Private Naboo: Oil and Water

[Luca Ioneşti]

Knights Obsidian Headquarters
Naboo
Mid-day

Naboo was beautiful.

He hadn't had enough time with the planet in all the years he spent with Urley, as their work had rarely lead them to the picturesque world, so when he was pulled on to take an apprentice, coupled with a transfer to the Obsidian Order's new headquarters, he grudgingly jumped at the chance. Home was still home, home would always be home, and it was a thing not a lot of people could understand unless they were of the snows, frigid plains, and frozen wastes where civilisation had managed to eke out an existence. It was a thing Rothe could understand, being of the same snows, and Luca was glad to have him along, as one face he knew in this still unfamiliar place.

"So, when're you meeting this new apprentice?"

Luca peered over the rim of his pint, mid-pull, the glass almost drained of the near-sacred liquid that was Vandorian stout, stock which was dear, shipped along with the two. After levelling his gaze at the other, slightly younger Vandorian knight for a full half a minute, he finished tipping the pint to fill his mouth with the hearty meal-in-a-glass, and swallowed slow, lowering the empty pint glass back on the table with care.

"'Padawan', Rothe. And when's high noon here, again?"

Rothe shrugged. Luca grunted an unamused noise.

"Useless," he grumbled, fishing an unopened pack from within his robes, tearing off the wrapper, and pulling out a cigarra. And just as he put it to his lips, just as he was about to call a small flame to light it with a flick of his thumb, a voice rang out across the long, wide room: "NO. SMOKING. IN. THE. MESS. HALL. GORRAMMIT.". Luca cursed under his breath, pocketing the now-opened pack, and pushed back his seat to stand, the unlit cigarra hanging from his mouth, and planted a hand on the table between himself and his closest confidante, who was sniggering beneath his fist, "make yourself useful, okay, Rothe? I'll be back when I'm done seeing what this girl is about," Luca's hand lifted from the table, to wag a finger at Rothe, "and I better not find your waste of a good Jedi ass still here, draining away the good stuff."

He stepped back from the table, one corner of his mouth lifting, the crease appearing between his eyebrows.

"I mean, I know you're homesick, but try to control yourself?"

Rothe frowned, then shot up from his seat, "Hey! You lousy little..." he snatched the pack wrapper from the table and threw it in Luca's direction, only for Luca to jump back with a laugh, hands raised.

"...bastard."

Luca continued to laugh as he turned heel and left.

---------------------------------------

Outside KOHQ
Half-an-hour later

Finding his way around the place was his latest challenge - the layout of the headquarters was going to take some getting used to.

It was hot out here, by his definition, but if they weren't gonna let him enjoy a cigarra indoors in peace and with air conditioning, at least the outdoors was nice to look at, as far as he could see from his lean against the outer wall of the headquarters, hugging to what shade its sheer height provided. He was going to have to get his hands on some local style, or I'm going to suffer, was the way of his thoughts as he cupped one hand around the end of the the cigarra to shade it from the modest breeze as he flicked his thumb in a habitual way to call the flame that lit the rolled stick of tabacc; after a long draw from it, he sighed out all his misgivings, pinching the cigarra between thumb and forefinger to hold it, smoke curling out past the edge of his hand and out between his fingers.

"Don't know how I feel about constant birdsong," he said to no-one but himself, taking another pull from the cigarra, "I forgot how noisy most worlds are."

Endless expanses of snow were quiet, and depending on the context and the observer, peaceful or unsettling. And dangerous, if you didn't know how to treat it and traverse it. His mind wandered down this path of comparisons, the cigarra getting shorter with each unconscious pull, until the time of meeting came close, and the cigarra was nearly spent. He put it out on the wall until it ceased to smoulder, then fished a tin out of his robes to deposit the butt in. Another (albeit considerate) habit from his father. Putting the tin away again, he pulled out a small plasteel packet, and took a little sheet mint from it, popping that on his tongue to melt, re-stowing the packet, and shrugging off his outer robe, to straighten himself out and cool off a little, before this 'native of Naboo' arrived.

Teyla Sal-Soren

 

[Teyla Sal-Soren]

Teyla gazed out the window at the landscape of Naboo from the Ee'everwest Estate. It was hard to believe she was leaving this again, especially when so many things had changed. There'd been a time, while traveling with Damon, that she never thought she'd return home. Now that she was, she was leaving again, and leaving behind the most precious pieces of her heart.

The pitter patter of tiny feet rushed towards her, and Teyla fell to her knees with open arms to catch the running children. Tears and kisses landed on top of their golden heads before pulling away, cupping Karina and Marcus' cheeks in her hands and gazing at them.

Karina's was getting so big, nearly two inches taller than her brother, with hair that was nearly white and eyes of a bright sapphire blue. It was impossible to look on her daughter and not be reminded of Damon. Her strong, and willful girl with magic in her veins.

Then there was her son, her baby boy. His chocolate eyes watered, and his dark brown hair was neatly combed. The more sensitive of the twins, with a gentle and kind soul. She worried over what her absence would do to him, the most.

"Mommy's only going to be gone a little bit, I'll be back before life day, m'kay?" she kissed each of their cheeks. "I promise." She gently rubbed her hands up and down their arms to try and reassure them, "Promise me that you'll be good, and you'll listen to Sera and Auntie Eline. That you'll look after each other... especially your baby sister. You're her big brother and sister, she needs you to look out for her, do you understand?"

They each nodded solemnly, Rafiki waiting patiently in the door frame behind them.

"I have to go," she said, trying to hold back the emotion in her voice, grabbing them each in a last embrace. "I love you both, so, so much. Never forget that."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
​

"Luca Ioneşti?" Teyla hesitantly inquired, catching at the last moment him putting out the cigarette and plopping a mint in his mouth, did Jedi smoke? Far be it for her to judge, despite her own personal opinions on the matter. She'd lived her life as a smuggler these past few years, and had fallen in love with someone who needed alcohol just to get through the day.

Sure, she'd been able to help Damon recover in the end, but to those who didn't understand, it had definitely looked like she was settling. Eline had made that clear to her, on more than one occasion.

She cleared her throat, and held out a frail hand in greeting. "I'm Teyla Ee'evewest." she paused, looking him over. "You are Luca Ioneşti, right? Knight Obsidian?"

 

[Luca Ioneşti]

Hearing his name come from a new voice, an unfamiliar voice made him pause, focusing on the sound of it for a moment, before finally popping the mint into his mouth. She hadn't butchered the pronunciation, so one point in her favour. Luca looked on her, taking in as many details as he could without staring, as she further compounded her doubt as to his identity and position, from the smoke that still hadn't completely been carried away by the light breeze.

"Could you wave your preconceptions around any harder?" He sounded almost wounded, "Yes, I am he, and yes, I'm one of those."

He stepped away from the wall, and took her hand in his own,, trying so hard to not make his mind up about her on the spot. She appeared to be pleasant in appearance, but with so many of her birth, it was only skin deep.... in his opinion. Something about her made his own preconception feel off, but that preconception was strong. You were supposed to give people the benefit of the doubt. Supposed to not judge a book by its cover, but this ran deep.

"And I'll have you know that some of my ilk partake in the wacky stuff, my lady."

One corner of his mouth pulled up, faintly, when he released her hand and pocketed his own, and slipped past her to start heading down the cross-street to the one that approached the headquarters.

"Come on, I need to find myself something less heavy to wear."

What Jedi took their padawan shopping on the first date day? He beckoned over his shoulder, calling back.

"Can't have me getting heatstroke."