Alethea smiled gently, knowing that Thal-ion had gotten her reference, as his face glowed almost as brightly as his presence in the Force. He seemed rather happy about that fact, too. Or at least the implications behind it. She hadn't said it to flatter him, though. She meant it. She was quite fond of his eyes. She felt like she could get lost in them. That was certainly a thought that had never occurred to her before, but a true one nonetheless. It wasn't necessarily because of the color, although she did find the color to be rather pretty, adding to the illusion that she could wander around in them for hours, as though the green were a forest. Rather, it was everything else she saw in them. She had thought before that his face was rather expressive, and his eyes played a big part in that. They were unguarded, open, telling everything he felt without words. She didn't think she had such a talent, nor did she think she'd ever met anyone else who did. At least, if she did, she had never paid it any mind.<br/><br/>This was proven yet again when she kissed him and, although he didn't say a word, his eyes told her everything she needed to know. Everything he felt was clearly written there, his affection most of all. She wasn't sure, then, why she had apologized, as she was quite certain he hadn't minded at all. In fact, he might not have protested even if she hadn't stopped, although she could not confirm this, and the thought made her blush to herself as she continued staring at the floor. She did, however, sneak a few peeks up at Thal-ion, unable to stare at the floor indefinitely.<br/><br/>It was in one of these moments that she noticed Thal-ion had pulled out his flute. He gave her a blushing salute with the instrument before putting it to his lips. Her eyes momentarily lingered there before she snapped herself out of it and focused on him, all of him. She wondered what he would play, and wasn't immediately certain if he knew himself. But after a moment, he began playing a song that she immediately knew was of his own creation. She soon found herself softly humming along, as though she knew it well, perhaps because of the Force that flowed between them. She smiled gently as the emerald suddenly appeared from his pocket, chuckling as it almost seemed to dance along to the music, which she was quite certain was Thal-ion's doing.<br/><br/>When he had finished, Alethea smiled back at him as he lowered the flute, suddenly looking down when the emerald came to rest in her lap. She picked it up, staring down at the gem in her palm for a long moment before looking up at him. He was still blushing, which made her smile, the same affectionate smile that reached her eyes, making them twinkle with mirth. She looked back down at the emerald and then to him, as if asking if he wanted her to keep it.<br/><br/>Without thinking, her other hand reached out and found his, her fingers brushing against his. She wasn't sure what that feeling was, or how to even begin to describe it. And why? After last night, why did such a simple touch seem so powerful? Why did it feel like electricity in her fingertips? Her fingers instantly curled back, flexing in her hand as she wondered what that feeling was. She reached out and gently brushed her fingers against his again, sucking in a breath of air as she did, and swallowing hard, but not retracting her touch this time, instead she gently interlaced her fingers with his before hesitantly looking up at him, as if to gauge his reaction.<br/><br/>She then wondered briefly whether he, too, was suddenly aware of this distance between them, which somehow felt both infinitely small and far too great all at once. And she found she could neither move nor speak, although for what reason, she could not say. Perhaps she was hypnotized by his song, or captivated by those eyes. Whatever the reason, she didn't move, except to breathe, and even if she had the ability to speak, no suitable words came to mind in that particular moment.