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Jora couldn't help but smile as Sage led her to the blanket, the warmth of his hand in hers making everything feel that much more special. The day had been perfect so far, and the soft rustle of the ivy around them only added to the magic of the moment. She sat down beside him, glancing at the basket, and her heart warmed when she saw the effort he'd put in, even if he claimed he wasn’t great at cooking. She could tell from the way he’d set everything up that he wanted to make this day memorable for her. "Happy birthday, Jora," he said, and she could hear the tenderness in his voice. That only made her heart flutter more. He was always so thoughtful. "You remembered?" She smiles softly, touched that he remembered when she had told him that info. She picked up a sandwich and took a bite, her mind wandering a little as they ate. The food didn’t last long, but honestly, she didn’t mind. The conversation was easy, comfortable. She could feel how much Sage cared for her, the little things he did, like the way he smiled at her when she commented on the view or how his eyes kept glancing at her with a kind of quiet intensity. She was starting to feel like something was about to shift, but she wasn’t sure what yet. Then, as they sat there in the quiet, the weight of his nervous energy settled around them. She could feel it. It wasn’t just the way his hand brushed against hers or how his leg kept bumping hers under the blanket. No, this felt different. She turned to him, trying to catch his eye. "You okay?" she asked softly, sensing there was something on his mind that he wasn’t quite ready to say. |
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Sage couldn't help but chuckle softly when she seemed almost surprised he'd remembered her birthday. "Of course I did," he mused softly. "It's important," he added. They'd talked about them before, though it was a while ago now he supposed. But he did place value in her birthday...it was really just an excuse to spoil her a little bit. But it was important, especially since he didn't know exactly when his birthday was. At the orphanage, he'd just got that it was sometime in March. That didn't matter to the lady in charge....on the first of the year they all turned a year older there, no matter how close or far away ones birthday was. They'd settled on a time for it, but this was something special to him, he supposed. So he'd planted that bit of information deep in his mind where he wouldn't lose it. It was a wonderful time though, being there with her. Of course, her comment caught him a bit off guard, and he chuckled softly. "Yeah," he mused lighting. "I just....I wanted everything to be perfect," he noted with a soft shrug, leaning against her slightly. "You deserve the best, and I want to do my best to give it to you." |
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Jora smiled, watching Sage with a soft warmth in her eyes. She couldn't quite explain why, but there was something deeply reassuring in hearing him say those words. Maybe it was the sincerity in his voice or the tenderness with which he always seemed to approach things. She knew that his past hadn't been kind, that he hadn't always had a reason to celebrate anything—but somehow, he made her feel like she mattered, like her happiness was worth the effort. "Thank you," she murmured, her voice quiet but full of meaning. "It means more to me than you know." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and leaned a little closer to him, feeling that familiar sense of calm when he was near. "You don't have to do all this," she added softly, though there was no mistaking the joy in her words. "But I’m glad you do." Jora’s gaze softened as she turned to him, her heart light despite the weight of the conversation. "You're a good person, Sage," she said with a small, sincere smile. "And that... that's more than enough for me." |
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Sage felt his heart swell when she thanked him, offering her a soft smile and pressed a light kiss to her lips, humming softly. "You're welcome," he noted lightly, shaking his head with a chuckle in response to her next comments. "Oh please, I absolutely do need to do this," he snorted lightly. "This is one of the like two or three days a year I can get away with absolutely spoiling you," he noted with a chuckle. At her next comments, he paused for a moment, thinking. "I wouldn't be the way I am if you hadn't come along," he noted softly, sort of shifting to look at her. "Without you here.....well, I certainly wouldnt have a life as good as the one we have now," he added, now just kneeling in front of her, holding her hands. He figured it would be a good Segway into the whole proposal thing, so her just stayed there. "You make me happy...happier than I've ever been," he continued, just saying whatever came to mind. "We a great place here, and a wonderful daughter. And I would really, really like it if you'd do it with me not just as a lover or a girlfriend, but as my wife," he added, sort of nervously blurting out the last part as he offered her the ring. |
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Jora’s heart fluttered in her chest as Sage spoke, his words wrapping around her like a warm embrace. She hadn’t expected it to go this way, but as he knelt in front of her, holding her hands, the love in his eyes melted her into a puddle. He was always so certain, so sure of what he wanted when it came to her, but hearing him talk about how much their life together meant to him made her feel something deep, something she hadn’t known could be so powerful. She was lost for a moment, just staring at him, her throat tight, her hands trembling slightly in his. She could barely breathe as his final words hit her, the rush of emotion overwhelming her. "Sage..." she whispered, her voice thick with tears she hadn’t known were there. The ring glinted in his hand, and she could hardly believe that this was real, that this was *their* moment. "I—" She swallowed hard, trying to find the words, but all she could feel was the weight of the love between them. Her lips trembled into a smile, her heart pounding. "Yes," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Yes, of course, I’ll be your wife. I want nothing more than this, than *you*." Her hands gripped his tighter, and the world felt like it slowed down, the moment suspended between them, perfect and full of promise. |
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Sage couldn't help the rush of emotion that hit his own body as he noticed the tears welling in her eyes. Those few seconds where she couldn't speak seemed to last forever sending the nerves in his body scattering around. Was she happy? Did she want this? What was she thinking? At her response though he let out a breathless laugh, grin splitting his face as he moved to slide the ring onto her finger. He couldn't help but press his lips against hers, the salt of their tears mingling with the kiss. It was so odd, how they could become so undone around each other. How just her words could bring tears to his eyes like this. He reached over to brush her own tears off of her cheeks, still honestly just grinning like an idiot. "I wrote Jase a while back....he's willing to stop down here and marry us whenever we decide we're ready. Captains can sign the legal documents and all the rest, and it'll hold no matter where we go or what happens," he explained happily, mind still whirling with thoughts and emotions. |
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Jora felt her heart race as Sage’s words echoed in her mind. The rush of emotions swirling inside her was almost too much to contain. She’d always been one to keep a cool composure, but around him? It was like all her walls had crumbled, and she couldn’t hold back. Seeing the tears glimmer in his eyes, hearing the way his voice cracked with emotion—it only made her feel more exposed, more vulnerable, in a way she never imagined. When his lips pressed against hers, the softness of the kiss felt like an anchor, grounding her in a way nothing else could. She was shaken, her emotions were a mess, but there was no doubt—she was with him. She was ready. She hadn’t realized until that very moment how much she’d wanted this, wanted *him*. The mention of Jase—him offering to marry them whenever they were ready—made everything feel more real. She couldn’t stop smiling, even through the tears. “I want this. I want *us*.” Her voice wavered, but there was no mistaking the certainty behind it. "Whenever we’re ready… I’m ready." She met his eyes, and the weight of their future together settled gently between them. |
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Sage nodded softly when she said she was ready, grinning over at her and attempting to control himself, wiping the wetness of his face and moving to settle next to her again. "I'll write him," he noted with a nod. "He'll stop by the next time they come past the chain of islands on their way to or from port," he noted, suddenly very excited for this to all finally happen. He couldn't wait to marry her...he really couldn't. He'd have to tell Jase to hurry up and get over here. Things calmed down a little bit after a while, and they just spent their time curled up, watching the ocean and the forest around them, just basking in the warmth and each other's company. "He offered to bring a dress, and a ring that's not just wood on his way," he noted softly after a moment. He couldn't really see Jora wearing a dress, but if she wanted a metal ring he wasn't going to refuse her. "I just used what we had here for that one," he added with a sort of chuckle. |
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Jora smiled softly, her fingers brushing against Sage’s as they settled next to each other. She could feel the excitement radiating off him, and it made her heart flutter in response. The thought of their wedding, the plans, the future—everything was so close now, so real. It felt almost surreal. When he mentioned the dress, she chuckled softly, shaking her head. “A dress?” She could already imagine the awkwardness of trying to wear something like that, but it was sweet that Jase thought of it. "I’m not sure I could pull that off," she said with a teasing grin, her gaze shifting to the ocean. "But I suppose I wouldn't mind a real ring, though." She leaned a little closer to him, her head resting against his shoulder. “It’s funny,” she mused, “how you can start with so little, and somehow make everything feel so much more... real. Even that wooden ring, it was special because of what it meant.” She turned her face up toward him, her eyes soft but filled with affection. “But if you want to make it official with a metal ring, I won’t say no.” Sage’s excitement was contagious, and Jora couldn’t help but share in it. The idea of finally marrying him—of making everything official—was almost overwhelming. The future was coming fast, and she was ready for it. Ready for him. Ready for all of it. |
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Sage snickered softly when she brought up the dress and nodded. "I told him a dress probably wouldn't happen," he noted with amusement. "I, for one, and perfectly fine getting married in comfortable and practical clothing," he added. Neigher of them were really ones to dress up at all....so a dress and suit wouldn't really be in the realm of things they were willing to do. He shrugged when she mentioned the rings, humming softly. "It's up to you," he noted. "It would still be the design I made...and the stone I found. It would just be something a bit more...I dunno. Permanent? Normal?" He wasn't really sure how to describe it. But whatever material it was, it would be the design he'd come up with and the stone he'd found. He just wouldn't be doing all the metal working, unless they sent the materials over to him and he could set up a small forge. They would figure all the details out though. |
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Epic Blizzard ! Stock up on Supplies
