Ask Setting Down Roots

[Jonathen Baize]

She moved closer, their faces close to each other as she thought over the options. He had his ideas but was too set on anything. She turned a question back at him.

"Well, we only have a couple of days; if we traveled somewhere, we would spend much of that time traveling. I know some pretty good hiking spots in the Southern Hemisphere of planet. It would only take us about an hour to get there. We could do some backpacking, and camp out. We could bring the dogs if you wanted. Might be good for the wolves to wander somewhere different." he suggested.

He could sense she was tired; he could see it as her eyes fluttered ever so slightly. "We can talk about it more tomorrow." he said with a smile. He kissed her lightly before settling in himself.

 

[Kalique Baize]

She was curious for his input and insights, knowing he knew Spintir much better than her, and after he had pondered on their choices, he presented the absolute best compromise possible. "I...absolutely love the idea" she happily agreed with him, her smile widening in the dim light the moon shed into the room.

"That sounds absolutely fantastic...let's do it". Taking the Wolves was just as great as he was right, it would be helpful input for them and various stimuli to deal with, plus no one else had to care for them during their absence. Of course he had such a fantastic idea...he always had them.

He was right about some other things though- thorough planning might have to wait until the next morning as tiredness was quickly claiming her in the dark, and so she cuddled up against him before she let out an agreeing "mhm" before she did indeed drift of soon.

In the morning, she woke at first light with the earliest sunrays tickling her skin, already giving away that it was yet another sunny day that awaited. She didn't stir just yet, at least until Luna unexpected sprang up the bed and happily jumped all over them as if she had noticed Kalique had just woken.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

With the plans semi-settled, they soon were both asleep. When she wasn't here, he often found himself tossing and turning, taking a long time to relax. That night had been the opposite; he fell asleep almost instantly and didn't move into the next morning when a wet puppy nose pressed into his face "Ughh..." he groaned, pulling the sheet over his head and burying himself against Kali. He tried to ignore the jumping dog, but it was difficult when she had taken to sitting on his face, trying to get at Kali.

He feared they would never have a peaceful morning again. That was one thing Raxus had that this place didn't, but he still found himself not angry, even laughing a second later. "Make it stop.." he called out of Kali.

Soon, they would be off; he had made coffee at the new house, and his old coffee machine from Raxus had come in handy. "And you wanted me to get rid of this thing.." he shook his head as he handed her a cup.

The next two days were spent covering the roof with an initial layer of wood and starting the process of laying the roof. It was hard work, but the combination of having the droids handle the most strenuous work and Kali's force abilities, they actually completed the roof.

At the end of the two days, both of them were dirty, sore, and covered in more than a couple of cuts and bruises, but the house looked completely different. The building really starting to take shape with the finished roof. He stood beside Kali, marveling at their work. It had been hard work, but the days had flown by with her here. They had been filled with conversation and laughter. "We did good work..." he commented as he put an arm around her.

He shifted slightly in the waning sunlight in front of their house. He would remember this time with her for the rest of his life; there was no doubt about it in his mind.

"Kali, can I ask you something?" he asked, turning to face her.

 

[Kalique Baize]

As pleasant as the next morning was, the day of work that followed was exhausting, even if it was also fun. They constantly engaged in pleasant chats or lighthearted quips, caught up with what else they've missed in their time apart and made huge progress with the roof.

Day two wasn't much different, but they were soon ahead of their schedule by actually finishing the roof and to say that Kalique learned a lot from his building expertise was an understatement! The Force came in super handy and under Jon's instruction, they soon finished up and she found herself marveling at their work.

"It's incredible...look how it's all coming together" she pulled him a little tighter as she glanced up with a wide, warm smile. Her muscles ached and her skin was scratched in various areas, but apart from the bruises and minor injuries they both seemed rather well and it seemed like they could start their little break tomorrow with a clear conscience.

She suddenly noticed the shift in his voice and a slight frown crept into her features. "Of course...always as you know" she gently replied, however the slight seriousness irritating her a tiny bit. Her thoughts circled around a few possible options, but she expectantly waited for his answer.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

Jon shifted slightly, with a somewhat uncharacteristically nervousness. The flash of irritation on her face was almost enough to make him stop, almost. There was a small silence as he turned to face her.

He was a planner, always had been. This had not been the plan on how he wanted to do this, but some of the best moments of their relationship had been when the plan had been thrown out the window. "The last couple of days have been great...really great..the best even." he said truthfully. Getting to work together to make this place a reality was one of the best experiences he had ever had. His mind flickered back to that night above Entralla, a spontaneous moment of risk to kiss the girl he had already started to fall in love with.

"I already knew that you were always the only person I wanted to do all of this." he said, gesturing to the area around them. Their house is in the background, Luna dashing after some sort of bug off to the side. "But these last two days made me realize that I don't want to wait.." he said, eyes shifting back to hers. Those beautiful jade eyes that he had found so much warmth, happiness, and love in.

"And I know we are both sweaty, dirty, and tired, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than here with you." he continued. Even now, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met; no one even came close.

“You deserve the Galaxy.” he said, meeting her eyes. “..and all I have to give you is here, but I’d love the opportunity to spend the rest of my life trying to make up the difference.” he said, dropping to a knee and pulling out a simple but beautiful ring. It had been in his family for generations, his grandmother the last to wear it. Tradition was important to both of their families, even if those traditions were vastly different.

No, this had not been the plan, never had been, but being here with her at the place where they would one day call home, hopefully, start a family, their dog barking at seemingly nothing in the background. There was no other time, no other place that felt right.

"Kali, will you marry me?" he finally asked, fading sunlight haloing her face as he looked up.

 

[Kalique Baize]

For a moment she really wasn't certain what he wanted to ask. Even if they both had the habit of bottling up emotions, they talked about what weighted them down. Jon understood her like no one else, like no one ever else would ever manage to do, and thus often, words weren't even necessary. This here seemed liked something he wanted to voice though and she wondered whether it was house related, whether there was something else on his mind or whether it was something else entirely.

He began to speak and the nervousity flared up in him. She slowly tilted her head to the side, her jade gaze carefully analyzing his features. This wasn't a negative nervousity...no, this was something else, but her heartbeat involuntarily sped up as well. Yes, the last days had been a blast and so she nodded her head slowly, following his words without knowing their destination.

A smile starting spreading across her lips as he mentioned she was the only person he had ever wanted to do this all with. The feeling was absolutely mutual, but she couldn't verbally confirm that, as he continued. She still wasn't sure where this was going, but it didn't feel like a sheer expression of grateful, even if they had shared many of those as well here.

He suddenly mentioned he didn't want to wait and her heart skipped a beat. Her lips slightly parted and again, she was about to say something, but she decided to let him continue first. It drew a chuckle from her as he reminded them of their slightly messy state - yes, even when drenched in everything their two days of hard work had entailed, there wasn't a single place she'd rather be at.

His nervousity still increased and obviously hers did the same. Despite the warmth his sweet words triggered deep within her, her heart was pounding in her chest. As he suddenly dropped to one knee, her mouth flapped straight open, literally not having expected him to propose right here, right now, and yet immediately wondering whether there would ever be a more fitting moment.

Her gaze never left his, even if the color momentarily faded from her cheeks. An explosion of emotions washed over her while it took her a few more moments to even process what was happening. They had started planning their shared future together quite a while ago, but this was more than just a symbol and before entirely freezing up after having been caught off guard like that, she covered her mouth with both hands as her expressions softened at once.

For a moment she was reliving the countless, unforgettable memories they had already created together. She knew there were much more to come, that this was only the beginning, but she doubted she had ever been any happier. Her throat went dry, fully dry, as the color came rushing back to her cheeks, boundless excitement washing over her.

Was this...really happening? Right here, in front of the future home they were building right now, the warm, yet low spring afternoon sun veiling their vivid surroundings in a faintly golden hue. "YES! YES OF COURSE!" there wasn't a single spark of control left as she dashed forwards, closing the little distance between them while she flung her arms around his neck. There was no elaborate explanation, obviously, it wasn't needed, she had never been more sure of anything in her entirely life.

She kissed him, barely managing to controlling her exuberance as she kissed him. She didn't even realize she was shaking until her lips melted against his, ever single fiber of her body seemingly exploding with pure joy. She pulled back, realizing that she somehow needed to order her thoughts now that she was realizing this was really happening, before she cleared her throat.

"Jon...there is not a single thing in the Galaxy I'd rather do than spending the rest of my life with you" they had been through countless heights, but also through hell, severe losses, near-death-experiences, and yet they had almost made it through. She only noticed the beautiful, elegant ring he was holding just then, immediately wondering how long he had been carrying it.

"What...how long...did you". For now it didn't even matter. None of those questions did. She tried hard to contain her happiness somehow, but a chuckle escaped her as she met his gaze again. "I...I love you" a thing she told and showed him often, but it seemed like it could never be enough as words failed to express what she even felt for him.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

Kali was almost always in complete control of her emotions, but as he spoke, her expression ran through the gambit of them. Jon would have found it much more amusing if he hadn't been fighting his own battle with panic as he struggled to get through.

There was an instant after he asked, a quiet second that seemed to stand still. Jon had too many thoughts, too many emotions fighting for control for any of them to really register. Time started moving again as she hugged him, her words opening a floodgate of happiness in him he had never felt before. He had been happy, but those times all seemed a little more dim compared to the feelings he experienced in that instant.

They kissed, Jon holding her, feeling her tremble slightly. He beamed as she spoke, feeling her words in his soul. She started to ask several questions at once before abandoning all of them. "I love you.." he responded, sliding the ring on her finger. Between Guin and her mother, finding out the ring size had not been hard. He had it resized months ago.

Jon let a breath, taking in the moment before he pushed himself to his feet, too excited to even feel any of the soreness. He wrapped her in an embrace, holding his now soon-to-be wife.

He would never tell her what his wish was from the shooting star just like she had asked, but there had never been a second of hesitation of what it was. His wish was and always would be her.

 

[Kalique Baize]

As he held her, she once again realized that he was literally still the one who simply completed her. He gave her a deep purpose, he was always the one an only person fixing her and understanding her, even if some explanation laid within the Force and thus even out of his grasp. Still, he always listened and tried, while he was simply always there for her.

The answer to his question had always been clear, but now that it was openly posed, she couldn't even believe her luck. She would no longer say 'my boyfriend, partner' or whatever, no, she could proudly refer to him as 'her husband' soon enough. Oh Guin would freak out...even more than about them moving here and building their house...

Oh and her parents would love this too...They loved Jon, they had loved him quite quickly simply because they had seen how happy he was making her and that he had always treated her right. She couldn't let her thoughts drift off for long as staying in this moment was way too tempting and the rest would follow later.

Right now she just wanted to take this all in. Her emotions were still boiling high and it were tears of joys that welled in her eyes, but she did manage to blink them away as they hugged tightly right after their kiss. "It...fits perfectly" she marveled at the delicate details for a moment, taking a deep breath.

She didn't doubt he had found ways to find the right size, but it was yet another detail that made her chuckle. "You have to tell me...how long have you been planning this for?" she softly asked, not even managing to let go of him. She was still slightly trembling with exhilaration and Luna raced over a moment later, tail excitedly wagging.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He smiled as she looked down at the ring for a moment. "I may have had just a tiny amount of help with that," he said in regards to the fitting. "That was my grandmother's ring," he said. "Its been in the family for a long time; you will no doubt get a detailed history lesson on it from my mother," he said, giving her a somewhat apologetic grin. His parents hadn't known this was happening, though they likely expected it at any time. They already viewed Kali as a daughter and welcomed her with open arms into their family. "She would have loved you," he said, referring to his grandmother.

He chuckled as she held on to him tightly. "Oh, I have to tell you, huh?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He let the question hang in the air for a moment, pondering what kind of answer to give. "Deciding to ask you was the easiest decision I ever made; that didn't take much planning," he said. "Now how?" he paused. "This was a little off plan.." he said; all the other planning he had done seemed a little silly now. It would have been perfect as well, he was sure. As long as it involved her, it could be nothing less, but he had no doubts now this was how it was supposed to start for them.

Luna tried jumping up both of their legs, sensing she had not been the center of attention for some time. Ignoring the puppy for the moment, he pulled back just slightly so he could see Kali's face before resting his forehead on hers. "So, the engaged phase, huh?" he said, pulling out the old joke with a quiet chuckle.

 

[Kalique Baize]

"Help?" suspicious. She slightly narrowed her eyes while she was still smirking. Oh she could think of a few names...but she wondered who had really been in on this. "Really?! That...is so sweet...I can't wait to learn its story!" it was such a sweet symbol...she examined it closely, running the index finger of her other hand against it, slowly realizing they were actually officially engaged.

His words warmed her so deeply and it saddened her that she hadn't meet her. She didn't doubt she was just as loving as him and his parents, would she felt honored to carry on the heirloom. "You do..." she'd insist on him telling her the whole story behind his plans for sure.

"Off plan...ohh I bet you've had it all planned...but now you just figured the moment was right and...you were right. Jon, that was absolutely wonderful". She was still beaming at him, her heart racing. This was...so them and she absolutely loved how this had enfolded and she couldn't wait to properly celebrate the next few days.

As he leaned in and recited the insider they had for years, she immediately had to laugh. "Husband and wife-to-be-phase sounds a bit too complicated..." it still felt surreal, but couldn't think back to when she had ever been happier. Luna had to join the conversation, but her attention immediately flicked to a butterfly that flattered past and thus she bolted off again. "Oh kriff...the wedding planning phase won't be that easy" she quipped onwards, finally regaining control of her trembling limbs.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"A little wordy..." he joked with her proposed phase name. "We have come a long way..." he said after a few seconds. They had been through so much together, and while this felt like a beginning for them, so much had gone into the foundation of their relationship, friends, family, and events. All of them lead them to this one spot.

"We certainly won't be bored for a long time, will we?" he asked when she had brought up wedding planning. Between Wedding planning, house building, squire raising, and farm life, neither one of them would like to sleep much for a while. That didn't worry Jon, though; in fact, he was so excited to get started. "It may not be easy, but I am sure we will make it fun.." he said. Luckily, they had both thrived on stress for so long it would be alright.

"You still want to go camping?" he asked after they had enjoyed the moment just a bit longer. Chances to get away would likely be few and far between in the coming months. It could also be one of the last times they had to do nothing...

 

[Kalique Baize]

Even if this was a new beginning, a whole new chapter even, they had so much history already and she was utterly excited to see what the future held. "We have...so many phases stages we've passed", she agreeingly added, finally feeling better on the formerly weak knees as she met his gaze again.

"Well...have we ever been bored?" there was always a whole lot going on, but here on Spintir, she often mentally decelerated an centered herself. Now...well there was new stuff on their agenda, but they were in no rush, even if fir ideas formed in her head.

"Oh always...we'll conquer those challenges, too" she softly pressed her lips onto his cheek, right into his beard and kissed him, before he asked whether camping was still on the list. "Sure..absolutely. Now maybe more than ever. This calls for a little celebration between the two of us and the weather seems to stay amazing...".

"What do you think?" with the Force, she'd quickly gather the tools that were distributed all around to fully finish off here so that they could get going whereever they desired.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"You have a point.." he agreed. They had always been busy people; it was who they were. However, all of this stuff was exciting to him, filling him with energy. Which actually made him feel a bit more overwhelmed; it washed over him quickly as his own brain started to catch up with events.

She kissed him, bringing him back into the moment. "Always." he replied.

"I was hoping you would say that." he smiled. "It will be just a tad warmer where we are going. It should be perfect" he said. He was already looking forward to getting away with her, but now they had so much to celebrate. "So the real question is..." he said, pausing to look around in mock suspense. "Do we tell my parents now? They will freak out and probably won't let us go for hours," he said. "Or...we could sneak back, pack really quickly, and leave tonight," he said. He loved his parents, and if they had unlimited time together, he wouldn't hesitate to tell them.

If they left without telling them, they could celebrate on their own before opening the floodgates. He was fine with either, but he liked the idea of sneaking away with her.

They quickly packed up tools; the droids could finish the rest. He marveled at their work one last time as she rejoined him. " We did good." he said with an approving nod. It really was starting to look like a house. They really had done incredible work.

"...and we are getting married!" he said after a short pause.

Today was the best ever.

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique was absolutely ready to pack their stuff and whole pack and get going and the prospects of even better weather were amazing. "Really? That sounds fantastic...do you know where you've been storing the tent?" she curiously asked, knowing they needed at least some equipment out there.

She pondered on his question, being a little torn as she would have loved to tell them, but he had a point. "Let's sneak of this one time. Keep it just for the two of us for a moment before we'll tell the rest" she finally replied, waiting for his opinion. She loved his parents dearly, but if they wanted to make the most out of their getaway, they had to leave soon.

For now, they thus finished up, but they stopped to marvel at their work for another moment. "RIGHT?!" the floodgates of excitement and squealing delight were immediately opened again as he reminded her. "We have more than the foundation for our house and now we're engaged!" this was all so incredibly exciting, but for now she didn't really want to share it with anyone else but him.

"What if I round up the pups and pack their stuff and you get our stuff?" she suggested as they made their way back, incredibly excited by the idea of hitting the road and starting this engagement-pre-honeymoon-trip.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"Yeah, everything should be in the attic together. Won't take me long to grab it." he said.

Jon got an evil smirk as she agreed to the plan. Feeling the thrill of having to infiltrate his old home and get out unseen. "This might just be our toughest challenge yet," he said dramatically, their first mission as an engaged couple. "We need a good name operation name..." he said, thinking for a moment.

They quickly prepared to leave. It all still had a dreamlike quality to it, but it was very real.

Soon, they were driving back to his parent's house, secret mission green-lighted. "Perfect, I'll grab the equipment and meet you at the ship in..10 minutes?" he asked. "Good luck, Knight-Captain." he said with a salute as he jumped out of the speeder.

It was nearly dark, covering his approach to the house. His parents were probably eating dinner, so all he had to do was sneak in, get up to the attic, and get out. He couldn't go through the front door; his parents would likely be near enough to see anyone entering. No, he would need to be creative. Luckily, he had snuck out of his house on more than a few occasions as a teenager. Through a series of vaulting and pulling himself up on the roof, he was able to climb inside the bedroom window where they had been sleeping.

Muscle memory took over, though it was a little more difficult than it had been a decade ago. He quietly slid the window closed and listened for a moment. There was some music playing downstairs, but no other noise. He moved silently towards the attic pull-down door and slowly pulled the ladder down. As he climbed the ladder, he heard someone coming up the stairs. If he were caught, his cover would be blown for sure.

He scaled the ladder quickly, pulling the ladder and closing the hatch just as whoever reached the top of the stairs. He listened for a moment to hear if he had been heard. From there, he quickly found the supplies and made his way out the attic window and then back out to the ground. As his feet hit the grass, he felt immensely proud of himself. "I could have totally been an ISB Agent..." he muttered to himself as he disappeared into the night towards their ship.

When Kali opened the barn doors, she would be met face to face with Cal, Jon's father, who was just reaching for the door on the other side to leave. The man jumped back, scared at the sudden appearance of Kali. "...You scared the shit out of me..." he said, holding a hand to his chest. "Hey Kali." he said, warmth returning to his voice.

"Wasn't sure if you guys would be back tonight, so I decided to come to check in on the pack." he said, if she entered, he would follow her back inside, clearly ready for a conversation. "How's the house coming along?" he asked. "Was going to head down there tomorrow and check out the progress you guys' have made." he said.

As they were inside, Sylvia would stroll in. "I thought I heard the speeder pull up!" she said with a smile. "You finally finish up working today?" she asked. "Jon come back with you? He better not be out there staying late to work while you are here. You want me to go set up straight?" she said.

Kali would have to think quickly, ring still on her finger or this mission would be dead in the water.

Jon's Roll: 20 (super spy)

Kali's Roll: 4

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique was beyond stoked about their plans. The idea of sneaking in and out unnoticed amused her already and she was confident they could pull it off. As he asked for a cover name, she immediately blurted out "Operation Sneaky Ewok". It was a silly name and she immediately started chuckling, but she found it fitting.

On Endor they had to stealth around, too, and they had basically camped in their village. Now, they had to tiptoe around his parents and move quickly. Upon reaching the farm again, she saluted him with two fingers. "Rendezvous in T minus 10. May the Force be with you, Commander" she dramatically added in a feigned serious tone before she hopped off and raced over.

As she approached, she already monitored the four bubbly puppies within, wanting to locate them right away to ready them for the trip. This, however, meant that she was absolutely oblivious to the fifth familiar presence that turned out to be Cal. A gasp escaped her as she jumped back as well, absolutely not having him expected here.

"Ohh...hi! Thank you, that's really kind. We've worked late, so I only made it now..we made some really good progress though!" she replied with a sheepish grin before her mind flicked back to the ring. Fuck...it was then that Sylvia walked in and Kalique immediately slipped her full hand into her back pocket, trying to act casual, but her cheeks utterly blushing.

She was usually no one to lose composure quickly, but as she had literally just gotten engaged, she was still not in control of herself. "I- uhhh, hi, Sylvia! No, no, we've finished for today" she added quickly, trying her best to keep herself calm, but the way the wolves' ears already perched told her that they were picking it up already.

"As I...have to fly back to Raxus soon, we actually decided to do a spontaneous camping trip! So I was just about to pick up the pups and guide them to the ship" Sylvia was really good at noticing when things got suspicious, and Kalique knew she was acting weird. "I'm literally overwhelmed by all of the building progress...it's incredible how quickly we're getting closer to our dream house" good safe, Knight-Captain...that was a valid reason for being a little off track.

With the Force, she carefully slipped out of the ring and safely stored it in her backpocket before she slipped the hand back out and gathered some supplies. "Can we still assist you with anything?" so much for the sneaking. Now Kalique had to handle this conversation and play it cool while she was internally thrilled still.

This, however, meant that Jon was probably doing fine, so it was worth the struggle. She tried hard not to smile like an idiot and was thus glad to pick up some stuff the pups would need. Only once the situation was fully defused she'd hurry out, beaming, and would make her way to their ship with the whole pack in tow and her heart still racing. She'd immediately slip the ring back on as soon as she was out of sight, softly chuckling to herself.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"Oh sure! I love these pups." he said about the wolves. He had initially been a bit skeptical about keeping the predators so close to the livestock, but those fears quickly faded when he saw the level of control Kali had over them. He figured they would be moved before they got too big to be too much of a danger anyway.

"Great to hear! It's such an exciting time. I remember when we built this house.." he said, starting to wind up for a story that Kali had probably heard most of already. She was doomed.

Thats when Sylvia poked her head, simultaneously saving but also increasing the risk of getting caught 10-fold. Not much got by the woman, who seemingly had a 6th sense for sniffing out anything suspicious.

"Well, okay then." she said, raising an eyebrow. She knew something was up, her eyes going down to Kali's, which had been somewhat awkwardly placed in her back pocket. "You alright, dear? You looked a little flushed.." she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Kali explained that they were going on a trip and that she was overwhelmed. "Well, that sounds like fun." she said, not totally convinced but thrown off course a bit. "You sure you're okay?" Syl walked up and held the back of her hand to Kali's forehead. "No fever..." she said quietly.

"Well, make sure you relax some before you head back; you can only work yourself so much. You don't want to get yourself sick, now." she added hypocritically.

Kali had an opening; she could gather the wolves and be on her way.

"You kids have fun!" Cal said as she left.

"That girl works too hard..." Syl muttered to Cal after she had left. "Yeah, that's why you like her so much....she's just like you." he said with a smile.

Operation Sneaky Ewoke had been a complete and total success for Jon; he had arrived at the ship early and had loaded the gear. He sat on the loading ramp, waiting for Kali to arrive. Ten minutes came and went. He was about to go looking for her when he finally saw her emerge from the darkness.

He didn't say anything as she approached, innocently leaning back on his hands. His eyes lit up with laughter, though. She had almost got caught; he knew it. He also knew she didn't actually get caught because she had made it out here.

"Ready to leave, Knight-Captain?" he asked with a smirk.

 

[Kalique Baize]

What a mess she had gotten herself into the barn. Who was she kidding? Of course Sylvia sensed there was something immensely off about her display. SHE WAS ENGAGED. And she couldn't even tell them. No, not yet, she reminded herself, knowing she had to be convincing enough for another moment.

She was looking forward to telling them, but Operation Sneaky Ewok was still in full swing. She couldn't let it fail - so she stuck to evasion. "I'm okay! Just excited about this all" it wasn't even a lie, but Sylvia was genuinely concerned. Keep your composure! It was very uncommon for her to be so off her guard, but she was still barely believing she had just entered the engaged stage with him...

"I promise I'll take it slow" she softly added, giving her a warm smile now that she finally managed to tone it down a tad, before she waved the pups out of the barn. Go go go. This was their chance. And she absolutely intended to take it. Her grin spread from one ear to the other as she briskly walked back, not even realizing she was holding her breath until she finally reached Jon.

With a deep exhale, she flung her arms around him and wrapped him in a quick, relieved embrace, before she gestured for the pups to board. "You won't...believe this" she breathlessly said to him as they walked up the rank after the pack, her heart still pounding. "I ran into your parents...your mom is suspicious already. She thought I was getting sick before I could barely keep it together" she admitted with a sheepish grin as she moved into the cockpit.

"But the operation was a full success..." that was what mattered for now. "I'm so ready to start". She'd await Jon's instructions on where to set he coordinates to. They still had to put the harnesses around the four pups and secure Luna properly, and she was hoping during that time, his parents wouldn't decide to check in on them again, so she worked under pressure.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He let out a laugh as she briefly collapsed into his arms. "That doesn't surprise me a bit." he said with a smile as they stood and made their way into the ship.

In reality, the mission had been about as low-stakes as they came. The worst-case scenario is they spent the night sharing the best news. Regardless, it had been fun for him at least, and she apparently had gotten super into it as well.

"Well done," he said very officially at her announcement of success. With Operation Sneaky Ewok a resounding success, they were off of their tiny adventure.

Never a boring moment, indeed.

"Let's get going then," he said happily, having to step over several lumps of fur lying in the corridor leading to the cockpit. "We may need to get a bigger ship.." he joked. "Absolutely not.." he said, getting to the co-pilot's chair that Luna had already claimed. He picked her up and set her in his lap as he started entering coordinates.

While it was on the other side of the world, the ship would cover it in no time, only taking an hour or so. He looked around the crowded cockpit, lounging pups of all kinds and the two of them. It was not a normal scene, but it felt like home to him. He reached over and took ahold of her hand, smiling at her, faces illuminated by the ship's instrument panels.

They had both worked extremely hard the last two days, and he was certainly feeling tired, but he was also still riding the high of the evening. It will carry him through arriving and setting up a campsite for the night.

After an hour, they neared their destination. "Land in that clearing over there. We can camp here and head out properly in the morning," he said with a smile.

 

[Kalique Baize]

Securing the wolves took some time, given that they weren't the biggest fans of their harnesses. A little while later though they were all safe and sound and Luna could stay in the cockpit with them, given that the flight would not be very long. "We should put that on the list...They'll grow quickly and we'll be in big trouble soon enough", she replied, half serious half joking.

They could, in the future, put their pack in the cargo area, but given that they could literally triple in size still, they would almost need an actual animal transporter if they were to travel with all four wolves in the future for sure. They were fine for now, but it was definitely much more difficult to travel with their four legged companions in general.

The flight was relatively uneventful even if all of their canine friends were excited. For them, Kalique purposely repressed her own excitement, even if it had been running high deep inside her, but she knew they were very perceptive when it came to emotions. She had another pleasant chat with Jon before he pointed at the clearing they had reached after an hour.

Kalique nodded and brought the ship down with a warm smile on her lips before she turned the engines off. It felt great to be here, with him, with their fur babies, and as he suggested camping here, another thought crossed her mind. "Orrr, if we don't want to set up tents, we could just sleep in here for the night and start wandering tomorrow?".

It was already late, not terribly late, but the day had been long and eventuful, they had worked their asses off, he had proposed, ahd had almost blown Operation Sneaky Ewok and they also needed a shower still. "You know, we could get some hot water running and then turn in to start fully refreshed tomorrow?". She was also fine with camping outside if he preferred that though.

@Raydo