Private A Different Sky

[Nitya Xeraic]

The first thing Nitya noticed about Arkania was the cold.

Not the biting kind that shocked the lungs, but the steady, unrelenting kind that settled into bone and stone alike, shaping the landscape into something severe and beautiful in equal measure. The mountains rose like carved marble against a pale sky, their ridgelines sharp and disciplined, much like the man who called this world home.

She stood at the edge of the landing platform for a moment before moving forward, gloved fingers brushing lightly against the railing as her golden eyes traced the horizon. Snow caught the light differently here, reflecting not warmth, but clarity. There was no softness to Arkania. It did not pretend to be welcoming.

And yet she had come willingly.

The wind tugged gently at the edge of her cloak as she stepped away from the ship, boots meeting frost-hardened stone with quiet certainty. The air carried the faint scent of sterilized metal from distant facilities, mingled with something older, something mineral and ancient beneath it.

This was his world.

Structured. Controlled. Brilliant.

Her gaze drifted toward the distant silhouette of the estate nestled against the mountainside, its architecture clean and deliberate, more fortress than manor, yet not without elegance. It was not warm in the way Oralis Prime was warm. It did not breathe in the same gentle rhythm as forests and gardens.

But it held intention.

She could feel it.

Nitya drew in a slow breath, allowing the Force to settle around her rather than reaching for it. The currents here felt different. Quieter in some places. Sharper in others. There was a hum beneath the surface of this planet, a vibration of intellect and ambition that thrummed like a low note in the distance.

It did not frighten her.

It simply was.

Her hands folded loosely before her as she began walking toward the entrance, posture poised, movements unhurried. She was not here to challenge his world, nor to judge it. She was here to understand it. To see the foundations that shaped him long before she had ever offered him tea.

As she approached the doors, her reflection shimmered faintly in polished metal, gold eyes steady, expression composed but curious.

A small smile touched her lips.

"Let me see you clearly," she murmured softly to herself, not as a demand, but as a quiet intention.

The doors opened.

And Nitya stepped inside Arkania.

Delvin jeth

 

[Delvin jeth]

Nitya Xeraic

Delvin sat there he was expecting nitya and as she entered he was standing there his home was glamorous and exuded wealth. But also warmth inside "I hope the journey wasn't to hard on you" he said smiling his house was made to be comfortable inside. He was wearing more casual clothes his living room had hard wood floors and leather furniture with aurodium plating and was large with transparesteel windows.

Showing the valley and its snowy forest tundra as the smell of tea filled the room with a fire place was lit "you look stunning" I said looking at Nitya. As I walked her to the large couch a chandelier hung above providing light for the room as he guided her to the couch a large pool could be spotted with a transperasteel roof and walls could be seen in a far off room. "What would you like to eat i have tons of options" I said looking at her as tea was on the table.

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya paused just inside the threshold, giving her eyes a quiet moment to adjust to the warmth that filled the home. The contrast with Arkania's cold air was immediate and noticeable, though it was not the wealth that first caught her attention. It was the care in the space. The fire in the hearth, the soft glow of the chandelier above, and the familiar scent of tea steeping nearby created a sense of deliberate comfort that softened the sharp edges of the planet outside.

Her gaze drifted briefly to the vast transparisteel windows, watching the snow-covered valley stretch into the distance before she turned her attention back toward Delvin.

"I have traveled in far harsher conditions than this," she replied calmly, her voice warm but measured. "Your world has been gentle with me so far."

A faint smile touched her lips at his compliment, though she did not linger on it. Instead, she allowed him to guide her toward the couch, her movements graceful and unhurried as she took in the room around her. The hardwood floors, the polished metal accents, the quiet luxury woven through the architecture all spoke of a life built carefully rather than merely displayed.

When she sat, her hands settled loosely in her lap before she leaned forward slightly to glance at the tea already waiting on the table.

"That answers one question already," she said softly, the smile returning with a hint of familiarity as she reached for the cup. "You remembered."

The steam curled gently upward as she lifted it, breathing in the scent before taking a small sip.

As Delvin asked about food, her golden eyes lifted back to him with calm curiosity.

"I will trust your judgment," she said simply. "You know your home better than I do."

Her gaze drifted once more to the wide windows and the silent tundra beyond them before returning to him.

"And I would like to hear about this place," she added, her tone thoughtful. "Not the house. The valley. The mountains. The parts of Arkania that belong to you."

Delvin jeth

 

[Delvin jeth]

Nitya Xeraic

Delvin stood there and listened to her speak "good to hear nitya I hoped the journey was alright" he said as he filled her tea cup with tea and set it infront of her. "How could I forget" delvin said standing there as he stood there listening as he looked at the cold landscape outside. "The area around my house the valley and mountains are a nature reserve" he said standing there as he turning her.

"I was inspired to do so because of your love of quiet and nature" he said. Standing there "also this is a breeding ground of the arkanian polar drake a creature considered sacred by arkanians" he said standing there as he looked back out the window. "Don't worry though we are far enough away that they wont bother us" delvin said as he walked towards the kitchen.

He made sandwiches that where safe and nutritious for both their species as he walked back out with sandwiches for both of them "i found recipes that should satisfy your species pallet" he said setting the plate down.

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya accepted the tea with both hands, letting the warmth settle into her palms as she listened, her attention fixed on him rather than the cup. When he spoke of the valley and the reserve, her gaze drifted toward the window, taking in the untouched stretch of snow and the distant mountains with a quiet, contemplative focus.

"There is a stillness to it," she said softly, her voice carrying the weight of someone who understood the difference between silence and peace. "Not empty… but protected."

Her eyes lingered on the horizon for another heartbeat before returning to him.

"It feels intentional."

At the mention of the polar drakes, her attention shifted outward again, her expression thoughtful rather than alarmed, as though she were already imagining the creatures moving across the ice. "I would like to see them someday," she added, her tone calm and sincere. "From a distance."

When he returned with the food, she watched him with that same quiet attentiveness, noting the care in how he presented it rather than in the act itself. A faint warmth touched her expression as he explained. "You considered what I could have," she said gently, reaching for one of the sandwiches but pausing just long enough to acknowledge the intention behind it. "That is not something everyone does."

Her golden eyes lifted to his, steady and sincere. "Thank you."

She took a small bite, thoughtful, then gave a slight nod. "It is good."

Setting it down, she lifted her tea again and took a slow sip, her gaze moving once more between him and the world beyond the glass, as though weighing both with equal care.

"This place is very… you," she said quietly, her voice warm but measured. "Structured. Deliberate. But not without care."

A small pause followed, her tone softening in a way that felt both natural and deeply honest.

"I am glad you chose to share it with me."

Delvin jeth

 

[Delvin jeth]

Nitya Xeraic

Delvin stood there with her smiling as a frost drake flew by close enough to see its white Scales its large body flying around on white wings. It kept a safe distance from delvins home "shes awake late" he said standing there not worried about it it happens from time to time as he listened to nitya speak.

he smiled As she said she liked the food "thanks I looked at your Species dietary restrictions and general flavor preferences i refuse to let a guest leave unsatisfied or let them get sick here. And if we are going to be making this last long term I figured i should know how your race works so i knoe how to fix you if something happens." He said as he sat next to her smiling. He liked having nitya around thinking about her all the time even at work now days. "I did make this place to be quiet and secluded away from the troubles of the galaxy" he said sitting there.

"You are more than welcome to the hot tub and pool that I told you about before you came" I said sitting next to her. As I also took a sandwich and began eating it and drinking tea.

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya's gaze followed the movement outside, her eyes catching the frost drake as it passed through the pale sky, its white scales blending almost seamlessly with the surrounding world. She watched it for a quiet moment, not with awe, but with a calm appreciation, as though acknowledging something that belonged exactly where it was.

"It is beautiful," she said softly, her voice carrying a quiet respect before her attention returned to him.

As he spoke about her species and his reasoning, there was the faintest shift in her expression, something thoughtful, almost amused beneath the surface.

"You do not need to learn how to fix me," she replied gently, lifting her tea for a small sip. "But… I understand why you would want to."

There was no judgment in her tone, only a quiet acceptance of how his mind worked.

Her gaze drifted briefly around the room again, then back to him.

"You have made this place… peaceful," she added, the word chosen carefully. "It suits you more than you think."

At the mention of the pool and hot tub, a faint, warmer smile touched her lips.

"I may take you up on that later," she said simply, her tone light but genuine, before taking another small bite of her food and settling into the quiet rhythm of the moment beside him.

Delvin jeth

 

[Delvin jeth]

Nitya Xeraic

Delvin was glad she was enjoying her time here atleast to a degree. "I admit i could have worded that better but I admit that I find great interest in keeping you around nitya and I want you to enjoy our time together aswell and this is how I show it." He said standing there he spoke honestly and plainly towards her as he sat there "the galaxy is so chaotic and loud I wanted some place quiet and alone where I could relax by myself and with you now" he said sitting there.

As he sat there he smiled at her "let me know when you want to use the hot tub and pool I will grab towels for us" he said sitting there.

 

[Nitya Xeraic]

Nitya did not answer immediately. Instead, she watched him for a moment, her attention settling not on his words alone but on the intention behind them. There was no calculation in him, no attempt to soften or reshape what he meant. It was direct, unfiltered, and honest. Her gaze shifted briefly past him, taking in the quiet he had chosen, the deliberate separation from everything beyond it. The stillness here was different from Oralis Prime, less alive but no less intentional, a quiet that was chosen rather than grown.

"I understand the intention," she said at last, her voice calm and even. "And I do not find it unwelcome." Her eyes returned to him, steady and composed, before she added, "But I do not require isolation to find quiet. It exists even within noise, if you know how to listen for it." There was no correction in her tone, only a simple statement of difference, offered without friction.

She stepped slightly closer to the edge of the space, her posture relaxed but never without awareness. "You chose this place for stillness," she said, "and for company." The pause that followed was softer, carrying something quieter beneath it. "I am here." It was neither agreement nor refusal. Something balanced between the two, shaped by intention rather than uncertainty.

Her gaze drifted toward the water at his mention, taking in the subtle movement across its surface before returning to him. "When I am ready," she said, her voice steady, "I will tell you."

Delvin jeth