Private Picnic Among Palms

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Casual

"The perfect excuse to get those, hm?" Valery smirked and recited her own measurements. With Malcoma's in mind, she turned her eyes to the clothing racks and hummed in thought. There were options — she had a feeling what kind of clothing Mal liked to wear now, but she could also try to expose her to something different that also looked good. Neither of them had to buy anything, so why not experiment?

"Alright, see you again soon." Valery returned the gesture and walked into a different area of the shop. She didn't want to see what Mal picked on accident, nor did she want Mal to see what she found herself.

The unknown made it exciting.

But as Valery began to search for options, she started to grow just a tad nervous. Mal clearly had a very good sense of fashion, so she likely wasn't easily impressed. This was going to take some real effort.

Luckily, it seemed some help arrived, "She did, is that odd for her?" Valery asked with an amused smile. She looked at Damris and hummed in thought, "I'm trying to find something for her. Maybe something different or more along the lines of what I'd wear, but also believe fitting for her. Do you think she'll like that?"

Malcoma Hesse ​

 

[Malcoma Hesse]

Damris nodded at her first question but didn't say a word to affirm. It was odd, but probably not in any way that Val expected it might be. Instead, it was a quirk of the headmistress’ personally which he had never gotten entirely used to.

She was much, much more willing to show aspects of herself to women whom she found interesting rather than men who thought that of her. That was not too hard to understand; rather, the ease with which Mal decided to go along with a stranger was rather astounding.

“I think she would,” he said as he looked over Val's shoulder at the clothes she was going through. “Oh, but not that,” he added when she uncovered a tinselly crop top.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Casual

Damris nodded but didn't entirely answer her question. It didn't bother Valery though — she liked some of the mystery that still surrounded Malcoma. Even after she had revealed so much already. No, she was more than satisfied with what she knew for now, and focused instead on the racks of clothing.

There were so many options.

"Not this, hm? She'd look so good in it, though." Valery smirked jokingly and continued browsing. Eventually, she saw something that felt very fitting, considering the blonde's current outfit.

"What about this?" Valery asked while she presented it to Damris. "This feels very her."

Malcoma Hesse ​

 

[Malcoma Hesse]

Damris leaned in as if that would help him to appraise the proposed outfit more closely. It didn't, but it did serve his real purpose, given to him by Mal when she had first told him about Valery days ago. "Help me make our guest feel... desired," she had told him, leaving his tactics up to him. Sudden closeness and a clear smell of his cologne—with notes of timber, ground pepper, and citrus—would be a strong start to his mission.

"It does," he agreed as he reached over Val's shoulder to feel the sweater's knit. The yarn was very soft. He withdrew his hand and stepped back to a distance more appropriate of a chauffeur. He slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks, looking at once casually innocent. "I am fairly sure that she would like that, Valery, though," he smiled, "don't quote me."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Casual

Valery smiled while she held up the outfit. It felt like the perfect choice, given what she knew about Mal, and it made her just a little proud to have found it without any real help. That feeling distracted her enough to not notice Damris until he was right behind her to take a look for himself. Valery swallowed hard when she smelled his cologne and felt his presence just a tad closer than one would normally get.

Almost brushing against her-

His voice in her ears snapped her back to reality and spread a rosy color through her cheeks, and somehow, it brightened up even more when he reached over her shoulder to feel the texture of the outfit.

"I'll go with this, then," Valery said, her voice softer but still composed. She then turned and watched as he stepped back, her heart fluttering when he used her name. "Alright, I'm ready to show her." She looked him in the eyes and dared flash a wink to tease him back a little before she went looking for Mal.

The blonde was close - she could feel it.

Malcoma Hesse ​

 

[Malcoma Hesse]

His smile turned to a smirk behind her back, then he began to follow after her.

Mal was indeed close, lingering in front of a display of handbags that had distracted her from returning to the spot that she and Val had departed and decided to meet. Still, she was close enough to it to be easily spotted from that location. As Valery and Damris neared it, their eyes on her drew her gaze up and over. She walked over to them with practiced grace. Her gaze drifted to the clothing Val carried. "Ooh," she drawled slightly before looking to Val again. "And I was just feeling cold."

Over her own arm, Mal had draped some attire choices of her own. Without a word, she handed them to Val in exchange for the other outfit. "Tell Damris if a piece doesn't fit," she continued as she lead them towards the dressing rooms, "and he'll try to find you one that does."

Mal seemed comfortable exerting control over her man, and he seemed to be comfortable within it. It might have struck someone as sweet, in a way, in addition to... tense, but not in a bitter sense.

As fate would have it, two stalls were open next two each other when the trio stepped into the short hallway of dressing rooms. Mal took hold of Damris' shoulder to step out of her stiletto heels. She stooped to grab them by their back straps and hand them to him. "Take your time," she told Val before stepping into the nearest stalls and closing the door, notably not locking it. Quickly thereafter, her long-sleeved, sheer, button-up was flung over the top of the door.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: Casual

"Very cute," Valery said, her eyes lingering somewhere between Malcoma and the handbags. She smirked a little and held out the outfit she had picked. There was perhaps a tad of nervousness in the Jedi's fiery eyes at that very moment, but it faded as quickly as it came. Mal seemed to like it and that instantly lifted the weight off her heart and shoulders. What helped excite her even further was the outfit Mal had chosen for her.

One similar in nature and very stylish.

"This is very lovely," Valery said after taking a moment to look at it. "I'll let him know if it doesn't fit, but I'm sure you got it right." She flashed a playful little wink and looked at Damris. He seemed to be enjoying himself as well, even if this entire shopping trip was really just for the two women he drove around. As long as he felt at ease and was having a good time, Valery would be happy, too.

She never wanted him to feel like a third wheel.

After walking over to the dressing rooms, Valery noticed the small interaction between Damris and Mal, and couldn't help but feel her mind wandering. She bit her lower lip, smirked to herself, and watched Mal disappear into her dressing room. The door was left unlocked and the clothes were thrown over the door. Very clever.

Valery snickered to herself, stepped into her own dressing room, and began changing into the new outfit. It was something quite different for her, but she liked the look of the woman smiling back at her in the mirror. She felt confident, and it showed as she opened the door and stepped outside to show it off to Damris and Malcoma.

"Well?"

Malcoma Hesse ​

 

[Malcoma Hesse]

At first, Damris was the only one outside, standing casual guard over the door to Mal's stall. He made no effort to suppress his gaze from looking the Jedi up and down.

She had asked for his opinion after all.

Mal spoke before he could, which deepened the smirk on his face, feeding off her self-assurance. "It's lovely, isn't it, Damris?"

Of course she knew it would look good on Val, otherwise she wouldn't have picked it. "It is," he agreed, lips melting into a more neutral position as he looked Val in her fiery eyes. "Lovely."

He caught the door handle as it began to push out, pulling then holding it open as Mal stepped out. She gave a slow spin. "I think I will wear it home," she said, giving one of the largest compliments she had in her register instead of the words I love it or thank you. "What do you think about footwear? Heels or do I need something else?"

She waited, allowing Val time to reply, before she hummed at whatever had been said and closed the short distance between them. Her fingers folded in the floral blazer's lapels as they had done many times, but, since this time there was no tie to fix, one hand slid down the neckline. Her fingers settled at the joint of fabric above the fastened line of buttons; one slipped further down to slowly push the button out of its hole.

Mal made a point of watching herself work as she did this, then tugged gently at the jacket. The tops of tan bustier bones and the lace stretched between them began to show itself to the world.

"Don't be nervous to show the lingerie, darling." She looked up to Val before stepping back. "It's only a piece of clothing."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: New Outfit

While a smile settled across her lips after the compliments, Valery averted her gaze down to her feet to hide the blush that was starting to form. The instinctive nervous reaction followed suit, as she raised her own palm against her cheek and brushed aside some loose strands of hair. For most of her life, Valery hadn't cared much for clothes. Not by choice, but because she had been taught not to care.

To distance herself from materialism.

But now that she knew what it felt like to be at ease in something that made her feel good about herself, she no longer recognized that old self. The compliments, the smiles and the way Damris looked her over made her feel great. So, when her eyes shifted back up to watch Malcoma step out of her dressing room, Valery was all smiles.

"Thank you," she said with warmth and sincerity in her voice.

Then, her eyes fell upon the blonde and she couldn't help but silently stare for a moment. "I'm... very glad you like it," Valery said as Malcoma twirled around, "You really own the look." Valery nodded in confirmation of her own words and let her gaze dip down to the woman's legs. She knew the answer to her question in a heartbeat.

"Heels, for sure. For both of us, hm?" She asked, eyes teasingly shifting to Damris for an opinion. "They're not always the most comfortable, but they bring out the legs like nothing else."

Sometimes, beauty was pain.

Malcoma then focused on her again, and closed the distance with her fingers carefully reaching for the new outfit. Valery wasn't oblivious or too much of a prude to recognize that she was well-endowed, and the chest cut-out of her Jedi tunic suggested that she had no fear showing off her body. But there was something about the way Malcoma unbuttoned her blazer that took her breath away and forced her to swallow.

"I uh, yeah," Valery said before she chuckled, realizing how much she betrayed her emotions. She then opened her arms a little to stand straight and present herself again, this time with a more confident smile "I'm going to wear this home, too. I quite love the way it shows off, but still feels stylish at the same time. Wouldn't you agree, Damris?"

Malcoma Hesse ​

 

[Malcoma Hesse]

Malcoma started laughing at Valery's question. She covered her mouth before turning to walk away. As she passed by Damris, she she took her heels.

He didn't look at her as she did. Instead, his eyes remained on Val. He smiled and rose his brows suggestively. "It's very lovely," he repeated, clearly leaving a bit unsaid. His time with Mal had taught his well to be respectful of all women, but especially the one who felt more comfortable in their skin than others might.

"She'll put it on her tab," he continued. "Do you have some more... time to spend with us or," he paused momentarily to bite his lip in thought, "do you need to get back to something?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit: New Outfit

Valery couldn't help but smirk when Mal started laughing, but kept her eyes focused on Damris. The question she had asked was a minefield, but he maneuvered his way through it quite cleverly. The compliment was enough to make her smile, but nothing too bold for where they were. It made the Jedi Master chuckle and even forget about the brief moment where she had been flustered. No, she felt quite amazing now.

"That's very kind of her," Valery said, her gaze finally following after Mal before she looked back at Damris.

"It's my day off and I kept my schedule clear. I'd love to spend more time with you both." She smiled at him and placed a hand against his shoulder to nudge him alone. "Let's not keep her waiting, hm?" With that, Valery began to walk after Mal, wearing her new outfit and some matching heels.

Perhaps they could all get to know each other a little better with some food and drinks.

Malcoma Hesse ​