Private Of Blue Skies and Blossoms

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings, Engagement Ring
Companion: Isari
Tag: Valery Noble

The park in Aldera was something out of a fairytale. Wide fields spilled like silk between flowering trees, each one a different shade of blossom — rose, ivory, pale blue. Fountains whispered in the distance, their song laced with birdsong and the gentle laughter of passing families. From her place on a curved white bench, Eve could see the spires of the reconstructed palace glinting like crystal through the trees.

She was early. On purpose.

She had arrived on Alderaan three days ago, cloaked in joy and golden sunlight, barely able to sit still long enough to read in the royal libraries. Every step she took felt lighter than air. Every breeze kissed her skin. Even now, her thoughts drifted like petals in the wind — toward her.

Tigris.

Just the name sent a flutter through her chest, blooming warm and deep. The Force bond between them was a steady glow, stronger than it had ever been. She could feel her: distant but close, fierce but soft. Hers.

Her thumb brushed absently across the band on her finger.

The ring wasn't showy — Tigris would never have picked something garish — but the metal caught the sunlight just enough. Sometimes it gleamed suddenly in the corner of Eve's eye, a little flash of onyx and silver that made her heart skip and her breath catch. And every time it happened, she remembered.

The orchard.
The tears.
The way Tigris looked at her — like she was the whole galaxy.

She was someone's fiancé now.

And somehow, it didn't feel strange at all. It felt like breathing.

Isari shifted beside her, head lifting toward the sky. Eve followed her gaze just as a plump, round bird fluttered down to the stone path near her boots.

It chirped once. Then, without hesitation, hopped onto her knee.

Eve giggled gently, lifting a hand as if in greeting. Through the Force, she reached out with but love and warmth. The bird responded with scattered impressions: seeds, sky, comfort, curiosity.

She felt the weight of the ring again as her hand moved, the subtle warmth of it pressed against her skin like a second heartbeat.

Isari sat patiently at her feet, silver eyes watchful, calm. She didn't move. She knew this moment mattered.

And Eve?

Eve was glowing.

 

[Valery Noble]

The soft crunch of gravel underfoot joined the melody of fountains and birdsong. Valery approached from a winding garden path, the stroller gliding easily ahead of her. Inside, Yvaine cooed gently in her sleep, bundled in a pale blanket that rose and fell with each tiny breath. Just behind, Eryx waddled along with stubborn focus, his little boots kicking up petals that had drifted across the walkway.

He wasn't in any rush. He never was when the air smelled like flowers and he could hear birds.

Valery didn't hurry him. She walked at his pace, just enough ahead to guide, just enough behind to let him feel free. The warmth of Alderaan's sun caught in her hair, glinting along copper strands pulled back in a loose braid. She wasn't in her robes today — just simple, comfortable clothes that moved with the breeze.

She spotted Eve on the bench and smiled. There was something radiant about her. Something peaceful. The bond was unmistakable, not through the Force, though Valery could sense that too, but in the way Eve's fingers lingered near the ring. In the way her whole posture softened when she looked up from the bird perched on her knee.

Valery slowed to a stop a few feet away, casting a glance toward the little visitor before meeting Eve's gaze.

"Making friends with the locals, I see," she said with a warm smile.

Yvaine stirred in her stroller but didn't wake. Eryx caught sight of Eve and her bird companion and gave a tiny gasp, pointing with all the awe a toddler could muster.

"Birb!"

Valery chuckled quietly, crouching next to him to steady his balance. "Yes, that's a bird, sweetie."

She looked back at Eve, eyes warm and knowing.

"You look happy," she said gently.

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings, Engagement Ring
Companion: Isari
Tag: Valery Noble

Eve’s face lit up the instant she spotted Eryx.
Sweet, precious Eryx. His simple childish comfort gave so much to the little girl she was after Jedha. That simple gesture, that clumsy hug, those simple, thoughtful words, all laced with care and love. They had helped her in a way she had never quite managed to put into words. Ever since, Eryx had been her favourite Noble.

Eve’s answering grin was wide enough to ache. She lifted her hand, coaxing the small feathered visitor onto her finger with a silent nudge through the Force. The sparrow-sized creature fluttered, then perched, head cocked.

"Would you like to say hello to her?" she asked Eryx softly, lowering her hand toward him. "Just gentle touches, like this." As she spoke, she demonstrated soft strokes along the bird's bill.

She kept her focus half on the bird, half on the warm current of wonder pouring off the toddler. Even Yvaine stirred at the hush of it, nose wrinkling in her blankets before she settled again. When Eryx’s fingertips brushed along the bird, the creature gave a contented trill. Eve’s heart fluttered in tandem. After a few moments, the bird made its exit, fluttering off up into a tree.

Valery’s words settled between them as she stood. Eve’s thumb drifted to the simple band glinting against her robes, absent-minded, almost shy.

"Mhm," she admitted, eye bright. "I… have some news." A quick, almost conspiratorial smile, but she left it there for the moment. "Tell me how you’ve been first—how are are, Val?" She was still getting used to simply calling her that, without titles and honorifics, but at this point in their relationship, and in a place such as this, formalities could be easily rested to the side for a while. Her gaze softened as they started walking.

"It’s been too long since we could just do something like this. I've been really looking forward to it."

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery stayed crouched beside Eryx, one hand gently resting on his back as he inched closer to Eve's outstretched hand. His little fingers hovered in the air for a moment, then, ever so carefully, he brushed them along the bird's soft feathers. His eyes went wide with wonder.

The trill that followed made him gasp. A breathless little giggle bubbled out of him, and Valery smiled.

"You're so gentle," she murmured to him, smoothing back a strand of dark hair from his forehead. "She liked that." When the bird took flight, Eryx let out a loud, delighted laugh and reached toward the sky with both arms.

"Birb go wheee!"

Valery chuckled, rising to her feet again as he twirled in place once and then looked up at her like he'd just performed a miracle. She reached down and gave his hand a small squeeze.

"You did amazing."

Her gaze shifted back to Eve, soft and glowing with warmth.

"I'm really good," she said sincerely. "The kids are happy. Kahlil's been home more lately. Eryx is learning new words every day, and Yvaine's starting to grab anything in reach." A fond, almost exasperated chuckle. "Which includes her brother's curls." She let the stroller glide forward a few paces as they began walking along the path.

"But now I'm dying to know..." she glanced sidelong, teasing, "What's got you glowing more than the Alderaanian sun? You've never been good at hiding it."

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Lightsaber, Bracelet, Earrings, Engagement Ring
Companion: Isari
Tag: Valery Noble

Eve couldn’t help it.

The second Val teased her with that knowing smile, the heat rushed to her cheeks like a dam breaking. She tried not to grin, but it came anyway, blooming wide and helpless as she glanced down at her hand, then back at Valery with sheepish eyes.

"Okay," she murmured, breathless from her own excitement. "Okay. So… you know Tigris and I went back to Eshan recently? To see Mama—she’s well, by the way, and she asked after you."

Her voice softened with the memory, her expression warm and giddy as she slowed to a gentle stop beside the stroller. Her thumb traced along the edge of her ring before she looked back up, silver eye gleaming.

"Well, in the orchard... under those old pear trees…"

She held out her hand, fingers trembling ever so slightly as she showed Valery the ring.

"She asked me, Master."

A pause. A breath.

"And I said yes."

The last part came out like a laugh caught in sunlight, half-sigh, half-song. Her joy was unmistakable, wrapped in disbelief and reverence and something utterly childlike. Tears welled just faintly at the corners of her eye, but they didn’t fall. Not today.

"I’m... going to marry her."