Its Just a Cup of Caf...Right?

[The Hound]

Couruscant, one of the busiest and industrial planets in the Galaxy. It was, however, also a very beautiful place, and the place that he had picked for his caf 'date' with Sophia was just perfect. Well to him at least. He hoped that she enjoyed the place as well. It was a small, family owned cafe on one of the higher levels of the city-planet with a view of one of Couruscant's artificial beaches. The sun light shined through the stained plexiglass windows, the salty smell of the beach strong on his nose carried on a breeze through the open door. He didn't understand why he was so nervous. He had been on plenty of dates before.



Looking at his chrono and tapping his left foot nervously he began to wonder if she would actually come. She had sent him a message the day before saying that she was still free...But that didn't mean she was going to come. He had shown up a few minutes early, as was normal for him and the waiting was killing him. He still wondered if she would show up in her uniform. A light chuckle escaped him as the thought crossed his mind. He himself was wearing simply a v-neck t-shirt and his Republic Commemorative Leather jacket and a pair of deep blue pants and a nice pair of black shoes. He was wearing very simple clothes, mostly because the only thing else he had to wear was his various uniforms and he wasn't wearing Pilot's armor to a date.

@[member="Sophia Walsh"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

Sophia had spent hours getting ready for her 'date' with Turin. The only reason it took so long was that she couldn't decide what to wear. She wanted something nice but also casual. She didn't want to be too dressed up as this was just Caf but she did want to wear a dress. As she never got to wear one on the ship plus well she had the perfect one. After putting on her shoes she headed out the door. Sophia didn't want to keep him waiting.

Her stomach turned in knots as she entered the cute little Caf. This was kind of the first date she had ever been on and she was nervous that this whole thing was a joke. Perhaps he saw that she did kind of like him and use it against her. What if he stood her up? Taking a deep breath she pushed those thoughts from her mind as she scanned the room for him.

A big smile appeared on her face as saw him sitting there waiting for her. He looked a little nervous as well or at least it looked thst way from where she stood. Taking another deep breath she made her way over to greet him with a smile on her face. "It's really pretty in here. How did you find this place?" She didn't know what to say so she commented on the venue to get things started. She was sure her nerves would fade away soon. The place had a beautiful view, the smell of the beach a really lovely place for a date.
@[member="Turin Val Kur"]

 

[The Hound]

Looking up from his chrono he found the woman he had been waiting for, Sophia Walsh. She was a sight to behold, well she was a sight to behold even in uniform, but regardless she was a beutiful woman. The way she smiled, walked, everything. But again, it was just caf. Standing from his seat greeted her with a wave. "My father took me here when I first joined the Navy." he answered. In fact, his father lived not too far from the shop and was one of his favorite places.

He motioned for her to sit and waved for a waitress. Taking his own seat he picked up a menu and scanned it for a few moments. 'Should I break the ice? What do I even say?' questions like these ran through his mind as he scanned the menu. Honestly, he knew what he wanted but he was using it as an excuse to not look or speak to Sophia. He decided sooner rather than later was the better option. "Crazy couple of months huh?" he asked, setting down his menu.
@[member="Sophia Walsh"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

Taking a seat she picked up a menu to look through in silence for a little bit. She honestly had no idea what she was going to get so she was alright with that for now. Everything looked so good which made it hard to decide. She didn't know if she wished to venture out and try something new or stick with something familiar. "It has been," she answered lowering her menu a bit. "It's nice to have time to decompress and process it all. I'm sure though it won't last long." Her mind went to what he said on the bridge about the next big thing. He seemed to be worried about her and it. A part of her wanted to ask about it again as she never had gotten her questions answered however she didn't want to be all doom and gloom so she didn't.

Glancing down to the menu again for a brief second she made her final drink choice. The new one won out over her old favorite. If the past few months had taught her anything it was that she needed to be more adventures. Life was short and you never knew when you were going to be shot at in your ship. She had been in a lot of wars and tough situations but nothing quite like that. "So, what have you been up to since we got back?" She knew what he did on the ship all too well. What he did off it was anybody's guess.
@[member="Turin Val Kur"]

 

[The Hound]

"It is nice." To just be able to sit at a caf like this and talk. It seemed almost too peaceful given the events in recent years, even months! But he knew that Roche was coming. The message had been sent to all parties that were to be involved and as lieutenant of Paladin squadron he was on that list. But it wasn't that he was worried about. Roche should go over smooth and he shouldn't even have to deploy, which would be amazing, but even if he did he knew the Sith couldn't touch him. Not in his new E-25. A smile came to his face unconsciously as he thought about the SLAM feature. He was still learning how to fly it in SLAM, but he almost had the hang of it.

Sophia's question caught him off guard and snapped him back to reality. And reality was sweet. Much better than some old E-25 starfighter. "I uh.." he had never really thought about what he did on his down time. Well, now a days it didn't seem like he had any down time. "I don't really have much down time..." he said chuckling. "Master Mason has me under her boot..." Though she seemed like a sweet lady, Master Mason was a beast. "Technically the Order said it is ready to dub me a Knight...but I haven't made my first lightsaber yet, so that needs doing." He wasn't even sure how that was done. Lightsabers he saw always seemed so intricate but they also seemed to be one piece of metal. "What about you? I doubt you sit in your room in your uniform and write reports the entire time. What does the protegee Captain @[member="Sophia Walsh"] do on her down time?"

 

[Sophia Walsh]

She had heard rumors of him doing Jedi training but never really believed them. He didn't seem the type but people could change she guessed. This little outing was a testament to that. "Master Mason?" Sophia thought for a moment. That named sound so familiar..wait..Feena. His master was Feena? She couldn't help but laugh a little at that. She could only imagine how they got along as she knew Feena was a tough master. That was something she would pay to see. "Master Mason or Feena as I know her is one of my mother's oldest friend. They are on the Jedi Council together. I'm sure your ready if the council thinks you are. Are you planning to make your saber soon?" She heard making a light saber was tough, tedious, and could take ages to make. Her mothers was hilt was so detailed she could only imagine the work that went into it.

She studied a lot but there were other things that she enjoyed doing as well besides reading and that. "Well, there is shopping with my sister. My siblings and I also like amusement parks too. We used to go a lot more but with my crazy schedule it's hard to find the time." Ollie and her seemed to have clashing schedules so it was hard to find time to get together. Not to mention Lauren and her Jedi thing now. "Later tonight I plan to pop some popcorn and watch all of the of my taped 'The Young and the Fearless.' I'm really behind on my favorite show." She had to add that in there as she just recently saw him watching the same thing. It was nothing to be ashamed of, it was a great show. The one show that she would upset if she missed.

@[member="Turin Val Kur"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

Whoops double post..

 

[The Hound]

He couldn't understand what she was laughing at. Was it something he said? Probably. But he couldn't figure out what. Regardless, it was good to see her laugh, it made him know that she was having a good time. "Master Mason is on the Council?!" he asked in shock, "AND your mother?" Well this was turning out to be a great choice in women. 'You sure know how to pick 'em don't you?' he thought to himself. Her father was his greater superior and her mother was...his greater superior. His surprise at his master's position on the council came from pure negligence. He was a soldier to the Republic first, a, he shuddered inwardly at the thought, Jedi second. He had never thought himself to be one of the saber jockies that used to hog the skies in their fancy Jedi starfighters, and given his massive success with the Imperial Knights he didn't think anyone would have the patience to deal with him. But it was turning out to be a good thing. Or at least he hoped it was.

As she began to tell him the things that she did off duty he made sure to make a mental note of her mention of siblings. It was something that was good to know. The last bit was what piqued his interest most though. "You watch The Young and the Fearless?" He seemed to perk up in his seat a little. "N-not that I watch it or anything." he quickly recovered, as that was one of his more secret, guilty pleasures. But the cat was out of the bag now...It wasn't his fault though! It was his mother whom had gotten him hooked on the damn show ages ago, and he was in too deep now to just stop watching the holo-drama.
@[member="Sophia Walsh"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

"Yes, they both are on the council," she smiled. It was easy to see that the news had shocked. Sophia would have thought that he out of everyone would have known that. She only knew because Feena and her mom were friends besides that she wasn't well-versed in the whole Jedi thing. She wasn't Force-Sensitive like her little sister but always wondered what that would be like. "I never knew you were training to be a Jedi. That's really cool. I have always wanted to be able to move things with my mind. How do you like it?" She figured things had to be going well if Feena hadn't kicked him out yet. She doubted anybody would put up with as much push and pull as she did. A thought crossed mind too that now that he was a Jedi he may leave the Navy. "Your staying in the Navy, right?" It was more of a statement than a question really. He better be staying as she would miss him far too much if he left. She could understand if he did though as he wouldn't have to deal with all the orders and protocols of the Navy. He loved flying way too much to leave.

He so couldn't hide his love for that holo-drama from her. She already knew his dirty little secret and didn't mind it really as she liked the show too. "Sure you don't like it," she grinned. Who was he fooling? She had caught him watching it on full volume in the mess hall of all places. He had looked really into it too. It would be fun to have someone to chat with about it. First though She had to get him to admit it. "I heard Antonio and Berta got back together. I can't believe it after what he did to her." It was news from a past episode but it hopefully was still current. They could have broken up again by now but she was sure he would tell her if that was the case.

@[member="Turin Val Kur"]

 

[The Hound]

It was no suprise that she didn't know about his training. He had tried to keep it on the down low during his extensive leave of duty after the final battle with Omni. He had written it off as some sort of medical complication so as to not cause suspicion among his peers. Now however, he felt no need to hide the fact, especially since they added an E-25 starfighter to their ranks and nobody on board was a Jedi to fly it. Well, besides Turin now. To be honest, his relationship with his Jedi training was a love hate kind of relationship. He loved that he is able to fly again, he hated all of the ceremonies and meditations and tests and papers. But he felt like he was doing the right thing, one never could be too prepared, and that was just what he was doing. "It's not all that great...The food sucks, worse than military sometimes, and Master Mason is..." he paused trying to think of a word that described his experiences with the young master. "Difficult, to say the least." It was almost like going back to school, or the academy.

He couldn't help but frown at the news about Antonio and Berta. They were like a terrible High School couple, no matter how many times they broke up they would always somehow find themselves in bed with each other again. It was a very dull cycle. "Again?" The nexu was out of the bag now, so he might as well engage in conversation about a common interest outside of work that he shared with his captain. He was suprised that she was ahead of him, considering he watched his saved episodes whenever he could. He figured she was one of those bulk watchers who collected many episodes and watched them all in one or two sittings. "Wait, wait! Don't spoil anything for me!" he said, waving his hands indicating he hadn't gotten that far in the series yet.
@[member="Sophia Walsh"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

Sophia was used to her mother's wonderful cooking so at first she thought perhaps it was just her as everyone else seemed to eat it. She was glad that she wasn't the only one who thought the food sucked. If the Jedi food was worse than military food than the Republic really needed to find some good cooks. "The military really does need to find new chefs. I like live off the food I bring with me or make myself." It wasn't that hard to cook food was it? The kitchen was in good order which she knew first hand as sometimes she would go in there to make her own dinner. Besides the terrible food and having to take more orders she was sure there were good parts about being a Jedi like the abilities. If he was being Knighted though didn't that mean no more master? He could be difficult sometimes too fighting things instead of just doing as he was told. Which wasn't always a bad thing sometimes authority needed to be challenged. The military though didn't work that way nor did the Jedi it seemed.

She couldn't help but grin as he basically came out of the closet and admitted to liking it. "I know right? They so need to make up their mind." Sophia could go on for hours but she stopped as she heard she was ahead of him in watching. "Alright, no more but let me know when you do get caught up." She didn't mean to spoil anything for him not that was a big surprise though. He so needed to catch up so that they talk about it. Lauren normally watched it with her but lately she was really busy. Thinking of her sister whom approved of her outfit brought up another question. "Do you have any siblings or is it just you?"

@[member="Turin Val Kur"]

 

[The Hound]

Siblings. Now wasn't that a thought. "No, just me." he smiled. He didn't quite know the specifics but his parents hadn't tried for another child after him. Maybe it was because they were too busy with their lives. "My father is a retired Vice-Admiral and my mother served in the Imperial Remnant before they merged with the Sith. I guess they just didn't have the time." he muttered. The truth was, Turin really wanted to have a little brother or sister. Someone to watch limmie with or something similar. His parents were there for him when he needed them to be, but now they were just old and spent their retirement vacationing all over the galaxy. Though last he had heard his father reenlisted in the Navy to fight off Omni and had since gone back to his space yacht flying self.

"So...Your father, Admiral Walsh, was okay with this?" he asked. After all...He had received a message from him, that was surprisingly civil. He honestly wondered what he thought about the whole caf date.
@[member="Sophia Walsh"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

She had told her father about the Caf date thing but only because she knew in the long run it was better to be upfront with him than sneak around. He would just end up spying on her if she did that which was the last thing she wanted. "Honestly better than I expected him too. He didn't blow up on me and try to lock me away somewhere or transfer you as far away from me as possible. I think though he was seething on the inside. Being the oldest I'm the first one to start dating so I'm sure it's hard on him." Sophia was grateful that he hadn't tried any funny business to stop this. It meant that he trusted her to make wise decisions and that she knew what she was doing. Truthfully though she wasn't exactly sure what she was doing but she was having fun. It was nice to actually talk to Turin without it turning into an argument. Admittedly she didn't always mind those it was nice to have someone to bump heads with and get her to think out of the box more.

"He didn't harass you too much did he?" Sophia figured that since he was asking about her father that dad must have 'talked' to him. Turin was still here so it must not have been that bad or he was here in spite of what the Admiral said. No matter what happened here she wouldn't let her dad demote him or transfer him anything else. He couldn't use his rank to do that just because a guy asked his daughter out or looked at her. Her father really ought to more concerned with what her brother was doing. Sophia had herself well under control. "He worries way too much about me as according to him I'm still his baby girl. Really he ought to be more concerned with how Oliver is doing. I have a little sister as whom is the only Jedi of us kids." Sophia's siblings got on her nerves sometimes but she wouldn't trade them for anything. It was great having someone to always hang with no matter what.

@[member="Turin Val Kur"]

 

[The Hound]

"He didn't harass me at all." he shrugged. He could understand the worry. This was Turin they were talking about, and he didn't have the greatest reputation, but he felt like things were starting to change. On top of that, he was her Lieutenant and several years older than his first born child. "Oliver?" He wasn't asking if he was her brother. "What's going on with him?" He didn't personally know the kid, in fact he didn't know him at all but it sounded like he was her younger brother.

Her brother was a total enigma but the sister he had seen around, at least he thought so as the two looked similar. He had seen her during his time as a padawan with the Jedi Order. Of course, the waitress took just this time to come back and take their order. "What can I get for you, handsome?" She probably thought she had a chance, her being older and the woman sitting at the table being young comparatively being around 29 or 30. Honestly, Turin thought she was very attractive, but he was here with Sophia...However, if she knew how he felt, he had no clue. There was also the possibility that she thought Sophia was his kid sister. Turin took the compliment and let it stay at that. "I'll just have a caf." he said, smiling at the waitress. But she wasn't done, not by a long shot. She turned to Sophia now. "And for you miss?"
@[member="Sophia Walsh"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

"My younger brother isn't an ensign yet but him goofing off I'm sure will change. I'm not exactly worried." Her brother wasn't an overachiever like she was but that wasn't always a bad thing. She knew that at times she could be a little over barring which she was trying to change. Oliver could learn a thing or two from her while she could learn from him as well. She found it hard to believe her father didn't harsh him but she would take his word for it.

Sophia did her best not to roll her eyes as the waitress flirted with Turin. She half expected him to flirt back with her and try to get her number for later but he didn't. Perhaps he really did like her or at least was nice enough to not do it in front of her. She was pretty clueless as to what his feeling were for her. To be fair though they both did kind of send mixed signals. He was training to be a Jedi now so maybe he was trying to change his ways. It could happen, right? Sophia really wanted that to be true as she did kind of like him. Seeing him always brought a smile to her face no matter what mood she was in. "I'll have a white chocolate Carmel caf," she smiled at the waitress.

As the waitress left to go get their drinks she winked at Turin. It was obvious that she didn't believe these two to be on a date and was somehow going to get his number. Sophia wouldn't be surprised if the waitress brought hers along with the drinks. She may have to stand up and say something about that unless he did."Umm, did she just wink at you?"
@[member="Turin Val Kur"]

 

[The Hound]

An awkward situation for anyone, the waitress flirting with him in front of his date. He scratched his head and shrugged. He didn't want to admit that she did, but it was right there, out in the open for all to see. "I think so..." he sighed. The sunset was beautiful outside, the sun blazing and creating a variety of light colors. "Its nice out...Maybe...After caf a walk?" he suggested. It couldn't hurt and he wanted to talk some more...without other women or men for that matter, bothering them. He didn't know where this was going to go, but when he saw an opportunity for a steady relationship he went for it. Sure, sex was great but having a different woman in his home so often was tiring. Right now, he was just trying to slow things down.
@[member="Sophia Walsh"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

It seemed as if he didn't care for it really and was almost embarrassed by it. "It happens and you know she isn't wrong you are handsome."

He was surprising her in a good way. Sophia couldn't wrap her head around why he would ask her out of all people but she was glad he had. Sophia was even happier that she hadn't immediately shut him down. She was having a good time with him and it seemed like he was as well."I would like that," she smiled glancing out the window for a second to catch a glimpse of the sun beginning to set before turning her attention back to him.

It wasn't long before the waitress came back with their drinks which smelled and looked delicious. Wrapping her hand around the cup she lifted it to her lips to take a sip. It was just as good as it looked. "Umm, this is really good. If we are lucky we may get to watch the sunset." It had just started so there was still plenty of time to take a nice walk on the beach, talk and take in the view. "The walk would be along the beach, right?" It didn't matter either way to her really. She was just curious and if it was along the beach she would probably end up barefoot. It was not only easier to walk but she liked the feel of the sand between her toes even on an artificial beach.

@[member="Turin Val Kur"]

 

[The Hound]

Bringing the warm cup of caf to his mouth he took a sip of the black, steaming liquid. However he nearly spilled it on himself when she called him handsome. It wasn't that he didn't think he was, Hell, he knew he was, but to hear it from her...It was a little different. A good different though, and when she said she would go with him on the walk? His heart jumped a little. He was doing cartwheels on the inside. However, he had learned to keep these kinds of things inside. He chuckled inwardly at the thought of him maturing at this age. Just last month he vocally expressed his feeling of joy when he got a woman to go out with him. But it had been a long, chaotic month and things changed. Hopefully for the better.

"If it isn't too much trouble to walk on the beach I would like to yes." He smiled at her. Picking up a napkin at his side to dab his wet chin he noticed that there was a number scrawled on the surface of it in black inc. He gagged mentally and turned to the counter. The waitress winked again and waved. He smiled, a little nervously and stuffed the napkin in his pocket. Looking over to Sophia he whispered,"Let's get out of here..." placing a stack of credits on the table. If it wasn't enough then he had a tab they could put it on.
@[member="Sophia Walsh"]

 

[Sophia Walsh]

The beach was fine with her, she loved the beach it was kind of like the sky calming and peaceful. The sound of the waves crashing on shore and sand between her toes. Nodding she took another a last sip of her drink before following him outside to the beach. Sophia wasn't sure why he had put the napkin in his pocket but she wasn't going to worry about it nor did she really care. She was having a great time with him and she intended to keep it that way.

Stopping at the edge before hitting the sand she began to take off her heels. It wasn't that she cared about getting them dirty it was more along the lines of she couldn't walk in them in the sand. Luck of her she had painted her toes the day before just because she liked them looking pretty. She didn't expect to be taking her shoes off on this date but here she was. "Hope you don't mind. I'm taking these things off. I would probably fall on them in the sand," she giggled a little as she pulled the second one off and set it to the side. Sophia planned to leave them to the side for pickup later as she doubted anyone would take them and if they did oh well.

Once both her feet were shoe free she wiggled them in the sand a little before heading towards where the sand met the water. She bet the water was super cold but she didn't really care it was the best place to walk and a little cold water never hurt anybody. "Come on," she smiled looking behind her and stopping for a moment for him to catch up. She must have been walking too fast excited to be back at the beach. She guessed that he also liked the beach since he brought her here.
@[member="Turin Val Kur"]

 

[The Hound]

He couldn't help but sit back and smile as Sophia went off ahead of him. It brought a smile to his face, mostly because it was kinda cute. He looked behind him at the caf now. Hopefully by now the woman would realize that the number he had left himself was a fake. If not she was in for a frightening surprise as the number he left was for some random office in Couruscant's business sector. With a chuckle he walked down to the sand and shrugged at her statement. "As long as you don't mind me taking off my own." he said, crouching down to untie his boots. He really hoped no one would take them as they were his favorite pair of work boots.

Rolling up his pants so that they didn't get soaked at the ends he made his way to the water's edge. "Hang on, I'll be right there!" Taking out the napkin he let it float on the wind and into the sea. He wasn't saying that this new relationship, if he dared call it that, was serious, but hopefully his action would prove to her that he was a one girl kind of guy. "Alright, now let's go!" He said as he jogged lightly up to her, his toes catching water and splashing the cold, salty water into the evening air. Today so far had been a good day.

As he walked beside Sophia he looked over to her smaller frame and ran through possible outcomes of what he was planning to do. If he draped his arm around her shoulder, would she freak out? Maybe around her waist? No, that would be asking for career suicide! As he mulled over these thoughts he got one of those gut feelings. They had started coming more and more since he started his training and usualy they played out fine. so taking the risk, he moved a little closer and placed his arm around her shoulder. "Is this fine?"
@[member="Sophia Walsh"]