Flying Home for Winter

[Owain]

So, that plan had crashed and burned like a second-hand TIE fighter.

Owain Barnabus sighed as he shifted the bag on his back into a more comfortable position. Felicity was up ahead with the little one, practically beaming. The girl loved her home, even though when he had first met her she had been ready to fly the coop like any teenager. Well, she was a little bit older and wiser now. Personally, Owain would follow her anywhere. Heck, he'd already proven that hadn't he? They were practically family, raising a kid together and all. Taking turns on the parental duties and all. They were in the starport, heading for their ride home. Exactly how Keter Mason of all people had scrounged up enough money for a shuttle was beyong Owain. Last time he had checked, the man had been an unemployed bum wandering the halls of his castle like a ghost from a bad holovid.

...erm...he hoped Felicity hadn't plucked that thought from his mind...space wizards....argh!

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Baby Zelda was wide awake and giggling as Felicity tickled her little bare feet. She couldn't say exactly how many days she'd been this childs mother, but at this point, she really couldn't think of how she'd managed without her. She adored this baby like she really was her own flesh and blood. She was her child in every way.

"Owain, hurry up, or I'll leave you behind!"

She didn't really mean that, of course. She needed him more than she would ever admit. Well, no. Needed implied that she only kept him around out of necessity. She wanted him. There were no more secrets about her feelings now. She was free to say 'I love you' any moment she wished. It was a nice freedom to have.

But freedom itself had not been what Felicity thought it would be. It was hard. She'd adjusted, of course. Learned to cook, clean and even tried taking a job at a local cantina. That last one had ended horribly with her punching her boss in the face when he slapped her backside. Her knocking him out was completely deserved, but it did get her fired pretty quickly.

Well, even if they didn't stay forever on Imerria, it was good for the baby to finally meet the rest of the family. Uncle Barnabus, Celeste, Daddy again, maybe even mom could be convinced to visit! Yeah. That would be nice. She missed mom. Neither of her parents were getting any younger, and mom wasn't doing very well...

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

The raven haired youth grumbled under his breath. He'd be able to keep up if the little songbird carried her share, but nooo, little princess was everything. Instead he quickened his pace to catch up, unable to stop himself from grinning. Sure he'd complain and be all cynical whenever he could - he was the foil to Felicity's fierce optimism after all. They completed each other. Besides, as sour as he was, he wasn't bad. The girl wouldn't have stuck around if he had been. Besides, as the military trained grtunt, it made sense to have him haul the heavier loads. Even if it sucked and made him feel more like a glorified bantha. THe mental image of him in a thick woolly coat filled his head, and he grimaced. Yeah, no.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Better. He wasn't lagging so far behind. Besides, she had to keep him in shape somehow. She had a feeling that their nightly activities were not quite enough to keep her dear sweet fake-husband-thing-whatever-he-was-now, in fighting shape. She never knew when she'd need a body guard, after all. Not that she couldn't handle herself, of course.

"So, Owain, excited to see your uncle again?" she asked, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

He was the last family Owain had, wasn't he? That was sad. Some day, Felicity would drum up the courage to ask more about them. Or she'd just do it now. It was a long trip, after all.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

His grin blossomed into a full smile. "Yeah. It has. Wonder how the old goat's doing. Obviously fine or he would have called," the young man said, shaking his head as they mad etheir way through the starport. Zelda seemed to find his face funny half the time, and she giggled as he drew nearer. He shot the child a dark look which only amused her further. Kids were mystifying. "Speaking of goats...I'm sure Hondo will be pleased to see you again."


[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

"Oh, I'm sure," she answered as they approached, "I think the first thing I do when I get back is ride him. He must feel so lonely. I hope someone is taking care of him properly. He gets so irritated when he doesn't get his bath on time. And Nisal too. I hope she's alright being transported in a cage. I know how much she hates it..."

The poor Nexu. She was so used to being allowed to go where she pleased any time she wished. Baroness Magrath had spoiled the nexu, but it still proved to be an extremely loyal pet. And a efficient extra bit of security. She always felt so much safer with her around.

"So, there's something I wanna talk to you about..."

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

Forget "incoming fire", your other half saying there was something they wanted to talk to you about was the most panic inducing thing known to reality. Owain felt his smile tnese slightly as they began boarding, grateful to shrug the heavy bag off his shoulders and drop the two he had been carrying with his hands.

"Ah, sure. What is it about?" the youth asked, trying not to let his sudden anxiety show.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

"O-oh, nothing bad," she assured him quickly as they took their seats, "I was just wondering where things stood now. With us, I mean."

Zelda grabbed a chunk of her hair and tugged, but Felicity didn't seem to notice, or at least made no move to stop her. She was staring intently at her other half biting her lip. They weren't Mr and Mrs white when they were back home. They were just Felicity and Owain. There was no reason to pretend around the rest of the family. But even still, it made her feel so... awkward, just being in this relationship limbo. Nothing was really ever official.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

Now wasn't that a question.

Owain sighed, still smiling as he sat down and leant forwards, propping his elbows on his legs, stroking his chin. "Hmmm. Good question. Things are never simple, are they?" he asked the blonde sitting next to him. In truth he wasn't sure. But..."Well, we're certianly at LEAST a couple. SO let's start there and work up - what comes after couple but before marriage?" Becuase they weren't married. Not yet anyway.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

She should have known. Owain never had answers for her. Did he enjoy keeping things complicated? Probably. She adored him, but he just couldn't make things easy.

"Well, I think after we've been a couple for a while, an engagement would come next."

Not that she'd known any better herself, honestly. She'd only ever had one boyfriend before him and that was hardly what she would call serious. Mom had made it sound like love would come after marriage. Probably because mom had been so set on finding a mate for her. She'd been so convinced that her own daughter would never be able to find the right sort for herself.
She'd found Owain though.

The blonde smiled, remembering how mom used to talk about him, like he was junk food. Tempting, but bad for her. In her experience with him so far, he'd been there for her when nobody else was. How could that ever be bad?

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

THAT made him blink in surprise and somehow slip. "W-what? Engagement? At least lemme save up for a ring first!" he yelped out. Honestly, what did she think? He would have to work for months to get her a ring - he wasn't rich, he did small jobs which offered a liveable wage, and the princess needed something that would suit her.

He couldn't just get her a daimond ring, that was so cliche.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

"O-Owain, you idiot!" she snapped as Zelda pulled several strands of gold hair from her head, "I was answering your question. You asked what came before marriage!"

Seriously! Did he think she was an idiot? She wasn't suggesting he just propose to her here and now! Even she wasn;t that impatient. Although... she really wouldn't say no if he did. He really was so dumb. Did he think she was so shallow that she needed a shiny rock to impress her?

...Wait. Did he just...?

"...You've been thinking about it?" she asked, voice going quiet and calm again. She looked away, blushing. "You know, you don't need to spend a lot on me. I'm not in love with your money, Owain."

...No. She certainly wasn't. She'd be stupid if she was with him for that.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

Her reaction reassured him, making the boy grin again. She was cute when flustered. It helped him ground his thoughts in time for her follow up question. "Well...yeah," he shrugged in response. It wasn't that surprising, was it? After what they had been through? The raven youth nodded. "I know that but...you know. A ring to go with that hcoker would be nice, no?"

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

'Yeah'? That was all he had to say? She wasn't disappointed, exactly. Just, well, surprised. How could he be so casual all the time? Marriage was a big deal, right?

"But you said this wasn't very expensive, remember?" she giggled tugging at the bird choker, "So I really don't see why you'd have any problems."

Really, he could tie a blade of grass together and call it a wedding ring, and she'd be more than happy to wear it. That actually gave her an idea...

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"Well, I got lucky with that," Owain admitted, nodding at the piece of jewellry she now wore. A nice memnto of their time together. Funny - originally she couldn't stand the sight of him. She'd even punched him once. Actually, that's good teasing material! "I mean, if I get you the wrong kind of ring you may punch me again, and heavens know we don't want that," the boy pointed out.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

"Then don't get me a ring," she answered almost immediately.

She smiled at his tease. The punch. Yes. She remembered that. She'd hurt her own fist doing it, but it was worth it. If she hadn't hit him, he might still be as arrogant as before. Still... she probably shouldn't have hit him that hard.

"I don't need a shiny finger rock to know you're serious. I just need a promise."

Zelda was sleeping again. When did that happen? She hadn't even noticed the baby girl drift off until she looked down to check on her.


[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"Oh please," he scoffed. "How could I pass up a chance to impress you?" OWain teased, giving the girl a wink. "Well, it would also keep other guys from looking at you..." he admitted. It was true. A ring would discourage most suitors she would be getting. He saw the looks she drew to hersewlf wherever she walked. It made him jealous, he freely admitted to himself.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Oh? So it made him jealous too? Felicity had a feeling that he was less indifferent to the attention she received than he liked to claim. And here he was admitting it. The blonde giggled, reaching into the bag at her feet to grab a blanket for the baby.

"Well, if you're so worried that I'll just walk away with the first person to flirt with me, then I'd think you'd make finding me a ring your first priority."

She wrapped the blanket around the sleeping child and yawned herself.

"Why don't you ask Daddy?" she suggested, "The ring he gave mom was nice. I'm sure he could at least give you hints."

He made it himself, if she remembered the story correctly. Made it just for her Mother. Mom was much pickier than she was though. She'd made her Father propose twice before she accepted it, saying that it wasn't good enough the first time.
Felicity wasn't like that at all. She liked pretty things as much as anyone, but she wasn't going to break Owain's heart just so she could have the perfect fairy tale moment.


[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

Owain laughed but nodded at her suggestion. "Exactly. Well, no, not that...I mean," he said, stumbling over his words as he realized what it sounded like, "I know you won't just walk off...it's more like I want it to be official and declared for the galaxy to see?" the boy explained, not sure if he was making sense or not. Her suggestion made Owain blanche however. "K-Keter? Ask him for how to- why would he help me?"

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

The girl- no, young woman, burst into a laugh so sharp and loud that the baby in her arms squirmed. But she couldn't help it. He was too cute when he was flustered.

"I think Daddy would help," she replied, shifting the baby somewhat into a more comfortable position, "because he loves me and he wants me to be happy."

It was true. Daddy was scary some times, but he was going to always be her hero of choice. He'd at least try to be happy for her... right?

[member="Owain"]