Private Color History

[Zaiya Ceti]

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

I want to...

Well he wasn't the only one who wanted to do the kissing bits!

Blushing a furious shimmer of corals and golds, Zaiya quickly agreed, "Yes of course! Gotta meet the Nova Professors."

While Zaiya was excited that they managed to determine that they were now boyfriend and girlfriend, she still couldnt help the flustered fluttery feelings she got around Aris, especially when he smiled at her so. It made her all giddy inside, her face flushing in enjoyment and she knew she couldn't hide the way it affected her color shifting either.

They quickly picked up the cards and set them aside, cleaning up after themselves. Domxite bounded over as the ship neared the Oseon Space Station, getting ready to dock.

"Hey Domxite," Zaiya beamed out, extending out a hand so that the droid could climb up and settled on her shoulder. Which reminded the Lovalla, "Oh so how is your fire bird doing?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"Cinder's been fine. I've been letting them fly around Niv Hani for the most part now that they're a bit more independent. I should take them with me more, though, now that I think about it." It'd been a bit since he had Cinder out with him, though that was for good reason. The last thing he wanted was for Cinder to get hurt. Even Seszil had him worried, but the one Shard was in a much more invulnerable body. And he totally wasn't thinking about this to distract himself from the conversation he was having with Zaiya about the kissing and not just doing that and-

Ah, distracted again.

"Right, right. .. Sooo. Who are we meeting again What's the professor's name, I mean?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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

Zaiya took a steadying breath, willing herself to focus. Her bioluminescent patterns had been flickering with restless energy again but listening to ARis talk about Cinder helped settle her nerves. A small smile flickered across her face, the glow along her cheeks softening to a warm hue.

"Well, it would be fun to have Cinder around. ALthough....will it catch anything on fire?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. She wasn't exactly sure how a firebird's physiology worked, and the last thing they needed was an accidental blaze.

As their conversation shifted, Zaiya busied herself with puting away the deck of cards along a nearby shelf, carefully securing them as she answered.

"Oh, um, the Professors Nova are a mated Lovalla pair who work for the University," she explained, the words tumbling out in a quick rush.

"They're deep space researchers, so they're usually out for months, sometimes even years, in the Unknown Regions. When I asked Dr. Izar about learning more about Lovalla, he put me in touch with Dr. Veronia Nova. We've been sending messages back and forth, but it takes time for transmissions to reach their research vessel. She did say they'd be stopping at the Oseon Space Station for supplies, though, and that they could meet me there."

The whole explanation came out in a breathless, almost comically fast babble. Realizing it, Zaiya ducked her head slightly, her patterns rippling with a quick, shifting shimmer, all that nervous energy slipping through despite her best efforts to keep it in check.

"So… if we have any questions, they'd be the best people to ask," she added, a little more measured this time. "Well, at least about being Lovalla. Not sure about the Force part…"

The ship gave a slight rumble as it exited hyperspace, and the viewport outside began to reveal a beautiful nebula off in the distance -- and a small space station that slowly grew larger as they neared.

 

[Aris Noble]

"No, but yes. Depends on their mood, really. I've trained them to not just burn stuff when they feel like it, but they are still an animal. And I don't have that kind of Force bond I've seen others have." He was practically immune to Cinder's heat as it was, so it was difficult for him to really notice if something was amiss until he started to smell the burning. Which he had, a couple times at home.

A couple too many times. There was nothing like having to put out a fire in his room in a panic so it wouldn't spread.

".. Well, it helps to have someone to talk to regardless. We can figure out the Force side with the Jedi, probably." Hopefully. He smiled though, nodding his head. It was a plan, to meet them and talk so they could at least have an answer or two on what they were doing. On how to keep Zaiya safe. "Are we meeting them over lunch or the like?"

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 let out a small "Ohhh" of understanding at Aris's explanation, her mind flickering back to their lessons with Master @Efert Farr. Cinder was still a wild creature at heart with their own thoughts and provocations so that made sense.

At Aris's question, she perked up, latching onto the plan to keep herself from spiraling too much.

"Oh, over lunch! Then we can do whatever we like with exploring or looking around too!" she said, her voice light with anticipation. She'd heard that the nearby nebula of Ossom sometimes put on a spectacular display. Maybe they'd get lucky and catch it.

The shuttle dipped lower, gliding smoothly into one of the space station's public hangars. Zaiya gripped the armrest beside her, her bioluminescent stripes flashing a quick pulse of amber before dimming again. Excitement and nerves tangled together, but as the ship settled onto the landing pad, unease prickled sharp in her chest.

"This will be the first time I've seen another Lovalla since my parents…" The words came out quieter than she meant them to. Her hands tightened in her lap as she blurted, "What if they don't like me?"

It was ridiculous, right? But the thought clung to her anyway, sinking in like a weight. What if she wasn't Lovalla enough for them? What if she'd spent too long surrounded by humans, by Jedi, without the socialization of her parents and now lost some part of herself she didn't even know was missing? Her markings wavered, a faint ripple of pale silver creeping into her skin, betraying the doubt coiling deep within her.

She swallowed hard, glancing at Aris as she searched for reassurance.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Then there's something wrong with them."

Came the blunt retort. There was nothing about Zaiya that could be disliked, unless there was something wrong with them. They'd have to hate the good parts of life to even dislike her. No, wait. Was this bias? Aris tilted his head and mulled it over only for a moment before shrugging it off. Bias or not, he still felt he was right on that.

He offered a hand as they started down the ramp, giving her the bright smile he often only gave towards her to begin with. Whatever they faced here, they'd face it together.

"Exploring around here seems like it could be fun. I've never been here before. You know any good places?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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

Zaiya blinked at Aris's bluntness, her glowing markings flickering in surprise before shifting into a soft, warm bronze. He said it so matter-of-factly, like it was the simplest truth in the galaxy -- that if the Novas didn't like her, the problem wasn't her, but them.

It was oddly comforting.

Her lips twitched into a small smile, the pale silver uncertainty fading from her skin as she reached for his offered hand. His grip interlocked with her gave her a steadying, grounding feeling and, when combined with that familiar bright smile of his -- the one he rarely gave to anyone but her -- made the knot of nerves in her chest loosen just a little.

As they stepped off the ramp, the cool air of the space station brushing against her skin, she let out a breath and nodded.

"Yeah. The Oseon station is kinda famous for its lounges and views. If we're lucky, we might even catch the nebula shift." Her stripes rippled with a brief flicker of bright orange, curiosity sparking at the thought. "But I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Whatever happened next, whether the Novas liked her or not, she wouldn't be facing it alone.

"So how is Vera and your family doing?"

 

[Aris Noble]

A nebula shift? Aris blinked as he glanced to Zaiya. Was this.. Going to be another date? Could this be another date? Was that too much to even want given what they were here for? Was it bad? He mulled over the thoughts for all of like, three seconds before his head clicked it. It didn't matter, if they wanted it to be a date after everything was done, they could.

They could talk about that after, though.

"Vera's been fine. She's got a crush, though, so I've been teasing her on that on and off."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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

Zaiya peered up at Aris, her expression shifting into something mischievous, her mottled spots rippling with a playful cyan glow.

He was always a little harder to read than most, but she'd spent enough time around him to pick up on the little things like the way his brows pulled together ever so slightly when he was thinking too hard or how his shoulders tensed just a fraction when something was really on his mind.

She nudged him lightly with her elbow as they walked.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, her tone sparking curiosity and playful teasing. She wasn't going to let him off easy, not when he had that cute, pensive look in his eyes.

Whatever she expected him to say next though, wasn't that.

Zaiya froze midstep. "Wait, what? She has a crush?"

Her head snapped toward him, a brightening flash of gold dancing over her skin in excitement. "Who?! What do you know about them? Wait... has she told them she like-likes them?!"

The energy bubbling up inside her was practically impossible to contain as she gave a little bounce on her feet, giving another pulsing glow as if she was star about to go supernova.

Then, suddenly, a thought struck her, and she gasped, eyes widening. "Do your parents know?!"

Because if that was the case, then this was big.

 

[Aris Noble]

"That it could be nice to go on a date here."

If she was going to ask, he wasn't going to lie, even if he wasn't too much a fan of trying to take her on a date when they were trying to figure out if they even worked. That what they could be told would make that date something bad and make it feel even wors- Oh. He blinked after a second before he smiled anyway.

No, no matter what they were told he wanted to spend that time with Zaiya.

His grin widened though as they talked about Vera Noble and her apparent crush. "I don't have the details on that. I just saw her blushing crush face around him enough to know. If our parents know though it's cause she told them, so that's up to her really. I just like the idea of teasing her after all the gross expressions she made at us. Maybe now she gets it, hmm?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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

"Oh!… Right. I mean, yeah, it would be a nice date! Want to go then?"

Zaiya stumbled over her words in an adorably flustered babble, her bioluminescent stripes flashing a warm coral as the realization of what she'd just said fully caught up with her. Thankfully, the whole Vera-has-a-crush revelation was a very convenient distraction. She latched onto it, half-smirking as she laughed, imagining Aris teasing Vera for once.

"Why? Has she teased you before?" Her curiosity flared, hues of bright citrine streaking through her markings as she considered what Vera could have said about them.

Then, another thought hit her; one that made her skin pulse a quick flicker of cyan mischief before shimmering into a citrine curious tone, "Wait… does she know we're dating too?"

Because, well -- now that they knew they were dating… had other people noticed before they did? Was there even a difference to notice? The idea made her suddenly hyperaware of the way they walked side by side, their shoulders almost brushing, the way she naturally gravitated toward him without thinking about it.

Maybe Vera had noticed. And if she had…what had she said?

 

[Aris Noble]

"A date it is then." Aris smiled and nodded his head. There was no reason to overthink it any more. He caught sight of some flustering over her skin, but she seemed far more interested in talking about Vera than addressing that. It brought a smirk to his face.

"Teasing probably wasn't the right word. She thought dating was gross?" Aris shrugged his shoulders. Whatever Vera thought of it all he wasn't too sure, but he had caught her expressions just seeing him and Zaiya holding hands. Which absolutely meant it was time to tease her about her new boyfriend, especially if well, it was actually her new boyfriend.

"She doesn't know yet, no. I haven't told anyone now that I think about it. Do you want to?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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

"I don't mind you telling her about us....But she thought dating was gross? Like… when you thought kissing was gross?" Zaiya asked, her bioluminescent markings flickering with a faint pleased pinkish-cyan glow at the mention of the date, but still curious about Vera.

However, the moment the words left her mouth, she internally winced -- because oh no, that meant she'd just reminded herself of that particular moment. The one where she had genuinely, seriously thought Aris was subtly telling her that her breath stunk.

The embarrassment of it all.

She pushed past the memory, grateful that she'd gone back to her normal hypersonic toothbrushing routine, and refocused on the conversation.

"Or just dating in general?" she added, tilting her head, her skin giving a faint shimmer of curiosity.

 

[Aris Noble]

Ah, right. Aris frowned briefly at the memory of how bluntly he'd said as much. Frowned, blushed even. Embarrassment was still an emotion that didn't really click in his mind, but in this case it did make sense. If Vera was like him in that regard, no wonder. "I still think others kissing is kinda gross. But I don't think kissing you is." He nodded once, matter of factly even. In his mind there was nothing gross about Zaiya at all.

"But I think it was dating in general. I don't think she ever expected to be interested in someone like she is."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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

"Sorry! Didn't mean to embarrass you… just trying to understand," Zaiya apologized, flashing an abashed smile. Her skin shimmered briefly with a flicker of pink before rippling into warm, glowing gold at Aris's next words, unable to help the way her whole face went ablaze in flustered giddiness all over again.

"Well… good," she managed, voice tripping over itself. "I mean...good that you don't think it's gross with me."

To ground herself, she squeezed his hand, comically shifting the conversation back to safer territory. "So, who is it that she's dating? Do I know him?"

With that, she took the lead, guiding them toward the restaurant where they were meeting the Novas. It was casual, the kind of place that felt alive. It had awesome warm lighting and a rich scent of freshly baked flatbreads with yummy delicious toppings drifting through the air. Zaiya's expression brightened at the laughter and conversation weaving between tables. The menu was all about communal eating, sharing good food with good company.

In Zaiya's opinion? Absolutely perfect.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Kalelos. I think you know him? I don't really know him myself, but I haven't sought him out either." Maybe he should, at least to get along with the boy his sister liked. That's what family was supposed to do. Right? His gaze shifted to the restaurant as they entered, his own smile growing. Communal food. Certainly felt like a Lovalla sort of place in that regard.

Though he doubted he could feed her himself right now. The reality of that sent another wave of red over his ears before he looked around.

".. Ah, do you- think they're already here?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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

Zaiya shook her head slightly, a soft ripple of confusion in her markings as she considered Aris's mention of Kalelos.

"I haven't heard of him, actually. Then again, there are so many Jedi already... it's hard to keep track of everyone," she added with a faint shrug, her skin glowing a pale citrine flecked gray in the moment of uncertainty.

As for the Novas, her attention shifted quickly.

"Let me check..." she murmured, pulling out her comm and flipping it open. She gave Aris's hand a quick squeeze before taking it from his grasp, her fingertips dancing lightly over the device's screen. Her skin shimmered with nervous energy, the telltale signs of her jittery excitement making her spots ripple with soft hues of gold and teal.

After a moment, she glanced back at Aris, her eyes bright with the news.

"Yes, they're here."

They reached the host stand just as the hostess, a tall Twi'lek with light blue skin and a warm smile, greeted them.

"Hello and welcome!" she chirped, then added with a nod toward Zaiya, "Oh, you must be with the Novas. Please follow me, they told me they were expecting you."

"Ah, okay," Zaiya responded, her voice slightly higher than usual, betraying the flutter of nerves she felt. She stole a glance at Aris before walking forward, her heart quickening. Here we go.

The hostess led them toward a section of the restaurant where massive viewscreens displayed a breathtaking view of the Ossean Nebula. The swirls of color were mesmerizing, but it was the sight of the Novas that truly captured Zaiya's attention.

There was no mistaking the older Lovalla pair. Dr. Veronia Nova's bright magenta hair and radiant skin shimmered with a jewel-like bioluminescence that almost seemed to glow in harmony with her emotions. Zaiya felt a pang of awe as she watched the older woman's colors shift like waves of light across the vast ocean of space. Her husband, Dr. Iestyn Nova, sat beside her, his own colors shifting in broader, muted bands, though they still pulsed in rhythm with his wife's in a breathtaking, ethereal display.

The Novas saw them approach and both stood, the warmth in their smiles reaching Zaiya instantly.

"Zaiya, a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Veronika began.

Zaiya smiled back, though it was a little more nervous than usual as she walked forward. "Yes! And a pleasure to meet you Dr. Nova, and... Dr. Nova. I'm Zaiya...and this is Aris," she introduced him with a quick, slightly flustered gesture as she repeated herself over and over again. Did she introduce him as her boyfriend? They had just figured that out ...

Before she could add that in, the older Lovalla pair exchanged a look and chuckled softly, clearly understanding Zaiya's nerves.

"How about we sit down and get something to drink?" Dr. Iestyn recommended, gesturing them to sit.

 

[Aris Noble]

Oh, they were younger than he thought.

Or, more likely, they just lived a lot longer than humans did.

They'd been lead to the table by a kind waitress, but Aris was more focused on figuring out who these people were. And how Zaiya would feel about being near them. She'd not met another Lovalla since she was a child, as far as he knew. Would she feel okay? Was this going to bother her? His gaze shifted to her, watching the colors ripple over her skin.

Nerves.

His smile softened as he briefly reached over to squeeze her hand, then gave a thankful nod to the couple at their suggestion of a drink. "This is my first time here, is there a particular drink they sell you can't get anywhere else?" While not a burger, exploring different foods of all kinds with Zaiya was still on his list to do. He took his own seat, glancing again between the couple.

For now, it was just good for Zaiya to be able to speak with people who knew what it was like for her.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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

"Of course, " Iestyn smiled and indicated to the drink they had ordered. "This is a sparkling muja berry drink that is very tasty," He added, adjusting the carafe of sparkling fruity violet drink and pouring a glass for Aris.

Zaiya slid into her seat slowly, smoothing the fabric of her tunic as if it could press the nerves right out of her, only to calm as she felt Aris give a comforting squeeze of her hand. Her skin shimmered a faint rose gold, her mottled stripes shifting from pale grey to soft amber and back again like the flicker of candlelight on uncertain waters before they calmed. She shot him another smile. This was really happening! Watching them, the pair radiated something... shared. Something synced. It stirred something deep in Zaiya's chest.

The younger Lovalla fumbled for words, then managed a breath.

"Thank you for meeting us. I, um... I don't really know where to start. I just -- there's a lot I don't understand. About what it means to be Lovalla. Especially as a Jedi."

Veronica's expression gentled, and her glow shifted to something contemplative. She folded her hands atop the table, fingers interlaced.

"I wish we had answers to all of that, Zaiya," she said with an apologetic note in her tone. "But truthfully... we don't know much about how the Force works within us, specifically. Not in the same way a Jedi might understand it. We're not Force-sensitive ourselves."

"Not in the classic sense, anyway," Iestyn added, "But we've spent most of our careers studying new worlds and species, and have seen for ourselves how the Force interacts with ecosystems in a handful of systems, flora and fauna alike. There's a deep resonance between certain plants and Force-rich regions. And when we started studying our own Lovalla biology, we noticed similar harmonic patterns in our bioluminescence and neural energy fields."

"But... that's not the same as sensing the Force. Not like you do," Veronia admitted, giving Zaiya a soft, empathetic smile, then turned to Aris, as if questioning in curiosity, "And you as well, I take it?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"I don't feel the Force, no. But I am a Jedi."

Though, it sounded more like the answers Zaiya was hoping to get here weren't going to be given. His expression dimmed just a little as he ran through the information. If it was the Force that let them have a bond, then, it was uncharted territory. Dangerous territory, though he was up for navigating it without hesitation in his heart.

Then what was it that had him feeling a little glum? He mulled it over before glancing to the pair before them. It clicked pretty fast. Their colors, how in sync they were. That was never going to be something he could give her, to shine like they did. He'd just have to try even harder to make sure she was brightest even among her species.

"I think that's part of why her and I are able to bond. When we hold hands, I can feel her emotion and she can feel mine. I think she's starting to be able to feel it even from a distance, though I don't think that's something I'll be capable of doing. .. I know the Lovalla need to remain with their bonded one. I don't have that pressure, but at the same time, I don't want Zaiya to get hurt. We're Jedi, too, so it's not like we can always be side by side. Do you now of anything to help with that?"

Zaiya Ceti