What Was and What Will Be

A compulsion followed it, looking at those eyes, the number of times he'd done so being something he could hardly count. Blue as the waters of the Lake Country, or the perennially clear skies of this world. If such a thing were possible.

"I don't know what the future holds. It's been…" the uncertainty could be harrowing, the year since he'd heard anything from his father, mother, older brother.... the loss of contact under Sith opression; he sighed softly, looking down at her, "...I don't know how I'd manage without you." It felt, some days, like she was all he had. "You're my certainty, Briana. As if my soul itself is in alignment when I'm with you." A faint smile lifted the corners of his lips, as he brushed curled fingers, leaving them to rest under her chin, "Nothing's ever been so clear to me as you."

That was true for him for longer than she knew. "Fool as I am, I'd be more of one to let go of that, let go of you," he'd never wanted to, but life and the Force tended to have other ideas, "so, I… hope you'll do me the honour of becoming my wife." She was it for him, might be she always had been. "Marry me, Briana Sal-Soren," a faint breath of a laugh came out of him, "or so help me I may combust!"

Where else could he put all that love?

Briana, usually so calm and collected, could not hide her shock at that moment, not that she could hide much of anything from him if she tried — she, his fondest and most endless read, a book he couldn't put down. Her eyes widened, her pale pink lips parted ever so slightly, and the rest of her body had gone still with surprise.

For a woman who always seemed to have a quick retort up her sleeve, she was curiously silent as he watched, captivated, patient yet anticipating, while a cascade of emotions flickered across her features in rapid succession, each one chased by the next before finally settling into pure, undiluted affection. The corners of her mouth threatened to curve upward, while the shine gathered in her eyes once again.

"Yes," she finally said.

That one single word bubbling out of her with a smile that broadened into something brighter than any he'd ever seen, something that could light up the entire galaxy.

"Of course it's a yes!"

It lit him up, at least. He had hardly any doubt that she would give him the answer he sought, but then… well, he had her answer. Vizion tipped his forehead against hers, relieved, breathing out the low laugh that came over him.

"I have something for you," he said after a moment, as he fished a small, soft pouch from a trouser pocket, and stood up in full, releasing her, "had it resized last year."

That gave some vague indication of just how long he'd been thinking about this, but in reality the mere possibility entered his mind quite early. He opened the little pouch and pulled out a white-gold ring that had a lot of history, and an intricate design set with a champagne diamond and smaller diamonds along the band. It was one of several rings from his family's annals, and this one in particular predated the Gulag Plague by a considerable margin.

"It wasn't purchased from a case, but commissioned by one of my ancestors for his beloved." A fact that could say a few things. Vizion gestured to her, his face writ with the same affection that she wore in hers. "I chose it for its meaning." He gave a warm smile, "May I have your hand?"

Briana held out her left hand, more than willingly, still so infused with the aura of these moments. She would remember him mentioning this ring months ago, but what he'd said back then hadn't gone any further than the fact that he had it, and it'd been somewhere safe, not on his person. It was a beautiful ring, and though she would have to give it great care, it was still more practical than many contemporary options.

Vizion took Briana's hand, "You should wear it on a chain when necessary." Jedi considerations. Then he gently slipped the ring into place, where it belonged. Belonged to her, like he did. Like she did, to him. A thing foretold, come to pass.

"There," came the quiet declaration as he ran a thumb gently over the ring, holding her hand, "right where it's meant to be." He gave a firm smile, his eyes returning to her face, "Now lets get out of here."

They had the rest of this warm, sunny day to themselves.