Private Bazaar of the Four Winds

[Zaiya Ceti]

A rush of emotions surged through Zaiya like a tidal wave, overwhelming her senses. The pleasure of hearing Aris Noble 's heartfelt words, the joy of finally finding a true friend, and the tearful happiness that threatened to spill over were all too much to contain.

Her face became a canvas of emotions, painted with vibrant hues that danced across her features and patterns. Teals of joy, amber of gratitude, and flecks of grey that quivered with emotion adorned her skin, illuminated by a radiant golden glow. Even her rosy golden complexion seemed to shimmer with newfound vibrancy, bathed in a pearly luminescence.

"T-thank you," Zaiya stammered, her voice soft but sincere as she raised her cup of juice in a bashful gesture, managing to say before she took a sip, "T-that means a lot to me."

Oh, so very much.

 

[Aris Noble]

He didn't expect to see that color brighten again. Aris hadn't put too much into what he'd said as being that special. They were friends, right? He was just confirming what was already said? And yet, why did it make him so much happier to see those colors on her, to hear her thanks? Confirmation. The realization hit as he looked back into his own drink and smiled a similar, sheepishly happy smile.

"Of course, Zaiya. .. I dunno a lot about friendship, but I'm glad I can call you one. .. And I don't know what else to say, heh."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Zaiya's excitement bubbled over, manifesting in a playful shoulder shimmy. Her face contorted into a goofy grin, showcasing her pearly white teeth as her eyes narrowed into joyful slits before widening again. Her earrings gave a little jingle, and she said, " Same Aris, I'm glad you're my friend now."

As for what to say...

Zaiya set down her cup and then flashed him another grin, taking a bunch of king berries and offering it over to Aris Noble again - the need to feed him did not stop - and asked, "Well, how about telling me more about yourself. Like, what's your favorite food? Dessert? Drink?" these are all things that as a friend Zaiya should be able to know.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris took a breath before he took another sip of his drink, then smiled warm as ever. This was comfortable. Relaxing. Just sitting here, drinking some juice, eating snacks, it was honestly more than enough. Yet he didn't want them to sit in silence. He liked talking to her the most. Thankfully she at least knew a topic to bring up so they could continue to speak.

"Hot cocoa. The one my mom makes. You?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

“Hot chocolate? Oh that is super tasty,” Zaiya agreed. She discovered it young when her parents were still alive. As a dresh Lovalla, she could withstand brutal winters naturally, and when they would travel back to Volik, it had been one of the yummiest drinks to enjoy in the cold. Fondness grew over her expression.

“Oh I love any kind of fruit nectar. If there isn’t any then juices are awesome. I like apple juices but Blum juice is just as great.”

“Do you have a favorite food? I pretty much enjoy anything, but I love fruit,” she gave a silly gesture with her head to the plate, “ as you can see, hehe.”

Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

"It was the first drink I'd been given."

The first food, drink, substance that wasn't the nutritional paste he'd been fed inside his stasis. It was through that that he first learned that he was alive. That he was alive, and actually capable to learn and exist in this galaxy. It'd made him so happy at the time, and still did. He didn't know that it was happiness then, but he certainly did now.

He ended up smiling even more at her response, nodding. There was something sweet about her choice. Honest and pure, just like her. It suited her.

"I like burgers, actually. They're really good, diverse. You can put a lot of different things on them."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"Oh, I've had a few of those before! When I stopped by Corellia, there was this diner that had a nerf-burger with a fried Nuna egg, Murra cheese, roasted red pepper, and this pesto sauce that was just o-oh,' the memory of it was enough to prompt Zaiya to give a roll of her eyes in pleasure and an, "Mm-mm... so, so-o good."

Clearly, Zaiya had no reservations about savoring her food; the mere recollection of it elicited a ripple of pleasure that intensified the blues and golden highlights of her patterns. Now the thought of it made her want to get another. Too bad it required going to Corellia. She made due by gathering a few nuts and another slice of apple to eat.

"What type of burger is your favorite? Is there a particular place you like to go?"

Aris Noble

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris blinked in surprise. Then, his eyes seemed to sparkle. There was an unspoken hunger as she described the burger. Aris wouldn't admit it, mostly in part because of his dieting, but he was a foodie. He loved food. He loved the taste of unique combinations and the inventive mind behind creating such foods. Pesto and egg on a burger?

He was very vividly trying to imagine it.

"I don't have one, yet. I've had a lot of good burgers, but I can't pick just one. They're so customizable and unique and just- Where did you get that burger, again?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

Aris asking where she got the burger meant it was a possibility to take him there. Maybe even plan an outing? Giddy delight shone on her face and she even gave a waggle of her brows in mischievous devilry, “Corellia, outskirts of Coronet. There’s an Agri-dome there that has its own diner! They get everything fresh from there and you can pet the Myra goats!

Went there for a trip to help out last summer with the agri- center. We can plan a trip if you like?” Zaiya offered, plucking a few ice grapes before popping them into her mouth.

Chewing in pleasure, she took another sip of juice then swallowed.

“Maybe make a galactic list of all the best burger places to try out? I can make a holo map and have different color markers showing which ones we’ve visited or still need to go to!”

 

[Aris Noble]

Corellia, was it? Aris similarly plucked up another of the cut fruit to toss back into his mouth and chew as he listened to her. Though he paused as he did, blinking as he looked to her. Plan a trip? Together? To try the different burgers of the galaxy? He leaned forward, an excited looking smile forming on his face. "I have a list of some of the places I've been too, and some that I've learned about that I want to go to. We can revisit the places we've both been to and take turns on that before we go and explore new places together?"

Get each other on the same page before they found the newest places to experience. And with a fellow foody, no less, if by how she explained it was any indication.

"I would like that. A lot."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

“That sounds awesome!” Zaiya exclaimed, giving another excited shimmy, rocking on her heels to give a little bounce as another wave of kaleidoscope hues went dancing over her skin. Not to mention seeing the avid enthusiasm shine over Aris’s bright green eyes sealed the deal. If she could have more time sharing meals with him, talking, hanging out, they would only get closer right?!

“Okay, let me grab my data pad real quick and I can start taking notes. I don’t want to forget anything.” She was off in a flutter of her white robe and musical jingle of jewelry.

“I’ll be right back!” She told him as she passed him, adding,”Think of any other places too you’d want to visit!”

 

[Aris Noble]

Awesome.

He certainly agreed. That was probably the best word for it. Surprise did fill his expression as she took off though. Notes? He was of a similar mind of course, but honestly he didn't think he'd meet someone who was as eager to take notes at their age. Aris pulled out his datapad, smiling faintly as he scrolled down through the list he'd already made of his different restaurants and burgers.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

It only took about a minute; Zaiya practically rushed over to her assigned room and slid the door open. She rushed over to her desk, where she grabbed her colorful – and bedazzled – datapad.

"Umm, what else what else?" Zaiya wasn't sure, just a bit overzealous. She didn't want to step away from Aris again if she didn't have to. Barely glancing, she also grabbed a pink stylus, some loabpaper and a datastick. She also took a small portable holoarray since they talked about showing her where Niv Hani was at. She could display a small holo of the galaxy with it.

With items in hand, she rushed back, her colorful hair flowing out behind her with every quick pad of her feet.

"Okay, I have my datapad!" Along with a bunch of other things, as her hands were full. She came to a hopping stop across from him again, setting down her items in a neat array one by one. All the while, there was no stopping her shimmied movements, as if she was swaying to her own musical beat just by the sheer joyful energy she was radiating.

She set the portable holoarray down and, with a jingle of her dozen bracelets and bangles, let her datapad scan her biometrics, and it flickered to life. With the way she held her datapad, there was no hiding the amount of colorful paints and bedazzled decorations she used on the datapad's protective sleeve. It wasn't something she bought; no, this was a one-of-a-kind Zaiya poured paint concoction of golds, teals, magentas, and cobalt – clearly, those were her favorite colors.

 

[Aris Noble]

He was scrolling through his own list when she came back, and he glanced up with quite the smile. He was excited for this, though as he saw just all the things she'd brought he blinked in surprise. He just about got up to try and offer her a hand with it all when she set it down, which had his smile turn sheepish. "If you were going to grab all that you should've asked me for some help, you know."

He set down again, chuckling as he held out his datapad with the list in clear view.

"Have to been to many places? I haven't, just a couple on my travels, but the burgers they offered were really good."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

Zaiya flashed him an abashed grin, adding, "Sorry, guess I was just too excited – and this isn't too bad. I just wasn't sure if we might need anything else so I grabbed what I could think of."

"O-oo!" the Lovalla teenager giddily took Aris's datapad, while she offered hers to him in return. He'd find that the bulk of the burger joints on her list were within the Colonies and the Core Worlds. She didn't have anything beyond Alliance space yet, likely because she only traveled with the professor outside of Commenor when it dealt with research. It wasn't like she had anyone else to go visit – until now!

"Not really – I could only try out places near the areas we were visiting for research purposes or conventions. I haven't had a chance to go out on my own," Opal blue eyes flicked to peer at Aris from over his datapad, "Too young to go on transit by myself unless I have Nana with me – The chaperone droid. And if that's the case I have to take public transportation and make a request, but it isn't too difficult."

"What about your list?" as she skimmed through it, giving a little joyful hum.

 

[Aris Noble]

"There's a couple places on Coruscant, but honestly I haven't been out enough in the galaxy to have been to really.. Any places. But! I do have a list of the places I've been told about." Which was a far longer list indeed. There were worlds all throughout Alliance space and beyond with little notations of the type of burgers. They were all.. Unique, to say the least. Most were of local cuisine twists on the classic, but there were a few that were very, very out there.

"Technically I should only go off world with my Master, but I've been given more and more freedom as of late. I'm sure soon I'll be able to at least fly on my own. Then we could go around together to these places?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

"Oh, wow!" Zaiya's eyes went wide in excited surprise, reading the list of places Aris had heard of for places that would have burgers. His notes even had notations on what type of burgers they even had. His list was rather neatly organized and was separated by world and system.

There were already a few that had Zaiya's mouthwatering while others made her look quizzingly as if she wasn't sure about them. Nonetheless, the list was amazing and she was more than happy to try anything twice – because one never knew if the first time was just prepared wrong.

"Aris this is an amazing list! You put mine to shame," She laughed, complimenting him as she flashed him a wide grin.

"I can talk to Dr. Izar and as long as I take Nana with me, I don't think it would be an issue." She sat down comparing each of their lists for where they'd gone, and then for places each had annotated they had wanted to go.

"Let me copy this list, and I'll make a comprehensive one that can pull details on which would be best suited for day trips and which would potentially require overnight—" a pause, then iridescent blue eyes flickered over towards Aris, "Would your parents let you make overnight trips?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"Is it really that good?"

Aris blinked at the praise, more surprised that he'd gotten it than anything else. It was just a list, after all. At least in his mind, but he was exceedingly well organized. He didn't do half measures when it came to something he was intending to do. Everything or nothing, Though now he was thinking more on her other question. Would he be allowed to head to places overnight just for burgers? It was one thing for him to be out on missions, but.. Burgers?

"It should be fine, at least with Nana there."

He didn't see why it couldn't be alright.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

"Really? Oh I'm glad. I was worried for a bit there," The relief was palatable on Zaiya's expression as much as the shifting of her color cues, the edges of her mottled spots and whorls briefly flashing with a golden glow in a positive shift of her relief. The more Aris got to know the Lovalla, the more apt he would be to pick up on what color combination meant along with the different glowing effects.
It helped that Zaiya was very expressive with what she was feeling.

"And yeah, totally a great list. I only know places I’ve looked up in the holonet nearby Commenor, yours includes a wider variety. I also like how organized you have it!" Zaiya gave a joyful shoulder shimmy, and she then flashed him an abashed grin," I like keeping things organized too, but you classified this a lot better than I did."

"How long will your mission with your master be? Do you know when we can start planning to go on our first-day trip? Or is that too soon?" Or would he prefer she come visit him first? He had mentioned he stayed on Coruscant but maybe there was another place he'd rather her come before they try any of the local burgers?

 

[Aris Noble]

"Is that so."

He smiled softly, glancing down to his list. It was odd. He knew people would give him compliments, but there was always the feeling that there was something going unsaid. That he was too intense with what he did, too perfectionist. She had none of those, though, did she? No deeper meaning behind her words other than a genuine compliment.

His smile widened just a little.

"She said we're here for a couple days, just to refill the freighter. Once that's done we'll be heading back out. That should be enough time to plan, though, right?"

Zaiya Ceti