Love is in the Stars? (for CaptainL)

[CaptainL]

If this first date was meant to test the waters, to let Sanae and Lyra see if they had any chance of taking something like this further in their future...then Sanae felt confident about her chances. Everywhere she looked, she was getting signals that this was meant to be. With every story Lyra told her, about feeling guided by the universe on her current path, Sanae felt all the more encouraged. It meant that Lyra had to know what she was talking about if everything had worked out for her, as though when she entrusted her guidance to the universe, that was enough to show her exactly where she needed to go. And if that was the case...then surely, this date, right now, was where she and Sanae belonged. The green-haired girl blushed; she fidgeted nervously in her seat and her heart quickened at the thought that she and Lyra might have a future. It was an intimidating thought - she was new to all of this, after all - but it was hopeful, too. Maybe she really did just need to entrust things to the universe.

When Lyra agreed to read Sanae's palm, the idol perked up in her seat. "Oh!! Thank you!" She extended her hand toward Lyra with a grin on her face. A part of her had been worried that this would be rushing things too much. It felt intimate and personal - perhaps too much so for a first date. And there was always the possibility that such a reading of the future could unveil things that Sanae and Lyra weren't prepared for. But in this case, Lyra was perfectly fine with it. Now, at least, Sanae knew she hadn't made her uncomfortable - but she was excited to hear about what the results would be. "This is exciting," she said. "It's so long since I last got my fortune told...but I trust you to do it right!" Sanae knew this was all business for Lyra, and that she had surely done this sort of thing dozens of times before. But when she felt Lyra's hand resting atop her own, feeling its softness and its warmth tickling her skin, Sanae couldn't help but smile. It felt calming. It felt...nice, just sharing her presence.

And so too did the news Lyra was soon to deliver, as she looked back up to tell Sanae what she had found. At this, the girl gasped. "Really?! A tag team? You can tell...all that?" She giggled with excitement. She had already surmised that she and Alizeh would be teaming up again in the future - they had been long-time friends, and their first outing had shown how well they could work together. But in terms of cooperation, she and Lyra were a far less proven combination. If they were to team up...that could only mean they were going to grow even closer. Could this tag team be a first step toward something more?

Sanae leaned a little closer over the table, and the more she brought herself closer to Lyra, the more she felt a tingling sensation take hold of her body. "Oh, man...if we're going to team up, do you think we can do some more training together? I should get used to working with you..."

[Pegasus]

Lyra blushed as she held hands with Sanae and looked at her date knowing the universe set her on this path. She was meant to find Sanae even when the two were just opponents just a few months prior. They were competing to see who would come out on top en route to Apex. Lyra even showed she could make short work of her opponents as she almost had Sanae tap out minutes into their match thus showing how effective a submission specialist she was, but Sanae held her own and used her power moves to get one over on Lyra at every turn. Lyra had to knock Sanae out in order to secure victory and she became a great opponent for the fortune teller. Sanae would be a perfect tag team partner and even the idol wanted to do further training in order to seal the deal.

“Yes, further training will be needed to think up of some combos for our tag team moves. We will need to see how much chemistry we can form in the ring and perhaps spar in order to know what counters we can best execute on our opponents. That’s what Jonathan is for and I’m so happy he took you in as a student. Speaking of him, he actually ordered me new attire. I’m so excited!” Lyra squealed as she tightly squeezed Sanae’s hands, but released her grip when she blushed heavily hoping that didn’t make her look stupid.

[CaptainL]

Already, it seemed that Sanae and Lyra were hitting things off wonderfully - almost as if they really were destined to be something. Nothing was official yet; this was only their first date, and they weren't even supposed to be sure just yet if there would be a second - and yet, they were already discussing coming together as a tag team! Sanae had been anxious leading into this date - she didn't know if it would work out, or if she'd just end up embarrassing herself. The last few hours had been full of fretting and second-guessing. At the back of her mind, she worried she might say the wrong thing and upset Lyra, or give her the wrong impression, or else she might discover she wouldn't be able to stand Lyra's company and that this would all have been a waste of time. But whatever fears Sanae had were all but forgotten now. What surprised her perhaps even more than how freely Lyra was discussing this was how willing she was to go along with it all!

At the promise of another training session with Lyra - figuring out each others' strengths and weaknesses, developing a style that built off of one another's, and fine-tuning how they would work at a team - Sanae could feel her heart beating faster just thinking of having the chance to spend more time at the fortune teller's side. Even better when it was with them as teammates, rather than opponents! She nodded her head, and her smile grew wider and wider. When Lyra mentioned getting new gear ordered, Sanae let out a gasp. She didn't even notice that Lyra had let go of her hands - she was just as excited herself, and the smile on her face as she leaned in over the table was proof! "Really!? Oh my god, that's awesome! Do you have a picture? I bet you'd look great!! Er, not that you don't look great already-!"

When she realized how openly complimentary she was being, Sanae blushed harder. She stopped to clear her throat, drawing back to her seat. There, she realized that in all this talk about the future, they hadn't given much thought to their orders - and she picked up the menu. That would offer a welcome distraction. "Er...what do you think you might get?"

[Pegasus]

Lyra saw the waiter finally coming so she grabbed her menu and followed Sanae’s lead. The waiter greeted them and poured them each a complimentary drink of water into their glass cups. Lyra quickly scanned the menu and only knew a little bit of Japanese so some of the menu was hard to decipher. Luckily, if she needed it, Sanae could translate for her. The waiter asked for drinks and Lyra went first.

“I’ll have a sweet tea with ice, please,” Lyra replied with a friendly smile.

Once Sanae ordered her drink, Lyra went about scanning for the food and made sure to find what she could to satisfy her vegan tastes. She saw a picture of a decent-looking salad and pointed at it for the waiter to follow her.

“I’ll have this salad with extra ranch dressing and please use organic lettuce and tomatoes. I’m vegan so I have to watch the vegetables I consume,” Lyra answered to which the waiter got a translation from Sanae to confirm and he wrote it down on his notepad.

[CaptainL]

It didn't take long for Sanae to realize Lyra was having some trouble figuring out the menu options. Luckily, she was fluent enough in both Japanese and English to translate - if she was going to take her act internationally, it would help to pick up on a couple of language classes, after all. She leaned in closer, pointing to each line on the menu and reading it out in English. When she did, she couldn't help but feel herself smiling a little wider. Little things like these just made her feel closer to Lyra - and that was a feeling that made her tingle with excitement.

After Lyra placed her drink order, Sanae raised an eyebrow as she looked back at the waiter. "Ooh, actually, sweet tea sounds good! I'll take one too," she noted. "And to eat, I think I'll have the chicken salad sandwich. I'm trying to watch my weight," she added with a blush.

As the waiter walked away, Sanae sat back in her seat, sighing contentedly. "I'm excited to see how good the food at this place is," she said. "I've never been here before." As she did, Sanae took a pause, reflecting on what had brought her here. She might have been a rising star, both as a wrestler and an idol, and she was loving every bit of the fame and attention it brought her as she was propelled to the public eye. She knew that there were a million tabloids that would be jumping at any chance to report on her personal life right now, had she been living things up enough for them to know. And as much as she liked the spotlight...right now, it felt good to be able to take a step back from it all, and to be sharing a nice, quiet moment with Lyra, as though she was just like anyone else. It was simpler, it was easier - and when she was meeting Lyra in such an intimate setting, meeting her on her level without putting on any airs, it made her feel that much closer to her, too.

[Pegasus]

The waiter took their orders and scooped up their menus before returning to the kitchen to give the cooks their next meal to fulfill. Lyra put her hands together and smiled at Sanae as they started to talk more about their private lives and what they liked to do. This felt nice to bond and have some leisure time to enjoy together. Even though this was classified as a first date, both women had gotten to know so much about each other, but not too much that they couldn’t save details for different days. Lyra looked at her phone and accessed her photos as she remembered Sanae asking if she had a picture of her new attire.

Lyra Heartfield

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“This is a art graphic Jonathan’s friend, Daniel, made of me wearing the new attire. I have to say it looks surprisingly comfortable and the patches showing off my legs look nice. I usually don’t like showing too much skin, because….I never found myself totally attractive. I get I may come across as cute, but….I never….had much….sex appeal, but that doesn’t matter. I love the outfit!” Lyra cheered as she blushed madly talking about vulgar topics.

[CaptainL]

Sanae smiled a little wider as she and Lyra made small talk. It seemed that when she was growing more and more famous, and there was more and more attention on her from all corners of the media, she rarely had the opportunity to slow down and enjoy the little things in life. She was excited to see her career take off, of course, but sometimes she could get so caught up in that she forgot how it felt to talk to someone without having to put forth how she wanted to be represented in the press, and to not have so many cameras on her. It had been a while since she could remember talking freely with someone, letting herself be so carefree and natural. But when she was with Lyra, it brought her right back to her earlier years, when she was just another girl with a dream and a humble life. Lyra didn't see her as a celebrity - only as Sanae.

Soon, Lyra remembered that Sanae had asked her about her new outfit, and she slipped her phone across to the green-haired idol. When Sanae saw the screen, she gasped, holding a hand to her mouth. "Whoah...that looks incredible!!" She practically vibrated with excitement - she knew that she was one of the first people to see Lyra's new attire, and it made her heart flutter to think that Lyra had deemed her worthy of such a rare honor. And of course, the outfit itself didn't look half bad either! "You must be really proud. I bet you can't wait to show it off for the first time!"

Then, however, she took a pause when she noted what Lyra said next - about her insecurities, and her worries about not being attractive enough to flaunt her looks. That made Sanae frown, just a little. Even though she was more comfortable showing off her body, she didn't want to pressure anyone else into how they wanted to style themselves, and she knew it wasn't for everyone. But it still hurt to think that Lyra struggled with self-image issues. Especially when, as far as Sanae was concerned, she was more than capable of measuring up. Even now, as she turned her head to look back into Lyra's eyes, she seemed to be glowing with an ethereal beauty that made her shiver.

"...you really...think that?" Sanae continued, in a softer voice. "I'm so sorry...if it's any consolation, um...I think you're really pretty-!" She blushed even harder saying that. It was perhaps the most openly flirtatious thing she'd said all night. But...it was true.

[Pegasus]

Lyra blushed really hard as Sanae called her beautiful and she giggled to herself feeling her heart flutter ten times over after being told that. Normally, she wouldn’t have believed anyone calling her that, but nod to show she at least acknowledged their kindness, but Sanae saying it felt different. It felt genuine. Better than the superficial way her ex-boyfriends put it when they just wanted to butter her up and say what she felt like she wanted to hear. Davis, Trent, Aaron, Chris, AJ, too many boys to count and she fell for every single one. Sanae felt like a best friend she was catching up with, but now, her crush on Sanae grew that much bigger. It was truly something special sharing this time with her.

“It’s not that I never thought myself could be beautiful, but rather, I’ve been told it multiple times. My previous boyfriends as I’ve mentioned….only told me what I wanted to hear. They even showered me in gifts like chocolates, flowers, and little toys. The flowers were a nice collection. Heh….I guess they made me feel ugly. Like….if they never bothered to love me for who I am rather than how rich I could make them….what is there to love about me? Sorry….you’re not my therapist so I really shouldn’t be sharing this much,” Lyra explained as she looked into Sanae’s concerned eyes.

[CaptainL]

"A-Ahh..." At first, Sanae couldn't believe she had let something like that slip out. She knew it was too rash - this was a first date; they didn't even know if it was going to work out, and there was no room for open flirtation. Her cheeks lit up a bright red just thinking about it. She was supposed to be better than that, she told herself! But the more the conversation went on, the more Sanae began to calm down. Lyra hadn't been taken aback or offended by Sanae's outburst. Instead, she used it as a jumping-off point to confide something of herself in Sanae. And if she was willing to share such things with her...that told the aspiring idol that Lyra trusted her, and she was willing to get close to her. That meant things were working.

The look of shock across her face soon turned to a frown, as Lyra listed off her past struggles with relationships. It made Sanae's heart sink hearing about it. Someone like Lyra, who made her as happy as she did, deserved to enjoy happiness of her own. But she knew exactly what Lyra was talking about. Sanae had never been in a relationship like this before, but she could see all the signs. She had been given plenty of flowers and gifts from her fans, but they were just that - fans. They only wanted the satisfaction of knowing that someone as famous and successful as Sanae had noticed them; they weren't willing to put in the time and investment to make a full, lasting emotional connection, if they even thought they could. She couldn't help but see the parallels with Lyra's situation - and if her boyfriends had treated her more like a celebrity than a partner, she felt she knew where the problem was.

"Listen..." Sanae leaned across the table again, reaching to take Lyra's hands. She giggled a little when Lyra brought up her therapist, but she shook her head all the same. "Really, it's okay. I'm willing to listen. And...look, flowers and chocolates and all, those are nice...but it doesn't matter in the end. What really matters...is someone who cares. Who sees the real you, and wants to be with that you. That's worth more than anything money could ever buy. If they don't see that...I don't think they're worth your time."

She could feel her heart beating faster as she squeezed at Lyra's hands. "But...I think you're a good person. You're talented, kind...beautiful...I think that if you found someone who could see all those things in you, and love you for those, then...you'd be happy..."

She blushed a little harder; her eyes began to mist over with a thin film of tears, and the smile grew just a little wider across her face. Talking to Lyra this way made her feel closer to her than ever, and though she never named herself as that person, she felt it deep in her heart. Was it too obvious? Would Lyra call her out on it? Was she trying too hard? Maybe...but Sanae believed it. And that was all that mattered.

[Pegasus]

Lyra listened to Sanae’s kind words and knew the universe was setting her on the right path. It didn’t matter anymore that this first date was seen as a trial run. Lyra and Sanae, throughout the movie and this dinner date, knew that they had stumbled upon something special. Special for each other. Special for their bond. Special for their hearts. They had come a long way from being opponents in an Apex qualifier. They were now kindred spirits and best friends. With what they are sharing between each other now, Lyra knew they were meant to be lovers.

Some things would have to be taken slow, of course, but it is the first of many to come. Lyra sniffled as her tears came fast as well as she reached for a white napkin covering her eyes to cry silently to herself. Soon, Lyra brought Sanae into a comforting hug as she cried into her date’s shoulder. Lyra had never really been complimented like that before. Only her family, Jonathan, and Brianna really treated her like she was worth something. Though, they were only family and platonic connections in the skeem of things. Lyra never had an emotional and romantic connection to anyone before. Sanae provided that in her and she couldn’t thank the idol enough for all that she has done and said.

“Sorry about that…..hehehehehe….I guess the water works couldn’t be held anymore. But really…..thank you, Sanae. No one besides my family, Jonathan, and Brianna has ever provided me with so much wonder and thrill. You take it a step further by believing in me and establishing something I’ve never felt before. The goosebumps are unbelievable. Even the universe is beaming with excitement about us,” Lyra explained.

She leaned forward and grabbed Sanae’s hands tightly as she had a little twinkle in her eye.

“And you say I need someone that loves the real me….I think I found her,” Lyra added as every instinct inside her just went for it and pressed her lips to Sanae’s for their very first kiss.