Fighting the Past

[Zhin Zondaar]

[member="Lucia Nox"]

When Lucia warned him that she'd not give up easily with a smile, he laughed. "I'm sure you're true to your word." he said grinning. It seemed he'd have to be more cautious now than ever. Rest appeared to be something that she'd put off interrogating him for. He exhaled in relief. Maybe interrogation was a harsh way of thinking about it actually, but he didn't find it enjoyable.

Lucia made Zhin chuckle commenting on his acting. "All the time." he joked before she said it was okay once more to carry her. Zhin picked her up gently like before and started to go up to the bedroom. Along the way he heard her say something quietly. Being so tired he had no clue what she said but said something anyways. "I don't wanna claim any credit for saving you because I think you would've been fine without my help, but you could've died. I could have too where I haven't trained in a few years. I'm positive that's why I feel so sleepy right now." he said almost at the top. He blinked a few times to stay awake. "Anyways, my point.. if you already accomplished what you came here to do, just take it easy." he said as they reached the top.

The room was pretty neat other than a few shirts scattered. When he set her down onto the soft bed he was kinda jealous by what she said following it. He pushed his thoughts aside and she thanked him. All he did was nod as he stood there. Then, she said what he was gonna say slot about but ended up keeping it minimal. "That's correct. I thought it was gonna be a normal day working at the bar with Floyd. Some thing happened that caused a lot of trouble and now we're here. It all worked out in the end though, so I'm not too caught up on it." he said smiling choosing to stay positive about it.

Zhin was turning to leave seeing Lucia's eyes start to close when she asked him a final question for the night. He turned looking at her confused. Eyes widened. Why did I help her? he asked himself. After a moment of silence he returned to his normal tired self. Zhin turned on his way down the stairs, saying something next that was going to give Lucia something to think about. He realized why and was honest with her. "I didn't want to fail again." he said softly. "Get some rest, Lucy."

Though he was very tired Zhin went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine popping the top off. He filled up a glass, carrying it over to the couch and sitting down. There was a laptop on the floor beside it, he picked it up wondering if there were any reports of the attack on the bar. He didn't find anything. It didn't surprise him. This place was full of crime and corruption, sometimes he wondered if his parents were still fighting it. Zhin set down the laptop back where it was, as he laid his head against the cushions. "Didn't lose this time." he mumbled smiling while looking up at the ceiling. He finished his wine just as he fell asleep.

 

[Lucia Nox]

I didn't want to fail again.

His words hit the air and hung there heavily. Lucia furrowed her brows, lips parting as if she were searching for the right words, searching for another question to ask, but it was too late. Zhin bid her to rest and was already retreating down the stairs. She watched him disappear, thoughts racing to piece together this new part of the puzzle, but soon . . . soon, her thoughts lost traction, slowing incrementally until they slipped away entirely. The bedroom faded into starry oblivion, and Lucy drifted into a deep sleep.

Suddenly, she was falling. Down, down, down, through a pitch black abyss, until suddenly she landed softly on a bed. It looked quite different from Zhin's bed in his apartment. In fact, Lucia was not entirely sure that she was in Zhin's apartment at all. She felt she had been here before, but she could not remember when.

She was not alone. Out of nowhere, or so it seemed, a shadowy figure approached her from across the hazy room. Lucia could not discern who--or what--it was, but as it grew closer, she felt a pang of intermingled fear and dread. She tried to leap away, to fight the thing, but found that she could not--her limbs were as heavy and immovable as steel. The shadow man was getting closer, and Lucia could not breathe. She opened her mouth to scream and gasp for air--the figure was upon her now--but just as he outstretched one gnarled hand to snatch her away . . .

Lucia woke up. Her eyes flew open as her body jolted upward, chest rising and falling heavily as if she had just emerged from the depths of a drowning pool. As Zhin's bedroom faded back into view, it took Lucy a moment to remember where she was or how she had gotten there. All at once, everything came rushing back to her: the mission, and then the bar, and then the bounty hunters . . . and then Zhin. She squeezed her eyes shut, exhaling deeply and using her good arm to push back the strands of blonde that now clung to light traces of sweat on her face.

"It was only a dream," Lucia murmured. She glanced to the digital numbers of a small clock beside the bed and almost had to rub her eyes to make sure she was seeing correctly--it was half past midnight. The events at the bar that morning seemed so far away, even farther now as she realized she had slept all afternoon and well into the night. She stretched, wincing a little as the pain in her shoulder flared, reminding her that she had to move slowly. She could still feel the sweat and grit from the day clinging to her skin. Her eyes ventured toward the bathroom door.

Moments later, she was undressing and stepping inside the shower. The sound of the water activating was crisp and pleasant. Steam quickly filled the room, and--careful to keep her injured shoulder out of the way--Lucia tilted her head back and relished in the hot water flowing through her hair and over her skin, washing away the bar, the bounty hunters, and that awful dream. She could have luxuriated there for hours, but she was out within minutes, throwing on her loose outer robes that she had discarded before bed . . . and soon, she was slowly walking down the stairs to the main floor. Lucy was thirsty, and she felt restless.

As she passed the sleeping form of Zhin, she smiled. After all he had done for her, she was glad to see him rest. She continued forward silently in the dark, but out of nowhere her foot clinked into the empty wine glass on the floor. Blast, she thought. It was a small sound, something that she might have avoided had her senses not been dulled from fatigue. Slowly, gently, carefully, Lucy bent to pick the glass up.

[member="Zhin Zondaar"]

 

[Zhin Zondaar]

[member="Lucia Nox"]

For the duration that Zhin had been sleeping, he dreamed of the past. It was a memory from when he was around 18 years old. He was training with his master in the court yard area of the temple. She always treated him as a child, fighting him like he was a little puppy. This bothered him at times. With their power difference in mind it was clear why she did this, however it wasn't just that. His master basically raised him like a mother when he joined the Jedi.

In the dream Zhin was holding his own against his teacher. After awhile of training and Zhin exhausted, she let him rest. He fell back breathing heavily before it soon was back to normal as he sat there. The voice of his master was heard. "You may have kept up with my attacks but you need to be on the offense more." she said. Zhin understood and nodded. He looked at the training lightsaber tossed on the floor beside him. It caused a question to form in his head. "Hey Master. Why did you pick me?" he asked. Many years had passed since he was brought into the order and he was asking now? His teacher sighed and smiled. "Because you agreed to come with me. It's that simple, dear." her answer made Zhin happy as he smiled back.

While he was continuing to rest, a familiar girl walked into the court yard. The girl spoke with his master about something. Zhin couldn't hear what they were talking about. When the girl left she looked back and smile at Zhin . He blushed looking to the side quickly. His master watched her student as he acted in a funny manner. "You like her don't you." she said with a grin.

Zhin woke up at this point because he heard something. Usually a noise so quiet wouldn't have interrupted his sleep, but he was cautious this time because of the attack. Opening his eyes slowly he could see the outline of a body bent over. He realized it was Lucia when he saw her all too familiar golden hair. "Did you sleep well, Lucy?" he asked with one eye open waiting for her eyes to meet his. Zhin didn't move his position.

 

[Lucia Nox]

At the sound of Zhin's voice, Lucia nearly dropped the wine glass out of surprise. It seemed that she, too, was a little on edge after the battle. She exhaled, rising slowly with respect toward her smarting shoulder, and turned to face him. He was still sprawled out on the couch like a king in his cave, and through the darkness, she could see the faint trace of sleepiness still hung in his eyes like stars. Lucy smiled, her blue eyes pressing gently into his. "I'm sorry," She murmured. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Lucy turned and walked into the kitchen, moving slowly with her bad arm folded against her chest like the wing of a little bird. She placed the wine glass in the sink and rinsed it out for him, almost out of habit, before retrieving the water bottle she'd left down there before bed and moving back into the living room. "I slept better than I have in ages. Well, almost," Lucy replied, gently lowering herself onto the couch at his feet, leaving some space between them. She pulled her robes close together out of modesty, suddenly quite aware that her hair was still dripping wet from the shower. "It's midnight and my body could probably rest for hours more. But my mind--" She paused. "My mind always needs persuading."

Lucy was quiet for a moment, searching for the words. "There's this strange, recurring dream that I always have," She explained slowly. "It's so vivid--it's what woke me. I'm always a bit restless afterward." She offered him a smile before lowering her eyes abashedly, tucking one long strand of blonde behind her ear. "I know that sounds crazy," She said, gently shaking her head before lifting her lashes and returning the warmth of her clear gaze to his own. It felt good to talk to him. "How did you sleep, exiled down here on the couch?"

[member="Zhin Zondaar"]

 

[Zhin Zondaar]

[member="Lucia Nox"]

Zhin opened up his other eye while watching her. "No. It's probably better that you woke me up when you did." he said forcing a straight face, or it would have been a frown instead. She was holding his empty glass of wine as she entered the kitchen. When she rinsed it out a question popped up in his head. He refrained from asking however. "Thanks. Your husband is a very lucky man." he jested as she came back and sat down.

When she said she slept well he was relieved, he himself felt pretty rested. Zhin leaned up and put his feet on the floor, stretching his arms a little as he listened. He didn't notice until he wiped his eyes of sleepy vision but Lucia was wet and wearing robes as well. Closing his eyes he was getting a little red from embarrassment. So much that he stopped hearing what she said for some time. He quickly started hearing again towards the end of her description of her dream. He nodded while smiling acting like he listened the whole time.

He stood up and stretched, as he turned towards the kitchen. He walked over to it and answered her question. "I slept alright." he said opening the fridge. Zhin smirked behind the opened door. "If I have to be honest.. it was so horrible that I snuck into the bed." it was rash to make a joke about this but he couldn't help himself. He grabbed two sodas chuckling all the way over to the couch. Zhin handed her one smiling hoping she wouldn't think he was serious. "I'm assume you like soda." he said still smiling.

 

[Lucia Nox]

"Thanks," Zhin said as Lucy returned to him on the couch, where she curled up at the other end like a cautious little cat. "Your husband is a very lucky man." His words triggered a strange flip-flop beneath her chest, and for a moment, Lucia found herself feeling compelled to say, Oh, I'm not married--but she refrained, opting to laugh and play along instead. "Oh yes," She replied, smiling playfully so that he would know that she was joking, too. "We'll have to keep our sleepover a secret. He'd be angry, you know."

They shared a good laugh at that, but as the humor subsided, an awkward silence fell over them both. Lucy held his gaze for a moment from where she was perched, just opposite him on the couch, holding her robe tightly closed but noticing when he turned red and looked away. That's when she dove into conversation about her dream--hoping to distract them both from their mutual shyness and discomfort. It seemed to work, because Zhin nodded and smiled, standing up and striding into the kitchen, resuming their conversation as before. Lucy breathed an internal sigh of relief. She hadn't meant to make him uncomfortable--she simply wasn't expecting to have a midnight conversation when she came down the stairs--otherwise she would have dressed for the occasion. She mulled this over for a moment, unsure why the thought of upsetting him bothered her so much. Her mouth suddenly felt quite dry, so she moved to lift the water bottle to her lips.

The sound of Zhin's voice from the fridge interrupted her thoughts. "If I have to be honest . . . " He was saying now, answering her question about how he slept. "It was so horrible that I snuck into the bed." At that, Lucy nearly choked on her water. For the briefest moment, her blue eyes widened--but only for a moment, realizing his joke. "You're a scoundrel," Lucy murmured through a knowing smile, narrowing her gaze at him but unable to suppress the glimmer of amusement that made it clear that she enjoyed his teasing. It made her feel almost normal--like a woman of twenty-three should feel--but what was more than that, it made her feel free. Thoughts of the Jedi, and of her mission, were far away from her now. "Absolutely shameless. What will I do with you?" Lucy shook her head, but her eyes were warm and jesting. She accepted the soda from him with a smile, taking a small sip.

"Really, Zhin," She said after a moment, setting her soda down and curling her legs underneath her, resettling herself on the couch. Her clear blue eyes were gentle and sincere now, seriousness slipping back into her tone. "I truly can't thank you enough--for everything. You didn't have to risk your life for mine. You didn't have to welcome me into your home," She paused, humor momentarily reentering the flash of her eyes. "And you certainly didn't have to give up your bed for me." She smiled, lowering her lashes to study the floor before bringing her gaze back up to meet his. "You're a good man, Zhin Zondaar. Wherever you come from, whoever raised you--they did well." She paused, merely studying his dark, dusky features--so different from the blonde fairness of her own--before smiling once more, but softly this time. "The galaxy needs more good men like you in it."

[member="Zhin Zondaar"]

 

[Zhin Zondaar]

[member="Lucia Nox"]

Zhin enjoyed the joke for the longest time. Her response at first was what he was hoping for, but she didn't end up hitting him or anything. Not that he liked getting hit, just that he wanted a bigger reaction. Nonetheless he carried on and sat down. He opened the pop can pulling the tab and sipped a bit of the soda. Happiness was all over his face while he sipped on the soda.

After the what Zhin considered to be a hilarious joke, Lucia thanked him for everything and praised him as well as his family. He was grateful for this. Then, she said something that he was afraid of where the conversation was going. Simply ignoring his thought, he returned her kind words. "I can say the same about you, Miss Lucy. I'm sure if it were me in trouble and you was present, you'd help me too." he said keeping up his smile. Zhin's voice got a little more serious. "What those men did was unforgivable anyways. Just let this be me apologizing for not helping any sooner." his smile came back with his normal tone too.

He exhaled taking another drink from the now half empty soda. Two familiar objects caught his eye just like at the bar. It was the two lightsabers he still kept for whatever reason. The soda he held was set down on the floor as a saber went into each hand. Zhin ignited them both , one producing a green blade and the other a blue. The sound of their idle movement was almost haunting. "I didn't craft this one." he said turning off the green one and setting it down, while the blue remained. "I suppose I could tell you this much while I'm happy from the wonderful soda." he paused moving it around a bit. "This was my fiancé's." he said while smiling. Any other time he wouldn't talk, it must have been the soda that put him in such a good mood. "I think it's been 3 years since she died and I'm here using her weapon." he paused again turning it off. Zhin turned to Lucia. "Well Miss Detective, I can't tell you anymore or it won't be pretty." he warned as he picked the soda back up and set the lightsaber down beside the other one.

Zhin once again sipped some more soda enjoying the fresh taste.

 

[Lucia Nox]

Lucia felt a surge of electricity course through her veins as the twin lightsabers hummed to life in Zhin's hand and cut through the darkness of night. The intermingled glow of blue and green cast haunting shadows across the wall, illumining Lucia's face as she watched Zhin move, utterly rapt. It was beautiful. He moved the elegant weapons as if they were an extension of his own arms, and in that moment, Lucia knew in her deepest soul what Zhin was. As she gazed at him with the clear blue eyes of recognition, a small smile slowly began to tug at the full swell of her lips.

"Mine is a blue saber, much like that one," Lucy said, nodding and smiling.

She watched as he deactivated the green saber, sensing his own fondness for the blue one as he swirled it through the air with an almost loving hand. There was a strong pull of energy that surrounded the blue saber, so strong that it was almost tangible. Lucia could feel the energy as plainly as she felt the couch beneath her body; she could see it as clearly as she saw the smile spreading over Zhin's dusky face. Then, all at once, he dropped that one sentence:

"This was my fiancée's."

Lucia felt her breath catch in her throat. Confusion--sharp and unexpected--hit her like a dash of icy water, and all at once, thoughts, feelings, questions--they all came tumbling over her in heavy, disjointed waves. Had she heard him correctly? Before she could open her mouth to speak, however, Zhin was explaining.

"I think it's been three years since she died," He remarked. "And I'm here using her weapon."

His words struck Lucia in the gut. The blue of her eyes softened beneath her furrowed brows, peering out at him now with an unprecedented gentleness. His story, though still missing some pieces, was beginning to make sense. "Zhin . . . " Lucy murmured as he deactivated the saber. He joked in his typical roguish fashion, calling her Miss Detective, but she couldn't laugh. She found herself slowly rising from the couch, ignoring the heavy pain in her shoulder, keeping her eyes pressed gently into his own as she ventured forward into the space between them. She didn't know what she was going to do, or even say, but she could feel the echoes of his pain deep within her core, and it hurt.

"I'm so sorry," Lucy said quietly, stopping just in front of him, sincerity etched into every curve and angle of her features as she lifted her clear eyes up to him. It wasn't the obligatory 'I'm sorry' that most people said out of habit; Lucy meant it with every fiber of her being. She shook her blonde head, droplets of water dripping from the ends of her long curls and onto the floor. "I had no idea."

Lucy lifted one small hand as if to touch his arm in an instinctive gesture of comfort, but she just as soon lowered the hand, letting it fall to her side without making contact. "I apologize if I've pushed you in any way--I shouldn't have been so persistent," She murmured, despite the fleet of questions that hurtled through her mind even as she spoke. "I don't know what happened . . . but I've lost people, too. Not a lover." Lucy paused, lowering her lashes to the floor before lifting her gaze to find his. "--I've never been in love. But I've felt loss."

Lucy fell silent. "It was selfish of me to intrude on you like this," She said after a moment, looking up at him from where she stood, the crown of her golden hair just beneath his chin. "I've done nothing but cause you trouble since I met you." The ghost of a smile pulled at the dimple of her cheek. It was small, filling the deep blue of her eyes with some sort of mixed emotion. "If you'd like for me to go," She murmured, voice tender and understanding. "I can go."

[member="Zhin Zondaar"]

 

[Zhin Zondaar]

[member="Lucia Nox"]

The strange sensation of the drink was beginning to feel odd as he continued sipping it. He turned the can around analyzing the label to realize it was actually beer. It was true that he had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol after coming back here. Zhin smirked as he finished the drink, placing the empty can beside his leftover water bottle. He shook his head at his own weakness. Maybe I should start smoking, he thought jokingly.

After his little story Lucia acted differently, calling his name softly, standing up slowly, and not losing eye contact. When she moved towards him, he was a little concerned. All of a sudden she stopped directly in front of him and apologized. He blinked a few times confusion but understood now what she was saying sorry for. Closing his eyes and exhaling while listening to her sincere words, he shook his head. Zhin opened them back up returning his gaze to her waiting till the end to speak.

Zhin kept a low voice and straight face as he spoke. "Of course I want you to go..." he paused forming a smile. "..on a date with me." he did it again with another bold joke, but he wanted to add some positivity into the room. He now had a slightly serious tone. "Seriously though, I can't believe you. After all we've been through in our short time knowing each other, you are willing to just leave because you think I'm being bothered by your presence." he stood up smiling while he wrapped his arms around Lucia. Zhin spoke very softly stroking her wet, golden hair. "Everything we did.. it was all worth it to me." he didn't let go for awhile. "In other words, please don't leave Lucy." he said letting go.

 

[Lucia Nox]

"Of course I want you to go . . . " Zhin said, and Lucia--much to her chagrin--felt her heart plummet. However, his voice lingered. " . . . on a date with me." It took a moment for the joke to register, hitting the tension between them and dissolving it back into the lighthearted humor that had become their special language. Lucy had quite a reaction: those blue eyes widened, her mouth fell open in a look of intermingled amusement and shock, and with one swift stroke of her good arm, she applied a meaningful thwack to his chest with the back of her hand. "You're terrible!" Lucy replied, but the way that she laughed and smiled up at him, eyes sparkling, suggested that she thought he was precisely the opposite of terrible.

As Zhin re-focused his attention, speaking to her in more serious tones, Lucy forced herself to come back down from the internal high he had taken her on. "Seriously though, I can't believe you. After all we've been through in our short time knowing each other, you are willing to just leave because you think I'm being bothered by your presence," He said. Lucy parted her lips to speak, probably to protest, but her voice disappeared just as quickly as it might have come. Zhin had taken her into his arms. For a moment, the world seemed to come to a grinding halt. Lucy had never been held that way before. It was a shock to her senses, and all at once, she felt some sort of warm, electric pulse of energy shoot out of her heart and radiate through her veins. The feeling was frightening and novel, prickling over her skin, dividing her consciousness between wanting to either bolt away from him in fear or simply melt into his embrace and stay there forever. Moments passed, and she wasn't moving--her choice had been made.

"I'm not used to people wanting me to stay," Lucy murmured, her voice pushing past the full swell of her lips in barely a whisper. The parents that she had never known, the orphanage of her childhood, most of the hapless individuals she encountered in her adult life--they had all, in their own unique ways, let her down. But Zhin--Zhin, with his unshakable humor and dusky eyes--held her strong, and something inside of her said that this was much, much different.

Lucy nearly forgot how to breathe when his hands ventured into the shining mess of her wheaten hair, stroking her still damp curls and dissolving the rest of her anxieties with each careful touch. All of this--the destroyed bar, the skirmish in the alley, taking her in, revisiting his murky past--it was all worth it to him. He made that clear as he held her close, gently asking her not to leave.

" . . . I do have to leave eventually," Lucy said with quiet reluctance, but it was here that she paused. Before he could release their embrace, Lucy ventured one exploratory hand up to touch the side of his chiseled face, softly rubbing her thumb against his jawline as if exploring uncharted territory. "Come with me," She murmured after a moment, looking up at him with clear blue eyes. "Your hands are capable of so much more than mixing drinks at that bar." She smiled gently. "I've seen what you can do. I can feel the Force on you as strongly as I feel it on myself. Your life was meant for something greater."

Zhin had stepped away from her now, and as he did, Lucy caught the faint smell of alcohol--of beer--on him. Part of her instantly wondered if that's why he had been so tender with her, but she brushed the thought aside. " . . . and you also need some water right now," Lucy remarked, raising an eyebrow and giving him a partly amused look that seemed to say You're lucky I like you so much. She grabbed the water bottle from the counter and guided him back to the couch, holding the bottle out to him as she sunk down at his side. "Drink up, captain."

[member="Zhin Zondaar"]

 

[Zhin Zondaar]

[member="Lucia Nox"]

To his surprise, she struck his chest with the back of her hand. Zhin gasped from the quick pain while watching Lucia enjoy his joke, her eyes looking up at him as she smiled. He smiled back relieved the sadness was taken away even if just a little.

What Lucia said next was a little depressing. Zhin couldn't help but be honeson with himself at this moment, he didn't know what happened in her life but he knew one thing. Jedi weren't always seen as the balancers of the force or people's friendly protectors. In some cases, people looked at them as the enemy. He was still shocked by this even with all his thinking. Zhin avoided addressing the topic while he held her hoping to mention it later.

Zhin knew she had to go at some point but going with her wasn't really a good idea. The Jedi wasn't his kind of people, their way of living was long gone from within Zhin probably forever. It wasn't an act of hate to turn down her invitation, just that going with her and trying to adjust to the old lifestyle wouldn't work. If he was able to avoid them however, going with her sounded like a plan. He once again postponed his thoughts for later, this time because she was leading him to the couch.

Sitting down he took the offered water and drank about half, before breathing in and out to catch his breath. He slowed down his breathing as he set the bottle down. "Thanks. I suppose I got caught up in the joke earlier and got me some alcohol instead of soda. Don't worry though, it'll take a few more beers to get drunk." he said laughing. When he was done, he got a little more serious. "I can't go with you if I have to become a Jedi again. That's what I assume you are asking of me, correct?" he looked to the side to not eye contact. "I am thankful for my master raising me up until I left but this war... it's pointless for me to fight if there's no will." he paused returning his eyes to hers.

The floor caught he eyes for a moment. "I know I said all that but I really have nowhere to go. The knowledge of me wielding blades of the Jedi has probably been shared with the boss. I'm sure that old man won't allow me back." he said grinning but losing it soon after. "That means I either find a new job or leave with you." he thought out loud. Then, he remembered his thought from earlier. A welcoming smile appeared on his face. Zhin sent his gaze towards Lucia eyes. His hand traveled until it met her shoulder, landing on it gently. "Oh yeah, about what you said earlier.. I want to stay with you for awhile if we can somehow make it work out. I mean, we're buddies right?" he said pausing for a moment, preparing to say something bold again still smiling. "and so I vow to try and always make you feel wanted, as long as I'm by your side." he said soluting. What he said would probably be taken as a joke, however he wasn't jesting. Zhin was curious to how she would react.

 

[Lucia Nox]

Lucia was silent. She absorbed the many layers of Zhin's words and rode the up-and-down, back-and-forth of his indecisiveness like a rollercoaster. One moment he was bent on not coming with her. The next . . . the next, he made her a promise. She would always be wanted, and he would be by her side. Lucy felt the warmth of a smile pull at the dimple of her cheek as she returned his gaze. "I trust that you will, Zhin." Trust. Not a word that Lucy threw around lightly. Not a word that she threw around, ever.

For a moment, Lucy lowered her lashes to study the floor. A silent swirl of thoughts and feelings moved quickly across her gamine features. Then--all at once--Lucy snapped her eyes upward in a flash of crystalline blue, regarding Zhin as if she had just thought of a wonderful, dangerous, thrilling idea--probably because she had. "Let's make our own rules," Lucy murmured. Slowly, she rose from the couch, the voluminous folds of her robes unfurling and re-settling around the elegant curves and valleys of her figure. Her gaze was shining brilliantly now--she began to pace slowly up and down in front of Zhin, moving with all of the calculated grace of a feline.

"We can go wherever we want to go. Do whatever we want to do . . ." Lucy paused directly in front of Zhin, looking down to him with the sharp blue eyes of a little queen, despite the fact that the only crown she wore was that shining hair of blonde. " . . . together." She smiled, venturing one small hand down for him to take. "My shoulder still needs time to heal, but we can leave as soon as tomorrow. Tonight, we need to rest."

[member="Zhin Zondaar"]

 

[Zhin Zondaar]

[member="Lucia Nox"]

Zhin was happy when she gave him her trust. "You can count on me." he said nodding and smiling. Trust was something he tried to limit giving out to people himself. He didn't really have any significant reason for this. Maybe it was something he picked up after losing so many people, or perhaps it was a remnant of his Jedi self.

Rules? he pondered what she meant by rules. The movement of the now mobile Lucia was always interesting to watch. She paced back and forth as if she was brainstorming a crazy idea. "Are you that excited about traveling together? I didn't know you liked me that much." he said laughing. That's about when Lucia stopped right in front of him, looking down on him.

Doing whatever they wanted to do together, an idea he liked. He watched as her hand appeared before his eyes. Zhin closed his eyes while he smiled due to a thought. I failed once before but I won't fail you Lucy, no matter the cost. hopefully, he could go down this path with success but he did have his doubts. Opening his eyes back up, he reached out to take her hand as he began to stand with her with a glued gaze. "Sounds like a plan." he paused thinking of a question. "What if we break the rules?" he teased.