Private Beyond Still Pages

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
EQUIPMENT: None
TAG: Arhiia Voronwe

Not every day, as it turned out, was a training day. Some days were left to independent study, something someone of his age could do. Those days were honestly his favorite because he found himself able to wander the halls, meeting other Jedi, and learning more about the peoples of the galaxy than he'd come to know while living in Devit. It amazed him just how diverse the population of the New Jedi Order was. Each person was as interesting as the last and the best part of it was that they were all willing to talk with him provided they weren't in a hurry to get anywhere. It really was fascinating, even despite the questions he got about the scar on his face.

One particular off day he found himself wandering into the library. Not only were there digital archives, but they even had a few older books on actual paper. He couldn't help but brush his hand gently against them to get that feeling one gets when touching old paper. Eventually he would wander the aisles until he found a digital archive of something he wanted to study, the history of Hapan royal jedi or something similar. There was so much to read within that it was impossible to read it all and he was certain he would be investigating it for as long as he was training with his master.

That day there were other people in there, and as he rounded a corner he nearly bumped into a blonde girl similar in age to himself.

"Ahh, forgive me," he said, quickly stepping back to keep from invading her personal space. "I should have looked before turning the corner. That was rude of me."

He did, indeed, have the history of the Hapan royal jedi in his hands as he nearly ran Arhiaa over. Reading about the other royal families of the galaxy and their adventures with the Jedi was not only entertaining, but it taught him a lot about what his life would be like going forward, especially when he retook the throne from the people who'd usurped it.

 

[Arhiia Voronwe]

Tag: Caelan Valoren ​

It was a fairly normal day for Arhiia -- well, mostly normal. Practice had been cut short which didn't necessarily hurt her feelings any -- and independent studies were implemented because another fellow Padawan got hurt.

Shame she thought... but, to her advantage. She'd rather be at the Archives anyways.

As Arhiia gathered book, after book, and pad, after pad -- she began to round a corner in the Archives until, she found herself colliding with another Padawan her age. Her vibrant blue sapphire eyes, peered through him as her serious demeanor that donned her face gave no hint at forgiveness. Her features were soft, in fact everything about her seemed almost... amplified -- but that was only thanks to her heritage. Where she got enhanced mental capabilities from her father, she had gotten her looks from her mother.

Her voice broke the silence as she knelt down, the soft soprano almost sounding like the low rings of a wind-chime. "No, not rude, just negligent of you." Her eyes once again coming back to his, a silent defiance in the as she finished stacking the books and data pads in a neat pile. "Don't worry about it -- most people don't seem to see me either, I'm used to it." But as she finished talking -- her eyes peered down at the leather bound book in his possession. "That's a good read -- you'll like it, I personally enjoy reading the books on Galactic Politics, never know -- you might find it surprises you."

Standing up she quietly grabbed her pile as she walked over to a empty table in the far corner of the archives -- an air of loneliness surrounding her as she sat down, every movement intentional and poised -- her hand coming up and moving strands of hair from her face.

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
EQUIPMENT: None
TAG: Arhiia Voronwe

Negligent? It sounded harsh, but no, she was right. He had been. What she said after that, though, was disconcerting. Most people don't seem to see her? Something in the way she worded that told him there was sadness there, even if her voice didn't relay that. There was a lot of solitary status among many Jedi, as he had noticed, but that wasn't something he relished. He was a gregarious person by nature, always enjoying spending time with the people in the city as a child rather than sitting alone. Of course he'd most enjoyed his time spent with his sister, but he didn't even know if she was still alive.

Mentioning the book, he looked down and then back to her.

"Oh, well good," he said, looking back to her. "I enjoy reading about other royal families and their connections to the Jedi."

She stood and moved away to a table without another word. He watched her go and then went to a table himself, intent on reading his book, but even as he flipped open the pages, he felt himself looking back to her. The way she'd spoken, the feelings he felt emanating from her, bothered him and he couldn't stop thinking about it. While he wanted to read the book he'd picked up, he knew that sometimes the things you wanted weren't the things you needed.

Standing, he made his way over to her table and pulled out a chair to sit down across from her. He'd thought about sitting beside her, but he didn't even know her name yet and that seemed a presumptuous move. Sitting across would allow them to converse quietly, but without awkwardness.

"Do you often sit in here alone with a pile of books?" He said it, then realized that could be misconstrued as insulting. "I don't mean that as a bad thing, I'm just curious. Think I would get lonely if I did that."

 

[Arhiia Voronwe]

Caelan Valoren ​

As Arhiia sat down at her table -- slowly letting out a soft sigh as she settled into her corner of the Archives.

Her corner — She dubbed it simply because it seemed her fellow classmates never wanted to sit this far over… or at least sit with her as she never shared their penchant for small talk, being referred often as just unfriendly. Settling in, she threw her heavy satchel onto the table with a loud thud as she began to remove several books from the pouch and laid them strategically out on the table. and onto the table.

Various books on topics ranging from Galatic Politics and Philosophies, Ambassador Etiquette, Various Force Feats, and on Form Zero best Practice and the alike… and the book she now read was on Combat Readiness.

What happened next however surprised her slightly.

Peering over at the table, the same Padawan that had run into her carelessly now sat across from her. As he asked her his question, the surprise in her face was noted, as was her amusement how he reworded himself, as if thinking he must have caused some offense to her by asking.

“I do sit here alone often — most of my peers and I do not seem to get along. Either I’m too cold outside of class, or too violent in practice.” Her eyes stared straight at him, her voice soft and steady the whole time… until lips curled into a small and refined, confident and self-satisfied smile. “It is what it is — I like to think it’s more confidence in myself than anything, the rest is up to them as I have zero control over anyone else’s reactions or thoughts.”

Her eyebrow lifting just slightly she let out a soft sigh of defeat, not that she hated meeting someone new… closing her book where she’d marked her place. Setting her hands on the table, her posture poised as well as how she spoke — with intentionality. “Your new here — I don’t seem to recall seeing you, at all. I’m also assuming you’d like to know my name — it’s Arhiia, Arhiia Voronwe.”

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
EQUIPMENT: None
TAG: Arhiia Voronwe

He let his hands rest upon the book he had picked out to read, watching her as she regarded him. There was a certain air of coldness to the way she handled him, but he felt it was more of a defensive measure, that she was hiding from something or trying to protect herself. He'd seen that before, especially in himself when he'd been hiding in the lower levels of Coruscant. It hadn't been easy for him to trust Anneliese, either. Though he suspected the reason for her coldness wasn't the same as it had been for him.

"That's fair, you don't," he agreed, not taking his eyes from her even as she introduced herself. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Arhiaa. I am Caelan Valoren, padawan to Knight Dreidi Xeraic. You are correct that I am new here. I'm still trying to meet people as a result."

The comment about being violent in practice hadn't been lost on him. He filed that away for later. Between the two, violent and cold, he figured she was running from something. Or taking out frustrations on others. Either way, he felt certain she had an issue with growing close to people and the coldness was a defense measure to keep herself emotionally distant from others. She didn't want to be hurt.

It was these feelings that had come to him which had started him, at least recently, feeling that he might be an empath. While his mother had never said that's what she was, there was a sense, looking back, that she was. It always seemed like she knew what he and his sister were feeling even if they didn't talk about it. She'd always been really good at making the two of them feel better, and most of the time the people that wanted to speak with the King and Queen spoke with her.

"What sparked your interest in politics? I see you have a few books on it and etiquette."

 

[Arhiia Voronwe]

Tag: Caelan Valoren ​

Trying to meet people? Her facial features were blank as her blue eyes gave a slight twinge of apathy in them.

Books were better... hands down.

Letting a small sigh out once again, her hand came up to her temples as she closed her eyes. "You'll have to forgive me -- I don't mean to come across as rude... I am who I am, its nothing against you."

Arhiia didn't get close to others, mainly because they never got close to her. Her whole life, Arhiia had been shadowed by the death of her Mother -- ever reminded of just how much she looked, acted, and sounded like her. It was a constant sorrow and burden of anger that trailed her everywhere she went evidently. Furthermore -- that pompous ass of a Father didn't make things any easier -- constantly pushing and asking nothing but precision and perfection from Arhiia.

Her life, was her choice. As simple, as that.

As he asked her on politics, he appreciated his genuine interest in her regarding it. "Well -- my familial uncle, Kel Se'Taav is a Senator. He allowed me to be a Jr. Apprentice in his office this past summer." Shifting slightly in her chair, the serious edge in her fantastical blue eyes began to soften. "I learned a lot -- and I aim to be one of the leading Consular's. Form Zero is underestimated -- I wish to bring it into a new light and show people through the force we can be all things..."

She paused as her slightly violent smirk came back. "Then... when diplomacy fails -- aggressive negotiations will begin."

Her wording, her poise, her demeanor -- were already befitting of a Consular Role. She was thoughtful, well articulated and was well versed on a variety of subjects. Her combat prowess, only lacking due to sheer brute force -- she made up for it in her natural and latent ability through her Force Feats.

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
EQUIPMENT: None
TAG: Arhiia Voronwe

"I didn't take your demeanor as rude," he said, shaking his head. "More cautious than anything."

Not that he was trying to psychoanalyze her. He'd kind of already done that a bit by accident, just by recognizing the way she was acting. And it seemed he wasn't far from the truth, because his question about her political interest got her to express a fair amount about herself that he didn't think he'd otherwise have learned. She was a closed book for a reason, and forcing it open, breaking the lock as it were, wasn't going to help things. Probably just leave her hating him.

"That sounds interesting. I've long found the senatorial complex a fascinating study. My family may not come from a represented world, but we certainly have held the Alliance in high regard for its dedication to democracy."

There was a slight twinge, though perceptible, when he mentioned his family. Not that he'd hide the reality of his past if she asked, but he wasn't going to bring it up at the moment. Though he did smile a bit at her comment about aggressive negotiations, as there was something about the way that she said it that was comical, if not intimidating.

"Forgive me, as my studies are not that advanced and my mother was a Form Three practitioner, as she told me, though she'd given up her saber and status as a Jedi before I was even born. That being said, I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with the concept of Form Zero. Could you tell me about it? Or point me to a resource to study it?"

Caelan was nothing if not a sponge for information. If she offered, he'd gladly sit and listen to her tell him about it even if it took all day.

 

[Arhiia Voronwe]

Tags: Caelan Valoren
Location: Archives

​

​

Cautious? The word stung and made her feel even more sensitive to just how poor her manners may have been. She didn't like being the way she was -- she just, didn't know how to stop.

As Caelan began to talk about his familial history in regards to politics -- her eyes narrowed slightly as she sensed the underlining current and chord that resonated with her very soul.

"His mother was..."

Now, granted, assuming came with a price to pay on its own if you got something of this magnitude wrong -- no, it for it was more of a deep and gut wrenching intuition. His mother was no longer around and living, she'd joined the force and had become one with it. The way he spoke of her, the pain in his face when he brought his family up -- he was a kindred soul and something within her softened as her normally cold eyes melted... unsure of what she could say.

Nothing could take the pain of having ones mother ripped away. She'd never met hers -- but the photos Ahriia hid from her father were a painful reminder of what could have been.

"Form Zero... where do I begin?"

Once again, straightening her posture she spoke. "You already know Form Zero... it is the basis of what Consulars or any Jedi use. When dealing with situations, a saber, or fist is not the way to build or diffuse -- rather, our greatest weapon is our words. With my words I can both bring peace... or anger to someone, causing them to act the way I need too. With the force -- I can take Form Zero to a whole different level... but when manipulating minds, there is a lot of black and white -- lines you mustn't ever cross." She cleared her throat. "That, is Form Zero... "

She looked away for a moment, her cheeks flushing just slightly.

"Your mother isn't alive, is she? I know -- I know that tone... and feel, that tone. What was she like?"

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
EQUIPMENT: None
TAG: @Arhiaa Varonwe

The way he listened to her was so laser focused that she would easily be able to tell that he was very interested in what she had to say. Caelan was nothing if not a sponge for learning. And as she described what Form Zero was, he understood that she was right: he did already know what it was.

"So Form Zero is essentially diplomacy but with the assistance of the Force," he said, nodding his head in understanding."I can see how that is often a lost art. One thing I have seen of Jedi is that they are quick to utilize aggression first and ask questions later. Not because they're bad, it's just not their first instinct."

So she wanted to be a Consular. Not to be judgmental, but he wondered how she would be able to do that when she barely ever talked to anyone and was always cold to them. One thing he knew for sure was that coldness gave people one of two feelings about you: that you were arrogant or that you didn't care. She probably understood this, and he had a feeling that something was making her that way, something she didn't want in her life. He decided he would try to help her without ever telling her that was what he was doing.

Then she asked if his mother was dead and he took a long moment before nodding in response and pointing to the scar on his cheeks. "She and my father were murdered by the same people who game me this."

"She was kind. The most kind woman you would ever meet. And she was always so good at solving people's problems when they came to my parents about them. She smiled all the time, even if she was sad. She used to teach me about how she had used the Force as a Jedi, but always urged me to follow my own path and not just become a Jedi because her family was an unbroken line of them.

"She used to take me for walks in the park and teach me how all of the plants and animals lived together in harmony. She believed that was the way the galaxy was meant to be, happy and functioning together. Most of all, if I needed anything, she was there for me."

He paused again and studied her. The same as she had read him, he understood her as well.

"You lost yours as well, didn't you?"

 

[Arhiia Voronwe]

Tags: Caelan Valoren
Location: Archives

​

​

She felt shame.

Shame for the loss that was her Mother. As Caelan regaled the stories of how he remembered his Mother, her mind began to go to a dark place, one she was all too familiar with. What was her Mother like? She didn't know -- only what she'd been told in passing by her Father. What was her smile like? Again, she didn't know -- only what she saw in the pictures that she highly coveted and kept from her Father... it was like he wanted to erase every trace of her due to the sorrow he himself felt.

Her mothers death was shadowed by guilt -- guilt that it had been her birth that caused her death.

Then... her mind came to her Father.

They hadn't taken many walks... or shared many moments of happiness. What she could distinctly remember was always training, living in perpetual strife to appease her Father -- to feel loved and accepted for who she was. Anger lingered just past the guilt.

Her jaw clenched as her face reddened when he asked about her Mother. Her eyes, which were very much so the window to her soul began to harden and grow cold as bitter tears welled up in her eyes. "Its my fault she died." The words spoken only added a deafening silence now to their particular corner.

Her body tensed as her fists balled up tightly, her knuckles turning white. She wanted to run away -- she wanted to break, to throw, to fight someone. She wanted to bawl but everything else overtook and overshadowed it.

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
EQUIPMENT: None
TAG: Arhiia Voronwe

He had not expected the response he received. Those words, so full of hurt. It brought something to him, a song from home. One his mother had loved.

"I'm trying to get back to the day
When my miss came runnin'
From the dead end way
I was holding her close in my arms
And my world was doing fine
It's fading away, breaking away as I try
To sell her lies."

Not knowing how this would go, he didn't even know if he had a good singing voice, he still continued. He also kept his voice low enough not to draw excess attention to them, even though he stood and walked around the table towards her.

"But now I feel you again
And you left me as I climb
I'm over the pains, over the chains of my mind
Where freedom springs from the well of my heart
And the love shines through as it kisses the dark
And the peace smiles up the frown
In true sound
Where freedom springs from the well of my heart
And the love shines through as it kisses the dark
And the peace smiles up the frown
In true sound."

Pulling a chair over, he sat down beside her and reached for her hand, hoping she would allow him to take it between his and hold it.

"Now I'm trying to roll with the day
As my love keeps runnin'
From the dead end way
Oh touch I gotta feel you again
And you lift me as I climb
I'm over the pains, over the chains of my mind
Where freedom springs from the well of my heart
And the love shines through as it kisses the dark
And the peace smiles up the frown
In true sound."

The song ended and he let the quiet linger for a moment, as his eyes focused on hers. He wanted her to understand that he knew her pain, but that she didn't need to live in it. Based on what she said, he suspected her mother had died when she was born. He did not believe she would have done anything to harm her own mother.

"'Even if you never knew her, I guarantee your mother loved you. She loved you so much that she bore you into this galaxy. My mother loved me so much that she gave her life for it. That's what a mother does. She loved you, so love her back by not hating yourself."

 

[Arhiia Voronwe]

Tags: Caelan Valoren
Location: Archives

​

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At first when he began singing -- she immediately became flushed as her cold eyes looked around praying that no one saw him acting this way.

However... things took, an interesting turn.

As Caelan sang the song she listened and her mind drifted towards her Mother and the picture she had. As she sat and stared, he simply moved from one side to another and placed his hand in hers and held it -- he didn't ask anything of her, he simply let her be.

As Caelan finished up singing, what he said caused her by far the most grief.

"She gave her life, so that she could bear me..."

The thought of the type of love that must be -- and to know that her feeling this way about herself, might somehow be trampling on her mothers love by having loathed herself caught her completely off-guard. Inhaling sharply, feeling as if she'd been punched int he gut... tears flowed down her cheeks freely as she sat, numb almost, staring off into the distance... her sapphire eyes lit with passion, passion that hadn't been stirred in a long time.

He'd taken a chisel and found with deadly precision just where the weak spot had been and just how to access it.

Looking down at her hand, and his -- the warmth she felt building up in her chest as his mere touch, her cheeks became even more red. Turning to face him, she studied his features, never once saying a word, but what Arhiia would do, sure would come as a surprise to Caelan.

Her lips met his as she gave him a small peck on the lips, a soft "thank you" coming out, until -- a light 'smack' across the cheeks would be felt.

"Its polite to ask a lady permission before holding their hands..."

A very small and shy smile curling up on her lips as she turned her head downwards.

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
EQUIPMENT: None
TAG: Arhiia Voronwe

It had not been his intention to cause her grief. Causing her pain was the opposite of what he wanted. But sometimes, pain was necessary to be felt before one could get over the hurts of the past. There had been time when he'd been deep in the city below that he had felt great sorrow and pain for the loss of his family. But always that song had been there, reminding him that it wasn't necessary to live a life full of regrets and hurts, that it was a choice they consciously made.

Her eyes found his face after noticing that he held her hand. Tears still fell down them and he ached for her, the pain that she felt. It was hard not to reach out and brush the tears away from her rose colored cheeks.

And then she kissed him, and everything changed in an instant. It was as though life itself had been sucked out of his lungs, as his breath caught and he sat there, watching her, hearing her whispered thank you. Even the slap, which was clearly in gest, didn't phase him, though his hand rose instinctively to touch his cheek. At least she'd slapped the side that didn't have the darkside wound upon it. Which meant that she actually cared, and the slap was just recompense for his not asking to hold her hand in the first place.

As his pupils undilated, he found himself looking at her again. Not just looking at her as someone curious, but really looking at her in a deeper way. She turned her head downward, but she was smiling, and that was the first time he'd seen her smile in a way that wasn't mere amusement. A genuine smile. And his heart was beating so fast in his chest, he thought it might spring forth and throw itself at her.

"May I hold your hand?" he asked, offering his to her this time, instead of taking it as he had before.

Everything was different now. Something stirred deep within him. Even the crystal around his neck felt hot to him. It glowed a soft blue, that connection from it to his mother having activated itself. Even though she was within the Force now, she was still connected to him, and he could feel her, sometimes even see her. Was this her way of talking to him? Her way of telling him that this was more than just him trying to break someone out of their lonely shell?

"And might I ask, if you would be willing, to kiss you again?"

 

[Arhiia Voronwe]

Tags: Caelan Valoren
Location: Archives

​

She couldn't help but to smirk as he asked her to hold hands once more.

Quietly, she turned her hand over and opened it slowly, moving it under the table and held his hand her cheeks flushing red, standing out against her vibrant, and intense sapphire eyes which now studied him differently than before.

His features... were noble and the way he kept himself was neat and tedious, traits she valued. When he spoke, she found herself actually enjoying the conversation as his words were well thought out, articulated and he spoke with intention. Above all, he was curious to learn, to seek out truth... and he was kind.

She'd read a lot about mating rituals in other species -- as well as a variety on courtships and romance novels... but never once did a boy make her feel the flutter that now thrummed in her stomach and chest... let alone another boy show an interest in her. Turning her head slightly, he asked for yet another request -- to kiss her once again.

The experience itself was such a blur, but the impulsive desire to do so was still there -- and he'd been her first kiss, so... maybe this was like any other thing she did, practice made perfect?

Nodding shyly she spoke, her soft voice breaking the silence. "I suppose it would be only prudent to explore a... proper kiss, one in which we were both prepared for it." She spoke, clearly attempting to mask the own nervous excitement building up within.

Leaning forward, just slightly, she closed her eyes as she awaited for him to make the move -- her hair slightly befallen in her eyes, her soft skin glowing in the lighting, and her soft lips slightly puckered in preparation of him... time felt like it was standing still.

​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
EQUIPMENT: None
TAG: Arhiia Voronwe

Her hand found his beneath the table, and he let his fingers slide between hers. It was a pleasant feeling. More than pleasant. It made his heart beat faster in a good way. He didn't quite understand that feeling or what it meant. Why was it like this? He was just holding her hand. Wasn't he? Or was it more than that? This feeling that he felt, the desire to kiss her again. The only time he'd ever seen people kiss more than once was if they were in love or married. The light peck she'd given him was almost something reserved for a very close friend, but it felt like so much more.

And then she spoke, and her voice betrayed her, and nearly brought him to his knees. She tried to hide how she felt, but she couldn't, probably because she didn't really want to.

"I do think that would be the proper course of action," he agreed with her.

She closed her eyes after leaning forward just slightly, her lips pursed. His free hand rose and cupped her cheek because it felt like the right thing to do. Thumb brushed gently, wiping away the trails of the tears she'd shed before, as he leaned in and let his lips connect to hers.

And when they did? It was as if electricity had been fired throughout his body. Everything felt alive in him. The Force was there, and in his mind he heard a voice from beyond say, "Protect her, Caelan. Love her. She's the one." It was quick and fleeting and in the moment he didn't linger on it, focused on the intensity and excitement he felt at kissing this beautiful young woman. It felt so good that he didn't want it to stop, but he eventually pulled away because, well, they WERE in public.

"Never in my life have I felt as I do now," he said, opening his eyes to look at her, his hand still resting on her cheek. "I don't know how it was that we crossed paths today, but I feel as if were meant to be so, and I hope you will allow me to spend more time with you."

 

[Arhiia Voronwe]

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Tags: Caelan Valoren
Location: Archives

​

As he held her locked in the kiss, her vibrant sapphire eye's opened as she stared at him, her mind processing what was going on.

Boys never seemed to want to be near her -- at time's in past she felt maybe its because she wasn't pretty, but this in itself was a lie. Her mother, as described by her father was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever laid eyes on, this due to her Hapan heritage. Arhiia, like her mother had inherited that very same trait... she was very much so her mothers daughter.

The problem was not boys, but her. Yet somehow, Calean was different -- this was truth.

As her broke the kiss, her heart and stomach fluttered and as he spoke, her face flushed slightly. She wasn't good with touching words or expressing what she felt at times, there just seemed to be massive wall that felt impossible to break through which only caused her to seem cold and distant to everyone... when in reality, the small words she said, or sometimes nothing at all were just how she expressed herself.

Looking directly at him, saying only a few words -- but affirming what he'd just said.

"Yes... I would like that. Perhaps we can meet in a less... informal setting next time. Perhaps in the Gardens? The fauna and insect are absolutely thriving this time of year -- its really quite breathtaking..... I, mean...." She paused as she moved a few strands of hair from her face. " If you want to do that sort of thing..."

​

 

[Caelan Valoren]

ATTIRE: Link
EQUIPMENT: None
TAG: Arhiia Voronwe

Never had he expected this outcome from a simple search for books. One minute he was picking out some reading material and nearly running her over. The next he was sitting beside her, kissing her. And now she had asked him to accompany her soon to the gardens. He thought he would like that, taking some time to enjoy the flora and fauna, and spending more time with her.

"I would enjoy that," he said as she tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear.

There was nothing wrong with her. She'd been distant at first, but he'd been right about why. Perhaps others just hadn't thought enough about it to figure out how to react to her. Or worse, perhaps they hadn't cared. Everyone deserved happiness, and he aimed to make sure she had that as best he could.

"What's your favorite flower? Or, I guess I should ask. Do you have a favorite?"

He was determined to make a really good impression upon her, and to treat her the way a beautiful woman deserved to be, based on his father had treated his mother. She had always liked getting flowers from his dad. He and his sister had often peeked on them when they were walking the gardens and his dad would pluck a flower and offer it to her, or tuck it into her hair.

He wanted to be like that, too.