One moment they had been gazing at each other blushing and briefly talking, and then she had taken the two metal containers away to dispose of.  He had taken note of her favorite color being aqua, and had smiled to himself, but then she had added something about emerald growing on her mind. Thal-ion had continued to blush, because he had realized her comment about emerald growing on her was a reference to his eyes...not because of it being his own favorite color.  It meant a great deal for her to tell him that.  To the young Jedi Sentinel - it meant Alethea was really interested in him, and the interest was growing.  This made him glow in the Force with wonder and delight.  More than that, he was glad she understood what he had told her about love and fear.  Not that he was an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but it was something that had made sense when the moment had come to him.  Fear and love could not peacefully coincide.  There was a huge difference between caring about another's wellbeing, and being afraid for them out of fear itself.  One was an act of love, but the latter was more a possessive attitude.  He could never treat Alethea as anything less than his equal.  If anything, she was likely the better combatant where lightsabers were concerned.<br/><br/>Though he was still blushing when she returned; he was quite content and happy to be sharing this moment with his companion.  That moment, however, was stolen from him when she came behind him...looking at him upside down, and then had kissed him.  The kiss might have been fairly brief compared to the previous ones they had thus far shared, but it was still something to spark the warmth in him even further.  Memories of the most recent kisses came flooding back...always lingering in his mind and heart, but now pulled to the front by this unexpected new display of affection.  He was warmed all the way down to his toes by the act, and smiled back at her...even if he was blushing madly.  She mentioned how she kept doing that, but if it was to him...he had no answer other than his emerald eyes flashing with pure affection for her.  Only then did she return to her side across from him, but Thal-ion would have been just as content to have her sitting next to him.  He thought about how this might accidentally be considered their first date...despite the mission at hand, much less the surroundings.<br/><br/>Music<br/><br/>This was one of his talents, and he had honed it in the Force with great care and love for the craft.  Now, it came to his mind that she might enjoy listening to some as they sat there resting.  Thus, out came the diminutive flute, and he gave Alethea a little salute with it before putting it to his lips...blushing even more if that was possible.  It would be the second time he would play for her...which felt right considering he had only ever played for Master Tionne before that.  No other person had ever had him performing for them, and now he felt such a gift would only be shared with Alethea...at least in this manner.  He wondered what he could play for her, but nothing immediately sprang to his mind.  She had her head bowed now after muttering her apology...for what he wasn't sure.  He certainly had not objected to the kiss.<br/><br/>A moment later, and his fingers were dancing as he began to play for his charming Jedi companion.  This song was different from the previous one in that it had a great deal more emotion behind it.  Letting the Force flow between them allowed him to conjure up the notes he needed.  The Force was there, and it swept up the moments they had just recently shared together in their journey to Tatooine.  Through this flowed the fiery passion they had both experienced on some level, the exploring of that passion discovered in each for the other, and of their glow in the Force.  It was a powerful piece, but it was not only about the trip to Tatooine, but also about their future together.  There were harmonics of wonder, peace, love, passion, devotion, and happiness in the notes he knitted together through the flute, and the music surrounded them both.  Even as he did this; the young Jedi Sentinel added more to his work.  From his pocket rose a very small emerald he had found once while exploring.  This he now had floating in the air as if dancing to the tune he played...a small token of playfulness added to the notes.  The emerald danced around in tiny circles, or bounced through the air in acrobatic styles, and ever Thal-ion played on for the woman he cared so deeply about.  Just to make her smile...to make her laugh, feel better, feel wanted, needed, desired, loved, appreciated...just to make her feel as wonderful as she deserved.<br/><br/>When he finished...he slowly lowered the flute even as the emerald landed softly in her lap, and he never once stopped blushing.  He was now more alive than he had ever been in his life.