i keep on running toward the fire

And if you feel like night is falling
I wanna be the one you're calling

Somehow George was not surprised to find that she made it herself, and his intrigue only grew at the prospect of trying it. Something in his eyes softened at her invitation, and he smiled, reaching to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'd like that," he murmured, though he hated the idea of her leaving, even if they'd only known each other for a short time. It already seemed that Torchline would be dimmer for the lack of her presence.

He rose wordlessly from the blanket, keeping her hand tucked in his, the little stones like a secret between their palms. When she'd selected her stone, he tucked his into one hand while snagging her free hand with the other to walk with her to the edge of the Pool. He considered her question, a serious expression on his face even as his eyes danced playfully. After a moment's thought, he grinned at her. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," he offered.

He watched her as she kissed the stone, wishing suddenly that it was him she pressed her lips to instead; he swallowed the thought as he turned back to the Pool, considering his own wish as he rolled the opal in his fingers. What did he have to wish for? He had a roof over his head, a job that he enjoyed, money to suit his whims, a beautiful woman on his arm - in this particular moment, he had all that he could wish for. Now it only remained not to screw it up.

He thought about a playful wish - perhaps for good weather when he visited her in Halo, with a wink and a crooked smile as he threw the stone in the pool - but somehow that felt wrong, and he glanced down at the opal in his hand with the slightest of frowns. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea, after all. What did he wish for?

Someone to share a life with. It didn't have to be Hotaru (although, of course, he could hope), but just someone he could trust. Someone he could love. But that seemed like too much to admit to someone on a first date, too much to admit to someone at all, too much to reveal about himself. It required vulnerability, and though that was something he'd managed to show Hotaru that evening, he wasn't sure how far that fragile trust went.

"I wish... for partnership," he said finally, feeling that that was vague enough to include anything. He could be wishing for a work partner, for all she knew. Or - and this was more likely - she would see through his ambiguity. Either way, he'd said it now, so he tossed the stone into the Pool.

'Cause I believe that you could lead the way

George