You don’t look a day over 10,000…

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus had been avoiding Braith. It was nothing like the secret she’d foolishly kept last time out - when she’d been taking flowers to a dead Sith Lord’s grave. Instead this was an entirely positive situation for her partner.

This time it was different - and she’d been running on adrenaline for days now, fearful her secret would leak out.

They’d agreed to meet on Corvus’ home on Tatooine. At midnight. She wasn’t sure if Braith knew the significance of the date. Corvus did. Based upon research she’d pinned down her date of birth. Which was in precisely…six minutes times.

So she left her ship under the evening moonshine and headed into her basic but homely hut — primarily underground. She knew Braith was already there, and must have suspected something was up. Corvus couldn’t lie, so was evasive and hard to pin down for the past few weeks. For other than her elder sister, she had no experience of birthdays for two decades.

Despite a wealthy upbringing, presents were invariably home-made by the Raaf siblings. But she suspected Braith would not entirely appreciate a crayon drawing, or a necklace made out of sea-shells. Except she probably would love them — but deserved more.

And given she had limited funds, lavish gifts were not an option. So the most expensive present was in fact two. Two sets of matching underwear. Racy, lacy and — in Corvus’ opinion — something that covered just enough to excite the imagination. Why two sets? One was blue and one was purple. They were created to match the colour of her eyes exactly.

And yes, there was a necklace made of sea-shells. She’d found a collector that had some from the beaches of Corellia and had done a deal. The string was from Mos Eisley.

But the main present? Now that would be telling.

So she entered the building…two minutes to go.

She quickly found Braith and smiled, boxes of presents in hand. She quickly put a finger to her lips. “Let me speak first.”

“It’s your birthday…I think…and if not….well it is now.” She smiled as she finally managed to get the words out.

“Some presents, but first…”

She put the gift-wrapped presents down on the table of the main living area and opened the Jedi cloak she was wearing. Underneath she was wearing just a blue vest and a pair of matching shorts. “No, not…well, actually yes, probably what you’re thinking, but not just yet.” That cheesy grin was now plastered on her face.

She allowed the cloak to drop to the floor and held out her hands to Braith. Not to embrace her, she held her arms together, palms down. Then she turned them over.

Spoiler

On one wrist was tattooed Mo Chuisle and on the other Mo Chroi.

“I wanted something personal…” Her voice cracked slightly and tears were forming in her eyes. “You deserve the galaxy and all of the stars therein. But a Jedi’s wages don’t stretch that far, given I’m not actually paid anything. So what I have to offer is me. And my love. So this is my way of showing you how much you mean to me.”

“My heart…my pulse. Together…forever…and ever.”

And she flung herself at Braith. “Happy birthday chuisle…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t1vaF50Ks0

 

[Hailyn]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3UUGy5Hym0[/media]​

At this point could Braith really come to expect anything less than the most amazing day, day after day, whenever she was free to be alone with Corvus? Recently the lovable Jedi had been keeping a bit of a distance between them, though it was more of the secretive kind - like she knew something Braith hadn't, though what that was most certainly a mystery. At first the Alua'an had chalked it up to something she was doing, wearing - maybe her hair was out of place for the last two weeks? - but slowly it was becoming more obvious that Corvus was excited rather than anxious, or perhaps a bit of both. But when she'd been asked to meet Corvus on Tatooine, Braith couldn't quite refuse - it was a nice change of pace, last she recalled, and she certainly seemed at home in the humble little hut - she was certain there was something she must have forgotten about, maybe something important? In either case she'd shown up early to try and figure it out - to no avail.

The moment Corvus walked in she had prepared to speak, or was really mid-sentence to ask her what was going on, but the finger to her lips silenced her faster than any kiss could. Her expression was still of mild confusion, partial concern - oblivious to the birthday celebrations that had apparently become the norm throughout the greater portion of the galaxy, having grown accustomed to daily or weekly gifts so long ago as a deity rather than such special occasions that the normal person had the luxury to celebrate. "It's your birthday..." The realization had hit her quite quickly, with the helpful prodding of a few words, and her confusion turned to appreciation and mild joy, though she wasn't quite ecstatic as would have been if she had understood what was going on. While Corvus smiled, Braith smiled with her.

She glanced at the wrapped parcels while Corvus put them down, but her eyes went doe-eyed when she disrobed. Corvus still hadn't finished her explanation so she didn't verbally remark to the sudden exposure, not that she hadn't seen less clothing on her before, but that didn't quite stop her from stifling a quiet laugh at Corvus's almost awkward explanation of her sudden lack of robes. While she was certain that the boxed gifts were more than enough to both appease her non-existent needs and make her appreciate their relationship that much more, the tattoos on the Jedi's arms were, not quite because of what they said or the fact that they were tattooed, something which overwhelmed her with that sense of happiness, appreciation - most all positive emotions, really. Their love had transcended the silly, but still enjoyable and relevant, puppy love and reached the point where Corvus had gone the lengths to permanently imprint a symbol of their relationship on her own body, a symbol of permanence to the Alua'an.

If there were tears in Corvus's eyes, there were most certainly several in her own and she was shaking slightly with a blushing red face, too. "Thank you, so much, Corvus!" She exclaimed, certainly ecstatic with her 'gift', if she hadn't been before. "Anything at all would have more than made today special, and you went above and beyond anything I could have ever asked for. I love it, and you, so much." Braith said. She turned her attention to the still-wrapped gifts, gesturing questioningly to them curiously. "Do you want me to open these?" She asked, not sure if Corvus had other plans first or not - she certainly seemed to be several steps ahead of her today.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttNsPu_lpuE

The pent up adrenaline of holding the secret these past few weeks was a relief to let go. Ten good secrets were hard for Corvus to hold on to. Every days she’d wanted to share what she had planned — but this moment? Well it made it clear it was worth waiting for.

Did Braith even understand the concept of birthdays? And did it matter even? It was an opportunity to share her love, to show how much her Chuisle meant to her.
Their shared tears were both foolish and special. Which was a heady cocktail to come to terms with. Corvus suspected these moments would always be like this.

At least she hoped so. She could never take her Chroi for granted — and never expected to.

“Oh, yes…presents.” She smiled and wiped the tears from one of her eyes with the back of her hand. “Silly me.”

She offered the largest box first. It contained both sets of the underwear she’d chosen. More than once she’d closed down her datapad when a Youngling entered her office when she was choosing the right set.

“You once asked me what my favourite colour was. My answer inspired this gift. And you of course.” She giggled nervously. “I hope you like them.”


“I do…”

[member="Braith Achlys"]

 

[Hailyn]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXsEKw80ctE[/media]​

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg22vrehKs0

Corvus was pleased that Braith blushed at the present. It was the innocence that made was so much a part of Braith’s make-up that she found so alluring.
Corvus nodded, and found she was now blushing herself. “Maybe the present was as much for me as it was for you?” She giggled and now her chest was also flushed. “Well it was these or Darth Vader socks..”

She realised her reference and started to explain. “He was a Sith Lord…a long time ago…actually he was a Jedi too. Long story. And I know a joke too…actually it’s not funny. And now I’m rambling…”

Quickly she grabbed the next box and presented it to Braith. It contained the necklace made from Corellian sea-shells. Compared to her own beautiful necklace it paled into insignificance. But like the beautiful jewellery she wore around her neck, this was a present from the heart and was as sentimental as Corvus could get — given her home planet was no more.

“This one’s home made…” She avoided saying too much. There was nothing less satisfying than someone explaining presents when you opened them — as if justifying them.


And she still had two to give.

[member="Braith Achlys"]

 

[Hailyn]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93AkTbLtd5U[/media]​

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA4ppvp2IzY

There was a special order to give presents. The best should come first and last. At least in Corvus’ mind. So the second to last was little more than an appetiser. Not that it wasn’t special. Or thoughtful.

So, two boxes left. One large and one small.

Corvus took the large one and handed it to Braith. Gift wrapped like all the others and tied in a purple bow, it contained something very simple. Jedi robes. The same cut and material as Corvus’ but a shade of brown so dark that they appeared black to the human eye.

It was not for dressing up — but now the thought occurred to her, she saw the possibilities — but its proper purpose was for public wear. It was items of clothing that reflected their togetherness. Boots, robes and a cloak, all in Braith’s size.

She might never wear them, but that didn’t matter. The fact was she had them, and could wear them. And as she handed the box over, she cupped Braith’s cheek in her hand and with her thumb gently wiped away a tear. And she smiled at the show of emotion and planted a soft kiss on her girlfriend’s lips before stepping back and allowing her to unwrap the present.

And her heart speeded up a little — as she knew what came next.

[member="Braith Achlys"]

 

[Hailyn]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acvIVA9-FMQ


Corvus was unsure how much Braith would like the robes. She might find them practical, or amusing. Or both. And she mused her girlfriend would look rather special in them.

Finally Corvus reached down and took the final gift from the table. It was the smallest box — and contained two almost identical items.

Spoiler

Two rings. One was entirely without markings and was sized for Corvus. The other bore two inscriptions on the inside. The same as on her wrists. Mo Chuisle and Mo Chroi.

Often partners had names for each other that were affectionate. Sometimes humorous and occasionally endearing. But for Corvus the two phrases summed up precisely what Braith meant to her. Without her, her heart would stop and she’d have no pulse.

“Happy birthday,” she said again. “You’re my heart, my pulse, my girlfriend and…I’m lucky enough to say, my best friend too. How lucky can one person be?”

And she placed the ring on Braith’s finger and embraced her. Holding her as tightly as she could before breaking off and kissing her gently and tenderly on the lips.
It could not have been any better even if it were Corvus’ birthday.

[member="Braith Achlys"]

 

[Hailyn]

What, really, could you do when someone slipped a ring on your finger? It certainly wasn't the stereotypical occasion, of course, but this moment was every bit as special as any proposal could have been. Braith, contrary to popular belief, wasn't entirely the most confident person in the galaxy, and this was so much more than a confident booster to her. Maybe she couldn't call it the best moment of her life, but right now it was definitely - the moment, not quite the ring - one of her most important events to remember. "Oh m-" The words fell short as lips gently pressed against hers. She closed her eyes, feeling that familiar sting of tears, happy ones, and the embrace with Corvus was both warm and fulfilling. When they were together, she was whole again, and that sense of euphoria was an unrivaled feeling. "I love you, so much." Braith said softly, returning the embrace. Perhaps, someday, she would have an opportunity to make her feel just as special.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]