Private Stay

[Amani Serys]

Amani had been feeling the stress hard these last few weeks. In just a short time, the weights had piled on, leaving her drained and in low-spirits. Which gave all the more meaning to tonight.

The moments she spent with Alicio were some of the few where Amani felt wholly herself. At peace, even; Able to forget the hard parts of life for just a little while. And though they had danced around it several times now, they were finally committing to their fabled ‘wine night’. Alicio had the wine; It was her job to decide on the movie. Only after a needlessly intensive selection process did she finally make her pick, which was now hidden behind her back and she stopped in front of the Count’s apartment door.

Amani was dressed light and comfortable for the evening. No need to dress up, they weren’t going out anywhere, anyway. Still she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Or perhaps, it was excitement. Either way, she paused for only a moment before giving his door a few gentle knocks.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

There was the briefest of pauses, before the door opened, revealing Alicio on the other side. His own clothes were similarly plain, a simple black shirt over dark pants, but with the strange addition of a dark apron covering his torso, smudged with light-colors.

"Hey," he said, transfixed by Amani for a moment, before stepping aside, with a smile. "Come in."

The inside of his Coruscant apartment was rather similar to his place in Sanctuary City. Dark, comfortable furniture, impeccably clean, and a familiar stuffed nerf resting dumbly on the couch, opposite the holoprojector. But everything was just a bit smaller, somewhere between cozy and cramped.

And the air smelled divine, like freshly-baked bread and cinnamon. Sitting on a counter in the kitchenette, resting on top of a cutting board, was the culprit, next to a bottle of Emerald Wine.

"I figured we shouldn't drink on an empty stomach," he muttered sheepishly, picking at the apron's knot behind him.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"Hey." Amani stared back at him, another second passing before she took his offer to step in. She studied the layout of his apartment, her gaze sticking just a little longer on Chauncey over on the couch. The fact that Alicio actually kept it right there at all times made her heart flutter. Unless he put it on display just to gloat. Which would at least be amusing in its own way.

It wasn't long, though, before her sense of smell took the wheel. Her nose pointed upward as she craned her head to pinpoint the source, soon recognizing it in the form of a bread loaf on the counter, "Oooh," she cooed, almost forgetting the wine entirely for a moment.

Amani stepped over to get a closer look, "If I'd have known baking was on the agenda, I would've joined you," She smiled coyly. Just another thing they could look forward to in the future, then. Another beat passed before she remembered one of her hands was behind her back, and her smile turned almost mischevous.

"Oh yeah," Amani stuck out the holodisk case in front of her for Alicio to see, "Ta-da!" The cover depicted a real twig of a man embracing a towering Wookiee maiden, and the title, which she read off, "Gone with the Wookiee. It's about this human guy who was raised by a Trandoshan, but he falls in love with a beautiful wookiee, which leads to some obvious familial drama." She had seen it before, having taken great enjoyment in its content and figuring it would be a perfect film to get drunk to, "There's more to it than that, but I won't spoil it in case you haven't seen it yet. Terribly sappy romance. Surprisingly nuanced commentary on intergenerational xenophobia."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio seemed bashful of the bread on the counter, until Amani let it slip she also baked. His face lit up, finally untying his apron, and folding it neatly away into a cupboard. "Next time," he agreed, turning back to her. "I just took up breadmaking, so... Let me know what you think of it."

"I tested the recipe on Iris first, so I'm pretty sure it won't kill you." He shot her a grin.

As the holoflick was brought out, Alicio looked at the cover with a bit of a chuckle, and a tweaked smile. Which only grew wider as Amani gave the synopsis. "I haven't see it yet, no." He felt the mirialan's excitement bleeding into him, adding to his own. "Trashy and thought-provoking? Oh, that's perfect." He could think of no better movie to watch buzzed.

With the practiced precision of a nobleman, Alicio poured the wine into two different glasses. He cut the bread into moderately thick slices, placing a couple on plates, and bringing the entire ensemble, bottle and all, over to the coffee table by the sofa.

After making sure everything was perfectly placed, Alicio sat down on the couch, resting his arm on the back, leaving enough room for Amani. "How was your day?"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

“Reallyyy…” Amani rubbed her hands together, already her expression turning hungry at the sight, “Well, the smell is a good sign.” She took another whiff, only to laugh when Alicio mentioned Iris, “Well, last time I checked Iris was still alive, so…” Her delivery ended somewhat flatly, and her positivity seemed to flicker away for the briefest of moments before returning.

Tonight was just for having fun and getting sloshed, and her grin widened when he seemed to reciprocate her enthusiasm, “I know, right? Who’d have thought?” Amani watched the Count assemble the presentation, and followed him to the couch, where she set to work popping the holodisk in the projector. Not long after, the movie was already spooling up, starting with a cold open on some kind of flashback of the Trandoshan father figure.

She slid in beside Alicio, curling up close and signifying her contentment with a sigh. His question made her look up. How was her day? How had any day been lately? The wake left by Ilum was still rippling. Students that were under her care had been hurt in a fight they didn’t deserve or ask for. At least one was still missing. And one of her closest friends was suffering one of the greatest tragedies a person could ever endure. Amani said none of these things, and simply shrugged one shoulder, “...Busy.” She answered quietly, the faint smile on her face unable to hide the tiredness behind her eyes. As if to take that attention away, she reached for her first slice of bread and took a big bite.

“Mmm!” Her eyes dully lit up, like a lantern through heavy fog, “Dish ish really good!” Amani said still between bites, but swallowed before she spoke again, “What about you? How was your day?”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio felt Amani press into him, and he responded by draping a lazy arm around her shoulders, hugging her closer, and absently cradling Chauncey with his other arm, as the flick started. But as much as he wanted to completely invest himself into the movie, he could sense Amani's stress.

“...Busy.”

That one word conveyed everything Alicio needed to hear. He leaned his head on top of Amani's, gently massaging circles into her shoulder. A show of comfort, a reminder that he was there for her.

And a slight pause to dig into their pastries.

Alicio waited for Amani to take the first bite, smiling sharply in victory as she enjoyed it. "I'm glad you like it. The secret ingredient is spiders." He grinned puckishly, before palming his glass of wine, and taking the first sip. Sweet, perhaps a little sour, with the softest bitter undertones of alcohol.

She turned the question on him, and he answered. "Busy," although he said his word with far less tired undertones. "I'm working on something new. It's... a little more dangerous, than anything I've done before."

They'd just talked about him not putting himself in unnecessary danger. This was necessary. "But it needs to be done."

The pair of them watched on as the Trandoshan, walking through a wooded area, finds a young boy. The well-muscled, sharply-teethed brute gently picks up the child, with love in his eyes. "Oh, that's sweet," the Count interjected, accidentally getting sucked into the narrative.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

She let his warmth ground her. Comfort her. He knew what her answer really meant, but didn't push any further. They didn't need to think about any of that right now, even if the reality loomed over like a dark cloud.

The Count's joke made Amani smack him playfully on the chest, "Oh my gosh, Alicio, don't even play with me." Not that it stopped her from taking a second bite. If it was spiders, then they were pretty damn good tasting spiders. Watching him grab a glass of wine, she made a noise and reached for her own. She then raised it to clink the glass against his, before taking the first sip. Alcohol was something she never quite seemed to get used to, thanks to how little she drank it. The taste made her pucker slightly, though it was actually more appealing than most other spirits she had given a try.

Alicio's answer was similar. Though as he expounded on it, Amani froze. Dangerous? While he got a little more invested in the narrative, she sat up a little higher, partially obscuring the screen as it transitioned into a montage of the young boy growing up under Trandoshan customs, "What...?" She pushed for an answer, "What is it, why is it dangerous?"

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

No date was complete without Alicio teasing Amani. Yes, he decided, he did enjoy that too much.

Amani's immediate reaction to his thought coaxed a soft, inquisitive look from the senator. Ever since they had started dating, the Mirialan had been protective of him, but her quick, almost panicked response felt different, somehow.

With the movie forgotten for the moment, Alicio turned his head down towards Amani, some concern showing in his face. "I'm... going to try to expose the corporate corruption on Denon." Alicio twisted his lip. "I just recently visited, to meet with someone. The living conditions there..." His eyes shown with sympathy. "Something needs to change. I'm collecting evidence right now, to bring before the Senate. Bring about change, on a world that needs it."

"Corporatists don't like it when you mess with their business." Alicio's mind couldn't help but turn to Tiresh's disappearance, or Marovik's death. "So... I'm a little worried. I swear, I'm being as careful as I can be. But I can't turn my back on people who need help."

"Are... are you alright, Amani?" He had to ask, wine night be damned.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"Expose the-" Amani's jaw dropped at the reveal. That was no small task. She'd heard tales of Denon's seedier side before, and megacorporations were a part of the problem. His mention of their distaste for interference received a strange, worried smile that seemed to say 'no shit', but the mirialan had no other response to give.

He was being careful he said. But careful couldn't account for everything. In fact, this almost made her more nervous than times before. Amani could protect him from angry vampires and Sith lords. But cutthroat politics were a different arena that she held no sway in. It was much more underhanded than a woman charging them down with a glowing red laser sword. What if she wasn't there when it counted? It all stung extra hard in the wake of Kahlil's death. The impact it had on Valery…

All of it ran through Amani's head, but when he inquired further, she simply stared at him. Her sealed lips shifted around, as if words were trying to pour out but couldn't. Until finally, "...Yeah. Yeah, let's just… watch the movie…" She lowered back down beside him and took another sip of wine, not entertaining the topic of Denon any further.

---

Gone with the Wookiee had been quite the rollercoaster of a film. Especially as the wine continued to take effect. Amani had giddily watched the Count for his reaction, as the reveal eventually came that the Trandoshan father had once loved a wookiee as well. But when their love was discovered, the wookiee had been imprisoned by her own people, leading him to despise all other wookiees thereafter (a process which was likely not wholly accurate, but made for intriguing entertainment, if nothing else). Now, the climax was steadily approaching. It was only a matter of time before the father accepted the love between man and wookiee, and the star-cross lovers shared a tender kiss.

It was enough to make the sloppy drunk Amani cry, "It's- It's so beautiful, I'm telling you. They just don't make movies like this anymore."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Whatever was troubling her, Amani kept her thoughts to herself for the moment. Alicio frowned briefly her direction, before turning his attention back to the movie. He didn't want to force his girlfriend to say anything she didn't want to. And they'd been planning this date for so long, they could ignore their problems for the moment, right?

"Okay," the Count said quietly.

He took another sip of wine, and turned his attention back to "Gone with the Wookiee".

"Father, you wouldn't understand!" Jakop faced his parent, staring into the eyes of his long-time caretaker. "I love Arahottelracs! You'll never know what it's like to love a Wookiee!"

Sitting beside Amani, Alicio was enraptured by the drama.

"I DID LOVE A WOOKIEE!" The Trandoshan bellowed out.

Alicio gasped, a hand covering his mouth.

"I loved her with all my heart. She lit up every moment of my life. She saw past my scales, at the man within. But her people didn't. They only saw the Trandoshan. They couldn't see our love for what it was; true."

"Like how you can't see my love for Araho now?"

Fresh tears sprang from Alicio's eyes. He looked briefly to Amani, matching her sloppy drunk with his sappy drunk, hugging her just a little tighter to his side. "Really beautiful," he said, verklempt, and passing a black handkerchief under his eyes.

"They just want to be together. It's... it's poetic." Whether he would have reacted the exact same way, were he not considerably tipsy, was anyone's guess.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"Why would they do that? Why would they punish their love?" Amani lamented as if the film were depicting a true-to-life story. How such a tragic romance had yet to single-handedly resolve untold years of interspecies hostility between the Wookiees and Trandoshans was lost on the inebriated Jedi. Right now, this may as well have been the greatest piece of cinema ever constructed.

"The human loves a wookiee. The trandoshan loves a wookiee. It's- yeah it's like- poetic," She repeated the Count's words as if she were discovering it herself, though a more nuanced analysis was similarly not quite coming together, "I just want them all to be happy." Not even the ending was really able to be recalled at this point, despite the fact that Amani had in fact seen this film before. She smushed her face against the Count's chest, half watching the screen and half distracted by literally anything else that her gaze took note of.

The Trandoshan father realized the error of his ways, and made amends with his son that ended in an embrace. Amani whimpered and unstuck her face for just a moment, before flopping back down beside her boyfriend, "Oh my gosh, yessssss. Are you kidding me?" Her monotone voice didn't quite express the genuine excitement she felt, but that feeling soon went away regardless.

The alcohol had done a fine job pushing their problems to the wayside thus far. But the events of the film were brining them back to her mind. Amani's focus left the movie entirely, and she seemed to be idly messing with her hand, running her thumb across her nails. Her enjoyment shifted to melancholy, and she spoke again, seemingly out of nowhere, "...I think you should drop the Denon investigation."

Something she never would have said sober, not so directly, at least. But deep down it was what she felt. There wasn't so much as a waver in her voice.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio pouted earnestly at Amani's continued commentary, humming low in his throat. He was more drunk than he had probably ever been, but even he wasn't as far gone as Amani apparently was. Thus, he was able to find her sluggish mannerisms and exaggerated joy at the plot of the movie entirely adorable.

But he was also drunk enough to join in, absent-mindedly twirling her hair around his fingers as they sat together. "I'm just glad that Jakop and Araho could break through the generational trauma." While his words were still eloquent, their ends were beginning to slur together. "They're... so good, for each other." Alicio sniffed a little.

At the cinematic hug, Alicio couldn't help himself from embracing Amani from the side again, caught up in the moment. Something about a father, supporting his son, hit him directly in the feels

"...I think you should drop the Denon investigation."

Alicio paused a moment, processing the words, before feeling his own drunken mirth leave him. He held the Mirialan a little tighter at his side, as if he were afraid she'd turn to smoke. "The people of Denon need someone to help them. And the best way to do that is if I... help them." Okay. Maybe not the most eloquent. "I can't turn my back on people in need. Not when I know I can help."

"Please don't ask me to do that." Because if she did, he would. He'd be forsaking his morals, his ethics, his vow to the Alliance, if he forgot about Denon. He would hate it.

But he would do anything for Amani. He already made that choice.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani had a very dead reaction to it all at first, still lost in her internal musings. She sat there limply while he held on tighter. Saying nothing, not even looking at him as he made his case.

But then he pleaded with her, and she was struck with a twinge of regret. Regret that she had said anything at all. Even if the answer she wanted had already been revealed. He would, if she told him to. Amani held that sway over him, she realized it, yet there was nothing satisfying about that truth. Still she wanted to tell him no. So badly she wanted to.

Amani’s waterline began to brim again, and she pursed her lips as if to hold those emotions back, “…I shouldn’t have said anything.” The Count received no direct answer. She clearly had more to say but was now doing everything she could to try and sloppily sweep it under the rug. “J-just watch the movie-” No, that wouldn’t work. That's what got her talking in the first place, “Er- You should-- Teach me how to dance. Like actually dance,” Amani’s drunken non-sequitur ended with a hiccup, and she wobbled onto her feet, grabbing his hand to pull him up as well. A sight that might have been amusing, if not for everything she was trying to hide.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

She didn't hug him back.

Somewhere in the back of his fuzzy mind, that felt very wrong to Alicio.

He pulled away a little, watching Amani with slightly-unfocused concern, as she walked back her previous statement, and tried to distract him with a dance. Which probably would have worked, if he'd had a sip or two more. Still, he let the Jedi pull him up, sending down a pained smile at her. "Okay," he said, unconvinced, but entertaining the idea.

The movements of various waltzes were drilled into him at a young age; even through the miasma of alcohol, he remembered to cradle Amani's upper hip, tracing down her opposite arm until he reached her hand, and held it in his. "Put your- your hand on my shoulder," he said slowly, fighting against his slurred words. "Let's... take it easy. Just let me lead."

He began to sway back and forth with Amani, as a romantic orchestra swelled in the movie. Apparently, the Wookiee love interest had arrived. But Alicio was frowning.

"You can tell me anything, you know," he affirmed, speaking low. "If there's a problem, we can... fix it together."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani was surprised that he went for it. Were she a few drinks deeper, she might not have even picked up on his uncertainty. But it was enough that she could move the conversation away for just a bit longer. With a deep breath she followed the Count's instructions, her focus taken away from the movie almost completely. "Mkay," She slurred, plopping a hand onto his shoulder. What was really the point? What were the chances she'd even remember all of these details by tomorrow morning?

It didn't matter. It was never really about the dancing anyway.

Alicio tried to coax something more out of her, and Amani shook her head, "I don't… want to fix anything…" Her grip tightened for just a moment, and her head pressed into his chest. For a few long moments she seemed to be lost in the dance, but underneath it she had begun crying silently. Eventually, the accumulating dampness on Alicio's shirt would likely be enough for him to register, and around that same time she took an audible, hitched breath that confirmed it.

"Valery came to my apartment in the middle of the night, a few nights ago," Amani made some half-hearted effort to regulate her breathing, with little success. Her voice was still weak and trembling, "It's awful, Alicio. It was like she was a… a completely different person. She's just-" Broken. Was the word she was looking for. Like some crucial piece of her and been violently ripped out. Which it had.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio tilted left and right with Amani, focusing a little too hard on staying upright. Thankfully, his muscle memory was enough to keep them both on their feet, simply breathing and dancing. Amani buried herself into his chest, and Alicio continued to lead.

Until he realized she was crying.

Continuing their calming sway, Alicio held the back of Amani's head as he gently embraced her. He didn't say anything right away, simply offering his presence to her, as she explained. But he grew a dark, confused expression when she brought up their friend, looking down at her and blinking away sympathetic tears.

"What happened to Valery?"

He hadn't heard yet.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

He hadn’t heard yet.

Amani gasped quietly, and dragged her head up to look at him. Glassy blue eyes rolled at the thought of having to bear this news. Might as well be the one to tell him. She inhaled shakily to prepare herself, the sobbing stopped but tears still leaked out.

Amani gave it to him bluntly, “...Kahlil’s dead.”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio had never met the love of Valery's life. Vera's father. But he knew of him. On the first day he had met Master Noble, they had talked about work-life balance, of all things. Back then, Alicio had been running himself ragged, trying to impress Faith, attempting to bring as much joy and happiness to the people of Sanctuary City as he physically could, completely abandoning anything that could get in the way.

It had been Valery who had coaxed him away from that life, and gave him permission to find what made him happy. In a way, she was the reason he was dating Amani in the first place. If Val hadn't given him that push, he may never have done anything for himself. Back then, she'd said that family was where she found happiness. Her daughter, and her husband.

"Oh no."

Alicio's eyes widened in shock, the tears he'd been pushing down freely welling at the edges of his vision. The Count stopped their sway, clutching Amani tighter, resting his cheek on the top of her head. "Val... Vera..."

He thought of the festival on Pasaana. Valery and Vera, spinning around the dance floor, without a care in the world.

Valery, now a widow. Vera, now fatherless.

Alicio felt a stab of anguish at the thought.

"That's why you want me to drop it," he said quietly, trying to regulate his breathing.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"And now she has to find a way to move forward without him. And Vera has to grow up without her dad." Amani continued, voicing the same thoughts aloud, bumping her forehead against his chest. "And if it can happen to them, what's stopping it from happening to us?" It felt wrong to turn this into something about them, but it couldn't be helped. In many ways it was a brutal reality check.

Her sadness was mixed with frustration now. Why did it all have to be so complicated? "Now you tell me you wanna start— stirring things up? Your job isn't supposed to be the dangerous one! I-I don't know if I can protect you from that! S-So am I just supposed to sit around and wait, until I hear that you've been— gutted in some alley, because some Corpo thought you were getting too loud?"

Iris had once asked her if she was afraid of the risks that came with her job, particularly in how it would affect her relationship. Amani had given a much more accepting answer then. But in light of everything that had happened since, she was succumbing to fear and selfishness. She wanted to run far away from everything, with Alicio in tow. "I can't- We keep trying to go our own way but it's like the galaxy is forcing us to choose. I don't want to choose- I can't live wondering when this might be it. I can't because-"

She froze, in light of what she was saying. In light of what she was about to say. Her eyes were firmly fixed on him now, and it seemed as if she were holding her breath. But for all the drinking they had done tonight, Amani had never felt more sober than she did now.

"...I love you."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

He felt Amani begin to raise her voice into his chest. He knew she wasn't upset with him, but the fact that she was upset at all hurt him. Her worry sickened him. He wanted to assure her that he would be fine. That their training would save him. But he couldn't lie to her.

They dared to care. And the galaxy punished them for it. That frustrated him, too.

All that frustration faded away in three words.

"...I love you."

Alicio searched Amani's beautiful eyes, an overcast sky meeting the richest ocean. The senator's words slowed, as he put weight behind every syllable. "Amani... I've dedicated myself to the Alliance. For my whole life, I've dreamt of creating a better galaxy. I belong in the Senate. I really think I could make a positive impact on Denon, improve hundreds of thousands of lives, and I don't want to give into fear. But..." He found a shaky sigh.

"But I'd drop everything in a second if you said the word. Because I care for you more. Because..."

Alicio paused a moment, his voice overflowing with emotion as he held the sides of her face. He fell completely into her eyes.

"I love you, too."

- Amani Serys -