Private Belonging

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

Gwyneira held the helmet in her hands, gazing upon it. She admired the craftsman, she adored the materials and design. This white helmet, this was no ordinary helmet. It was made of beskar, donated by the man who adopted her. Her father, her father made her a Mandalorian helmet. Her own buy'ce.

After a lifetime of being outcast, she belonged. After being rejected by her birth father and left to die, an adoptive father picked her up and took her. After a lifetime of being neglected, ignored, and shunned, she was starting to find her home. She... she was not a forsaken orphan anymore. She was the child of Kranak Vizsla , a Foundling. And she on the surefire path to becoming a true Vod, and Mandalorian.

In the cockpit of her ship, she continued to run her hands along the helmet. She traced her fingers on the T Visor with tears in her eyes. She had felt so jaded before, but she was starting to truly sense a feeling of belonging. She could dig roots in here.

After getting her ship, the Tauntaun, proper registered, she finally brought her baby to the Sundari Memorial Spaceport in Tor Valum, the capital of Kestri. From there on out, she waited for the person she had called to meet her here. Her lover and best friend, Eliz Krayt .

The ups and downs of their relationship were lovely highs and bitter lows. A vast majority of those problems came from her previous status of aruetii, and how it forced Eliz to keep secrets from her. With that gap finally closed, Gwyneira truly hoped they could finally smooth out the dents and pursue their relationship deeper. She asked Eliz to join her in finding some kind of living space here in the underground city. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive unless Eliz wanted it. She just wanted a common quarters to return to, so they could sleep at night and have one on one interactions.

She continued to admire the helmet, in her ship docked in the hanger. She hoped he would meet her here. Now that she was a Foundling, and already had booked plans to continue her initiation, it was her hope that everything could finally be happy and good. No arguments, no secrets, no bitterness, just the sense of belonging and love she was just finally starting to taste after a lifetime of being alone. And she wanted Jac'Eli'Zirem there every second of it.

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Kestri was the only thing Eliz had to hide from Gwyneira Vizsla . And finally, he no longer needed to. It was much of a surprise that Kranak Vizsla had adopted her. Or perhaps it wasn't. The earliest conversation they had about it was Eliz might eventually adopt her, though he wasn't entirely sure on how to do it. And, well, his disconnect with his own clan that had only recently been mended had him far more hesitant. He wanted nothing more than for Gwyn to be Vod. And he didn't want to end up a hinderance.

Now though?

The red eye'd Mandalorian stood just outside the hanger, his own buy'ce in his hands as he waited for his lover to arrive. Best friend, even. It was an odd thought. His twin had always been his best friend. To have a similar thought on someone else was a surprise. But, perhaps more so, the romantic feelings he had for Gwyn always made him think it'd be different. That being friends and being in love were different. In some ways they were.

But they went hand in hand when it was someone to spend a life with.

"There you are. Ready to go house huntin'?" He flashed a wide grin as the hybrid stepped into view. The kind that just lit up his eyes as he pushed off the wall to step over to her.

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

When Mini told her that Eliz Krayt had arrived, Gwyneira stood up to leave. Kestri was a bitterly cold planet. Thus, Gwyn wore a black winter coat, with multiple layers of long sleeved clothes beneath. Accompanied by fluffy mitts, a yarn scarf, and heavy boots, Gwyn was bundled up to face the cold. She was going to leave, but paused before taking her buy'ce with her. Holding it tightly in her arms, against her chest, she walked out of her ship and entered the shipyards. Ah, shipyards. Gwyneira Craft had always been at home in these loud, bustling, industrial areas. As she smiled back at Eliz upon seeing his smile though, she was sure he would rather be somewhere quieter.

She approached her lover, descending the ramp. Still cradling the helmet, she nodded excitedly, "Absolutely! Once we're in a quieter place we can swap what kind of housing we would like."

This spaceport was all a sector of the city on its own, Sector 05. Sector 04 was where they were going, to The West Ridge's West Residential Quarter. It was going to be quite a walk, but Gwyn would be happy to take the trek. She could not get enough of the genius of this underground city's design, the engineering genius and artistic craftsmanship. The ancient Clan Kyron really had outdone themselves in every ounce of stone carving and metalsmithing. The very architecture of the city screamed of culture, Mandalorian culture. The rigid, straight walls and how everything pointed to a diamond shape. Glass glistened and glittered throughout the city as well, a tribute to the old Mandalore capital of Sundari. Just like how this very shipyard was named after that lost city. The Sundari Memorial Spaceport.

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"Mm. Can't let it be too quiet or I'll just get distracted." There was a playful air about him as he stepped right up to Gwyneira Vizsla . Without another word he stole a kiss, briefly holding her cheek to keep her there. He was by far in a better mood than he'd ever been. Having her with him, here on Kestri. Finding a home together. His hand fell from her cheek, reaching instead to take her hand and squeeze.

"Let's go."

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

Gwyn smirked at Eliz Krayt 's comment about distraction, but eagerly accepted the more wholesome kiss. Oh, she loved it when he placed his hand on her cheek! As he broke the kiss and took her hand, she smirked again.

"As if distraction is a bad thing."

She stepped back, pulling him as she turned, sure to show herself off to him as she they walked out of the shipyards. As they entered Sector 04, Gwyn turned again. It was quieter now, away from the homey shipyards. She smiled, "So, what kind of house are you thinking? I heard the West Ridge Residential Quarter has a lot of options."

 

[Eliz Krayt]

He snorted. Gwyneira Vizsla was playing with more fire than she likely realized. Still, he followed after her, hand in hand. Squeezing hers firmly just to make sure she knew he was there and that he wasn't going to let go. He didn't want to let go, even as they went to a far more quiet district. Eliz instead hummed, pulling her closer so they walked side by side through the quieter area.

"I don't really do homes, y'know. So long as we're together, I don't care what it's like. Well, alright. Aubin at least needs a place to sleep. Otherwise I don't care."

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

Gwyn nodded to Eliz Krayt as they continued to walk, "To be honest, I want something low budget enough. I want a place to sleep, but I also want to work on, like, ten projects at once."

She then smiled, turning to face ahead. The expertly carved, stone stairs were low and cool. Their footsteps echoed, alongside their voices, "Of course I'll keep Aubin in mind. Aubin is a good kitty. You know I made a guest room in Schonhiemat into a room just for him, right?"

Her footsteps slowed as she looked down, frowning. Schonhiemat... She honestly missed it.

"Y'know, with how low class I was, and how high class Arkanians including my father were, I was really excited to live in a place like Schonhiemat..."

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"We can get whatever you'd like, cyare." Eliz smiled all the while, his gaze glancing towards Gwyneira Vizsla with each step. He couldn't stop looking at her. Really, it wasn't just the house that was on his mind. Though, was Aubin a cat? The thought suddenly crossed his mind as he hummed. Ursod were.. Ursod. Were they catlike? Eventually he just shook his head before squeezing her hand.

"We can always remake Schonhiemat if you'd like."

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

Gwyn turned to Eliz Krayt and shook her head, "No. At least, not right now. I need the money for my projects. My Eternal Empire savings won't last forever."

She sighed and turned around again, still squeezing Eliz's hand, "Besides, Schonhiemat was too... big. I like closer quarters, like on the Tauntaun."

As they finally started walking again, they made it to the bottom of the stairs. Walking out they found themselves at the front entrance to the housing sector. Gwyn stood aback, shocked at the incredible view! So many houses, apartment complexes, and more! All under the mountain ceiling, miles of grand rocks and stalagmites, Gwyneira gapped at it all.

Yet, something was missing. It was too... vacant... There were guards, yes. But aside the lone Mandalorian flying from one rooftop to another with his checkpack, there were no other people.

Gwyn suddenly grew somber, remembering what both Eliz and Kranak told her about the purge of Mandalore. She lowered her head, once again stunned by the lowered population of this once magnificent people.

She squeezed Eliz's hand as she closed her eyes.

"So few..."

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Few?

Eliz turned his gaze around to the buildings. Right. Right. He'd grown used to the lack of people around. The loss of so much life was a terrible thing after the purge. But they were a people of war. He squeezed her hand, smiling. "Few for now. So long as we protect this, we'll rebuild." Once a secret that needed to be kept from Gwyneira Vizsla , now a secret she needed to protect alongside him.

"There a building that stands out more than the others to you?"

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

Yes. They would rebuild. More were to come, hopefully. Gwyneira herself had come, after all, right? Still, the sight of so little people populating such a grand city made Gwyn deeply saddened. A victim of dehoming and planetary ruin through war, her deepest loyalties to Mandalore were emerging. A desire to see a once great people great once more. A desire to protect.

In response to Eliz's next question, Gwyn shrugged, "Not really. We'll just have to look around some more."

Gwyn honestly had no idea what she was after. As she pulled Eliz Krayt into the streets, she continued to hold her buy'ce beneath her arm. Yet, it was starting to get tiring. And, so many Mandalorians they passed were wearing theirs. Gwyn stopped in the middle of a walkway and temporarily let go of Eliz's hand. She lifted the white helmet and pulled it over her head. Then, she lowered her hands and extended one towards Eliz again, "I honestly have no clue what I'm looking for... Maybe I should ask someone about the cheaper arrangements?"

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Eliz raised a brow as Gwyneira Vizsla pulled away. Why had sh- oh. He chuckled lightly as he watched her pull down her buy'ce. In response he did the same, though he couldn't help but stare at her. All this time he'd wanted nothing more than for her to be Vod, but he didn't expect her to look as good as she did in her beskar'gam. Kranak and Shai really had done their best to make her armor perfect.

".. Huh?" He'd been staring. Whoops. He chuckled a bit, squeezing her hand as she took it again. "Whatever you think is best. I've got quite a bit of credits stashed away."

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

Gwyneira realized Eliz Krayt was staring. Beneath her buy'ce, she blushed. Did Eliz think she looked good in anything? Was it just love that made him feel that? But she felt at home with him watching her, she enjoyed it. She chuckled as he took her hand, "You can look at me as long as you want, you know."

She chuckled as they continued to walk, looking around the houses. She knew for a fact that she wanted something different than where she had grown up, a cramped tenant with criminals and scum galore to be found. Yet, something else suddenly dawned in her mind. A bit further away from the docks now, it was quieter. She frowned. She liked the sounds of whirling machinery, blaring engines, and mechanical parts. She was an engineer, it was like home to her. But she was also worried about Eliz's sensitive hearing.

"Eliz, would you be alright living where we could hear shipyards? It's just the engineer in me, but I know you have sensitive hearing too."

 

[Eliz Krayt]

He stifled a laugh at that. Long as he wanted, huh? They'd never get anything done if he had that kind of freedom. Still, he squeezed Gwyneira Vizsla 's hand again as they continued to walk around. Just scouting the homes, potentials. Eliz hummed softly at her question. His hearing? Again he chuckled, this time shaking his head. "I'd be fine, trust me. We can always soundproof the building if it gets too bad. Should probably do that anyway, knowing you."

It wasn't seen, but he was totally grinning behind his helmet.

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

Gwyneira smirked beneath her helmet, letting go of Eliz Krayt 's hand and leaned on one side, crossing her arms across her stomach. "You have a point there, Edgy McHandsome. We need to soundproof it, definitely."

She tapped her fingers on her side, tilting her, "But I was also thinking, if we kept our home closer to the private shipyards, that's less of a walk to The Tauntaun."

She spun around, lowering her arms. She was sure to sway as she continued to walk, "Also, if it's anything with more than one occupant, an apartment is it. No tenants." She slowed a bit, pausing as she looked down, "In all honesty, just a less populated area in general would be nice..."

Her more seductive mannerisms faded as she shuddered, remembering fouly the life in her mother's tenant.

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"Less populated, but closer to the space port?" Eliz chuckled softly, nudging Gwyneira Vizsla . He could see it, her feeling down again. Memories of the past. But this was the future. There were no slums like where her mother lived. No superior race or anything like that. Just Vod protecting Vod. He squeezed her hand, leaning over to gently bump his buy'ce against hers.

"Sounds like a challenge y'know. Not common n' such."

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

Gwyn oofed at the buy'ce bump. She chuckled for a moment, then nodded to Eliz Krayt . "You do have a point. More people will want to be close to the port."

Gwyn sighed. What did she want more? Isolation, or the port? Did she truly want to be alone? Even in living space? The Vod were unlikely to be like the people she grew up with, weren't they? She was in a new place now, a new home. She sighed, taking Eliz's hands into her own and leaning her helm against his.

"I'll stick with being close to the port, if you want to too."

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"That sounds perfect to me, cyare." He pressed his helm to hers as she leaned against his. Truly, it didn't matter what they did or where they lived. He just wanted to be with her. It's all he could think about. He pointed forward after a moment, turning his head to glance at one of the buildings. "How about we try there?"

 

[Gwyneira Vizsla]

Gwyneira shrugged at the building, "Why not?"

As they walked towards the house, they saw an ad on a holographic billboard. This ad caught her eye, as it was a recruitment for the Kestrian Academy of Sciences. She pointed, "Kestri has a college?" She paused in her walk before excitedly speaking to Eliz Krayt , "I could-could I finish getting my degree there? Who do I go to about that?"

As the two continued along, they approached the apartment complex. There was no one living here, and it was close to the private spaceport, which was visible from here. Under the wide, yawning roof of the mountain, they entered the apartment and looked around.

Indeed, it opened up immediately into the kitchen and a side bed. The small space opened further into a small dining area, empty space, and doorways to a bathroom and master bedroom. It was tiny, already soundproof, and felt very much like a ship with its aesthetics. Gwyn... liked this.

"It reminds me of a ship. It's small, cozy... I like it."

She walked along the "kitchen" counter, brushing her four digit hand against it. "Could stand for more color though."

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Did.. He did explain it before right? Eliz laughed nervously, glancing to Gwyneira Vizsla as she geeked out over the idea of college. "I wouldn't know where to start, cyare. I didn't go to school." Grant it, he was excited for her. After what happened on her home world, where she wasn't able to finish school, the idea of going into a school where she wouldn't be judged so all that hard work wouldn't of been wasted, it was a beautiful case.

Maybe he could help her some time. He'd have to figure out this school thing first, though.

His gaze immediately pulled from her as they entered the apartment. It was.. Small. Cozy? Yeah, cozy. A place to sleep, rest. Though his gaze did immediately start traveling as he tried to see if there was at least another room attached. "So long as we've a place to store our gear, this should be perfect."