2021-05-10 - Where the stars dance around them

Evening in the Firefly Forest, not yet dark enough for flashlights but nearing that time when people can expect the namesake insects to make their first flickering appearances. Thewlis walks, arm around Jade as they take in the air. Flannel coat on in expectation for the chillier night air.

A quiet evening, celebratory even in sensation while the pair stroll - the tall man humming... what may likely be Hall and Oats absent mindedly while plucking one of the wild forest flowers, casually tucking it into her hair above her ear.

Jade strolls along at his side, tucked in under his arm and nestled into her leather jacket though she still wears shorts, enjoying the peaceful little walk with Thewlis. Both her arms hug around his waist front and back and she occasionally just smiles up at him as if they share a conversation that only they are privy to.

The song has her nodding along to the rhythm, her smile warming when he tucks a wildflower into her shorts curls, leaning up to kiss his weathered cheek before settling back at his side. Looking around at the wilderness before finally breaking her silence with, "Its really pretty out here this time of year.."

"Fall too, when all the leaves are falling... evergreens smell real nice too." walking to a small brow of old stone now covered in moss like the ugly green couch everyone somehow has had at least once and passed off to a neighbor or one of the friends they're not as acquainted with.

"I don't think I've ever brought you here without camera equipment, you know?" a blanket tucked into a day bag of sorts pulled out and laid out - quilted and thick for comfort, settling down and looking around. "Have you ever come out here when the fireflies are thick?"

"Yeah, that would smell good, too," Jade agrees with a small chuckle as they walk along towards the mossy outcropping of rock. She glances up at him and smiles, "To be fair, alot of our relationship was spent with you absolutely certain that I was going to up and leave you any day. And then there was the theater. And then I had to finish school. Things got kinda crazy for a bit."

Seating herself so she can snuggle in against him, she has to pause, then shakes her head, "I think I've been out here all of once, maybe twice. Neither time was there fireflies that I can remember."

Smiling a little wider, Thewlis settles in, cheek against her hair as he looks out into the forest. "You'll love this, I know, then... It's haunted out here, but sometimes they let people be to enjoy the show."

More glittering yellow green flashes, more constant beginning to trail through the trunks of trees. "If we can get a house... I wish we could afford one out here, further from town center... More nature you know?"

"Well then, lets hope they'll let us enjoy the show since this is my first time seeing them," Jade smiles up at him and adjusting the flower to make sure it stays tucked into her hair before settlign back to watch the sun set fully so the fireflies can come out in all their glory.

As they start to flicker and appear, she offers, "We could always see about buying a plot and building the house we want? There's cabins here and there, surely some of the land is still up for sale. We don't need a huge house, just something that we can expand on as we need."

"I suppose we could do that too, would have to get a contractor - I don't know how to build a house..." brow knitting in thought, "I think something with a yard big enough for the family christmas party is essential though..." the stutter still gone since she'd come back home. More little spark fires of light come, flitting through the trees as the sun fades.

"I know we don't need big... But... but if we have them come visit - I like the idea of a family of... good people, all together you know?" kissing her brow before looking down to her. "Or am I going too far?"

"Not too far at all. I just don't want us to get too deep into a house that we can't afford," Jade smiles up at him, reaching up to cup his cheek before looking back to the lightshow provided by nature. She smiles and offers, "Why don't we figure out what we can afford, and then we can start looking from there?"

Sitting companionably for a bit, she breaks the quiet by adding, "I don't know if you would want this but... the family will help us out, either way. They'll want to see us settled somewhere nice. The trailer park worked when it was just.. you know.. us dating. If we're going to take it further, they'll want us in a good house."

"I've never had that kind... well that sort of support." Leaning his face into her touch, Thew's eyes lid briefly, "It wouldn't be taking advantage would it? It wouldn't hurt them to help at all?" Confidence gained, maybe, but still the overriding concerns that now encompass others. The wish for not harming anyone so strong as to unthinkingly risk now putting himself at odds to do so. Looking down at his knees - surrounded by sudden shame at the very idea of it - as if being greedy and taking.

Smiling, she shakes her head and leans up to kiss his cheek, "No. They wouldn't put themselves in a bad position just to help us. And we'll still have to come up with some of it ourselves... but they'll help." Jade gives him a small but tight hug and looks back to the fireflies, taken with the addition of so amny more 'stars' in the sky now. Watching them with some awe and wonder. "Thew, take a breath. They want to help us. Dad already made the offer when he knew I meant to go straight back here after school. I told him that would be a conversation for the three of to have after you and I had a chance to talk. Besides, abuela's been trying to push my inheritance on me for years. I made her keep it just in case something every happened and she needed it after grampa died, but my parents are with her now so its less of an issue."

Another breath and a nod, "Alright... I can look into that. Theater is doing good with the summer tourists and the winter boreds..." smirking a little and keeping still enough that the insects begin to drift closer to them both. "A conversation for all three. I'll look into the theater margins... The trailer - well... It's like new, could get a good price for it too to settle down payments, and..." he stops himself now and smiles sheepishly.

"I'm babbling, aren't I?" still looking out at the forest. "I'm not... It's." taking another slow breath. "You stayed. This is all new for me... Unnknown territory." a brief stammer drawing out the last word slightly.

Chuckling softly, she smiles up at him and murmurs, "You were and I'm glad. You were actually starting to worry me with how... how different you became. It was like a whole new man and I'd wondered if maybe something had happened while I was away." Jade tucks herself in at his side and rests her head on his shoulder, "Its good to see some of the man I fell in love with still in there." Reaching up, she presses her fingers to his lips, meeting his gaze, "I am so proud of the progress you made, please don't think I'm not. Part of me is just... sad that I wasn't there to see it happen."

Smiling again, she nods, "I stayed and I'm not going anywhere. Its pretty new for me too. I've never been this serious about someone, Thew. But we'll figure it out together, okay?"

"Alright..." smiling small now and curling in towards her, "I... It's." laughing, "I mean... I felt when you were at the door and... That's when it changed, Jade." looking up and into the forest as the dark grows and more sparkling lights start to flood in to illuminate the gloom.

"I think I was worse for a while, something kept telling me that I shouldn't wait. That you lit out and got out while you... could." cracks in the veneer showing. "But then you came back, and the voice was wrong."

Reaching up, she brushes her fingertips across his lips and smiles, "I am happy for you then. I know that the stutter frustrated you and I know we hadn't made too much headway with getting rid of it..." Her eyes lift when his do, her smile widening at the sight of all the fireflies in the air, lights winking off and on in ripples and waves.

"I'm glad you didn't listen. I love you Thewlis Moore, and I intend to marry you when you're ready. And then the only time I'll be going anywhere is when you're with me." Jade looks at him, warm and affection clear in her gaze.

"It comes out in public. I'm not so nervous with you." turning to look back into her gaze, "Soon... I know I'll b-be ready soon." a blink an a small embarrassed laugh. "I love you to, Jade Rivera..." taking her hand and squeezing as a wave of fireflies washes through their clearing.

"Together to the end... I'd not have it any other way."

Leaning up to nuzzle against him, she presses a kiss to his lips and smiles, "I'll wait for you. I want you to be sure, absolutely sure, before we go through with it." Jade reaches down and squeezes his hand, snuggling in against him once more.

"You and me, Thew. Together to the end."

"I do... I want it. I've never been able to want something Jade." brows raising up. "We should. I should. I could..." blushing crimson as he realizes and says sheepishly, "I don't even have a ring..." chewing at his lower lip as his mind races and he considers.

"We need a right, right? I need to get one?" laughing nervously before his breath as the fireflies begin rolling out in force now.

"We can pick one out together. You know me, baby, I'm not a fancy type of girl. Simple and classic will be fine for me," Jade smiles up at him and slips her arms around his waist once more, giving him a squeeze. "Besides, we're not super conventional anyways, we can get the ring whenever we wanna, or we can just do wedding bands when we're ready."

Looking up at him, her smile softens, "I get you, Thewlis. That's better than any ring."

He quiets and blushes, both arms going around Jade, the fireflies around them forgotten while he simply rocks with her held in his arms. Content and at peace again. Again he is humming, the tune unbidden - sounding like the Outfield this time, but low and for her as much as for him.

Falling silent, Jade leans back against Thewlis and just enjoys the show of the fireflies with him. His solid warmth, the slight rocking sensation, the sound of his humming, it lulls her into a place of peace and enjoyment.

As they thicken, with the fall of true dusk now, Thewlis's eyes watch both Jade's response and the hundreds of floating lights moving through the forest. "Where would we do it? I..." brow knitting, "I suppose if we did it in the church it would make sure your family was ok with it?" brows lifting slightly before he presses his lips to her temple.

"I mean... if they were religious I mean? I didn't know if they were, I never bothered to ask, you know."

Chuckling, she shakes her head, "My family is mostly Catholic, but I would rather have a small ceremony of friends and family at home or at a park or something. Somewhere outdoors." Jade looks back up to him and smiles, "Its just more inviting than a stuffy church. And if we hold it wherever we get the house, then we don't have to pay for some big expensive crazy church wedding."

She kisses him cheek, "And thank you. You've been thinking of my family and how to include them in every step and I really appreciate that."

"Well... if you're my family - then they are two, hon." head tilting, "If we get the house first - certainly do it there... Otherwise the main theater?" smiling a little more, "Maybe with some scene from an old romance or the like, playing silent behind us?" ideas muddling about. Ever it seems with the ideas growing once she has the seeds planted in his thoughts.

"Reception in the drive in... old monster movies playing while everyone celebrates?"

"OH! The church scenes from Funny Face! Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire were so good together in that movie..." Jade comes up with an old romantic musical suspiciously quickly. There might be more to her cinematic love than JUST horror films. Nodding her agreement, she chuckles, "Lon Cheney, Bela Lugosi... yes, the original monster movies. And we can see about getting a local band or DJ to do the music so it won't cost an arm and a leg. And maybe in lieu of gifts, we could ask people to do a potluck reception? Everyone bring a dish that's special to them?"

"I like that. A lot of those catering companies just heat up frozen meals and call it cuisine anyway. I wouldn't have any trouble setting up a roasting pit for your family to fight over who's cooking it right again." snickering and noting the nomination of Funny Face,

"And you've done it now, now you're such a girl. Funny Face fan." waggling his eyebrows.

Nodding, Jade smiles at him, "Yeah, I'd rather have things that people WANT to eat rather than just... a bunch of thawed and mildly warmed food." She chuckles at the mention of the roasting pit and grins, "Maybe we should do two roasting pits so they can compete and do one each." There's a flush that hits her cheeks and she mutters, "Hush you. I -am- a girl and its not even one of her better known films! I just happen to be a big Hepburn fan. She's like.. OG feminist of the first order. She didn't put men down, she didn't put women on a pedestal, and she spoke hard truths to everyone."

Thewlis bobs his head and kisses her temple again, "True... Just equality - no one over the other... Hard to pick a fight with that." shrugging "Unless someone is just dead set eh." looking into the forest again. A long set of breaths as he enjoys himself and the contact with her.

"It'll be a real site I think. Proper celebration - nothing cookie cut." squeezing tight. "You're a dream come true..." looking her in the eye, "You know that, right?"

"Oh, plenty of people tried... but its Audrey Hepburn. She was trained as a ballet dancer until her family was forced to hide from the Nazis and malnutrition made her too frail to do ballet again. Then she was one of the premier classic actresses for the better part of two decades. THEN she was an ambassador to multiple third world nations where she personally aided and assisted people less fortunate. I mean, the woman was a legend. You can't really.. pick a fight with that." Jade definitely has some hero worship for the woman, but she's quickly smiling up at him again.

"I'm happy to be yours because you're definitely mine, Thew. Everything I never knew I needed in one sexy package."

Flushing dark red at that, Thewlis stands finally and holds out a hand for her to take so he can bring her up to his feet. Lips opening for a moment to speak before slipping closed again, he can only give her a small wink and the shy smile before he looks out to where the small clearing is more level - the ground safer even in the dark.