Private Look for the helpers

[Zee Caromed]

Silk Holding Station in Balmorra System​

There was something bad in the air tonight. Zee didn't care for it.

On his way to Alpheridies, Zee had stopped by Kuat to pick up a few parts. Things he needed for his puddlejumer, things he needed in general. A few laminanium components to test various bits with. Before getting back onto the highway, he'd decided to swing by a Silk Holdings station for some much-needed food that hadn't come from his broken fridge, cooked in something that wasn't a reheater. And also, a shower. The life support in his ship was on the fritz. Again.

Shortly after cleaning up but before getting that much-needed burger, he'd paused by one of the main thuroughfares to consider his options. Take stock. A handful of credits, a long road ahead. His ether board still needed some attention, too - but getting parts for that would mean trading away that burger and fries for freeze-dried karkan ribenes and 'sauce' again. Art was a sacrifice, but how much was he willing to sacrifice? The eternal struggle. But deciding on that didn't distract him nearly as much as the malaise he felt, the charged sensation he'd had since setting foot on the little podunk rest station. The sense that there was something wrong, something coming. If he was honest, Zee was halfway convinced that the feeling had more to do with his steady diet of 'protien' meals and fruit-infused water, and less to do with the Force. He'd never been strong with it, and it'd never jumped to his side that he knew of. Something he could call upon - a little - but not a weapon. Barely a tool. Never armor.

Zee was pondering this right up until he heard an alarmed shout from deeper in the station, followed by the roar of air in an enclosed space being disrupted by an explosion. Heat, noise, POWER roared through the corridor, sending screaming bodies flying hither and yon through the station. Zee landed hard across a bench, splitting his forehead open on the anti-homeless bar across the middle. His vision swam before blood started spilling into his eyes.

Something had happened. An explosion. All it'd taken was one wild second, and it felt like every joint in his body had been filled with hot glass shards. From the sounds of it, the other people in the station weren't doing so hot, either.

The svelte young man forced himself to his feet, pressing his sleeve to his forehead. He took stock of the thurofare around him. A dozen people screaming. A couple who weren't. Assess. Act. Zalke pulled a green coarseweave sash out of his bag and tied it around his waist, a symbol of his affiliation with the Mandalorian Life-Bearers, and got to work tending the injured - starting with those in the most immediate danger. He moved with the confidence and grim efficiency of a trained combat medic, directing those who could stand and weren't shell-shocked to fetch as many first-aid kits and the like as possible.

Farther away, deeper in the station, he could hear the sound of yelling and what sounded like a lightsaber - he sincerely hoped not, though. And if so, he hoped they stayed far away.


Braze
​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Zee Caromed

Braze had only stopped to refuel, just passing through, one foot still in transit between systems, when chaos erupted across the Silk Holdings station. There was no hesitaton as years of muscle memory took over as alarms blared and smoke began to rise. In the wake of the Empire's brutal campaign to crush rebellious systems like Balmorra, civilian hubs like this one had become prime targets for sabotage, misinformation, or outright terrorism.

Braze was a known rebel sympathizer, and clearly a problem, as far as the Empire was concerned.
Which meant wherever things got loud… trouble had a way of finding him.

In a blur of motion, he surged through the panicked crowd, weaving between bodies and debris with terrifying speed as he launched into combat against any who posed a threat. The Entropite crystal in his weapon allowed him him to cut through opponents with fluid grace, incapacitating them without harm. Each strike was clean, efficient, and unervingly controlled. He moved like wind leaving no trail but the collapse of those left stunned in his wake.

As smoke still curled in the corridors and the scent of scorched durasteel filled the air, Braze pivoted from his last strike. Another would-be attacker crumpled harmlessly, the Entropite crystal shimmering soft blue in the low light. His jade green gaze snapped to movement ahead.

A figure in green was crouched over a wounded man, hands stained with blood, breath quick but steady.

Braze stepped forward, cautiously
"Are you alright?"

 

[Zee Caromed]

In this situation, with the limited tools at his disposal, there was only so much Zee could do. An explosion in a contained space like this could have been much more deadly, and for that he was thankful - but there were likely injuries here that Zee could do nothing about. Organ damage, brain damage, injuries to joints and spines from being thrown around. It was all he could do to stabilize the people he could recognize as immediately in danger of dying, directing those who could be directed towards the people with needs they could address.

He didn't have the stature or the voice to shout commands over increasingly panicked civilians, though. Zee feared he could go his entire life and never be good at crowd work.

The snap-hiss and thrum of lightsabers drew closer. Zee saw the glow of blue over his shoulder first, and he couldn't help but tense up. Lightsabers made him anxious, the way somebody drawing a gun did. A lightsaber escalated a situation, it turned a situation one might've walked away from into one with amputations at the very least, and more commonly worse than that. Though it was a relief that the saber was blue and not red, he was still apprehensive as he turned to get a look at who it belonged to.

Zee found himself meeting the eyes of one of the most beautiful men he'd ever seen, entirely unprepared for such an event. The Jedi was radiant, his striking white hair and breathtaking eyes perfectly highlighted by the soft blue glow of his lightsaber. Moreover, Zee could see past the Jedi, as the man he'd just cut in half simply collapsed - un-bisected.

A non-lethal lightsaber. A gorgeous knight with a non-lethal lightsaber. An angel had descended.

Gobsmacked as he was, Zee didn't forget for a moment that he was applying pressure to a heavily bleeding wound. The Nemoidian beneath his hands had caught a shard of metal to the shoulder, ripping open a long cut across her neck. She was insensate - gasping quietly for air. Zee was stained up to the elbows in the poor woman's blood.

She was wearing a wedding bangle with three stones in it. He'd seen such things used to honor the births of children.

"I need help." Zee replied desperately, glancing back up to the Jedi. "Cloth. Clean cloth, for bandages - there's some in my bag over there." He replied, nodding to his discarded armorweave bag. "I'm out of sealant. There might be some nearby. Please." Zee begged. "She doesn't have much time, and if I move-"

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Zee Caromed

Little did Zee Caromed realize just how terrifyingly dangerous the young prodigy at his side truly was. Braze assessed the situation quickly, dropping to one knee as his hand reached out. He could see the delicate and urgent issue. But there was no time to hesitate.

"It's okay," he murmured.

With practiced precision, he activated his saber just long enough to incapacitate the dying woman in a mercifully swift motion. Then, extinguishing the blade, he laid his now saberless hand over her wounded body.

"Watch your fingers," he warned gently.

With a sharp breath and narrowing of focus, Braze drew the foreign object from her with telekinesis. A subtle ripple of Force healing followed, glowing faintly as it washed over the torn tissue, the wound stitching itself closed as the object was lifted free then strewn to the ground.

"She's lost a lot of blood…" he muttered, concern tightening his jaw.

Rising, Braze reached out again, his hand still slick with blood, and placed it against Zee's helm, bestowing him with his touch. A warm, pulsing sensation of healing energy flowed from his touch into Zee's body, stabilizing and fortifying him.

Then the moment shattered as a barrage of blaster bolts screamed toward them.

Braze turned, drawing his blade that spang forth this time in a chalcedony teal hue, deflecting the shots with a terrifying blur of speed, as though he'd sensed their origin long before they were even fired. His movements were fluid, fast, and unnervingly precise.

"Can you carry her?" he asked over his shoulder, already shifting into a Soresu stance, eyes locked on the new wave of hostiles bearing down on them.

​

 

[Zee Caromed]

"Thanks, I-" Zee's reply was cut off by a fusillade of blaster fire that likely would have injured or killed him and his patient without Braze intervening. He rapidly assessed the situation - an explosion could have been an accident. An explosion followed by fighting might be a hit, organized crime, or bounty hunters fighting. But This? This felt more like an extermination.

A lightsaber as anesthetic. Force healing. Zee was passingly familiar with the second (though that gift had frustratingly evaded him), but the handsome man's lightsaber had all of Zee's neuron's firing at the possibilities presented. The ones that weren't occupied with triage or getting shot at, anyway.

He had no idea what the Jedi was capable of, but Zee knew a the defensive stance when he saw it. He also knew when he was outgunned. Had there been two or three people firing into the crowd, Zee would have jumped in to take them out before more people got hurt. This was too many for him. He made the snap decision to interpret the Jedi's stance as an indication that they were in a fighting retreat. His honor was never worth civilian deaths.

"I've got her. Buy me time." Zee pleaded, carefully scooping the insensate woman up into his arms. He ran from the front lines, depositing the woman - and two other heavily injured souls - aboard a cargo sled that'd flipped in the explosion. The man pushing it hadn't survived the weight falling on him. Zee swallowed bitter bile rising in his throat.

Even if his voice was squeaky and didn't project well, Zee called out to the panicked crowd as loudly as he could. "Everybody grab someone and get to escape pods!" The plainclothed Mando hollered until his voice cracked. "Go! Gogogo! ESCAPE PODS!" Wonder of wonders, it didn't take much effort to get people moving away from the blaster fire.

He turned over his shoulder to check on Braze as he wheeled the critically injured out of the plaza to... somewhere? Where was he even going, besides away from the violence?

Starport. Escape pods and ships. "We're clearing out! Let's go!" He pleaded.

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Zee Caromed

"I'll cover you; go!" Braze called, moving to draw a second shorter blade, with three prongs shaped like a sai-sword to assist in deflection.

He stayed close at first, holding a perimeter at roughly thirty feet as he dropped into pure muscle memory. The twin flashes of teal and blue-violet from his sabers caught the attention of the attackers almost immediately, and once he had their focus, he moved in.

Overwhelming blaster fire was the downfall of many Jedi… but Braze had trained for this and often pushed himself to extremes where others hesitated. His movements were seamless, and windlike, cutting paths through chaos with fluid grace.

He intercepted one of the foremost shooters with a deft precision, blades blurring as the fight truly began.

Braze deflected another volley of blaster fire with a fluid blur of his twin blades, the teal and blue-violet arcs blurring in colorful motion. He could feel the tide shifting as more hostiles pouring in, too many blasters lighting up the corridor. He knew he couldn't hold this line forever.

He pivoted sharply, sweeping one leg low to kick a fallen durasteel tray across the floor. With a quick burst of Force energy, he launched the tray up into a half-toppled fuel cart left behind by fleeing workers. The tray struck it with a harsh clang! Sparks ignited a chain reaction, sending a concussive BOOM and a geyser of flame into the corridor behind the advancing enemy.

Screams and scrambling from the would be terrorists followed. The shockwave hadn't killed any one, but it did send bodies flying and staggering as it stirred a storm of smoke and chaos.

Before the confusion settled, Braze had reached for and pulled free a jagged audio relay from his earlier opponents, one he'd plucked from some one by a maintenance station. He crushed the transmitter core between two fingers and tossed it mid-air, catching it in the Force.

It spun once, then whined.

A high-frequency sonic pulse erupted, shrieking through enemy comms, headsets, and targeting systems. Several troopers clutched their ears or staggered, firing wildly or tearing off gear to escape the piercing tone.

But even he had his limits. He could only sew chaos and disarray for so long.

From his wrist gauntlet, he tapped into a recessed panel, the edges of the device flickering to life in pale blue. Above the station, far beyond the smoked skylight and flickering emergency lights, his ship received the signal and veered into a rapid descent trajectory.

Braze exhaled once and then leapt up to higher ground. Snap.

With a focused flick of his fingers, he shattered the emergency flood lights fixtures above, raining sparks and glass down over the remaining soldiers. He hurled his saber briefly into the spray just long enough to supercharge the flare, and a blinding white-blue flash flooded the corridor. Cloaked in fire and radiance, Braze became momentarily unseeable as the Azure Phoenix left them with a signature parting gift.

And then he was gone. The Ashwing descended fast, its landing gear scraping metal as it hovered just off the platform edge. Braze sprinted toward it at full speed, leapt off and landed on the open cock pit. The hatch hissed closed behind him and he started off!

"Time to vanish."

​

 

[Zee Caromed]

Zee was a warrior, insofar that all Mandalorians were warriors to some extent, but the sounds of screaming and chaos behind them had him wondering about that. He'd been expecting the Jedi to follow them, but that wasn't happening. From the sounds of it? Good. This freed Zee to handle was he WAS good at - treating injuries in a crisis situation. In full evacuation, a tide of civillians flooded into the starport and began departing on dozens of small vessels, escape pods, and freighters. Zee had found somebody to push the sled while he treated other critical threats, but upon arriving at the starport realized how very out of his depth this situation was.

GA enforcement had begun to arrive. Planetary defense forces were mobilized. Something very bad was going on. This poor station wasn't the tragedy of the day, it was a small part of a much bigger issue, and one that he absolutely shouldn't get involved in. Or at least as uninvolved as he could be while keeping his pride as a healer and Life-Bearer.

Proper station medical personnel had the situation in-hand, Zee decided. He opted to make good his departure, right about the time he spotted the Ashwing streaking away from the station like a sleek predatory bird. There could be no question who would pilot a ship like that - that expensive, that fast, that personalized. It HAD to be the Jedi who'd helped him evacuate those poor people.

Zee wanted to ask about his lightsaber. Wanted to make sure he was alright. Wanted to thank him. Wanted to buy him dinner, maybe - but the first two were much more important. A Jedi that pulled their punches and had a tool able to do so without comprimizing their combat efficacy was somebody Zee wanted to know. Hell, maybe this'd be the person who made his mom's goal of getting a saber in his hand come true?

Zee launched himself into his Puddlejumper, falling into the raggedy cockpit chair with no grace or ceremony. The old light freighter fired up with a great deal of complaint, shuddering and groaning as Zee gave it no time to warm up. He blasted out of the starport, engines in full blast, frantically trying to key in commcodes and frequencies that he thought the Ashwing might be using while all of the parts, prototypes, and junk in his ship clattered and banged at all the acceleration and quick turns. He had to get his message out before the Aethersprite jumped into hyperspace.

"This is Roll'n Go to aethersprite, come in?" Zee broadcast hopefully, in full burn towards the fighter. "Got a minute to meet up somewhere safe?"

​

 

[Braze]

Zee Caromed

>> SHIP SYSTEMS ONLINE

Approach vector locked. Primary scanners calibrated.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION: Signal locked — encrypted burst frequency.

The Ashwing had just begun pulling into higher orbit when the comm crackled static at first, then a hopeful voice cut through:

"This is Roll'n Go to aethersprite, come in?" Zee broadcast hopefully, in full burn towards the fighter. "Got a minute to meet up somewhere safe?"

For a few moments, only the soft hum of the starfighter's systems responded. Then:

"This is Azure Phoenix. Read you loud and clear, Roll'n Go."

Braze's voice came through with a subtle thread of interest beneath.

"You're lucky. Another thirty seconds and you'd have been talking to empty space."

There was a pause, before he continued:

"Transmitting coordinates. Meet me at Lucky 7's Starport. Should be safe enough for a talk, assuming you're not followed."

A faint click of toggled controls could be heard over the receiver.

"I'll dock and wait. Just don't take too long...."

The comm line fell silent as the Ashwing banked smoothly, its twin engines flaring once before the ship slipped into hyperspace leaving only a soft ripple of ionized air in its wake.

 

[Zee Caromed]

If that wasn't just cheeky enough to be flirting, Zee would have to get his sensors calibrated the next time he had more than beer money. The svelte spacer plugged in the coordinates and considered for a moment, watching the Azure Phoenix's ion wake shimmer away into the distance. He had a date with Alpheridies looming, but... why not have a little fun on the way? He wasn't about to stop rambling now, especially not with such interesting bait dangled in his reach.

Zee plugged in the coordinates and engaged his own hyperdrive. Off of the factory floor his old Puddlejumper couldn't have matched Braze and his Azure Phoenix, and it had several years between those good years and today. Which was fine, honestly. Zee threw the old freighter into hyperdrive and ran off.

Plenty of time to get another shower, shave, throw on a clean shirt, and run some product into his hair. The usual makeup, the nicest of his three nearly-depleted tubes of toothpast, his cleanest shoes. All the necessities of meeting a new person, with a little more effort than usual. For reasons.

---

When he touched down at the Lucky 7's Station, Zee checked his reflection before departing with his Armorweave bag over his shoulder packed with the usual just-in-case accoutements. This time, it also contained his blaster - just in case - and had the white-and-green helmet of his beskar'gam clipped to the side. Another just-in-case, but a way of making sure his bonafides were out in the open. He'd been ambushed twice too many times recently. He could hear his mother's stern voice chastising him that he'd be more secure if he wore his armor whenever he stepped out of his ship. Zee had to reluctantly concede the point that beskar was slightly better protection than lip gloss.

Presenting his best (but still slightly raggedy) foot forward, Zee made his way towards the Azure Phoenix with a purposeful stride.

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Zee Caromed

True to his word, Braze had docked at the starport and was currently residing in the open breezeway of the main floor, where various food vendors lined the court. These stations were very much akin to one-stop shops for spacers, often offering relatively local souvenirs that reflected nearby planetary cultures.

Braze had taken the time to wash up from the firefight, though he wore simple attire: dark robes, hakama, and a vibrant red satin sash tied with a silk rope twine. He stood at the large balcony overlooking the docking stations below, leaning against the railing before his somber jade-green eyes settled on Zee Caromed , scanning him briefly from toe to head in a single measured glance, perhaps even sizing him up.

Zee was slightly taller than Braze, closer to average height for a typical male humanoid.

"Well, well… you clean up nicely. I'd almost say you came here just to impress me. Alas, you followed me through a warzone just to talk? I should be flattered." He let a devious little smirk grace his visage before adding, " You run like someone who's been shot at before."

​

 

[Zee Caromed]

Zee found himself smirking when he meant to smile. It was a bad habit, mirroring. "Speak for yourself. I did come here to impress. Also talk. But it never hurts to impress a little." He pointed out warmly, scanning Braze's presentation - his posture, his confidence, his comfortable-looking fit. "I'm Zalke. Zee for short. Your nails are awesome - is this railing open?"

He noted he was taller than Braze . Braze seemed to be just slightly more solidly built, more suited (or accustomed) to combat. That jived with the performance Zee had seen back at that station. Passingly familiar with lightsaber combat and The Force as he was, Zee was keenly aware that after a certain point one's build was irrelevant to their capacity for physical violence. A tiny pregnant woman could casually fold a staggeringly muscled bodybuilder with little trouble, if she was strong with the Force. And after a glimpse at what Braze could do and the way he carried himself, Zee was willing to bet he was a similar case.

"I could show you the scars, if you like!" Zee chirped. Provided the request was granted, the svelte medic leaned his backside against the railing and hooked his heels onto the lower section, sitting on the rail. An easy push could probably send him tumbling backwards into the docking stations below. Zee wasn't overly concerned about it. "But they aren't that impressive. Not as impressive as you back there. THAT was some incredible stuff."

"Before you think too highly of me, I had no idea it was a warzone." He added sheepishly. "But - I guess I wouldn't have let that discourage me, to be fair. You make a habit of rescuing dozens of people and zipping off before any of 'em get to thank you?"


​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Zee Caromed

Those soft, pale green orbs followed him, watching his movements carefully. "Flattery will get you everywhere," he chirped gently in reply.
"Scars can be impressive. They prove you've survived some sort of ordeal," he offered lightly.

He had recently undergone extensive surgeries to replace his entire lower jaw and repair some of the nastier scars he'd carried. Braze, too, was visibly marked by past injuries, practically covered in them, really, and it was admittedly a complicated topic for him.

"You honor me with such sweet words of praise," Braze added, turning one hand over to glance at his black-painted nails. They were coated in a hardening substance, and he typically tipped a few with other materials when preparing for battle. But he didn't want to scare off the adorable young man just yet, so he left those thoughts unspoken.

Instead, he looked up and met Zee's gaze directly, holding that prolonged eye contact as he listened to whatever else Zee had to say.

"Thank you," he chirped in reply to the compliment.


"Sometimes... sometimes you end up running soup kitchens or tending to the wounded," he added with a faint smile. Braze had seen more than his share of danger before he was even old enough to drink, much to the dismay of others, like Kahlil Noble .

It had always been difficult to keep Braze away from the battlefield, no matter his age.

"Anything can become a warzone in a moment's notice," he continued lightly.
"Not everyone has scruples about hurting those not even involved in a conflict. Many will do so to gain leverage, or worse, just to make a show of power." He sighed softly, rolling one shoulder with a subtle click and pop.

"Well, Zee... I'm Braze. It's good to see you were able to help those folks get away from the danger. The galaxy could use more people like you," he said gently.

His eyes flicked toward the precarious spot Zee had chosen to sit.

"Unless you've got a jetpack tucked away somewhere, that might not be the best place to perch," he added, pointing it out with a playful tone. "Or are you just hoping I'll save you again should you fall~?"

 

[Zee Caromed]

By pure coincidence, Zee's nails were also painted black - though they always were. While they were well-done, they were markedly less impressive than Braze with his lethal-looking talons. He worked with his hands way too much to grow his nails out that long, and the press-ons he sometimes wore out wished they could grow up to be that wicked. "I'll just have to keep on flatterin', then." He giggled quietly.

Though it was hard to think too much about nails, given how striking Braze's eyes were and how very intently he kept eye contact. It was a little flustering. He didn't get the impression that the Jedi was hostile or anything, but intensity of his stare was somewhat remarkable. Almost feline, Zee decided - but even that didn't feel entirely correct. It called to mind a mythological beast of some sort from the dim recesses of childhood memory, something unfathomably powerful and capable of turning a man to stone with a glance. It was likely equal parts that intense gaze and the slightly ethereal way he spoke.

"I'm pretty sure you COULD save me without breaking a sweat, but WOULD you? Hm." The skinny Mando tapped his chin thoughtfully, leaning back on his precarious seat. "I'd say even odds you catch me before I hit the ground. You seem like the sort to let me fall just a little, to prove a point." Zee snickered. "Or teach a lesson."

"I could probably increase the odds by mentioning that I've been working in soup kitchens and free clinics since I was twelve, but..." He mused aloud, sitting more securely on the rail rather than keep tempting fate. "I should probably save all the little best nuggets of personal information for the coffee I'm about to invite you out for." Zee let one foot hang off of the railing, leaning in enough to be ready to slip off of the railing - in the safe direction - at a moment's notice. "If you're interested, that is. I'd love to ask you some questions about that lightsaber of yours, your beautiful ship, what it feels like to heal wounds at a touch..." Zee trailed off slightly. "Whether you're single or not. You know. Normal questions. If you're interested."

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Zee Caromed

Braze was quiet as he listened, affording Zee his complete and undivided attention, accompanied, of course, by that unyielding gaze locked on his eyes.

"Oh, I'd catch you, all right," Braze practically purred, not missing a beat. "If I let you fall, it'd only be to show you how much better it feels when I decide to hold on."

His tone dipped just slightly, smooth as satin and rich with implication.

"And a lesson would come after. If I were to teach you a lesson... you'd definitely know it. Because you'd feel it for days." He paused, a hint of a smirk playing at the edge of his lips. "Some lessons are better learned the hard way. Lucky for you, I'm very hands-on."

He didn't elaborate further on what he could mean by any of that. The meaning left deliberately unspoken.

"Twelve, huh? So you've been taking care of people for a long time… maybe it's time someone returned the favor." Braze's lips curved into an almost knowing smirk again. "And here I thought the whole 'adorably competent' thing was just an act."

He lifted a hand, palm upward, offering it to help Zee back down from the rail with a fluid, gentlemanly ease.

"I would love to indulge in a fine cup of coffee… and even finer company." He listened attentively to the list of things Zee wanted to ask. There was a lot, but that didn't bother him in the slightest, Braze liked people who talked. He liked talking, too. A good exchange was half the charm.

"I can see you're quite the curious one," he murmured, "Let's find a nice spot to settle down and try one topic at a time shall we? "

​

 

[Zee Caromed]

That clarified things somewhat! Zee was used to having to guess a little more, but Braze had heard his flirting and immediately escalated. Catching him if he fell, hands-on, adorable - just a barrage of green lights, for to match the Jedi's piercing gaze.

Zee took the hand as it was offered with a grandiose and exaggeratedly flattered expression, allowing Braze to help him down from the slightly high railing like a grande dame being assisted out of a golden speeder. "Why, thank you." He purred playfully, taking a moment to curtsy deeply once his trailworn trainers hit the floor. If he were blushing any harder, it'd spread from his ears to his neck and down. Zee was about as pale as they came, and he couldn't have hidden it if he tried.

"Flattery absolutely doesn't work on me." Zee lied, his smirk unable to hide how delighted he was.

As they began walking away from the railing, Zee put his free hand - and the other one, if Braze let it go - into his pockets. The Mandalorian moved an agile, bouncing lope - his steps even and even relatively quiet in spite of what seemed to be a subconcious attempt to take up more space than he strictly needed to. There was a performative aspect to it, a sort of chest-puffed masculinity that was sharply at odds with his painted nails, open midriff, and gentle demeanor. Taris wasn't a safe place to grow up, but it especially wasn't if you couldn't project a bit of authority and make it look like you were more trouble to mess with than it was worth. Zee might even look like a fairly capable goon, up until he opened his mouth.

Brushing his bangs back, Zee flashed Braze his most winning smile. Wide, a little awkward, but entirely earnest. "In the interest of keeping things fair - and keeping myself from yammering all night - why dont I buy the coffee, and you pick what we talk about first?" He proposed wtih a self-effacing snicker. "Sound okay?"

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Zee Caromed

Braze watched him hop down and padded after, admiring the subtle ways Zee's form moved, already studying him quite intently from head to toe. He was taking quiet mental notes of the microexpressions and gestures the young man made. That kind of detail-oriented observational skill came naturally to an Echani. Reading people through motion was second nature.

"You wear flattery well, even when you pretend it doesn't work," he murmured, voice velvet-soft. "Buying coffee and handing over the conversational reins? Bold move. Alright."

As they walked, Braze moved quietly, his footsteps nearly silent.

"Talk's dangerous, you know. Once you start letting people ask questions, it gets harder to stay unknown. Though…" He gave Zee a sidelong glance, the edge of his lips tugging into a smirk. "I suppose this counts as our first date, considering it's coffee."

His gaze dipped deliberately to Zee's hand in his pocket, then rose again, slow and unhurried...

"I chooooose the topic," he teased with a lilt, "—what you're going to do when I keep saying things that make you blush like that…"
He leaned in just slightly, voice dropping an octave with a devious little smirk. "Because I'm rather enjoying the thought of imagining what other scars you might have hidden away."

At the counter, Braze placed his order: a frozen, chocolatey blended coffee with whipped cream and flavored syrups. Once he had the drink in hand, he selected a quiet corner seat and settled in, crossing one leg over the other with elegant ease.

 

[Zee Caromed]

Braze was laying the charm on a little thick, and Zee didn't hate it. It was quite effective on him. He had a way with words, a quiet confidence that played wonderful with all that smirking and the knowing, sidelong glances that seemed to see into the heart of him. Something about Echani, man. They didn't miss a trick.

"Talk might be dangerous - if I had any interest in staying unknown." Zee murmured playfully. "I'm fairly sure I don't have any SERIOUS enemies - and I've got friends everywhere. Besides..." Zee flashed a cheeky grin at his date, shifting one of his hands to his hip as he leaned against the cafe counter. "It's a date. I WANT to be less unknown to you. I'm hoping you'll let me know you, too." He pointed out. "Isn't that the point?"

Zee's order was a simple cold brew - zhuzhed up with sweet cream and crunchy cocoa cereal puffs atop. In contrast to Braze's elegant posture, Zee all but fell into the opposite seat - legs stretched out, leaning on the table, reclined as though he were at home. More performance, perhaps; he'd certainly had a delicate and dainty enough posture atop the railing and back on the station. Zee slipped between the two without seeming to notice it.

"But. If you keep making me blush like that. There's a good attempt I'll attempt to retaliate and make YOU blush. And I'm not sure how successful that'll be, but I'm GOING to have to try." Zee explained primly, trying not to snicker into his coffee. "Ready? I'm going to try now. So be sure and brace yourself." He warned cheerfully.

Folding his arms on the table, Zee propped his chin up on his palm and smiled warmly - laying on the charm in a transparently clumsy, earnest way. "You've got such beautiful hair, Braze." He purred languidly. "I'm looking forward to running my fingers through it. Maybe grabbing a handful, if you let me." Despite his attempt to remain cool and pitch his voice down as though he were a holonet heartthrob, Zee's blush blazed across his cheeks and lit up his ears with incandescent embarrassment. His voice wavered - he was trying very hard not to laugh with embarrassment. "Though I'm loathe to ask you for anything, considering that you saved my life. So maybe I aught to do something nice for you, instead. Acts of service for a handsome knight."

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Zee Caromed

Braze carefully slipped the straw into the small mound of sweet whipped cream, pressing it slowly into the pale fluff as he listened to Zee try and articulate his desires. A faint, smirking smile played at the corner of Braze's lips, an expression that suggested he appreciated the effort, even if it amused him.

"I'm admittedly unfamiliar with intimate scenarios," he offered gently, picking up his cup and guiding the straw to his lips. He took a brief, tentative sip before lowering it again, having sampled just enough of the sugary concoction.

"That said, I wouldn't mind a little physical contact with you. Maybe we could make a game of it, if you like to spar~" His voice stayed light, though his gaze held a more direct curiosity. "I'm guessing from all this sweet flirtation that you're single. Tell me… what do you expect from a relationship? It can mean many different things, to many different people."

The young Jedi had been on several dates before, but most had been harmless affairs, full of small talk and innocent affection, rooted more in the idea of puppy love than in anything deeper. Love itself was an elusive subject to Braze, one he had studied much like he studied combat: intellectually, carefully... but often from a distance. There were a small handful of individuals who came to mind when Braze considered the question of love.

Aliris Tremiru was one of them. The blonde had once been the object of a suffocating crush, an affection he'd never truly acted on. With time, that longing had softened into something more familial, a quiet, protective kind of love. He still cared for her deeply, but not in the way he once had.

Then there was Loomi .

There was no doubt in his mind that what he felt for her was real, deeply rooted, and intimate. Loomi was his best friend, his truest confidant, and the one person he trusted without reservation. What they shared defied an easy definition. It wasn't romantic in the typical sense, nor was it something he could reduce to simple words. Braze wanted her happiness more than anything.

To him, she seemed fragile in ways the world often overlooked, and he felt fiercely protective of that vulnerability. She deserved someone kind, someone gentle, someone better than he believed himself to be.

The others that came to mind were little more than passing fancies of those quiet, unspoken crushes he'd never acted on, or the kind of innocuous love he held for family and close friends. Admiration, warmth, and affection… but nothing that set his soul alight or kept him awake at night wondering what if. It was affection, yes, but never the kind that made him ache to be understood intimately, or yearn to hold someone close just to know they were real.

But Zee was different... There was something about him... something in the way he looked at Braze with unguarded curiosity, in the way he flirted without fear or calculation that stirred a more immediate, visceral response. It wasn't just the sweetness of admiration, or the distant fondness he reserved for others. This was somewhat... sharper.

With Alirs, it had been a quiet ache, one easily buried beneath duty and time. With Loomi, it was comfort and devotion, deep and safe. But Zee? Zee unsettled him in a way he hadn't expected. Something tobe cautious about, something exhillerating.

He found himself watching Zee quite intently, be it the curve of his mouth when he smiled, the subtle shifts in his tone, the moments when his confidence cracked just enough to reveal something vulnerable underneath. It fascinated Braze drawing him in. And more than once, he'd had to check himself, caught mid-thought wondering what it might feel like to let Zee closer. Really closer...

This wasn't like the innocent curiosity of puppy love. Nor was it like the noble, selfless affection he held for Loomi.

What he felt now was the beginning of something else entirely... something dangerous and thrilling. A pull that suggested he wanted more than to simply protect or admire. He wanted to touch, to learn, and to know; He wanted all of that, and so much more.

That's what set Zee apart in some manner. He didn't just make Braze feel affection... He made him want, and sparked a sentiment more rooted in passion.

And that desire came with a question Braze rarely let himself ask.

"As for worship, I believe in respecting the Force and all its mysteries. But I tend to think worship should be about connection and understanding, not fear or seeking favors. If we're talking about ancient practices, maybe there's wisdom there to be learned; but not necessarily to be worshipped. After all, to worship something is to give it power over you, and power should be met with eyes wide open, not blind reverence. If I were to devote myself to someone or something, it would be out of deep respect and admiration—someone I'd willingly endure hardship for, even to the point of sacrificing my life. So, in short, no, I wouldn't just worship any deity or god, especially not one I consider false. That kind of commitment is reserved for something truly special, something or someone that profoundly resonates with me, intimately."

Alirs and Loomi, in their own ways, had each brushed against that threshold. People he would bleed for without hesitation. People whose names he held quite close in the quiet spaces of his heart.

But Zee… Was he worthy of that kind of devotion? Braze didn't know yet....But the fact that he was even asking... perhaps that said enough.

He shifted slightly and stretched one leg forward, the tip of his boot brushing gently against Zee's knee beneath the table in a soft, almost petting motion.

"I may not be well-versed in the finer intricacies of passion," he admitted, his tone softening, "but I believe good communication and mutual understanding are the foundations of anything lasting. Expectations, needs… those are things I'd like to hear from your pretty lips."

To Braze, love meant many things: duty, affection, connection, sometimes even sacrifice. But what stirred between him and Zee now wasn't love, at least not yet. This felt more like infatuation, a spark of chemistry and curiosity. And that, he acknowledged inwardly, was one part of the greater whole.

"You don't need to thank me for what I did," he added gently. "You owe me no debts." He took another languid sip of his drink, eyes never quite leaving Zee's. "But I would like to know your intentions with me, and what it is you're really seeking."

​

 

[Zee Caromed]

Unfamiliar? Zee didn't believe that for a second. Braze had a way of speaking that made him sound like he knew exactly what he was doing. The way he maintained that spine-meltingly intense eye contact while doing... anything, really - suggested he knew full well the effect he had. "Sparring? Is that what we're calling it?" Zee teased sheepishly. "We can if you'd like, though. Sounds like a pretty good... excuse, if I'm being honest.

He considered his answer carefully, sipping his coffee. Ever since leaving Taris, Zee had rambled about almost deliberately. There'd been no big precipitating event that'd flung him out onto the road - no big fight with his mothers or sister, no messy breakup, no sudden employment change. He'd just decide he wanted to be on the move... and he'd done just that.

And, sure, there were parts of being stationary and more reliable that he missed. His friends at the various clinics and hospitals he'd worked at, a circle of associates he'd gone to see music or rove about with, a tightly-knit group of activists sharing ideas and concepts that he was still in but felt apart from due to distance. "I'm - I'm single, yes." Braze replied honestly, smiling. "That obvious, huh?"

With a small sigh, Zee scooped some of the cocoa puffs out of his coffee and had a cronch. "I don't know that I'm ready for anything... very serious." He confessed. "I've been in a couple relationships. Nothing that I think counts as very deep. I still talk to my last boyfriend, Tilly. We were together for almost a year, I guess, but he was my friend long before that. That sort of thing is important to me." Zee explained softly. "I hang on to people. I never want to let somebody go, if I can help it. I've lost people because they fell through the cracks and didn't feel like they - like they had anyone to reach out to. So it's very important to me to always be reaching out."

Zee shifted in his seat, sitting up now - just in time to have a foot brush against his leg. He smirked at Braze and reached down, grabbing at and tugging the boot briefly before leaving it against his knee. He continued, idly stroking what he was pretty sure was an ankle. "Up to a certain point, I'm not into... exclusivity." He explained. "Someday I'll marry someone and that'll be that. And I'm fine with that. Doing my duty to my clan and my future husband - well, spouse, technically, but let's be honest." Zee snickered sheepishly. "But. I need to know that things have the potential to get to that point before I commit to that extent, if that makes sense?"

"Especially because... well, I travel a lot. There's a lot of things I want to do, and a lot of places I think I'm needed. I'm a one-man charity organization, after all." Zee added quietly, fingers laced together on the table as he furtively glanced up at Braze. "And most of the guys I tend to like have the same sort of thing going on. I mean..."

He giggled quietly into his coffee, drumming his fingernails gently against Braze's boot. "I've yet to stumble across a good-looking, passionate, principled, protective guy who has a penchant for helping people... who has nothing better to do than follow me around all day, rubbing my shoulders and telling me how pretty I am." Zee joked warmly. "They tend to have their own projects going on, or they're EXTREMELY taken. Put on top of that one who's open to the idea of marrying into my clan someday..." Zee shrugged and smiled. "Easier to keep things casual and fun, I think. We could all use more fun in our lives, don't you think?"

He got a little more serious, focusing in a bit. Summarizing. Or, at least, getting to the point. "I guess I'm - looking for a friend, looking for a fling, and looking for a boyfriend in different boxes, or looking for one guy who fits all three boxes in that order." Zee explained. "If that makes sense. And I wasn't lying about wanting to know more about your non-lethal lightsaber. That's not a euphemism - genuinely want to know how that works. I'm rambling. Please - your turn. And you can let me know if any of that is a deal breaker, I get it."

​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Zee Caromed

Braze seemed to relax, the subtle motion along his boot seemed to draw his attention. A small smile touched his lips.

"Well... you and I seem to see eye to eye on a lot of things," he said, his tone warm. "I appreciate your candid honesty."

He paused for a moment, considering his next words with care.

"I'm not currently looking for exclusivity," he admitted. "But I find myself empathizing with your perspective, and I share a lot of those same sentiments. I like to think that friendship is the best first step toward any relationship worth having. "

His gaze softened slightly, open but steady. "Honesty means a great deal to me. Especially the kind that requires emotional vulnerability. It's not easy, laying that out... so I don't take it lightly."

He lifted his cup again, letting the cool straw rest briefly against his lower lip before speaking once more.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about exploring something with you. Something playful. and perhaps something new." His voice was gentle but sure.

"I believe the body is a sacred thing; yours to offer as you see fit. And when two people choose to share in that space with mutual respect and enthusiasm... well, then it's exactly what it should be: a choice or an activity. Between consenting adults..."

​