The Round-Trip Ticket

[Stashia Yachenka]

She sat cross-legged aboard the shuttle. It was irritating to not be allowed to fly a ship of her own, even if it was understandable. She didn't own any of the ships on Ossus and they weren't hers to simply take. нет, instead she found herself aboard a commercial flight bound for Jovan Station. She stilled her excited tail and brushed the headfur from her face with a mischievous grin. Re would be surprised to see her.

The Jedi, as it turned out, weren't entirely unlike her own Kroskovan Air Command. You were allowed, within reason, to request leave. So when Tajdid came around for the season she put in her requests. She had planned on telling the older male Nehantite of her time off. Of making plans.

There was much she had wanted to tell him. Letters she had meant to write, calls she was meant to have made. Every time she had started she would find herself without the words to say. These were matters of the heart, and they were not to be relegated to pen and paper or crackly feeds strung through the stars. You said these things in person.

So instead she had gone around him. She had put in a call to Ydran Esk'avar the no-nonsense security chief who had seen to gathering her wayward babysitter. He had, begrudgingly, put her in contact with personnel allowing her to confirm that no, her Re would not be leaving the station - or at least had requested no time away. As she knew him to be far too upstanding a male to run from his commitments she expected he would still be present on the station.

She considered how much joy she would find in arriving unexpectedly on his doorstep and seeing his reaction. "Surprise, Re! I am bringing best gift I am thinking of. Myself." The thought turned sour at the sudden realization at just how much of this trip hinged on him being present. Turmoil roiled momentarily inside her until she calmed herself.

"один... два... три... четыре... пять..."

She breathed in slow and relaxed in her native Kroskovan. Things would be alright. Even if for some reason Re were not present she could find reason to be here, and could always make an excuse for why she must remain for an unexpected length. The Jedi were not such task-masters as to prevent her from seeing a loved one, surely. As the ship docked and the crowd began to murmur and rise from their seats to disembark she began to ponder if Re still had any of that Kroskovan Vodka left. The two of you had hit it, and other things, rather hard when last you were together.

The black-furred Jedi, and for truth it was what she had chosen to become, even if she were merely at the first steps of that journey, walked back onto Jovan Station with her heart threatening to leap into her throat.

[Anauri Rabeak]

The last minutes of a workday were always the longest, yet Anauri was certain that time all across the universe slowed down to even more excruciating levels during the final minutes of the last workday before a weekend. Then there were the last minutes before a holiday weekend, where time seemed to stop entirely. His pink eyes stared at the timeclock, waiting for what felt like an eternity until at last it clicked over to the next hour.

That was it, his shift was done. Communications had been forwarded to all relevant staff and commanding officers, schedules and rosters were in place, spares for the most common replacement parts were in stock, and the drinking fountain knew it should refrain from ticking. All was well in the world of Engineering on Jovan, which earned its Chief Engineer a lovely three-day weekend.

A weekend in which he still had to find a gift for Joey. The soaring high Anauri had held himself upon fell out from beneath him, as he was back in the quandry he'd been in the weekend before, but now he was totally out of time, and still had no good ideas. Tajdid was important, and this year he had family to spend it with, at last. But what to get for his son was still an absolute mystery.

You still have two days, Re. You'll find something for Joey. He told himself. It was easier when Joey was younger. First set of tools, or a video game console, or his first speeder bike, all the things he'd dreamed of getting for Tajdid when he was a kid, himself. But Joey was a man, now, and that made things immensely more difficult. Still, no matter what he found for Joey, the real gift would be spending Tajdid with a loved one - something he'd been unable to do for years.

Tajdid was a time of joy, and reflection. The renewal of his people, his world. A celebration of the day that life was put into the paws of the people, for them to craft a new way of life by their own efforts, and to share the fruits of their labors with those they loved. And they had done so. As an engineer, Anauri still did. Or at least he would if he could find Joey a damn present!

Tajdid shopping would have to wait for a few minutes, though, as a leaky hydraulic cylinder had made a mess of his shirt that morning, and he hadn't gone back to his quarters during lunch to change. That would be remedied before hitting the promenade, he promised himself, his boots thumping along through corridors after taking the turbolift to his residence level. His uniform jacket went on a coathook once inside, shirt peeled off and tossed into the hamper as he crossed his quarters to the closet. Flipping through hangers, he paused as one shirt stood out, a memory washing back over him. It was the shirt she had worn, that morning.

Memories of Stashia came flooding back, and Anauri let his rough thumbpad rub over the fabric, before lifting it to his muzzle for sniff. No, he couldn't smell her on it anymore, and he sighed as he let the shirt fall back on its hanger once more. She was gone, and he needed to let her go, he told himself. It had just been a fling, apparently. A happy memory, but nothing more. His paws flipped through a few more shirts before selecting a gray short-sleeved number, and pulled it on.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She had not expected to get so turned around. It had not been so long since she was last here, had it? It was only... три, нет шесть ... больше нет... Garfife... had it really been so long? A touch of shame caused her ears to droop, tail dragging as she considered how it would look. She had not called. She had not written or even sent word with someone else. She should... нет. нет, She would not give in to such childish fears. She was Stashia Yachenka. Proud pilot, recipient of the Kroskovan Medal of Merit, Jedi Initiate, she was not some wet eared kit to slink off with her tail between her legs.

She steadied her course and sheepishly asked directions from the first crew member she had managed to find. She was certain she would recall Re's quarters once she had a general sense of direction back about her. She was a pilot... how had she managed to lose all sense of direction on a space station of all things. Finally with a path laid out before her again she walked, her duffel slung across one shoulder to the staff quarters and found the door she had been looking for. She hesitated outside of it, paws nervously playing at her headfur as she considered what she would say when he answered. If he answered, she reminded herself.

"Stashia, you are not knowing if he is even home." She sighed with a heavy breath. Still only one way of knowing for certain, yes? She knocked on the door, pink eyes darting to watch for movement, hopeful and expectant.

[Anauri Rabeak]

The final button on his shirt was loose, and Anauri tugged at it a bit, as if the excess thread were on a tension reel and would simply retract back into place. A new shirt would be nice. Would Joey want a new shirt? Was that a good present? No, Joey already had far too many clothes, even if they all seemed to be a size too small, and if they were what was in fashion, Anauri clearly couldn't consider buying him clothes for Tijdid. A heavy sigh was vented as he looked at himself in the mirror. More gray was peppering his muzzle and temples, and his once-thick headfur was definitely thinning - though not to the bald extent that humans seemed prone to, unfortunate bastards. His base natures forced a flex of one of his arms in the mirror, as if having good biceps would make him look younger. They hardly did, though at least he chuckled and admitted that he wasn't doing too bad for his age.

Gym membership? No, Joey already had that. Another sigh. Getting something off his holonet wish list seemed impersonal, so that was out as well. Not to mention it contained several things that... a father really shouldn't give to his son.

A knock on the door rescued him from his quandry, while presenting a new one entirely. Who would be knocking on his door? Joey would have texted, and most of his senior Engineering staff knew not to bother him after hours unless it was an emergency. Official station contact would have been through his comm, which left precious few options for a random visitor. Forgetting his gift-buying dilemma, as well as the loose button on his shirt, Anauri turned and clunked on over to answer it.

"Yes, can I..." he began as the door slid open. Words failed him immediately after that, mouth hanging open as his eyes went wide. "S-Stashia?" he breathed in disbelief.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She pinned her ears back like a scolded kit at the response. An involuntary reaction, she did feel somewhat guilty for simply appearing on his doorstep once more. But only a very little.

"Hello, Re." She said softly, tail swaying beneath her as she reached up to brush the headfur from her her pink eyes. It was a bit longer than it had been when she was last here, having had no time to seek out a proper stylist on Ossus, if such a person even existed. Her smile brightened as she stood there, drinking him in like a perfectly cooled beer after a long flight. She had missed the sight of him, the scent of him. She wished to kiss him, to throw herself against the older male and savor his musk and taste.

нет. Not yet. "I am sorry I am not calling or contacting you sooner. May I come in?" She motioned at the quarters, heart still in her throat as she waited.

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri stood frozen for a moment, his mind fighting with his heart over whose job it was to make any sort of decision. "Y-yes, of course!" he then blurted, stepping back to invite his former lover inside. Gone was his confident maturity, replaced by dumbfounded confusion, and conflicting emotions, until at last the door shut.

"I... I thought I'd never see you again," he admitted. "I waited for you through the night on Ossus, even well into the next day, but you never came back. You didn't even wave goodbye," there was pain in his voice, and he bit his lower lip. "And you never replied to any of my letters. I thought," he paused, looking into Stashia's eyes, his own so full of heartache which had been wrenched back to the forefront of his being, "I thought you were ashamed of me. Of us. What we did."

[Stashia Yachenka]

Now. Now she was feeling ashamed. She turned, pleading look on her face, ears pinning back to her head as she took his paws. "Garfife, no. I would never be ashamed of us. I am... I am sorry. At first I am thinking that I cannot be setting two paths. That I am needing to only walk in one direction. I did..."

She pulled away just slightly, fidgeting with her own paws, "I did write. I just... I am never sending. I keep telling myself, 'Stashia! You must be saying these things to Re! Is only right, is only fair!' But, it... it is always feeling so final." She came back around on him, standing close to him. "But over time, as I read and I learn and I am meditating. I am thinking again and again... and again of you - and every time I am trying to write to say how I am feeling and I am not finding the words."

She rubbed the back of her neck, tail drooping at the pain she had caused to the older male. "У меня это плохо получается." She whispered softly, "In time. In time I am realizing I am looking at it wrong. Is not one course to be set and other to be abandoned. Is long trip with multiple destinations." She took his hands, held them tightly. "And I am deciding, that life is journey I am wanting to enjoy. As pilot. As Jedi. As perhaps more. But most of all." She squeezed his paws, and let her pink eyes lock on his, "That it is journey I am not wanting to travel alone."

"Re, I am never being ashamed of you. What could I possibly have to be ashamed of you for? I am one who is leaving you with no word, no answer. I am one who is to be ashamed. I am тупой идиот." She bowed her head. "I will understand if you ask me to go. I never meant to cause you harm, Re. You are замечательный, that is to say... wonderful."

[Anauri Rabeak]

The words came and came. Anauri did not hear them as much as he felt them as he gazed upon Stashia. There was pain, there. Pain which mirrored his own, along with yearning. As she took his paws, he could feel a lump forming in his throat, choking him softly, and he had to swallow it down in order to find his own words.

"I don't want you to go," he replied, lifting her chin to meet his gaze once more. His eyes never left her, her beauty greater than any vision his memory could have mustered, but it was not just her looks which desired. Something in him had reached out in those few days with her, and it had latched on in a way he had not felt in years. Now, with Stashia before him once more, he could feel that hold still firm, and he let a smile warm his muzzle, pulling a few wrinkles with it. "Honestly I..."

The older Nehantite then blushed, the insides of his ears flushing pink. "I was a little worried that after what we got up to, I might have accidentally left you with child, and you were mad at me." Fuzzy eyebrows lifted, slightly apprehensive. "Did... did I?"

[Stashia Yachenka]

She brought her paw to her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Oh. Oh I am not laughing at you, I promise." She said between gentle sobs of laughter. "Re. I would never be upset at such a thing." She brought her hands back up to smooth out the engineer's headfur. "But нет, no. This is not something you have given to me. Besides." She smiled a bit wickedly at him. "I was military pilot, we have reputation. Well earned. I am taking precautions of my own and have for some time."

She leaned in to nuzzle him gently, wrapping her arms around him, glad to be near to the engineer again after so long. She sighed against his chest with a rumbling murr as she let her tail wrap against their legs. "I cannot promise to be here always, Re." She said softly, "But I want to be here when I can be. I am... this is." She pulled back just enough to give them space for her to look up at him, headfur slipping in front of her soft, and damp, pink eyes. "I am new to this. To this feeling. Lust. Lust I am knowing well." She chuckled softly. "I am not thinking this is lust, lust is not hurting like this."

[Anauri Rabeak]

A sigh of relief washed away Anauri's apprehension of possibly being a father again, though there was a small twinge of sadness at that knowledge as well, which he hadn't expected. But the reveal that Stashia was on birth control made him regret wasting the time it took to buy a box of rubbers, before, or how their limited number affected the pair's previous interactions.

As Stashia leaned in, he let his strong arms pull her close, holding her there to feel the beat of his heart through his chest, and... well, there was no way she wasn't going to feel that too, now, but he tried not to focus on it. A broad paw cupping her cheek as she pulled back, he rubbed it softly with his thumb, and smiled. "No, this isn't lust," he nodded. "I've felt this before, and I'm so glad to feel it again, with you."

Saying no more, the larger Nehantite leaned down to kiss her, kiss her as he dreamt of doing ever since he had let her go.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She heard him tell her this was not lust, even as his body said simply 'No. That is not entirely true' to her as she pressed her form to his, she rumbled deep in her chest at that particular thought and what it would entail for later in the evening. For now it was enough to be held, and as she leaned her muzzle up to his, letting him guide them together, to kiss. It was passionate and deep as she remembered, drawn out all the more by the time apart. Absence truly had made the heart fonder, and she felt hers soar as they came together.

нет.

Not lust. For all that was present and all the pain being away from Re had caused her, being together again with him brought more elation, even without the physical sensation, than she could remember. It was like experiencing her first solo flight again for the first time. She broke the kiss slowly, peppering a second lingering one against his muzzle. She was painfully aware of the pheromones that were in play now, her tail reading the signals and physical interaction of the pair in a more instinctual way. She chuckled low in her throat as she leaned in to nip at his neck "Perhaps we should be reacquainting ourselves?"

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri was trying to fight it. His talk of love, of something greater than animal desire, of real feelings, it was all true, but so was the urge which coursed though his body. The low rumble of a male in need could be not only heard in his own deep murr, but vibrating through his whole form as he kissed her back, his paws caressing her back, and her backside.

"I was supposed to be out looking for a Tajdid present," he rumbled quietly, then smiled. "But, I think it can wait."

His tail lashed behind him, partly in excitement, and partly in his role's naturally dominant display, while his paws slowly untucked Stashia's shirt, his fingers raking through the bare fur of her sides as he worked it up. "Though, I'm all out of what I had to wear last time. Is that going to be a problem?"

A quick run to the store was the last thing Anauri, and Anauri's libido, wanted in that moment - both of them deciding that if he wound up becoming a dad again, going without would still be worth it.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She smiled comfortingly as she let her paws rest against his chest and allowed the older male to take the lead. She was typically much more forward, as she had demonstrated in their last time together on the station, but it had been a while and Anauri's tail was providing her clear hints of where his thoughts were. It was oddly charming. She was unaccustomed to taking such a passive role but it felt strangely appropriate in the moment. She let her own tail relent to his dominance, submitting. There would be time later to show she was no mere damsel.

"As I am saying, Re. I am taking precautions, even now. Ossus has quite the wonderful medical facility." She kissed playfully at his muzzle, murring in delight as he ran his fingers through her soft fur. "I am all yours."

[Anauri Rabeak]

The rumble of delight which emanated from Anauri's throat at that confirmation was enough to fill his generous quarters, and clothing began to hit the floor as he half-purred, half-growled while nuzzling her neck. "Mmmf, you have no idea how good it is to hear that," he said. "I hate wearing those damn things."

Those were the final words which passed between them before Anauri lay her back upon his bed, clad in their fur, and gleefully picked up where their relationship had left off.

Thoughts of Tijdad shopping could not have been any further from his mind.

[Stashia Yachenka]

Several hours passed between them and their attempts to rediscover each and every corner of one another. At last Stashia lay draped across Anauri's chest, a drawn out and satisfied rumble of appreciation running through her form. She was content to simply lay against him in the moment an itch that no one else could have scratched finally taken care of. She actually wasn't entirely sure she could move at the moment, and not solely due to the surprising amount of vigorous energy Re had for a male of his age.

It was a good thing she had taken those precautions before leaving Ossus, and now planned on remaining on them - or да, she would very much be expecting kits. Her tail flopped lazily about on the bedspread, torn apart by their time together and she nuzzled at his shoulder, murring in delight. She was certain she had made the right choice in returning. How could she ever believe that time with someone so удивительно was anything but? Splitting her time between Ossus and here would not be an easy feat - but when had she ever taken an easy route. нет, the more challenging path was always the way with most enjoyment and reward.

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey Rabeak stared at his personal comm, then at the empty seat opposite him at the small table in the Selonian restaurant he'd discovered the week before. Five minutes late wasn't an issue. Ten, still understandable. Fifteen minutes at least deserved a text message. But half an hour late? That was enough to be a problem.

And it wasn't that Anauri had been called back into work on some sort of emergency, either. Joey knew, as he'd texted Gradoona about it, and she'd confirmed that his dad had clocked out on time, and hadn't been seen since. So why wasn't he at dinner? Especially a special dinner that was meant to kick off things for Tajdid! Frustrated, Joey sent another text to his father's comm, only to wait a few minutes for no answer. Either Anauri was avoiding him, or something was wrong.

Paying his tab for the drink he'd ordered, plus a more than generous tip for hogging a table with no real food order, Joey exited the restaurant and beat a path to his father's quarters, simmering with anger for having been stood up. But that anger turned to worry as he realized that Anauri would never intentionally ditch him. Had he fallen ill? Injured himself somehow? Slipped and hit his head in the shower? Heart attack? The possible reasons grew wilder and more intense as Joey picked up his pace, forcing through crowds in the hallway as he nearly broke into a run.

When at last he arrived at Anauri's door, he pressed the buzzer and waited. Nothing. Not a sound. Again. Nothing. After a third time he feared for the worst, so he flipped up the access panel and punched in his dad's universal override code. Technically Joey shouldn't know it, but his dad was a creature of habit, so it had to be one of three old ones for a door panel. Upon entry of the second, the door slid open, and Joey burst into the dim interior.

"Dad! Are you okay?" he blurted. "I was at the - WOAH!"

The younger Nehantite stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes fell upon the bed, and the two bodies entwined upon it. "Holy..." he then managed, his jaw hanging open, eyes wide at what he saw. Immediately he knew how Anauri must have felt upon catching him with Hamesh, yet he couldn't look away. The female was Stashia, he guessed, from her black fur, and his dad was... apparently good for another round, still.

A hard swallow and a look of panic were what met Anauri's eyes as the older Nehantite startled to attention.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Joey!" Anauri half-bellowed, half yelped at the sudden surprise of his adult son standing there. Realization of what was on display, sent his paws scrambling for a sheet, followed by an inelegant yank to try and cover himself and Stashia, though it didn't work as well as hoped due to how badly they had tangled his bedding. When he realized Joey was still staring - and at what - he snapped. "Other way!"

Joey's squeak of fearful compliance to the demand accompanied his quick heel-turn, along with a paw slapped over his eyes, just in case.

Taking the moment to properly cover himself with the sheet, and at least Stashia's lower half, he then cleared his throat. After such an amazing evening, the sudden intrusion was like being hit with a bucket of ice water, though he soon found the humor in it, having caught Joey in similar situations before.

"You... you can turn back around now," he grunted at last. "This better be good."

[Joey Rabeak]

Slowly, cautiously Joey turned on the heel of his expensive leather loafers, and parted his the fingers of the paw covering his eyes before pulling it away. Swallowing again, he allowed himself to look once more, this time going for faces instead of... Oh damn, adjusting himself wasn't going to be possible without severe awkwardness. Hopefully his dad and this female wouldn't notice?

He was wearing skinny chinos, they were totally going to notice.

Blame it on the smell in here, his higher reasoning told him.

Thankfully a different set of words came out of his mouth. "I, uh, missed you at dinner. Came to see if you were okay," he explained, feeling stupid. Then he looked stupid as he quirked an eyebrow and cocked his head. "Wait, she's real?"

Despite Anauri having told Joey about Stashia, Joey had thought it was just some lame excuse for not having a love life anymore. He'd never thought Stashia was actually real!

[Stashia Yachenka]

She had nearly been thrown off the bed, and quite out of her blissful afterglow when a voice had called out from the doorway and things had gone belly up. For herself near literally as in the attempt right the sheets and get them covered she had been flipped from her position across Anauri to his side, paws digging in to find purchase and keep from sliding straight off onto the floor from her momentum. She had succeeded, but the remnants of Anauri and her time together had most definitely shifted about and the sheets were going to need washed before they were used again. She managed to scramble under the covers alongside the older Nehantite, a curse in Kroskovan on he breath.

She had apparently kept Re from dinner as well.

проклятье!

She would have to make amends with both Re and... she looked at the younger Nehantite. Around her age, quite handsome in a way that stood out to her much like Anauri did. She had been about to apologize when her ears perked forward and she blinked at his other words.

"What are you meaning 'She's real?'" She said with an indignant lilt to her tone. Looking first at this intruder then back to Anauri expectantly. "Re, who is this... how are you saying соглядатай? Peeper? Peeping, spy. This spy." She tried not to let her eyes wander too far down, having already noticed his response to the situation they had been discovered in and trying not to call additional attention to it.

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri wrapped an arm around Stashia's shoulders, pulling her closer to him, while also assuring her that things were okay.

"This spy, is my son, Jofar," he answered, his voice rumbling with annoyance. "We call him Joey, and..." he then sighed, looking up at ceiling. "...and I totally forgot I was supposed to have dinner with him, tonight, after you showed up."

[Joey Rabeak]

Joey's eyes darted from one face to the other, while his body clearly wished that the room wasn't quite so... fragrant.

"Well, at least you had a good distraction," Joey tried to laugh, but it came out forced and awkward. "But maybe next time check your comm when you hear it go off? I was texting you. I was worried you might be in trouble."

The dimmed light glittered off of a spot on the sheet as it moved, forcing him to bite his lip, toes curling hard inside his shoes to distract himself from the reality of it all.

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri's eyebrows raised, and he looked across the room to where his personal comm lay on his desk. "Oh," he managed. "I, uh, think it's still on vibrate from work."

The sensation of Stashia shifting against him brought him back to what he had been rudely interrupted from, and his focus returned. "But, yes, this is Stashia. I told you she's real. And she's really in my bed right now, so... I'm fine, and we're gonna have to do a raincheck on dinner, good?"

His ears suddenly blushed as he felt Stashia moving again, but this time it was her paw, to a very specific place under the sheets. His fingers gripped her shoulder in a light warning, recalling how she had teased him while he was on the comm with his commanding officer, last time she was here. She wouldn't do that again this time, would she? In front of his son?

It was then that he glanced down upon Joey's frame as well, and the awkwardness in the room went to eleven.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She had moved her paw to straighten the covers around them and found her fingers trail over something that she was quite familiar with at this point. For a moment, a fleeting moment she entertained the notion of being quite the little minx about it all before she felt Anauri's hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. нет. That was not the time for such a thing. She finished straightening the sheet instead, arranging it in such a way as to make his condition less immediately noticeable.

As she finished up beneath the covers her ears dipped in apologetic display to the younger male. "I am being so sorry Joer- Jo- Juh-ree..." Her muzzle wrinkled in annoyance. "This is very hard word to say. Jofar." Her thick accent colored the name with a distinct Kroskovan flavor, the J sounding far closer to a 'Y' on her tongue. "I dropped by rather unexpectedly." She smiled sheepishly at the young Nehantite "I had been hoping to spend Tijdad together. I am not meaning to intrude."

[Joey Rabeak]

As the initial shock wore off, Joey's mind alerted him to the seriousness of where he stood, with all the subtlety of a mallet.

"I, uh, actually I'm pretty sure I'm the one intruding," he managed, backing slowly toward the door, as turning to the side would make things all the more obvious. "Glad you're okay, Dad; raincheck on dinner. And, nice meeting you, Stashia," he said with a nod to each of them respectively. "Let's, uh, circle back tomorrow on the whole Tajdid thig, okay? Maybe with, like, pants on, hopefully?"

He didn't wait for a reply, fumbling with the button for the door before backing out of it. "Cool, well, sorry for... y'know."

With that, the door closed, leaving Anauri and Stashia to their privacy once again.

[Anauri Rabeak]

As soon as he heard the door re-lock, Anauri sighed deeply, burying his face in his paws to hide the deep pink flush of his embarrassment.

"Sweet Garfife, what in the Pit was that?" he groaned.

One paw coming away from his face, he looked to Stashia with sour sadness written all over his face. "Honey, I am so, so sorry about that!"

[Stashia Yachenka]

She tried to respond and found a choking laugh to her voice. "Is... is not your fault, Re." She shook her head with an awkward smile. "These things, eh, these things will happen." She considered, bringing her knees to her chest and a bit of the covers with them, "He was worried about you, is good thing, yes? This? This will be funny story one day to tell while drinking." She leaned in and kissed his salt-and-pepper muzzle softly to reassure him. Her scent was heavy with lust and hormones and she was now painfully aware of that, her muzzle wrinkling slightly as any potential desire to continue in their previous activities was stifled by what had just transpired.

"I am going for shower, if you are not minding?" She motioned at the refresher attached to the room and what she had to assume were functioning sonics.

[Anauri Rabeak]

And just like that, it was over for the evening, Anauri told himself. Glancing back at refresher door, he nodded, a paw rubbing her bare back. "Yeah, help yourself. It's sonic on the left side, water showerhead on the right, if you prefer."

While unconventional for a space station shower, being coated with fur meant that sometimes nothing but water would do, so he'd made sure his quarters were thusly equipped.

His fingers traced down her back as she stood, sweeping along her tailbase, then leg, as he stretched to better follow her body. Maybe it would be a funny story, someday, but someday is always a moment which isn't the present. Another sigh, and he glanced down. Then climbed out of bed to give chase.

"Shower's big enough for two, if you're interested," he chuckled, paws stroking the sides of her hips from behind as he kissed the back of her neck.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She stood there savoring the feel of him behind her, body telling the black-furred Kroskovan she was very much willing to go another round she found herself oddly at war between her instincts and her mind. She wanted to tell him no, that the moment had passed and there would be time later, she even started to 'Oh, нет, Re - no more this evening, I am still feeling sore from earlier!' while more primal urges were encouraging her to recognize just how good he felt pressed near to her, how warm and welcoming a real shower could be their bodies intertwining with cascading water and... oh dear, it seems a decision was being made for her.

Her tail had already wrapped itself tightly around Anauri's waist and held him near as she murred deeper in her throat. "We really must get cleaned up." She insisted, "But I am not wanting to get lost... you should show me way." She walked forward into the refresher, bringing him along with her, her tail giving him directions to follow. She did hope they wouldn't drive his water bill up too far.

[Anauri Rabeak]

That night, Anauri slept more soundly than he had in months, upon clean sheets which had been laid out after cleaning themselves up as well. Morning came with the unfortunate need to separate himself from the beautiful woman at his side, having held her to him through the night in a tender embrace. A gentle kiss graced her cheek before he carefully, quietly slipped out of bed, and was dressed and ready for the day before Stashia had awoken.

For the next half-hour, Anauri split his attention between reports from Engineering, and simply watching Stashia sleep. Could it last, he wondered. They had a connection, yes, but did they really know each other well enough for this to actually be love? Those questions ate at his soul as he pondered what life with a partner would truly be like again, even if it would be separated by distance more often than not. And, if it were real, if this truly was love, was he ready to be married again?

A glance down at his bare ring finger, bore the telltale thinned fur of a man who had worn a ring for many years in the past. Could he wear a ring again? And... what would Joey think?

Immediately his mind flashed back to Joey's intrusion the night before, and he shook his head. That certainly wasn't going to make things easier, nor was Stashia's age. She and Joey were around the same age, how could Joey truly accept his father dating a woman so young? And if it led to something more, would Joey be able to call Stashia "Mom?" Even further, how would Stashia react to possibly having Joey as a step-son? And would she be able to accept his... preference?

No. No, those were questions for a later time, Anauri told himself. First he had to know where he and Stashia stood, and the day would be a good test of that. No more bedroom antics until the night, it would be a normal day, testing their relationship at things other than, well, mating. Also he still had to find Joey a Tajdid present, so perhaps Stashia could help with that? If she wasn't too off-put by meeting him in the first place, that was.

The rumble of his stomach came as a reminder that he had missed dinner in more ways than one, and so he looked over at Stashia's form as she slept, admiring the dark luster of her fur. But he didn't wake her. No, she had earned her sleep, and he would let her have as much of it as she wished.

[Stashia Yachenka]

Stashia would have slept soundly that evening even if there hadn't been all the physical activity of the day before. Feeling Re against her, his warmth holding her tight was something magical. She had had lovers before, even those who would stay the evening and hold her close, but those had been flings and interludes, a shared bed on a cold night. This felt deeper. It was an alien concept to the Kroskovan pilot, a sensation of belonging that went past her homeland, or finding those that shared her interests and feelings.

She had been searching for how the right words for it, even in her own tongue she had trouble finding the precise description.

центр or maybe even сердце.

In Basic the closest word was 'home' though that felt too cold for what she experienced when pressed against the older male. It wasn't merely a place or location, it was a center to her being.This had been what she had worried most about, finding him again, working through the difficulties of reuniting. She had left him with no contact for so long, to simply walk back into his life was... troublesome. But he had felt the warmth of longing, of wanting to be together just as she had.

She was not used to having an opportunity to sleep in and took full advantage of being away from her normal duties. As a pilot in the military it had been strict morning routines and schedules. As a Jedi she had found a similar morning routine helpful to focus her studies and meditation. So a morning where she could simply lay about a bit longer than usual? Yes, she was very grateful for this. She sat up slowly, covers coming with her to drape against her form as she turned her head to look at the older male watching her. She didn't say anything at first, simply considering him, looking at him for a long while as she wondered what kind of a life she could have with him. There had been the question of kits the day before, on if he had given her one with their animated lovemaking the last time she were here.

She had been quick to assure him that it was not something that would upset her, and she was left now to reflect on that. Was that truly how she felt? How fast she had said that, how assured she had been, was that what lay in her heart? She had never considered being a mother before. Her commission had always come first, then the expectation of becoming a Jedi on Ossus. She had met children on Ossus though, hadn't she? It may not be a typical consideration but it wasn't one that seemed to be expressly forbidden. She thought back of Jofar, who had found them in bed together the night before. Of how much he did look like his father. Would their child look very much the same? Handsome and strong like his father or smooth and lithe like her mother? Perhaps neither, both or somewhere in between.

There was time later for such a consideration. Now she should get up for the day, there was likely still much to do for Tijdad. She yawned and forced a stretch that let a loud pop echo off the walls of the bedroom as her back straightened, her ears pinning down involuntarily in reaction.

"Good morning, Re." She said swinging her legs over the bed and searching the room for where they had thrown off her clothes the night before.

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri's ears ticked up at that pop, and he looked up from the datapad he was reading, a pair of reading glasses perched on his muzzle. They came off as Stashia began to get up, and he set down his datapad to ease up out of the leather chair he'd been sat in. Barefoot - a rare occurrence for the engineer - he padded over, offering his paw to assist her up.

"Good morning to you as well, beautiful," he smiled. No clothing littered the floor, anymore, and instead he nodded to a neatly folded stack on his dresser. "Hope you don't mind, took the liberty of putting them through the wash for you." As Chief Engineer, with a frequent track record of becoming covered in grease, oil, smoke residue, and other unpleasant substances, he'd made a case to have his own sonic laundry installed in his quarters. Then put one in, anyway, after the request was denied.

"Sleep well, I hope? Not too sore?" A wink and a chuckle, then. If Anauri had made an effort to dress nicely, that day, it either wasn't an especially concerted effort, or it could be that he simply didn't dress up that often. Still, his pair of khaki slacks, and pale ice-green short-sleeved shirt with a pair of broad dark green stripes down the front looked suitable for a day out, the shirt's mother-of-pearl buttons glinting in the dim light of his reading lamp.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She accepted the offered paw with a thankful nod, footing just the barest uneven in the early morning as she stood. "Нет, нет..." She chuckled "Not being too sore, just a bit stiff." They had worked muscles she wasn't even sure she had exercised during her training with the Jedi and not everything agreed with the sudden usage. She held up her shirt from the night before, considering before folding it and setting it back down. She strolled past Anauri, leaning down to gather up a duffel that rested near a small table near his leather chair, she sorted through it, coming away with clean undergarments, a pair of gray capri pants and a white wool and cotton top with long sleeves and a turtle neck. She returned to the edge of the bed to get dressed, finishing up by brushing her headfur to one side in a naturally ruffled manner. She'd find and fasten her boots on when they were ready to go.

"I am looking good?" She asked, turning to Re to let him assess what she was wearing. She had worn this assemble before and was fond of it, but she hadn't had a chance to wear something so leisurely with the older male before. Her last visit saw her in her informal pilot wear and flight jacket, the same outfit she had arrived in this time.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"You look lovely, it suits you well" he assured her with a smile, "Though we may pick up a lighter top for you while we're out today. Jovan does get a bit warm around the promenade." He wiggled his bare toes to emphasize.

"Was thinking of a nice day out," Anauri continued. "Show you around my station, sample some different restaurants, maybe take in a show, if you like." It wasn't the most exciting of plans, but Anauri also wasn't the most exciting of men - a thing his ex-wife had chided him about whenever he tried to arrange their date nights. What it was, however, was honest. A true look at his life, so that Stashia could decide for herself if she wanted more than just passionate nights with him.

"Oh, and we'll probably be doing dinner with Joey, tonight. My son," he added. That flush of embarrassment came back to pinken the insides of his ears. "I'm really sorry about last night. I had intended to introduce you to him, but that wasn't really what I had in mind. He... came back into my life unexpectedly a few months ago, and we've been working on catching up and being a family again. I do hope you'll like him, Stashia. He's a bit rambunctious, but he's a good kid."

Immediately he winced inside. He'd said "kid" in reference to Joey's age, which he pegged to be quite near Stashia's. While he could play this one off as simply a father talking about his son, Anauri knew he was going to have to be more careful with his words, going forward.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She had not considered that a station in space would be a place to be concerned about warm weather, and had packed expecting that to be the case. Yes, they likely should pick up something a bit lighter for her time here as her other clothes weren't much better. Anauri laid out his day and she felt at bliss. It was such a normal day. Shopping, entertainment, food. It was... comfortable. Stashia loved exciting things certainly, but it was also what she did for a living. First as a pilot, then as a Jedi, which admittedly was not that exciting, yet, but had the potential to be. Even if it were not, she was still a pilot. She wanted something she could come home to that gave her a rock, a steady sense of being without having to constantly adjust for courses, wind and air variables and the litany of other minutia she had to keep track of while flying. She was excited to take the time here to recharge, in fact.

Ah and dinner with Jofar. That would be nice, he did seem like a good... kid. Hmm. He didn't seem so very young, he couldn't have been that much younger than... she... was.

ады

She had never even considered just how deep the gulf between them was. Re was distinguished, battle-tested and mature. Exactly the type of man she adored the most, but their ages were also quite distant from one another. It was one thing to have a romantic tryst with someone, it was another to suddenly think of a future with them.

ады

She repeated again in her head. How would she introduce him to papa, to mama? 'Yes, this is boyfriend, Re. He is your age, so there is being much for you to talk about.' Not a conversation she particularly looked forward to. She looked at him again, seeing the salt-and-pepper to his muzzle the lines of his age on his face, and thought to herself how handsome he was. She was certain there was more to appraise there, a serious conversation she should be considering, but that was her first thought. She chased away her insecurity. He was worth the trouble, she was certain of that. Even if she was young still, no male had ever made her feel like she did with him.

"I am looking forward to you showing me your station Re. There is still so much of it I want to see." She smiled happily at him, sitting back down on the edge of the bed as she began to tie up her boots.

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri remained barefoot, enjoying the sensation as it was a constant reminder that he wasn't on duty. As Chief Engineer, and as an engineer in general in a naturally zero-gravity environment, he'd learned the importance of always having mag-boots, just in case. But today he wasn't Chief Engineer Rabeak, he was simply Anauri, and that was a delightful relief.

But then came some worry, and he sat back down as Stashia laced her boots with military precision.

"Um, Stashia, before we go out, there's something I need to tell you. Something you need to know," he said. The fingers of his left paw gripped his knee as he did while nervous, fiddling a bit with a fold of the fabric of his khakis. "It's about Joey, and, why I'm no longer married to his mother."

Another sigh, he was stalling. His left paw tensed, index finger twitching a bit from side to side. "Joey's mother divorced me because of something I did. Something I did for him. See, I always wanted him to be happy, and I tried to be a good dad, but..." He paused, shaking his head again to try and get himself back on track.

"No. Damn it, I was a good dad," he stated. "And I'm just going to say it: Joey prefers males. Exclusively."

It was a heavy admission for one from Nehantish to state, knowing the adversity such preference faced, there, but he had to know how Stashia felt on the matter.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She stopped what she was doing to watch Re as he spoke, the worry over something that ate at him evident as she watched his nervous habits. It couldn't be anything too bad, certainly? But it seemed to be worrying him so. Something about his son, about Jofar. As a father it was understandable for him to be worried about...

Then the words "Why I'm no longer married to his mother." Stashia felt her breath hitch an immediate pang of dread filling her chest as he seemed to fight against telling her what was bothering him. She gave him time, space to get it out at his own rate.

"No. Damn it, I was a good dad, and I'm just going to say it: Joey prefers males. Exclusively."

She had expected the worst. Some hidden family secret that had destroyed them, torn them apart, ruined their lives and... she blinked, head tilting to the side at the words as her ears lay flat for a moment then perked back forward as she worked that through in her head. "Is... is that it?" She said a bit sheepishly, not wanting to make it seem like it was less important than Re clearly found it to be. It was still somewhat frowned upon, certainly, but it was not that big of a deal anymore, unpleasant looks certainly but that was... wait. The realization hit her like a truck. She was Kroskovan. Part of the Midlothian union. Re was Nehantish. She winced at how immediately dismissive she had been, impacted by her own younger age and acceptance of such a thing.

"Re." She paused, bringing a paw to her mouth to consider the best way to respond. This was important to him, difficult for him to speak of. She understood why, though she did not have the history someone from Nehantish would. "If you are asking, am I being okay with this? I am. I have known... one or two like this. Well enough that I am knowing there is nothing wrong with who they are. What they feel. I am not understanding it, but I am not judging." She stood up and went over to rest her hand on his, gripping it to assure him she was still here. "Jofar is your son. And you love him, and that is wonderful. Even if I did not understand this, I would be trying to. Because it means much to you." He needed to know that she was here for him, in all ways that mattered. She wanted to be.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"...is that it?"

The words hit Anauri in the face like a haughty slap. He knew Stashia didn't mean them that way, that she was an outsider to his family's pain, yet his mind immediately surged to anger at his son's hardships being so trivialized.

But before he could speak, Stashia continued, and he could feel his anger wane, melting away as it never should have formed in the first place. She wasn't angry for not having "corrected" Joey, she didn't sneer in disgust the way so many others had, back home, and she wasn't walking out the door because Anauri supported his son. It was new, and different, and Anauri wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

His eyes looked up to Stashia's, his paw turning over beneath hers to grasp it, squeezing lightly. "Thank you," was all he could say at first, a smile slowly returning to his face. "I think you'll like him, when you get to know him. Besides, you two have something in common. He's a fighter pilot, too. Alliance navy, Titan Squadron."

[Stashia Yachenka]

She smiled back at his words, but her face positively lit up at the mention he was a pilot, pink eyes widening in surprise and delight as her mouth curled up into a bright smile.

"фантастика!"

She found herself squeal in delight. "Re, this is wonderful!" Her mind immediately reeled with questions to ask a fellow pilot. Wondering what his ship was like, what stories he had, what missions he had flown. She always enjoyed hearing from other pilots. Each one had stories uniquely their own, best shared over a cold bear with much laughter and camaraderie. It also meant something she could speak to him about, an ice breaker that didn't involve Anauri and one that wouldn't bring up the awkwardness of the night before. She squeezed Anauri's hands again. "If he is pilot, then I am knowing you are raising him right." She said with a soft chuckle, "Only good and proud papa able raise pilot. I am knowing this from experience." She boasted with a humorous tone. She let her paw linger over his a moment longer before straightening up.

"Well then, Anauri Rabeak." She smiled saying his whole name like a title to be worn. "I am very much looking forward to rest of day and of seeing more of your station."

[Anauri Rabeak]

It probably wasn't the best moment to mention that he hadn't encouraged Joey to become a pilot. In fact, once Anauri had found out, he'd tried to talk him out of the dangerous occupation, and find one more befitting his education. So Anauri didn't mention it, instead simply smiling at Stashia, then rose to his feet.

"And I look forward to showing it to you," he chuckled. Wallet, keycards, and personal comm each deposited into the correct pockets, and he offered a crooked arm for Stashia to take as he opened the door. "Was thinking breakfast on the balcony floor, overlooking the main promenade; I know a good place. I'd love to hear how things are going on Ossus. Admittedly I don't know much about the Jedi."

[Stashia Yachenka]

She took his arm, glad to see his oddly chivalrous ways were still present. It was a cute quirk of an older male that she was unaccustomed to. It was endearing. She walked alongside him as she let him lead her out and into the station once more.

"Things are... slow." She admitted. "I am waiting, still, to be assigned a master. Until such time I am initiate, and am studying with groups like myself. It is quite unique though." She laughed, considering everything she had come across while there. "Are you knowing there is medical droid on base who wears clothes? On my honor, actual clothes." She considered the blue droid, who had set a sprained wrist she had gotten while practicing her hand to hand. "Quite lovely though, very kind." She thought about what else had been happening while she was there. "Oh! Big news that is mostly kept to hushed rumor! I am hearing we have former Imperial there now. Defector." She made a shushing motion with one paw.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Imperial defector?" Anauri's ears perked hard, and he studied Stashia's face for any sort of joke in such a statement. His fuzzy brow knit as he realized she was serious. "It's not that other Nehantite I've heard about, is it? There have been rumors that the Empire has one of our own as a Knight."

His voice was low, eyes darting about to ensure no one else was paying attention to them as he led Stashia to the turbolift. "How and why any Nehantite could serve them, only Garfife knows."

[Stashia Yachenka]

She tried to think back to the rumors she had heard while they waited for the lift. What had she heard about the Imperial? She knew it was a him, that Master Vymes had vouched for them, and that they had been held on the Jedi spacecraft while the Alliance and Council finally decided what was to be done. Just before she had left for this trip she had also overheard that he had been released. Was there anything in any of the rumors that pointed to it being a fellow Nehantite? She knew of the Munjan who worked on the droids, of Ndonsa, who she really should get the nerve up to introduce herself to at some point, but nothing came to her about the former Imperial.

"I am... not believing so." She said as the lift arrived and they stepped inside. "Is first I am hearing of this Imperial Nehantite." Everything she had heard of the Empire made her agree with Anauri's question. She supposed it was some kind of title though, just as being one of the first Jedi had been. Her own people had been excited just to have the third. Still she was thankful that was not an assignment she had received.

нет, such an assignment likely would have given her even less freedom in her decisions, and likely kept her from ever being stopped on Jovan or meeting her Re. Truly that Nehantite had been cursed.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"We hear a lot of things, out here. Being so close to the border, and all," Anauri replied. "Though that one's just been rumor, it seems."

The turbolift stopped gently, the doors sliding open to allow the noise of the promenade to rush in. Gentle music fell smoothly to fill the gaps in the chatter of the floor below, hundreds of races represented speaking in dozens of languages. Anauri led Stashia to the edge of the walkway, overlooking the main promenade level, with its crowds, shops, booths, restaurants and service facilities. She had seen it before, of course, on her first trip, yet Anauri always felt it was worth a second look.

Tens of thousands of people passed through Jovan every day, most of them never knowing how difficult it was to keep a space station running, all the lights on, doors working, water running, and temperature regulated. Anauri knew, as he had been tasked with ensuring all of those things worked properly, and plenty more. An oblivious populace was the mark of a good engineer, and it seemed those on the Promenade simply took Jovan working so well for granted.

"As far as things with the Jedi go, don't worry, I'm sure you'll get a master soon," he said, leaning upon the rail. "When I was sixteen, I went to the orbital shipyards with a group of other boys. I learned there, as part of that group, and that's how much of my practical instruction was handled. It wasn't until I was eighteen that I was apprenticed to a Journeyman and got to specialize my skills. Years more before I became a Journeyman, then Master Engineer, and finally ran my own shipyard. I don't see why the Jedi wouldn't work the same way."

A paw slid up her back to rub her shoulder as he smiled. "But from what my friend Tevit tells me, things on Ossus can move pretty quick. Wouldn't be surprised if you go back to learn you've got a master already."

While Stashia might not have met Tevit Ramastan, she'd certainly have seen him. Yellow-furred Nehantite who had been promoted to site foreman, overseeing much of the construction and improvements in Sanctuary. Pity that his work often ground out his sense of humor.

[Stashia Yachenka]

She nodded to the note of rumors that the space station was likely to get that she wouldn't have heard as they arrived at the walkway and she looked over the station once again. It had been a while since she had seen this and her first trip she had... other things on her mind, first her wayward pilot, then the woman De'Ville, and finally Re himself. This was the first time she'd been able to stop and really look at what lay before here. A hub city that showcased all possible corners of the universe. It was... nearly overwhelming.

"прекрасный..." She whispered softly, looking out at it as she felt Re's hand on her shoulders. His comforting words in her ear. "да. You are likely right." she said with a smile, "I am certain that I will have much to learn and do even if I am not getting a master right away. This is being good way to look at it, Re. Reminds me much of academy." She smiled up at him, squeezing his arm a bit tighter.

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri smiled, daring a kiss to her cheek in public. "Well, hopefully breakfast here will be better than the academy," he chuckled. "I think I know just the place."

With a spring in his step, Anauri escorted Stashia to one of his favorite breakfast joints, though not his daily standby as he presumed that black stimcaff and koiboberry jelly-filled donuts might not be the best thing to impress with after such a night. Like Anauri, the place wasn't fancy, but it made up for it with honest charm and generous portions. Over his breakfast, Anauri did his best at morning small talk, though it became clear he wasn't terribly practiced at it outside of engineering conversations. From the way he dressed, to his quarters, and even his conversation, everything about the Nehantite screamed of years of bachelor life, and he struggled to find the right gear in which to move beyond that.

But he was trying. Stumbling in attempts to find a good topic to talk about, searching for the right words for his replies, and making a clear, concerted effort to focus on his... girlfriend? Was that what Stashia was, now? He certainly hoped so. Making a concerted effort to focus on her interests and desires, all while fighting the temptation to simply head back to his quarters where they could easily find something to do until lunch.

No. That would have to wait for evening, he reminded himself as his plate was nearly cleared. A buzz from his personal comm saved him during that lull in conversation, and he fished it from his pocket to see "ENGINEERING" written in the contact ID field. A sigh sank his broad shoulders, and he took the call. "Holiday weekend, this better be good," he spoke upon answering, then knit his brow as he listened. "I see. Well, hold down the fort, I'll be there in a bit."

The comm was clicked off and stuffed down into his pocket once more before Anauri looked back to Stashia, a sheepish smile. "Um, want to see Engineering?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't mind having to accompany him while he attended to an urgent matter.

[Stashia Yachenka]

Breakfast had, in fact, been better than at academy. Not that this was difficult to accomplish. Stashia had nothing against the food on Ossus, but it very much reminded her of her own meals from back home. That is, cooked quickly and in mass quantities. Hungry soldiers are much like hungry students. She smiled as the older male tried very hard to find common interests and bits of conversation. He was out of practice, though she herself had never been particularly good at it, either - also stumbling and laughing her way through breakfast. As a military pilot her thoughts before had always been to get it where she could find it and be gone in the morning, or shortly there after.

Romance? Dating? This was new to her. The call to engineering had come during a somewhat awkward pause in their conversation and broke the tension. She was comfortable around Re, but it was apparent just how much of their relationship had began due to their instincts. They were from different ages and different worlds.

Мать выше... how would they make this work?

"May I?" She said a bit surprised at the offer. "I would not want to be intruding." She was unfamiliar with the regulations and procedures of the station and didn't want to begin her trip with yet another talk with the stern Bothan who handled the security.

[Anauri Rabeak]

"Oh, don't worry," Anauri chuckled. "You'd hardly be the most unwelcome intruder we've had. It'll be fine."

An old, well-worn wallet was pulled from his back pocket, likely as old or older than Stashia herself, and he flicked through it with blunted clawtips. A pair of bills were pulled out and set on the table, more than enough to cover their breakfast and a tip, and he nodded to their waitress before slugging down the last of his coffee, then sliding out of his seat. The thought of Anuari not paying for everything had never crossed his mind, as it would be ungentlemanly, and therefore unacceptable when out with a lady. To that note, he offered his arm once more, smiling as Stashia took it.

"I'm afraid my workplace isn't as grand and venerable as your new Jedi temple," he said, leading the way. "This was an Imperial station that they gave up as part of the border agreement. Took a few months to get her into proper shape, and she's been a temperamental lady ever since. Took some serious damage in a Cizerack attack a while back, but apart from spire six, we've mostly recovered from that."

The scarring beneath the thinned fur on his left paw showed that not everything that had been damaged was the same, though. Things never were the same after a battle, and Anauri knew that as a former soldier. A few shortcuts made possible by service door overrides, and a crew-only turbolift later, Anauri watched as the doors opened into Main Engineering, and he gently had to let his arm drop, displaying he was back in his workplace, and had to be professional.

Though professional might not have been the best word to describe Main Engineering, which looked more like an industrial workshop with station monitors everywhere, and a few heavy blaster bolt scars still pocking a few walls and the ceiling, though some had been painted over.

"Where's the fire?" he called out, striding confidently into his domain. While he trusted his team enough to have gotten things sorted by the time he arrived, Anauri had to admit some secret desire to find it was still an issue, so that he could show off a bit by sorting it out in front of Stashia, proving he had some prowess outside the bedroom as well.

[Stashia Yachenka]

Re was always the gentleman, she smiled as she took his arm and let him guide her through the station. It was a habit she would have to get used to. Pink eyes wide as she took in parts of the station that people outside of the staff and service crew rarely had opportunity to see. Her ears darted forward as they walked in, Anauri very clearly in his element as he immediately called out for updates to the situation that had pulled them from breakfast.

For her part Stashia tried to not look like a lost kit, which was proving fruitless. There was that awkward silence where she wasn't sure what to say, or if she should say anything, that came with being someplace you weren't normally expected to be.

What was the saying in Basic? незнакомец в чужой стране? Stranger in a new land? foreign land? It was something like that. Stashia couldn't help but let her eyes wander over the room, which looked like a place that work got done. Properly done. Her own hangar back home had been similar. Less concern for appearances, more concern for function and efficiency. The paint used in an attempt to make the space more hospitable was somewhat charming, though.

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Well, we've gaat a real four penguin humdinger aan radial tram E."

Gradoona had her back turned to Anauri, but she didn't need to see him to hear him. The Herglic worked a shop rag over her meaty fists, scrubbing away a hefty patina of old grease.

"Yaknoo the laateral magnetic impellers aan section twenty? They depolarized and threw aaf the whoole tiiming array! Split a whole thirty meters aaf railing!"

She chucked the shop rag in an open tool box, heading for a massive tool box that was somehow even larger than she was. She jerked a drawer free, searching for a tank of pressurized tibanna.

"Soo E section link to command is a lame penguin until we get in there and un-booger up the works. Hoope ya feel like slaagging durasteel foor haalf a daay!"

Only then did Gradoona turn around with her chosen tank...and nearly dropped it as she fumbled in surprise.

"Ooh!"

[Anauri Rabeak]

As Gradoona broke down the problem, Anauri advanced, his face grim, to see the impact readouts, and CCHV feeds. Wheels turned in his head as he began to formulate the best plan of attack, already fully focused on the problem, when he too was surprised at Gradoona's gasp.

Snapping out of it, Anauri flicked his head back toward Stashia, who stood in the main walkway, hanging back a few paces, and he smiled. "Oh, don't worry, Gradoona, she's with me," he said. "This is Stashia, my, well... my girlfriend." The word took a moment to arrive at, not because he was unsure about their relationship, or ashamed of it in any way, but because the concept had been so foreign to him since his divorce that it came as something of a surprise that he could announce himself as being in such a relationship again.

"She's visiting from Ossus. She's a Jedi, believe it or not!" he continued, grinning as he waved her on over. "Stashia, meet Gradoona, my second in command. Gradoona, meet Stashia."

And apologize to her for now taking me away for half the damn day, his mind grumbled inside as he maintained his smile.

[Mayael Rakkamar]

"Girlfriend!?"

A thickly accented voice filtered in from the supply room, followed by a loud crash of metal on metal followed by what was undeniably the sound of many smaller metal objects falling all over the floor. Only the shadows cast by the single light fixture within revealed the frantic motions of a single individual within. When the tinkling of dropped ball bearings finally ended, the doorway was suddenly filed with the frantic face of Mayael Rakkamar. With all four arms on the door frame, she looked around the room with wild eyes before they landed on the only stranger in the room.

She squealed in delight, exploding from the supply room with both sets of hands clapping together while she practically danced across the room, her tool belt jingling like leaden bells with every hop and step.

"Hello! Welcome! Your fur, is lovely. You are such cute together. You two will have much strong and handsome pups."

[Stashia Yachenka]

Stashia blinked as she listened to the thick accent of Re's co-worker, and memories flooded back of her last visit to the station. Ah, yes. The speaking bulkhead. Which was, in hindsight, an inconsiderate way to look at this Gradoona. She would keep such thought to herself. Ears ticking forward she smiled and extended a paw in greeting.

"Ah, it is being quite nice to meet you, Gradoona." Her accent forced the name out more lyrically than she expected, the first syllable extended into a soft "Grah" as if the name were split in two. It was actually quite the pretty name to Stashia's ears which caused her smile to widen more. Re had called her his girlfriend, which... was still a title that would take time to become accustomed to. She had never been someone's girlfriend. Lover? да. Friend? Of course. Once, even, a mistress - though that had been exceedingly short as it had only happened due to lies told to her by the грязный кот who had told her his wife had left him. In the end Stashia had discovered the truth, told the long-suffering wife and made the lie into a fact.

But girlfriend? This was new. Before she could actually reach forward enough to properly greet the herglic the sound of broken Basic filled the room, not too dissimilar to her own and a 4-armed woman tore into the room from the back. Re certainly had the lively crew! She smiled in greeting and was about to introduce herself as the mention of pups? Must have been something lost in translation confused her for a moment then caused her ears to pin back and her pink eyes to widen as she tried to think of something to say in response.

She was right. But you didn't simply come out and say such a thing!

[Gradoona Pod-Floewander]

"Ooh yaa, the bendy gal!" Gradoona eagerly took Stashia's paw in a handshake, swallowing it in her much larger mit and giving a friendly half dozen pumps. "I remember youu, suure!"

She gave Anauri a grin that met her eyes. His pep talk moment they'd shared back when they'd first met was safe with her. Of course, he wasn't quite off the hook either.

"Soo a giiiirlfriend huh?" The Herglic squee'd thumping Anauri's shoulder playfully with a tap from her fist. "Guess the penguin's come ashoore to roost, eh?"

[Anauri Rabeak]

As professional decorum was not only breached, but crumbled to the ground around him, Anauri's face contorted from mild amusement at Gradoona at first, to shock at Mayael's inappropriate assertion that they should be having kits, then steeled into a harsh glare of warning at Gradoona's final comments. Despite her size and strength, the meaty hand which found his shoulder connected with what might as well have solid stone.

It was one thing to have a light go at someone about their relationship in private. It was something entirely different when that person's significant other was right there.

"That's enough," he warned. Jokes at his own expense were fine, but not when they also involved Stashia; she deserved to be treated better. "Stashia is here visiting for Tajdid, our people's sort of Life Day." His pink eyes turned to Mayael. "And, no, we're not expecting kits, thank you."

Not for lack of trying...

It was in that moment as he considered the playful nature of his engineers, in their element, that he recalled some of the things Joey had said, and how much more bawdy they were. Joey was a fighter pilot, as was Stashia. Stashia had certainly had far more lewd comments thrown at her by her colleagues, and likely thrown worse back. But was it right? Was it his responsibility to protect her, or did she expect to stand up for herself in such situations? Was he her boyfriend in this situation, or was he the Chief Engineer with an unruly staff? Or was he both? In that moment, Anauri truly didn't know, so he attempted to salvage things with a bit of tactical diplomacy.

Turning to Stashia, he sighed. "I'm sorry, Stashia. I work with, well, mostly women," he swept his paw out to indicate Gradoona and Mayael, as well as a few other women in Engineering, "And they've been trying to fix me up with someone since Garfife-knows-when. It's their little joke, and I think they got carried away with it." A glare shot back to his two department heads. "Didn't they."

There was no chance Anauri had heard the end of it, and he knew there would be months of teasing to come, on the job, but something about having Stashia present for it had clearly struck a nerve in the older Engineer.

[Mayael Rakkamar]

Oh no, he used the voice...

She had done something wrong, but no matter how much she racked her mind she could not find the social faux pas she had stumbled into. She kept her hands to herself, her clothes on, and had not used any of the uncouth words she had learned from Gradoona. What had she done then? She would have to puzzle it out sometime later. There was work to be done. Instead she straightened her posture, crossed her primary arms across her chest and let her secondary set rest on her toolbelt.

"Yes. Am sorry."

Stepping back she ducked her head back into the supply room, grabbing the clip on shoulder strap she had gone in there looking for and then turning out the light. She'd have to clean this mess up later. There was no time to waste as she joined Gradoona over by the the tool chests and began clipping the shoulder strap on to what looked more like a large blaster rifle than the industrial cutting tool it actually is.

"I fix fusion cutter. Works like dream. Inertia damper still silly. Need strap to hold on or blow out of hand. It will fix lame penguin."

[Stashia Yachenka]

Stashia watched the exchange with interest, ears perked forward, tail swaying behind her as she found Re in a position she had not seen him before. Which said much, as she had seen him in many positions. But the defensive? нет, this she had not seen before. She would not say anything, nor interrupt was almost certainly the sort of banter that was common between co-workers. She had been in the position of Re's crew before, teasing and playing with a close friend and comrade. It was nice to see him in his element, to get a bit more of the picture that was his life.

"No apology is needed." She assured him, "This is normal, yes? Tells me you have good friends who care for you. But, they should also be knowing, their search? No longer necessary." She smiled at him letting him know that none of this had bothered her. "I will find someplace to sit." She said with a nod and after a moment of looking, found a bench that was unoccupied to hop up onto and let her rear paws dangle from as she sat down. "You work, Re. I am being in no hurry."

[Anauri Rabeak]

Anauri's gaze drifted between Stashia and the damage report, weighing his options. Typically he could simply plan a strategy, then assign the appropriate crew to an issue, but this... this was big, and despite it being his day off, and having his lover on the station, he was needed at his job. Broad shoulders slumped in defeat, Anauri knew what had to be done.

"Babe," he spoke in a soft voice as he sat next to Stashia on the bench. "This, um, this is kind of a big deal, and they're gonna need me on it," he said with a sigh. A calloused paw reached into his jacket pocket to pull out his wallet, and he opened it. Inside the little plastic photo holder flopped open, revealing a few holoprints, a well-worn one of Joey as a teenager, as well as a more recent picture, and the picture Anauri had taken of Stashia on her last visit. He closed it before digging out a citcard. "I don't want you to be bored down here, and I can't really have you along onsite, so, why don't you take this," he passed her the chitcard, "and go enjoy yourself for a while on the promenade. Take in a show, or something. I dunno, it's just... I'm probably going to be a few hours. Sorry." He tried to give a smile as he apologized.

"Not really the, uh, day I was hoping to give you. But I'll ping you as soon as I'm done, okay?" Bushy eyebrows raised hopefully, praying it was an acceptable loss of time together in her limited visit. "Oh, just, heh, don't go to the Cizerack tea house. Not yet. I'd like us to go there together."

[Stashia Yachenka]

Ah, the voice. This was voice of honesty. If Re is saying that this is important with such a voice, than this was important. And of course he was thinking of Stashia still, wanting her to not be stuck waiting for him while he toiled away on behalf of the Station. Re is asking her to go and find something to entertain herself? да. Stashia can do this. She took the offered chitcard and waved it in his face with a small, teasing, smirk.

"This is dangerous, Re. Handing keys to castle to girl on vacation. I am likely to treat myself as princess." She couldn't keep her composure though and stifled a laugh, "I will find something to keep busy with, and yes, please ping me when done. I will be missing you." She let her tail swish against his leg to emphasize the statement before hopping down off the table. "This is normalcy, Re." She said, thinking of him and knowing how much the older male would likely worry about the time they would have remaining together. "If we are to make such an arrangement work, we must be prepared for moments like this, yes?" There was also something to be said of exploring the Station on her own, even if she would prefer to spend her time with Anauri. When she was here last she had spent her time either worrying about her trip, or enjoying Re's company, she had never gotten much of a chance to look around on her own.

She wondered if there was something lost in translation when he mentioned the tea house. "чайный домик?" She was not even fond of tea. She leaned in to give him a soft kiss on the cheek, not looking to embarrass him with a more intimate goodbye in front of his co-workers before turning to saunter off with a wave.

[Anauri Rabeak]

The older male's ears warmed a bit as he blushed from the kiss, but he simply smiled nuzzling back quickly before Stashia took her leave, and couldn't resist watching her backside as she went - something he knew that neither Gradoona nor Mayael would have missed. Drawing himself up from the bench, Anauri shrugged off his jacket and went to grab a tibanna cutter from the rack for himself. "Okay, ladies, let's go shred some durasteel. Sooner we clear it, sooner I can get back to enjoying my day," he chuckled.

---

It was nearly five hours later that Anauri returned to Engineering, a sweaty, dirty, mess, and he hung up his cutter with a loud clunk. Gradoona's strength had been appreciated on the job, but her size kept her from getting into necessary areas. Mayael could get into them fine, but hadn't the strength to shift slagged chunks of railing, leaving Anauri to do much of the work himself, assisted by a few more engineers. He'd departed early, in fact, once the worst of it had been cleared, leaving Gradoona to oversee, while the rest of engineering would work into the evening finishing the job. Aside from lost time, the worst casualty of the day had been his nicer clothes, which now needed a wash, and a minor mend where hot durasteel had scorched through a pantleg, singing his fur. Thankfully, he'd learned long ago to keep a change of clothing in his toolbox, and so with that in paw, he headed for the sonic showers, emerging a few minutes later, tired, but looking fresh, though hardly as fashionable as he'd been that morning.

Gulping down a mug of stimcaff from the crew's communal pot, he then reached for his comm, and punched in Stashia's number code on his speed dial. It buzzed once, twice, three times, four, and he started to wonder if she was in the middle of a holofilm at the theater, when at last it picket up. "Heya, hun," he greeted, a tired smile in his voice. "Done with work. Hope you've not been too bored, out there. Where should I come meet you?"

It surprised him how easily the words "babe," and "hun," rolled off his tongue when speaking to Stashia. They were terms he'd hardly said since his divorce, and realizing that, Anauri began to wonder if he was moving too fast, or if things really were as good as they felt. Mayael's comment earlier about pups also made him wonder if he was ready to be a dad again, if things wound up going that far.

[Stashia Yachenka]

Stashia had found things to keep her busy. A bit of shopping, a holofilm and then relaxing at the charming little cafe she was nursing both a tea and a stimcaff at when Re had finally pinged her. She had ordered the tea first, curious to try it again after he had mentioned wanting to take her to a tea house earlier in the day. нет. She still did not care for the taste. The stimcaff had been ordered to clear the taste and smell from her muzzle. It sat cold and untouched at the edge of the table as she enjoyed the bitter taste of the stimcaff. She'd almost missed the call, lost in thought, and only managed to pick up when she wasn't sure she'd made it in time, headfur ruffling in front of her eyes as she snapped the comm up at the last second.

His tone told her just how much work he had done to get the station on it's proper course. The poor dear.

"I am at the..." She leaned out of her seat attempting to read the cafe's signage through the window but simply couldn't make it out. "Кафе? Sandwich shop? да, sandwich shop on promenade. I can be out front in a few minutes, I will wait for you there, дорогая." She tested the pet name out in her native tongue, and nodded internally. Yes, it felt quite comfortable to say to Re. She beamed a bit brighter as her chest grew warm at the thought. дорогая, her дорогая.

She finished her caff and left out the front hoping she had given Anauri enough information to find her. She could always ping him back if there was any confusion.