Just a Scratch [Coci]

[Thurion Heavenshield]

Returning to Voss

When he answered the call to come to Toola, Thurion had hoped he would return to Voss with Connor in tow. While they'd proven victorious against the Sith looking to reclaim the lost Lunelle sister, it hardly felt like anyone had come out on top. Telling the pilots to swing by the Silver Temple, Thurion jumped off once close enough to the landing pad. He'd gotten his arm looked at on the way back, and while the medics concluded that it was nothing serious they did offer him something for the pain. Thurion had told them 'no, thanks', assuring them he knew the best medicine was waiting for him back home.

Removing his jacket and resting it on his left arm so as to cover up his wounds, the Grandmaster strode through the temple and headed up to his private quarters. On the way there he greeted everyone he met in usual manner as if nothing had happened. Whether it was true or not, Thurion felt he had to keep up appearances in the eyes of his peers. Once he'd reached his sanctuary he finally discarded the shredded leather jacket and seated himself on his bed. At last he was able to see the full extent of his injuries; most of his left arm was cut and singed from the infernal Sith sorcery he was subjected to on Toola, if only for but a moment. Force knows what would be left of him had fortune not been on his side.

He knew he need not summon Coci to his chambers, for she would already be aware of his return and on her way. In the meantime, Thurion did what he could to alleviate the pain with the aid of the Force.

[member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

She had only just returned from Iego, such a long journey from Fondor to come home. And she is anxious, the entire journey restless because she could sense everything that had been happening to her most beloved. Their force bond does not know distance or boundaries and through it they cannot hide any suffering they may feel, it is as if his injuries are her's and vice versa. She knew exactly what he suffers as her own arm felt .. uncomfortable.

Coci entered their private quarters to find Thurion seated on the bed, her eyes looked him over before noticing his destroyed jacket. "And don't tell me it is only just a scratch", she said as she stands in front of him now. Her hands reach to his face and gently lift his chin and for a moment she looks into those beautiful blue eyes before she kisses his lips, warm and soft. A strong sense of relief coupled with love pour through her touch.

There is a wealth of fatigue in her own face, so tired is she of this life, of constantly patching each up after continuous battle after battle. How she longs to go and find a place of solace for them, to live life as simply husband and wife. "Come on, lay on the bed and I will attend to your injuries". 'No', would never be a satisfactory answer and he would know this. "I love you, did you know that?", she smiled slightly, and words that have a greater meaning to them both.

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[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

When the door opened and the loveliness that is his wife appeared, Thurion's heart melted at the sight of her as a beaming smile reached his lips. He immediately forgot all the stinging and the pain from his wounds, and as she held him and kissed his lips he welcomed every moment of it. "Served me faithfully for many years, ever since I left Teth. I guess it was only a matter of time," he said in regards to the jacket once she'd taken notice of it. At her request he laid down on the bed, but not without grabbing hold of her arm to pull her down with him, placing her on top of him. "As you wish, doctor..." he replied, staring up longingly into her face and those black diamonds of hers while caressing her cheek. "You look just as beautiful as the day I first laid eyes on you," he whispered before placing his lips upon hers again. "Mm, I feel better already," he added with a smirk.

Once the time came when she would begin treating his wounds, Thurion allowed her to do so only after she was able to wrestle out of his loving grasp. "You win this time, but only because I'm an arm short," he'd told her jokingly. As she began the treatment Thurion remained in place, trying not to wince from the pain of her touch upon his singed skin. "You should've seen the other guy," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "At least I got to keep mine."

[member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Although reluctantly, Coci moved to begin Thurion's healing. As she worked, as delicately as possible, she could not remove all the pain in which he would suffer. However, her eyes flicked up when he spoke of what had happened to his opponent. "Sweetheart, you must be more careful, next time you might not be so blessed with the luck of the force", she knew he was only trying to lighten the mood, but the reality of it still remained.

Under her touch the internal wounds had been mended, working her way from them to the surface of his skin. There is much to do as the injury is extensive, and little by little, she progressed over his arm. There is a rupture in the shoulder, deep within the joint which she did not have the skill to heal and nor would she try, but she removed the inflammation which would take away the pain in his shoulder blade. Time and rest would see to the final completion of healing. "So all the other times I had won the .. wrestling, you let me win?". She allowed a smile to cross over her lips as she worked.

When she completed, she took his arm and rested in gently against his own chest. Laying beside him, she looked at him, "What happened? I mean, what called you away to this fight?". Her hand reached for him and rested on his shoulder softly, more for comfort for herself than he, she wanted to make sure he was here next to her as if she felt it a dream.

"I don't know what would become of me if something was to happen to you", this was not true, she knew very well the answer. Now and beyond this life ...

"I love you". Coci moved closer and rested her head against his on the pillow and kissed him, her words vanishing only to become solid in the touch of her lips.

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[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

While she worked on him he placed his good hand upon her cheek. "Sorry," he simply said, letting the tips of his fingers lightly trace her jawline down to her chin to tilt her face up to look at him. "This will all be over one day, Coci. All of... this," he gestured to the room. "One way or another, we will find ourselves sitting on our porch and look across the lake, old and happy and surrounded by loving grandchildren. Each and every night we'll watch the sun set on the horizon, casting its orange-pink across the sky. But until that day, we will do what is necessary to secure that future for all now living." He offered her a reassuring smile just as she brought up the part about wrestling. "Well... Valkyri blood prevents one from losing, you know..." he replied with a smirk. "Especially when wrestling the love of your life."

Once she'd finished patching him up, she laid down next to him in bed which prompted him to lay on his side so he could feast his eyes on her beauty. "It was Connor. After all this time, Connor contacted me. He'd uncovered a plot by the Sith to try and 'free' the Lunelle girl, so I decided we intercept them on Toola. Me and a handful of others got there just in time - Connor had already gotten himself in trouble, and the man didn't even have a weapon! Anyway, we attempted to settle things peacefully, but... then they stabbed Teynara in the back, so that did it for diplomacy. The Sith Lord I faced had his face covered beneath a hood all the time, so I couldn't see who it was. He summoned some kind of darkside tendrils from the palm of his hand that latched onto my arm, but with the help of Jericho we defeated him and the other Sith."

Thurion reached for Coci's hand and placed a soft kiss upon it. "I... had hoped Connor would return with us, but he still has his demons to slay. He wanted you to know he still cares about you, Coci. Théo, too." He wrapped his arms around his wife and held her close. "I'm here, sweetheart. I always will be. Nothing could ever keep me from being by your side." They kissed, sharing the love they both felt for each other. "I love you too, Coci. Now and beyond this life..."

[member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his. The very idea of their retirement was appealing and something she had to look forward to. However, for a moment she allowed herself the vision of it to enter her mind and she smiled. But Thurion is right, they cannot do it yet, there is still much to be done, the constant fight against evil will never go away and in time they will have done their duty to bring what freedom they can to those they are able to. They will never see the day of peace, or the removal of the darkside simply because it was an impossible task, the force would never allow it. The removal of the darkside is never the point, Jedi need to understand this as well as the Sith who strive to destroy the light, the sooner one realises this the sooner they can focus on what IS changeable through good deeds and protection.

"Damn that evil presence of the Taung, this whole thing started at that point. I just hope Connor will find his way back to us and be what he should be. Although I don't think Connor realises he already is .. he just needs to find out for himself". She just hoped he would remain safe.

Their kiss always ends to soon, but Coci remains in his arms, a place of solace for her and him. "Next time you go haring off .. take me with you", she whispered, but knowing this is not always possible.

She helps him out of his clothes, taking care not to cause pain to his shoulder and arm and once he is settled on the bed, she joins him pulling up the covers to surround them both. Together they lay in each others warm embrace, the only form of healing that removes their pain whether physical or of the mind. The force bond that binds them only as powerful as their love for one another, pulses with love.

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[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

Thurion held her even tighter. "If it weren't for the whole Taung ordeal, you and I might never have met," he said before placing a kiss upon her forehead. While his shoulder still ached quite a bit, none of it mattered compared to be able of holding the only person who had touched his heart in such a way that it no longer beats for himself, but for her instead. "I don't exactly relish the chance of putting you in danger, you know," he spoke on the subject of her coming with him. "But I learned a long time ago that there is no stopping you once your mind is made up. One of the infinite reasons why I adore you so..." Now his lips found hers, and without giving it much thought all their clothes were gone from their bodies.

As nighttime claims the Silver Temple on Voss and its denizens, husband and wife spend it together, locked in loving embrace.

[member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

It was as if Thurion had created the dawn. The fresh golden light streamed through the trees and into the gardens of the Temple .. and into their room. Her body tingled with the warmth of the rays making her stir from sleep, yet she cannot move, nor did she want too. Loving arms held her in place skin against skin and heart beats that combine to beat as one, so entwined in each others presence and life are they that nothing in the galaxy will part, not even death.

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The night had passed in union of two bodies seeking a closeness only lovers can find. Although they have been married for many years now they are as in love as the day they met, in fact only love had grown stronger and more palpable then most and life and love had become united to mean the same. Coci shifted only slightly to look into her beloved faces, sleeping with a steady breath shallow. Her black eyes taking in all his features and few more lines cut across his handsome face a testament to life lived and loved, of hardships and losses .. of victories and happiness so great with the birth of a child. Nina and Théo very much living examples of them both.

Her lips find their way to his cheek and rest there in love and warmth, her arm reaches to him and plays gently with a stray piece of golden hair which had been displaced through the night. "Min larel, min gylif", she whispers in a language she had not spoken in some time ..

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[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

When her lips found his cheek Thurion instinctively tightened his hold of her while burying his face in her shoulder. The touch of her skin against his never failed to grant him complete serenity and comfort. He then sleepily opened his eyes as if a newborn babe doing so for the first time, barely able to keep them open. "Good morning," he mumbled before placing a delicate kiss upon her shoulder. He then rolled onto his back, putting her on top so he could look up into that face he adores so very much. He was about to say something but was rudely interrupted by wincing from a sudden spike of pain in his shoulder. "I'm fine," he reassured her. "Still a bit tender..."

Resting her head against his chest, Thurion caressed her cheek with one hand while the other intertwined itself in her black hair. "You've never spoken Olys Corelisi before, sweetie." Knowing that bringing up her homeplanet would surface painful memories, he decided not to. Just a concerned look would do. "Ek elska þik," he returned the sentiment in the Valkyri tongue just before leaning in to kiss her lips.

[member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

She lay listening to his heart beat, her finger tip drawing circles on his chest and her mind went not to Corellia but Fondor. Coci looked up from her resting place just as his lips met hers once more. She closed her eyes as his lips parted as did hers and for a moment, all the galaxy vanished and only one thing remained .. him.

"Those are beautiful words you speak as well as the meaning", she said as the kiss ended. "I have not spoken Olys Corelisi since I left my old life behind and after Corellia was destroyed .. you remember when we went with Corvus, I had hoped to find something .. anything left of my family and when I was told they were all dead I vowed never to speak it again. But when I went to Fondor to help the Galactic Alliance, something happened there. I went to the rescue of a girl that was had been forcefully taken into an alley way, lets just say I removed the threat .. but the girl .. it was Lilli, Lilli Sinopi my cousin, very much alive". She smiled with hope in her heart.

"We were never close, her family had lived in Coronet and as you know the leading House was in the country, I grew up not knowing her that well and then I left". She moved so her weight would not hurt him or his shoulder. "She did not want to come back with me to Voss, she wants to find her own path now".

Coci rolled off Thurion only to lay by his side, it is a place she will always be, as they lay in bed, as they walk the path of life together, she will always be by his side.

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[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

Thurion watched her as she told her story, listening with every ounce of concentration. She always did have a way to steal from him, be it his heart or his attention. When her naked body slipped down from on top of his, his good arm remained wrapped around her and he kissed her forehead. "She sounds like a very brave woman. If she's half the fighter you are, I know she'll be alright out there. Should you ever find out that she's in trouble, let me know and we'll sort it out together. Your family means just as much to me as you do, Coci."

His body tensed as he did some morning stretching in bed, yawning as he did. But rather than get up, Thurion simply pulled the covers even tighter around them both. "Do you think they'll mind if we overslept for just today?" he asked with a loving smile on his lips while rubbing his nose against hers, eyes permanently on hers.

[member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Moving away so he could stretch his body without further pain from her, Coci smiled watching his sleepy form. "Thank you, Thurion", she simply stated for the love he showed her through care and concern. If there is no family, there is nothing. The point of existence lost without those that one loves around them, this is not only for Jedi but all people. Everyday people that outnumber those attuned to the force have known this for eons, they do not 'turn' because of love or attachments, they strengthen through it and this is something Thurion and Coci believed in. To have fear of love or emotions are foolhardly and quite simply, sad. Love can be frightening, but what would be more so, would be to never have known it.

"I think a few more hours away from the Temple and Duty will not do harm to nothing", she said as she moved back to him only to take hold of body and place it next to her own. Her arm raised and bent at the elbow above his head and light finger tips descended to play with his golden hair on his forehead, "You know, I love your hair", she smiled.

Beyond this life .....

A place that will one day, become home...

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[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

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