Private Color History

[Zaiya Ceti]

Enroute to the Oseon system
The Centrality
Outer Rim Territories
Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Aris Noble

The soft glow of hyperspace streaked past the viewport, endless ribbons of blue and white twisting into infinity. Zaiya let her gaze linger there for a moment, letting the hum of the shuttle and the steady pulse of the stars lull her thoughts before she turned back to the silver haired teenager sitting across from her, observing that quiet, unreadable expression of his, his own cards held loosely in one hand. Zaiya watched him, thinking to herself how the light hit his face just so, enhancing his dark complextion.

He was getting even cuter by the day -- so-o not fair! Yup, she couldnt help watch him with a silly smile.

They were playing pazaak, well, trying to, at least. It was supposedly fun, and to be fair, it was fun, even if Zaiya was objectively terrible at it. Not that it stopped her from being competitive -- or from making bets.

Speaking of bets...

A brief flicker of memory hit her -- the Ferris wheel, the rush of air, the weightlessness of it all. The way her heart had pounded for entirely different reasons than just the height. Her bioluminescence betrayed her before she could stop it, coral warmth blooming across her skin. Zaiya quickly lifted her cards, hoping the soft glow of the holo display would hide the telltale blush.

Focus. Pazaak. The game. The bet.

She glanced down at her hand, then grinned.

"Almost at twenty!" she teased, slapping a card down onto the table with dramatic flair. The sum ticked up to fifteen.

Not quite there, but close enough to make it interesting.

They still had time before they reached the Osean System, where they were finally -- finally --meeting the Nova doctors, the deep space Lovalla researchers who had just returned from deep space exploration, and the best shot Zaiya had at getting real answers. Answers about how Lovalla bonds worked, what they meant.

And, more than anything… what that meant for her and Aris.

Zaiya swallowed, hoping -- really hoping -- that this trip would give her something solid to hold onto. Something to make sense of it all.

For now, though, she had a game to win...

 

[Aris Noble]

Card games had some skill in them, in knowing when to hold and fold, but it was mostly chance. Chance on which card would be played next, on if they could hit twenty if the other already had to tie it up. It was interesting. More than that, it was fun. Pazaak wasn't the type of game he usually played, but right now, he couldn't help but have a lot of fun playing it.

That, and he was playing it with Zaiya, so.

Every now and then he glanced up towards her, smiling ever so faintly. Then quickly looked back to his cards. He couldn't keep looking at her, especially now. The memory was clear in his mind. The kiss, the fireworks. How fast his heart had been beating. How fast his heart got whenever she was nearby. He glanced again to his hand as the next care came out.

Seventeen.

He squinted. She could easily beat that, especially if she had the cards in her hands he did. "I'm closer. What do you plan to do? I'll win at this rate."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya pursed her lips, twisting them to the side as she stared at her cards like they might magically give her the answer. She needed a five to win. Exactly five. Anything more, and it'd be a bust.

Across from her, Aris sat at seventeen, looking way too calm for someone who was just a few points from victory.

She tapped her forefinger along the edge of her cards, then glanced up at him, narrowing her eyes. He looked relaxed, but she knew better. The tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth? That was him enjoying himself. Her expression softened and the corner of her mouth perked up, sending a shimmer of joyful blue and teal.

"It's a game of chance! The odds are equally in my favor," she declared, though a part of her wondered if someone could technically count cards in Pazaak. Maybe if she paid attention to what had already been played…

A second later, Zaiya exhaled sharply, puffing out her cheeks before letting the air out in a slow, deliberate breath. Okay, okay. Decision time.

Her gaze flicked to her side deck, then back to the main pile. If she drew a five, it was over -- her win. Anything higher, though? She'd crash out.

A thought struck, and her lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Double or nothing?" she challenged, lifting a brow.

The overhead speaker crackled to life, it was their pilot droid. They both didn't quite have a pilot's licence yet, especially to fly this far off from the Jedi Temple. [ Exiting hyperspace in fifteen minutes. ]

"Oh, almost there!" appropriately distracted, Zaiya glanced away from the cards. Nervous and anxiety colored her mottled spots in tell tale hues.

No pressure or anything.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Double or nothing, huh? So you'll have to kiss me twice when I win?" He said it. Aloud. His mind had been distracted by their last bet, but this wasn't the current bet at all. They'd talked about who'd make the meals during the day if they ended up staying for longer, nothing about a kiss. His brain seemed to just.. Short circuit on that fact, though. He smiled none the less, as if he hadn't said anything. Focused on the game, on the next card, not on the rush of heat burning his ears currently.

"Flip your card, and we'll see, won't we?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya's brain completely crashed.

For a second, she just stared at Aris, her bioluminescence flickering wildly between bright coral and shimmering gold like a short circuited glowpanel. Her mouth opened. Closed. Opened again before she tried to recover, scrambling for something clever, something smooth.

What came out instead?

"...Don't -- I don't need to win a bet to kiss you!"

Oh blast.

The heat in her face flared, and her lights flared right along with it. Another spark of gold shot through her patterns before she panicked and snatched up a card, flipping it over with a little too much force.

Two.

Seventeen. A tie!

"Hah! Tied!" she declared, maybe a little too loudly, as if sheer volume would drown out her own mortification. Her fingers curled against the table as she gestured in a silly flutter of a hand at the score, as if that was the most important thing happening right now. Not the way her bioluminescence was still betraying her.

 

[Aris Noble]

She- didn't need a bet to kiss him? Wait, did that mean he did? Did he need to win a bet to even have the courage to try and kiss her? Thinking back, he didn't even end up kissing her to begin with, did he? She kissed him, after he used the bet to get whether she wanted to or not. Embarrassment flushed through his mind as he looked between his cards. His ears burned, the back of his neck burned. He didn't want to be a coward in his feelings for Zaiya, did he?

He wasn't even listening or paying attention to the fact a three came out on his side, giving him the twenty he needed to stand and keep his hand. Instead he'd summed up his mind and just leaned over the cards to steal a quick kiss from Zaiya. A brush of his lips to hers before he settled back down. He wasn't scared of a kiss. He was nervous, sure, but he wouldn't be scared of Zaiya or kissing her.

Aris blinked though, glancing to the cards finally.

".. Oh hey, Pazzak."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with:

Zaiya's brain short-circuited. Again.

Her spots flared in a dizzying burst of pinks and golds, her entire face practically glowing with flustered delight. He kissed her! No fear of bad breath or unsanitariness involved! And this time, there wasn't even a bet involved! Just a stolen, confident little kiss right over the Pazaak cards like it was the most natural thing in the galaxy.

Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again -- only for an indignant squeak to escape when Aris casually blinked at his hand and declared he was the first to get Pazzak!

"I .. wait what?!" she sputtered, torn between laughter and wanting to bonk him with the nearest pillow.

"I...You...That -- oh blast!" she huffed, crossing her arms, puffing up in faux outrage, but the way her bioluminescence still sparkled with giddy pink betrayed her.

"Alright you won -- this time." she muttered, failing miserably to stop the ridiculous smile on her face. So she would be up for chores then, but that was no big deal.

What was, however, was the little nagging question now in her mind. Well, several, like what it meant, were they still trying not to resonate, what dating meant for them, and did this mean he was her boyfriend -- all the questions that fueled the reason they were going to meet the Nova Professors, but this particular question popped up after his kiss.

"So...does this mean we may kiss each other anytime we want?"

 

[Aris Noble]

Cute.

It was the thought that ripped through his head, numbing him to the fact he had even won the first hand. There were still two rounds to go, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling as he watched her. Her question though brought a much more visible blush to his face. Right. What.. Did this actually mean for them? Could they just kiss each other when they felt like it? Was that normal?

"I think I'd like that, personally. But if you don't, then we can figure something out? Honestly, I don't really know how any of this works. But.. Well- ..." A blush took over as he looked back down towards the cards, gathering them up to start a new hand for them both. ".. Am I your boyfriend?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Aris Noble


Zaiya's bioluminescence flickered and her hands fumbled slightly as she reached to take the pazzak cards to shuffle them for the next round, her fingers barely brushing his in the process, sending a brief shock of tingly resonance. Oh stars, this was happening. They were defining things now.

"I mean…" She sucked in a breath, forcing her mind to stop whirling like a malfunctioning navcomputer. "I think so? If you want to be? I like the idea of you being my boyfriend, I just…"

Her colors softened, turning a thoughtful amber as she peeked at him from beneath her lashes. "I wanna make sure we both actually know what that means first. I don't wanna mess this up by assuming things, you know?"

She hesitated, then gave a small, almost sheepish smile. "But… yeah. I think you are…I mean. If you want to… and well, figure out the bonding thing…"

That is if she had it right…. Right?

 

[Aris Noble]

"From what I've read a boyfriend or girlfriend or the like is someone you lo-like like. Someone you spend a lot of time with, go on dates. Want to be near and be in contact with physically. .. I mean, it's a lot of what we've already been doing, in truth. Just- not the kissing part. That's new. And very much liked. And I'm rambling again I think because I dont' really know what else there is to it all what I read online was very bland or very-"

Nope he cut that line of thought at the roots. His gaze lowered to the cards, where their hands had brushed together. He paused only for a moment before just taking her hand in his to squeeze gently. Carefully, as ever.

"That's part of why I wanted to come along. This bonding thing. I- .. I like you too much to say we need to not bond for your safety. I'd rather figure out how to keep you safe and bond with you than anything else now."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya's bioluminescence flickered in a chaotic dance of shifting hues, betraying the swirl of emotions tumbling inside her. Excitement. Uncertainty. Hope. She really, really liked Aris. In a way that sent a nervous flutter through her chest, in a way that made her feel weightless and giddy all at once.

It was something she wanted to explore, to understand -- to resonate with. Zaiya knew that, even as she curled her figners around his, holding onto the warmth of his hand as if he were her anchor. This was new, uncertain, but she wanted it.

Wanted him. And that realization sent another ripple of color blooming over her skin, a glowing, shifting pulse of emotion she couldn't begin to hide, letting Aris understand far more than most that she was starting to overthink and worry again, even without verbalizing it yet.

"I want the same thing too... I really like you a lot Aris. Want to do all those things and be around you. Feel you. " In a way a Lovalla naturally desired to.

However, after a second, Zaiya's glow flickered, an uneven pulse of shifting hues betraying a sudden intrusive thought, the sudden weight of what if pressed in, thick and heavy in her chest.

"I just…" Her voice wavered, before she exhaled sharply, forcing herself to say it out loud.

"What if we can't figure the bond out? What if there really isn't a way?"

She hated how small her voice sounded. How fragile the words felt once they left her lips. Because the fear wasn't just about the bond. It was about them. What it would mean if there was no safe way forward. If they had to make a choice neither of them wanted to make.

 

[Aris Noble]

That was the dreaded question, in truth. What if they couldn't make it work. What if, no matter what they did, Zaiya would be hurt. In danger. It was a valid, logical question. One with a very simple, very logical answer. Cold logic dictated a lot of how Aris thought. If there was a logical answer, why not follow it? His grip around her hand tightened a little, though. Still careful as ever not to hurt her, but this time logic was thrown clear out the window as a grin took over his expression instead.

"No matter what answers we find, we'll make it work. Lovalla just need to be with their bond, so I'll just stay with you until we can figure everything else out. The Force is pretty amazing, I doubt there's no answer, just possibly one no one knows yet. And when we find it, we can help your people too with it."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya felt the warmth of Aris's hand, the way his grip tightened, and her heart fluttered anew. His words settled into her chest like a promise. She wanted to believe him, wanted to let go of the worries that twisted through her mind. Seeing his smile, feeling his hand grasp hers, made her feel like maybe they could figure it out after all.

She wanted that more than anything, and Zaiya's colors swirled with soft hues that brightened again at that, her thoughts growing a little clearer as his certainty anchored her.

They'd figure it out right? The galaxy was a big place. If things didn't work out with Dr. Nova... well they could look in other places! Ask other people... where there was a will, there was a way, right?

It might have been an incredibly naive and optimistic thought process, but it was what Zaiya was focusing on to keep from panicking again. The fear of losing Aris was a constant battle with her hope for a future together. She didn't want to think of what it would mean having to like him as she did and being unable to act or tell herself to block herself, or, worse, be forced to see him less.

"Yeah," she whispered, squeezing his hand back, "we will."

With a sheepish but once again renewed excited grin, Zaiya beamed back at Aris.

"So, what has been going on lately with you? Are you still having issues with Master Jonyna Si?" she asked him, thinking back to what he had mentioned briefly when they went on their date. It had been some time since then, and she wondered if things had gotten better.

They had a few more minutes to play one more hand of Pazzak before their ship came out of hyperspace and docked at their destination.

 

[Aris Noble]

Ah.

Aris's bright expression dimmed a bit at the mention of Jonyna Si . "She's not my master anymore. I don't know what she's up to lately. Probably more work with her position, which ultimately was why. Aadihr Lidos is my master currently. It's.. Been a process, I think. He doesn't have much faith in himself, and I don't really know how to ask him for.. Anything. Feels more like I'd just be burdening him if I were to talk to him. He's usually focused on helping others, like Brander or Roman. We don't really even know how to talk to each other, seems like."

Oh, he'd been sitting on a bit more than he thought. He frowned a little. It was easy to talk to Zaiya. Why wasn't easier to talk to others?

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Aris Noble

While the shift in Aris's expression was outwardly subtle, for Zaiya it was unmistakable and she felt the change like a ripple in the Force. Empathy softened her own features as she gave his hand another reassuring squeeze. She knew how much he'd wanted a proper Master, how much he thrived on learning and structure. But war had a way of uprooting everything, making consistency a luxury rather than a guarantee.

It wasn't surprising to hear that he still struggled with opening up, though he'd been getting better. His new Master, Knight Aadihr Lidos , was a name that caught her off guard, a flicker of surprise flashing through the bioluminescent patterns on her skin. She hadn't interacted much with the Miraluka, though she had heard Aris speculate about something going on between him and Azzie. Not that it mattered right now. What mattered was Aris and how he felt, and whether he could find what he needed in his new Master.

"Hmm…" Zaiya hummed thoughtfully. "Accepting you as his Padawan means he understands what that bond entails. You shouldn't feel like you're bothering him with questions or training.... he's supposed to be one of the closest people in your life." She thought back to Iris, to the way her Master had assured her she'd always be there, that Zaiya could trust her. That she wasn't alone. Domxite, too. To think of them both as family and who she can form a family bond with.

She tilted her head, watching Aris carefully. "I know it might be hard, but you should talk to him. Tell him what you need, what works best for you, and what you're hoping for in a Master. If he's unsure of himself, maybe he just doesn't know what would work best for you yet. But if you talk about it, you can figure it out together."

Her words trailed off as a thought struck her, warmth rushing to her face as her colors rippled in a sheepish wave. "I mean… just like how we're trying to figure out how dating works. Maybe Knight Lidos needs to figure out how being a Master works, too."

 

[Aris Noble]

She was right.

Aris let out a sigh, his brow furrowing some in thought. He had an idea of what he hoped from a master, but just sitting around waiting wasn't going to help anything. If Aadihr wasn't going to talk to him, then, he should talk to Aadihr first. Communication was important, in all things in reality. Just like they were trying to figure out what it meant to be dating, there was plenty to figure out about being a master and student.

The last thing he wanted was to have another have to drop him as a student because they didn't understand him.

"I'll talk to him. Or try to. I don't get a lot of what's going on either. It's.. Odd to be the one to have to talk, though."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya's bioluminescence shimmered with quiet encouragement, a soft wave of warm tones rippling across her skin. She squeezed Aris's hand lightly, offering a small, lopsided grin.

"Yeah, well… sometimes we gotta be the ones to start the conversation," she said. "Even when it's weird. Even when it's hard...like when you clarified for me that I didn't have stinky breath!" even mentioning it was enough to cause a slight flush of embarrassment in remembrance, but Zaiya was making a point out of it. Aris had broached the subject on things he cared about before and he could do it again, sharing what he felt and thought with others.

Besides, she knew how much Aris hated uncertainty and how much he relied on logic and structure to make sense of things. And Masters were supposed to be the ones guiding their Padawans, right? But sometimes, even the best Jedi needed a nudge in the right direction.

"You don't have to figure it all out at once," she added, voice softer. "Just… take the first step. See where it leads."

A thought came to her and she suddenly brightend.

"I know! Pretend I'm Knight Lidos and talk to me about it! You can practice what you want to say and all!"

 

[Aris Noble]

He blinked.

Then blinked again.

Then tilted his head.

Everything she had said made so much sense so far, right up until she mentioned him pretending Zaiya was Aadihr. There was a blank stare as he tried to think about how that would even work. It didn't, at least to him. Zaiya was Zaiya. It wasn't that he couldn't pretend others were someone else, that was easy enough. But Zaiya? "I don't want to think of you as anyone else. Especially now. It feels weird to want to kiss someone else."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x | Companion: Domxite
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya's bioluminescence flickered with a mix of surprise and something warm and fluttering beneath her skin, sending a soft ripple of pink across her mottled spots. She hadn't expected that answer.

"Oh-h!"

It was all she managed at first, blinking as she processed his words. The sincerity in them. The weight. Then, a nervous little laugh bubbled out of her as she flushed.

"Well… when you put it that way, yeah, that'd be weird." She added, "I mean, I also do not want to imagine you kissing someone else." A tiny tint of green settled on the edges of her spots before they faded.

Her glow then settled into something softer, golden hues weaving through her stripes. "I wasn't saying you should...just, y'know, as practice or something -- what to say not the kissing part -- to see what you'd want to say to Aadhir...like... like in a play!"

 

[Aris Noble]

There was a good couple of seconds that Aris watched the colors rippling over Zaiya's skin. Again, it was all logical. He could practice with her, figure out how to have that conversation with Aadihr with her help. She'd always been much better at talking to people than he was. His fingers laced with hers, thumb tracing over her skin. It was all logical, but why was he so vastly uninterested right now?

Ah.

His smile turned to a far more vivid blush. She was his distraction right now. Their talk, their choice to be boyfriend and girlfriend, it was the only thing really on his mind right now.

"I want to-"

There was a blip from the ship com as Domxite called over it, letting them know they were about to drop from hyperspace. All at once Aris's ears deepened red before he let Zaiya's hand go and stood up. "Right, we should- get ready. To land, I mean. Uh. Pick up the cards." He reached down, starting to pick up the cards as if he'd just ordered himself. He did, naturally. He needed to keep himself focused. They were here to help Zaiya, after all.

Zaiya Ceti