Private The City of Lights

[Zaiya Ceti]

Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya melted into Aris's hug almost immediately, her colorful arms curling around his middle as warm little hints of crimson threaded through the soft pinks already shimmering across her skin.

"I know," she murmured, giving him one last little squeeze before he pulled away. "And I like them too."

Maybe neither of them knew exactly what all those feelings would become yet. But that was okay. For once, Zaiya did not feel any particular need to rush toward an answer. She was on Volik with Aris, learning about her people. And now she was trying out wearing something Lovalla instead of merely reading about it in an archive somewhere, and doing all of it with Aris. That alone made brilliant teal ripple through her markings.

At his suggestion, however, her eyebrows lifted.

"Ooo. Lovalla and Epicanthix?" Zaiya turned toward the mirrors, swishing the sheer fabric experimentally around her legs. "We could start an entirely new fashion movement."

Then the Lovalla caught his reflection and saw the blush he was attempting to hide. Zaiya couldn't help as her grin slowly widened.

"Although..." She turned, hands settling playfully on her hips. "If the goal is to show off on Niv Hani, I feel I should remind you that your people already like looking at you." Which was true, he was now grown, and while he was a young adult, he would grow taller and more brawner than his father. There were always constant whispers about the Prince and the would be attempts to make his father King of the Epicanthix.

 

[Aris Noble]

"A fashion movement that represents us doesn't sound too bad. There's nothing more Epicanthic than accepting and celebrating the beauty and strength of another culture that has joined with ours." Just as his father had brought his mother's culture to their home, he would certainly do the same for Zaiya. He shifted, adjusting his own outfit before letting a shimmer of heat travel across his skin. It was by no means the emotional display of a Lovalla, but the ripple of light and color shone rather brightly with the cloth he was wearing.

That was something he could tie to the Epicanthix without any doubt. The Festival of Flame would certainly appreciate such display of color.

"I do look pretty good. I can't deny or hide that fact." Spoken truth. It was how he was made, how the Forge had recrafted him. He couldn't escape that change even if he wanted to. A playful smile formed after a moment. "We'll just have to make sure we're showing off together. No one will have seen anything like what we'll make, right?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya watched the shimmer of heat roll across Aris's skin, caught and reflected through the fabric, and her opal eyes widened.

"Ooo." Then came his perfectly matter-of-fact declaration about looking good. The Lovalla couldn't help the way her lips twitched in humor, along with the ripple of light blue and teal bioluminescence along the edges of her mottled spots. "Such humility."

But when Zaiya moved to step beside him before the mirror, the teasing waned as she saw their reflection. Warmth would travel through the resonance of their necklaces as it seemed as if her Lovalla colors shimmered beside the handsomeness of Aris's Epicanthix flame.

For Zaiya, who had grown up knowing so little of her own people, seeing herself dressed this way already felt strangely important. But seeing Aris beside her, imagining something made from both of them... That made the warmth in her chest tighten in delight. Because it was not about deciding where she belonged -- it was about discovering that perhaps she did not have to choose.

"Yeah, we can do that." Zaiya echoed, her lips curving back into a beaming grin.

"Maybe next time I can join you when you are showing off with the flame dances then?"

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris leaned over a bit, enough to get more into frame beside Zaiya in their shared reflection. Amusement filled his eyes. Amusement and joy as he set a hand on her waist to pull her close. "I'll teach you, if you want. Or maybe mom can, when she comes back." That might be a good way for Valery Noble and Zaiya to form their own bond. There was no one he wanted Zaiya to get along more with than his mother.

"We do look good. We might make a scene just walking down the street. I hope you're ready to really show off."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Interacting with: Aris Noble

The hand settling at her waist sent another warm wash of pink through Zaiya's cheeks, little sparks of aqua-blue shimmering along her mottled stripes as she leaned naturally into him.

"I would like that." Her smile softened at the thought of Valery teaching her. "Both options, actually... would it be better for me to learn it from your mom first, or did you want to try it together to start?"

Zaiya blinked at their reflection, taking in the two of them together before her grin slowly widened. The shimmer of bioluminescent iridescence shone a little brighter now, and the Lovalla turned in his arms, her chin tipping up with utter Zaiya coded playfulness.

"Well, then let's buy these and then we can go wandering about and find some snacks to enjoy? See what foods there are that suit us both?" She offered, the edges of her mottled spots dancing in little happy and excited ribbons of teal and aqua.

"You know what, this reminds me of when we first met, back at the Bazaar." Her hand came up to play with a length of his red hair. It was crimson now, but it had been silvery white back then. They both were so young.

"Do you ever wonder how things would be if we didn't meet up then?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"As much as I would absolutely love to just hog you to myself as much as I can, there's none I think who can teach you better than mom." He quipped, smirking just a bit in that Aris barely smiling way. It shifted to a calmer, warmer smile as he caught her eyes on their reflection. The shimmering colors across her skin, that much more accented by the clothing they wore.

It as always just made him feel that much happier to know he was helping her shine like that.

"Snacks sound good. I hope they have something spicey." Heat was always something he enjoyed. A brow did raise though. He glanced to Zaiya, tilting his head. Genuine thought was given to the last question, the kind that had him silent for a few seconds.

"I don't know. You're too important in my life for me to imagine you not in it."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Interacting with: Aris Noble

"Spicy sounds good. Maybe they have those little fried --" that was when Zaiya stopped, a ripple of colors dancing over her skin as she let Aris's words flow over her again.

You're too important in my life for me to imagine you not in it.

Ever so slowly, her eyes lifted toward Aris.

"Oh." That was all she managed at first. Then a warm pink ripple of red immediately bloomed across her mottled spots, brightening into aqua along the edges as Zaiya stared at him. Then, because apparently her brain had decided this was something requiring careful consideration, her brow furrowed.

"Well... that makes sense." She then immediately flushed and then added, "No, wait. That sounded terrible."

Okay, focus Zaiya, she told herself even as she gave a scrunch of her nose and tried to explain again -- with more pink tinting the irridecence over her mottled spots.

"I mean, I understand what you mean because I cannot really imagine you not being there either. When I think about tomorrow, you're there. Or next year, you're there. Or..." Her colors steadily brightened as the realization caught up with her. "...a lot of years."

Oh. Zaiya blinked -- that was considerably more years than she had intended to admit out loud. Lovalla were long-lived to begin with. Could technically live well past a hundred years. Really, at their fifties they were still considered young...

"...right...." She looked back toward their reflection, flustered and suddenly very interested in adjusting one of her bracelets.

"So. Spicy snacks?" Another beat. "Maybeee several spicy snacks."

Oh no, wait they had to buy these clothes first!

"Opps. No wait. Let me pay for these first!" A great way of trying to avoid being super embarrassed at how silly she sounded.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris watched in a subdued amusement. Subdued by how flustered he himself was, suddenly intensified by the shared feelings they had together. A lot of years. Together. It hadn't crossed his mind what that actually meant more than just what he wanted. What the deeper meaning would be. His neck burned again, shimmering with heat before he could control his own emotions.

That sense of embarrassment kept him from even teasing her further, instead nodding as he glanced to the woman behind the counter. Paying first was good. Then they could get snacks. Lots of snacks.

"Right. Ah- Do you know a good place to get spicy snacks here?"

He went right along with it, trying not to let the burn grow any further.

Zaiya Ceti