles surprisedly at me."

[Hana Forester]

"You're probably the only person here who could eat an entire pizza with everything on it -- it probably confuses the little thing."

She looks around the bar and grill -- it's patroned by mostly Jedi, and the two teenagers seem out of place. She's often wondered how Kwiet can stand to be here; the Jedi life seems lonely to Hana. Even though his mother has sent him to "normal" school, he's still almost alone at the GJO (With the exception of their mutal friend, Titian Snow).

"So, how are your Jedi studies going?"

[Kwiet Ideya]

Kwiet shrugs at her observation on his eating habits. It's true, every word.

"Well, I got in trouble the other day. I pulled some illusions on a few of the other Padawans during practice and made an uproar...I had to clean the whole Academy top to bottom with telekinesis. I suck at telekinesis. I had a pounding headache when I was done."

[Hana Forester]

"Aw. That sucks."

She can't resist asking this. "What did you do that got you into so much trouble?"

Hana has met some of the other padawans Kwiet is talking about - when they were children, the other kids were...well, brats. She isnt surprized he's been playing tricks on them.

[Kwiet Ideya]

"Well...um...I sorta made Titian freak out by projecting an illusion of a beautiful girl that wanted to mack on him, and he botched his telekinesis. He hit another girl with a shove that put her in the path of a few training darts, so she started to yell over that, then the kid that was doing saber practice almost took off his own leg when he jerked his saber back to keep from cutting her, and the whole place exploded into carnage and melee."

[Hana Forester]

Hanas mouth slowly forms a perfect "O" as he tells her about what happened. She quickly closes her mouth and shakes her head.
"You're crazy."

[Kwiet Ideya]

He shrugs, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Sorry. I was bored though. It was one of those study sessions where they make us elaborate on our weaknesses. I got tired of trying to make my non-existent telepathy work, and telekinetics are kind of lame. I don't get why Titian loves his tele-abilities so much."

[Hana Forester]

"It's probably the same reason you love your illusions," she laughed. "And I love my A+ grades. It's what we're good at. I'm glad they're making you work on that other stuff though, you never know when you might need it."

[Kwiet Ideya]

"Yeah," he admits, sounds a bit begrudging. "I don't like working on it though. It's so boring! Lift the ball, move it around, try unsuccessfully to project or receive a thought..." He sighs. "I hate doing that stuff. I hate not being good at something."

[Hana Forester]

She gives his hand a squeeze, leaning over to kiss him once more. "Don't be like that. We can't all be good at everything."

[Kwiet Ideya]

He kisses her back, sighing softly as he rubs her hand between his own.

"Yeah, I know," he mumbles. "I wish I was though. I'd be better at my job if I was."

He doesn't mention that he considers keeping Hana and Dae safe as his job rather than being a Jedi. He knows that his lack of those skills will decide how well he can defend them both. It drives him crazy when he and Titian do their "guardian" drills...he always keeps his targets safer than Kwiet can.

[Hana Forester]

"Kwiet, you're a great Jedi; you're learning more and more each day. I'm so proud of you," her cheeks flush. "And I would love you even if you were the worst Jedi ever."

[Kwiet Ideya]

He blushes too.

"I'm glad," he says simply. It's all he really can say to that, though he feels he should say more. The droid saves him though by bringing out his cola and Hana's food. It blatts at Kwiet, letting him know that his pizza will be a few minutes more, and trundles away.

[Hana Forester]

She quickly grabs her shake, taking a big slip from it as they sat there in silence. She didn't really know what to say; for all her book-smarts, she couldn't figure out how to put her feelings for Kwiet into words sometimes.

[Kwiet Ideya]

After a moment or so, Kwiet finally grasps a topic of conversation. He's not sure if he wants to talk about it, though. It's sort of cheesy and embarrassing for him, but he really wants to tell her about it. He sighs heavily, gathering his courage, and looks up from the table to meet her eyes.

"I had a dream about you a few nights ago."

[Hana Forester]

"Yeah?"

She takes another sip -- he had a dream about her? About what? She can feel the color returning to her cheeks as she wonder what it could be.

"What was it about?"

[Kwiet Ideya]

"It was a lot of different things," he admits, pretending not to notice her face turning pink. "I got to be your knight in shining armor and protect you...that was most of the dream. After I'd rescued you, I dreamt that I'd proposed for your hand in marriage a few days after. Then, a great while later, I dreamt that we had children."

He turns pink himself at the last scene, turning his eyes to the table and accepting the pizza that the little droid brought to him.

[Hana Forester]

"Aw." She can't help but grin. "That's so sweet!"

She reaches over for the bottle of ketchup, dumping a large blob onto her fries. She waits for him to look up before she says any more.

"You know...I always think of you as my Knight in shining armor. Or Jedi robes, rather."

[Kwiet Ideya]

Kwiet grins embarassedly as he takes a slice of pizza, eating some of it to help quell the butterflies in his stomach.

"Heh, it's what I'm good at. Granted partial offense and illusory tactics are a really roundabout way of defense, but it gets the job done. I'll use it to keep you happy and safe."

Another corny line! Jebus, can his choice of words get any better? He finishes off the slice and starts to nibble at the crust, feeling even more embarrassed than he did before.

[Hana Forester]

"I know."

She sort of laughs, not too much though, since she doesn't want to make him feel even more embarassed. She takes a bite of a ketchup covered fry. Her eyes scan the bar, searching for something to talk about.

'They should really start a karaoke night here at Yogs. That would be so much fun."

[Kwiet Ideya]

"You just wanna hear me sing!"

For her last birthday they all went to a karaoke night at some fancy place. Kwiet had been spectacularly out of place amongst her other friends, as he lacked a set of clothes that weren't eternally wrinkled or miscolored somehow. However, he had managed to out-perform many of them on the stage, and ever since then Hana has been bringing up karaoke at every possible opportunity.

[Hana Forester]

"Yeah. So?" She giggles, taking another fry and smothering it in ketchup before eating it. "You're the karaoke king; everyone was really impressed by your singing."

[Kwiet Ideya]

"Yeah, but it was a little embarrassing when you crowned me," he answers, stopping to devour another slice of the pizza. "I never thought much of singing, it's just something I always did in the shower or when I was doing homework. It's not a big deal."

[Hana Forester]

She sighs, picking up her burger and picking off the pickles and tomatoes. "It is a big deal. I like when we go to Karaoke, it's fun. And you're so good at it, you wow everyone everytime."

She watched him eat from over her burger. "So there. :p"

[Kwiet Ideya]

"You've got a nice singing voice on you, too," Kwiet answers, finishing off his second slice. "And you sure look a lot better than me."

[Hana Forester]

"Thanks, and you look fine!"

She hates that he says things like that - especially when they go to hang out with her friends. Yes, her friends are trendy, but she doesn't care what they think about Kwiet. She likes him how he is. She takes another bite of her burger, making a face at him.

[Kwiet Ideya]

"But I've barely got any curves on my figure, my hair's an absolute wreck, and my makeup just isn't doing it's job," he sighs, eye balling another slice of pizza as he holds it. He looks over at her idly, wondering if his humor is working.

[Hana Forester]

She rolls her eyes. "I think you have a great body, cool hair and your make-up looks fine. The natural look suits you."

Hana continues eating, watching him finish off his pizza.

[Kwiet Ideya]

Kwiet makes a slight laugh.

"Yeah. Anything else would be almost wrong."

He holds his hand out, palm down, and sweeps it in a circle so it faces up. A small image like a hologram appears, showing Hana a number of small panels with images inside them.

"This is all the ideas I have for what to do after dinner. Just poke them and you'll see the bigger version of the image."

This is an illusion he's practiced for occasions such as this...he calls it the "Character Select Illusion". There are five panels arranged in a pentagon. The one at the top shows the pair of them at the movies. The one on the top right shows them at Hana's house. The one on the top left shows them back at Kwiet's. The bottom left has them in GJO's Garden, and the bottom right is entirely blank.

[Hana Forester]

"Why is that one blank?" She asks, poking the bottom right image. A large blank "screen" appears, large than the last. "What's that one going to be?"

[Kwiet Ideya]

"That one's left for anything you want to do that I haven't already thought of," he says with a smile. "Suggest anything you want to do, and watch that screen..."

[Hana Forester]

"Oh," her face heats up, cheeks turning red once again. She has something she would like to do with Kwiet, but isn't sure if they're ready for it. Her heart beats a little faster as she tries to think of what to say instead. "Uh, I don't know, I guess we can go to the Gardens later."

[Kwiet Ideya]

"You're sure?"

Kwiet's no telepath, but even he can tell that Hana's got something on her mind. He also knows not to press the issue...he learned that trick from Titian.

"Okay, we'll go there."

The illusion changes to varying scenes, depicting the young couple walking along the cobblestone paths, sitting together under a tree, and lying in the grass. Kwiet lets it go for a while, then shuts his hand and dispels it.

"I gotta finish my pizza first."

[Hana Forester]

"No, I'm not sure... She thought as she nodded in agreement, eating another fry. She smiled across at him. "Sounds good."

[Kwiet Ideya]

Kwiet nods, eating his pizza quickly without being rude or sloppy. He leaves a small pile of crusts behind, less than he did as a kid.

"I'd eat 'em, but I'm full of all the rest," he sighs. "Good food, good food..."

[Hana Forester]

It was times like this that she was glad his specialty was illusions, and not telepathy. Some of her thoughts were better left private, anyway.
She pushes her plate away, half full of fries. Kwiet has always been a bigger eater than her, but he never finishes his all of his pizza crusts. She finished up her shake, watching him pat his full belly contently.

"Mmmhmmm."

[Kwiet Ideya]

He stands and stretches, rolling his neck and digging in his pockets as he approaches the bar. He pays the bill, leaving the three-dollar change as a meager tip. The worn-out wallet he owns slides back into his wallet, freeing his hand to take hers.

"Back to GJO..."

[Hana Forester]

Her hand slips into his, resting her head on his shoulder as they left the bar and grill. The lights on the street have just started to turn on, and the air now has a crisp breeze blowing through. Hana shivers a bit, snuggling closer to Kwiet for warmth.

[Kwiet Ideya]

"You want my shirt?" He tugs at the red shirt with the GJO logo on the back. "It's not much, but if it'll help, you can have it."

He wraps his arm around her shoulders and hugs her.

"I don't want you to be cold."

[Hana Forester]

"Sure, only if you're not going to be cold."

He takes off his over-shirt, draping it over her shoulders and hugging her close as they continue down the street. She leans up, kissing his cheek softly.

"Thank-you."

[Kwiet Ideya]

"You're welcome," he answers, smiling as she kisses him. "Anything for you, Hana."

He guides her into the gates of the dormitory, leading her out into the garden. Wind chimes echo quietly in the breeze as they stand beneath a large tree. Kwiet sighs and leans back on it, feeling the marks from his constant target practice.

"It's beautiful out here," he ventures quietly after a while.

[Hana Forester]

"Yeah, it is..."

She leans against his chest, leaning up to kiss his chin.

"I love you, Kwiet Jinn."

[Kwiet Ideya]

"I love you too," he answers, tilting her chin up to kiss her lips. "You're absolutely beautiful and sweet. Perfect. Perfect in every way."

[Hana Forester]

Her cheeks flush as he tilts her chin, her lips touching his. She pulls back with an embarassed smile, before kissing him again, pulling hiim closer.

[Kwiet Ideya]

He embraces her tightly and lovingly, pressing his lips to hers and savoring this perfect moment. When at last he breaks the kiss he's burning bright red, looking sheepishly at his toes as he tries to think of what he should say or do now. Nothing's coming to mind though...

[Hana Forester]

Hana laughs, kissing him more.

"You're so adorable when you blush, Mr Jinn."

[Kwiet Ideya]

He laughs nervously.

"If I wanted I could just illusion it away...but I don't like using them on you. I feel that if I tried to do something like that it'd be worse than lying."

[Hana Forester]

"Hmm, I guess it would be. But I don't think you would ever lie to me."

Big green eyes stare up into his blue ones, her face completely serious. "I trust you with my heart, Kwiet. I love you so much."

[Kwiet Ideya]

Kwiet's heart swells with a feeling unlike any other. It's a good feeling, certainly...one mixed of love and joy, boundless and overflowing. She trusts him. She loves him.

"I love you too, my heart and soul girl..." he whispers, kissing her softly. "Hana..." He sighs, sputtering a bit as he tries to voice his feelings. After a moment or two he sighs again and hugs her tightly to him. "I can't explain it...it's too much and too good to put into words..."

[Hana Forester]

She nuzzles into his chest, smiling up at him. "I know, you don't have to put it into words, because I feel the same way."

She closes her eyes, sighing softly as she keeps her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat.

[Kwiet Ideya]

Kwiet runs his hands over her back and in her soft hair, sighing happily. He is content to simply hold her like this. For the first time in a long while, Kwiet Ideya-Jinn is absolutely speechless. He wants to be quiet, for once.

[Hana Forester]

Hana leans up, kissing him again, a little harder this time, more passionately. Her body presses gently against him. It's a bold move for her, and she's not sure how Kwiet will react to it.

[Kwiet Ideya]

He wraps his arms around her waist and matches her move, shutting his eyes tight. His mind is racing a mile a minute, along with his heartrate. This is too flirty for Hana...but here it is, all the same. It's a pleasant surprise for him, and a welcome one. He's been too nervous to try making a move on her.

[Hana Forester]

"Mmmm." She can feel his heart racing in his chest - hers is going just as fast. Her fingers trail down his spine and she breaks the kiss with a smile. She blushes as she looks up at him. "Sorry."

[Kwiet Ideya]

He shivers as her fingers send a tingle over his body.

"You've done nothing to apologize for," he mumbles.

[Hana Forester]

She looks up at him, worried. She starts slipping the shirt off her shoulders, wrapping it around him. "You're cold, you're shivering. Maybe we should go inside."

[Kwiet Ideya]

"I'm not cold," he answers truthfully. "It's the way you ran your fingers down my spine...it was a good feeling. But if you want to go inside anyway, we can."

[Hana Forester]

She frowns. "I guess."

Kwiet slips his arm around her shoulders as they head inside the Jedi complex. Her head rests gently on his chest as they make their way back to his room.

[Kwiet Ideya]

He opens the door for her and leads her slowly to his quarters, hoping against hope that his mother won't be there. He unlocks and opens the door slowly, stepping in with all the silent grace his training has given him, then spreads his senses out. No mom. He tries a little harder, and finds her visiting the Snow family on the floor above.

"Mom's upstairs," he says. "Take your shoes off, sweetheart. Make yourself at home."

[Hana Forester]

Hana slips off her sandals, her bare feet making no sound as they pad across the carpeted floor of Kwiets' quarters. She turns to him, taking his hands in hers and leading him down the short hall to his room. She pushes open the door, flicking on the lights and flopping down on his bed, giving him a wide grin.

[Kwiet Ideya]

Kwiet takes a seat on the chair that's set in front of his computer desk, staring at his sock-clad feet and twiddling this thumbs. He's glad he's no telepath, or else he'd be in a boatload of trouble with her. Titian's telepathy has sprung itself without his wanting it to, and has given him quite a bit of trouble on more than one occasion.

"So what now? There isn't much in here, besides the holo and the computer..."

[Hana Forester]

She frowns, and inside her head, she's sighing and rolling her eyes at him. Sometimes boys just don't get it. She pats the bed beside her.

"Come and snuggle with me."

[Kwiet Ideya]

He eases himself onto the bed, sitting with his legs folded and pulls her into his lap, hugging her tight and staring hard at some unknown, invisible spot on the far bedpost. He's thinking too much about this. It's just holding her. What's the big deal?

[Hana Forester]

Hana wraps her arms around his neck, playing with the loose strands of his hair peeking out from the headband. She kisses him softly as he holds her tight.

"I love you."

[Kwiet Ideya]

"I love you too," he answers, sighing softly and returning her kiss. "This is wonderful.

[Hana Forester]

"mmmhmmm."

Her voice is soft as green eyes look him over, and she smiles at him.
"Would you like to do something other then kissing?"

Her cheeks flush lightly. She embarassed about making the first move...

[Kwiet Ideya]

"I...uh..."

Of course, the answer to that is "Yes, yes I would!"...but...

"Mom might come back any time...it'd be embarrassing if she walked in."

[Hana Forester]

"Oh."

Her arms slip from around his neck, hands falling into her lap, fidgeting. She can feel her entire face turn red, and she turns away from him.

[Kwiet Ideya]

He sputters slightly as she turns, feeling he did something he shouldn't have.

"What's wrong? I said something bad, didn't I?" he asks, standing up with a look of slight panic. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

[Hana Forester]

"No!" She stays seated on the bed, looking up at him. "I was just, embarrassed. You didnt say anything wrong at all."

[Kwiet Ideya]

He tentatively takes her hands in his, looking into her eyes.

"Maybe on a night when I know mom will be gone for a good long time, okay? Tonight's just not the night, I guess."

[Hana Forester]

"Okay."

She strokes his palm with a finger, giving his hand a little tug. "Will you just hold me, then?"

[Kwiet Ideya]

"Yes."

He resumes their former position, sighing happily as he pulls her close.

"This is good...this is just perfect."

[Hana Forester]

She rests up against him, her head on his chest, her arms around him. "Yeah, it is."


"I'm sorry I tried to rush things."

[Kwiet Ideya]

"It's fine..." he assures her. "I want it too, but we need to wait...it'll be worth it, I promise."

[Hana Forester]

"I know. It's so hard to wait though," he can feel her frown on his chest. "Sometimes, I don't want to think, I just want to do."

[Kwiet Ideya]

Kwiet strokes her hair, sitting back against the headboard of his bed with a sigh.

"I know. My teachers are trying to drill that into me every day. To be patient, and not act on impulse."

The pair go quiet after that, sitting in silence as they hear Dae come home, apparently with Lillian in tow. The two chat for a while, their voices floating into their room like a low hum, and by the time Lillian has left that idle background noise has put Kwiet to sleep, with Hana still wrapped in his arms.