Spooky Scary Movie Night [Nida]

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

NCO Accommodations
Silver Rest, Kashyyyk

One noticable perk of his recent promotion was finally getting some privacy. All non-commissioned officers were assigned their own private quarters in an apartment complex located on Rest ground, offering some respite from the rigidness of the cramped barracks. It was also a way for team leaders to keep from becoming overly familiar with their team members, or so he'd been told. Having just moved in a few weeks ago, his quarters were scarcely furnished with little else but a bed, a kitchen table, and two accompanying chairs. In the time since he'd been able to scrounge up a used couch from another NCO who happend to be moving out next door. It was all very rigid and sterile thus far, but it was slowly starting to become a home.

It did come with a standard-issue holo-projector though, most likely intended to provide some entertainment to keep one's sanity intact.

"Alright, so now 'add the melted butter and fried onions'..." He might have gotten a little carried away with his choice of food for the occasion, likely furthered by the butterflies flying freely about inside him all day. He wanted to impress her after all, although going from MRE rations to gourmet cooking was probably not the best idea. The stewed vegetables somehow got burned, and the sauce was turning out... chunky? At least the roast in the oven seemed to be doing alright, not much one can mess up there. Right?

"Wait, 'mushrooms'? It never mentioned mushrooms before...!" Or it did, and he forgot to buy some. Either way, he was getting frustrated at his poor skills at keeping up with the cooking. Growing up, his mother made it look so easy. How come he knows how to operate and put together small arms and heavy weapons in his sleep, and yet he could not operate an ordinary oven?

The doorbell rang, and his entire being froze in place. She's here!

He moved to answer the door, only to turn halfway there after his nose had caught a foul odour. Black smoke was coming out of the oven. "Nononono!" He rushed to turn off the stove, only to forget to put on mitts as he reached for the tray of beef to yank it out. A split-second later he realised his mistake, and recoiled in pain the moment the trey hit the kitchen counter. His left palm was red with light burns.

"One sec, I'll be right there," he shouted over the sound of cold running water. A defeated expression found his face when noting the black piece of charcoal that once was edible. "Feth."

Hastily wrapping his burned hand in a wet cloth, he made sure to switch off everything else and left it for dead as he finally got answering the door.

"Hi," he offered a shy greeting to the young Zeltron woman, running his fingers through his unkempt hair attempting to seem untroubled by recent events. "You, uh... You wanna order takeout? McYoda's?"

[member="Nida Perl"]​

 

[Nida Heavenshield]

In truth, Nida had actually stood outside of Thirdas’ door for about a minute before pressing the buzzer. On the walk over, she’d realized that this was the first time they’d be spending time alone together since the shuttle ride from Midvinter to Kashyyyk. They’d grown since then, physically, skill wise, and relationship wise. This would also be the first time she’d worn civillain clothes around him, which made Nida tug anxiously at the bottom of her sweater. She’d agonized over what was appropriate to wear when going over your boyfriend’s apartment for the first time, and she knew that her sisters would have certain opinions. In the end, she’d opted for a light sweater and a long skirt, sweeping her violet hair back into a loose braid. With a rise of confidence, she pressed the doorbell.

The noise coming from inside the apartment pulled Nida out of her anxious reprieve for now, wondering what was happening with the cursing and banging sounds. She couldn’t help but smile when Thirdas appeared, her heart swelling with the joy of seeing someone she cared much for. Then the smell hit her, and she peeked over his shoulder to spy the burnt roast on the counter. “Oh…sure, that sounds good.” She stepped into the apartment, not having expected Thirdas to cook for her. Or, well try and cook. Still, his efforts were admirable, from the burned meat to the burned vegetables to the…whatever it was on the stove.

“Um, I brought you these.” She held out the small pot of flowers she’d selected on the way here, having realized on the walk over that they were violet and gold, two colors that complimented each other quite well. Now finally getting the chance to look him over, her eyes landed on his hand wrapped in the still-wet cloth, noticing the reddened skin peeking out from behind the bandage. Quickly, she placed the flowers onto the counter and took his hand in her own.

“Oh no! Did you get burned? Come here.” She took him by the wrist and urged him to sit down on the couch with her, carefully peeling back the cloth in order to assess the damage. His palm was an angry red, already beginning to form a linear blister where the metal of the tray had touched his skin. “This may sting,” She reached into her bag for some burn lotion and a cotton ball—out of a sterilized bag, of course—and began to work, dabbing the lotion onto his injury.

“So…no need to ask what you’ve been up to?” She smiled at him teasingly as she worked, knowing that the lotion would make the heat of the burn feel worse for a few moments before imparting a cooling, analgesic effect. Once that was applied, she would dress the wound with gauze.

[member="Thirdas Heavenshield"]

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Stepping aside to let her in, he took a deep breath knowing she would find out about the state of his kitchen rather immediately. "Yeah, don't, uh... Don't mind the kitchen, it's a bit of a mess. As you can see..." The door closed behind her, and he made an effort to clean up the worst of the mess, mostly by tossing the pans in the kitchen sink for the time being.

When she offered him a pot of flowers, he forgot about his misdeeds in the kitchen and stepped in close to accept her gift. "Purple and gold," he remarked with a smile, before giving them a quick sniff. "They're beautiful, but... never as beautiful as you." He blushed a bit as he uttered the words, realising just how truthfully he meant them.

"O-oh, no, it's nothing--" he said in regards to his hand as he was urged to sit beside her. It seemed when it came to her patients, the shy girl became rather adamant in her requests for once. Thirdas knew better than to argue once Nida shifted into doctor mode. "Bloody oven burned me, is all..." he confessed rather grumpily, only to find some humour in her reaching into her bag to pull out this and that. "Do you normally bring medical supplies wherever you go," he asked with a smirk on his lips. "Or have you figured by now that I can't seem to stay out of trouble?"

While Nida worked on treating his burns, Thirdas placed the pot of flowers on the coffee table otherwise void of decorations. "Finally, some colour to this sterile place." He watched her intently as she proceeded to wrap his left hand in gauze, staring not at her hands but at her face, taking in each and every detail. When she was finished, he seized one of her hands before she could stow her items back in her bag. Gently he tightened his grip of her. "Can't feel a thing," he said with another boyish grin. "Good job."

"I take it you know how that... holo-thingy works? Never used one myself before. Shall I call the restaurant meanwhile?"

[member="Nida Perl"]​

 

[Nida Heavenshield]

Nida hummed softly as she worked, fingers deftly wrapping the bandage around Thirdas’ injured palm. Tight, but not too tight, of course. “Yes, and yes.” She smiled back at him in response to his quip about her carry medical equipment with her. “Someone has to keep you from getting too hurt, Thirdas Heavenshield.” She flushed briefly as he grasped her hand and squeezed lightly, as if to test the merits of her healing. “Easy!” Nida cautioned, all too quickly worried about his wellbeing. “You don’t want to put too much pressure on it. Remember to keep the wound clean and change the bandage regularly, okay?”

Once she’d placed her medical tools back into her back, Nida rummaged around and produced a small holo-disk, still in its casing. She gleefully went to work on getting the flick up onto the holoprojector—an old classic called Nightmare on Manor Street. It was an incredibly cheesy horror movie, the kind with special effects and acting that were so bad, it was hardly scary. Still, Nida always managed to get a rise out of it.

Once the food had been ordered and the movie was ready to go, Nida seated herself on the couch and curled her legs underneath her. “I think it’s really sweet that you tried to make dinner.” She smiled at him, overjoyed to feel like someone appreciated her enough to go through such lengths, even if the results had been not particularly edible. Clasping her hands neatly in her lap, she beamed up at him, anticipation in her eyes at showing Thirdas one of her favorite holos. “Are you ready for the flick? It’s really scary!”

[member="Thirdas Heavenshield"]

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Having ordered their dinner for the evening, Thirdas slid his communicator into his pocket and just leaned against the wall while watching Nida getting the movie set up. She looked so happy to be sharing something she had such fondness for, and her excitement proved to be more than a little infectuous. Though he had no doubt it would frighten him, he was looking forward to accompanying Nida in watching it.

"Food's on its way," he reported as he slid back into the couch, getting comfy to watch the movie. "It... was my first time," he confessed regarding his attempt at cooking. "Mom made it look so easy, growing up..."

As the opening credits appeared before them, he noted how Nida tucked her legs in like a child awaiting the spooks. "You're such a dork," he teased her and put his arm around her, putting his feet up on the coffee table. He reached for a blanket to wrap around them, adding to the cuddle factor. Reaching behind him to the light panel, he dimmed the lights enough to fit the intended atmosphere. Anything to make Nida as invested as possible.

"Oh, I know that name," he pointed out as the name of one of the kid actors came on-screen. "He was in this, back in the day? That's crazy, knowing how big he got later in life."

The title appeared, and with it a creepy score that seemed more than a little dated these days. "'Nightmare on Manor Street'. Bit on the nose, don't you think?" The slow, atmopheric opening offered time for Thirdas to appreciate the long braid she wore for the occasion, letting it flow through his fingers. He didn't say anything on the matter so as to not ruin the spooky mood, but rather let this small gesture demonstrate his approval of her chosen look for the evening. It was just nice to see both of them out of their robes or uniform. Just two people in love.

[member="Nida Perl"]​

 

[Nida Heavenshield]

Nida couldn’t help but smile and send Thirdas a sideways glance as he made himself comfortable, drawing an arm around her petite shoulders. “True, but I’m your dork.” She returned with a grin, shuffling closer to him from beneath the blanket.

The credits faded away and gave way to an opening scene of a dark and stormy night. On screen, a distraught woman meandered down a darkened road towards the creepiest looking house, an over-the-top disheveled abode. “Shhh!” She was quick to shush him, waving a hand for him to quiet down. “You’re missing the opening scene!” The healer was very pleased that she was finally able to combine two of her interests into one night, and as such remained glued to the screen.

The minutes passed by with the leading lady exploring the old mansion with a torch, suspenseful music accompanying the opening of each door and the turning of every corner. The music swelled just as the actress was about to enter the attic, right in time for the door bell in the apartment to buzz.

Nida gasped and lunged at Thirdas from the side, instinctively clasping both hands around his arm and shrinking back into the couch. A moment later, when it dawned on her that it was simply their food being delivered, she exhaled in relief and deflated.

“Well…now I feel silly.” She laughed softly, placing a hand at her chest to feel her heart jackhammering away from the adrenaline. “At least it was just the food…this time.” Even though it was embarassing, she didn't feel poorly about it as she usually did. It was nice finally getting to be alone with Thridas, away from the battlefield and cafeteria, and away from the expectations of Ranger and Jedi. Here they were simply a dork and her love, watching an old movie and eatcing cheap takeout.

[member="Thirdas Heavenshield"]

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

Thirdas pulled a mock grimace that said 'yikes' when Nida shushed him, but ultimately did as told so they may immerse themselves into the mood of the film. Admittedly, due to never having seen a horror flick before it did manage to grab his attention, enough so to buy into the silly acting and lackluster production value. Nothing like this existed on his homeworld, and although there were far more dangerous, and very real, threats native to Midvinter, the music and supernatural elements were enough to sell him on its spooky atmosphere.

So when the moment came when Nida lunged at him, his entire body immediately tensed up. "Hoooly crap," he giggled at the silly reactions from both of them, catching his own breath. "Your reaction made me more scared than the damn doorbell!"

Still giggling he went to answer the door, accepted the delivery of food, and returned with two paper bags containing their orders. "Don't know which is which," he opened one of them to scan its contents. "I think... this one is yours."

But before she even got a chance to inspect for herself, Thirdas became smitten by her magenta eyes rather suddenly and leaned in for a brief kiss on the lips, blushing a little as he pulled away, trying to mask it by peeking into his own bag of takeout. "A-ha, here we go...!" He pulled out the biggest burger McYoda's had to offer, mouth watering and taste buds itching. But first a few sips from his large soda. "Is it pathetic that, in the short time since I moved in here, I've already had time to sample pretty much all their meals?" He took a big bite from his tasty burger. "I mean, you've seen the results of my cooking. Would you eat that?" He pointed over to the kitchen corner of his apartment.

The movie was unpaused once they'd settled with their food, though their happy munching did nothing to invoke the same mood as before. At some point Nida's cheek became all greasy with dressing, and he wasted no time in wiping it off using his thumb. "A dork and a slob, I see."

[member="Nida Perl"]​

 

[Nida Heavenshield]

Despite the false alarm, Nida’s little heart was still fluttering away in her chest. She exhaled slowly, thanking Thirdas with a smile as he passed her the correct bag. “Oh—” But that was the only sound of surprise that managed to escape her lips before Thirdas had pressed his to her own. Even though they’d been in a relationship since they’d left Midvinter on Thirdas’ voyage into the galaxy, the pair had taken things slowly, opting to enjoy exploring each other as people and not putting expectations on one another. Nida herself was so smitten with the Valkyri that even a small kiss was enough to cause her cheeks to redden.

When they sat down to dig into their meals, Nida looked up from her salad to see the largest McYoda’s burger she had ever seen. “I didn’t think that they made burgers so…tall.” She could have subsisted off of something like that for several days, but the Valkyri’s large size gave them a naturally large appetite. “Really?” She mused, poking at his abdomen, and then blushing briefly at feeling the hardness of muscle beneath her finger. “Where did you put all of it?” Ranger training and maintenance burned a lot of calories. “Oh…I mean, I’d try, for you.” She thought about it honestly for a moment before shaking her head. “But no promises!” Before she’d gone about setting up the holoprojector, she’d opened up one of the windows in an attempt to keep the burnt smell in check. “We should try cooking together sometime, it might be fun.”

True to her love of horror flicks, Nida had once again become so invested with the film that at certain points, her fork had missed her mouth and she’d ended up with some dressing from her salad over her lips and cheeks. Of course, she’d get it later—and then later, and then after this scene. Then she felt a napkin at the side of her cheek, and she turned her head in surprise. “You really hit the jackpot, didn’t you?” Despite feeling embarrassed at being caught greasy-faced, she closed the gap between them and kissed him with the taste of vinaigrette still on her lips.

She opened one eye sneakily to catch sight of the holoscreen just in time for the big jump-scare, which startled her into breaking the kiss and flipping the salad that was resting in her lap, all over Thirdas.

“Oh…no! Gosh, I’m so sorry...” Red as a tomato as they day they’d met, she went to work picking out pieces of lettuce out of his hair, all the while trying to stifle her giggles. “I reall am…clumsy, sorry, sorry.”

[member="Thirdas Heavenshield"]

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

He was surprised when she leaned in for another kiss so soon - rarely was she the one to take the initiative - but welcomed it wholeheartedly. It gladdened him that Nida seem more and more at ease in exploring their relationship, surrendering to the unpredictability of a romantic relationship; sometimes they made you look goofy or sappy, but they were always straight from the heart with little input from the brain. People do silly things when in love.

The moment was short-lived however, when completely out of left field she jumped from being startled by the movie. Her salad went flying all over the place, but seemed to concentrate on him as bit of green and dressing were spinkled all over him. He never had a chance to register the event, much less dodge even some of the spill, so when she took to plucking bits and pieces from his hair he just sat there dumbfounded. "Did... did that just happen?"

Looking down his own shirt, it was completely soaked in wet salad and dressing. He stood and wiped off the bits of salad, then turned to her with an amused look on his face. "You know, if you wanted to rid me of my shirt, you could have just asked," he teased as he pulled it over his head, bundled it into a ball and took aim at the laundry basket over in the corner. Direct hit!

When watching her sit there in the couch looking up at him, cheeks burning bright red, the ongoing horror flick became but background noise to his ears. Instead his sole focus was on her, leaning over her like a predator on the prowl, and before they knew it he lay on top of her in the couch, his lips less than an inch from hers. "I love you... my dorky, clumsy slob," he whispered before giving in to his desire to place his lips upon hers, no longer hindered by feelings of embarrassment. His hand found her long braid and pulled off the elastic band keeping it in check, freeing her violet hair from its confines.

[member="Nida Perl"]​

 

[Nida Heavenshield]

The next thing she knew, Thirdas had stripped off his shirt and tossed it into a basket at the corner of the room. Nida went from giggling to suddenly silent, taken aback by the sudden exposure of flesh to the point where she didn’t know where to look. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen a nude body—well, in this case, partially nude—before, but this was not in the clinical context she was used to. Magenta eyes darted back and forth from Thirdas to anywhere else—the wall, the bits of salad on the floor, even the flick playing in the background that now seemed surprisingly uninteresting.

And then he was moving towards her, to the point where she couldn’t look away. Not that she particularly wanted to, but this was so very new to her that Nida didn’t know how she wanted to react. The blood rushing to her head almost made her dizzy, which made her suddenly aware of the couch against her back. Her hands found his way to his shoulders as they kissed, and Nida didn’t particularly care if she was dizzy or not in that moment.

Her hands combed their way through his hair as they kissed, and she didn’t even realize that the elastic holding her braid in place had disappeared, as she only felt his hands running through her violet locks. Flushed with heat, she pulled away from their kiss, pink hands at his chest to give him pause—which only caused her to blush harder, given the skin to skin contact. “Thirdas, have you ever… ...before?” She awkward danced around the subject, a mix of excitement and apprehension swirling in her eyes.

[member="Thirdas Heavenshield"]

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

She was tense at first, once having realised his intentions, but with each passing moment Nida seemed to let down her guard little by little. Thirdas made sure not to put too much weight on her delicate body, only just allowing their bodies to connect, head to toe. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her, or let things spiral out of control. So when she placed her hands upon his chest to pull away from their kiss, he offered no resistance.

"...No," he confessed, eyes fixed on hers as both realised what was about to happen. "I mean, I know the basics of it," he continued, now the one feeling awkward for letting him run his mouth at such an intimate moment. "...But no, I've never done it before." He leaned down to let the tip of his nose rub against hers, breathing in her intoxicating scent.

"There's been no-one, until you." Another confession. There's been plenty of girls growing up, hoping to catch the young lordling's eye but none had succeeded. Not until a clumsy pink girl slipped in horse dung before his very eyes.

Slowly his hands reached for the hem of her knitted sweater, pulling it upwards one inch at a time. His eyes never left hers. "Let me know if I'm going too fast, Nida. We don't have to do this now if you don't want to." Even though every fibre of his being yearned for it, he still retained enough willpower to control himself. Valkyri are not known for half-measures, after all. Especially when it comes to mating...

[member="Nida Perl"]​

 

[Nida Heavenshield]

She blinked widely up at him, magenta eyes studying his face as he spoke. Thirdas was so handsome with his chiseled features, even more so when he was searching for the right words. He was so close to her, a sensation she found electrifying and apprehensive all at once. It was confusing to say the least, and Nida was never good at discarding her inhibitions and going with the flow. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to squirm out from beneath him, simply because she found that she enjoyed being this close.

His hands reached for her sweater and another rush of heat washed over her, slamming into her head like a tidal wave and making her dizzy. Thoughts swirled around in her mind, and being with Thirdas in this way suddenly became mixed with memories she’d rather have left locked away. Nida’s stomach tightened and for a few moments she froze, not knowing if she wanted to stop Thirdas or let him continue.

And then she moved, striking his hand with her own with an uncharacteristic aggression. Suddenly, she squirmed her way out from under him and scuttled to the end of her couch, back against the arm of the sofa as she drew her knees up to her chest. In her eyes, fear and a measure of anger he’d never seen from her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she curled in on herself, the intensity of her gaze leavening only after a few moments.

As quickly as it had happened, Nida softened and rested her forehead on her knees for a few moments. “I’m sorry.” She whispered. “I ruined it.” Her voice took on a watery edge, and it took all she had just to keep her words discernable for the moment and not lost in a torrent of emotion. “It’s just…this isn’t my first time…”

[member="Thirdas Heavenshield"]

 

[Thirdas Heavenshield]

In an instant she snapped, swatting aside his hand and scurrying off to the far end of the couch where she then assumed fetal position. Thirdas did not pursue her, but stared at her with eyes wide with confusion. She had seemed so happy and carefree for once, and it broke his heart to see her so filled with fear and uncertainty once more. Like she was back at square one, and it was his fault for going too fast.

What she then managed to utter in her state of panic caught Thirdas off-guard. "You mean..." His mind raced with possibilities as to what she meant by that, initially refusing to accept the most likely meaning of her words. It was too horrible to think of.

He would not leave her to process it for long though, as he carefully crawled over to her to put his arms around her. "It's okay, Nida," he caressed her hair. "You haven't ruined anything. It's my fault, I was going too fast too soon."

Gently he pulled her towards him, cradling her in his strong arms while leaning back on the couch, resting her on top of his chest. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again, Nida. Whoever did hurt you in the past won't ever lay another finger on you. I'll break every bone in their body before they do." His jaw clenched as he thought of the horrid things she must have had to endure before they met, before the Perl's took her in.

He leaned in to place a soft kiss upon her head while caressing her cheek. "Would you... like to move in with me, Nida? I would take care of you, keep you safe. You could take the bed, I'll sleep here on the couch."

His heart ached with the need to comfort the woman he loved. "We could learn to cook together."

[member="Nida Perl"]​

 

[Nida Heavenshield]

Nida tensed visibly when Thirdas placed his arms around her, but quickly melted into his strong embrace. As on-edge as she was right now, she took immense comfort in not only his actions, but in the fact that they were doing something to comfort her, and that her primary instinct wasn’t to pull away from him.

“N-no,” She sniffled, shaking her head faintly where it lay against his chest. “You did nothing wrong, Thirdas.” He’d been so gentle with her, so attuned to her reactions. For someone who tended to throw himself into things, Thirdas was remarkably careful and attentive with her, and it was one of the many things about him she adored. “I should have—hic!—talked to you about it sooner. I couldn’t find the right time, but…I guess there’s never a perfect moment for something like this.” Nida wiped at her eyes before tilting her head up to him. Every so often her body trembled with emotion, but she took great comfort in him.

Inhaling deeply, her breath trembled on every exhale as she continued. “You know that I’m adopted, right? Before I met my family, when I was a small child, I was…” The lump in her throat gave her pause, and so she swallowed thickly. Say it. A few moments passed as she collected herself, nails biting into the palms of her hand to gain some semblance of control. “A slave. I was a slave.” It didn’t feel freeing to say, but she was just relieved that Thirdas hadn’t reviled her. Not that she ever anticipated that he would, but Nida didn’t have the greatest track record when it came to self confidence. “It happened so long ago, and everything became better when my mama found me, but…I still…sometimes…I don’t know….” Her fist tightened and uncurled, tightened and uncurled.

It was in the open now, and though she didn’t go into specifics, Thirdas could piece together her story. Nida felt exposed, but she trusted him with these sensitive pieces of her past. What he said next was unexpected, leading to a “Huh?” from Nida, effectively putting her pitiful state on pause. Her mind went to work, finding a hundred reasons why she shouldn’t—mostly small, inconsequential, or fabricated to protect herself—but ultimately realized that she just wanted to be with him. Nida smiled up at him, a happy, almost blissful smile if she weren’t so teary. “O-okay. I’d like that.” She reached for his hand to squeeze tight. “I love you, Thirdas. I really, really do.” And she meant it.

“Oh, and you’re not allowed to use the oven until I say so.”

[member="Thirdas Heavenshield"]