Private Thousand Fountains

[Iris Arani]

She'd actually been there a couple times, but never thought much on it. Not the name, anyway. But then Eli mentioned wanting to go, and she pretty quickly realized what it was. Felt a little weird to be sneaking him in, but he was a Jedi still, so it wasn't anything too bad, right? And she pretty well understood how much it sucked to be told by others your limits. Even if they were important, given her injuries once upon a time. Or Eli's state from being in a coma.

Didn't matter. Iris flashed him a brief smile as she lead the way through the halls, doing her best to avoid anyone who might get too curious for his sake.

"So.. Have you been here before?"

Lief

 

[Lief]

Confined to his hover chair, Eliphas felt for sure they'd be busted. It had been a silly request in truth, coming to the heart of the Jedi Order where several he knew could be found, but maybe that was part of the appeal. Daring recklessness had never been his MO before, if anything he'd been timid and fretful. Definitely fit the baby nickname Starlin Rand had taken to using with him. But there was something to be said about facing death twice in quick succession.​

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Or perhaps it was more the downtime he'd been forced to endure.​

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It left him wanting... Something more.​

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"Once or twice" he said of the Room of a Thousand Fountains, "Before Starlin became my Master, they'd send me here to meditate." He frowned a little, and glanced over toward Iris. "I uh... Wasn't particularly good at that. I don't think they liked me much." He chuckled at the memory of being kicked out of the session when Starlin spammed his comms. "Once we're inside, I doubt anyone could find us..."​

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It was a huge space after all, sprawling with water and greenery on multiple levels. A slice of paradise within the duracrete ecumenopolis.​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"They don't like me. I've tagged a couple of these walls when I first came to the temple." Ah the days before she realized just how bad tagging actually was. Not that the caretakers of the Fountains were that understanding of. In a way she felt bad that Valery Noble had to handle such.. Mistakes on her part. A nervous sort of smile took over her face as she raised a hand to wave towards one particularly glaring caretaker.

"No paint, promise."

They huffed before looking back to the plant they were tending.

"Oh? Got any dastardly plans for when we get lost, then?" Once they were past she couldn't help but flash a grin his way. "I do actually have paint. Shh."

Lief

 

[Lief]

The idea of Iris being so bold as to tag the interior walls of the Jedi Temple was so far fetched and mesmerizing that he couldn't help but laugh. "Daring" he said, with a soft shake of his head. "What'd you paint?" No doubt it had long since been cleaned up, but all the same envisioning it seemed appealing.​

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They slipped through the Temple undisturbed, and then they were across the threshold and within that oasis. Iris gained the ireful glare of one of the custodians, no doubt someone she'd run into in her past tagging spree, but no one looked his way and for that he was most relieved. Eliphas was left feeling as though he could breathe freely. And what a wonderful feeling that was.​

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He bit down on his lip when she promised no paint, and had to physically hold back a snicker when she revealed to him soon after that she had in fact brought some. He didn't want to draw attention to them, the last thing he needed was to get Iris in trouble, but Empress was it nice to feel alive again. Even if he was living vicariously through Iris' actions.​

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"When we get lost... I love your optimism." It was probably inevitable though, wasn't it? Eliphas was a star-facing navigator, he wasn't so good when it came to mapping out the ground. He led the way for a short while, allowing them to disappear into the greenery where none could snoop, then drew the hover chair to a halt. A little stream fed from a pool at the base of a fountain, and flowers grew this way and that, vining up the columns which held the roof aloft.​

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"Did you bring something to paint on?" he asked curiously. It had been way too long since he'd been able to do anything even remotely artistic.​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"I'm always lost. Makes it more fun when I do find something."

That was her secret. Had nothing to with the fact she had the sense of direction of a rock and often always got lost whenever she went out to town. Domxite was the one who helped her find her way for the longest time. Not that it mattered now. She glanced around the little area, smiling softly. Then abruptly plopped down to pick about her bag for the art supplies she mentioned before. Paint for sure, and a couple canvases.

"Mm. I make sure to bring some with me now, since painting on walls is actually y'know, a crime. Usually."

Lief

 

[Lief]

So Iris wasn't the best at finding her way around either, huh? Well, what a hopeless pair they made. He hoped they'd never be put together for something actually important that required a sense of direction. Maybe he'd brush up on his map reading skills... After all, he did have all the time in the world these days didn't he?​

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Iris seemed satisfied with the location he'd picked, and plopped herself down to begin pulling out various supplies. Eliphas watched her for a moment, before carefully stepping free from the hover chair. One hand continued to clutch at it for support, his legs wobbled and wavered, but it wasn't as though he was looking to actually walk. He could manage a few steps these days, but he didn't want Iris to see him crumpling at the end of those, the way he knew he would.​

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Instead he joined her in the grass, hands happily running through the individual blades. Soft and delicate... He beamed in delight.​

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"Could I maybe borrow some?" he asked, "I didn't even think to pack any." Well, that was only half true. He didn't actually own any at the moment, hadn't exactly had the chance to go shopping.​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Huh? .. Oh. Yeah. That's why I took out a couple." She snickered a little, glancing his way before offering him one of the canvases. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment though, the smile slowly fading as she looked back to her own. And just.. Stared. Didn't color anything yet, didn't reach for any colors.

"I haven't really panted in a while. Feels kinda weird to just.. Sit here, painting."

Lief

 

[Lief]

"Oh..." He blushed, and reached for one of the canvases, "Well thank you, that was sweet of you 'ris." Eliphas could empathize entirely with her state of uncertainty as she stared at a blank canvas and wondered where to even begin. It had been a long time for him too, but at least he hadn't been conscious for most of it. In that sense it wasn't so long ago, right?​

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"Well... Maybe just, uh... Don't think about it?" To emphasize his point, Eliphas took up a brush and a random tube of paint and simply dolloped a few small splatters onto his canvas. "There, now it's not just some blank page." Of course it meant he had to work around the blue he'd squeezed out. Blue, blue, blue... He could paint an underwater scene but that was a little cliché.​

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When it came to painting, things didn't have to remain their typical colours though did they?​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Feel, don't think."

She hummed in thought, muttering the age old proverb in an absentminded sort of way. She'd said it before, a couple times. To a couple different people. Ironically about painting of all things. Gave her a bit of a chuckle, though she didn't linger on it. Instead she reached down, grabbed a random color tube, and just let it drip down a couple times. Green. Then the brush, the slow strokes of paint, layer after layer. In a second she was gone, drifting off as she added different shades and colors to the canvas, letting her feeligns guide her rather than anything else.

Lief

 

[Lief]

His ham-fisted idea seemed to do the trick, and quite unexpectedly she followed his lead and splotched paint onto her own canvas too. It hadn't been what he had intended, but it made him beam all the same. "There you go, Sunshine," he said, unintentionally reigniting the old name he'd used for her forever ago now.​

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Iris was gone as quickly as the paint had fallen, lost within her own world, and for a moment he simply watched her with an easy smile. Then he remembered he had a canvas of his own to work on, and if he didn't act fast some of the blue would start to crust up. That wouldn't be much fun to work with now would it?​

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He brought the brush down and spread it around a little, before glancing between the various other paints on offer. All at once he made a rather bold decision to limit his colour palette, opting instead to stick with varying hues of blue. With each stroke his focus grew, until his tongue was sticking out in deep concentration. Every now and then he lifted his head to check on Iris. He knew better than to interrupt her muse with senseless words, but watching her work was always a pleasure.​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

'Sunshine'.

It was the only word that cut through her focus. She blinked, not looking from the canvas. Rather, she took it as inspiration. The greens shifted to different hues and colors, shifting full to a sunrise over a grassy field. Not abstract either. Detailed to every blade of grass with practiced ease. A drawing she made early on, but hadn't touched in so much longer. It wasn't until she was finished that she looked up and glanced to Eli.

With his tongue out in focus.

She bit back a laugh as she watched him, glancing briefly towards his painting.

"So.. What'r you drawing?"

Lief

 

[Lief]

Time drifted on and soon he was just as invested as she seemed to be, trapped in a box formed of his own muse. He still looked up to snatch glimpses of her, but they were more fleeting. Seemed to be focused more on ensuring she was okay than actively watching her process by the end. Old habits, and all of that.​

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When she tried to spy a glance she'd see just a flash of blue before he tipped the canvas up toward him to hide it from her view. "Hey, no peeking. It's a surprise..." His cheeks flushed red, and then it was he who was trying to peek. "Wait, are you already done?" He chewed on his lip thoughtfully, then shook his head. A chuckle soon followed. "Damn, you're as fast as the speed of light too huh?"​

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Definitely well deserving of the name he'd chosen.​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"I can be, yeah."

She smiled, though now she was filled with all kinds of curiosity at just what he was painting. A curiosity she stamped down in favor of just resting her cheek on her paint stained hands and just.. Watched him. Smiled. This was nice. Like before.

".. I really missed you, you know."

Lief

 

[Lief]

As he fell under her curious gaze, his cheeks burned all the more pink.​

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"Never noticed how distracting you could be, before," he mumbled, before another - admittedly more sheepish - chuckle escaped him. He continued to work even with her watching, and soon his tongue was lolling again. ​

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Her next few words drew his attention squarely back to her. "I missed you too, 'ris." For a moment he pondered on the time they'd missed, and the time he'd spent awake longing for company that was as carefree and easy to navigate as their friendship. It felt.. natural. None of the silence ever felt unnerving or odd. He could be himself with her.​

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"A lot happened while I was gone, huh?" He scratched his cheek with the back of his paintbrush, then worked on another few strokes. "How have things with you been? Seriously... I want to know." Not just a simple 'Fine', or 'Okay'. He hoped she'd share a little something with him.​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"There's.. So much." To explain it all was probably something she'd have to go over more than once. On more than one occasion. Right now, though? Her smile dipped as she closed her eyes. Good, bad. Everything.

"On Teta I saw Carnifex. He.. Marked me? I'm not sure what he did, but it sent me into a coma for a couple days and then.. Nightmares. Endless nightmares. Of him wanting me to kill myself. Tormenting me. It was.. It was terrible. I gave in at one point. Domxite saved me, but.. I tried to handle it by myself and it was terrible. Master Noble helped me. Brought me to Voss to eliminate Carnifex from my mind. I'm doing so much better now. But for a while I was just.. Alone by my own choice."

Lief

 

[Lief]

It sounded as though she'd been through hell. She'd also been put into a coma, and had spent so much time isolated as a result of... Carnifex? Eliphas didn't know who that was, nor did he feel the need to pry. No one good, that was for sure. Teta had been mentioned too, but he wasn't quite ready to tackle that mountain.​

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So instead he reached out, and gently settled a hand upon her shoulder.​

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"You're not alone now, Iris. You need never be alone again..." He lowered the canvas, no longer focused on painting, and offered her an encouraging smile. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, but if ever you need me from now on... I'll be there, okay?" ​

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The image he'd painted was now on full display, a blue scene that depicted a woman amidst snow and revelry, almost-white blue lights casting her in an icy radiance. Despite the cool colours, it still felt rather warm to look upon. He didn't draw attention to it or speak on it though, it wasn't anywhere near the forefront of his mind.​

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"I'm glad Master Noble was there."​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

"I.. Know." She gave a soft smile, opened her eyes to glance his way again as he set a hand on her shoulder. This. This she missed. Feeling safe around someone. For a while she felt safe around Kai, until.. Yeah. That was another thing to tell him about, though she wasn't sure she wanted to talk about it right now. There was enough just talking about what happened with Carnifex.

"I am too. She's the closest thing I've ever had to knowing a mother."

Lief

 

[Lief]

He gave her shoulder the gentlest of squeezes, before letting go so as not to be... overbearing. The little river nearby was a nice audible distraction, and he turned his attention toward it thoughtfully. That Iris saw Valery as a mother figure seemed to make sense, though with Eliphas it was more like Starlin was a goofy big brother. Probably intentional, he doubted he wanted to be seen as anything close to a paternal figure.​

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"Are you hungry, 'ris?" he asked, giving her a way out of the conversation at hand should it have gotten too heavy, "I brought snacks and things..." He might have forgotten artsy things, but he'd be a fool to go far without his beloved pudding cups. Meanwhile in his mind he was trying to think of a suitable way to thank Master Noble...​

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Iris Arani ​

 

[Iris Arani]

".. Yeah. I am hungry." She spoke like she was surprised. Which, she was. As per usual she lost herself so much in the art she didn't even realize how hungry she'd gotten. There was so much more to tell him, but.. Not yet.

Little by little would be the best, right?

"What'd you bring?"

Lief

 

[Lief]

He couldn't help but smile lopsidedly. Good ole Iris, so focused on her work that she blocked out the receptors in her body which yelled at her to give her sustenance. Eliphas understood how that could be of course, though as of late his body had been nagging so loudly that it was deafening. Impossible to ignore.​

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Like now, for instance.​

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"I have pudding" he said with a grin, pulling out a couple of pudding cups and a spoon from the pack he'd brought with him. It hung off the side of his chair. "Some spiced warra nuts..." Hey, he was trying to vary his diet. Even if nothing quite sat right within him like the pudding did. "and some Reythan crackers." One by one he pulled them out in their sealed packaging, and then he pulled a couple of pieces of fruit out for good measure. A Mandalorian Orange, and a Shuura.​

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"Oh" he added, with a bright grin, "And some juice... Though, I forgot to bring cups..."​

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Iris Arani ​