Private Time for a break

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Tag: Gatz Derrevar

Valery hadn't told him much in the message that she sent him — she had just asked him to meet her at the Hangar and bring a few things along. Some extra sets of clothes, and swimming equipment/clothes, mostly. For a while now, Gatz had been feeling better in life, but she could tell that he was putting far too much focus on his Jedi training. To the extent where ambition and determination became unhealthy, at least in her opinion. Much like her, he wasn't exactly the type to take some time off, so she had freed up his schedule for him, and arranged a little trip.

Just for a weekend, but it'd hopefully make him realize that life wasn't all about training and duty.

With her own stuff prepped, Valery dumped her bags aboard the shuttle she had decided to take for the few days, and walked back down the ramp. She was still in her Jedi gear for now, but only because she didn't want to walk through the Temple in anything else. This was a serious place of serenity and learning, and even if they'd take the trip from here, she wouldn't disturb that.

All that remained was for Gatz to arrive.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Training Saber
Tag: Valery Noble

His schedule had magically been freed up.

Gatz hadn't been the one to free it up.

One minute, his weekend was full of extra classes in the Healing Halls, tutoring from Corazona von Ascania and Master Amani Serys , and an all-night study session on how the hell to construct a lightsaber. The next, nothing. Literally nothing, except an assignment coming down from Valery herself. Or, rather, an assignment coming down from the Grandmaster.

Gatz didn't think he was anywhere close to ready for active Jedi duty. But who was he to tell the Grandmaster 'no?' More importantly, he would never turn Val away when she asked something of him.

That being said... why the hell was Valery even on an assignment? She was pregnant! She couldn't throw herself into blaster fire! It was something that had his anxiety running rampant. If he had to throw himself in front of a blaster for her... well he wasn't looking forward to the idea, but fine! But he could only pull that off once, before he was corpse trailing smoke. What about after that? How was he supposed to protect his best friend with a bun in her oven after that?

Gatz shook his head. He could grill her about that in a few minutes.

He stepped out onto the landing platform, duffel bag thrown over his shoulder. When he'd learned that Valery had ordered him on this assignment—which she had revealed no details about—he'd made sure to at least get eight hours of rest. But eight hours didn't make up for the month he'd spent passing up full nights of sleep, and meals. He was more exhausted than when Kragan's hunters had been chasing him, and more haggard than that week he'd starved himself.

Cora was right. This was self-destructive. It had to end. He just... didn't know how.

Gatz spotted Valery standing on the ramp of their shuttle. Normally, Gatz would have questioned why a shuttle, and not The Red Night, but he was tired enough to appreciate not having to fly for once. And if he wasn't flying, then they certainly weren't going to take his ship. No one touched the control wheel of his freighter except him—and Briana in the case of an extreme emergency.

"Val," Gatz spoke when he was close enough, an edge of exhaustion in his tone, "I've got a list of grievances for you. And they all have to do with a pregnant woman deciding to be on active duty."

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"Gatz," Valery said in greeting, and already she couldn't really stop herself from smirking just a little. Sure, he looked like crap with those bags under his eyes, and that exhausted walk he had now. But... that would all be over soon, and she was looking forward to seeing him brighten up. At least, as long as the trip had its intended effect, and helped him realize just how important it was to take time off.

This was just one weekend, but the real purpose of it was for him to take time to himself more frequently. It would only benefit his training in the end, and especially his performance out in the field.

"Well, you can get rid of that list, then. We're not going on a mission," Valery said before she stepped forward, and nudged his shoulders to get him to walk inside the ship. "You're doing something that I was once very good at — never taking time off and pressuring myself to keep working and training." She grinned and if she were to successfully shove him onboard, Valery would hit a button to raise the ramp.

"We're going to take a break together. It'll have some activities, but plenty of time to just sit around and do nothing. A perfect chance for you to get some much-needed rest, and it's good for me too."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Training Saber
Tag: Valery Noble

Valery said nothing about the state he was in. That... was entirely unexpected. The last time she'd caught him lacking sleep, and starving, she'd been furious with him. It had led to the biggest fight they'd ever had. And he knew that she cared an inordinate amount about him, so it couldn't be that she had simply... stopped. She'd had ample opportunity to give up on him, or stop giving a damn. So that wasn't it.

So why was she smirking at him? He felt like he'd just been caught in some kind of trap. And then came the reveal, and with it, gentle nudges up the ramp of the shuttle.

"Well if this isn't an assignment, then what are we—"

A 'break?' Valery's smile widened, and she continued to push him onto the shuttle. Gatz didn't resist. For one, he was simply too tired to put up a fight. And, frankly, even pregnant Valery could manhandle him onto the ship if she wanted. So really, what point was there in trying to object?

Valery successfully pushed him into the shuttle proper, and began to close the ramp. Gatz deposited his bag next to what she'd brought along. His fate was sealed, and he always went along with what Valery wanted. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to ask a few questions.

"I don't understand. Where are we going? And should we be taking time off at all? And what are these activities? And should you be doing them?"

He stopped there. He had more questions, and wanted more answers. But heaping them all on Valery wouldn't make it easy for her to actually answer them, and it certainly wouldn't make the process move any faster.

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Tag: Gatz Derrevar

It was a vacation, but she wasn't going to say that aloud until they were inside the ship.

Once they were, it started to click with him, and Valery's grin only widened, even as he began to bombard her with questions. She was expecting them, and she also suspected that he might try to argue against it. But this time around, her stubbornness was going to be far too strong, and he'd learn to enjoy it. No sane person hated a break once they felt what it was really like. Once they were able to forget about their daily worries for a little while.

"The Galaxy will keep spinning if we take a weekend off, Gatz. There are plenty of Jedi to handle things back at the Temple, and training doesn't suffer from small breaks. On the contrary — it will only help," Valery began, and once he put down his bags, she already started guiding him towards the cockpit, like it was settled that they'd be leaving right now.

"We're going to a more relaxing place. I found a hotel there near a beautiful lake, where you can relax or partake in some activities." She then paused, and shot him a bit of a look, "And yes, I can do these things. I'm pregnant, not disabled, and I definitely don't want to feel like I am."

"So, sit down. We're going on a trip."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Valery Noble

"Valery, I don't know if I have time." Gatz protested, but he made no move to lower the ramp or disembark the shuttle, "I'm so behind in everything. Even with Cora helping me catch up, and Master Serys-Organa tutoring me, I'm still light-years behind where I should be. If a topic doesn't involve me hitting something with a laser sword, I'm an utter failure at it!"

Gatz rubbed at his eyes with open palms, and blew out a frustrated breath. Master Serys-Organa had chided him for getting emotional like this. Frustration would do him no good. Gatz knew that. But it was so hard to be anything but. Maybe, with the Chief Healer and Cora helping him, he wasn't drowning anymore, but he was still only barely keeping his head above water.

If he took a break, would he sink again? He was afraid so.

Still, in spite of all of that, Gatz offered no resistance as Valery pushed him toward the cockpit. He trusted Valery more than anyone. And yes, maybe he doubted if this was a good idea or not... but if Val said that it was, if she was sure it was the right move, then he would go along with it.

"Okay," Gatz breathed out a sigh, sitting down in the co-pilot's seat. "I trust you. I... if you think a break is a good idea, I'll go along with it."

Gatz was quiet for a moment, but then he was under Valery's withering glare as she insisted that she wasn't disabled. It wasn't going to stop Gatz from carrying her bags, pulling out chairs for her, or whatever she might need help with. But, maybe if he was clever and smooth, he could pass those things off as just an attempt at being a gentleman.

He leaned back in his seat, waiting for Valery to initiate take off. Before sitting back up, and placing a hand on her arm to stop her.

"Hold on. There's something I need out of my bag."

Gatz stood up with a groan, and sauntered out of the cockpit. He'd brought something along for Valery, though he'd intended to give it to her once their mission was done, and they could afford to focus on something else. But, since there was no real assignment, there was no need to 'focus' on anything. So Gatz stepped in the direction of his bag.

He returned to Valery a moment later, with a small jewelry box wrapped in red paper. Sitting down in the co-pilot's seat once more, Gatz offered it to her.

"I wanted to give you this when I came by with the kids' presents... but it wasn't done yet. Happy Belated Life Day, Val."

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"Do you really think two days will make a difference in your studies? Well, they can, if you use them to get rest. Muscles need time to recover if you train, else you just get weaker, and your brain sometimes needs to shut down, so it can absorb more information the next day." She knew it was ironic for her to say it, having been in his position herself. Not because she felt like she needed to catch up, but she had refused herself to take breaks for her own personal reasons at the time.

It had been nearly self-destructive until a friend forced her to take a step back.

Luckily, it seemed that Gatz did accept her offer for a break, as he sat down in the cockpit. This made her smile, and she quickly reached out to pat his shoulder, "It's not just a break to get rest. It'll be fun," she assured him with a chuckle. There were a lot of different things to do there, so he'd be able to weigh in on what he was feeling like doing.

She wasn't going to push him at all this weekend.

Valery turned back to her instruments and got everything ready for take-off, only to be stopped by him. She blinked and turned to look at him, "Oh?" she watched curiously as he got up and left to grab something. She squinted, noticing that he held something in his hand, but her eyes softened as soon as she saw what it was.

"It's... beautiful," she smiled and brushed over the locket with her finger to activate it. Right now, there was a stock photo being displayed, but she knew the purpose was to store her own pictures on it. Raising it up, Valery put it around her neck, smiled some more, then turned to him for a hug to show her gratitude, "This is really pretty, Gatz, and very useful too. It's not always easy to carry around pictures." She pulled back with a warm smile, but her lips curled into more of a grin.

"I actually have something for you as well, but you're going to have to wait until we get there."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Valery Noble

"I'm not sure I remember what fun is." Gatz admitted. "I... don't remember the last time I really took a break. Before Mom died. Maybe?"

Maybe... this was a good idea after all. What Valery said made sense, logically. Building muscle required time to rest, so why wouldn't the brain need that too? And the amount of reading and bookwork he had to catch up on was overwhelming, but wouldn't it always be overwhelming? Would taking a weekend away really damn his studies that much?

He didn't know. But Cora and Master Serys-Organa would. And if they hadn't protested to Valery clearing up his schedule, then maybe it was fine.

Gatz waited silently, not even breathing, as Valery regarded the present. He'd worried that it might be too much of a danger; that keeping pictures of her family on her might pose as a way for her enemies to identify them. Even though he'd thought of that, and had tried to come up with a clever way to get around it, a part of him still feared that it wouldn't be enough.

But the smile told him that it was enough. And so did the hug, which he was more than content to accept. He sagged into her for a moment—just long enough to let out a sigh and remember that struggling with his Jedi training wasn't the end of the world. Then he let her pull away without any resistance, feeling a little bit better than he had a moment before.

"This is really pretty, Gatz, and very useful too. It's not always easy to carry around pictures."

"It's safe too, or at least, as safe as I could manage," Gatz explained, "it'll only open to your fingerprint. No one else's. And if someone forces it open, it'll delete everything stored on it. No one is going to be able to use it to identify your family. I made sure of that."

Gatz sat back down in his seat, content that Valery had liked his gift. He raised an eyebrow when she mentioned having one for him, though. Wasn't this trip itself a gift? Adding something else to it... she shouldn't be spending that much on him, not after everything she'd done for him. But Gatz kept quiet about that. Voicing his opinion on the matter wouldn't change her mind.

"Well, I suppose I have something to look forward to then." Gatz said instead, with a smile, "get us going then. I want to see if you're capable of flying something this bulky without denting it, or scratching the paint."

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"That's... thank you," She wasn't really sure what else to say, but it came from the heart. The security measures to keep the pictures protected was incredibly clever, and far beyond anything she could hope to made. In the past, she had kept some pictures on her in a mini-projector, but if that had been stolen, people would have had access to plenty of material regarding her family. Now, she felt just a little better about bringing it along.

Especially on missions, where she needed the pictures the most, but was also most likely to lose an item like this. Of course, she was going to do everything in her power not to lose such a special gift.

"I do hope you'll like it," she said with a chuckle, before she turned back to get the ship off the ground... only to turn back to him with a death squint. "I scratched the paint on the Bastion once, and it wasn't my fault." She huffed and safely got them off the ground and up through the atmosphere.

"Next time, we're taking your ship, and I'll be flying." She said it with that stubborn tone that'd refuse argument, and looked back ahead of her with just a little pout. She was a great pilot, in her X-wing mostly, but she could handle bigger ships too. She could even park without any issues.

...usually.

"So, what do you want to do first? We can relax at the lake, go for a walk through town and look at shops and whatever else they have. Or we can do something to get the blood pumping — they have a lot of activities at the lake."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Valery Noble

"You're welcome." He smiled.

Gatz allowed himself some satisfaction, then, in knowing how much his gift meant to Valery. Because he knew that nothing meant as much to her as her children. Nothing. It had been the one anxiety plaguing him as he constructed her locket: that he might be giving her a dangerous gift, and that she might have to reject it in order to protect her family. And he wouldn't have held it against her, not with the many enemies she had.

But he couldn't pretend that it wouldn't have hurt, to try and give her a gift only for it to be refused. But it seemed that, sometimes, things did work out in his favor.

He settled down in his chair comfortably, content with letting Valery prove that she wasn't a disaster of a pilot. He gave her a little shit-eating grin, as she glared at him for poking fun at her. If this was how the rest of the trip was going to be, then Gatz could see himself having a good time. Wow. What a novel idea. Him enjoying something for once. Gatz couldn't even remember what enjoyment felt like.

Naturally, that was when Valery spoke up about flying The Red Night.

"You flying my ship?!" Gatz did something between a snort and chuckle, "that's a good one! The Red Night is piloted by one Captain Gatz Derrevar. And only one Captain Gatz Derevar." And then, in a much quieter, and much faster tone, "and one Briana Sal-Soren because I'm incapable of saying 'no' to her."

He wondered when that was going to bite him in the ass. Blind obedience was neither a good thing, nor in his nature. And yet Briana—and to a similar extent, Valery—had somehow become the exception. That couldn't be good, in the long run. But... it probably wouldn't bite him in the ass today, so why bother worrying about it?

Val then asked about what he wanted to do on their little getaway. And Gatz... drew a blank. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gone to a lake to just... go.

"I... don't know." He admitted, "Kayaking? But this is a break for the both of us, right? We should do stuff that sounds fun to both of us. So what do you want to do?"

A yawn followed that, and Gatz shifted in the co-pilot's seat. It had been a really, really long month. He didn't need to sleep, he just needed to rest his eyes for a bit, that's all. And the seat was comfy. He'd just shut them long enough to...

Gatz didn't even stay awake long enough to hear Valery's answer.

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

​

Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"Hmmm, nope," Valery said with a huff, "I'll be flying it too, whether you like it or not. Don't you trust me, after everything we've gone through?" She batted her eyelashes and flashed a grin his way. Was she guilt tripping him into letting her fly his ship? Absolutely, and she was stubborn about this as well. It wasn't about the Red Night, really, but more about proving him wrong after he poked fun at her flying skills.

Now, she was going to prove that she was right with his ship. Maybe she'd have to find some really tight hangar that was notoriously hard to park in.

He'd love it.

"Kayaking is fun to me," Valery then said with a chuckle. "I'm not someone to just sit still all day. It can be fun, just relaxing somewhere, but mixing it up with some activities never hurts. We can go kayaking, we can go skydiving or anything, really." It was more important that the activities they chose were fun to him — she'd enjoy herself with just about anything. But if this was new to him, his joy was priority.

She was largely doing this because he needed the break, after all.

"That reminds me. Did you bring appropriate clothes and things for this? Otherwise, we'll have to go shop for it there."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Valery Noble

Valery was determined to fly The Red Night. The only true home he had, and the last thing he had of his father. There was a reason he was so against anyone flying it. Even Briana was only allowed to fly it in a worst-case scenario. Because if something happened to it... he would be homeless, and he would lose one more piece of Dad.

He wasn't sure if Valery understood that.

"We'll see," was all Gatz responded with, but they both knew that meant she'd won, "you'll have to butter me up a little better than that though."

And then came sweet unconsciousness. Valery continued on, agreeing to kayaking and even pitching skydiving. If Gatz had been awake, he'd have been happy with the former, and a little nervous about the latter. But a month of four hours of sleep a night had caught up with him, and he snoozed away in the co-pilot's seat as if it was the most comfortable spot in the world.

It was only after Valery asked if he'd packed proper attire for a weekend on the lake, that Gatz finally let out the quietest little snore. He shivered in his chair a little, the cockpit of their shuttle being colder than he was used to—or, rather, colder because he was used to wearing a leather jacket year-round. He looked a little small, and a little unhealthy. The bags under his eyes were even more apparent when they were closed, and the pallor of his skin was just a hint too pale.

An unvoiced question hung in the air: if not for Valery's intervention, how long until he would have collapsed from exhaustion?

Of course, Gatz was pondering none of these things, not in his sleep. His dream were pleasant, for once, and filled with imaginary women in bikinis that were just a little too small to be appropriate. Some of these imaginary women were women he knew, but he'd never tell who. And if he were awake, Gatz would have averted his eyes out of respect. Some of them would smack him if he didn't.

In his dreams he could get away with a little more, though. And so that was how Gatz spent his time on the way to whatever planet Valery was taking him to: asleep, with less-than-appropriate fantasies filling his head.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Tag: Gatz Derrevar

Slowly, Valery's finger inched closer, until she poked his forehead.

"Wake up," she said, her voice just snappy enough to hopefully wake him from his slumber.

After discussing her determination to fly his ship at some point, Valery had rambled on about things to do, unaware that he had fallen asleep at some point. Whether he had caught anything she said or nothing at all eluded her, but it didn't matter. In any other situation, she may have thought it rude for someone to just doze off in the middle of conversation, but she knew of Gatz's situation. It's why he was here in the first place, on his way to some faraway planet to relax.

His sleep was a sacred thing now, and the only reason she had chosen to disturb it, was because they had already landed. The ship's engines had powered down, the ramp had lowered itself against the Hangar floor, and Valery had already grabbed her bags to get up and moving.

Now, she just needed to get him moving.

"We'll check in at the hotel first, and drop off our stuff. You'll have your own luxury room with a view across the lake, and so will I." It had increased expenses a little, for sure, but Valery honestly didn't care. Even for her, breaks like this weren't the most common, so when she did have the time for it, she wanted to make the most of it.

"Come on, you can sleep more in your room, if you'd like. Or by the lake." She chuckled and tightened the strap of her backpack a little, before she turned around and walked over to the door, where she waited for him to join her.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Valery Noble

Gatz was right at the good part of his dream, where the "imaginary" women were peeling off their bikinis, when there was a jolt to his forehead and the snap of a voice in his ear.

His eyes snapped open, wild with panic, and he drew in a sharp breath. His hand slapped down against an empty holster, searching for a blaster that had been destroyed months ago and never replaced. His head, on a swivel, spun to look at whoever was standing above him—and only then did he realize where he was, and who was rousing him.

This wasn't Nar Shaddaa, and he wasn't being woken up by one of Kragan's hunters. He was safely on a Jedi shuttle, with his best friend prodding him back to consciousness. Gatz let out the sharp breath he'd drawn, and panted for a few seconds as the fear left him. No one was trying to kill him. No one could—Valery's side was the safest place in the galaxy, even when she was visibly pregnant.

"Holy shit you scared me," Gatz let out a shaky breath, but he didn't really sound upset, "are we here?"

But one look out the cockpit told Gatz that they were. So before he'd even gotten an answer, he moved to gather his duffel bag. He yawned, doing his best to shake off his grogginess. The nap was nice, and it was certain to give him that little boost of energy he needed for the rest of the day, but the haze of exhaustion still clung to him for the moment. Hopefully, stretching and moving would work his body into a waking state.

"Come on, you can sleep more in your room, if you'd like. Or by the lake."

"Snoozing on the lakeshore for a bit does sound nice..."

Maybe during a little sunbathing. Just enough to refresh himself, and then they could move onto more fun things, like exploring the shops and kayaking and whatever Valery had filled their itinerary with. It was early in the morning. They had time for leisure.

As he followed her in the direction of the hotel, Gatz noticed that Valery was carrying her own luggage.

"Val, give me your bags. If you're footing the bill, the least I can do is carry your stuff."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"Clearly," Valery said with a slight tilt of her head when he woke up and seemed startled. He must have been fast asleep to have woken this abruptly, which made her feel a little bad. But at the same time, if they checked into the hotel, he'd have a few days to catch up on his sleep and get some proper rest.

It'd be nicer than sleeping in a chair here inside the shuttle.

"We're here, yeah. I reserved a parking spot close to the Hotel, so we don't have to drag around our stuff for miles." She grinned a little and started walking towards the ramp, only to come to a stop when he offered to handle her luggage. She turned, squinted at first, but then let out a soft sigh. A part of her — a big part — wanted to stubbornly refuse and carry her own stuff. But she knew why he offered it, so she handed over a dufflebag.

"You can take this one, but I'll carry my own backpack. You don't have two backs and not enough arms for it." Besides, it was easier for her to carry it on her back, than have him try to awkwardly carry it with an already occupied hand. He was also still tired, and while pregnant, Valery felt perfectly fit.

Stepping outside, Valery looked up at the blue sky and smiled, "The weather is great today, so relaxing by the lake it is. Just don't get yourself sunburned, please." She grinned a little and walked up towards the Hotel with him in tow.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Valery Noble

"Sorry." Gatz apologized again, "ever since Kragan and his hunters... I just expect danger when someone wakes me up."

Gatz waited for Valery to hand him her bags. She compromised, and handed over only the larger duffel bag. For a moment, Gatz thought about pushing her buttons, and demanding the backpack too. But, frankly, he was surprised that she'd given him even one of her bags without a fight. And her backpack really wasn't all that big, and she was already wearing it, so... Gatz decided it wasn't worth bickering over.

This time.

"For full transparency: this has nothing to do with you being pregnant." It had everything to do with her being pregnant. "I'm... just trying to treat a lady properly."

The weather was nice, like Valery said. Early enough that it was still cool, but the sun peeking over the trees promised a day warm enough for lake activities. Two steps out onto the planet and Gatz already felt a weight lift off his shoulders. This... wasn't a trick (well, it was, but the good kind) or a dream. He was actually going to spend a few days doing absolutely nothing of importance.

Just relaxing with his best friend in the galaxy. Who promptly reminded him of the importance of sunscreen.

"Right. I'm, like, ninety percent scar tissue at this point, and scar tissue burns way easier than normal skin." Gatz blinked, "I... don't think I thought to pack any, though."

Eh, there were shops around for that sort of thing, so Gatz didn't focus too much on it. Instead, he just quietly trailed behind Valery as they approached the front desk, and got the keys for their rooms. Which he was oddly excited to see. Valery had said they were luxury rooms, with full view of the lake. But what did this place consider 'luxury?'

Gatz supposed he was about to find out.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"Uh-huh," Valery replied, totally convinced that it was because of him being a gentleman. She just shook her head, smirked and decided not to poke further than that. Only because he wasn't trying to argue against her carrying her own backpack. If he had, he would have had to face the full might of her stubbornness.

Together with Gatz, Valery then entered the Hotel and walked up to the front desk. She handed over her documents, waited for Gatz to do the same, and turned to him again while they waited for administration to check them into their respective rooms. It gave her just a little bit of time to raise the problem known as the sun.

He wasn't just scar tissue — he looked fairly pale in general.

"I brought plenty, so you I'll give you some sunscreen. If you're going to sleep on the beach, though, I also suggest keeping something on. Maybe a hat too, or we can set up a parasol." It perhaps sounded a like it was a little much, but sunburn was a huge pain in the ass and would ruin a lot of the fun.

It'd probably make it hard to sleep at night as well.

The woman at the front desk finally returned to offer them their keys, and Valery handed him his own. "Let's drop off our stuff, and get going, hm?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Valery Noble

"Totally because I'm a gentleman." Gatz fibbed, "you know me: scoundrel, smuggler, Hutt scum, and classy gentleman."

They got their keys, and the directions to their hotel rooms. And while they got checked in, Valery made sure to nag him about the necessity of protecting his delicate skin from the malicious rays of an alien sun. Gatz didn't mind though. He just smiled and took it in stride, because it was nice that someone in the galaxy gave a damn about him. Anyone else would have just let him burn, probably.

Well, maybe not Briana or Cora. They'd nag just as well as their master, who they'd learned the skill from. But it was nice to have someone care all the same.

"A hat would obscure too much of my pretty head," Gatz grinned, "but I don't think setting up a parasol should be any trouble."

Gatz followed Valery as she lead them to their rooms. He didn't know what to expect from a luxury resort on an alien world, so he decided not to expect anything at all. He'd long since learned that life was usually less disappointing that way. And, frankly, he wasn't being charged a dime. Valery could have gotten them a room with mold and rats and he wouldn't have had any room to complain about it.

He stopped in front of his door, which seemed to be right across the hall from Valery's.

"So, lake first then? If so, I'm gonna need a minute to change into proper beach attire. Can't expect you ladies to swoon over me if I'm wearing jeans on the lake."

Well, actually, he could. He was a pretty man, god dammit, no matter what he wore. Even pale and slightly thinner than he usually was, and even with bags under his eyes.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Tag: Gatz Derrevar

Valery rolled her eyes, "I said if you were going to sleep by the lake, but fine. A parasol should hopefully be enough." If he did get himself sunburned despite her warnings, though, she was probably going to yell at him. He likely knew this, so she hoped it'd scare him enough to be mindful of precautions. This break was only a few days, so she didn't want it to get ruined by something that could have been prevented.

She wanted this to be a relaxing time, so that he'd perhaps consider taking more breaks in the future. Either on his own, or with friends — whichever he needed to feel well-rested.

The two stopped in front of the doors to their rooms, and Valery took back her luggage from him. She held the bag over her shoulder and nodded, "We'll go to the lake first, but before we go..." She zipped open the bag and pulled out the neatly wrapped gift she had promised him. It felt softer than a box would have been, but it was sturdy too.

"Open it up," Valery said with a grin.

She knew that his choice to be a Jedi meant that he was often wearing different things, but the classic red leather jacket was something she still strongly associated with him. So, she had done her best to find a matching one, figured out the right size, and ordered him not one, but two jackets.

Just in case.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Valery Noble

If he sunburned himself, Valery was going to yell at him.

"I'll be fiiine." Gatz insisted, "I'll set up the parasol, and put on some sunscreen. I promise."

Mostly because she wouldn't stop nagging him if he didn't. But, again, Gatz really didn't mind that. He'd spent most of his adult life on his own, with no one beyond Klein and Mom caring if anything happened to him, and they'd been back on Naboo. Actually having someone give a damn... it was nice, even if it was only a brief thing that would disappear again after this weekend.

He had what he had, while he had it. He'd hold onto what he could, while he could.

Valery took her bag back from him, which Gatz didn't fight her on. She was at the door to her room after all. But before she could step into it, she turned to him and unzipped the duffel, and pulled out a... well, it was a wrapped something. Gatz set down his own duffel bag to hold it. It wasn't solid, but there was a firmness to it.

He pulled the wrapping paper away, revealing red leather, and silent tears began to stream down his face.

Because when was the last time someone had gotten him a gift? He'd had birthdays as a kid, but by the time Dad had passed, Mom had been bedridden and in and out of the hospital. Not at all in a state to go out shopping for him. Klein had taken him out to dinner whenever he was in town, which Gatz certainly appreciated but... but a gift was different.

Seven years, Gatz concluded.

Gatz didn't tackle Valery in a hug, per se, because he was overly cautious of her pregnancy. But he did hug her very fiercely, and very tightly, and he hoped that got his point across.

"Thank you," he forced past the lump in his throat and the little sniffles he couldn't hold back, "I... thank you."