Private Paid In Wine

[Azurine Varek]

Paid In Wine

Outfit: Clothing/Armor | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman | Purple Bracelet
Weapons: Lightsaber 1 [x] | Lightsaber 2 [x]

"I owe you one after this," she muttered, her voice low but edged with dry humor.

"I prefer red wine over white."

~~~​

The protection of Jedah from a reawakened Ice Witch felt like such a long time ago. If Azzie was being honest, it wasn't necessarily only a feeling, given it must have been a year ago by now. Even if her blurred perception made it feel like more of an eternity than what it actually was. Having lost many moments to the swift slipping sands of time that she hadn't had the pleasure of seeing had taken its toll like the trick of a thief.

If she was anything, however, she'd consider herself true to her debts. And this was one she hadn't followed through with yet. Only one problem: Azzie was not exactly a sweet wine connoisseur. Had she been after a dry, white wine of some sort, maybe the task would have been easier.

So, there she was, waiting outside Councilor Corazona and Knight Makko's place, a bottle of the most expensive red wine she could get her hands on wrapped neatly in golden shimmering foil in her hand and hoping that she wasn't so unannounced that she'd shown up when no one was home. Luckily for her, at least, it didn't seem to take horribly long for the door to open.

"I was told this one is a little bit on the dry side for a red, but I wasn't exactly sure what your preferences in wine were other than the color."

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"Azzie?"

The door slid open, revealing a mildly - but pleasantly - surprised Cora. Her eyes traveled down to the bottle of wine in the Padawan's hands, momentarily confused.

Dry side…preferences…huh…?

She blinked. Then, she blinked again. The creases beneath her eyes seemed a little more prominent than the last time they had met.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Oh goodness, I'd forgotten all about that. You're very sweet to have come all the way here. Please," Cora stepped to the side and motioned for Azurine to enter her home.

The apartment she kept with Makko was small, but nearly decorated and tidy. A few boxes were open in the living room.

"Please don't mind the mess, we're doing a bit of packing. We'll be on Ukatis for quite a while."

They'd spent a few weeks putting out fires, and had come to the decision to move there for the time being. As Cora led Azzie to the kitchen, she took the bottle and carefully unwrapped the gold foil.

"Grevale D'Or?" she arched a brow with an approving hum. "You've got good taste."

Azurine Varek

 

[Azurine Varek]

Paid In Wine

Outfit: Clothing/Armor | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman | Purple Bracelet
Weapons: Lightsaber 1 [x] | Lightsaber 2 [x] | Hook Swords

Azzie stood there for a moment, the wine bottle still secured in her hand, as she realized rather quickly by the spike in Cora's aura just how confused she seemed to be. Well, at first anyway.

"Oh! Oh goodness, I'd forgotten all about that. You're very sweet to have come all the way here. Please,"

"What can I say? I prefer to follow through with my debts."

Azzie gave a sly grin as she stepped into the apartment, her boots clicking softly against the polished floor. Her gaze swept the room, tidy despite the boxes, taking in the familiar warmth of the space that it seemed to give off. It felt... lived in. A kind of quiet stability that felt kind no nomatter if in a bit of disarray. "Good taste and a decent memory," she teased, "Though if I'm being honest, I had to bribe a sommelier for the recommendation. I'm more of a white wine type."

Ukatis. Her smile twitched just slightly. She remembered its streets all too well. Being undercover as a street performer hadn't exactly been glamorous, but it had kept her identity hidden enough during the height of the festival. At least until hell broke loose.

She leaned against the kitchen counter, arms loosely folded, and hesitated just a breath too long. Azzie's fingers tapped softly against the metal of her prosthetic, and her voice dropped a little when she asked, "How's recovery going?" She said as her tone shifted to a softer one. She didn't say from what—didn't need to. The gas. The king. That damned assassination that unraveled everything before she and Drystan even had a chance to act. The memories hung between them, shared like a scar.

She still remembered how it had seeped through the plaza, cloying fear that turned the crowd into a frenzy before the screams even started. It didn't kill you, not right away at least, but it made you want to die. Crushed minds. Wild eyes. No warning. No mercy. It reminded her all too much of—

Azzie took a quick breath to release the thought, amethyst aurora colored eyes flickering to the bottle of wine. Recovery. Wasn't that a question she should've been asking herself too? Her body still ached sometimes in the mornings, not nearly as often as it had been. Phantom pain from bruises long gone and stiffness in her shoulder that attached to her cybernetic arm.

"If there's anything I can help with, let me know, okay?"

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"How's recovery going?"

"Long."

The response came easily, but with an edge of exhaustion.

Cora had placed the bottle of wine on the counter, and now she moved toward one of the kitchen cabinets. As she rummaged through their drinkware - pausing to roll her eyes at Makko's collectible Clown World Order mug which she'd forbidden from their table when guests were over - a sort of tension filtered in the space between her and Azzie.

It wasn't strong. It wasn't hostile. It wasn't anxious or fearful or timid. It was the quiet understanding that neither of them were quite okay.

"Thanks to the Dawn of Hope, we were able to construct enough temporary shelters and procure enough rations to keep the displaced population housed and fed. It's not pretty-"

A delicate clinking could be heard from within the cabinet, and Cora withdrew a pair of wine glasses. Certainly not the fancy crystalware she'd been accustomed to growing up, but budget glasses would hold wine just as well.

"-but it's life. We've still a ways to go, but if I'm being honest, there's no place I'd rather be right now."

She finally offered Azzie a small, tired smile. Though fatigued, it was a genuine expression. The visit was a welcome distraction.

"I'll certainly let you know. Right now, this is more than enough."

Holding the bottle steady with her flesh hand, her mechanical thumb and pointer finger curled in a pinching motion. The cork on the bottle slowly loosened, before it dislodged with a small pop!

A soft slosh was muffled against glass as Cora poured the first cup. When she set to pouring the second, she glanced to the Zabrak's cybernetic limb, then to her face.

"And how are you faring, Azzie?"

Azurine Varek