A heavy burden to shoulder

[Felicity Mason]

Felicity followed, gently bouncing the babbling baby as he packed.

"You think I am making a mistake, don't you?"

It didn't take space magic to realize this. She could see it in his eyes, in the way he walked, the way he spoke to her. And honestly... she wasn't sure he was wrong.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"Yes," the youth blutnly replied, double checking everything as he packed. All the essentials. They had come here packed light, just in case they would have to move on. To escape danger, not leap towards it. Still, he wouldn't just abandon Felicity. He couldn't. "But it's your mistkae to make," he sighed, shoulders slumping. He wouldn't be like her mother - keepeing her in a cage. She knew the risks, she thought the trip still worth it. That was that.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Her mistake. Owain was taking a risk he would rather not make.... for her. He'd touched her heart before, but this... was different. She sat on the bed with the baby in her arms.

"Owain... I want to ask, just in case this is a trap," she took a deep breath, let it out and met his eyes. "Will you marry me?"

It was less romantic than she might have liked, but if he wasn't going to ask any time soon, then damn it, she would. She wasn't about to wait forever, after all.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

He was just hefitng the bag when she asked, making him drop it in surprise. The boy spun to face her, clearly startled. She...she was asking? He had suspected the thought had entered her mind, but he had assumed she was waiting for him to make the first move. Seems she had had enough of waiting though. "O-of course!" he managed to stammer out, still somewhat taken aback.

Ah...her mother was going to kill him. She had wanted him to propose after all...

"Oh uhm...well I have the rings already," Owain coughed, looking away in embarassment. He had been planning to ask himself...but with everything that had happened...he had figured the girl could use a rest from drama.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

She expected this reaction. She wasn't exactly asking a simple thing here. Marriage was serious. It was a commitment. But, well, they had the baby already, and they had once talked about making it official... He was just taking way too long.

"The rings? Oh. So you were planning on asking yourself?" she raised an eyebrow, "Sorry. I hope I didn't ruin any plans."

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"Well...yeah," the youth replied, digging through the bags again, looking for the box he had stowed away for the future. "I mean, why wouldn't I?" he casually offered with a light laugh to cover his embarassment. He pulled out the small box, hesitating slightly before turning to the girl he loved. "Now uh, see, I made a promise and so...well, you know," he mumbled, before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Since you asked and I answered, guess this is kinda pointless but..."

Well, tradition was tradition. He took a knee in front of her and offered her the open box. Inside rested her mother's engagement ring. A ring forged by Keter, if he remembered correctly, and gifted to him to give to Felicity by her own mother before she passed.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Silence fell over them both, broken only by the little squeaking noises made by the baby. Her eyes bore into the ring. She knew it at once. How could she not? She looked at it almost every day when she was with her mother.

"...She gave it to you?" she asked softly, reaching out to touch the milky white pearl at the center, "To... give to me?"

The blonde took a deep breath, ran a finger just under her eyes to catch any tears that might try to slip through her lashes. Then she smiled.

"It means she liked you, you know. She may not have said it, but in the end, she approved of you."

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"Yeah...yeah she did," OWain admitted quietly. He could see how it affected her, how he had feared it would. Tainting the memory of this with associations of loss. But she still smiled. She smiled for him. He couldn't help but smile back at her.

"That's...good to know," he said quietly, waiting for her to take it. To touch it himself felt...wrong somehow.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

He wasn't going to put it on her finger himself. She raised an eyebrow, wondering why that was, but took the ring anyway. She'd never had a chance to really look at it up close. Mother had treasured that ring so much, she never took it off. Now that she was able to look at it closely, she could see the love and care her father had put into the details. Such... devotion.

"Owain... Will you still love me if I had to go away for a while too?"

She slipped the ring onto her finger, frowning slightly. It was only slightly too big. Kept sliding to the side. But it didn't slide off. That was the important thing. She could have it adjusted later.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"Go away?" he repeated, frowning. What did she mean by that?

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

"Like... if I had a job to do. Like mom."

She moved the ring up and down her finger, frowning. She had a gift. She might have been able to get away with fading away from society and duty before, but now? How could she? She had to learn how to control it or she would go crazy. And once she could control it, there was so much good she could do. How could she just not use it?

"Would you stay by me? Even if things got dangerous?"

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"You mean like how we're walking into a trap despite my misgivings?" Owain pointed out briskly, reaching down to pick up the bags again. "Come now Songbird, you know me - always getting into trouble and all that," he offered with a smile. "Besides, good luck leaving me behind." Seriously, he was not going to let her out of his sight until he knew she was safe. He wouldn't keep her in one place, but he could chase her. Oh yes, he would chase her all over the galaxy.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Great. Now she felt like she owed him one. She really hated being in debt.

"You really are stupid, you know that?"
But she was smiling when she said it. Her stupid fiance. That's what he was now. And some day, maybe soon, maybe in a few years, they would be married. Maybe they would have kids. Maybe little Zeldara would be all they had. Either way, it was fine with her as long as he did as he promised and stayed near her.

"I love you, you idiot. Let's go."

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

Owain rolled his eyes. "Of course." This was all stupid. But they were young. They were supposed to be stupid and do things nad then have inappropriate stories they would be unable to tell their kids. "Love you too, Songbird," he replied with an easy grin, following her out on yet another advanture.

After all, birds of a feather flock together.