Dodging Nomaani's Arrow

[Kes Akiena]

He sat alone.

It was a rare time, truth be told. He'd allowed himself the chance to leave his office during the lunch hour, and make the trip to Dawenna Garden. It was a decent enough restaurant, but what had always drawn him in was the arguably small Rodian section of their menu. Kuwatta over steamed greens, Inatara, and most importantly, Le'yuann. That delicious concoction of melted cheese that one could dip all sorts of delectable foods into.

He'd been given a table mostly toward the back, which he found far more preferable to anything out in front. Where everyone could see.

All things considered, Jovan's Commander seemed to enjoy a small amount of privacy when indulging in his likes, and this was no different.

The waitress was a tall woman, brunette hair and with a thick Caridan accent. Her smile seemed effortless, as though it was a natural extension of her delicate features, and Kes couldn't help but return the expression with upturned lips of his own. She laughed a few times, an airy sound that seemed weightless and soft.

And with his order taken, she was off again.

Only after she'd turned about and moved away did his features freeze. He stared after her as though the act of doing so would bring her back into his presence. She looked so much like... he blinked, then let his smile fade as his gaze went back to the table and his lone glass of water.

Leaning back in the small, two-person booth, Kes closed his eyes, his head dipping low.

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

At Reisso'aneei Tiia'haa'ko Restaurant

As they said, it was all over but the crying (and paying the bill).

Madame Kalleeiha Maillanaarro lounged upon a collection of pillows at the edge of the feeding pit in sated repose. Her ample contours lay nude and content from the extended meal shared among her dozen friends attending the midday serving. She could feel a nap coming on, but that would be handled in it's own time. Her mirthful belly - quite more ample than before - burbled happily as her tail lazily flopped in lethargic throes behind her.

The beast was called a kujbok, so the menu said, from the planet Ratatak. An animal of stubborn and independent spirit. It had taken the slaughter-matron a good five minutes to tire the stoutly-built wild deer out, and three attempts to wrangle it down before the killing bite was applied. Struggle makes the taste more sweet, so the saying went. Exotic and foreign prey like that were the domain of only spendthrifts and the Baroness class on most occasions. When splurging for Tiia'haa'ko, common people normally ate the modestly-priced domestic beasts of the mother worlds. However, the spirit of fiscal wisdom normally left the room during a holiday. Solstice naturally demanded the best prey a matron could afford. If there was any other holiday that opened a wallet, then it was certainly C'saa e Nomaani'suurra - the Moon God's revelry.

This was the season for romance. The time when matrons put on a little more effort to woo their lovers. When their lovers showed their eager appreciation in turn. It was the season for flowers, for poetry, for tokens of affection great and small. And for expensive meals of prey creatures like a Ratataki kujbok.

Kalleeiha pulled at the rib bone in her grasp, the last decent bite of venison shearing from the bone in a stringy release. The portly tea house owner gave a hearty belch, then let the cleaned bone fall to the pile of five others in front of her.

"Thank jyou forr thjiss loveljy djinnerr, Madame Maillanaarro." Zaa'itaali Praaussellaa raised her wine goblet in an appreciative salute. "We arre pleassed to have the Cizeri bussjinesss communjitjy on Jovan Sstatjion togetherr to plan eventss forr C'saa e Nomaani'suurra."

At that, all the wine glasses raised, and voices in unison said "Hau'e" in agreement. Madame Maillanaarro's smile brought dimples to her round face as she cleaned the blood from her hands with raking passes of her tongue.

"Would jit be posssjible to hold a larrge event on the concourrsse wjith the blesssjing of the Commanderr?" asked Torraari Naaianeya, a curious pique to her upturned ears.

The Madame finished another pass with her tongue, addressing the question with an amenable expression.

"Oh, jI am cerrtajin that Commanderr Akjiena jiss rreceptjive to the rrequesstss of ourr communjitjy. Asss a matterrr of fact, jI have ssent hjim a token gjift. Ssomethjing to help hjim ssharre jin ourr apprrecjiatjion forr the sseasson."

Even as she spoke, one of the Madame's boys was already delivering a very large gift basket to Commander Akiena's office, with all the good cheer and hospitality as the Tea Shop Madame could offer to a friend.

[Kes Akiena]

His meal had arrived, and in a rather timely fashion, at that. A plate with an artful arrangement of thinly seared umaa steak bits, yatu'gata bites, steamed tuber strips, and a few raw vegetables paired with a ceramic bowl filled half-way with wonderfully melted white otaunga cheese. Lightly spiced with a gentle 'house blend' of seasonings, Kes gave a nod of thanks to the waitress. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"I think that's everything, Commander."

He nodded.

"Looks to be."

"Well, you just call me over if you need anything."

"I'll be sure to."

Again he watched her depart, and again he seemed to somber up as he turned back to his meal, the once-easy smile vanishing. He picked up his fork with one hand while the other shifted his napkin to his lap. Spearing a piece of the yatu'gata, he was in the process of dredging it through the cheese when his comm chirped like the evil, interrupting demon that it was.

A sigh, and Kes held his intended bite in limbo over the pot as he answered.

"I'm at lunch, you know."

"I know, Sir. But you've got a delivery."

Not altogether a strange occurrence. It all depended on the sender, though. He'd learned long ago to always ask who it was that saw fit to send something his way. One experience without reading a card had been enough.

"Who's it from?"

A pause from the other end.

"Madame Maillanaarro, Sir."

His eyes went to his waiting forkful of food.

"Is it leaking?"

"No Sir... ?"

"Good. I'll have a look at it when I get back."

Without waiting for an acknowledgement, he killed the line, and finally indulged himself in his lunch.

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

Madame Maillanaarro took her job seriously. Seriously enough that she'd opted not to take quarters in the residential decks like most people. In lieu of that, she reserved a modest room in the back of the Maillanaarro Tea House as her own private space. It allowed her to never be far from her clients and the community she served. The one luxury she afforded herself in her private space was a queen-sized bed imported from Naboo, complete with down pillows and comforters and nine thousand thread count sheets. It made for a divine resting experience.

Another bit of home that the Madame reserved for herself was an electronic kettle on her small desk. This was the only place in the Maillanaarro Tea House where one could drink tea, and it was for personal use at home. The Madame applied a few pinches of herbal, leafy remedy to a reusable basket, easing it into a steaming cup for a quick steep. Tea was good for the digestion, and with the decadent nature of her lunch, Kalleeiha needed all the help she could get.

[Kes Akiena]

He'd paid his bill, said his goodbye's and gave his thanks. The relatively short trip back tot he hub was made mostly in silence, disturbed only by the nods sent his way. A few salutes were thrown in, which he returned without fuss. His features were a neutral mask, giving no real glimpse into his current thoughts. Which was all the better.

The lift ride up was spent in quietly, his eyes downcast as his thoughts took him back so long ago to a time before the Rebels. Before the safehouse that he'd latched on to keeping with his uncle. He remembered his first months at university, hours spent in class with a host of other students. But it was one that always held his attentions.

The lift slowed, then stopped, and the doors opened. Stepping into the hub, Kes was almost immediately beset upon by his assistant.

"It's on your desk, and last I checked it still wasn't leaking."

Nathaniel Ran was a good man. He was young and eager to make his mark. Kes had warned him early on that life on Jovan wouldn't be a gravy posting. If the dangers of the galaxy didn't make that clear, often enough the very residents themselves did a fine job of it.

"Thank you, Ran."

He moved along the familiar path to his office, ascending the shallow stairway that led through the opening door and on inside.

The parcel that awaited him was sat upon his desk like some sort of trophy, and Kes halted in his tracks, very nearly run over by the following Ran.

It was a giftbasket, that much was apparent. Overfilled almost, with crinkled cellophane paper holding it all barely in place.

"There's a lot in there," Ran offered. He'd been the one to have to set it on the desk after all, and the contents he couldn't help but take note of.

"Looks like it," came the sighed answer as Kes started forward once more. He approached his desk with all of the caution of a man worried about what he'd find wrapped up in such a gift. Who it came from was forefront on his mind as well. In fact, it was the reason he was carefully skirting his desk and slowly lowering himself to sit. He looked to Ran, giving a shooing wave to the man.

"I think I'll manage, Ran."

Nathaniel actually looked disappointed, but he nodded regardless and left the Commander's office.

Alone, Kes let out a long breath while pulling a decidedly careful face. One hand came up, fingers peeling away at the crinkly, clear wrapping and the silk ribbons. He fished from the top, pulling out a thin, compact book. Following that, a small assortment of bottles with artful Cizeri text. It was lost on him, and for a few moments he stared at the bottles.

Blinking, his free hand reached over to the built-in comm unit in his desk, and he dialed a number that was starting to become somewhat familiar.

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

Her tea nearly consumed save for the last sip she'd have to disassociate from the dregs, Madame Maillanaarro set aside her cup as she yawned deeply, taking down her hair and letting her brown wavy tresses down over the tapering neckline of her sleeping gown. Two hours to nap. Perhaps three if matters in the tea house didn't require her immediate touch. Her boys were remarkably talented and self-sufficient. They could handle nearly any situation, and they did so while looking beautiful to her clientele who could appreciate masculine charms.

beep-beepdee-beep

Kalleeiha's ears focused to the sound of her desk comm, her nearby hand opening the line after one ring.

"Ja irra korra'nai..."

It was on audio only. The Madame paused to switch to a holographic feed, and the space above her desk lit up. So too did her smile.

"...ahh, Commanderr! A grreat manjy good forrtuness to jyou!"

[Kes Akiena]

"It certainly seems that way."

Kes at least afforded a smile to match hers. It wasn't very difficult, all things considered.

"To that end, I'd like to extend my thanks for your gift," one hand plucked out a card, and he briefly turned his attention to pulling it from the envelope.

It was a simple card, with red lettering in flourishing Aurebesh.

"C'saa e Nomaani'suurra?"

It was something he wasn't exactly acquainted with, and Kes turned a questioning look to the Madame.

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

"jYou arre mosst welcome, of courrsse." Kalleeiha purred, her practiced patrician tones as luxuriant as the gifts she'd extended to her human friend.

He asked of the meaning, which was a good sign that he wasn't simply dismissing the good will as provincial, oriental nonsense. He, just like her, knew what it meant to listen.

"The Rrevelrrjy of the Moon God jiss an jimporrtant holjidajy forr mjy people. Do jyou know of Nomaani?"

[Kes Akiena]

The card was set down, and Kes continued to pull out other small gifts still contained within the basket. A clear plastic case of what looked like deep burgundy pearls, the label also in Cizeri. A folded, ribbon wrapped silk article of clothing soon followed, and the redhead couldn't help the confused look fall over him. His suspicions were slowly forming, but the question still remained. He set what he'd liberated a bit further back on his desk, knowing that there was more to be pulled from the depths of the Madame's gift.

"Honestly?" The next thing to come out was a bottle. Unmistakably champagne. It wasn't a cheap brand either, and Kes' brow knit as he bit his lower lip in the first sign of worry.

"Never heard of the guy."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

It was uttered out of ignorance and with no offense meant. The Madame put a hand over her heart, her eyes widening slightly as she chided politely.

"Rresspect, Commanderr. He jiss Djivjinjitjy. The God of the Moon, conssorrt to Holjy Saanjarra, Goddesss of the Ssun."

An education was forthcoming, and Madame Maillanaarro was patient in her explanation.

"He jiss the God of manjy thjingss. The God of the Moon, of courrsse. The tjidess and the sseass. The hunt. And He jiss alsso the God of Love."

[Kes Akiena]

"Oh."

Well, that clinched it, and Kes slowly pulled out a larger, hardbound book. It was thick, and surprisingly heavy, and the redhead angled from the Madame to look at the cover. Less than a moment later the book was flipped over and hastily put on his desk. It was not what he'd expected to see; though he certainly wasn't all of that surprised.

"I see... "

The redhead put a hold on unpacking anything else for the moment.

"Madame Maillanaarro, I truly appreciate the gesture, but I'm not so sure I'm the right recipient."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

The Madame's smile warmed like hearth fire, full lips and dimples and cherubic cheeks leaving not a space for anything less than a good feeling for the recipient.

"Au cojintrré, asss the Carrjidanss ssajy. jI can thjink of no morre fjittjing rrecjipjient forr Nomaani's favorr than jyou. Do jyou know whjy we celebrrate Nomaani?"

[Kes Akiena]

A furtive look to the face-down book, then back to her.

"Well," he was probably going to regret this.

"... I'm afraid that I don't."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

An education was forthcoming.

"Accorrdjing to the bookss, Saanjarra commanded the twelve natjionss of Carshoulis to obejy Herr. When thejy rrefussed Herr, the Goddesss ussed the powerr of Herr Djivjine Law. Fourr queenss bent thejirr kneess to Herr, sseejing the grreat wjissdom Sshe held. When the otherrss rrefussed Herr, Saanjarra ussed Herr Wrrath. Fjire, warr, and the ssworrd. Sshe brroke the wallss of thejirr cjitjiesss, desstrrojyed the unfajithful arrmjiess wjith the brreath frrom Herr lungss. Fourr more queenss ssurrenderred to Herr Mjight."

[Kes Akiena]

It was an unexpected and very impromptu education into the basics of Cizerack religion, and with patience he listened. Kes allowed his attentions to be held by the Madame, and when she'd reached a natural stopping point, the redhead dipped his head in respect.

But, there was more he knew. She'd not finished; at least, there was more that she'd held back.

"And the other four?"

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

Kalleeiha's expression lost some of it's warmth, replaced with something more somber.

"Thejy jyjielded nejitherr to Law norr Wrrath. Saanjarra could not ssubdue them wjith thesse gjiftss. Sshe would have to desstrrojy the worrld Sshe loved, and all Herr chjildrren wjith jit."

And then, a small and hopeful smile.

"jIt wass then that the God Nomaani rreturrned frrom Hjiss huntjing grroundss. He brrought Hjiss Mjisstrresss the bountjy of the worrld, but Sshe wass sstrrjicken wjith grrjief and knew not what to do. To pleasse Herr, Nomaani lajy Hjiss bow and eterrnal qujiverr of arrowss at Herr feet, pledgjing that He would do what Law and Wrrath could not.

'jYou arre onljy mjy loverr and the hunterr of mjy fjieldss,' Sshe sscolded Hjim. 'jYou have not the forrtjitude forr conquesst norr the temerrjitjy to lead.' But Nomaani wass not djisscourraged. He told Hjiss Mjisstrresss that Law majy rrule the mjind and Wrrath could tearr the flessh, but nejitherr could conquerr the hearrt. Onljy loverrss and hunterrss know the wajy. Wjith an arrrow."

[Kes Akiena]

It certainly was intriguing, he had to admit. The gift basket all but forgotten, Kes let himself lean back in his chair as his arms crossed over his chest. He maintained eye contact with the Madame.

"And... ?"

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

The hopeful smile returned to it's original warmth as the Madame brought the parable home.

"Nomaani drrew fourr arrrowss frrom Hjiss qujiverr. He annojinted them wjith honejy, and ssealed the ssweetnesss wjith a kjisss to each barrb. Now, jyou musst underrsstand therre wass no hunterr asss ssurre jin hjiss ajim asss Nomaani. He could tjie jyarrn to an arrrow, loosse jit, and thrread a needle a contjinent awajy. Nothjing esscaped Hjiss ssjight. And jyet asss He drrew all fourr arrrowss at once, the Moon God clossed Hjiss ejyess."

Kalleeiha paused, pressing a hand to her breast as her smile broadened to show the whites of teeth behind lips.

"jYou ssee? An arrow majy rreach the hearrt, but onljy anotherr hearrt can gujide jit therre. Nomaani let Hjiss arrowss fljy. Overr the mountajinss, the desserrtss, the plajinss and the sseass. Overr the cloudss, agajinsst the sstarrss. Bejyond the hjighesst wallss of the sstrrongesst casstless. Everrjy defjiant queen wass sstrruck ssurreljy and cleanljy. Everrjy hearrt wass touched. A wound that wass not morrtal, but that caussed an ache and a jyearrnjing to fjill jit."

The Madame clasped her hands together.

"Thjiss jiss how the worrld wass unjited, and jit'ss a lessson to learrn. A leaderr majy be jusst and thejy majy be sstrrong, but wjithout love thejy wjill wjin nothjing."

[Kes Akiena]

He was no fool. He could see the trajectory of the Madame's arrow easily enough.

Still though, Kes played the part of the ignorant. He knew that she would be able to see through such outward appearance, but he did it out of necessity despite it all.

"A lesson in opening up then," he spoke carefully.

He had no wishes to disparage the Madame's cultural leanings and religious bent, and walked the fine line with a degree of control that he'd cultivated over so many years.

"Nomaani was a man transcendent."

The redhead gave a courteous nod as the corners of his lips turned up in a gracious smile.

"It takes a singular bent to understand the intricacies of the heart, Madame. Nomaani was beyond his time."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

A scoffing smile formed tight and small on her chubby face, framed by the added definition of her dimples.

"Ohh, jI don't thjink He wass. Beljieve jin the sstorrjiess orr not, but Nomaani'ss feat wass onljy parrtljy ssuperrnaturral. Everrjy hearrt knowss wherre to ajim, Kess Akjiena. All jI've done jiss to gjive jyou the bow and the arrow."

Her shoulders rose and fell with a gentle and ponderous sigh.

"jI trruljy and deepljy hope jyou usse them."

[Kes Akiena]

A single eyebrow raised at that.

"Use them?"

Again his eyes fluttered to the face-down book.

His smile remained; not exactly strained but certainly not the easy expression that it had once been.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

It was a lie, and they both knew it. The truth of the matter though, lay buried far deeper than Kes wished to dig.

"Madame. I am not exactly inclined to simply find myself lost in something as fleeting as a singular moment of self-satisfaction."

Which was the truth. He paused then, and with a long breath let his eyes settle on her translucent upper half. He endeavored to be as honest as he could.

"I''m not the kind of man that inspires passions in women, and to be perfectly honest, I am quite fine with that."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

She was patient. It was a virtue that Kalleeiha long-ago realized that she possessed and many others did not. Her smile didn't waver at the rebuff.

"Don't be sso arrrogant, Commanderr. Don't prressume, don't asssume. jYou cerrtajinljy won't let a ladjy callerr thrrough the thrresshold jif jyou lean agajinsst the clossed doorr. Let a woman decjide wherre herr own passsjonss arre, and jyou majy be ssurrprrjissed what thejy fjind sso jinterresstjing jin jyou."

[Kes Akiena]

At that, his own expression seemed to turn a shade... darker?

"Madame," his crossed arms shifted apart, elbows moving to rest upon the armrests of his chair as his fingers wove together in a familiar way.

"I've been about this galaxy enough. It might surprise you that I have had eyes for a woman. But, the fates weren't kind to me, and I am not a man to tempt them."

It was a glimpse into the man beneath, but he didn't allow her much time to fully digest.

"I loved that woman with all of my heart, and was denied. Since then, I've seen no reason to allow myself the chance to indulge in anything beyond a casual glance."

One hand disengaged from the other then, and in a show that she could see-but-not-see, he pushed the face-down book further away.

"I know where my talents lie."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

He was being obstinate, and he had the right to be. Everyone deserved love, but it wasn't something that was forced. You couldn't harvest it. You couldn't blast or dig it out of the earth. But unlike those precious things that people often toiled over, love was a treasure that sometimes fell into your pocket.

Or sometimes it was you who were hunted and someone else held Nomaani's bow and arrow.

"Commanderr, therre jiss anotherr matterr to djisscusss, and jI admjit that mjy gjift had at leasst a ssmall ulterrjiorr motjive jincluded."

[Kes Akiena]

That the Madame chose to veer off from his private goings-on was a welcome thing, and Kes latched on to that with a fierceness.

"Is that so?"

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

The Madame nodded in affirmation.

"Wjith Nomaani'ss rrevelrrjy apprroachjing, the communjitjy of Cizeri bussjinessswomen beljieve jit would be to the sstatjion'ss benefjit jif we arre allowed to hosst a holjidajy fête on the concourrsse, to the jinvjitatjion of the generral publjic. jI have been assked to sspeak to jyou about thjiss, and to rrecejive jyourr blesssjing and help jin makjing jit happen."

[Kes Akiena]

He was no stranger to intricacies, and Kes made sure that the Madame was well aware.

"And what would this entail?"

Some of the basics of Cizeri culture he'd grasped over time, but there were always the little-known bits that escaped attention, and the Commander was damned if her didn't make sure everything was on the up-and-up.

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

She had seen that look before. The tensing, the pinched expression...waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Back home, each communjitjy hosstss one, wjith bussjinesssess prrovjidjing food and warress forr ssale orr auctjion. A porrtjion of that tjypjicalljy goess to charrjitjy. Coupless who attend dance to a ljive band sserrenade, and beforre that, non-coupled attendeess parrtjicjipate jin a parrtnerr'ss auctjion."

All this, Kalleeiha considered reasonable to request.

"jYou werre expectjing an orrgjy, jI asssume?"

[Kes Akiena]

There was a moment that he was a completely open book, sitting in his seat with an expression that held... surprise?

"To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect."

And it was the truth. Though, there was still a small bit that went against his preferences.

"I don't know about the 'auction', but the rest I'm amenable to discussing."

Though, there was always something buried beneath the surface, and Kes was determined to make sure that all of his bases were covered.

"These 'wares'. What sort are we talking about, then?"

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

There was minor disappointment in his resistance to the auction. It was normally a popular event. Instead, the Madame moved on to address his concerns over wares.

"Whateverr the communjitjy prrovjidess. Norrmalljy clothjing, jewelrrjy, ssweetmeatss. Nothjing ssjinjissterr, Commanderr."

[Kes Akiena]

It certainly didn't sound sinister, and Kes kept his features in a neutral set as he mulled over the request.

An exhaled breath, and the redhead finally gave the Madame a nod.

"Very well."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

It was a vague answer, and Madame Maillanaarro did not suffer vagueries. She would have his answer explicitly.

"Then the fête majy prroceed asss jintended? And jyou wjill be jin attendance?"

Perhaps a touch assumptive, but it felt wrong to squander inertia once gained.

[Kes Akiena]

He leaned back in his seat, partially propping himself up by an elbow on one of the armrests.

"It may proceed, but whether I attend will be another matter left up to future schedules."

It didn't need to be said that his free time was a rare creature indeed, and it was also becoming a well known fact that the Commander of Jovan fiercely adhered to his alone time.

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

She knew he was trying to give himself an out, and there was only so much stipulation she could impose without appearing imperious, or worse, having him back away from the venture entirely.

"Of courrsse," the Madame concurred with a polite nod, "jyou arre afterr all the Commanderr of the sstatjion and a verrjy bussjy man. jI onljy humbljy ssuggesst jyourr attendance asss the leaderr of ourr djiverrsse communjitjy. jI thjink jit would do everrjyone much good to ssee jyou therre jin perrsson."

Kalleeiha gestured casually with an upturned hand.

"Perrhapss jyou sshould djisscuss jit wjith jyourr K'ohta'rrou asss well? Herr famjiljy jiss a mosst jinfluentjial one."

[Kes Akiena]

"I think I will."

A moment later and his smile returned, though his eyes remained on the Madame. Best not to dwell any longer than he had to on the giftbasket and its' contents... but... something caught his eye, and he couldn't help but shift his gaze away, and leaning forward only so much as to allow a hand to pull out a shimmering, golden-wrapped slim box. A wide, glossy red ribbon wound around it, but he knew exactly what it was. He'd seen Kimiiti fawn over more than a few of the boxes, and describe in detail how she was going to enjoy each and every bite-sized morsel.

"Madame," he blinked.

"You're too... kind."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

The Madame exercised a rare demure expression, with her ears raised modestly and a faint smile on her face.

"The gjiftss do nothjing wjithout usse, Commanderr. jI hope jyou fjind prroperr causse to put them to worrk. Now..."

Kalleeiha stifled a yawn behind her hand, briefly pausing her farewell.

"...jif jyou wjill excusse me, jI've had a rratherr larrge lunch, and am overrdue mjy mjiddajy nap."

[Kes Akiena]

* * *



While most of the small gifts had been replaced in the basket, a few still lay out on his desk as Kes hadn't exactly found the right packing combination to get everything back in. It was a frustrating game of Packing Cubes that he had to admit he was losing.

Made more infuriating by the fact that his door chime sounded, heralding the arrival of a guest. A frustrated sigh, and the red head leaned back in his seat, finally admitting defeat.

"Enter."

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

Preita'rrou Taassaurra stepped through the threshold, clutching a datapad between both hands as if the notion of dropping it might cause physical pain. Summons to command level reports were becoming more and more commonplace, but there were always clawhoppers around to do flips in her stomach.

"jI have the c-comm-sscan telemetrrjy rr-rr-rreporrt jyou assked forr, Commanderr."

[Kes Akiena]

In a small way he was thankful for the distraction, and sliding the basket to the side of his desk, Kes made sure to push aside the few items that he'd been unable to fit back in. The box of sweetmeats, and both books of poetry were the last stragglers that he'd not been able to stuff back into the basket, and so they occupied the small space beside it.

"Ah yes, thank you."

Half-rising from his seat, the redhead reached across the divide his desk presented, taking the datapad from Ms. Taassaurra.

"Everything in order, then?"

He'd read the report later, of course, but wanted to hear her own summary first.

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

In order? Should it not be? Kiimiti knew the contents of her briefing were as dry as, well, dried in'daalii kau, but was the Commander expecting something else? Was her face time with the Commander going to be wasted on drudgery? Would that be her enduring legacy? Kiimiti Taassaurra, bringer of boring reports? She gulped, then pressed a tongue between her suddenly-dry lips.

"The ssectorr grrjid an-n-naljyssjiss contajinss ss-sseven hundrred ssjixtjy vectorr and masss eventss, whjich trranssponderrss corresspond to fjive hundrred and ejightjy f-f-fourr. Bjy crross-rreferrencjing agajinsst known cometss, assterrojidss and otherr sstellarr b-b-bodjiess, that leavess fourrteen uncategorrjized eventss."

Kiimiti frowned. Even to her it sounded boring. Then, before she could start to explain away the balance of the fourteen unsorted items, something on the Commander's desk caught her easily-diverted attention. She knew that gold and silver leaf wrapping anywhere.

"jIss that baau'tai raau?" she blurted before higher reasoning could compel her to keep her mouth shut. Kiimiti winced, wishing she could have just kept that observation in her head instead of past her lips.

[Kes Akiena]

In other words, nothing exactly out of the normal spectrum of daily events. It was nice to be able to have that sameness at times, and now was most definitely one of those times.

"Very good."

Kes tucked the datapad under a growing pile of other drudgery, looking back up to the Preita'rrou. A blink, and his eyes went to the box of sweetmeats.

"Is that how it's pronounced?"

He pulled the box back over in front of him, inspecting the embossed gold foil of the label.

"Baau'tai raau," he repeated, the words coming out a bit slower as he did his best to work his tongue around the Cizeri inflections.

"Interesting. Is it good?"

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

Sometimes she forgot what a stranger in a strange land that she truly was. He had no idea what Baau'tai raau was. If he were Cizeri, that would be incredibly sad.

"Verrjy!" Kiimiti gave an emphatic nod of her head. It was only by fixating on that tasty little parcel that her eyes led to the rest of the basket, which caused her ears to raise up high.

"jIt lookss l-l-ljike jyou have an adm-m-mjirrerr, and that thejy ssparred ljittle exp-pensse."

[Kes Akiena]

A rather helpless look passed over his features, fleeting in how long it stayed.

"I suppose." A still somewhat baffled expression, and he slid the box across his desk toward her with one hand while his other gestured for her to sit.

"Seeing as how I've never had any before, perhaps you could introduce me?"

Normally it was T'yeellaa that did the cultural introductions and lessons as it were, but the redhead was more than happy to allow for more than one 'teacher'.

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

Normally, modesty would rule the day. That being said, Kiimiti was happy to tell modesty to go stuff itself when her boss offered her some of his Baau'tai raau. Nevermind that whoever was trying to woo him was pulling out all the stops. She was a non-aligned benefactor of free candy.

Reverently, the Preita'rrou liberated one of the gold foil parcels from it's tray and began to unwrap it.

"jIt'ss made frrom the ssap of th-the koorraau cane."

Thank goddess for holoflix binges. She'd actually watched a documentary about how this was made.

"Thejy bojil jit down f-f-forr hourrss, unt-tjil jit can be pulled jinto a t-t-taffjy. Thejy add njineteen djifferrent sspjicess, and sslowljy add a frragrrant corrdjial, d-drrop bjy drrop."

The golden parcel in Kiimiti's hand yawned open to reveal a cube that looked like a square of well-polished mahogany. Smiling, Preita'rrou Taassaurra held it beneath her nose to smell it.

"jIt takess dajyss. Too much, and jit brreakss the emulssjion, and the batch jiss rr-rrujined. Too ljittle, and the candjy bec-c-comess harrd and unworrkable. B-but when jit'ss jusst rrjight..."

Kiimiti extended a claw tip, then pressed it to the top of the candy square. The mahogany cleaved effortlessly in silken compliance, silken to the point of ephemera.

[Kes Akiena]

He listened intently, leaning back in his seat as she described the process, and his eyes went to the clawtip she pushed into the top of one of the small squares. There was no denying the fact that the woman liked these candies.

"So then... "

Plucking a candy from the box for himself, he pulled it close to examine the morsel. Holding it up between thumb and forefinger for inspection, the redhead pursed his lips. His fingernails weren't near long enough for him to even pretend to mimic her poke.

"...do you just pop it into your mouth like a regular bit of chocolate, or is there some ritual that goes into eating it... ?"

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

"Chocolate?"

Kiimiti's expression turned quizzical a moment before dawning recollection lit her face.

"Oh! Rrjight!"

She'd only really been exposed to the dark alien confectionery on her study trip to Syragor. Kiimi and her study-mates took an extended weekend to the human quarter for an excuse to get hammered on foreign liquor and try weird food. She'd gotten sick more than once, but life was a journey and not a destination.

"L-ljike that, jI thjink. Orr jyou could jusst n-n-njibble. jIf jyou want."

[Kes Akiena]

Not exactly wanting to bungle his way through this foray into Cizerack cuisine (he was already hesitant enough around the live stuff), Kes took her words to heart, though rather than nibble his way through the sweet, he chose instead to take half of it in one bite. The taste was delicate, like some gentle caramel that held all manner of complex spices all throughout.

Chewing thoughtfully, the redhead eventually gave a nod as he swallowed.

"It's good," his tone was somewhat surprised; even moreso by the fact that he actually rather enjoyed the taste.

The remaining half was popped into his mouth, and in the midst of chewing, he couldn't help himself.

"This is very good."

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

Kiimi took the sign of the Commander's own partaking as a cue to eat her own piece. The entire cube of candy was eased past her lips, and as they closed so too did her eyes in epicurean bliss. The delicate emulsion of caramel and cordial burst upon contact with the heat of her tongue, and Kiimiti took the experience in with religious reverence.

Distantly, she was aware that the Commander had said something, but she was busy exploring the universe through means of sweet, salt, space, and schism. When at last she swallowed, Kiimi's eyes slowly opened. She glanced down to her fingertips, resisting the urge to pass the tip of her tongue over them in one last flavor hurrah. To help stay that impulse, there was still the matter of exactly who was trying to court the Commander. From the look of the spread, it seemed like a pretty solid effort.

"P-p-perrmjisssjion to assk a perrss-ssonal quesstjion?"

[Kes Akiena]

In the midst of closing back up the box, Kes looked up at her.

Ususally the only Cizerack on his staff that ventured such questions was T'yeellaa; that Taassaurra now did so as well caused him to blink in mild surprise. Most of those under his command that weren't already acquainted with him from previous postings never ventured to try and find out anything beyond the surface of their red-headed superior.

"I'll certainly not stop you," he finally smiled, doing his best to tuck the box of sweets back into the gift basket without causing anything else to spill out.

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

"Wh-wh-who gave jyou the gjift b-bassket?"

Intrigue and gossip weren't exactly Kiimi's forte, but she was a communications officer. That meant that a little friendly scuttlebutt was always bound to happen.

"jI mean, obvjioussljy jit was a Cizeri woman judgjing bjy the contentss...and wjith C'saa e Nomaani'suurra comjing up..."

She tried to imagine the Commander being the kind of demure man that would be chased after and claimed. That thought caused her tail tuft to frizz. Men were already intimidating enough when they weren't having careers and command.

[Kes Akiena]

It wasn't exactly an expected question; he figured she'd ask about what sort of sweets he normally enjoyed, or something like that.

"Well... "

How best to explain?

"It was a Cizerack woman, yes."

An idea.

"If I tell you, will you tell me what I need to do to put a stop to any further gifts?"

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

"Telljing them that jyou've t-taken anotherr woman'ss k-k-kaa'rri ussualljy doess the trrjick." Kiimi replied a bit glumly, recalling her own poor track record at courtship.

[Kes Akiena]

"Usually."

He needed something foolproof, and 'usually wasn't going to cut it.

"I need something that leaves no doubt at all."

After all, Dage had told him how things went with T'yeellaa's mother. The woman hadn't given a care that he was already 'taken'.

Then again, he supposed it also depended on the woman, and the redhead let out a sigh.

"I need something that will keep away the Madame."

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

More intrigue. Whoever was after the Commander, it was a Madame. That meant status, power, and money. Kiimi's own track record was spotty because, among other failings, she had none of those things.

"A ssham marrrjiage, jojinjing the p-p-prrjiessthood? jYou could get f-fat, that mjight help."

[Kes Akiena]

A hand went up to rub at his temple. This was not an easy problem to suss out.

"If I attend this... C'saa e Nomaani'suurra," he did his best to not completely butcher the pronunciation, "I suppose I should find someone to accompany me, then."

He could always find some way out of it, but on a certain level Kes had to admit that the Madame's words rang with a bit of truth. It would certainly help to continue repairing the damage done in the attack.

[Kiimiti Taassaurra]

Kiimi nodded.

"That'ss p-prrobabljy a good jidea."

Her ears buoyed a little as she nodded more emphatically.

"jYou sshould though, jyou'd h-h-h-have a good tjime, jI thjink."

Probably. C'saa e Nomaani'suurra was a lovely event, but she'd never quite gotten over the hump of asking anyone to go before. She was always the third wheel. The one who got as far as the food and the drinks, but never quite found a dance partner.

[Kes Akiena]

Somewhat lost in thought, Kes afforded a nod. Thankfully it wasn't any decision that had to be made now. He'd be able to mull over his options at a later time. For now though, he still had work to tend to.

"Thank you for the help, Preita'rrou."

Kes gave her a kind smile while lifting the data pad she'd brought with her.

"And thanks for the report. I'm sure it'll be a page-turner."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The gunnery range had always been a welcome escape. The act of shooting at a target felt like a kind of meditation, and it was a simple and rewarding task T'yeellaa Meorrrei felt at home in doing. Controlled breath, eyes wide open, squaring one's stance into a natural point. Always knowing where the front post was, so that lining it on target was as intuitive as pointing a finger.

BLAT

BLAT

BLAT

It was practical, rewarding, and it allowed your mind to escape into itself in it's simplicity. Even more, it was competitive - even when done alone as T'yeellaa chose to. In shooting, the only shots that matter are the ones that hit their mark. It was a game of you versus you. Distances of inches showing a path of progression; of metamorphosis.

T'yeellaa paused mid-volley, adjusting her orange-tinted safety glasses. She took a deep breath, rolled her shoulders, and redoubled her grip on her blaster.

[Kes Akiena]

A slight cough, and a voice from behind her spoke.

"Just so you know, I think it's safe to say you killed it after the first two shots."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

K'ohta'rrou Meorrrei flinched at the unanticipated voice behind her, her tail tuft frizzing in genetic surprise reflex. A muttered kosa came out as she exhaled the tension, and she turned in the shooting booth to face her Commander, though not before being mindful enough to rest her weapon on the bench.

"Do jyou make a habjit of ssurrprrjissjing women carrjyjing loaded weaponss?"

[Kes Akiena]

Kes gave a halfway apologetic shrug. It was easy to tell he wasn't exactly completely sorry.

"An unlucky habit of mine, I suppose."

Like most things that involved him trying to interact with his second outside of an official capacity, the redhead couldn't help but notice that always-present look of barely held-in impatience. Unless it was simply how she always appeared outside of uniform, as it were. He didn't dwell on it too much.

"I have bad timing, what can I say. It's a curse."

Still that look from her, and feeling a bit self-conscious, he let out a sigh while hooking his thumbs into the belt loops of his trousers.

"I also need your help."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The Commander often wore a pained expression when he talked to her. It was like watching the face of someone in an action holo who was trying to defuse a bomb and was listening to someone else give advice on which wire to cut. The weird thing was that T'yeellaa wasn't even sure whether to be proud or worried that she caused that expression.

"jIt'ss fjine, jI'm about done herre anjywajy."

She clasped her arms behind her back as her ears perked up.

"How can jI help?"

[Kes Akiena]

"C'saa e Nomaani'suurra," he began, but immediately trailed off in thought of how best to go on.

He barrelled ahead regardless.

"Madame Maillanaarro wishes to have a festival for it-" Gods he hoped that was the right way of saying it, "- and I gave her my blessing."

Which wasn't really the tricky part of all of this.

"She also... well... she also sent me a basket."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Relieved that this needed help didn't appear to be anything overtly horrible or a matter of life or death, T'yeellaa resumed policing up her bench. She began field stripping her weapon, unhinging the dust cover off the blaster while she talked.

"That'ss good. jIt'ss a popularr fesstjival. The publjic fête drrawss a lot of charrjitjy and communjitjy goodwjill."

At the mention of a basket from Madame Maillanaarro, T'yeellaa eased the pieces of her blaster down and turned around again. This time, she half-sat against the bench, in a bit of a casual posture.

"That'ss njice of herr."

[Kes Akiena]

"I suppose," he murmured, arms crossing over his chest.

"A couple books on poetry, some wine, baau'tai rauu, and... other things."

It didn't really need to be said what those 'other things' were. T'yeellaa Meorrrei was sharp as a tack; sometimes annoyingly so, even.

"She insisted that I attend, and I told her that I might. If I do though, I'd rather not go alone."

Before she could misunderstand him, he went on.

"I just need help. Ideas. Whatever, really, on who to ask."

Why did he suddenly feel like an awkward teen all over again, trying to work up the courage to ask a girl to some primary school dance? It was silly, especially considering that this was nothing more than a way to ward off any chances of unwanted advances.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Huh, that was different. The cultural differences between Cizerack and Humans could often be wide open, but T'yeellaa had never really considered how these things happened on the other side. Men asking women for companionship instead of the other way around. Obviously the Madame was a much more accommodating social engineer. The items in the basket didn't seem like they were intended for Kes, but rather they were intended that he would give them to someone he decided to chase.

Of course, that realization didn't help T'yeellaa to make heads or tails of the Commander's situation.

"jI don't know...who arre jyou jinterressted jin?"

Up until now, T'yeellaa had considered Commander Akiena about as sexualized as a lettuce. Maybe even less, considering how he'd wilted before casual nudity. The thought of him actually courting a female...it wasn't as if it were impossible, it had just never even come close into her consideration.

[Kes Akiena]

"Honestly? No one."

And the damnable thing about it, it was the truth. He made a worried face, brow knit as though in deep thought.

"I just need," how best to explain? He decided to approach this directly.

"The Madame is relentless," he started, "... and I only hope that I'm reading too much into it. But on the flip side of the chit, one can't be too careful."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She laughed, nodding in complete agreement.

"Can't arrgue wjith that, Commanderr. jI thjink sshe'd conssjiderr jit a coup jif jyou sshowed up asss herr parrtnerr. Sso we'd betterr fjind jyou ssomebodjy."

T'yeellaa tugged at an ear tuft, giving her commander a bewildered look.

"jI don't rrealljy know wherre to begjin. We'rre a bjit morre djirrect about...asskjing, jI thjink?"

[Kes Akiena]

"I'd say that 'direct' is an understatement," came the rueful response.

"But to be honest, I really can't think of anyone that would possibly agree... "

A blinking realization then, as the redhead bit his lip. It would be a longshot, but it was still possible. He hoped.

"Ok, maybe one... "

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Well that was half the battle then. T'yeellaa crossed her arms as she shifted her weight on the bench.

"Okajy, that'ss a sstarrt."

It should be both start and finish. Goddess, just go up to her and ask the girl. Who even has time for all this drama?

"Sso..." she urged for elaboration. There must be some reason he hadn't mounted an offensive, to speak less about mounting other things entirely.

[Kes Akiena]

"The Codru-Ji woman, Ms. Rakkamar."

He could still remember the harsh words he'd had for his second while in the act of removing the knife from her hand.

"I think she'd enjoy the whole thing."

A finger went up to further clarify his position, as his voice took on a firm edge.

"All professional, mind you. I have no desires to play those sorts of politics with the merchants on the station," a sour look, then, as he allowed a bit of an admission to seep through.

"I've enough politics to wade through with Alliance High Command right now as is."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

At the mentioning of the Codru-Ji, T'yeella's face telegraphed incredulous shock. The woman had arguably come a long way in clearing her name, or at least sweeping a bit of it under the rug. But it was one thing to grudgingly pardon a criminal, and another thing to actively court one.

"jI..."

She stammered. Just like so many things Commander Akiena did, the initial thought was to look for a tell that he was joking. When that never came, you had to deal with the reality that he was serious. T'yeellaa's face froze as a symptom of her brain freezing. Eventually she fluttered her eyes shut in a blink, and shook her head.

"jYou know what...jI don't even have anjythjing to ssajy."

Where does she put all those hands when they go to dance? T'yeellaa redoubled shaking her head to make the absurd go away.

[Kes Akiena]

"Then that's all the better," he groused. The look on her face was enough to tell him a decent amount about her thoughts.

"This is in a professional capacity, I'll remind you. Aside from a sham marriage or joining some priesthood as Preita'rrou Taassaurra recommended, my best chance at avoiding any incidents with the Madame may be to bring Ms. Rakkamar."

He pulled an odd face, nearly unreadable.

"You can't honestly tell me that you've never done anything to swerve away from unwanted advances whether they be real or imagined."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"The besst defensse jiss a good offensse." T'yeellaa deadpanned, waggling her eyebrows slightly. She again looked to confirm whether Kes was serious, or if the bluff was just extended beyond reason. Conceding to the former, she sighed.

"Well, jit ssoundss ljike jyou've got jit all fjigurred out, Commanderr. Enjojy C'saa e Nomaani'suurra. jI jimagjine that sshouldn't be djiffjicult wjith a woman who hass fourr handss."

Punching a hole in his professionalism defense, T'yeellaa punctuated her thought-provoking statement with a wink and a quick flick of the tip of her tongue over a fang.

[Kes Akiena]

He actually rolled his eyes at that. If she was going to be flippant, then so was he. And maybe it was the old tit-for-tat game that he used to play in his youth, but at the moment it felt right.

"Think what you will, but I'm not you, and I'm not particularly enamored by the idea of going in the first place."

A thought occurred to him then, something triggered by the way she spoke of the festival.

"You're not going?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jI..."

And instantly her strong offense was dead in the water. T'yeellaa's prodding little smirk became a thin line of pressed lips in a blink, and her blue eyes widened slightly in surprise at the unanticipated reversal. Damn, the silent treatment wasn't going to get her out of this.

"No. jI've been to enough fêtess, Commanderr. jIt'ss not mjy comforrt zone."

[Kes Akiena]

"Well."

Now he returned in kind, shamelessly pulling a page from the Madame's playbook.

"A fine thing that, the K'hota'rrou not even attending an event that's supposed to apparently show unity aboard the station. Least, that's what I understand it to be."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She squirmed on the hook, the taut-lipped expression slowly becoming a grimace.

"Well jit jiss...but jI...thjiss jiss sstupjid."

Sighing, T'yeellaa averted her eyes as she shook her head.

"jIt'ss evenjing gownss and dancjing. Nejitherr of thosse thjingss have everr been mjy sstrrong ssujit. jI don't thjink makjing an asss out of mjysself wjill help to fossterr goodwjill and unjitjy."

[Kes Akiena]

Kes relented with a defeated shrug, his arms unfolding from in front of his chest.

"If that's how you feel, far be it from me to insist otherwise."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Thank the Goddess he wasn't insisting. A relieved smile formed on T'yeellaa's features.

"Thank jyou, Commanderr. jI've been a prrettjy good culturral ljiajisson sso farr, rrnjight? jI jusst want to ssjit thjiss one out."

That was one bullet dodged, at least. It was only a matter of time before Samus found out about this little event, however.

[Q. Samus Dage]

Six days later...


Again he was on Jovan, Khera'va'ss'io stopping through on its' normal lines. It was all routine mostly, at least the reports and normal briefings. The high spot of these visits for Samus Dage was always T'yeellaa Meorrrei. She'd wormed her way past his normal defenses whether he openly admitted it or not, and the lanky blonde was finding himself always a little bit more excited with each stopover.

Of course duty always came first; at least, whenever it was his turn to hand over the official logs and resupply requests. Though, thankfully, s'Il had agreed to handle the latter, and had accompanied him to the Command hub for the customary meeting with Kes. It was mostly routine, and partly an excuse to catch each other up on the comings and goings of events less than official.

s'Il had led the way, as she always did. And again - as always - bulled her way into Squirt's office like a rancor rampaging through an antique's bazaar with the express purpose of disturbing as much as she could. Or at least, that was how he liked to imagine her. She was delicate when the situation called for it, but more often than not his superior was bound and determined to remain as direct and - at times - as spiky as she could possibly be. Of course, he couldn't help but notice how her demeanor always changed once the three were alone. She became less tense, less 'official'.

It was a nice thing to see, not to mention a hell of a relief. And as the two sat across from Kes now, he couldn't help but let his body relax, long legs stretching out to cross at the ankles. The two 'pads he'd brought with him were held in a loose grip as s'Il unburdened herself of her own 'pad and a pair of flimsis, all set on the redhead's desk.

"She has more back on the ship," he couldn't help himself.

[Kes Akiena]

He snorted at that, leaning forward to slide the 'gifts' closer.

"She always does."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"She just wanted to butter you up with the easy stuff first. Then comes the long talks and uncomfortable silences."

Dage couldn't help the crooked grin that pulled one corner of his mouth back.

"And after that you'll start gettin' accused of giving other ships better stock."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"I'm right here, you two."

Pulling a face, s'Il leaned back in her own seat, a hand running down her front to smooth out any unwanted folds in the fabric of her duty jacket.

But, even she couldn't help herself.

"Though, Samus does have a point, Squirt. If I find out you've been sneaking better resupplies to other ships, I'll have to start writing a 'Dear Jango' letter."

[Kes Akiena]

A wounded look, as Kes stared across his desk to the Lupine.

"Lok," his voice held a tone of feigned hurt.

"I'd never do such a thing, you know that."

He at least gave a glance over the first few initial entries.

"I'd say all of this is easily done, though. So our relationship still stands."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Good to know."

She looked to Dage then, a sideways glance as her elbows planted themselves on the armrests, hands coming down to twine fingers together in her lap.

"Honestly though, it's nothing out of the ordinary. Foodstuffs, medical supplies. The normal fair."

[Q. Samus Dage]

Through it all, he only sat, smirking. And when Kes was through with what s'Il had passed to him, he leaned forward himself to hand over the 'pads he'd brought along. All very normal and same.

"All cataloged and sequenced," he droned.

"Maybe not as saucy as the old gal's here, but it's better than nothing."

[Kes Akiena]

Taking Samus' offering, Kes set it beside the others.

"I trust you, Samus."

The somewhat bored tone wasn't lost on him, and he looked at the blonde with a single eyebrow arched.

"You've got the look of a man who's got better places to be."

[Q. Samus Dage]

A knowing look was sent to Kes.

"I wouldn't hurt you feelings if I said yes, would I?"

[Kes Akiena]

A shake of his head, and Kes let out a soft laugh as he settled himself more comfortably in his seat. A look was sent to s'Il before her returned his eyes back to Dage.

"Not really, no. I'd be worried if it was otherwise, frankly.

He matched Samus' eye-roll with a half-grin.

"Though, I do have a bit of interesting information you might be keen on."

The blonde's silence was invitation enough.

"Apparently tomorrow there's to be a festival of sorts on the main concourse. Some Cizerack holiday to celebrate Nomaani- "

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"C'saa e Nomaani'suurra."

The words left her mouth easily enough. She was familiar with it.

She waved away Kes' look of mild surprise.

"Never been to one, mind you. I just know of it."

[Q. Samus Dage]

He looked from Kes to s'Il, then back to Kes.

"A festival?"

He remembered the countless festivals on Myomar when he was much younger, but if his time with T'yeellaa was any indication, a Cizerack festival had to be much more... interesting.

[Kes Akiena]

He made a show of looking disinterested.

"One of the business matrons explained it to me; music, dancing, food, all of those lovely things."

His fingers drummed on the surface of his desk before he went on.

"I'm told it's an enjoyable event."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"I bet, Squirt," came the rumbled response as he sat up just a little bit straighter.

Of course he was interested.

What a silly question.

[Kes Akiena]

Still he smiled, and went on.

"You should ask T'yeellaa to go. I'm sure that she'd have no real objections."

There was a smug contentment to his features as he spoke. After all, he did assure his second that he'd not try to pressure her into attending. Oh no.

He'd leave that one up to Samus.

[Q. Samus Dage]

* * *

With the normal 'rigors' of arrival duty taken care of, Samus practically jogged out of Kes' office, leaving the redhead and s'Il behind to do whatever it was those two did. He suspected it was mostly talking about the old days.

But him? Hells, he had better things to do than sit around and play the memory game.

A quick stop through one of the few floral shops on the main concourse, and he purchased a single Aaiu'saarri Rose. The delicate blue petals smelled particularly rich, and with a smile that seemed permanently etched onto his features, Samus was quick to make his way to T'yeellaa's quarters. With rose in one hand and his small travel duffel in the other, the blonde stopped before her door.

Ever the gentleman, he politely set two knuckles to the door, giving it a gentle few raps.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

The door chimed ten minutes early. T'yeellaa had just gotten in from another circuit of concourse running with the station's enlisted run club. She was improving, but still toward the back of the pack. Distance work may never be the strong suit of a Cizerack, but she was trying. The effort required, however, had left her a mess. Her PT's were soaked. Her hair was a mess. The K'ohta'rrou ducked into the privy long enough to take the dregs of her water bottle and splash them on her face, which she then blotted away quickly with a hand towel. Pushing aside the most egregious of flyaway strands that had come out of her ponytail, T'yeellaa headed to the door.

"Comjing!"

At least she was past the point of worrying too much about impressing him. She pressed the open key on the door frame. For a moment, she tried to appear nonchalant, but her eyes moved directly to the vivid blue rose he held in front of her.

"Huh?"

[Q. Samus Dage]

If he was surprised at her current state, he didn't let it show. Rather, Samus only smirked.

"I never figured you for a flower kinda gal," he couldn't help himself.

"But it was too pretty not to get for you."

The blonde couldn't help but to give her a wink as he leaned down, planting a kiss to her forehead while carefully handing over the rose.

"Or maybe I'm just curious to see how long you can keep it alive."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Not a flower girl. That was an understatement. T'yeellaa was still deep in the process of figuring out the why of it. Samus kissed her before she could inform him that she was sweaty, as if he didn't already know that.

"Thankss..." T'yeellaa looked from Samus, to the flower, and back up to him. She made it a point to hold the flower beneath her nose and give a sniff. It smelled and looked about the opposite of how she currently felt. As much as she wanted to, she probably shouldn't beat this act of kindness into a pulp of introspection and suspicion. But it was such a strange gift that she had to wonder...

Kes Akiena

T'yeellaa's grip tightened around the stem of the plant in realization. That scheming ginger forrda trickster. He'd said something, hadn't he?

With a smile held for damage control more than anything, T'yeellaa moved into the kitchenette to find a place to display her blue-petaled albatross. Her mother had never dared to put flowers in a used wine bottle, but let it never be said that T'yeellaa Meorrrei couldn't improvise.

"Therre..."

She placed it on the table, turning back to her gai'tou with a sway of her tail.

"...jit'ss loveljy."

Now, by the Goddess, just talk about smashball or work or anything other than what I think is coming.

[Q. Samus Dage]

Looking for all the galaxy like a man that'd won the top prize in some perverse episode of The Credit Is Right, Samus sauntered into the living area. Her makeshift 'vase' was noted with a healthy smirk, and he lazily lowered himself to sit on the sofa. He dared not prop his feet on the caf table though; even now he was cautious about the sort of reprisal that might be earned from doing such a thing. Instead, here simply settled for resting an ankle on the opposite knee while leaning back, his arms going out to rest along the top cushions.

"So. You been busy then, I take it?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Jusst wjith the rrun club. jI almosst made jit to the mjiddle thjirrd thjiss tjime."

T'yeellaa peeled off her sweaty top, flinging it into the dirty hamper just inside the privy. Her socks and shorts followed soon after.

"jI wass jusst about to jump jin the ssonjicss."

Watching her gai'tou lounging on the couch, T'yeellaa engaged him with a pointed look.

"How about ssome companjy?"

She'd won a freakin' flower after all. Maybe he was feeling appreciative.

[Q. Samus Dage]

He gave a tsk.

"I just sat down," came the initial pushback.

Of course, it really didn't take too much convincing for him to join in, and with a feigned groan the blonde lumbered back up to his feet. He approached her with a meandering gait, slowly unbuttoning his uniform jacket to reveal the crisp, white undershirt beneath. The over-garment was shed easily, and he draped it over the back of one of the chairs in the eating adjacent to the kitchenette.

Sidling past her, Samus couldn't help tickling at an ear tuft.

"I bet you could use a nice day out," he grinned, "... away from the command hub and your run club."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

A purr came in response to mere contact, and T'yeellaa leaned against Samus as they stood in front of the mirror.

"Whjy not a njice dajy jin?"

Her tail looped around his backside, keeping him in tether as she rested her head at his shoulder.

"Takeout, holoss, wjine, sseejing jif jyou can wrrjite the entjirre aurrrebessh alphabet wjith jyourr tongue..."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"We have lots of those days," came the counter, "Plus, I've already proved my mastery of your alphabet game."

There was a distinct tone of self-satisfaction in his last words.

"Besides. I think it'd be nice. Especially with a festival going on tomorrow... "

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Here came the dagger. T'yeellaa's teasing tail stopped gliding against Samus's leg.

"Gai'tou, jyou don't want to go to that..." she held on to one of his hands as he draped it over her.

"C'saa e Nomaani'suurra jissn't ssomethjing jyou'd ljike. jIt'ss jusst a crredjit trrap to sspend monejy on clothess and trrjinketss and everrjythjing elsse."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Then we don't have to spend credits on clothes or trinkets," he fired back gently.

Holding her close, he felt her hands move down to unbutton his slacks. Not an unpleasant experience, and one that he always enjoyed. For as roughly as she could disrobe him, he also liked those times where she took her time. Even despite the pouty tone to her words.

"But I'd like to see you dressed up in something that isn't a uniform," a deliberate jab to her many mentions wanting him in something other than his own uniform.

He leaned down once more to deposit a tender kiss on her cheek.

"Wouldn't mind a dance, either."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Goddess, this wasn't going away. He wasn't going to back down or brake for her hints. Damn Kes Akiena and his meddling. If she'd known he would repay her good faith advice with this, she would've thrown him at Madame Maillanaarro to be her love pillow.

Hands busy at work on buttons ceased their unfastening, and T'yeellaa held on to the waistline with each.

"jI don't want to go, Ssamuss. jI feel rrjidjiculouss each tjime jI go, and jit'ss not worrth the efforrt."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Except, all those other times you didn't go with me."

He tried to assuage any misgivings, knowing that she was far more at ease with staying in. But still, he had a feeling that she'd have a good time regardless, and lifting her chin up with a single finger, gave her a sweet smile.

"Just this once?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Look, jif thjiss wass ssome human holjidajy and jyou wanted me to go wjith jyou to celebrrate, jI'd do jit forr jyou. But jI don't ljike C'saa e Nomaani'suurra. jIt's gauche and full of pomp and jI can thjink of a hundrred thjingss jI'd rrather do."

There was a part of her that realized she was being selfish right now, but T'yeellaa was talking right over that part.

"jIf jyou want to go...that'ss fjine. jI have thjingss jI sshould be dojing arround the aparrtment anjywajy."

[Q. Samus Dage]

"Like what, pouting and feeling sorry for yourself?"

His features turned a bit more stern.

"I thought you were made of stronger stuff, Kitten."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Lightning flashed in T'yeellaa's cerulean eyes as her jawline tensed. Her hands let go of their hold along Samus's waistband, and she took deliberate step back from him.

"jYou want sstrrong? jIss that jit?"

The worried voice in her brain was getting louder, but it was fighting against the inertia of words she'd already said, and losing.

[Q. Samus Dage]

Somehow he'd gone past an invisible line without knowing, and as she stepped back, Samus lifted both hands in the air as if to signal surrender.

"Fine. You don't want to go. I get it."

He shook his head.

"Forget I said anything."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Damn it.

T'yeellaa's eyes shut as she resisted the urge to grimace at the precipice she'd reached. All over a trivial party. Now she was mad, and he was mad, and they both had too much pride to make smoothing that over easy.

Her eyes opened, but she didn't look at him.

"jI need to get a sshowerr."

They were way past the moment.

[Q. Samus Dage]

Samus only gave a nod, stepping to the side so that she could move past. To his recollection, this was the first time that he'd seen her in such a state, and truth be told, the blonde did not like it. Not one, single bit. But, he still fell on old habits, shying away from causing more damage with the fairer sex, and so he opted to simply stay back.

"I'll be out here if you need me, T'yeellaa."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She hated this feeling. Feeling like she'd just trampled all over him. He had this way of looking like a sad puppy, and it irritated T'yeellaa at how effective it could be.

"jI know."

She looked away, back to the mirror. But she still caught sight of him in reflection. Wordlessly, T'yeellaa pushed him out of sight entirely by stepping through the threshold into the refresher cubicle, where she drew the curtain closed.

[Kes Akiena]

* * *

He'd stayed late after his shift, ensconced in his office with only the company of the glowpanels and scattered datapads. A small stack of flimsis sat before him, each one with his signature at the bottom.

Perhaps it was his own way of putting off the inevitable. Or perhaps he'd somewhat hoped that he'd be able to find a suitable excuse to simply not attend. Either way, it had come to this, and the redhead slowly sat back. A long breath escaped, and he looked to the holo-projector built into his desk.

Reaching out, he ran fingers over the keypad, typing in the number from memory while at the same hoping that the recipient was still awake.

[Mayael Rakkamar]

The warble and chime woke her from slumber, her chin slowly rising from her chestplate. Dark eyes looked around the room for the source of the noise. It was barely audible over the repeating menu music of the holo she'd fallen asleep to. There it was, the little red letters in the middle of the holo.

[INCOMING CALL]

"Grwawrarrawr." She swore angrily as she raised her arms that had been hanging limply at her sides and pulled the velcro straps of her sleeping harness open two at a time until she could finally step out of it and stride across the room. She bent her naked form over the holo table projector to better scrutinize the message.

[KES AKIENA]

All the anger and exhaustion melted away in a moment, and panic took it's place. She closed the holodrama and was about to open the call when she thought better of it and ran across the room to grab a shawl to throw over her bare shoulders to preserve some modesty in front of the Commander. She also took a moment to run all four hands through her hair. Finally she opened the call, a small hologram of Kes Akiena popping into existence above the table.

"Hello Kommandeer."

[Kes Akiena]

She looked awake enough, though there was no telling if she was just very good at making herself appear that way. Out of instinct, his voice was on the low side, as if he was afraid of waking some sleeping rancor in the command hub.

"Ms. Rakkamar," he started with a smile.

"I hope I've not woken you... ?"

[Mayael Rakkamar]

"No Kommandeer. I vas vatching holodrama. It about lost fish. Unimportant." She waved her hand dismissively, almost loosing the single article of clothing she was wearing.

"Vhat can do for you, sir?"

[Kes Akiena]

There was a momentary pause, and Kes cleared his throat, turning slightly away before starting in on the reason for his late night call.

"I'm sure you've heard of the festival being thrown by some of the business women on the station."

Which, in all truthfulness he wasn't sure there was anybody who didn't know. The brightly colored banners and word of mouth had preceded all official announcements, which had been advertised practically the day after he'd spoken with the Madame. He had to wonder if Madame Maillanaarro was banking on the fact that he'd agree to the entire thing. More than likely.

"It seems I find myself in the position of going, and I know this is incredibly short notice... "

Well now wasn't this awkward? How did you nicely say 'I need a shield'? The redhead decided it best to simply dive in head first.

"It would be in a professional capacity, mind you," he made sure to clarify himself before asking, "... but I was wondering if you'd like to attend the festival with me."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

Was he, was he really asking her out on a date? In the middle of the night? Blinking her eyes several times, she tried to process the very unexpected request. Normally she would have jumped at the chance to do something for the Commander, whom had done so much for her, but this seemed like one of those situations that was more delicate than it appeared on the surface. The last time she agreed to something off the bat she ended up in some guy's apartment for "modeling".

"Vhat does this mean, professional capacity?"

[Kes Akiena]

"Mostly that it is nothing of a personal nature."

He smiled lightly, trying to further explain without going into too much detail. The how's and why's could be saved for later, he figured.

""I'd rather not go alone, and thought that you would like to come with."

[Mayael Rakkamar]

"Oh, I understand. It is not date. Just friends."

She raised a hand and made a show of stroking her chin, and thinking hard, before a smile began to creep along her face and the entire act fell apart.

"Yes. Yes I will go with you."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

An hour later...

So after that small disaster, T'yeellaa's best intentions lay in smoking ruins for the day. She'd stormed out of her quarters after the shower and dressing, and headed for the concourse without a word. She passed by three bars, and deciding that any bar would do, eventually settled on the fourth one. It was an alien establishment, full of humans mainly. Normally she'd prefer something a little closer to home, but with all the talk abuzz about the goddess-damned festival, the last place T'yeellaa Meorrrei wanted to be was a watering hole in the grips of lover's cheer.

"Get me a drrjink." she straddled the barstool, authorizing an open-value chit to start a tab.

A human male with a face that looked like a, what was it called - a potato, answered "Whaddya want?"

"Pai L-" she started, then corrected herself on account of locale. She hadn't the slightest idea, and probably didn't care. The only human drinks she'd availed herself to before were wine and beer. And honestly, she needed a little more.

"jI djid ssomethjing sstupjid and jI want to forrget jit. Got anythjing forr that?" T'yeellaa propped her cheek on a closed fist, resisting the urge to knead the countertop with her other hand.

The barkeep shrugged, and a moment later a bottle of something brown appeared, with a small glass next to it.

"Lady, that'll erase whatever you've got."

Ears low, T'yeellaa sighed and wedged the cork out of the glass. A cursory sniff elicited an immediate grimace, which the K'ohta'rrou swallowed down as stoically as she could.

[Jeremy Varin]

Two stools down, Jeremy Varin was nursing a drink. Well, the bartender had said it was a drink, but he was beginning to suspect that it was merely rocket fuel dressed up. It was brown and stiff, that much he knew. It was billed as some 'exotic' Iridonian whiskey, but Varin was skeptical. He still ordered it, but whatever story the 'tender tried to tell him while pouring the small glass was ignored. All he wanted was the bite and burn.

And that was exactly what he got. The first sip blazed a fiery trail down his throat, warming his stomach in a strange fashion before fading away to a dull heat.

The Cizerack woman that had come in, ears low and body language telegraphing more than she probably wanted known, was given a sidelong glance. Her reaction to whatever the bartender had passed her way was enough to elicit a faint smile as he took another sip of his own drink.

He leaned slightly to the side, in her direction while placing his glass back on the laminated bartop.

"A gal drinks that swill, she probably has years worth of memories to purge."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

As if egged on by the stranger's words, T'yeellaa took down the entirety of a shot glass in a quick pull. Her eyes screwed tight as she bowed her head in response to the angry character of the whisky burning down her esophagus.

"No, jusst an hourr'ss worrth."

She looked sullenly at the human to her left, then back to her empty glass, which she refilled.

"But that'ss enough."

[Jeremy Varin]

Jeremy pulled a face at that, something that was between a grimace and a smile. Either way, he felt bad for her simply because she felt the need to subject herself to such horrid drink. Least, her reaction was enough to tell him she was unaccustomed to such drink.

He rolled each shoulder in succession, then took a small level off his own beverage.

"So then what; you accidentally sign off on an incomplete inspection report?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa powered something akin to a smile through a grimace.

"jIf onljy..."

Back to a more despondent state, she peered into her next round of brown liquor.

"jI had a moment of sselfjisshness, and ssajid ssomethjing crruel to a deljicate man who djidn't desserrve jit."

[Jeremy Varin]

"Ah, one of those things."

He'd been in that position once, and had hated it. An understanding nod as he returned to his glass. Though, the notion that a man was delicate seemed a bit foreign, and in a way comical.

"Everyone has those moments," he offered, " Nothing to erase memories over, though."

Jeremy moved then, sliding from his stool with drink in hand to deposit himself on the seat beside her. There was no real motive, just a show of support.

"You know, I'm sure if you gave back that bottle to the bartender and went back to your guy, he'd understand. Maybe take him a box of sajoi to try and smooth things over? Or you could get fancy and bring home one of those colorful birds."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jI doubt that would worrk."

T'yeellaa glanced back to Varin with the faintest of smiles that, at the very least, appreciated thoughtful candor. Even if it was misplaced. Sorting out Samus was far more complicated than that. But wasn't that what she wanted? Not just a lover, but a partner. And a partner beyond Cizeri societal norms. She was married to her job, and so was he. Their family was the service. She didn't have time for a doting wet blanket better suited to keeping cubs fed when she was out making money. She needed a partner that challenged her. Someone that she didn't just have feelings for - but one that she could respect.

Samus was that and more. And that came with the territory that this was all so very difficult at times. More than once, T'yeellaa had forced herself to ask if she was being fair. Did she put boundaries on him? If she broke him, would that change him for the worse?

"He'ss..."

T'yeellaa danced around the subject for a tortuous second, tracing a finger along her shot glass. She looked to Varin again. Actually, maybe what she needed was perspective.

"human."

[Jeremy Varin]

His head angled up in realization as an "Aaaahhhh... " exited his lips. A thoughtful "Hm" as he turned back to his drink, and lifting it up, Jeremy took another level off. It burned just as fiercely as it had the first go-round.

"Well then."

It wasn't exactly what he was expecting, but he pressed on regardless. Bars had a way of doing that to people; whether it was pouring out your troubles to a stranger or trying to provide a fix to whatever woe was sent your way.

"I guess you'd best hold on the live food."

He grinned into his glass.

"If it were me, a pound of shaak bacon would be enough to smooth over any argument."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa gave Varin a conciliatory look. He was trying, at least. However, she was a Meorrrei, and like all the women of the house, the stubborn streak ran deep. Which was what had gotten her into this terminal nose dive. How stubborn did she have to be? How much pride did she have to have? Was she really ready to hang on to that and risk Samus walking away?

Morose thought turned her back to her drink, though for now, T'yeellaa merely tilted the glass back and forth slightly.

"What'ss the bjiggesst blow to jyourr prrjide that jyou've endurred forr ssomeone that jyou carre about?"

It was a moment of unguarded lapse that let the words pass. Was she honestly asking this to a stranger? She didn't even know his name. Maybe anonymity was a kind of confessional.

[Jeremy Varin]

"The biggest blow?"

There was something in her voice that resonated. A certain timbre that he recognized and understood.

"Well... "

He stared down into his own drink, thumb and index finger loosely gripping the rim. He watched the minor vibrations of the goings-on around them manifest in ripples in the liquid within the glass.

"I've had my fair share," he finally admitted, his voice a shade more serious than before, dropping a few degrees to signify his own journey down into the depths of his memories.

"... but the one that sticks out the most?"

He sighed, then lifted up his glass to take a drink.

"'Bout twelve years back," he could still remember it like it was yesterday, "... I was going through the Academy on Carida. Had my eye on a gal, but she'd started talkin' about defecting whenever we were alone. Back then I was all about doing what I could for the Empire. I knuckled down and passed all of my courses with top marks. I wasn't ever accepted to pilot training though. She was, apparently. Was a hard pill to swallow.

"I attended her graduation and acceptance into the fleet corps. I didn't want to, though. About the only thing I wanted to do was stay in my room on the academy grounds and sulk. But damn she was so happy and so excited. I couldn't let her see my resentment or disappointment."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

That was a good one. One that, if she were completely honest, would be hard to top.

"Mjy..."

Lips contorted as she realized that gai'tou wouldn't be sufficient, and everything else to describe Samus fell a little short.

"...parrtnerr, he wantss to go to the C'saa e Nomaani'suurra."

Again, things lost in translation. T'yeellaa dipped her head deferentially.

"...the fesstjival."

[Jeremy Varin]

"And you don't want to go."

It wasn't difficult to come to that conclusion. There had been more than a few times that he'd not wanted to do anything particularly social. Unfortunately during his time aboard Khera'Va'ss'io solitary time was in plentiful time. Oh, there were comms from family and the occasional allowed leave for visiting, but for the most part he spent his time alone.

"I can understand not wanting to go to something you've been to enough times in the past."

It was a guess whether or not she'd been before, but he figured that she had with the way she spoke of it.

"Has your partner been to one before?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"No. He'ss neverr even been to the motherr worrldss. jI don't even know whjy jit'ss sso damned jimporrtant forr hjim jin the fjirrsst place."

Getting frustrated all over again, this time T'yeellaa did pull the trigger on the shot of whiskey, taking it down with only a muted display of displeasure the second go around. She wrapped her hands around her empty glass, keeping it frozen in mid-air as she struggled.

[Jeremy Varin]

Eyes wide at her sudden second interest in the angry contents of her glass, Jeremy reached over with both hands, trying to ease the glassware out of her grip.

"Heyo, Gallie, easy on the firewater, eh?"

Whatever he'd said, it'd been enough to make her continue drowning herself in the wrong stuff.

Her glass came down to the bartop, and Varin slowly pulled his hands away, both up in a gesture of hope that she'd not try to throw back another measure of that horrid swill.

"Is there anything you wanted to do, that he had no real interest in?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

And as hard as T'yeellaa tried to find something to throw in Dage's face, she realized she couldn't. He didn't like sharing dinner when she had traditional Cizeri food, but that was such a small thing. He'd gone skiing with her on Taltimant, even though he could barely stay upright the entire weekend. He'd endured eight hours of Tu'aa Hyeeiaali one weekend, doing his best to look engaged and interested instead of dreadfully bored. He'd even, after creative convincing, worn the special shorts she'd bought him, though only once.

In short, Quentin Samus Dage was a darling of a man.

And T'yeellaa was starting to realize that perhaps she wasn't nearly as good of a partner as the one she'd been so lucky to find.

She shook her head.

[Jeremy Varin]

Varin let the silent moment settle for just a short bit, still unsure if she planned to take the whole bottle and upend it. When her hands stayed put, he breathed a small sigh of relief.

"So then, maybe just this once?"

His eyebrows rose as he continued to watch her, waiting for any possible movement that would herald the bottle-grab.

"Humor him?"

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"jIf jI go out therre, jI wjill look ljike a fool to everrjyone. Wearrjing a drresss jI don't know what to do wjith and trrjyjing to dance jinsstead of flajiljing arround."

T'yeellaa was getting to the root of her worry, and the more she did, the more she realized this was her fear coming out.

"And worrsse, jI'll look ljike a fool to hjim. On a dajy wherre everrjyone ought to be wjith ssomeone thejy love."

And yet, if she didn't go, what did that say about where she drew the line, because it would fall a lot shorter than it should. No, he wasn't wearing her kaa'rri and likely he never would, but T'yeellaa knew her feelings for him were real and this had long-since stopped being an amorous experiment.

"jI guesss jI'm afrrajid."

Her eyes widened at the admission. She was scared of that moment, but she was scared of a lot more than that too. She was scared that she wasn't ready, but even more scared of what she might lose.

[Jeremy Varin]

"Bein' afraid is natural," came the grunted answer as Jeremy returned to his own drink. He sipped at it, then lowered it slowly back down.

"And as for looking like a fool, I'm fairly certain that if this festival is anything like the old precinct fairs that we used to have back on Corellia, trust me. There is always someone else looking like more of a fool than you think you yourself are."

He made a face at that, as memories flooded back; each and every one a small burst of amusement and hilarity.

"You want to feel better about yourself? Go to a Corellian Precinct Fair. You'll feel like the Pride Mother herself after being there for five minutes," he chuckled.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

"Hmm"

It came out as a laugh, but more of a space filler. A pondering thought as T'yeellaa remained stuck on Jeremy's previous words. Bein' afraid is natural. Was it that simple? Was the operating state of things to dance on the edge between joy and fear and to enjoy the ride?

The K'ohta'rrou finally upturned her glass, easing it back to the counter next to the bottle that came with it. Maybe he was right. Maybe what she needed most of all was to be afraid. Afraid to venture - to take that untraveled road - but venturing nonetheless.

Suddenly, T'yeellaa pushed off her barstool, authorizing a chit for the full balance.

"The Correlljian Prrecjinct Fajirr ssoundss njice, but jI mjight have otherr planss between herre and now."

She lifted her bottle, placing it in front of Varin; her payment for good advice given.

"Thankss," T'yeellaa smiled in a guarded moment, nurturing the beginnings of a plan in her mind. Hair-brained, last-minute, and desperate. But the payoff was worth the risk.

"jI neverr got jyourr name."

[Jeremy Varin]

He gave her a smile in thanks at her gift, reaching over with an outstretched hand.

"Varin, Ma'am. Jeremy Varin."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa completed the human custom, taking Varin's hand in embrace. He'd been a big help to her. Part of it reminded her of the talks she'd have with her fathers, when it was a little okay to be vulnerable for a change. Even taking off the armor for a minute did wonders.

"T'yeellaa Meorrrei."

Releasing Varin's grasp, the Cizerack's eyes went down to her present attire in a rare moment of self-awareness.

"Now, jif jyou'll excusse me, jI thjink jI need to go sshoppjing asss ssoon asss posssjible."