-
Almost instantaneously, Tionne's palm pressed against the semitransparent front where his hand was, a strange tingling playing across her skin. She drew closer, body casually brushing against the frosted glass in an attempt to be as close to him as possible. With cheek weighing against the shower door, her eyes closed.
"I've been lectured on the dangers of attachment for the entirety of my life. And spent a lifetime in solitude. I know - this is the Jedi way. From this viewpoint, I'm sorry we ever met." she admitted, voicing the guilt that plagued her. The tone of her voice grew softer, her breathing became lighter, a burden lifted from her soul.
"From another viewpoint, you have awoken in me what I thought I did not possess. The kiss...I will remember for long as I live. When you speak of going down a path, speak for yourself. I have already threaded uncharted territory. And I am not afraid, for I know you exist." the redhead whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of running water.
"However, I sense reluctance in you. Say the word and I will be gone...and never mention any of this again." Tionne offered, leaving the decision to him. Her heart throbbed in her chest fast as she awaited Anbira's response, whichever it may be...
-
"I accept the risk, and the danger. There is good in the Jedi way, and there is good in what we share. Maybe we risk losing both if we try it this way, but I choose to believe..."
The shower door slid just enough to reveal Anbira's face, meeting Tionne's own.
"...in you."
-
Tionne used the space created to further push the door open, just enough for her to slip inside the shower. Unintentionally, she brushed pass by Anbira to stand in the far corner, facing the stream of flowing water directly. Droplets smashed against her face and neck, clearing away accumulated grime and dirt, transforming into rivulets of fluid that percolated down her collar bone and into the fold of her bosom, keen on traversing the distance between lush flesh and the flatness of her abdomen. Her complexion once again acquired that porcelain sheen, the scent of Vendaxan wilderness replaced by the placid fragrance of soap.
Exhaling deeply, she attended to cleansing her hair, running fingers through red locks to untangle them. As soon as all impurity left, strands of hair adhered to her back and shoulders, a few of them falling over her face as Tionne leaned forwards, elbow pressed against the wall for support. Her other free hand slid across her bust and down her ribs, flicking off dabs of water. The relative absence of light felt soothing.
"I've never had anybody believe in me." the redhead voiced quietly, still angling towards the wall - "Let alone stand so close."
-
The water ran across Anbira's hirsute frame as he stood away from the showerhead to give Tionne room to bathe. His eyes stayed on hers, tempted as he was by so many other sights. He found something wild and undiscovered there, but above all, they were mirrors to the vibrance in the living force that she manifested, and the person that she was.
He closed the distance between them, until the only thing separating them were a few streams from the showerhead. Leaning into the water, he kissed her as he drew her body against his. Everything had led him to this moment, and there were no coincidences. He was here with Tionne on Vendaxa for more than just a holocron. He would save her, and she would save him, because there was good in two becoming one. If this was a dangerous path as a Jedi, it was a path he would accept.
-
***
Bare feet slapped against the durasteel floor, leaving a wet trail as Tionne searched the compartments of her back quarters for tobacco. Upon finding a hidden stash, she stuffed her pipe with herbs and lit the contents, drawing in a lungful of sweet, thick smoke. For a moment, she just stood in the middle of the room, completely naked, and relished the sensation of completeness it induced.
"So this is how it feels..." the redhead commented upon approaching the spacious hammock serving as a bed. By the looks of it, Anbira already made himself at home.
"...to light a smoke afterwards. And I was thinking the feeling was just an exaggeration used in cheap romance novels."
A hand was extended to gently rock the hammock from side to side.
"All we need now is for you to fall asleep." Tionne jested, fingers slipping down to move wet locks away from his face.
-
Sleep, incidentally, was becoming a rather inviting priority on Anbira's mind. He regarded her with a warm smile, his half-lidded eyes betraying his current energy level.
The cramped room was neither too hot nor too cold, and with the hammock supporting his weight, Anbira felt he could drift off in a moment. However...
He shifted his weight to allow enough space for two, and extended a hand out to his companion.
"I wouldn't know of that, but I know that I can't imagine a better way to end our day. In a strange way, I'm rather disappointed we're headed back to the Wheel."
He knew what awaited them on their return. The facade of indifference. He was true to his word with her in the tree, he would say nothing of their time together.
-
For the time being, Tionne was not interested in the pretence that would undoubtedly commence as soon as they boarded The Wheel. Instead, she looked forward to those six or so hours of peace and quiet they would share as the ship soared through hyperspace. She looked down to him and soon enough, the prospect of sleep seemed more than appealing. That area between his chin and collar bone was carved perfectly for Tionne to lay her head.
After drawing in a few puffs of smoke, she emptied the contents of the pipe into an ashtray, leaving it on a shelf by the books. Thanewulf then swung the hammock to the side and lay into it, their bodies attaining a perfect adherent position under the influence of ship's artificial gravity. A long-winded sigh escaped her lips; before even fully closing her eyes, Tionne floated off into the land of dreams, safe in the arms of once a hermit and now a man.
