Private Sun, Sand, and Serenity

[Valery Noble]

​

The salty breeze drifted in through the open balcony doors, carrying with it the scent of the ocean and the distant sound of waves lapping against Spira's golden shores. It was a place of serenity, of sun-kissed relaxation, of long, lazy days meant to melt away every ounce of tension. And for once — for once — Valery was going to let herself enjoy it.

She stood in front of the mirror, securing her hair into a loose braid that draped over one shoulder. It wasn't often she had the chance to wear anything but her Jedi attire, but today? No lightsabers. No armored flightsuits. Just a light, flowing wrap tied over a comfortable swimsuit — simple, breathable, perfect for a day of indulgence.

A soft exhale left her lips as she tugged at the fabric, smoothing it over her form. It felt strange, wearing something so relaxed. But today was about her, and she was going to make the most of it. Well, her and a certain someone she hadn't seen in far too long.

A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she grabbed a towel and slung it over her shoulder. Ala Quin , her first friend after waking from stasis, the one who had been there in her earliest days in this strange, new galaxy — was waiting for her.

And after everything, after all the battles and responsibilities and galaxy-spanning chaos, Valery figured they both deserved this. With a final glance at the mirror, she turned, stepping toward the door and out into the Spira sun, where an overdue reunion — and an even more overdue spa day — awaited.

Ala Quin ​

 

[Ala Quin]

Don't think about her.

And yet all that Ala saw reminded her of the one she had lost. The flowers. She would have liked them. Not loved them. But liked them. It would have been enough to make Ala smile. The sun streaming in through the windows. It reminded Ala why it could not be.

Stop. Thinking. About her.

She was here to relax. To bring herself out of the investigation the she had poured herself into after...after...after it had ended.

Ala tightened her thin robe around her. It was a sudden and strong enough motion that it knocked the wind out of her for a moment. One precious moment where she thought about something else.

Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, which was an uncommon sight. The curls still fought to be free, but Ala would have her way. She would have control in this at least.

Before walking out the door, she dipped her hands in the basin and splashed water over her face. Valery was waiting for her. Relaxation was waiting for her. Not thinking about it was waiting for her.

Moments later, her bare feet fell lightly on the rough hewn boardwalk in steps akin to a subtle dance. The wind gently blew across her face and her eyes closed as she took in the scent of a nearby grill. She shouldn't have been hungry but suddenly was.

When her eyes opened, she was confront with a sight that briefly caused her stomach to turn in knots. "Hey...Val..."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

"Ala!" The moment Valery spotted her, all hesitation vanished. The sunlit boardwalk, the salty ocean breeze, the distant murmur of waves — none of it mattered in that instant. Only the woman standing before her. In just a few steps, she closed the distance and pulled Ala into a tight hug, arms wrapping around her with all the warmth and familiarity of years of friendship.

She held the embrace for a lingering moment before pulling back just enough to study Ala properly, her fiery gaze sweeping over her. The tied-back curls, the soft robe cinched at the waist, the way the sun caught in her eyes.

A grin spread across Valery's lips.

"You look amazing." The words were easy, effortless, and entirely true. Then, with a teasing glint in her eyes, she tilted her head. "So... ready for a spa day?"

Because Force knew they both needed it.

Ala Quin ​

 

[Ala Quin]

The tiny Jedi melted into her friend's arms. Nestled into Valery's embrace, Ala did not reply immediately but instead let out a contented sigh. A momentary flash of disappointment was clear on her face when the embrace ended, but she quickly lost it to embarrassment as Val complimented her.

"The most beautiful Jedi in the universe says I look amazing?" Ala said with a playfully dismissive wave of her hand, "must be the new lotion I am using..."

Her arm quickly looped around Val's as she pulled her along the path towards a hut not too far away. Waiting in the room were a pair of staff members, a male Balosar and female Chalactan. The waved the two Jedi towards the padded stretchers in the middle of the rustic hut.

"Time for a massage!" Ala said with the tiniest of squeals.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery let out a laugh, warm and bright, as Ala looped their arms together and pulled her along. "New lotion, huh?" she teased, her smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Well, whatever it is, it's working. But I think you might just be naturally radiant."

The playful compliment was met with a tiny squeal from Ala as they reached the massage hut. Valery barely had a second to take in the peaceful, rustic space before her attention flicked to the padded stretchers, the waiting staff, and —oh, yes — the promise of a much-needed massage.

"Time for a massage!"

Ala's enthusiasm was infectious, and Valery grinned, already reaching for the sash of her wrap. Without hesitation, she slipped out of it and stripped down completely, utterly unbothered by Ala’s presence. Modesty had never been a concern for her, especially not with friends. With a small, knowing smile, she adjusted the towel around her body and turned toward Ala.

"This is going to be a great day," she declared, her fiery gaze gleaming with rare excitement.

Then, without further ado, she settled onto the stretcher, stretching out with a contented sigh as she let the tension in her muscles finally begin to ease. For the first time in what felt like forever, there was no war, no duty, no galaxy resting on her shoulders. Just this.

Tilting her head slightly, she glanced toward Ala. "So," she murmured, her voice soft but curious. "What have you been up to recently?"

Ala Quin ​

 

[Ala Quin]

Slack-jawed Ala stood gaping not at the freedom of Valery’s display, but at Valery. It took her longer than the moment it should have to realise that she was ogling. Her eyes darted to the beach beyond the window of the hutt.

They were friends, but if Ala were ever honest she would admit that Valery had always made her heart flutter a little. However, she had mostly kept it to that. Valery was someone else’s. It felt like everyone was someone else’s.

Her mind briefly wandered to Kaila. Every day Ala regretted her decision to break it off with the Sith. It was the right thing for a Jedi. It had been the wrong thing for Ala.

Ala dabbed the moist corner of her eyes before unwrapping her light robe, and lying face down on the bed. They were friends staff member was quick to work after asking permission to untie her top. Ala felt silly for forgetting.

“Still on this mission to investigate the Cult of Kardu, nothing new to share,” she said with a sigh as her back got the treatment her tense muscles needed, “and…I guess…grieving.”

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery caught the lingering look, the way Ala's gaze flicked just a second too long before she snapped it away. Oh? Interesting. But she didn't comment, not yet. Instead, a knowing smirk tugged at her lips as she settled deeper into the massage table, the warmth of the oils and firm pressure of the masseuse already working away at the tension buried deep in her muscles.

"Mm," she hummed, stretching slightly under the practiced touch. "Remind me why we don't do this more often?" Her tone was light, teasing, but as Ala spoke, the mood shifted. The Cult of Kardu was still weighing on her, but it was the last word that really caught Valery's attention. Grieving.

The playfulness in her gaze softened, and she turned her head slightly to glance at Ala, watching the way her expression seemed to tighten beneath the masseuse's hands. Valery let the moment settle before speaking, her voice quieter now, steady.

"Grieving?" she echoed gently. A pause. Then, softer still, "Do you want to talk about it?"

No pressure. No expectation. Just an open door, waiting if Ala wanted to step through.

Ala Quin ​

 

[Ala Quin]

She let out a long groan of contentment as the masseuse got into their work. It hurt in the best way possible, but only because her muscles refused to relax immediately. When she finally gave in Ala let out a sigh and felt and immediate heaviness fall on her eye lids. How long was it since she had slept well?

"We broke up a while back. I didn't say anything..."

Her words were pushed out with puffs of wind as her back was pressed down upon.

"...Kaila...and I...you know...the one you said was probably not good for me..."

Valery hadn't said that exactly. But at the time it had felt like it.

"...no matter which way things, one of us would have had to fundamentally change our worldviews to stay together. So. I made the choice."

Ala fell silent for a moment. The silence was only punctuated by the sounds of their massages, and the water lapping at the nearby shore. And then came the subtle whimpers as if Ala was fighting back tears.

"I regret...the choice...every day. And it kind of scares me. I would have gone anywhere for her."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery listened, her gaze softening as Ala's words came in slow, fragmented bursts between the pressure of the massage. She didn't interrupt, didn't push — just let her talk, let her feel. The sound of the waves, the rhythm of the masseuse's hands, the gentle hush of the world around them — it all settled into the background, leaving just the weight of Ala's grief hanging between them.

She understood that weight.

Her fingers curled slightly against the cushioned table as memories stirred. She remembered what it was like to love someone and lose them — not to death, but to something worse. To watch the person you gave your heart to slip away, to feel the ache of almosts and what-ifs carving through your soul.

She had lost Kahlil once, to the Dark Side.

And for a long time, she hadn't been sure she had made the right choice.

"Ala…" Valery finally murmured, tilting her head just enough to see her friend's face. "That was a hard choice. The hardest, maybe." She exhaled slowly, carefully choosing her next words. "I won't pretend I know exactly how you feel, but… I know what it's like to love someone so much you'd go anywhere for them." A pause, her voice lowering slightly. "Even places you shouldn't."

She let the moment settle before offering something gentler. "But you did make a choice," she said, her voice unwavering. "And I think, deep down, you know why you made it. Why you had to, even if a part of you tells you it's the wrong choice." She shifted, watching Ala carefully.

Her smile came back, light but full of warmth. "And for what it's worth? You're not alone in this." She reached over, giving Ala's arm a small but firm squeeze. "I've got you."

Ala Quin ​

 

[Ala Quin]

​

She heard her words. Val was attempting to be comforting, and for the most part she succeeded. Ala smiled softly while looking down at the floor. She kept her eyes closed, and allowed herself to relax.

Valery was right. It would hurt for a while. But there was no chance of seeing her again, not in this huge universe. They could both move on. Both find something...

Valery's touch was unexpected and sent Ala's mind reeling. The moment of relaxation. Her guard down. Her heart hopeful of mending. And then the future.

Ala cursed her imagination even as she relished in it. Valery's touch set off a cascade of daydreams all in the space of a moment. Embraces. Passion. Lazy afternoons on the golden sands of Corellia. Valery in her arms, and she in Vals.

I've got you. But I don't have you.

Ala's stomach churned with long suppressed emotion brought forth by the friendly touch of her the Grandmaster. It was wrong to feed this emotion. It was wrong to feel it.

Ala stood immediately, clutching at her shirt for modesty's sake, and swung her legs of the rickety bed. "I am sorry...I can't...I can't do this..."

Within seconds, Ala had her robe and was pulling it on as she walked out the door and back down the boardwalk. Tears for nothing, tears for folly, tears for loneliness began to fall as she held the back of her hand to her lips.

But I don't have anyone.

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

The warmth of their quiet moment shattered in an instant, replaced by a sudden, sharp tension that Valery couldn't quite place. She sat up quickly, wrapping a towel around herself as Ala stood, moving like she was trying to outrun something unseen.

Valery's concern deepened, but before she could speak, Ala was already out the door, her robe hastily pulled over her shoulders. Valery didn't hesitate. She rose to her feet, ignoring the curious glance from the masseuse as she secured the towel in place and hurried after her friend.

Outside, the warm air kissed her skin, but the breeze did little to chase away the sudden, aching chill that curled in her chest. Ala was walking fast, her back tense, her hand pressed to her lips. And even from a few steps away, Valery could see the tears glistening in the dim light.

"Ala," she called softly, closing the distance.

She reached out, fingers brushing against the fabric of her robe before settling lightly on her shoulder. Not a forceful stop, just a gentle touch.

"Talk to me," Valery said, her voice low, careful. "Please."

Ala Quin ​

 

[Ala Quin]

​

Ala froze with Val's touch. Her cheeks flushed redder and her palms rested on her cheeks. She hated that she was like this. So ruined by her loneliness that it ruined her time with people. This should have just been a restful, relaxing time. But her imagination had to go run away on her again.

"Val...I..."

She wanted to say so much. Had wanted to say so much for so long. There wasn't room within the etiquette of their friendship to say it though.

Glistening eyes looked back at Valery, eyes that read like a sad novel. "I can't do this Val. I can't pretend anymore. My heart hurts so bad after what happened with Kaila...that I don't have it in me to hide the hurt that I feel because of you..."

She averted her eyes, looking towards the ground. She shrugged her shoulder in such a way as to remove herself from Valery's touch.

"...I have already said more than I should. I am sorry. But I suspect. You have always known."

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Valery didn't move. Didn't speak. She just stood there, watching as Ala turned away, as her voice cracked under the weight of everything she had been holding in. And she had been holding it in — for so long.

The rawness in Ala's words cut deep, threading through Valery's chest like a blade she had known was there but never dared to acknowledge. Because, of course, she had known. She had always known. From the way Ala's eyes lingered just a little too long, to the way her presence in the Force shifted, heavy with something unspoken. It had been there, buried beneath layers of friendship, of duty, of unspoken understanding.

And Valery had let it stay buried.

Her lips parted, but the words she wanted to say didn't come. What could she say? I'm sorry? It felt too small, too hollow, for what Ala was feeling — for what Valery had let her feel, even in silence.

"Ala…" her voice was softer now, laced with something fragile. "I—"

She exhaled sharply, closing her eyes for a brief second. You have always known. Valery swallowed, her throat suddenly tight. "I never wanted to hurt you." Her fingers curled slightly before she let them fall away, her own gaze dropping to the ground. "I should have said something sooner. I should have…" She trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

But what difference would it have made? There was no way to change what Ala felt, no way to go back and undo the years of unspoken longing, the quiet ache that had only grown deeper with time.

Slowly, Valery forced herself to meet Ala's gaze again.

"I... don't know what to do." Or what to say.

For once, Valery was at a loss for words.

Ala Quin ​

 

[Ala Quin]

​

A long pregnant pause filled the air. The sound of the beach, the surf and distant voices of beachgoers vanished into sorrow. Ala hung her head low, heart beating faster than she thought possible. Val knew now. She understood.

Years. Years of repression. Years of being a friend. Years of saying it was alright that that was all it was. Years of denying her heart. But her heart was broken now, broken by falling in love with a damned Sith. She did not have it in her to just be friends with someone she...so dearly...

Ala could not even think the words. It felt like if she dared let them enter her head they would escape her lips, and she would be damned herself.

"There is nothing you can do. Nothing I can do," Ala whispered.

Maybe Val misunderstood her. Maybe she thought Ala meant something else. Ala's deeply sorrowful eyes looked up at her friend. Val's expression said she understood.

"I..."

She knew what the next word would be. She hadn't even meant to start the sentence. It was not right. Ala was not right to proceed. Instead, she finally did the right thing.

"...should leave."

She turned and began walking away for Valery, unsure if she should ever see her again.

Valery Noble​