Sabezra Goes Dancing:

D2/1 ABY, Lothal

Sabine was waiting for Ezra's projected form to arrive in the same cluster of mountains where he'd first appeared to her. She hadn't been back since that day, but she figured today was the perfect day to revisit the memory heavy location.

Sitting on the blanket she'd spread on the young spring grass, Sabine watched the sun creep closer and closer to the horizon through a gap in the rounded mountains. She rubbed her bare arms as a sudden breeze picked up. Ezra better appreciate this. I feel more naked than if I actually was.

Sabine was wearing a dress.

A shimmery bronze spaghetti strap dress that hugged her torso and belled out in a huge skirt. Despite the skirt, her legs felt bare. Her torso felt bare. Her arms were definitely bare.

And it was all for her absentee husband who'd, a few weeks ago, randomly said he wanted to take her dancing when he got home.

She had to admit it was a good idea, considering it was something they'd never tried. But she had no desire to embarrass herself in public, so she was tweaking the date to suit her. She even had a datapad filled with sappy waltz music to play for them. She figured waltzing was a safe enough option and didn't require too much actual skill. It's not like either of them actually knew how to dance so winging it was going to have to be good enough.

She sighed in relief when Ezra finally shimmered into view and became nearly solid looking with just the faintest hint of a glow to him that only became obvious in the dark. "Hello, Ez'ika."

Ezra froze in the act of returning her greeting, his mouth stuck open. "He…"

HOLY FORCEBALLS! IS THAT SABINE?!

Now she really looks like a goddess. A fairy goddess.

Sitting on the ground, surrounded by her shimmering skirt, she took his breath away. (His body on another planet far, far, far away actually stopped breathing.) She'd dyed her short hair to match her dress, so it looked like orange, gold, and bronze fire upon her head. She was even wearing makeup around her eyes, again to match. And at her throat was the amber pendant he'd given her for her eighteenth birthday, hanging off of a fine gold chain.

Ezra finally remembered to suck in air before his real body passed out. He swallowed convulsively and stepped forward. "Cyar'ika, you look absolutely amazing. Is this for me?"

She accepted the hand he held out that he made solid enough to pull her up to her feet, smirking up at him as she rose. "Of course this is for you, babe. Who else would I go to all this trouble for?"

Ezra shrugged even as he eyeballed her up and down a few more times. "I don't know. Some fancy ball thing in your honour or something? Considering everything you've done for Lothal, it wouldn't surprise me if they threw one for you."

Sabine laughed. "They already did, near the beginning of last year."

"Oh." Ezra frowned in disappointment. "I would have liked to see that."

Sabine grinned, shaking her head. "Don't worry, you didn't miss much. I wore my armour."

He guffawed for a moment. "Of course you did. I bet they loved that."

Sabine shrugged, drawing his eyes down to the golden skin of her shoulders. "Ryder didn't look impressed, but since Ketsu showed up in her armour as well, on the arm of his nephew, he probably just assumed it was a Mandalorian thing."

"And is it?"

"Not really. Even us Mandos are civilized enough to dress up for formal occasions. I just didn't feel like going to the effort since I didn't have my favourite lothrat to impress, and Ketsu supported me by not dressing up either."

"That was nice of her. And thank you, for saving this for me. You literally took my breath away." He brushed her cheek with soft fingers, leaving the anticipated tingles in their wake. "May I ask what for, though?"

Sabine touched his cheek in return, correctly assuming that he'd put forth the effort to solidify himself so she could. "Can't you guess?"

Ezra shook his head. "I have no idea."

"It's our fifth anniversary, Ez. How could you forget that?"

Ezra's eyes widened. "Is it? I actually don't know what the galactic standard date is anymore, having no way to keep track."

"You don't? You never mentioned it."

"No. My chrono died. My wrist computer died. The escape pod I arrived in died. It's like modern technology doesn't mix very well with Cerulia's heavy Force presence."

"Hunh. Strange. Well, anyway, happy anniversary, Ez."

He wrapped his projected hands around her waist and nuzzled his nose against hers, beaming a smile into her gorgeous amber eyes. "Happy anniversary, Sabine." And then he imagined himself kissing her, using the Force to give her the sensations associated with the act.

Sabine hummed happily into the kiss, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. When he pulled back with a kiss to her cheek that slid into another along her jaw, and another below her ear, she practically purred. "Dance with me, Ez."

He pulled back a bit to look at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Really. I didn't put all of this on for nothing."

Ezra chuckled. "All right." He stepped back. "Just give me a sec. I feel horribly outclassed." He called up an image he'd seen in a holomovie once and copied it.

Sabine watched as he closed his eyes and the plain grey tunic and slacks he was wearing were instantly replaced with a black tuxedo topped by a bronze bow tie to match her dress. His shoulder length hair slicked back into a tail at the nape of his neck, a top hat appeared on his head, a hip length bronze cape settled around his broad shoulders, and a cane made of gold appeared in his hand. Wow. Just wow. He looks like a movie star.

Ezra held his arms out. "So? How do I look? Classy enough for a beautiful dame like you?" he said in the most posh and affected accent he could remember hearing. (Which just happened to be from the same holomovie.)

Sabine giggled. "Ezra, you look classy enough to win the hearts of Coruscant's elite. Shabla."

He flushed in pleasure. "Thanks, cyar'ika. So do you." He held his arms out. "Shall we?"

She held up a finger. "Just a sec. I have music." Carefully kneeling down, she turned on the datapad and hit play. The soft opening notes of a famous waltz filled the air around them and echoed off the mountains. She rose and turned back to her gorgeous riddur. "Now we shall."

She took a step forward and then paused again. "I love the cape and hat and cane, but lose them, I think, for dancing."

"Right." Ezra vanished the requested articles and then he bowed as elegantly as he knew how. "My Lady."

Sabine giggled again and curtsied, feeling ridiculously girly but not caring at all, holding her skirt out. "My Lord."

Rising, he held his arms out again. "May I have this dance?"

She moved into his arms and wrapped hers around his neck again. "You may. And every other dance for the rest of our lives."

Ezra closed his arms around her and sighed in contentment as she rested her head on his shoulder. They swayed to the music for a few minutes, both rejoicing in the moment and making the bare minimum of actual steps with their feet.

Eventually, he broke the silence. "I've been wondering."

"Hmmmmm?"

"Technically, we have two anniversaries to celebrate now, but they're only twenty-four days apart. Do you want to do both, or just this one?"

She leaned back a little to look at him, raising a brow. "What do you think?"

He smirked ruefully. "I think we do both."

She patted his cheek. "Right answer." She laid her cheek on his shoulder again and the music took over for another minute before she suddenly added, "But this anniversary will always be just a little more special to me."

Ezra kissed her fiery hair. "Agreed."

They swayed round and round to the music for maybe another ten minutes before Ezra reluctantly pulled back as he felt his energy fading. "I'm sorry, Sabine. But I have to go now. Holding a solid form for this long has tired me out faster than normal."

She sighed, rising on her toes to kiss him quickly one more time before he faded away. "It's okay. I understand. It was worth it."

Ezra reached up and brushed her lips with ghostly fingers. "One day, I promise we'll dance for real. And all night if you want to."

Sabine stared at his now transparent image with her heart in her eyes. "I'd like that. Love you, Ez'ika."

He smiled somewhat mournfully. "I love you more."

The words seemed to hover in the air even after his image was gone.

She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling the cool evening air again.