Private Cloudbusting

[Lief]

Asha's sleep was dreamless.​

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More often than not that was the case, lest demons from the past made their way into her mind and brought with them all manner of perils. But with Cotan so close, lay as he was, such was kept from rearing its head. She slept soundly, true peace upon her expression, oblivious to the musings of the man whose hair she still gently grazed her fingertips through. Even in sleep she couldn't wholly halt the act.​

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So it was that when he rose to answer the door she too slipped free from her stupor. Not as quickly as he mind. Slowly one eye opened, then the other, before she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand and smiled over at him. She barely noticed the change in lighting, which came with a shift in time, her eyes simply followed him around the room as he made his way back over with their food.​

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She stretched in a rather feline fashion, and then languidly nodded her head.​

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"Sure," she remarked, sincerity in her tone even with the lingering fatigue making the words themselves seem slow, "I'm down for whatever, love."​

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She proceeded to pat the sofa, hoping he'd made quick work of putting his butt back where it belonged. This was supposed to be a lazy night, and already he was standing more than he ought to have been. That's what she'd argue, at least!​

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Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"Whoa, whoa, wait. Can you stretch like that again? I didn't get a good enough view the first time."

Long since having mastered the skill of keeping a straight face, Cotan didn't allow the smile that wanted to play across his features out. No, no, for now he had to look entirely serious. Regardless of whether she caught on to the joke or not—though with a necessary moment spent appreciating if she didn't catch it, of course—he switched on the holocaster in front of them, quickly flipping through a few different holofeeds to find the one he was looking for.

"So, it's called 'The Totally Real Adventures of Auteme.' I mentioned her earlier—she's one of the members in the forefront of the New Jedi Order, now. Apparently some Sith Lord decided to make a really bad show about her as a prank, when he wasn't busy doing, you know, normal Sith Lord stuff." Unfortunately, the show itself wasn't on yet, given that it was still a couple of minutes before its slot was set to start on the holofeed.

Grabbing a pair of chopsticks and a plate, Cotan started gathering from the main dishes and side dishes for his first helping. It may have been marketed as a meal for two, but in front of them, on the small caf table, it looked more like a small feast. "She told me a little while ago that I was in a few episodes. Bespin's a bit behind the core systems with the show, so I caught the first of them last week...it was...definitely something."

Lief

 

[Lief]

With a knowing twinkle in her eye she momentarily played dumb and stretched once more, before dispensing with the seriousness and grinning in response. She couldn't help herself, it was nice to be back to some sense of normalcy, at his side, and to once again be stuck with his jokey nature. Sometimes it was nice to just succumb to it.​

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She shuffled slightly on the sofa soon after, and once he was done grabbing himself a serving of the food she took up a plate and chopsticks of her own and did the same. Her first bite warranted a pleased sigh, it had been so long since she'd existed within the throws of the true, living Galaxy that blissful pleasures such as these were experienced almost anew. She hmm'd and and nodded as he spoke, glancing up toward the caster curiously.​

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"Wait, so this Sith Lord wrote you into it?" she inquired, raising a brow slowly before snickering, "Oh this I have got to see..."​

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For a moment, with the humour still wrought upon her expression, she leaned her head against his shoulder and left it there until she took her next bite. The rest of the world faded away, and in truth she only half paid attention to the show when it did begin to stream. Instead she kept looking to her side, observing him as he ate and watched and whatever else, spying glances wherever she thought he wouldn't notice.​

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Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan, in fact, blinked in surprise when Asha played dumb. It was obvious that she knew, yet she went for it anyways.

Good thing he had a beard, unlike her.

"Well, from what Auteme was saying, he didn't actually do the writing," he explained, around mouthfulls of food. "He made some of his Sithspawn do it. Sometimes it was almost good, most of the time it was bad, and sometimes it was really bad, but that was the point. With this little mini-arc, apparently the story of how I got that crystal got out from those of us who went to Firefist, and the writers decided to re-work it to have Auteme involved." As he spoke, the intro and opening crawl for the episode began to play, giving a quick re-cap of what had happened earlier.

Auteme, running into an ancient dark-side tomb after Cotan, and actively fighting the undead monstrosities within. Not only that, but using one of their limbs as a weapon.

"See? I told you it would be ridiculous. Apparently I'm a total damsel-in-distress once she gets to me later on, from what she was saying."

Lief

 

[Asha Sar'andor]

He gave her the rundown, the parts he didn't mention quickly being filled in by the opening crawl of the show itself, and she listened intently; there was an excitable tone which undercut his words, perhaps it was the idea that he'd be featured on the holoscreen in whatever weird form that took, maybe he was secretly just a really big passionate fan. Yeah, maybe that was it.​

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Either way she simply smiled and listened, watched and ate. Just the first few scenes proved crazy enough to set the tone for the whole show.​

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"Really, you, a damsel in distress?" she mused, humour permeating the entirety of her tone, "I would never have guessed..."​

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She turned her face into his arm, trying to hide her still-sleepy, slightly loopy, grin. Nah, damsel in distress was quite literally the opposite of Mr Save-The-Galaxy himself, but it was always fun to tease him. She wasn't often one to do that to another... Nope, she saved all of her banter for Cotan exclusively. It was like she stored it inside, whenever it might otherwise have reared its head, waiting in anticipation of the next time she could snap back at him with loving stupidity.​

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He really brought out a different side to her. More carefree, more... human.​

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Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"Yeah, it has been a long time since that phrase could be used to describe me, hasn't it?" he mused. "Not since that time I got stuck on Atrisia." Asha turning into his arm made it slightly more difficult to eat than usual, given that now he had to be careful not to move that one around much, lest he end up hitting her in the side of the face in the process. "Although, in the real-life sequence of events, I don't know that I was too far from being a 'damsel in distress' before Quill came around to bust me out of that tomb, but like every young Naboo boy, I am easily enticed by promises of treasure and adventure."

Of course, he'd also been drawn along to that tomb by the Force the same way Asha often felt herself getting called, so it wasn't entirely his fault, and he'd gotten that wonderful healing crystal out of the escapade.

"Y'know, she doesn't actually fight? At all. However out of practice you might be, you'd absolutely destroy her if lightsabers came out." A small note of disapproval crept into his tone, one Asha would probably easily recognize from when they'd sparred together in the past. "She doesn't even have one, I'm told. Somehow got promoted to a knight without ever making one or learning how to use it...not that the show writers seem to care about that little detail."

Even if Show!Auteme was actually using a leg she'd ripped off of one of the ambulatory corpses as a weapon, not a lightsaber.

Asha Hex

 

[Asha Sar'andor]

"Don't worry, Cotie, next time you're in distress I'll swoop on in to save you." A second longer against his arm, then she forced herself back up lest she suffer from the dreaded indigestion! Instead she leaned back against the sofa and sighed wistfully. She almost forgot about the food entirely as she became caught up in the next part of the storyline, before blinking and realizing what was happening. No, no, she would never live it down if he thought she was truly enjoying it...​

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"Not everyone has to fight, you know?" she replied, shifting her gaze across to him when he spoke disapprovingly of Autume's pacifistic nature. "You let me off the hook, in the end." Even when the words tumbled free from her lips though, she knew she'd wind up regretting them. Cotan had never really liked the fact that she refused to fight, heck Asha barely even trained these days. She was rusty.​

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Jericho would have probably keeled over to hear of it.​

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She picked up her chopsticks again and set about eating some of the noodles, if only to have the excuse of a full mouth should he make some snippy retort. By this point she wasn't even really watching the show all that much, it was on and her eyes were on it but her mind had begun to wander. Damsels in distress, tombs, heck even Naboo drifted through her mind for a moment.​

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How long had it been since she'd visited there?​

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"I wonder why they make it" she pondered aloud, all at once. shifting into a more comfortable position on the sofa. The whole thing just confused her, honestly.​

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Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan ceased in his eating, both show and food forgotten in the wake of what Asha had said.

Even as she continued to eat, musing on the show they were watching, his head turned slowly, before his eyes settled upon her face with what could only be described as a sense of dreadful finality.

Let you off the hook?

She had never been more wrong. Having confirmation so tacitly delivered, however, that in all her explorations she had never taken any time to practice and keep up her skills...

"So you've chosen doom."

The words hung in the air for a moment, his judgement rendered, as he silently returned to his noodles. The show was no longer registering upon his senses, not even the overdone falsetto of his depiction in the show going "Oh, thank you Auteme! Thank you for rescuing me!" could garner a reaction from him. Even to Asha, he would seem almost completely walled off...for the moment.

"Auteme will learn. It's a requirement for a reason, after all. However, you, miss Hex..."

A piece of fried something disappeared within his mouth, Cotan using the excuse of having to chew to lengthen his already overly-dramatic pause.

"...I know exactly what we're doing tomorrow!"

Asha Hex

 

[Asha Sar'andor]

Oh...​

Chit...​

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He hadn't let her off the hook. Hadn't let her off the hook at all. In fact it was almost as though he'd been biding his time; wrong, of course, she was the one who'd been absent, he could hardly train an absent woman. Even so speaking her words into existence had caused a shift in Cotan, who wasn't even really paying the show any heed anymore.​

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Neither was she.​

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"Oops, did I say that out loud?" she asked, a blush creeping in over her skin. Deep down, maybe Asha realized it was time. She couldn't keep rushing off, rushing headlong into danger, and expecting everything to be okay. One day there'd be someone who refused to talk it out, who refused to see sense, or have a cup of tea to calm down, and then?​

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Well... What would she do then?​

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Truth be told though, that wasn't even it. It wasn't her she was worried about...​

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She watched him as he feigned interest in the holotv and the food, watched him with such intensity as she set every single facet of his being into her memory. Mr Save-The-Galaxy indeed, but who would be there to save him? Autume with her torn off arms? Life wasn't some holoshow...​

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Asha fell silent and somber.​

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Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan glanced down again as Asha fell silent, setting his rapidly-finished first plate of food aside for a moment, and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry too much, dear," he reassured her quietly. "I've only needed rescue twice, and considering the trouble I manage to get into, that's a pretty good record. Besides..."

His voice dropped to a menacing hiss, his grin growing.

"Your fate is sealed."

Some training would definitely be in the plans for the coming day, but probably after they'd gone to see the Ithorian gardens or Otherworld Encounter or whichever of the other sights Asha might choose to go and explore. Less of an issue about getting sweaty and having to take a shower and hoping they still had enough energy to even go and do any sightseeing afterwards.

But...

No, Cotan, it's definitely better to go and see things first. Don't think so much about the shower.

But she did look awfully nice when she stretched like that...

But after a morning of training there'll be no energy left to do anything else in the day.

Except maybe more "training..."

Despite himself and his attempt to maintain the evil-looking grin, Cotan couldn't help but laugh at his own thoughts. "In the afternoon, though," he decided, before he could contemplate it any further. "Your fate is sealed for the afternoon. For the morning, too, but that'll be for less strenuous activities."

Asha Hex

 

[Asha Sar'andor]

Had he just... read her mind?​

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The arm around her shoulder was of great comfort, and she leaned into his half embrace eagerly. Even when he reiterated the fact that she'd sealed her own fate. Snapped out of her daze, she peered up at him and simply smiled in response. Accepting of her fate, perhaps. Or maybe it was just the way he'd said it.​

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He was such a goof, even when he tried to be serious.​

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Nah he wasn't being serious in his tone. The intent behind it sure, but the grin gave him away.​

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"Sealed? Seal it with a kiss, why don't you" she teased back.​

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Yeah, she was feeling much more like herself already. All worries which had risen up regarding Cotan subsided, though not forgotten. She would do what she could so that he wouldn't have to be the only one supporting them should dangers untold and terror insurmountable approach them.​

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Force, she hoped that day never came.​

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She turned slightly, facing back toward the holoscreen, and reached for more food. Asha had absolutely no clue where in the story they were, but at least it looked fun.​

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Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"Well."

One hand shot out, catching Asha's wrist as she went to grab more food. Her plate floated out of her grasp to the table, even as his other hand snaked around to grab her other arm. "If you insist." In one quick moment, Asha was pulled up and turned around, now directly facing Cotan atop his lap. For his part, he was wearing one of his trademark smirks, clearly having gotten Asha right where he wanted her. "But just remember, it was your choice this time!"

And before she could manage to fire back with some fresh witty comment, he pulled her in and planted his lips over hers.

Asha Hex

 

[Asha Sar'andor]

no no no no no no...​

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Asha made little grabby motions toward her quickly floating away food, though before she could do or say anything more about it she found herself turned and lifted into his lap.​

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Okay. This she could deal with. Much better than food, mhm.​

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She stole back a hand, so that she could raise it up and through his beard, and before she could respond in any way to his statement of blame he stole her lips, and in doing so her breath, right from under her.​

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That hand settled comfortably against his cheek, and leaned into the kiss.​

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Yep. Much better. Well worth the aches and pains she'd be facing tomorrow.​

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Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

He held her there for a few moments before breaking off the kiss, still smirking. Not too long, not too short, but just enough to keep her—

—well, the both of them—

—hungry for more.

By this point the show was almost entirely forgotten, though Cotan did have a few choice comments about how ridiculous it was seeing Auteme carrying him so easily, something that would never happen in real life. She'd have to use telekinesis at least. As for the redhead on top of him, however...

"Are you still hungry?" he asked, raising one eyebrow slightly. "Because I'll be honest, I am feeling awfully tired right about now. It's been a long day, you know? Kinda just want to have Kiss pack all this up for me and go to bed." At the mention of being tired, he winked; entirely innocently, of course.

"We'll have to share, though. Single room and all that. I'm sure it'll just break your heart."

Asha Hex

 

[Asha Sar'andor]

Asha was frankly aglow when he pulled back and stuck her with his smirk. She wanted to lean back in, steal m o r e but she resisted the urge and instead ran her fingers back through his beard.​

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Force, she'd missed his stupid beard.​

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When he initially began to ask if she was hungry still, she didn't know what to make of it. Yes, and yes, but also no. Not for food, at least... Well she was, but she had more pressing things on her mind. "Me? Hungry? Never..." Nope, Kiss could pack it all up and they could reheat it for lunch or something. That was a solid plan.​

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Solid plan indeed.​

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As for the sleeping situation, well...​

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"Oh no, whatever will I do... Guess I'll just have to fall asleep on the sofa, again. Poor Cotie, all alone in his cushy bed..."​

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Then, while he was hopefully distracted with thoughts of sleeping - Force forbid - alone, she stole another kiss.​

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Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"Alo—"

Alas, his faux-indignant exclamation was cut off by Asha kissing him again. Accepting his own fate, he reached down with one hand, hitting one of the buttons on his commlink, tossing it on the table afterwards. K1-S5 would respond to the call soon, coming in to see what Cotan and Asha needed, just to find the commlink sitting next to the food that would need packed up.

Sorry, droid, Cotan thought to the mechanical creation that would never hear it, before wrapping his arms back around Asha as he stood, lifting her into the air before walking back to the bedroom.

Alone. We'll see about that.

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Some few minutes later, K1-S5 returned to the room, and with a resigned, mechanical sigh, set about packing up the food that Cotan and Asha had left behind and storing it in the refrigerator downstairs.

Asha Hex

 

[Asha Sar'andor]

Poor Kiss.​

​

Of course, lost inside a decidedly different kind of kiss Asha barely even noticed the way in which Cotan had chosen to gain the attention of the droid. The way in which he'd not so subtly asked him to clean up after them. Normally Asha would have done it herself, but she was a little preoccupied in that moment. It had been much, much too long since she'd last had Cotan Sar'andor all to herself, after all. Much too long since she'd seen him at all.​

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Nope, in that moment he was all that was registered within the World of Asha Hex.​

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Well... That moment and a great deal many other moments after the fact.​

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After an undescribed amount of time, though, sleep fell over them both. At least, she presumed both of them. Either way, Asha was out like a light. And then morning came too fast, a morning she didn't want to acknowledge. Not least because mornings led to afternoons.​

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And afternoons led to fates already sealed with a kiss.​

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Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Of course, while Asha didn't want to acknowledge the morning, that didn't mean that someone else wouldn't. One who was normally never a morning person, even if he did still have a habit of waking up early; no, this time, he was fully awake, up and ready, right at the sunrise. Mind already rushing. Thinking of the best way to get her up.

Not necessarily the nicest, but the best, even if it might get him in a bit of trouble.

So, Cotan lifted up off the bed as much as he could on his heels and the palms of his hands, taking advantage of how Asha had rolled slightly away from him at some point while they slept, before pushing up and then immediately flopping back down on the bed with all of his weight. And while he wasn't the largest man in the galaxy, he was enough larger than her for such an action to send her up in the air a bit herself. Not enough to send her falling off the bed or hurt her, but enough to definitely...

"Gooooood morning, Asha!" he said cheerfully, wrapping her in a loose hug before she could manage to throw an indignant arm his way or accidentally roll herself off the side in surprise. "Sleep well?"

Asha Hex

 

[Asha Sar'andor]

Asha was blissfully asleep when it happened.​

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The world around her shook so violently that she felt certain the room was going to collapse in. An earthquake? On Bespin? How did that even make sense, they were floating high above the gaseous planet! Surely there were measures in place to avoid such...​

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Her eyes were open and wide by the time she landed back on the bed, and she found herself wrapped up in Cotan's arms soon after. It was the only thing which kept her from falling off the edge of the bed. She'd have been grateful for it, if not for the realization that he was the cause of the whole ordeal!​

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"You... You... Swine!" she cried out, though she could not remain serious for very long at all before devolving into laughter. Well, laughter still wrapped up in shock. Force, that was not a nice way to wake up. "I'd say you gave me ten caf's worth of a wake up... Never, ever, ever, do that again, mister... Or next time I will be sleeping on the sofa..."​

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She wouldn't.​

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But he didn't need to know that.​

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Cotan Sar'andor ​

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"Swine? Me?"

Cotan pulled her in tighter, laughing along with. "Would a swine have made sure to catch you, to keep you from rolling off the side of the bed? You should be thankful I was here!" Then, of course, came her hollow threat. Even if she wouldn't tell him that it was truthfully so hollow, she likely knew that he'd know such all the same, the way their joking often went. Not that he could let her win on this exchange that easily...

"Well, if you did that, I'd just have to join you out there. I think that'd get even more cramped, wouldn't it?" Sure enough, for Asha, there would be no winning when he had that twinkle in his eye. Just a perpetual stalemate.

"Now, Asha, what are we going to do today? Ithorian gardens? Otherworld Encounter? Bespin is full of possibilities to fill our morning!"

Asha Hex