There was a noticeable look of relief when she agreed to the boat. His tail even perked up and swished back and forth eagerly and he had to actively remind himself to stop it. Altair walked over and forked over the credits for the boat and held out a hand to help Clove get on so she didn’t topple over. He eased in to sit next to her, noting the close proximity of the seating. He didn’t miss the way her face was flushed, her skin tinted red. He was thankful his own skin was too dark for it to manifest. However, he felt his face grow warm all the same.
Altair looked around himself, the trees and plants all around them vibrant and different colors. The river itself shimmered different colors between purples and blues, some of the ‘forest’ indoors to make it appear as if it were a starry night. The tiefling looked around with wide eyes, his own violet gaze illuminated by the types of lighting throughout the manmade ‘forest’.
Though he was nervous, there was an odd sense of comfort sitting here next to Clove. As the boat took them further away from the rest of the fair, he left behind all his thoughts that led up to him being here today. He put aside the war, he put aside New Alderaan and all his conflicted thoughts on everything Clove. It was just the two of them here as it had been that very first day in the botanical garden. A part of him wished he had never wandered over there, but most of him wouldn’t change it for the galaxy.
"Some of these forest 'creatures' look like the stuff of nightmares," Altair said with a soft chuckle as they passed a few trolls that grinned a bite too wide.
At some point, he turned to regard Clove, watching the way the blues and purples lit up her face or reflected against her curls. He couldn’t help but smile at the way she looked around at the plants and animatronics with wonder. There were trolls and fairies that waved or sang, a beautiful tune resounding all around them as the boat lazily coasted along.
When Clove remarked on the animatronic being pretty, Altair remarked very quietly, “Yeah…really pretty..” Only this time he made no effort to hide which way he was looking as he said it. His vibrant, purple gaze was fixed solely on her. His fingers curled and dug into the seat of the boat next to him and his heart pounded against his chest, but he didn’t look away. Not this time.
@LilyNion