Dating: Mandalore Edition

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Location: Sundari Palace, Mandalore
Time: Late Morning/Early Afternoon

Beth stared at herself in the mirror in her bedroom on the relatively warm day in Sundari. Was her nerves really supposed to be this strong? She took a deep breath as she brushed down any wrinkles in the long, laced dress she wore. Hair was simply brushed and fell past her shoulders. Hopefully, he’d find the outfit pretty. It hadn’t been too long since the masquerade, but it had felt like a lifetime, still.

She had commandeered part of the kitchens in the palace for the start of the big day. He promised baked goods and Beth expected him to live up to it. Likewise, the club had agreed to let her do a few songs tonight- not her usual heavy lineup, but enough to give him a taste of her voice. Hopefully he likes it, anyway.

The click of her heels on the flooring of the palace could be heard as she walked down the corridors. The guards themselves were aware of [member="Cleru"], from the Chiss Ascendancy, so there would no surprises there, at least. It definitely helped when she informed them about the Force Dead thing. No fishy Force stuff they had to worry about, she guessed. Nonetheless, Beth stopped at the entrance to the palace – likely where Cleru would enter from.

Beth peeked out the window as she waited – her nerves creating a wreck within her. Maybe he wouldn’t even show. She’d be heartbroken but… At least maybe her nerves would calm down. Ugh. Calm down, Beth, the nerves will go.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

At first, Cleru assumed [member="Beth Cadera"] was joking about the palace. He had called her on his way from Csilla just to check where they'd meet up. Much to his surprise the Mandalorian was insistent that it was indeed the palace. He stood outside the gates, just staring up at the large building. Had he missed something about her during their time at the masquerade? He had thought he learned quite a bit, but apparently it was not much at all.

He walked through the fates towards the entrance, dressed in a simple tux much like the one he had worn at their first meeting. It wasn't the same of course, last thing he'd be caught doing was reusing the same suit. There was a small nod to the guards. "Right, I'm here to see Beth?" He glanced between them, really curious as to why she needed so many guards. This wasn't because she was a doctor, was it?

"Is she here?"

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

The tall guard perked a brow at [member="Cleru"] as he arrived at the entrance of the Sundari Palace. He seemed a bit like a fish out of water. In a tux, in the middle of Sundari, a Mandalorian capitol. “Beth Cadera? You are Cleru, from the Chiss Ascendancy?” He asked with squinted eyes. Assuming he said yes, he would give a nod. “Right thi--“

Beth saw the exchange and quickly got the large door open as she waved down the guard. “Hey, yes. It’s Cleru, he’s with me,” she said quickly. “Thank you,” she said to the guard with a bright smile as she glanced towards [member="Cleru"]. “Sorry, I was inside waiting. How was the trip?” Her excitement and nerves busted through. Hopefully he wouldn’t judge her excitement too much. “You look great... Er, I mean, yeah. Your suit looks good,” she commented after a seconds pause, cheeks turning slightly pink.

Should she hug him? Give him a kiss on the cheek? Ah, she had no idea. So, she’d just go with it. See what he did. Or perhaps run, since he probably surprised about the Palace. Since he didn’t want to believe her about it, for some reason.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

Cleru glanced nervously between the guards. His only thought was [member="Beth Cadera"] was the palaces doctor, which would make sense. Right? He had refused to take a look at any intelligence on Beth mostly because it would be literally spying on her, which didn't seem right. But as she stepped out of the palace and the guards began backing away, well. He recognized when someone sat at the top through the reactions of those below them.

It was then he finally realized the connection of her last name with another. Manda'lor.

His red eyes stared up at her as his mind clicked the pieces together. Slowly he stepped up to her, past the guards. No longer was his mind thinking about her relation to her mother. The fact was there, but all it meant was he really picked the right outfit. Though, perhaps a suit of armor would have been better. Still, he stopped just before her, a smile on his face. "Hey. It's good to see you again."

Without skipping a beat he set a hand on her cheek and pulled her in for a quick kiss. "I missed you."

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

A nervous laugh escaped the young woman’s lips as the guards returned to their positions with a simple nod. “Sorry, I did try to warn you,” she said somewhat cautiously. [member="Cleru"] had seemed pretty nervous at the sight – which made sense. A bunch of armed, beskar armored men was a fairly threatening sight to withhold, especially if you weren’t used to such things.

She held her hands together as Cleru stopped in front of her. Beth was sure her heart faltered, then melted some. Good to see her again. She gave a soft smile, “It’s really good to see you again, too, Cleru,” she said quietly.

Then his hand went on her cheek. Her heart sped up, beating, as her cheeks turned another shade of pink. And then the quick kiss. The touch of their lips, even briefly, felt like fireworks went off inside her.

“I missed you, too. I hope today lives up to your expectations,” she said with a playful grin as she looked into his red eyes.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

"Just seeing you now has gone well past my expectations." Cleru smiled warmly as the kiss broke, his burning gaze inspecting her own. Really, she was even more beautiful then he remembered, and it hadn't even been that long since they last met. Without missing a beat he took her hand in his own, interlacing his fingers with [member="Beth Cadera"] 's own. "So, I promised you that I'd bake something sweet for you. Why don't you show me the kitchen of this place?"

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth already hated when their kisses had to end. Who knew the Chiss were such great kissers? She certainly had expected such from him. Granted, perhaps he didn’t quite expect her, a Mandalorian, to be the way she is either. There would be some cultural barriers they would eventually have to cross, if this was to continue and grow. “You’re too sweet,” she said with a smile after a moments thought. “I’m so glad you came,” she admitted again. Perhaps it was overzealous of her, but… She had thought about him every day since the Masquerade.

Perhaps she could show him some places in the Palace that she loved as a kid, when she was younger – like when her father was under arrest for Force use. Similar to what [member="Cleru"] showed her that night on the balcony. For now, though, her hands interlaced back into his. The warmth and their touch sparking more currents through her. “You did, indeed. And I have us some great reservations and singing time at the club tonight,” she winked. Goddess, she hoped he liked her singing. One hand went to her necklace which always hung on her neck.

“Right this way, my baker,” she said with a small smile as they went through the corridors and into the kitchen. Several Hetikles Baatir were busy preparing meals, stomping around, and acting generally annoyed with their intrusion into their kitchen. “They were expecting us, I promise… They just don’t like people in here, often,” she admitted with a slightly defeated chuckle.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

"Ah, now that I'm looking forward to." More dancing of course, a pass time he thoroughly enjoyed the last time [member="Beth Cadera"] were together. But far more importantly, he wold be able to hear her sing. It seemed their plans truly were coming to fruition. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze at her wink, grinning some. At least she was confident instead of the usual fluster. Cleru really liked seeing that confidence.

Once in the kitchen though the Chiss removed his tux's jacket, releasing her hand in the process. He frowned faintly as he did. Once he was finished cooking he'd certainly have to make up for that. With his jacket hung nearby and his sleeves now rolled up he glanced through the kitchen and it's cooks, studying for a moment. "Don't worry." Cleru had a rather excited grin as he spoke. He leaned over, giving her a brief kiss as he locked eyes with her for a moment. "I can work around a crowd."

With that he practically dashed into the fray, easily slipping between the Hetikles as they went about their daily business. There was a practiced grace about him as he gathered the various ingredients he needed, finding an empty section of the kitchen to begin his work. Within minutes he had a dough started, then grabbed some butter. He haphazardly hammered it down. After a moment it was formed into a flat rectangle.

The process of folding dough was much like folding steel. Layer upon layer as he sandwiched the butter within the dough, folding it into thirds, turning it and rolling out again and again. Seven total times, which would give the dough over a hundred layers. of butter within the dough. For now he set it into a fridge, to let the butter harden some before it melted into the dough.

Again he began to walk through the crowd, easily diving through them to get what he needed next. Berries, namely raspberries, to begin a filling. Simmer them down and mix with a bit of eggs and milk to make a pastry cream. As he let that cool he went back to the dough, rolling it out and cutting out symmetrical squares. He filled the center with the raspberry creme, then folded over an edge on each corner. Onto a baking sheet and into the oven!

Cleru dusted his hands off as he put the trey into the oven. But he wasn't finished yet! Back to a bowl to make a simple icing made of milk and powered sugar. Then, as he waited, he rushed through the kitchen to help the Hetikles where needed, quickly picking up on the dishes needed. Soon enough the Pinwheels were done though, and he pulled them out to quickly ice them before they cooled.

The Chiss, finally finished with the treat, stepped back over to Beth with a cloth folded over his shoulder. "They should cool enough in about an hour."

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth gave Cleru a shy grin as she led them towards the kitchen. Beth was more nervous about that than he was, it seemed. Only Aunt Peggy had so far heard her sing – and that was only because she frequented the club Beth sang at. It made her a bit nervous, the idea of singing for him or anyone she actually knew.

Beth’s own lips frowned as he let go of her hand, despite her knowledge that they wouldn’t be able to hold hands through the baking process. She perked a brow, an ear turned slightly. Even the lizard people seemed to be pessimistic of such a statement. One muttered something about how they better stay in their area and not get in their way.

Beth gave a nod, though as she slipped onto a stool. She leaned onto the counter as she watched [member="Cleru"] get to work. And wow, did he really work it. Her face clearly showed how impressed she was. He did a lot… Things, that Beth would never have the patience to do. Perhaps it was just because her time is fairly cramped, almost always anyway. Her life featured mostly quick meals, or meals cooked by the lizards, or something else.

But surprisingly, the Hetikles took a liking to the Chiss. She wans’t sure what was more impressive – that he earned their respect or the adorable, delicious looking pinwheels that were now on the counter.

Beth gave a smile as Cleru returned. "Cleru... That was amazing. Those look so good, already... I don't think I could ever do something like that. How did you learn to bake like that," she asked with curiosity.

“So, we have an hour, eh.” She said as she stood up from the stool. She paused for a moment as she thought about what they could do during the hour. “You showed me something, so… Let me show you, something?” She asked shyly as she let her hand slip into his blue hand. “Follow me?” She asked, with a smile, and if he agreed she’d start walking.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

Cleru let [member="Beth Cadera"] 's words fill him with a sense of pride. There was a couple jobs where he had to be in a kitchen, but he never actually had someone sit and watch him before. He figured he'd have been nervous, but with the lizardfolk working around him it made it easy to keep focused even under the watchful gaze of the Mandalorian. "Well, like I said before. Chiss military training has a strict calorie count. I had to learn how to bake, in secret mind you, if I wanted any sweets. Probably why they pushed me into the Intelligence Division honestly."

He squeezed her hand as she took a hold of his again, smiling faintly. Yeah, this was better. He raised a curious brow at her question, though his smile widened. "Of course, take me where ever you'd like."

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth grinned. She really was struck with how great the goodies had come out. She couldn’t wait to actually take a bite into one, though. It looked absolutely delicious. She gave a nod. That was right, he did mention that. “Secret baker,” she teased. She let her hands feel his when they were intertwined yet again.

Beth took [member="Cleru"] down a fairly long corridor. Finally, a large door was in front of them. She opened it to reveal a large, expansive library. Including real, paper books. She gave a somewhat shy grin to Cleru as she guided him up a small flight of stairs to a semi-second level of the library. She grabbed one of the sliding ladders and pushed it towards a specific spot. “Right… There,” she said quietly as she let go of his hand.

And then she climbed it, in dress and all. When she made it to the top, she dragged herself the small opening. “Come on,” she said if he wasn’t already right behind her. She wrapped her arms around her legs. Several books were laid about, including a datapad. A small statue of the Goddess Shiraya was sitting nearby. Alongside, a pillow.

The view looked out over the entire library – and they could get far enough back that no one could actually see them. “I use to come here all the time,” she commented somewhat idly as she looked over the library. She patted the wood next to her for him to sit next to her.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

He smirked at the title. That was a rather telling name, and one he should have thought of earlier in his life. Still, it did make quite a lot of sense. He followed after [member="Beth Cadera"] eagerly, ever curious on what she meant to show him. His red eyes blinked in surprised at the vastness of the library as he stepped in. He was still in awe when she let go of his hand, him almost not even noticing.

"A.. Ah?" Cleru snapped to as she began climbing, him quickly following after to keep up. He crawled in after her, and again blinked in surprise. This was.. Her hide away. A safe place where she could be alone as she needed or wanted to be. Just like his balcony. A warm smile took over his features as he glanced around. "I can see why. It's rather comfy here."

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

“Didn’t think Mandos were cultured, eh?” She teased playfully as she got herself comfortable in her little spot. “The last time I was here was last year, right after a medical practical.” She chuckled slightly nervously, “It was so hard.” She had literally broke down after it right in this spot. She had studied, studied so much… And she made a near perfect grade on it. But, that didn’t change the stress of it all.

She gave a smile to [member="Cleru"] as he got comfy as she nestled onto his side, slightly resting her head on his shoulder – hopeful that her pointed ear didn’t poke him too much. She let her hand slip back into his hands. “I found it when I moved into the palace was I was 16, which was like… 11ish, in human development comparison. That was when Yasha adopted me as well,” she clarified after a moment of enjoying his touch. Perhaps it was probably important to note how she ended up in the Palace anyway.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

"If anything I figured Mandos had more culture then the Chiss. We're far more rules oriented with our lives, regulations and such." Cleru casually shrugged as he spoke. Even their armor, Mandalorians that is, were personally designed and made with their families from what little he actually knew of the culture. He blinked as she mentioned the stress of her practice. Was being a doctor truly that hard? No, that made sense. Learning to save a life was always much harder then taking one.

He blushed ever so faintly as she nestled onto him, mostly out of surprise. None the less he took [member="Beth Cadera"] 's hand in his own. It felt so natural to him having her beside him, so his free arm wrapped around her shoulder, his hand lightly trailing through her hair. "Ah? Where were you before that?"

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth perked a brow at his comment regarding the regulations and such. That was a fair statement. “I suppose culture is defined loosely,” she commented. She always enjoyed Chiss culture, although particularly more so now-a-days. She tried to study up as much on it as she could prior to the Masquerade. She was no expert, but she did appreciate it more so than ever. “I think the Chiss was very cultured,” she said after a few moments.

But her attention turned more towards feeling [member="Cleru"]'s hand in hers. The warmth that was shared. The nestling of her head on his shoulder. In this moment… She felt safe. And she felt like he understood, in his own way. “Myrkr. Clan Australis is headquartered there. My uh, dad, he used the Force on in the Palace. Got arrested, Force Cured, the whole nine-yards,” she commented after a few seconds. Her tone turned darker, as she thought about that time.

It was rough, but she got through it. And now, she rarely talked to her dad. Not after Eshan, at least. A small sigh escaped her lips. “And before that, Mygeeto.”

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

That was fair. It was probably easy to look at another culture and think they simply were more when you had grown up with your own your entire life. They'd have to compare notes sooner or later. But as Beth's tone darkened at the mention of her father his red eyes glanced over, scanning her face. Prison? That must of been incredibly hard on her, especially if it ended with her homeless.

He dared not ask that though. He didn't want to sour the mood.

"Mygeeto? I've never been there. Does it always snow like Csilla, or is that just a myth?" He smiled again, trying to focus on the more positive side of her life. Or at least what he hoped was positive.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth probably shouldn’t have brought it up in hindsight, but… It was a pretty big issue that had dramatically impacted her life. But, she had no hard feelings. It wasn’t too bad, because his cell was literally in the Palace so she was able to see him fairly frequently. But, that didn’t change the reality of the situation, either. Yet, she grew up just fine. Turned out relatively okay, she assumed. She looked slightly up, to see the edge of his face as she thought about what to say. What a buzzkill? Yikes…

Should she apologize… Ah, Mygeeto. She chuckled, “It’s soooo cold. Always snowing, like Csilla. The city was fully exposed to the weather.” She chuckled as she remembered her time at the orphanage and then in the slums. “People stuck together though, you know? Despite it all, people seemed happy. At least where I was, anyway,” she clarified. She cleared her throat and squeezed [member="Cleru"]'s hand gently. “Do you like the snow and the cold?” She asked a few seconds later. That was probably important to know.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

"Well, I'm not really sure." Cleru blinked. Did he actually like the snow? He drifted off into his own mind, his red eyes staring up at the ceiling of the little hideaway they were in. "I don't think I ever stopped to think about it honestly. As a boy I was too busy piloting the Chiss fleet through hyperspace, and after the Vong I guess I just.. Gave up." A frown formed. Giving up wasn't really something the man knew how to do, but maybe that's why. Instead of paying attention to the world around him he just dove into his work.

He shook his head faintly, chuckling. "But, that's not the case anymore. I gotta be able to answer your questions, less you think less of me." He teased, squeezing [member="Beth Cadera"] 's hand. Man, was it nice to have her hand in his own.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth perked a brow at how unsure he was. She let her grip in his hand a little tighter as she gave a little nod. He was too busy, piloting and… The Vong? Her face scrunched some. How did he get tangled with the Vong? That had to be a… Frightening story, to say the least. “The Vong…?” She asked somewhat nervously, clearly without the expectation that he had to answer. Definitely explained the Force Dead thing, though. “Perhaps we can visit, then. I haven’t been back since then.” 10 years ago.

A lifetime ago. “Well… There is plenty of different planets, with a variety of climates.” She chuckled as she moved her head so she could look up at him. She gave a quick kiss on his cheek before she laid her head down on his shoulder again. “I can't think of a reason I'd think less of you, [member="Cleru"],” she stated firmly.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

"Yeah. There's some out by Chiss space that the Ascendancy is still at war with. Nothing full scale. But.." He fell silent, turning his gaze to [member="Beth Cadera"] . He studied her face for a good minute in silence before he let out a sigh. If he was going to trust anyone with it, it'd be her. "I was lead into a trap during an exploration mission. You can't see the Vong in the Force, made it easy for them to dupe a Skywalker. I was captured and experimented on. By the time the fleet found us to rescue me, they had already cut me off from the Force." Cleru hadn't had a nightmare about it in a long time, but he use to. Even now he was unsettled by the memory, but before it could be pressed further he smiled, turning his head to catch her lips as she went for her kiss.

"There are, and I think I'd like to explore them with you."