Private That's What Friends Are For

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Iris Apartment, Coruscant
Tag: Iris Arani

The vibrant hues of dusk painted the sky as the sun gracefully descended behind the towering skyscrapers that made up a majority of the Coruscanti skyline, casting elongated shadows that stretched across the bustling streets of Coruscant as Briana maneuvered expertly through the throngs of beings, her steps purposeful but subtly hobbled as she made her way to Iris' apartment, her body still bearing the remnants of recent trials shared with Aiden Rennek in the form of broken ribs and a bruised body after their harrowing encounter with the Devourers.

And while it hadn't been long since that mission, it had been a considerable span of time since her and Iris' last encounter. Life had pulled them in separate directions, as it often seemed to. Iris, haunted by the horrors of war, had retreated from the front lines to delve into the depths of knowledge and the noble pursuit of healing, while Briana was pulled into a whirlwind of missions and assignments following the wars end, taking her far from the confines of familiar space and into what was once enemy territory.

However, when word reached her of Iris' graduation, Briana made a decisive effort to take a breath between missions and visit one of her oldest and dearest friends, to congratulate her on this extraordinary milestone and accomplishment. For what could be more deserving of acknowledgment than the culmination of Iris's journey through the crucible of medical academia, a feat accomplished against the backdrop of her own personal battles? It was certainly worth the discomfort and risk of aggravating her injuries.

As she approached the threshold of Iris's abode, her heart swelled with a mixture of emotions—a mélange of anticipation, relief, and pride as her fingers curled with her unoccupied hand to knock on the door of what was once their shared abode, an immediate sense of nostalgia and comfort washing over her. When the door finally slid open to reveal Iris, rosebud lips bloomed into a radiant smile, her eyes crinkling with joy, revealing a row of glistening white teeth. "Iris! I come bearing gifts and congratulations... a little birdy informed me that you graduated." Briana exclaimed, her voice filled with affection and admiration, as she carefully enfolded her friend in a tender embrace, minding her ribs by avoiding a tight squeeze. "Couldn't just let this occasion pass without making sure you received the proper recognition for it."

 

[Iris Arani]

Rest and relaxation.

That's what graduation meant. No more internships, no more slaving away. Just a day to rest and relax. At least before she went right back in to dive head first into the Halls of Healing and all those injured there. She was, oddly enough, looking forward to it. Freely being able to help people again, on a different front lines than she'd already lost so much on. But, tonight was rest and relaxation.

So overly large sweatshirt she may or may not have stolen from an ex, some shorts, a bowl of the spiciest quick made Ramen she could get her hands on, and an egg or two. Simple, delicious comfort food.

At least until the knock on the door. Iris blinked, glancing to it, then raised a hand to let it open from a distance. She blinked in surprise. "Bri?"

She let out a laugh, setting down her bowl to reach out and pull Bri into just as tight of a hug. "Hey! Yeah! Yeah. Took a while, but I already had some years finished early in our Padawanship! It's good to see you though! When did you come back? How long have you been back?"

Briana Sal-Soren

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Iris' Apartment, Coruscant
Tag: Iris Arani

Briana couldn't help but wince ever so slightly as Iris's arms enveloped her in a warm embrace, the tender pressure setting off a silent protest from her bruised and broken ribs. Determined to ignore the discomfort, she mustered a smile, focusing wholeheartedly on the sheer joy of their reunion.

"Oh, it's been a day or so ago, I think," Briana replied with a hint of bemusement, adding a raised brow to her response. The concept of time had taken on an elusive quality since her return, lost amidst the sea of mission reports and her dedication to mentoring her new Padawan, Lily. "It all kinda blurs together."

Stepping back from the hug, Briana crossed the threshold of Iris's cozy abode and presented a gift for her to take, meticulously wrapped in a vibrant paper adorned with delicate patterns, a testament to the care and thought put into its presentation. A regal violet ribbon encircled the package, its sheen catching the light with a touch of elegance. An intricately scrawled tag adorned its surface, the ancient characters of Nabooian futhork dancing gracefully across the paper.

To your incredible achievements and the countless lives you'll touch as you embark on this new chapter in the Halls of Healing.

"I thought you might appreciate something like this," Briana casually remarked, her hands finding solace in her pockets as she spoke, a slight smirk pulling at the corners of her lips. She'd put careful thought and a fair share of credits into the gift, wanting to bestow on Iris something that would be both meaningful and useful. "I hope it comes in handy."

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris raised a brow slightly. She could see it in the colors. They knew a lot of people all across the galaxy, but Iris was certainly the one person people couldn't hide their intentions from. Not anymore. Her gaze shifted to the present, though. If Bri wanted to talk about it, she would. For now, there was no reason to bring it up. Not yet anyway.

At some point she certainly would.

"I don't think I've ever seen something like this. It's.. New, isn't it? Like really new." She lifted it up, scanned it over. Took it out of the package to start working it over in some way before glancing towards Bri again. And smirked.

"Why don't we test it out so I can help you with whatever's got you in pain, mm?"

Briana Sal-Soren

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Iris' Apartment, Coruscant
Tag: Iris Arani

"Nah, it's no big deal, really," she insisted, her voice carrying a casual air as she tried to wave it off. "Just a minor scrape that's bound to mend itself in time, I'm sure." her attempt to downplay her injury was not fooling anyone, especially not someone like Iris with her uncanny ability to see beyond the surface. She rubbed at the back of her neck.

"Okay, so maybe 'minor' isn't the most accurate word choice here." Briana admitted with a small shrug. "I might've taken a tumble...but I've had worse." The reality was far from a mere tumble, but rather a daring leap from a cliffside, using it as her platform to crash full-force into a Devourer and nearly being consumed by its ravenous jaws in the process. Since she'd come back, she'd stubbornly avoided the Bacta tanks, adamant that she didn't need one, though the argument for it had certainly been made. Briana simply preferred to steer clear of the disconcerting sensation of being suspended in that gelatinous solution, surrounded by a network of wires, especially after having spent a month in one the last time.

But the thought of seeing Iris at work and getting to see first hand how the Nano-Medi pad worked, was tempting. "But you know, it wouldn't hurt to have someone with medical expertise take a look." She grinned. "Especially if it means I get to help you test out that fancy new device."

Walking to the couch, she settled into the plush cushions and with deliberate care rolled up her shirt, revealing a tapestry of vivid bruises in various stages of healing and the white fabric of bandages that provided a fragile barrier of support to keep her standing. "I'm all yours, doc."

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris just rolled her eyes, but didn't make a comment. Bri had already realized the folly of telling the now Doctor no. She did frown, though, given the nature of the wounds once they were in sight. A heavy sigh escaped her as she sat down and clicked on the device to let it scan through. At least it was easy to use. Far more intuitive than she originally assumed. Iris seemed almost enamored by the device, momentarily forgetting just who she was looking over. And what she was doing, anyway.

".. It'll be easy enough to get these started to heal better. Why didn't you get bacta though? And what in the world did this?"

Briana Sal-Soren

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Iris' Apartment, Coruscant
Tag: Iris Arani

Briana fought against her natural inclination to move away as Iris's carefully began to examine her injuries. Although she'd never been one to back down from pain or adversity, even she couldn't deny that this time she'd pushed beyond her limits. Though, the pain was momentarily forgotten and replaced by a glimmer of curiosity as the Nano-Medi hummed to life, its purposeful vibrations resonating in the air around them. A small smile pulled slightly at the corners of her lips as she noticed the look of satisfaction that crossed Iris's face, pleased that she seemed happy with it.

"I don't know. I just couldn't bear the thought of being submerged in a bacta tank again," Briana admitted, "So, I thought I'd explore alternative methods this time." Which had involved a delicate balance of painkillers and harnessing the Force to keep the pain at bay. "I remembered what you showed me before on stabilizing injuries and did the bandaging myself."

Iris, perhaps more than anyone, understood the tolls of war and battles fought. And yet, Briana felt uncertain with divulging the details of her experience, concerned with how her friend might react. After all, Iris set aside her lightsabers and sought solace in the realm of medicine, for a reason.

Following a few heartbeats of wrestling with herself, she reluctantly continued on. There was no point trying to lie to her, or drag out the truth unnecessarily. "As for what happened... it was pretty standard stuff, you know? Was dispatched with Aiden to neutralize some Sithspawn. After Exegol, the Maw let loose their pet projects on some of the worlds they used to occupy. This in particular was caused from a couple of their devourers. The villagers we spoke with only told us about the one, but -" she shrugged, a touch of acceptance in the unpredictable nature of their job. "I guess they were oblivious to the presence of a second one. We managed, though."

 

[Iris Arani]

"Sithspawn are a pain to deal with, depending on the type. I'm glad this was all it could do." Devourers weren't a Sithspawn she knew of, but she had killed plenty through the war. More than she was willing to talk about. Physical wounds were rarely the only problem they brought, especially to Jedi. Iris didn't dwell on the thought long. Instead she reached out, using both the new device and her own talent in the Force to start knitting together what was broken. Sooth what hurt. The device certainly made it easier for her to focus on where to pull the colors of pain from.

"How is Aiden?"

Briana Sal-Soren

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Iris' Apartment
Tag: Iris Arani

Briana's eyes softened marginally, gaze lingering on Iris as she contemplated her response, sensing the unspoken weight beneath the words she spoke. For now, she'd give Iris the silence and let her choose to elaborate when she was ready.

"Yeah," she acknowledged with a heavy sigh, "they're definitely formidable." An unfortunate fact that they both knew all too well.

As Iris continued to work her magic, guided by both the new device and her inherent mastery of Force healing, Briana could feel her coaxing the fractured pieces of her body back into alignment, as if being tied together by invisible threads. A deep inhale was pulled into her lungs as the pain begin to recede, replaced by a gentle warmth and a renewed sense of vitality that made it easier to breath. She really did have quite the gift. "Aiden's doing alright, all things considered." she told her, feeling her body moving into a straighter position that would have been impossible before. "He broke his foot and is receiving treatment. Though, I'm thinking I should have just brought him to you." It was still so strange what someone who really understood Force Healing was capable of doing. How much of a difference they could make.

Shifting slightly to get more comfortable on the couch, she looked to Iris. She'd come here with the intention of celebrating Iris's achievements and couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for them having spent so much time focusing on her injuries, instead. "What about you, Iris? What colors have painted your canvas lately?" she asked with a grin, nudging the topic to try and get Iris to talk about herself. "Anything new going on in your personal life, you know, aside from being an ace student?"

 

[Iris Arani]

"If you think he needs mending, I can always help. It's what I'm best at." At least what she wanted to be best at. It sounded almost hollow the way she spoke before she just doubled down on mending what was broken inside Bri. It was always easier to focus elsewhere.

"Nothing, actually. I haven't even actually painted anything in a while. Or really had much of a social life. It's been.. Lonely, I guess."

Briana Sal-Soren

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Iris' Apartment
Tag: Iris Arani

Briana's expression softened as Iris's despondency became evident in her words, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly with concern. She understood all too well the allure of retreating from the world, of seeking solace in the shadows to shield oneself from the pain... It was a path Briana had walked herself, and she recognized the signs in Iris's voice and mannerisms. "I'll definitely mention it to him, I doubt he'll object."

She took a deep breath, considering her next words carefully before speaking. "I know how that can be, sometimes life pulls us in different directions and we have to leave certain parts untouched while we figure out the rest." There was a hint of melancholy in her tone of shared understanding. "I'm sure it wasn't easy trying to juggle everything."

Gently pulling her shirt back into place, Briana nodded in appreciation as Iris finished tending to her injuries. "Feels much better," she admitted, acknowledging the relief that Iris's care had brought. "and you know... if you need a person to talk to, I'm never too busy for you." Then, with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, she added, "And I know quite a few different places we could always skip off to, if you need to get away from it all."

 

[Iris Arani]

"I know."

There was all kinds of people she could talk to, she knew that much. But being able to talk to them and actually talking were just.. Too different. Especially for her. She'd only just gotten capable of holding a normal conversation. To talk about all her troubles? No, that could come later. She was safe right now, and she would be for a while. There was no need to rush.

"I might take you up on a vacation though. It's been a while since I've been off world."

Briana Sal-Soren

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Iris' Apartment, Coruscant
Tag: Iris Arani

With a nod, Briana acknowledged Iris's unspoken hesitation. No expectations, just genuine support and companionship, knowing the value of simply being there for someone without the need for words or deep revelations. Reaching out she gave Iris' hand a gentle squeeze to convey that she'd be there when Iris was ready to share before turning to her satchel, retrieving her datapad that hummed to life with a click.

A mischievous grin tugged at the corners of her lips, scooting closer to Iris conspiratorially, leaning in to share her screen as she began scrolling through the itemized list of the 'top ten places to travel in the Galaxy'.

"Where do you think you would want to go? If you could go anywhere or do anything?"

 

[Iris Arani]

"I.. Don't know, actually. I've gotten what I wanted with my degree, so.."

Iris shrugged indifferently. She was still learning how to be a person after all. She'd just learned how to be a doctor. She leaned back in her seat, pulling her knees to her chest so she could rest her chin atop them and scan through her gift a bit. It was fascinating how much it could actually do, let her do. It was always the most difficult part to figure out someone's injuries, and being able to use this on the fly would certainly make it easier.

Hopefully.

Briana Sal-Soren

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Iris' Apartment, Coruscant
Tag: Iris Arani

"Oh, come on," Briana pressed playfully, noticing that Iris was lost with the new device, rather than looking at the list of locations she'd brought up. She grinned, continuing to scroll through the list of exotic destinations— each one a promising option where troubling memories might fade away into the background. "Let yourself dream a little. Surely there's somewhere?"

Finally, Briana paused, using two fingers to drag up an image of one of the resorts. "What about this place? Spira? Pristine golden-beaches, water sports... foreign cuisine. Sounds like it could be nice."

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris took in a breath before turning her gaze towards the offered screen. She was silent for a moment, then glanced to her scarred hands. Frowned in thought, though that was the only real emotion she showed outwardly.

".. You know, why not. I could use a tan." The breath she held came out as a defeated sigh as she smirked towards Bri. If there was anyone who could get her out of here, she'd rather it was her oldest friend. "But you're going to have to tell me about you and everything that was going on. Deal?"

Briana Sal-Soren

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Iris Arani

Briana's eyes seemed to sparkle with unadulterated joy when Iris agreed to the impromptu trip. It'd been such a very long time since they'd done anything fun together and she was glad Iris was deciding to come out of her shell, even if it reluctantly. "Deal," Briana agreed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked down at her datapad to finalize the arrangements. "Pack your things, Spira awaits."

-----------------------------------------------------​

With an almost imperceptible sigh, Briana slid into the pilot's seat, mentally bracing herself for the transition from Coruscant's shimmering, chaotic atmosphere to the stark serenity of open space outside her viewport.

Gently tapping the yolk, she guided her mother's ship, the Vere, through a balletic ascent. The urban horizon receded in a graceful arc as countless glowing stars began to emerge beyond its bounds, the ship slicing through the atmosphere with effortless ease.

Hovering above the hyperspace controls, she cast a sidelong glance towards Iris, "Hey," she called without breaking concentration. "It's not going to take long to get to Spira, but—I know how you like flying. Ever flown a Nubian starship before?" she paused for dramatic effect, "Care to give it a whirl?"