Private Cat Got Your Tongue

[Miri Nimdok]

<Great! It’s not too far.>

With that in mind, Miri did slow her pace once they were past the starport’s crowds. Graleca’s streets opened up to them, requiring a more lethargic pace to take in the sights. It was a lovely city filled with beautiful architecture. There was a cleanness or purity to it all that wasn’t found on a planet like Coruscant.

<I’m not really used to it either,> she said, her grip on Kyell’s arm loosening. <At least, not anymore.>

She had known what it was like at one point. Spending time with family and friends. There were lingering echoes of grief in her, a sense of personal loss she couldn’t deny. But as she walked in the same place where she had once tread as a child, fond memories came floating to the surface of her mind. She recalled playing on the beach, chasing waves as they crashed into the shore. She’d have to take Kyell there afterwards…

<T> "But it's been great. You're.... really great."

Breaking out of her reverie, Miri glanced at him and smiled. She didn’t say anything at first, but slid her hand into his, her grip gentler than it had been before.

<We just got here, Kyell.>

The restaurant was smaller than she remembered, and not nearly too fancy for jeans and a t-shirt. She managed to secure them a table with a nice view of the ocean.

<My father brought me here when I was a child so that he could study some underwater ruins,> she said, pointing out toward the sea. <There was apparently a whole ancient civilization down there. Nobody knows what happened to them or who they were, only that they were here long before anyone else.>

She paused. <I’m geeking out on you, sorry. Er, what are you getting?>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Not anymore?

He turned his eyes away from the beautiful scenery that had drawn his gaze and left him entranced, to look at her for a moment. Even though they had only just met, he felt she was the type who could make friends easily, just the way he could if he got over his awkwardness and the communication barrier with someone. Yet, something had changed — maybe work keeping her busy? Or something much more terrible?

Whatever it was, the strong memories attached to this beautiful vacation planet seemed to make her feel at ease, and so he wasn't going to ask about it and ruin the moment.

Her hand then slipped into his, which briefly got his posture to straighten, but he relaxed quickly and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, <T> "I know, I know," he let out a soft chuckle and followed after her into the restaurant. It wasn't anything too fancy, but its location along the beach made it perfect.

The two sat down and while she gestured out into the ocean, she began to tell a story that listened to intently. At her pause, he smirked and shook his head, <T> "I like you geeking out, and that actually sounds really cool too. Imagine diving down there to find remnants of that civilization on some crazy adventure? I'm sure it's a lot better than creepy masks with mind control abilities." He flashed a smirk and turned his eyes to the menu.

<T> "I think I'll take their special of the day," he said, mostly because he had no clue what all these options were. It would be fine, right? But that also reminded him. <T> "You uh... wouldn't mind placing the order for me as well, right?" Avoiding the awkward moment of staring speechless at the waitress wanting to take their orders would be great for him, after all.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<T> "I like you geeking out, and that actually sounds really cool too. Imagine diving down there to find remnants of that civilization on some crazy adventure? I'm sure it's a lot better than creepy masks with mind control abilities."

<Hey, if you don’t mind diving underwater, maybe we could check it out sometime.> She assumed she was suggesting plans that would likely never come to fruition, but it was nice to talk about them anyway.

Kyell asked her to order for him. Miri had all but forgotten about his inability to speak. <Sure,> she replied.

After giving the waitress their order, she grew thoughtful. <About that mask. Did it… hurt you, or do anything to you besides take control?> She wanted to be sure it hadn't done any lasting damage. <You don’t feel any different, do you?>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<T> "I'm down for that," he said with visible excitement, <T> "I don't have many plans lined up at all, so... I'm ready whenever." He was trying not to sound too desperately excited, but Kyell definitely didn't want to push it back forever. An adventure that probably wasn't going to kill him together with someone like her? That would be pretty great.

The young man then went quiet while she ordered their meals, and just smiled at the waitress. It almost felt like being in a restaurant as a kid and being so afraid to talk that you'd let your mom order. But it didn't feel nearly that awkward.

<T> "The mask?" He had almost forgotten about it and reached up to rub the back of his neck <T> "When it happened, it was the most painful thing I ever experienced, even worse than the injuries I sustained on Empress Teta," he admitted with a frown. <T> "The worst part wasn't the mental torture though. It was feeling powerless while it forced me to hurt you because I was still aware."

A soft sigh escaped his lips, <T> "Right now I guess I'm just a bit sore? Like my mind went through a washing machine. But I think taking the time to relax like this will help." He then paused and looked at her, <T> "Your neck, uh... doesn't hurt anymore, right?"

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri studied Kyell. She did want to show him the ocean, didn’t she? Why not throw in a diving trip while she was at it? <After we eat, maybe. Although I think you’re supposed to wait a bit before you go swimming…>

In response to his question about her neck, she shrugged. <I took the time during the trip here to meditate and heal a bit. It doesn’t hurt anymore, but there’s a reason I picked out a dress with a high collar.> Wouldn’t want people seeing the bruises and asking questions.

<I ask because there are things I could try that might help you, but it would be a little invasive, and not necessarily something you’d want to have done to you in public.> She waved her hand vaguely, a bit reluctant to go into detail. <You should be fine with a little rest.>

Miri’s gaze wandered down toward his hands, noticing calluses on his fingers. <Either you play an instrument, or you’re into archery.>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Oh after dinner already? He wasn't quite expecting it to be that fast, but he wasn't going to complain <T> "We can always take a look at the beach first and take it easy before we dive," he suggested with a smile. But when she mentioned how she had taken care of his neck, he seemed a bit relieved and blinked.

Man, it would have been really bad if they showed up hand-in-hand while she had bruises on her neck. Luckily she didn't overlook these things.

<T> "If you can help ease my mind somehow, I'd appreciate it and it can wait until we're not in a restaurant," he chuckled and figured it was something similar to the way she had connected their minds before, so it made sense that it was best to not do so publicly. It would look a bit... odd.

Then she picked up on something through his hands that really made him smile with excitement, <T> "I play instruments, yes. Music is a way for me to express what I feel, and not just my emotions. Also what I feel in the Force around me," he explained, and this was perhaps the only thing he felt truly confident about. <T> "Recently I started playing a type of harp that doesn't even require me to use my hands though. It's called a Mindharp, and it's played telepathically."

<T> "I can show you later if you'd like, and even let you play it. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd play it better than I did." He smiled and then suddenly blinked again when he looked around. Was it weird to people to just see them stare intensely at each other? Nobody could hear them talk or even see their lips moving.

Just a funny thought.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

She snorted at his surprised reaction. <Times flies when you’re having fun with Miri Nimdok.>

He seemed receptive to her offer of help, though he didn’t know what exactly her help entailed. Kyell apparently trusted her more than she expected he would. And this was only, what, their second meeting?

Why did she feel like they’d known each other for longer?

… Must’ve been all the telepathy they’d been slinging back and forth. Touching someone else’s mind can make them seem more familiar.

The conversation shifted to the subject of music. At the mention of the Mindharp, she tilted her head to one side, like a curious puppy. <I’ve never heard of such a thing. It sounds like fun.> She shook her head. <I’m not very musical. The closest I came was dancing lessons. But I like watching other people play instruments… and I like being able to tell things about people from their hands.>

She trailed off, cupping his hand in hers and running her thumb over his fingertips. He appeared distracted, but then so was she.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<T> "It sure does," he said, still a bit curious about what her help would entail. She seemed reserved about it, but maybe she just felt it was better to explain it later? Either way, he caught himself getting lost staring into her eyes, and snapped out of it with a quick shake of his head. It was strange to him how comfortable he felt, considering they had only just really met.

It was a quality about her that he really liked.

<T> "It's a lot of fun!" he then exclaimed rather excitedly about his Harp, which got him to blush a bit nervously, <T> "Well, you could always dance to the music instead," he grinned a little, almost as if he was playfully teasing.

<T>" Or... I could play the music I feel because of you." His eyes now shifted down, as he noticed that her hands were cupping one of his. It got him blushing all over again, but this time he didn't feel nervous about it and maintained his smile. <T> "Everybody I meet feels different in the Force and to me. It's uh, always interesting."

He looked up and away from the thumb tracing his fingers, and back at her, <T> "What do the fingers tell you?" he asked, curious if she could tell more about him than just the music affinity.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<T> "Well, you could always dance to the music instead."

She grinned.

<T>" Or... I could play the music I feel because of you."

Her smile faded. She looked at him rather intensely, not sure what to say or how to react. Nobody had ever said such a thing to her before.

<T> "Everybody I meet feels different in the Force and to me. It's uh, always interesting."

<So you’re a composer?> she asked. <Do you ‘hear’ the Force as music?>

Her fingers traced the lines of his palm as though she were reading his future. <Apart from those musician’s calluses, your hands are soft. Which means you didn’t have to do manual labor when you were young. Either you’re from a fairly wealthy background, or you were raised as a Jedi.>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

When her smile faded and the intensity in her eyes grew, he was a little bit worried. Had it been a little too much what he said? He wasn't sure but certainly hoped that wasn't the case.

<T> "I wouldn't say a composer. I don't ever record or remember what I create," he began, his smile returning again, <T> "But I do perceive the Force as music if I focus enough. Jedi and peaceful things create beautiful melodies, whereas the Sanctum, as an example, creates a lot of dissonances."

<T> "When I create music, I just play what I hear, and it's always different in some way."

His eyes then shifted back to their hands, and she seemed to be pretty capable of reading him, <T> "Raised as a Jedi, which I'm sure doesn't exactly show much," he joked. She had seen him stumble around enough to understand where he was coming from, and it didn't bother him. Not all Jedi were big war heroes at the frontlines or capable of altering everything around them with just their minds.

<T> "You've had training yourself, right? Even some more exotic things, it seems. But you don't consider yourself a Jedi?" he asked because he was genuinely curious. Not because he questioned her choices.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<Oh well, it was only a guess. The story of most Jedi is pretty much the same, isn’t it? You get taken in as a baby and trained from a young age…>

Listening intently, Miri continued to look at his hand, weaving her fingers with his. She hadn’t realized how badly she wanted something like this until it was forged by accident. A simple connection with another person.

The longing was enough to make her impulsive. She was on the verge of pressing his palm to her lips when he asked her a question. Blinking, she realized where she was and swiftly straightened.

<I do consider myself a Jedi. I was trained by the Silvers. But I’m not affiliated with any particular Order anymore, and haven’t been for several years. It’s… complicated.> She hesitated. <It's not that I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t even know where to begin.>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<T> "These days, more and more start their training when they're older. But traditionally, yeah..." He had been one of relatively few born in this era who began training as an actual youngling, but the communication barrier at the start especially made it almost impossible for him to progress at a normal rate.

Only now, he was catching up.

Kyell's eyes then focused more, noticing that she was deeply drawn into the reading of his hand, or perhaps there was more to it? He watched as she weaved between his fingers, and slowly but surely, his palm drew closer to her lips, only for her to pause and straighten moments prior to touch.

It got him to smile, and while he wasn't going to ask about it, he squeezed her hand gently again, and now traced over her much smaller hand with his thumb. <T> "Well, I never felt it mattered which order we're part of. We still train, fight and do what we do for the same reasons," he began, before he paused and looked up into her eyes,

<T> "Maybe rather than thinking about where or how things began, tell me where it is you'd like to go? As a Jedi or just... aspirations in general." The past was important and helped give context, but he was especially interested in learning about what she cared about and wanted to work towards or experience in her life. People with ambitions usually were more focused and happy in life, and he wondered how others felt about it.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri seemed to dwell upon the warmth and pressure of his hand in hers, remaining silent for a time while his thumb caressed her knuckles.

<My family has a strained relationship with both the New Jedi Order and the Silvers,> she said. <It all stems back to things that happened when I was a child, but the ramifications have crossed over to the next generation. In some ways, I share my parents’ opinions on the matter. In others, I don’t know what to believe.>

Kyell didn’t seem overly concerned with loyalties, but one couldn’t be too careful. She was glad when he suggested they focus on the future rather than the past.

<I’m not really sure. I like what I’m doing now.> She realized she had never specified what it was, exactly, that she did. <I am… a mercenary, essentially, though that’s not the term I would use. I do whatever job I’m hired to do. Provided I accept the mission.>

<I like the freedom of it. I am beholden to no one. No faction or government gives me orders.>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<T> "I've heard stories about the past, and some of the mistakes that were made," he said, his voice softer and more soothing while he continued to let his thumb trace over her hand, <T> "I just try what I can to do what's right, and that's why I'm more concerned with the future," he said with a smile and much like her, he felt a lot better about shifting the conversation in that direction.

His past with the Jedi wasn't strained, but he didn't exactly enjoy talking about his past either.

<T> "Yeah, Mercenary makes it sound like a hired gun to me," he chuckled and looked at her with a smirk, <T> "Which you'd probably actually be good at, but I can see why you'd rather do other things. The freedom is great and as long as there aren't any creepy masks..."

He paused and slowly turned his head as he picked up on something in his peripheral vision. The waitress returned with food, and seemed a little surprised to see them basically holding hands, staring intensely... but they weren't saying anything. But after a second or two, she set their plates down and smiled, "Enjoy and let me know if you need anything!"

Kyell nodded and looked back at Miri, whose hand he finally released so she could eat, <T> "If you prefer to just talk normally, that's fine by the way. I don't know if our staring contest is awkward in any way," he smirked before he turned to his food to try and figure out what it was exactly.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<As long as I follow the Jedi Code, I am no less a Jedi than the ones who claim membership of an Order...>

How long had that poor waitress been standing there? Miri gave her an awkward smile and thanked her before she left.

<If it’s just me, it’ll look like I’m talking to myself.> She shrugged. <Let them stare. If they’ve got nothing better to do, at least we know we’re entertaining.>

<Plus, we can keep talking like this while eating without it being rude,> she pointed out, picking up her fork and knife. She ate in a neat, dainty fashion, cutting everything up into small bite-sized pieces to nibble upon.

<Now, where do you want to go, aspiration-wise?>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<T> "Couldn't agree more," Kyell said in response to her first comment before the waitress served their meals and left them to their rather quiet dinner. His eyes then shifted down to his food, inspecting it for a moment as if he was determining whether or not it was sabotaged. In reality, he was trying to figure out what exactly was on his plate.

Finally, he took his first bite, and the smile that followed showed he enjoyed it, <T> "Very true, it doesn't really bother me either. I'm quite used to it," he said for obvious reasons, and with a mouth full that confirmed they could indeed talk whilst eating. But after swallowing his bite, he did notice that she was quite well-mannered in the way she ate, and he didn't want to come across like a complete pig, so he paid a little extra attention to it as well.

It never hurt to do your best.

<T> "I uh, am not entirely sure yet," he admitted. <T> "I've never felt I was good at anything or really drawn to something. Well, except for music but I want to do something as a Jedi." He looked at her and began to smile softly again, <T> "Just our little adventure was really exciting and fun, although I wasn't always the most useful." He chuckled and wondered — was it just their mission itself that made him have a good time? Or was it mostly because of her?

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<You could be the first ever Jedi Musician, and use music as a weapon against your enemies.> The suggestion was half-joking, half-serious. She’d seen people do crazy and unique things with the Force. <I could see it as a psychological weapon. Force your foes to have an annoying tune stuck in their heads, distracting them during a fight.>

His more self-deprecating comments were met with an almost stern response from Miri. <What happened at the Sanctum wasn’t your fault. If you didn’t know what to do, or were ill-equipped, then it’s whoever failed to teach you these things that’s to blame.>

Even then, it wasn’t the end of the world. The solution to neglected education was more education. Miri didn’t consider herself a teacher, but she was the daughter of one, and she knew the importance of proper learning.

<I’ll help you,> she said, deciding upon it suddenly. It felt right. <Anything I have to offer, if it’s something you want to learn, I’ll teach you.>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Kyell almost choked on his food when she joked about annoying opponents with music <T> "Not a bad idea, I'll give it a shot someday," he smiled a little but it faded when she got a bit more stern with him. However, there was some truth to his words — he felt that he was behind largely because he wasn't ever able to properly communicate with others and that only changed very recently, and because of other Jedi his own age. Not his teachers.

Miri then made the offer to help, and it instantly brought back his smile. He wanted nothing more than to actually feel like he was getting somewhere, and learning from and alongside someone like her? There was no way he could say no to that.

<T> "I... would love that," he said as he shifted in his chair, clearly a bit excited, <T> "I think starting with the mental techniques would be good. Maybe sometime after you unwind my brain a bit later."

He paused to take a bite and smirked, <T> "And of course, a trip to the beach and a dive first." Which reminded him, that he didn't exactly have diving equipment — just a rebreather for underwater and some shorts. Maybe that would be enough.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

As Kyell outlined their future plans, Miri smiled.

<But of course.>

After dinner, she led him to the beach. It was starting to get dark, though on Jerrilek the nights were brief compared to the days. Waves foamed along the shore, smoothing over fine white sand. Miri paused to remove her shoes, holding them in one hand while her other clasped Kyell’s.

<Unwinding your brain is a good way to put it, although I’ve heard this technique described as a "chiropractic adjustment for the mind". This is a good place for it. Quiet and peaceful. Although I should warn you, what you'll experience can be unpredictable. I've seen people yell and scream when it was done to them, whether because it felt good or bad. But they always turn out all right.> Facing him, she asked, <Are you ready?>

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Odryn
Tag: Miri Nimdok

While their dinner had been really nice, the beach on Jerrilek was something else entirely. With the sun going down, the view across the ocean was beautiful and really added to the atmosphere he felt as their fingers interlaced again. It got him to smile a bit to himself, even as she began to explain that her technique to help him could be unpleasant as well.

<T> "Well, at least I won't yell or scream," he joked before his expression turned more serious, making sure that she understood that he was aware of what he was agreeing to. <T> "But I trust you, and I'm ready," he said before he let go of her hand to make this easier.

Looking down at the sand, he smiled briefly again, <T> "Should I uh... maybe sit down for this?" Either way, he was going to follow her instructions carefully — he knew that he'd be alright, but if anything he did could help make this as comfortable as possible for both of them, he would.