Private On Togetherness

[Corazona von Ascania]

With the classroom lecture concluded, students gradually filed from the room. A few hung back, engaged in conversation with one another as they slowly moved towards the door.

Cora glanced to the board behind her, electing not to erase the material just yet. A class on the importance of building interpersonal relationships among the Jedi, and with those they were meant to work with would never be the most interesting lesson. Still, it was one that had been deemed necessary. Some Jedi were quicker to brandish their sabers than they were to use their words.

Both had their merit, and the trick lied in knowing when to use which.

Seated at her desk, Cora idly flipped through a tome at the top of her stack. She'd paraphrased the words of an ancient Jedi philosopher during the lecture, but was now wondering if she'd misquoted them.

Zaiya Ceti Mahsa

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Mahsa Corazona von Ascania

Zaiya clutched her datapad to her chest, her steps light yet purposeful as she approached where Knight von Ascania sat. The Lovalla Padawan had been mulling over the class ever since it ended, her mind buzzing with questions. Not just about today's lesson, but about other things the Knight had mentioned in passing back at the tea party -- each one planting tiny, persistent little seeds of curiosity in her mind. Especially in the wake of conversations with Aris Noble that Zaiya wanted some help in clarifying.

Mahsa was busy gathering her things across the room, but Zaiya could feel the subtle hum of her friend's inquisitiveness in the Force. Clearly, she wasn't the only one itching to ask something. What better time than now? knight von Ascania was still seated, reviewing her lesson plans, and the room was quiet enough that they wouldn't be a bother. Or so Zaiya hoped.

"Knight von Ascania…" Zaiya started, her voice soft but steady as she stopped a respectful distance away. Opal blue eyes darted to the datapad for a moment, a faint shimmer of burnished amber flaring across her skin, betraying her curiosity and anticipation

"We have a few questions, if you have the time?"

Her patterns glimmered gently as her emotions swirled, the warm amber dancing over her mottled spots and trailing down her arms in elegant, shifting hues. She had taken extra care today with her appearance; a long, intricate braid swept down her back, interwoven with colorful strands that mirrored her vibrant skin shifting. Her Kyber hairclip caught the light, while soft ombre of teal white blonde bangs framed her face in wispy arcs.

She tilted her head slightly, waiting for the Knight's response, and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Though she was determined, the tentative query in her voice hinted at her awareness of the fine line between curiosity and intrusion.

 

[Mahsa]

While a lesson on interpersonal relationships might seem boring for most it had been anything but for the young Kazelrrian. The rhythmic tapping of her fingers against the datapad had carried throughout most of the class as Mahsa had made note after note about the content, always surprised by some new thing or another as she continued to discover the many differences that abounded in communication between species.

And the layers only got more complex when ranks and titles were thrown into the mix.

Organizing her notes had meant she'd been one of the last to start gathering her things. Hues of vibrant citrine and apricot intertwined within the braid that swept through her right, keeping the growing strands of hair away from her face and eyes, with the ends tied into a loose ponytail that rested against her left shoulder. There were questions swimming inside her mind, she could feel as much, but the proper words to express them seemed to elude her thoughts.

She finally caught up just as the Lovalla stopped a respectable distance from their instructor, a shy smile offered to Corazona as Mahsa stood beside her friend as Zaiya asked the Knight for some of her time. The colors that swirled in Zaiya’s skin and mottled spots betrayed the numerous thoughts running through her friend’s mind, both girls waiting patiently as Zaiya took the lead.

---

Corazona von Ascania | Zaiya Ceti ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Graceful hues shifted at the corner of her eyes. Cora looked up from the passage she was inspecting to regard Zaiya - and then Mahsa - with a pleasant smile.

There was an unspoken tenant that Jedi were not supposed to play favorites, but Cora had grown fond of the pair. Her own experiences had lead her to become protective of other women, particularly those younger than her. That feeling had only grown since their assault on Tython's orbital station. The girls had performed admirably, but she still couldn't deny her concern, even if she tried to temper it.

"Certainly," she said. "What would you like to discuss?"

Zaiya and Mahsa were good students, she found. Polite, respectful, and took to their lessons well. She's never had to drag them out into the hall and give them an earful about appropriate classroom behavior.

It stood reason that their questions would be proper, too.

Zaiya Ceti Mahsa

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Mahsa Corazona von Ascania

Relief bloomed over Zaiya's face and the Lovalla Padawan gave a smile, turquoise flecks brushing over her mottled spots as she beamed.

"Oh, thank you!" she began, giving a slight rock on her feet as she brought up the tablet and unlocked it. She had made notes and a list of all the questions she had like a proper diligent student.

With all the innnocence and no guile of a truly curious Padawan, Zaiya began in all seriousness, "So...what does it mean to be together? Did you mean it like physically or is that a new term for a mate?"

 

[Mahsa]

Perhaps it was because of the recent lecture, or simply because her own poor choice of words had certainly earned a few unexpected reactions at the party a while back, but the Kazelrrian could not find the words she needed to ask the question that had continued to linger in her mind since then.

A nervous glance was stolen towards Zaiya as the Knight encouraged them to voice their thoughts, hoping that the confident smile and colorful turquoise flecks on the Lovalla meant she’d found a way to ask the question—and Zaiya certainly did not disappoint.

"I’m s-sorry about my poor choice of words back then." She had been meaning to apologize about it for a while now, but the handful of times where she’d been in company of the blonde hadn’t been the right ones to bring that up.

She clearly remembered how quickly Persephone Dashiell had excused herself from the conversation then, the young girl’s reaction helping the Kazelrrian realize how her question could’ve been easily misunderstood by the others present… but Corazona’s response hadn’t really answered Mahsa’s question, and Makko Vyres hadn’t really confirmed or denied anything either.

---

Corazona von Ascania | Zaiya Ceti ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

As Zaiya shuffled through her notes, Cora opened one of the desk drawers and retrieved a bottle of water. Lecturing had left her throat a bit dry, and the first question was asked, she took a sip-

-and nearly choked.

Her free hand went up to cover her mouth as she forcibly swallowed before answering.

"I hardly think that-"

She looked up. Zaiya's expression wasn't teasing, but rather serious. This was, she realized with mild horror, a genuine question. "Well, you see, that's…"

Cora waffled on whether or not to answer. This was a class about maintaining good relationships, but not romantic ones. Though, given that she was speaking to a pair of teenage girls, maybe there were important distinctions to make.

"It's…alright, Mahsa," she sighed after straightening herself out. "I realize now that I'd been a tad…unclear then. Knight Vyres and I are dating."

Dating. Coming from a word where courtship then marriage were the norm, dating sounded almost scandalous.

Zaiya Ceti Mahsa

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Mahsa Corazona von Ascania

Alarm darted over in a pulsing flash of dove greys and yellows across Zaiya's rosy golden skin, a slight blanching of color that tinted its base in silver in concern.

"Oh my stars, Knight von Ascania are you okay?" She asked, taking a step forward as if to check to see if she was fine. When it seemed she was, Zaiya finally looked relieved, but the muted colors still expressed her concern.

None the less, Cora answered her question -- of abliet after stammering a bit. Was it an uncomfortable question? They had been discussing interpersonal relationships. Isn't a mate, or are those intimate relationships also interpersonal relationships?

A flush grew over Zaiya's face -- oh right, some people were uncomfortable talking about such topics.

" I'm sorry... we had questions, and we thought perhaps since it was an Interpersonal relationship class, we could ask..." Zaiya apologized, feeling properly sheepish now.

However, when Cora clarified that Knight Vyres and she were dating, curiosity sparked in an ombre of vibrant citrine hues, her skin colors brightening in luminance again.

"Oh!... Okay..." Then, a pause and a frown, as dove greys of confusion, swept over her expression.

"Dating? Like calendar dates or the fruit?" or did that mean something else? Or did that mean that they were each other partners in events and that involved setting up dates they would do so?

The different terms different cultures used were so-o confusing.

 

[Mahsa]

"A-Ah, Master Ascania…!" Deep ambers saturated the ends of her hair as the Knight choked on her drink, the concern she felt for Corazona’s well being mirrored in the pulsing colors of Zaiya’s skin as her friend took a step closer to the desk.

At first she wondered if perhaps this wasn’t a question they should be making at all, a nervous glance given towards Zaiya as the adult in the room stammered over the beginning of her words. She’d been about to interject when COrazona straightened herself, assuring them everything was fine before attempting to clear the misunderstanding.

"Knight Vyres and I are dating."

Dating. The word was certainly familiar… but try as she might none of the definitions she knew about it seemed to fit whatever Corazona was trying to say. "Dating? Like calendar dates or the fruit?" Relief washed over her upon hearing Zaiya’s words, feeling less self-conscious upon realizing her friend was just as confused as she was.

"I d-don’t think either one is right…?" At least neither of those were things people did only with a mate… right? Brows furrowed as she tried to make better sense of it, before the memory of a particular novel she’d recently come across came to the forefront of her thoughts.

"Oh…! Is it like the stuff Lady Velvet writes about?" She had yet to finish the book in question, having come across it by pure coincidence as she’d been looking for more information regarding Zeltros and Zeltrons.

---

Corazona von Ascania | Zaiya Ceti ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

After the clarification was made, Cora relaxed a little. That had been rather embarrassing, but it seemed as though they understood-

"Dating? Like calendar dates or the fruit?"

Cora nearly choked on her own spit.

"I d-don't think either one is right…?"

Her shoulders deflated again. At least it seemed like Mahsa was closer to understanding her relationship with Makko. It was odd – she'd spent nearly their entire class time lecturing on the importance of communication, and yet, Cora could not find a way to accurately relay her relationship with her fellow Jedi knight.

Another sip of water helped her to calm down. Yes, that was it. She just had to swallow her pride and find a way to relay the information they were asking for, in a format that they would understand. Zaiya and Mahsa had done their part by sitting through the lesson and bringing their questions to her.

"Neither one is correct," she confirmed. "What I meant to say, I suppose, is that he is my boyfriend." Another sip of water to wash the weird way that word felt in her mouth.

"Oh…! Is it like the stuff Lady Velvet writes about?"

Fortunately, Cora had turned her head to glance at the chrono when her pursed lips sent a spray of water at the wall. Shock tightened every muscle, and she quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before whirling around at Mahsa, face bright red.

"Good Ashla, child! Tell me that you've not been reading those...amorous tomes of sin!"

Zaiya Ceti Mahsa

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Mahsa Corazona von Ascania

The reason why Zaiya had asked was that for Lovalla, feeding each other was important in building bonds, so she wasn't sure if Cora meant dates as in feeding each other dates as an important courtship ritual or as in making plans to be together on specific calendar dates.

So it seemed that it was neither, and Mahsa apparently knew more than Lovalla about this.

"... I see," Zaiya began, but then she heard Cora mention 'boyfriend'. Oh wait! I know about this, the Padawan immediately thought to herself, brightening.

"OH! I know!" The teenager babbled, thinking back to what the Echani Padawan she met a few months back told her. On boyfriends, kissing, and how to know if a boy like-likes you.

"So does that mean Knight Makko Vyres like-likes you and wants to kiss you? Is that why he is your boyfriend? Or do you really mean like he is a friend who is also a boy?" Zaiya asked, avidly curious, at least until Mahsa piped in, mentioning 'Lady Velvet.'

"Lady Velvet? Who is that? And what does she write?" Did this Lady Velvet perhaps write research guidelines on courtship? Oh I should write this down, Zaiya thought to herself, glancing back at her datapad to make some few quick notes to look up later.

 

[Mahsa]

Boyfriend…? Her brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of the word, the context of their conversation and the earlier lesson signaling that perhaps it wasn’t just meant to be about a boy that was also your friend.

Fortunately the Kazelrrian didn’t have to think long about it, as it sounded like her friend had the answer for this particular puzzle. "So does that mean Knight Makko Vyres like-likes you and wants to kiss you?" A warm rush flushed the surface of her cheeks as Ayhan ’s face popped into her mind, highlighted by streaks of vibrant coral shades that emerged around the loose tresses in her side ponytail.

"I s-see…" She was quick to chase that thought away, aided in large part by the unexpected spurt of water that Corazona released into the nearby wall. "K-Knight Ascania—?!"

"Good Ashla, child!" It was hard to say what had startled her more, the bright red on Corazona’s face that could’ve almost passed her for a Zeltron or the sudden rise in her tone as the blonde chided her. "Tell me that you've not been reading those… amorous tomes of sin!"

"Y-Yes—n-no! I m-mean—I only just found it r-recently…?" Her tongue tripped over its words as the Kazelrrian tried to answer the question, before her brows furrowed as a particular thought crossed her mind. "W-What’s amorous...?"

---

Corazona von Ascania | Zaiya Ceti ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora began to wonder if these two Padawans were actually highly trained agents of the Dark Empire, sent here to torment her while looking so adorably innocent that she could not scold them.

No. No, of course not.

Collapsing back into her chair, the frazzled knight tucked an errant blonde strand behind her ear. Both hands clasped in front of her, pointer fingers pressed against her lips as she took in a heavy breath to try and compose herself.

"Knight Vyres and I are engaged in a romantic relationship. We do sometimes kiss, but I will not expand upon what we do in the privacy of one another."

She spoke in a wavering monotone, struggling to keep any and all emotion out of her voice as she gave an answer that could hopefully put an end to this embarrassing line of questioning. Forget the SIA; Zaiya and Mahsa could get secrets out of anybody through the power of their innocent yet inflammatory curiosity.

Her eyes snapped to Mahsa as the Kazelrrian stammered her response. Cora sucked in another breath.

"The works of Lady Velvet...while I'm told that they've impeccable dialogue and competent plot points, are not suitable for readers in your age bracket."

She hoped to Ashla that there would be no follow-up questions.

Zaiya Ceti Mahsa

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Corazona von Ascania Mahsa

"Knight Vyres and I are engaged in a romantic relationship. We do sometimes kiss, but I will not expand upon what we do in the privacy of one another."

Oh. My. Stars.

Zaiya's eyes grew as wide as saucers, the realization struck her like a bolt. They were in a courting relationship! The idea alone sent her bioluminescence into overdrive, rippling pulses of vivid citrine hues racing across her mottled spots and stripes like firework displays of avid intrigue.

"So you are in a romantic relationship! Okay, how do you know you were in one? Like, are there specific steps?" she practically squealed, her voice bursting with excitement. She snatched up her datapad in a flurry, fingers flying across the screen as she opened a fresh document. This required serious documentation.

Her head tilted, her colors shifting into an electric glow of fascination.

"And, oh! How do you know when it's the right time to kiss? Wait, how do you even learn how to kiss?" The Lovalla teenager leaned forward, her enthusiasm palpable as her questions came rapid fire, one after another, like a battering of turbo laser fire --- oh no, there would be no leniency in the search for answers of the heart!

"Is there, like, a holo guide? Does that Lady Velvet holo book series give tips? Are there guidelines?!"

Her datapad was ready, her mind teeming with theories... and then came the comment about it not being age appropriate.

Zaiya froze mid gesture, her head cocking to the side in confusion. Her glowing golden streaks dimmed to soft, inquisitive oranges as her brow furrowed. "Wait, why isn't it age appropriate? Is kissing... age restricted?" she asked, clearly baffled. "Or is that, like, specific to certain cultures? Or species?"

She blinked, utterly lost now.

 

[Mahsa]

"Knight Vyres and I are engaged in a romantic relationship." The vibrancy of the citrine hues in her hair grew as Corazona finally made things crystal clear to both padawans. She had thought the gentle touches and sideway glances between Makko Vyres and Corazona resembled the ones often exchanged by Kahlil Noble and Valery Noble , but the Kazelrrian hadn’t wanted to assume that was the case.

A soft chuckle escaped as Zaiya immediately launched a series of questions towards the Knight, their train of thought not too far off from her own curiosities. She’d come to learn that straight up asking someone if they were mated seemed to cause a lot of miscommunication, so perhaps switching her wording was in order—

"And, oh! How do you know when it's the right time to kiss?" The cogs in her brain screeched to an absolute halt as Zaiya steered the conversation in that direction, a fresh wave of coral washing down her strands in perfect synchrony to the rosy hues that quickly colored her cheeks.

It brought Lady Velvet and her written content back into the forefront, the previous warnings given by Cora sparking her curiosity further than before. She’d only gotten a handful of pages into the book before figuring out it wasn’t what she’d been looking for and, quite honestly, it might’ve been left forgotten on her desk had the blonde not labeled it as restricted content due to their ages.

Surely it wouldn’t have been in the archives if that was the case… right?

---

Corazona von Ascania | Zaiya Ceti ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

At the revelation, Zaiya practically vibrated in a kaleidoscope of color shifting hues. Mahsa too seemed to glow as the clarification was made - and Cora couldn't but feel a tiny bit of pride at their excitability. Though a relatively private person, she was proud of her relationship with Makko.

Then came the rapid-fire questions. Cora blinked, her mind scrambling to try and wrangle each inquiry before she could come up with an appropriate response.

It didn't help that a flush of pink was creeping both up her cheeks, and down her neck.

Before Zaiya could launch another inquest that would give their instructor an aneurysm, Cora raised a hand to halt her.

More like a request for a time-out, really.

"Where is all of this coming from?"

She raised a brow, looking pointedly at Zaiya, then Mahsa.

"Why the sudden interest in romantic relationships? Do the two of you have someone that you like?"

Zaiya Ceti Mahsa

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Mahsa Corazona von Ascania

"Why the sudden interest in romantic relationships? Do the two of you have someone that you like?"

What went from avid excitement at getting more information turned to a sudden blanching of Zaiya's rosy golden skin. It briefly dimmed to a silvery hue before all of a sudden, a vibrant coral hue began to darken over her mottled spots and stripes over the Lovalla's face, sending a shimmer of embarrassed ripples waterfalling down her neck and along her bare arms, making each scattered mottled spot seem to twinkle like a constellation of flustered stars.

"Oh.. I mean -- I've been wondering -- " Zaiya began, stammering a bit, before swallowing hard, grabbing the datapad close to her chest like a shield of armor. It was not the sort of question the teenager had considered would follow up her own barrage of questioning the blonde Knight.

"I've been asking others for a few years now to try and understand courtship and how it all works... it is different from my kind and all..." which was true...

It was just that only much more recently, it took a personal spin as well.

"I mean, I do like-like someone but.. I mean. I like to be prepared and do research on how things go. It's been hard to get a reputable answer regarding it all... especially if.. if it isn't another Lovalla... and all... I don't understand things because I'm not the same...so-o...." Zaiya's confusion was evident, her struggle to comprehend the unfamiliar situation was clear...

Granted, she immediately piped up by clarifying, "OH! I mean I know I shouldn't have sex right now! Master Iris Arani made it clear I'm too young! She doesn't want to see more pregnant Padwans running around, and I agree, that doesn't make sense if you are training to be a Jedi and all, and yes I am young, but she didn't mention anything about dating or kissing!"

 

[Mahsa]

"Do the two of you have someone that you like?"

It didn’t take long for Corazona to hit the nail on the head, a fresh rush extending the rosy hues on Mahsa’s cheeks to the very tip of her ears. She pointedly averted her gaze away from the blonde Knight then, unconsciously mirroring Zaiya’s actions as she held her own datapad tightly in her arms.

"Y-Yeah…!" She was quick to piggyback as the Lovalla began voicing out the reasons behind her own questions, pointedly ignoring the fact that Ayhan had been the first thing to pop into her mind when Cora had finally asked them a question. "There’s a lot neither of us knows about our own s-species—"

Whatever else she might’ve considered to say quickly evaporated as Zaiya admitted that she did, in fact, like-like someone. Streaks of vibrant citrine flared along her strands as those golden eyes turned to peer at her friend curiously, her own embarrassment momentarily forgotten—

"OH! I mean I know I shouldn't have sex right now! Master Arani made it clear I'm too young!"
"Z-Zaiya…!!!"

Her voice came out a pitch higher than she’d intended, a fresh wave of vibrant corals drowning the other hues in her hair while the skin around her face, ears, and neck became increasingly aware of the coolness of the air inside the classroom against it.

---

Corazona von Ascania | Zaiya Ceti ​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Oh, that - that actually made a lot of sense.

Zaiya's explanation - as well as Mahsa's - shed some light on the earlier barrage of questions. Of course, she realized. They're teenaged girls trying to navigate the same things that I had trouble with.

Boys, courting, and kissing were not topics to be discussed in respectable Ukatian households. Cora's own mother didn't interact much with her children. Most of what she'd learned had been through…trial and error.

The knight's flustered expression began to calm, creasing in empathy. Now that she felt as though she understood where they were coming from, maybe they could have a productive dis—

"Pregnant Padawans??"

Cora's hands had braced themselves on the desk in front of her as she lurched forward, eyes wide. A beat passed and she let out a sharp breath.

"Leave it to Iris…" she pinched the bridge of her nose. "She is correct, though. You both are too young to engage in…that act."

She had to stop herself, unable and frankly unqualified to give the sex talk to a group of curious teenagers.

Cora sat back in her chair, brushing a few blonde strands from her forehead. "I was raised in a very conservative household where the expectation was to enter into an arranged match chosen by my parents. I didn't know much of anything about dating or courting, or how it's done in the core. So I…understand how it can be tricky to navigate."

Looking to Zaiya, then to Mahsa, she arched a brow. "Romantic relationships are no longer forbidden among the Jedi, but Padawans are encouraged to focus on their studies. That being said…"

Her head tilted against the chair's back rest. She couldn't believe what she'd gotten herself into.

"Let's take this one question at a time, please. My heart can only take so much.”

Zaiya Ceti Mahsa

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with:

"Z-Zaiya…!!!"

At hearing her name exclaimed with such a cry from Mahsa , the Lovalla Padawan turned to the Kazelrrian, confusion dancing over her mottled spots in a shimmer of smoky topaz and citrine hues.

"What? I am! I mean, my kind typically don't bond with someone until much later. My parents didn't mate until they were well in their fifties, and then they didn't have me until their eighties!" which was why Zaiya was so curious about everything and relationships now. By all accounts, she shouldn't be able to bond with someone until much, much later --- but there was no denying she felt a draw to Aris Noble . But whether that was due to her racial tendencies, the Force, or her desire for connection was up in the air.

And it wasn't as if she was interested in sex! Just... She just wanted to be close to Aris, and okay, maybe kissing was something she was curious about, too! A tint of coral bloomed deeper over Zaiya's cheeks, the Lovalla swiveling her attention back to Knight von Ascania as she spoke. Learning that Cora's culture arranged matings and courtship rituals was so foreign to the young teenager.

Confusion bloomed over her face, and then she frowned. When Cora said to proceed with one question at a time, this time, Zaiya didn't ask about kissing or boyfriends but was more interested in what the blonde had mentioned regarding arranged matings.

"....So matings are arranged by parents in your world?" She echoed, blinking a bit as she processed that.

"But... how do you know if one can bond with them as a pair if they are arranged? " For Zaiya, that meant something, to be so intimately intertwined in a growing bond that one couldn't help but be attracted and desire to be close to the other. How would parents know if the one they chose for their children would be the one?