Private A Rare Moment

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Aselia Verd

Telling the galaxy to kriff off required significantly more strings pulled than Adelle had initially realized. Her aide and the receptionist hadn’t been entirely happy about rescheduling the meetings that had already been set for the next three days, but when Adelle had marked the days as time off, their complaints fell off. She had to wonder if it was because she hardly ever took time off.

Now she guided her swoop, the Halberd-441, over a long stretch of road heading out from Coronet City. Sometimes behind her, sometimes next to her, Aselia drove her BARC, the sun gleaming along the red and black curves of the speeder bike. Speeder traffic had been much worse closer to the city but this far out, they only occasionally saw a speeder heading in the opposite direction. The fields out towards the coast eventually dropped off cliffs, the sandy shore beyond glittering in the sunlight. Corellia was famous for its Gold Beaches among other things, but Adelle wasn’t headed for just any Gold Beach.

She saw familiar landmarks and began slowing down, noting the scenic overlook that marked their destination was a little over a klick out. The land dipped down and away from the road before rising again and ending in a cliff. Carefully, Adelle eased the swoop off the road and down into the gully. Off the road, a small and narrow crevice in the cliffs revealed itself, a sharp slope heading down to the coastline. Adelle shut off the Halberd and dismounted, grabbing a pack from the sidecar as Phantom hopped out.

Adelle looked back at Aselia. “Ready to see one of the best beaches on Corellia?”

 

[Aselia Verd]

​

Aselia killed the BARC's engine a few meters behind the Halberd, the sudden absence of its low mechanical growl leaving the wind and distant surf noticeably louder. For most of the ride she had been content to let Adelle lead, occasionally drawing alongside her when the road opened up before falling back again whenever traffic tightened around them. Once Coronet had disappeared behind them, even that had become less necessary. There was something unexpectedly satisfying about having nowhere they were supposed to be for the next three days.

She swung a leg over the bike and pulled off her helmet, setting it against the seat before running a hand through the red hair the ride had thoroughly disordered. Her gaze followed Adelle toward the narrow break in the cliffs, then wandered briefly toward the coastline visible beyond.

"So this is where you've been hiding it."

The smile that accompanied the words carried curiosity. Adelle had spent enough time building the place up that Aselia had begun wondering whether Corellians simply enjoyed making people work for their beaches. Phantom's appearance earned a glance before Aselia retrieved her own pack and slung it over one shoulder. Then she stepped closer to Adelle and looked down the sharp path disappearing through the crevice.

"You realize after all that talk about secret beaches and how few people know about this place, my expectations are completely unreasonable now." She looked back at Adelle, blue eyes bright with amusement. "So yes, I'm ready."

Aselia reached out, briefly catching Adelle's hand before starting toward the opening with her.

TAG: Adelle Bastiel
Outfit: [X]
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[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Aselia Verd

Aselia’s hand caught hers and Adelle glanced over at her, a small, soft smile on her face. She led the way to the crevice, turning a little sideways and stepping down the steep path. Honestly, it was less a path and more a drainage channel, the only ‘steps’ being places where water had washed away sediment and revealed stone underneath. The walls of the coastal cliffs remained close, her pack scraping against the rock a few times. The channel curved a bit partway, hiding the beach until nearly the last second. Adelle stepped out onto the beach proper first then stepped aside so Aselia could see.

Corellia’s Gold Beaches were so named because the sand literally glittered like gold, sparkling in the sun even in the shallow water of the ocean. Resorts and tourist traps littered those beaches, drawing crowds.

The Black Gold Beaches twinkled like someone had spread the night sky on the ground. Gold sand mixed with black as the cliffs curved around them, forming a natural pocket beach. Rocks tumbled out into the surf, dissuading pedestrians from other beaches attempting to walk around the cliffs. The morning sun shone golden on the ocean as waves crashed in on black sand speckled with gold.

Not another soul in sight.

Adelle turned to see Aselia’s reaction. “I… may have overhyped it a little but, isn’t it beautiful?”