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Jora was focused on getting the house settled as they made their way to shore, so she didn’t hear the part about the ring. She was too busy thinking about the crib, Lyra, and the house that still felt a bit too raw and unfinished. The weight of it all pressed on her a little, but there was a strange sense of calm in knowing they could tackle it one thing at a time. When Sage mentioned dusting, Jora couldn’t help but glance at the air, seeing the particles floating lazily around. She scrunched her nose. “Yeah, I’ll take care of the dusting. You’re already thinking about the crib. Leave this part to me, alright? You’ve got enough to juggle.” She offered a smile that was a mix of determination and care, hoping to ease any lingering tension he might have been holding. “It’s gonna be alright. We’ll get everything in order.” With that, she set her focus on the house, the tasks ahead, and the promise of making it all work, piece by piece.
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Sage nodded as she spoke, mind already on the task at hand. Figuring out how he would have to use the wood that they already had, or how much he'd need to cut down. How big he wanted it, so Lyra could grow and still use it for as long as she needed to. It would have to be strong, and safe. No splinters are anything like that. He wandered off into the sheds, poking around as he looked for things he could use. Any old metal to make it stronger, lighter woods so if anything fell or soemthing happened she'd likely be ok, that sort of thing. He found what he needed soon enough, and after rummaging through all the sheds on the property and bringing the stuff back to the one they'd restored for their own purposes right away, he got to work. It didn't take all that long....once he was focused and had figured out what he wanted to do, that was that. Since he still had some time left though, he decided to wander a little bit and see if he could find something he liked for the ring. He'd need to make one for hismelf at some point, but the one he'd propose with was the important one. He really was only looking for some nice looking wood, but as he was crossing a stream, something caught his eye, and he paused, moving to reach into the water and grab whatever it was that he'd found. He wasn't sure exactly what it was....it wasn't like any genstone he'd ever seen from raids or stealing jewelry from rich ladies in the market place. But it was pretty...and whatever it was, it would be perfect. It was a blueish greenish sort of color, and while it wasn't a traditional diamond or anything....it represented the sea well, with little flakes of browns and whites in it too. Jora would appreciate that. And there was enough of it to put smaller chunks in his own ring later, which she'd probbaly also like, he supposed. He wandered back to the shed, grin on his face. It was getting late by then, and it was nearing dinner time, so he moved back to the house before Jora got suspicious, eager to show his findings off to Selene later.
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Selene watched Sage with a quiet smile, her gaze soft as she observed him. His movements were so focused, so intent on the task at hand that nothing could break his concentration. She knew that look all too well—when Sage was absorbed in a project, there was no stopping him until it was done perfectly. As he disappeared into the sheds, she settled in, knowing he’d be lost in his work for some time. The faint sound of wood scraping against wood reached her ears soon after, his rhythm already in motion. But then her thoughts shifted to the gleam in his eyes earlier that morning, a mixture of excitement and something deeper when he mentioned the ring. She wondered if he fully realized how much this meant to everyone, especially Jora, even in his quiet, focused way. The evening passed in a blur, the shadows stretching long across the land as the sun dipped low, signaling dinner was near. But then, Sage reappeared, a grin spreading across his face, as though he were holding onto a secret he couldn’t keep. “What have you found?” she asked, her curiosity piqued by the mischief in his eyes.
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Sage had tried to keep his grin under control as he wandered onto the house. He wanted to act normal....he didn't want Jora guessing about it at all. And she knew him well, so hiding this from her would be a pretty big challenge. She wasn't there when he came in though, since she was finishing up dinner as of then. When Selene asked what he'd found, he cast a quick glance in Joras direction, making sure she was focused on her work before pulling the small stone out of his pocket, where it had been kept safely clenched in his fist. "It was in a creek ...I don't know what it is. Never seen a gem or rock like this before," he mused curiously squinting at it. "But it would look nice with a dark wood of some kind, and there's plenty of it," he added excitedly, doing his best to keep his voice down. But even the idea of marrying her excited him beyond imagine.
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Selene watched Sage, her brows furrowing as he pulled the stone from his pocket, trying to keep his excitement in check. It was obvious—his attempts at hiding it were laughable. Sage wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all her. She glanced over at Jora, who was focused on the dinner preparations, then back to Sage. “I can tell that look, Sage,” Selene teased softly, not able to hide her grin. “You might want to reconsider acting normal around her. We both know Jora can read you like a book.” Selene gently took the stone from Sage’s hand, examining it with an appraising eye. It was strange, nothing like she’d ever seen before. It almost shimmered in a way that made it look like it could belong to some other world. She could already picture it paired with the right wood, but the thoughts running through her mind weren’t about the gem or the project—it was about *him*. And Jora. "Are you planning to give that to her?" Selene asked, her voice dropping to a quieter, teasing tone. "I know you’re excited, but maybe you should take a step back and let her focus on the dinner for now. You’re not exactly being subtle." She grinned again. “But honestly, I think she already suspects. You’re practically glowing.”
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Sage sort of wrinkled his nose slightly when she mentioned acting normal and Jora being able to read him. "I know," he grumbled, though clearly not upset with anything in perticular. "I can't exactly jsut tell her 'hey, imma propose soon so act surprised when it happens', he huffed. Of course, he couldn't help but just...grin stupidly as she eyed the stone. It really was beautiful, and he knew Jora would love it too. He normally wasn't one to fantasize about rocks, but this one was special, he supposed. He snorted in response to Selene's tease, taking it back once she'd finished looking at it, slipping it back into his pocket. "Yes, I'm going to become a parrot and give her a pretty rock as an offering and in return she'll give me love for a season or two before she finds a prettier rock," he snorted, though that was msotly a joke. He obviously wasn't going to do that. He groaned when she said she might already suspect and shrugged. "I'm hoping I can just chalk it up to being home and getting healthy. Besides, I get excited about all my projects. I can just yap about the crib," he noted with an almost sheepish chuckle.
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Jora walked over, her arms cradling Lyra against her chest, the little one's head nestled against her shoulder. She approached Sage with a raised eyebrow, clearly catching the tail end of the conversation. Her lips quirked into a smile as she observed the way he was acting, his sheepish chuckle not quite hiding the hint of excitement underneath. "Yap about the crib, huh?" she teased, though there was a softness to her voice as she looked over at him, her eyes flicking briefly to the pocket where the stone had disappeared. "So you're already getting all excited about that, huh? Are you sure it's just the crib you're thinking about, or is there something else you're dying to tell me?" She stepped closer, Lyra cooing softly in her arms, and raised an eyebrow again as she glanced over at Selene. "But seriously, Sage, this crib you're working on, is it ready? I thought you were going to surprise me with that," she added, her tone playful but with just a touch of curiosity. "Is it finished yet, or is there something you're waiting for me to help with?" Sage seemed a bit too excited, and she had a feeling there was more going on here than just a crib.
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Sage chuckled softly as Jora wandered over, greeting her with a light peck on the cheek and then doing the same to greet Lyra. He hummed lightly in response to her comment, nodding. "There's just a few touch-ups left to do," he noted lightly. "I just want to make sure she won't get any splinters. It's too dark to see that close now though," he added with a soft of shrug. "I'll finish it tomorrow," he promised, giving her a playful sort of pout when she teased him about him having something else he was dying to tell her. "Yeah, that I'm hungry, and I haven't had your food in over a year and I'm getting impatient," he snorted, clearly just teasing. Of course, it was completely true. He dearly missed her cooking, and now that he smelled it he was absolutely starving. He sort of moved to shoo her back in the direction of the kitchen, clearly enjoying just being home and with the group of people he'd become so close to. Selene wasn't as close as Jora, of course, but she did feel like part of the group. He hoped she felt just as included.
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Jora smiled at the easy warmth between Sage and the others. There was something about being around this group that always made her feel at ease. As Sage gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, Jora couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Her gaze moved to Lyra as he greeted her too, and she raised an eyebrow at his playful pout. "Impatient, are we?" she teased, crossing her arms over her chest, a grin tugging at her lips. "Guess I better get to work on that, huh?" She raised an eyebrow when he mentioned the food, her heart swelling just a little at the thought. It was true—she’d missed sharing her meals with him, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit flattered by how much he clearly enjoyed it. The way he moved her toward the kitchen felt... natural. It was nice, the way they all slipped into roles and rhythms around each other. She made her way back into the kitchen, holding Lyra in one arm and collecting ingredients with her other.
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Sage just grinned over at Jora with a nod. "Hey, I've been working. I'm hungry," he noted lightly, really just messing around. He was hungry, and tired though. He still wasn't back to full strength or anything, so the work he'd done had definitley taxed his body. The good news was that he hadn't had another breathing issue, so hopefully that was just a one time thing. Because man, did it suck to not be able to breathe. He followed Jora into the kitchen happily, moving to fill up some cups with water and work on setting the plate while she worked at cooking. It was nice, how they'd gotten back into their natual rythm of doing things. Selene was here, of course, but for the msot part things would stay the same. Dinner was doen soon enough though, and by the time he'd powered through multiple serving of the dish, he'd barely had the energy to clean his plate and stuff up, wander into the bedroom and then bathroom and shower quickly before flopping into bed and pretty much immedietaly passing out. He'd planned on waiting for Jora but...he was wiped out beyond words, and they were finally home in their own bed and he jsut crashed. He knew she wouldn't mind, either way.
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