Open In the Halls of Snowsong (Juliane)

[Juliane Snowsong]

A small smile crept up onto Juliane’s face as Ouity’s eyes shined with the bright blue. It was a color that suited him well. And as soon as he mentioned an idea – a solution – of how to escape the cage she’d been locked in, she felt that familiar tinge of excitement inside her. But as he continued on, her eyebrows furrowed and she kept her lips pursed. She didn’t want to wrap her mind around what Ouity was suggesting. She couldn’t. Sure, that would be a brilliant idea, but couldn’t there be another way? As she watched him, her eyes changed to a soft pink, her mind wondering and trying to piece everything together carefully.

As soon as Ouity gripped her hand a little tighter, she was slowly pulled out of her thoughts and back into reality. He began rambling on and she half paid mind to it. Her eyes searched the room before landing back upon him and a small grin showing upon her face. He was amusing. “You’re brilliant, you know,” she told him quietly. “But that’s such a crazy idea!” She reached over and pushed him shoulder lightly, still grinning. “You’re crazy.” Even though that was a phrase she hated, she meant it in a good way.

There were a few moments of silence. She had been lost in thought again. She had to gather her thoughts, examine them, and deal with what had just been placed right in front of her. Why would Ouity even suggest that? Did he really want to travel that bad? She did, she knew, but was he crazy enough to think of such an idea – a way to escape like this? She heaved a quiet sigh, pondering the thought. Juliane never wanted to marry. That was the thing about her. She was too influenced by her mother to live exactly like the rest of the Vantha race; like her father. And maybe that was the issue. Even though she was a Vantha, she was too much like her mother; like her mother’s side.. maybe. But she didn’t know that for sure. Anything about her mother’s past was gone.

She wondered if doing this – if jumping out into the world in such an odd way would be worth it. And with Ouity at that. Did she trust him enough? She thought of the dangers there would be, the adventure they’d go on, how they’d deal with things. There was so many things to consider, so many things to account for. And to think.. she was only seventeen. Was this possible?

For a second, she knew that pushing him away would just hurt him worse – or could it, she didn’t know - but accepting and traveling with him.. wouldn’t that make it awkward? At all? And escaping her family.. could she return later with warmth and happiness or.. would they push her away? She didn’t know Lanie anymore; Lanie was growing into a young woman that Juliane didn’t recognize. She was the image of their father. But Juliane.. Juliane was her mother’s daughter. She stared at Ouity, her eyes mixing with shades of pink, red, and anything in between. She wanted to leave. She needed to. And Ouity was the perfect person to help her. He understood her. So, she nodded; “Even though this is crazy.. I’ll go. I’ll do whatever to just go and leave.” She quickly leaned forward and embraced Ouity in a hug. She wanted to laugh at the whole idea of theirs. If this would end up working out okay; if they’d get to travel and see all the places they wanted to.. Juliane would be beyond thrilled. But she felt as if this was all too good to be true. Maybe she should just make Ouity leave and never return; she could stay home and work under her father and tend to him for the rest of his life. She didn’t want that though. And as she hugged Ouity, she relaxed a bit, letting the idea take over her mind and senses. This will work out fine, she assured herself. It will.
 

[Ouity]

'Oh Morwen, this is really happening.'

Ouity blinked, surprised for a moment as Juliane embraced him. Was this a dream? He felt so... disconnected. A girl had just agreed to marry him; did this even count as marriage? Had he completely lost his mind? Perhaps slightly, but as he thought about it more and more, the more it began to appeal to him. Without this solution, Juliane would never get to leave Avanthal, that was clear to him. She would forever be a Snowmaiden, trapped inside the great walls of the city. After all, how could a single girl battle the harsh roads of the world? It would be suicide for just about anybody to go alone. He wouldn't wish either fate on anybody, especially not a kindhearted girl like Juliane.

She embraced him suddenly, and he blinked in surprise as her warm body connected with his. After an initial moment of hesitation, he hugged her back gently, blooms of gold cropping up on the edges of his iris. "This won't be easy, you know. I will have to begin the courting rites, and bear gifts to your family. We will have to be wed." He pulled back for a moment, still embracing her, and gave her a mischievous wink. "We will have to kiss." He gently tugged her back closer to him, maintaining their embrace. 'Might as well get practicing showing affection.' he thought to himself, finding that he was not at all opposed to the idea. After a moment, he realized that she might not hold the same... inhibition.

He pulled back so that their eyes could meet, his own still a deep, beautiful blue, with a ring of gold so small around the outside of the iris that it was barely worth mentioning. "You are alright with this, right? This is... marriage. It's not something to just do offhandedly, even if it's a front. There will be a ceremony, and we will be bonded for life, perhaps not when we're free in the South, but if and when we return here, married we will have to stay... He paused, his eyes growing distant. But we will walk from the gates, and know the whole world is ours to see, and explore, and claim.... yet I do not wish to burden you. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

He looked into her eyes, his own scrunched in concern, the gravity of his suggestion slowly dawning on him as more time passed. They would be united forever in the eyes of their people, expected to care for each other for the rest of their lives. Their parents would expect children. He realized with numb shock. No, that wouldn't do to mention just yet. Or ever. Well, perhaps not never, but certainly not now. Part of him was still in disbelief that he was even still permitted to be in this room, the other part was already planning out where he would find the whale bones to present to her father, carved to express his desire to claim her daughter.

[Juliane Snowsong]

Juliane didn’t know what to think at the moment. Even though thoughts raced through her head endlessly, she still couldn’t focus on just one. Was she ready for this, she wondered for the millionth time. She didn’t like marriage; it wasn’t interesting to her at all. Sure, it was nice. It was supposed to be a bondage of two people who were in love. But why was it so important? Why did people value it so much? Why did it have to be the one thing that got her out of here? I really should’ve been a boy, she thought to herself.

She agreed with his words. She knew it wouldn’t be easy. This wouldn’t be too hard though. It’s give her some acting experience, right? She could do that. Maybe. And it’d satisfy her father, right? But this was all too much to take in and she just wanted to disappear to somewhere where it would just.. go away. She groaned after some of his words though. Courting rites, bearing gifts, kissing, being wed, being a couple. Was there some way to just bypass all of this nonsense, she wondered. Probably not.

After he pulled back, she could be seem frowning a bit, but looked at him nonetheless. She was fine with it; with whatever the heck they were doing. Was it even considered marriage? It was, according to him; according to those that would witness it; according to everyone. She listened to him carefully, blinking in response. Freedom was beyond those gates; they would be free. But here, home, they would be married. She stared at Ouity for moments, still trying to gather enough of her thoughts together to actually think about this situation clearly; her eyes changing to the ever-so-familiar light pink. At this point, Ouity was probably one of the minor few people she trusted – even though they hadn’t really known each other too well. She could pinpoint every small thing about him she liked or envied – starting with the fact he had more freedom than her. But she envied that about most people.

As seconds passed, Juliane realized something – the two of them were sitting in silence, staring at each other. And there was really no awkwardness. She chuckled lightly at that. It was a good thing, if not great. Good friends are the type of people you can sit in silence with and have it not be awkward; not be weird; not have it seem like some long, boring meeting. She had had a few friends like that in previous years, one being her own mother. She grinned and patted Ouity’s shoulder. He really was a good person in her eyes. And him going along with this.. for her freedom (and his own reasons, but her freedom was the main thing that occurred to her).. a state of shock set in. He was absolutely crazy! And she still meant that in a good way, because she was crazy, too.

“Maybe this will work,” she said quietly, “but the whole marriage idea is so stupid; courting the girl, bearing some gift, having to wait for the parents’ approval; on and on. Why isn’t there a way to just bypass that and.. leave?” She scrunched up her nose. She wished this was some alternate reality where that was possible, but no matter how much she hated the fact: it was reality. “Besides, what will your parents think of this sudden idea – you courting some girl and then just up and leaving; out to travel the world, see the wondrous places, meet the amazing people that are out there.” Her eyes widened; “What will Lanie think? What will others think? I’m crazy! You’re cra- wait. That will work out. But what if this all happens for nothing and we die out there? What if we get kidnapped? What is some stranger steals everything of ours, while we’re lost and we can’t return. We’d be doomed, Ouity, doomed!” Juliane clasped her hands over her mouth, eyes still wide and shining with a mixture of light blues and light pinks; the colors twisting around one another and forming a beautiful shade in her iris’. “I’m talking too much,” she said into her hands; the words still audible, but if you weren’t listening carefully, they wouldn’t be. And it didn’t occur to her that her hands were covering her mouth at the moment. “I should’ve just been an animal instead of a human. Or a tree or something in nature. Or water. Water travels.”

[Ouity]

Ouity watched Juliane's face carefully, noting with concern the conflicted look on her face, and swell of color in her eyes. He couldn't imagine what was going on in her head, a man whom she had not even seen in years offering to take her off to see the world. Her look of indecision caused a stir of unease in him. Was he doing this for the right reasons? She was so vulnerable, if he took her out of this city, could he even guarantee her safety? He had some skill with quarterstaves, and other long handled weapons, but would he really be enough? He pondered this for a moment as Juliane went on about all the dangers they could face, all the horrors that could claim them outside their comfortable homes. She seemed close to panic. He watched her place her hands over her mouth, and felt a tug in his gut, and his heart melted as he watched her fall into distress. He gently tugged her hands away from her mouth, and clasped them in his, looking her in the eyes.

"The scholars once said that to fear everything possible makes everything impossible, and that it would be better to live a moment as a lion than an eternity as a lamb... as for my father, he will be content just to see me saddled with a bride, as I presume your father would be as well." He gently stroked the back of one of her hands with his thumb, coming to terms with the constriction that bound his chest, the thumping of his heart consuming his mind. He blinked, the gold rising through his irises to blend with the blue to form a brilliant emerald. He took a shaky breath, intent to quell this rebellion of the body. She couldn't think that this was about that. Not now, not ever. He wouldn't have her thinking that this was some sick plot to win her hand because he was attracted to her. Was he attracted to her? Was she, him? Irrelevant! Focus! But if she was... FOCUS! Ouity bit his cheek hard, the pain bringing him back to reality. The emerald of his eyes darkened just a hue as he fought away his carnal response to her vulnerability, ever so slowly returning back to blue.

"I am... sorry that it has to come to this- LIAR! his mind shouted at him. In one fell stroke, completely unconsciously, she had captivated him, turned from conspiring ally to precious gem. He continued on, struggling through the broiling sea of his emotions. Part of him thought back idly to a conversation he'd had with an elder when he was a child. 'We Vantha wear our emotions and feelings on our sleeves, free for others to take, see, examine, speculate.' Ouity wondered what his expression - let alone his eyes - must hold, and a faint grin found its way to his face, having convinced himself he must look quite the fool. He pressed on though, yearning to put her troubled mind at ease before tending to his own. "Tradition will be tradition, we cannot simply fly off in the night, think of the worry and disappointment we would cause our families. This cage of yours is of your own making, little sparrow, or rather, your father's; though he has left the door open, you must see the bars smashed before you will allow yourself to fly."

Ouity wondered to himself if that were true, would she steal away in the night? Did it matter what their parents thought? Was he tricking them both, himself and her into believing that this was the only rational course of action? He wished he had an impartial answer, but at that moment he would have rather died than confess his sudden desires. No, he would follow through with this, and not touch a single hair on the girl's head, he would show himself that this was for her and not for him. 'That is, unless she falls for YOU.' A voice in the back of his mind cooed. He kicked it aside, determination overriding all other emotion. 'I will carry this secret to the grave. part of him growled. Another gleefully replied: 'We'll see about THAT.'

[Juliane Snowsong]

Juliane blinked rapidly; ‘flustered’ could probably best describe her at this moment. She was conflicted, yes. She just overall wasn’t sure what to do. Making decisions was never a forte of hers and probably never would be. She didn’t like having to decide how to go about doing all of this, speaking to her father, speaking to her sister, or even trying to decide the entire plan with Ouity. And it wasn’t like she could just curl up and sleep this off; wake up with a fresh mind. She pushed away Ouity’s comment about her father being content seeing her now being courted; she didn’t really care what her father thought nowadays. She cared for him – she would always care about him – but his thoughts weren’t something she minded at all.

She heaved a sigh, staring at her hand as Ouity stroked it with his thumb. She realized in the midst of her panic and nonstop jabbering that she really hadn’t paid much mind to Ouity’s eyes. Even if that was the one thing she always did – stare at another Vantha’s eyes – it was like she had stared, but looked right past them, unaware of anything. Maybe all this was too much. Half of her wanted to throw a tantrum and just up and leave, dragging Ouity behind her since he was the only person she really trusted.. or wanted to accompany her; the other half wanted to lie down and escape into some dream. But escaping from reality isn’t right. She thought of what Ouity said: The scholars once said that to fear everything possible makes everything impossible, and that it would be better to live a moment as a lion than an eternity as a lamb.

I should just classify myself as a lamb because being a lion has gotten me nowhere, she thought to herself, her eyebrows furrowing and her eyes mixing with shades of hot pink and a darker blue, combining into a dark purple tone. She blinked and looked up at Ouity as he spoke again. Her eyes searched his, more focused this time. She knew the shade of his eyes. She questioned the shade of her own eyes, wondering to herself what color they’d be, what her emotion was now. She knew her own eye colors like the back of her hand and knew that at this moment, they were probably mixed. Why? Because instead of identifying the emotions she was feeling at the moment, her thoughts spoke up, saying ‘I’d really like to hit someone because this is definitely not easy and.. ugh. We should just leave.’

She continued to think about things for a minute. She knew tradition was tradition and it was nice to keep tradition running throughout the generations. She knew just up and leaving Avanthal would upset their families, friends even. She furrowed her eyebrows once again, looking down at her hands. Was this cage of her own making? She blamed her father, not herself. Or maybe.. it was her own doing. She was the one who agreed to not leave until she turned 20. She could’ve easily denied his request and did her own thing, but no. She agreed.

“Am I being selfish, Ouity?” she turned his hand over and traced random designs on his palm, followed by tracing the lines already there. “For wanting to just leave without a word; to abandon my family; to set your hopes up so high for wanting to leave. What if I am a lamb rather than a lion? What if I cower behind my door and stay here and never leave because I’m afraid to?” She didn’t dare look up. She felt as if she really was just setting up this idea for leaving and accompanying Ouity so he could see the world.. and that at the last minute she’d back out; she’d hide away and make a fool of herself, make of fool of those in her life. She was frustrated again; the emotion never seeming to go away. What to do? How to handle this? Should she back out now? She didn’t want to. Not at all. But she didn’t want to set up an idea that they’d be able to travel the world and then he’d get delayed once again. “I’m sure there are other girls out there that share your passion of traveling and seeing new things and.. aren’t so indecisive and.. like me.” She chuckled – though it was bitter; the conflict arising in her mind.

Juliane never called herself ‘afraid’; never considered to be scared of things. But she came to terms that it wasn’t necessarily things she was afraid of.. it was herself. Maybe everything else was just an excuse for her. A way to delay things, to push people away, to hide away and be safe from the things she’d do or say. Maybe in the few years she spent keeping to herself, this is what came out of it. She was anxious to adventure, always up for taking risks, and confronted life happily and with full force; never afraid. Who was she now, she wondered. What happened?

[Ouity]

Ouity frowned, seeing that Juliane still held doubt. He watched her eyes slowly morph into a purple shade, wondering exactly what that meant. Purple and pink seemed to crop up when there was some deep thinking involved; who really knew? It would take time for him to pin down the meaning. He winced slightly when she asked him if she were being selfish. If truth were told, it was he who was being selfish. His frown deepened as she began to voice her misgivings, his eyes softening as she looked down and refused to meet his gaze, and finally moving once more to hug her, this time fiercely, as she voiced the idea of finding another companion. Every cell in his body imminently rejected the proposal, it was simply out of the question. He tilted his head so that his mouth was closer to her ear, and murmured. "I would not trade you for an army of Kelvic bears, or a legion of the Icewatch. You are perfect, a better person than I could ever aspire to be. Do not be afraid to fly, Juliane, for what will you do here in Avanthal? Cooped up and alone, that is no life for a bird, or lion, or any beast, man, or woman. Take a chance, trust me."

Ouity moved so that their heads were facing each other, cupped her chin with one hand, and gently directed her head so that he could look her in the eye. He felt the promises that he had made himself just moment before slipping away as he struggled to stay levelheaded. He tried to think of some logical rational for what he was doing, some way it would coincide with this scheme of theirs, but that thought too slipped away, along with the rest of his mind. It was like trying to keep snow from falling off of a mountain during an avalanche, so quickly did common sense leave him; but for one, simple phrase. "Juliane? Will you marry me? Before the crowds of our brothers and sisters of Avanthal? Before Morwen, and the elders? The Icewatch and the priests? Come with me, to see the plains and deserts of the south, all the people, the places, the wonders. I want you... need you to share it with me. Somebody who is of one mind with me, one spirit. Your heart is so pure, and your mind so curious; who else could be fit to come with me?"

Part of Ouity's brain raced for some sort of explanation for the outburst. He had been practicing the act? Worth pursuing. He had wanted it make it more official? Perhaps. He waiting to pile on the excuses though. Hope was a strong motivator, and he hoped with everything he had that he wouldn't need them. His eyes were as wide as saucers, and his eyes were blurred and hued with so many colors, twisting and blurring each other in a fantastic array. The colors seemed to battle each other, red or grey would slowly engulf his eyes as his mind burned with the fear of whiplash for his actions, and then blue or gold or green would burn through, creating a beautiful contrast, each fighting each other in turn. They danced as if to a mad jig, as Ouity - now quiet - awaited her reply with uneven breath. He kept one hand gently cupping her face, touching the soft flesh with reverence, while the other rested on her shoulder. The muscles of both his wiry arms seemed tense, as if he were ready to grapple a polar bear at any moment bare handed. The idea of shrugging off such an outburst would have been totally absurd to anybody who could see his present state.

[Juliane Snowsong]

Ouity’s hug seemed to relax Juliane; her eyes slowly changing to a light brown and her letting out a quiet sigh. She honestly loved hugs. They always seemed to help and right now she really didn’t want to let go. She closed her eyes momentarily, listening to his words. She wasn’t perfect. She wanted to laugh at that. No one was perfect. How was she better than him, she wondered. She wasn’t. She knew that. She could judge his kind words all she wanted, but that would get her nowhere. At least he was the type to speak kindly; it could easily cheer any person up or make them feel like they’re on top of the world. Nonetheless, she gave a halfhearted smile at his words, opening her eyes once again as he moved back. She did trust him; no doubt. Did he not realize that? If he didn’t, he was a fool.

Juliane stared at Ouity, wondering what all was racing through that mind of his. He had to be crazy to say all of that. And just as she wanted to comment, he spoke again. So this was what an actual proposal was. She blinked a few times. Even though they had just discussed this plan; their marriage; everything, it felt so weird. She bit her lower lip; her stomach seemed to tie in knots. Even though she was expecting marriage to happen – for things like this to take place, why was she beginning to feel so.. nervous? Before, she was scared, afraid she’d back out, and afraid of things that she wasn’t afraid of before. Now she was just downright nervous. Why? This marriage was supposed to be more of a front at first but.. it seemed so real. It was like the two had grown together, were in love and here the boy sat, proposing; that’s how it felt. It didn’t feel like they were doing this to free her, to travel. Her eyes shifted to shades of a light blue, to a salmon-like color, to green – two of which rarely graced her eyes. Her eyes then shifted again, letting a hot pink hue mix in, followed by an even lighter shade of pink.

Juliane eyes searched Ouity’s, his mixing and shifting and she knew that his emotions were going just as crazy as hers. And at that moment she realized how silly everything seemed. How odd this was and how amusing Ouity was to her. Having him around was fun and she loved it. He was kind and talked just as much as she did, maybe even more. And he seemed to not mind being close – touchy feely, so to say - even if it was something that was required of a soon-to-be married couple. She was content with him and relaxed.
Juliane reached her hand up and placed it over Ouity’s, nodding and trying her best to hold back a laugh at the situation and at herself for getting so nervous and worked up over something like this. The colors in her eyes stopped being frantic and shifting and sank back into a brown tone. “Only if you promise me that our travels with be worthwhile; that we won’t argue and you won’t call me perfect again. I’m not perfect, Ouity,” she told him; her voice more stern than anything. Ouity looked a bit scared – maybe nervous – at the moment and Juliane decided to try and smile, no matter how nervous she still was.

[Ouity]

Ouity winced at the initial tone of her words, opening his mouth to let flow his torrent of excuses and avoidances, but it simply hung there as she replied. About halfway through, he jammed it shut, his eyes widening. His heart hammered in his chest, and he let out a ragged sigh; slowly grinning as she finished her simple requests. "Agreed." he said softly, marveling at her. She would be his wife. His wife. Marriage.

Just a front.

Is it?

It is.

No.

Yes.

No.

Maybe.

He finally stopped fighting himself, what was the point? He stared into her eyes, fascinated. They were the eyes of the woman who would be his wife. His whole world felt like it had shifted slightly on its axis. He examined the brown tone, smiling a little as she did, moving his head forward slightly so that his forehead touched hers, still staring into her eyes curiously.

"What do you feel right now? Your eyes turn pink when we talk sometimes, purple too. Pensive, perhaps? I want to know so much..."

He felt that this meeting of theirs would draw to a close soon, he had so much to prepare. Whale bones, he would find a merchant, perhaps talk to some whalers. He himself would have to go out, find the greatest beast he could to slay, and bring the pelt back to Juliane's father. Carvings... yes, perhaps stage masks - a new chair perhaps.

Ouity's train of thought cut abruptly as he came back to reality. Juliane's forehead pressed against his own, and her eyes so close that he had to go slightly cross-eyed to focus on her clearly. His intestines twisted again for what felt like the thousandth time that day. He sat back a little, their heads still close, though no longer touching. A haze of gold began to form over his blue eyes.
'She is essentially yours now! Her father will throw her into your arms.'

'Honor the maiden, your agreement was not one of romance.'

'A kiss surely could not hurt? If it leads to anything, well, it was her decision.'

'NO! Not until after the wedding, not ever unless she so wishes. Such would disgrace her, and dishonor you. A kiss if you must, but no more!'

Ouity's stomach churned again, other colors once more slipping in to his eyes, though gold and blue dominated the playing field. He slowly leaned over to her again, this time angling his face so that their foreheads would not meet, and gave her a chaste kiss, allowing his lips to linger a moment before he drew back, stroking a strand of hair behind her ear. He touched her as light as if she were a piece of glass balanced on the point of a blade. Though he tried to speak casually, his shortness of breath, and the mad dance of gold and blue in his eyes gave away his true emotions. "We would... have to do that soon anyway... we don't want it to be awkward, after all... people will get suspicious, have to break the ice, so to speak." He said slowly, his arms lingering against her body. He would go soon, he thought, before he did something he might regret.

[Juliane Snowsong]

Juliane smiled as "agreed" left Ouity's mouth. It was just a few small requests; so simple, but she was content with the agreement. This was still a lot to take in; a lot to think about, but she was tired of thinking so much and stressing herself. She could do that.. tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow. After sleeping her stress away and waking up refreshed, maybe some of this would subside. Maybe.

As Ouity pressed his forehead to hers, asking questions, Juliane's eyes widened. It was a bit hard to focus like that, but she managed nonetheless. How did she feel, she pondered the question. At the moment, she felt a mixture of things; tired, confused, nervous, happy, worried. And her eyes were letting the colors mix and change about.

"Uhm.. not really sure about how I feel right now," she said quietly. "Pink? I'm usually thinking of something; questioning it, wondering, anything in that area. They're usually purple when I'm happy with something, but.. I think some shades of purple are outcomes of other emotions mixing and.. stuff. I'm not that sure anymore." They are those colors a lot? She blinked a few times, realizing that. That was good right? That meant she was happy around him. "Ask me anything, and I'll tell," she told him, a small grin on her face. It was the truth, especially since she trusted him, they were presumably friends now, and how they would soon be wed. It was only fair to let him know whatever, right? Or not? Her eyes went to the reoccurring pink hue as she sat there.

She stared at Ouity, questioning his own thoughts and feelings at the moment. She wanted to question his eyes, but didn't. She'd rather connect colors to emotions on her own than asking. There was no fun in just asking.

Once Ouity finally leaned back, she had to blink rapidly to focus her vision. How long had they say like that with their foreheads together? A few moments perhaps? She breathed out, relieved of her vision being normal again.

And before she knew it, Ouity had leaned in and kissed her. Even though she probably could've seen that coming - what with Ouity leaning in again like that. But Juliane literally felt like her heart stopped. She stared at Ouity, her eyes wide and them changing colors once again - mixing and blending and not settling on one specific shade.

Ouity spoke again and she listened, half lost in her thoughts of 'He kissed me!', 'Oh Morwen.. my eyes. What do they say? This is embarrassing.', and so on. She couldn't focus and she couldn't blink. She just stared into his eyes, questioning his own colors, trying not to think of what hers revealed. She couldn't even begin to guess what she felt at the moment.

"Right," she replied. She couldn't think of what to say. Because in her mind, this was a bit awkward and odd.. and overwhelming. That was her first kiss. She thought about that. An old friend from her past just re-entered her life, they were now soon-to-be wed, and she just had her first kiss. All in one day!
After a moment of trying to calm her thoughts and what just happened (she knew she was being overdramatic about everything in her head), she looked into Ouity's eyes, curious as ever. And even though she didn't like asking about eye colors, she did anyways as she examined his eyes; "Ouity.. when your eyes are in shades of blue and.. gold, is it? What does that mean?"

[Ouity]

Ouity blanched slightly, looking a little nervous. How to explain this in a way that wouldn't make her nervous about his intentions? He drew his hands away from her and folded them, resting his head on top of them. He opened his mouth, and closed it again, considering his words carefully before he answered. He considered simply not answering at all, or sidestepping the question, but that wouldn't do. She had just promised him transparency, how could he not do the same? He pondered the question for a moment longer before answering; keeping his eyes level with hers.

"Well... blue usually means I'm very, very happy. My father always teased me about it when I was younger. Ouity said with a grin. His grin turned to a thoughtful frown as he thought about the gold. The color itself slowly drained from his eyes, replaced by a pensive sort of green as he concentrated on his answer. "Gold is... well.. it means I think you're very beautiful. Gold represents my... draw to another person that... well... Iwouldnevertakeadvantageofyoulikethatanywaysoitdoesn'tevenmatter. Ouity finished in a rush, his words stumbling over each other to escape his lips. He winced, broke eye contact, and sat up, staring at his hands as if they might fall off. He muttered something that might have sounded like " 'm sorry" looking a little embarrassed.