The Red Crown of Eshan
It was endearing to listen to the clone work through her thoughts. Everything was so new, and Quinn felt special to be the one to share these firsts with 312. A part of her wondered what happened in the woman's life when these events occurred. Did the clones celebrate? Were they even allowed to? There were so many questions she had, but didn't know where to start.
Either way, the day was going far better than she had expected. Her eyes wandered momentarily, seeing the couples that were pairing off. She wondered if others saw her and 312 and figured they were together. The thought was nice, the Trooper had been nothing but attentive to her, something her other paramours seemed to fail at.
Even then, she didn't miss them. She didn't wish for them to be here.
Quinn enjoyed this time alone with the Clone.
She watched carefully as the Trooper moved without command. Fingers moved through the laces, loosening the boot. Quinn figured the Trooper would move on to the other skate, but instead, she felt the gentle squeeze against her heel. She watched as 312 checked her foot — the Trooper wasn't wrong, and it felt nice. Quinn smiled as she let the woman continue.
"You don't have to stop~" Quinn teased as 312 realized what she was doing. The reaction was endearing, and Quinn smiled widely. It was a rare smile, one that no one ever got to see. Her teeth showed from behind her lips, and she could feel the burn in her cheeks from how wide the smile was.
"But my feet feel fine, no pain... thank you."
They were back in their shoes and on their way to the food stalls. Quinn didn't tease the other woman too much; she didn't want to dissuade her from continuing the date. The entire avenue of food was alive, and laughter filled the air, along with the aroma of cuisines from around the galaxy. Zinder had gone all out for this event, and she could appreciate it.
Behind the wall, while she was able to explore food culturally, it was never as authentic as the real thing. Quinn planned to have a taste of almost everything if she could. Her culinary daydreams were happily interrupted by the Clone's question.
Quinn glanced at her, seeing the sincerity in her question. It reminded her briefly of the moment Quinn gave permission for 312 to use her name without a title. Even though it wasn't that long ago, just remembering it made the Echani's pale cheeks flush. She looked away, using the facade of a thought to hide the blush.
"I would say so, I remember my mother used to take me to a lake near our home to ice skate." Winters were brief on Eshan, Quinn could only remember a handful — but they were always filled with happiness. As time passed, it was often just Quinn and Srina who spent time at the lake. Spencer and Ashin grew busier with their duties, leaving them no time for the children.
Srina Talon
, despite how young she was when Quinn became hers, was a wonderful mother, and every day of her life, Quinn was thankful for her. Her attention wandered to one of the hot cocoa stalls; the line was thinning, which meant it was a perfect moment.
"312, have you had hot cocoa?" Quinn smiled as she looped her arm with the Clone's. "It's a timeless Life Day tradition, so we must partake in!"
Excitement bled from her as she dragged the Clone to the line and waited. Her eyes scanned the menu, and she wondered what flavors the Trooper would enjoy the most.
"There are a few choices… Tuxedo, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, and peppermint." Quinn patted her chin lightly as she contemplated.
"We should get all of them, what do you think?"
