Complete Private Dates Are Always Awkward, Aren't They?

[Harveste]

Jaluna giggled a bit when the passing of time came up. "They do say time flies when you're having fun... So I'll be thankful it seems to be flying." After all, if that saying were legitimate, it would mean he was being honest in that he enjoyed her company. She liked that idea.

After he started to jog next to her, she tried to speed up a little bit. She wasn't much of a runner, but she could still do her best to keep up with him. Keeping up was more of a goal to her than reaching the destination, as the journey was usually said to be more important. For her, she just didn't want to lose sight of Brian, lest she become lost and alone in a place she didn't know.

When they arrived, she found herself staring at the lake in disbelief. It was rare to see water so clear it mirrored the sky so perfectly. She watched it for a moment, before her lips curled upward slightly and she eyed the man next to her. A soft hum came from her throat, as she felt a song trying to come out of her mouth. Humming was fine, wasn't it?

"It's lovely," she finally spoke, leaning on her date just a bit with a soft sigh. "Thank you for showing it to me."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Yes, it was fun. It has been a while since he had so much fun in his real life.

Not that he didn't have fun. Far from that, but ever since Terrasphere went down, his life lost a lot of color. The 'fantasy' part of his virtual yet realistic life, the adrenaline in it. But more importantly the people he had met in it.

His eyes peered down to Jaluna, almost somehow managing to see both of her faces. The one he first met, the one he met after.

Both were now precious for him.

Be as a friend or as a date. As a companion or as a partner.

He would treasure her forever now.

Tugging her softly, he nodded to a bench. "Should we take a seat? We can relax more this way." He said, moving along if she would follow.

When taking the seat, he would sigh and look at the horizon, with the sun letting out its last few shimmers of sunlight. Even if at some point it would disappear, the sky would still hold its violet hue a bit longer, with the other side of it already darkening, just not being starry because of the city's lights that started to show themselves in their own bright orchestra.

"... Thanks for inviting me for this date, Luna." Brian smiled, glancing at her. Any shyness gone by now, with his arm wrapping around her fondly to keep her close if she wished.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

She'd forgotten how much fun it could be living 'real life' and leaving your home for more than just meetings. She'd forgotten people could be so warm. As she sat down next to him, she scooted just a bit closer, surprised pleasantly by the arm wrapping around her, drawing her nearer.

With a giggle, she leaned up to kiss him without asking, giving a goofy grin before resting on his side. "No, I should be the one thanking you. I know it was a big ask, considering the circumstances."

She had to remember to scold Kaede later for giving her this idea. And to thank her. It felt like any ice that had built up in her heart since the woman's death was slowly thawing itself. For once in her life, Jaluna was grateful for her recklessness. It hadn't hurt her in the end. If anything, she was happier than she'd been in a long time.

She put a hand on his knee and smiled up at him. "I'm serious. Thank you, Brian."

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The kiss was brief, but pleasing and nice regardless. Jaluna was becoming less timid every second that passed, and Brian was no different. At that point and on, all he could think about was how to appreciate that lovely time more and more.

"It was a big ask, yeah. I am not going to lie, but it was a good shot, I'd say." He grinned, keeping her warmly and close, rubbing her arm gently while his was wrapped around her.

When her hand touched his knee, he looked at it and traced with his eyes all the way up to her eyes.

As they locked on, Brian smiled. "I was serious too." He said, peeking at her lips, then up at her eyes again before leaning a bit closer and without hesitation. That was a thing he had thrown out of the window.

Unless evaded, their lips would connect once again, though this time Brian sought it to be longer, using his free hand to cup Jaluna's face and caress it gently as he longed the warmth of their exchange.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

"Well, regardless, I'm glad I asked. Today's been really nice." Sure, it started with a meeting with her editor, but the entirety of the day otherwise had been nothing but a collection of now precious memories. Well, she thought of them as precious. And thinking about that, she smiled up at him- though considering she was looking at him, the fact that his later action surprised her was probably a bit silly.

She felt her cheeks warm up drastically as she returned the gesture, gripping his knee very slightly as she allowed him to linger as long as he pleased. When finished, she'd stare at her lap with a bright smile and flushed cheeks, a giggle escaping her as she leaned on him again. "That was nice. Very nice."

Every so often, she'd peek up at him afterwards, a bit shy, but clearly giddy. Embarrassing thoughts passed through her mind, but she wouldn't speak them. Well, at least for a while. "It's so nice, I could probably enjoy all the time in the world like this... M-Metaphorically, of course." She wasn't thinking straight, she decided. And that's why she took out the cookie container, offering one to him. "Want dessert?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

The kiss lingered for a moment, perhaps not as much as it usually would since it was honestly a first date. As it went on, he eventually slowed the pace, leaning away as their lips parted and not averting his eyes from hers until she did it herself.

Her smile made him beam with joy, even if he was too embarrassed by his sudden approach to express it completely.

"Y-Yeah, it was." He said, quietly and only for both of them.

At her following words, he was caught in surprise and couldn't help but laugh quietly at it, squeezing her softly in the embrace he had her on. "We can always do it again." He said, glancing down at the cookie box and blinking surprised.

"Oh! Yes, I'd love to have some." Brian grinned, always down to get some food going. Even in a romantic mood, there was always room for some dessert.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

When she'd look at him again, she'd see him beaming slightly. Good, he was smiling. It made her glad, for a lot of things. Eventually, those thoughts helped her to stop averting her gaze. There was nothing wrong with being red in the face, after all.

She found herself trying to remember a number of things- when had she last gone on a date? She couldn't remember going on any since Kaede. Had she really closed herself up that much when Terrasphere disappeared, taking Kaede with it? Even more, she couldn't remember the last date she'd been on that was so... innocent and sweet, like this one was. A giggle escaped her as she grinned like a fool. The last one didn't matter, in the end. This one was the only one that mattered at this point.

His later words caught her by surprise. "You'd see me again? Really?" With how awkward and reckless she was, that was honestly surprising... But her face made it clear she was over the moon to hear it. Feeling a bit shy, she diverted her attention to the cookies and took one out for him, offering it to him.

"I know they're nothing special, but... I hope you like them regardless." They were the simplest cookies she could make from scratch. Still, they'd come out decently, all points considered.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

"Of course. Unless you want this to be the only time we will ever meet out of game " He said with a weak grin. For him it wouldn't make as much difference as one would expect thanks to his way to see Terrasphere, but it was still a bit disappointing if they couldn't meet anymore.

However, it was clear that they had liked the date, and there was no room to think about another outcome if not a second date, or even just a meet up if turned out they are meant to be only friends.

"Silly, they are special." Brian said, casting a glance at Jaluna with a smile before taking the cookie to his mouth, taking a soft bite of it for an initial taste, and then urging to eat all the remaining cookie with a bite.

It was-

"It is tasty! C'mon, they are simple but very well done." Brian encouraged.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

"Not at all! I'd be honored!" she chimed, shyly looking at him and then at the cookies. Her gaze seemed to switch between the two regularly as she nibbled on a cookie herself, smiling. She was glad he liked them- and her, for that matter.

She pinched herself for a moment, laughing nervously after wincing. It hurt, so this wasn't just a pleasant dream. Good.

"Is there anything you'd like to do next time?" She looked up at him with curiosity glazed eyes. He'd planned the whole date out, but now she wondered what else he'd want to do with her. "Or even after we eat... Because I'd like to spend at least a little more time with you, if you'll have me."

If this wasn't a dream, she was going to enjoy it as much as she could. It would teach her more about the man next to her, and about the world itself that she'd been shutting away from. She smiled as she awaited his answer.

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

Brian smiled and took another bite of the cookie, finishing some of them while there were still some in the box. The questioning got him thinking, with a warm smile crossing his lips as he figured that a second date was pretty much confirmed by now.

"Anything, really. Probably we can think about what to do when the time comes. Next time it should be less... Nervous, I guess. We will already be a little more used to it." Brian shrugged, being a bit logical about it, even though it was hard to be logical at this sort of deal. Chances were that any rational thoughts would be thrown out of the window after that.

"... Well, is there anything you want to do after this? I'm fine with spending as much time with you as you want." He had promised it, after all. A promise was a promise, and honestly, he wanted that too.

@Harveste

 

[Harveste]

She giggled as the cookie count dwindled. She was glad she'd made them now- even if the main reason she'd made them was because she'd needed a distraction from thinking about how impulsive she'd been in the first place. As she listened to his logical answer, she gave him a grin, followed by a realization one part didn't make sense to her. Sure, they'd be a little more used to it if now was any indicator, but... How could he be sure she'd be less nervous?

Shaking it off, she stood up from the bench and held a hand out to him. "For now, let's just take a walk. It doesn't really matter where we go. I just want to walk with you." It was surprisingly easy to say it this time without feeling overly embarrassed. Apparently, he'd been right. She was getting less nervous by the second. She knew that now. "Shall we?"

@Hanno Futaba

 

[Hanno Futaba]

With the idea settled, Brian nodded and stood up along with her, taking a gentle hold of her hand and interweaving their fingers before leaning in to give a soft kiss on her forehead, leaning away to look at her fondly.

"I think a free stroll is nice too. Great even." He smiled warmly, nudging her to follow along as soon as she asked if they should go.

Just as they left, the sun gave one last brim of its light on the sky, which was soon overtaken by the darkness. However, the beaming lights of the city never died off, lightning their path during the night and giving them a bit more time to enjoy their time together.

@Harveste End!