-____________- 2.0

Chapter Seventeen

A/N: Okay. So...we were writing this, and we're father ahead then we are posting...but we had a brainstorm...which includes adding a couple things...so there is going to be quite a few continuity/time errors...and we apologize....but we're going to finish the story before going back and adding in things, and re-writing bits...and we don't want to have to repost everything...so yeah. Sorry about that!

-Siri-

She felt Tharren’s heartbeat thump under her head, and Siri smiled to herself, snuggling closer to him, rustling the dry, colorful leaves that coated the floor of the bluff. “I love this kind of weather.” She said, seeing her breath cloud in front of her.

Tharren sat up, and brought her with him, his arms encircling her waist. “Thank you.” He whispered, his voice close enough to her ear that she feel his breath.

“For what?” She asked, sinking farther into his arms, hoping to get warmer.

“Today. It was great. And so...” Tharren snaked one of his arms away, and after a moment rested it on her shoulder. Siri looked down to see a delicate charm dangling from a silver braided cord. She gasped, and cradled the charm in her hand. It was a gold crescent moon, with a silver dolphin jumping in front of it.

“Tharren! Its beautiful! When..when did you get it?” She turned to seem him beaming.

“Oh...I just saw it in a shop and it made me think of you - of us. Hadalia and Lunestar, in perfect, absolutely gorgeous harmony.” Siri grinned. She loved it. It was...perfect. She glanced away from it for a moment, and up at Tharren. He winked. “Want me to put it on you?”

“Yes please.” Siri turned around and lifted her hair out of the way. She felt the cold metal snake around her throat, and the nearness of Tharren’s warm hands on the back of her neck. Then, just briefly, a warmth and softness that could only be his lips.

She smiled and released her hair, leaning back into his chest. “Thank you, Tharren.”

Siri fiddled with the charm, turning it in her hand around and around, barely noticing at first when the snowflakes started to fall. Finally, when one caught on her eyelash, she glanced around her. Big, fluffy flakes of snow were falling, and already they had coated the ground in a fine layer. Huh. That’s why it was so cold.

Tharren’s arms tightened around her, and she felt him tilt his head up to the sky. “Wow...what is this?”

Siri turned around in his arms and looked up at the sky with him. “Tharren...haven’t you ever seen snow before?”

“Snow. So that’s what it looks like...It’s so warm in Hadalia all the time, I’ve never seen it.” He never looked down from the sky, a silly kiddish smile on his lips.

She giggled and tapped his shoulder lightly. Tharren jumped, startled, and grinned at Siri.

“If you stick your tongue out, you might catch a flake or two.”

He tilted his head back immediately, tongue out, and started jumping towards flakes, laughing. “I got one! Siri, I got one!”

Siri smiled and rubbed her hands together from the cold, then shoved them deep into her pockets. Tharren glanced at her after jumping some more, and frowned.

“You’re shivering. Here.” He shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“Tharren, now you’re going to freeze to death up here.”

“Not with you.” Tharren put his arms around her, underneath his jacket, and kissed her softly. Siri closed her eyes and hugged him close. She wasn’t sure how long they stood, blissfully close and sweet. Finally he broke the kiss and, eyes still closed, smiled up at the sky one last time before taking her hand and walking toward the path down the hill.