Together Again - A Wonderful Life [Shmi]

[Josh Dragovalor]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

He had to admit, even if he was used to being out in the galaxy for long periods of time, the amount of time that had gone by had caused him to miss her dearly, far more then before...

Shmi Labooda had gone on to some sort of business, and he hadn't seen nor heard from the woman that he loved since. In the meantime, Josh had buried himself in his work, just doing all that he knew how to do. Perhaps part of it was to forget, as the time went on, that Shmi had yet to return.

Months had gone by. Sure, it was only a handful of months, but for him, it felt much longer. Josh had stopped by headquarters to check up on things. Pursuits weren't going well, and the faction was... Well, honestly, all one had to do was look. He'd deigned to at least check up on things here and there between missions until Shmi returned to make a decision on it all herself. It was her responsibility, after all, and he wouldn't dare mess with her work and her responsibility without her say-so.

Still, without word, he had begun to wonder of her demise. Sure, no thought of infidelity crossed his mind, but after being burned by death of a lover before, he began to wonder if she was still around... But yet, he still kept hope alive.

Golden-blonde hair was moved from his eyes as Josh jotted down a few notes at headquarters, before peering out the window. The same view they'd been watching through when they decided to tell one another the truth of what lay in their heads about one another.

It was... Strange. Bitter, more then sweet, that he watched through it alone. The Jedi Master closed his eyes, letting out an exasperated breath.

 

[Tarrlok]

She'd spent months away, numerous conflicts on the edge of unknown space had led to what seemed like a never ending siege. Yes, she had seen many battles in her day but none like the last few engagements she participated in...The things she saw struck her at the core and she knew the first day she would return a different person if she had at all.

The men and fellow knights she'd set out with, she didn't return with even half and that crushed her morale as a leader. They were unprepared but managed to return back to headquarters. However, what they came back to was more stress, as battered and tired as she was she had piles of work and issues to handle and just then she withdrew into herself.

She stood in a briefing...not even hours from un-boarding from her voyage she was called in by the heads who wanted to immediately get to work on the things they needed to get done. In a tight room she stood with a white halter top that displayed some of her bruises, scrapes, and bandages and slim black cargo pants that hugged her legs and combat boots. Her hair was held up into a bun with a few strands on each side of her face. The room was dark, but the holo images forced her skin to glow a blue hue. Everyone talked, but she remained there with her eyes closed in deep thought. The words were jumbled and didn't stick; she couldn't concentrate.

News of her return was surely to spread, and it seemed people were seeking her out, so it was true that one person in particular would be running into her soon. She knew that and she felt his presence on the ship, she dreaded the moment so she didn't say anything. She figured once the news spread he would find her without a doubt...and that gave her anxiety. If she could feel him the he could feel her too.

"I...I need to think about some things, just send me the reports...please." she said softly, while she walked out of the room. When the door closed behind her, she leaned against the wall and took a deep breath and released before making slow strides down the corridor.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

It didn't take long for them to run into one another indeed. Josh had decided to wander, he could sense her, and yet... He didn't know if it was true. He thought that perhaps... He was just imagining it. Perhaps it was just him wanting so badly to see her, that fooled his senses. But the more he walked, the stronger that her presence felt. He tried to push it aside, dismiss it as him simply imagining things, but he did want to hold out hope...

And yet, when they did finally collide, he said nothing. He could see, and feel it, a sadness, a great dismay in her presence, just in every fiber of her being... He gently brushed against her, and stopped when she collided with his taller form. He still didn't speak. He stared at her, for a moment, as if processing that this wasn't a dream... This was real...

He still didn't speak. Instead... He simply wrapped his arms around her. Pulled her into a close, tight embrace... It was all he could do, he didn't know if he had the words... But all he wanted to do in that moment was comfort her. He was sure he'd hear reports of her long mission in time... For now, he just wanted to be there for, and with her...

Words would finally find him. Nothing business-related... Just... Josh things.

"... Have you grown more beautiful in your time away? Or are my eyes just playing tricks on me?"

And for the first time in a long time, he really, truly smiled...

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

 

[Tarrlok]

She just so happened to look down when she was coming to an intersection and when she did she saw the legs and feet of someone she would bump into but was too far into the action in order to prevent it completely, her hands came up as she collided with a more sturdy and muscular frame. She slowly looked up and saw Josh...

She didn't say a word either...she couldn't. Part of her longed for him but since she returned she didn't want to see him; it wasn't because she didn't love him but...She knew he was deconstructing her emotionally with his gaze, he knew what state she was in and only he could tell. Her mouth started to part as if words were going to slip through her lips but then his touch. He reached out for her and pulled her into him, she allowed it to happen. She could only sigh slightly as she was sore, her hands tensed on his arms but came to relax and then they traced the length of his arms until they rested on his hands.

"Hi Josh..." she said at almost a whisper, she was near his ear so he would hear either way.

She felt...anything other than beautiful. "You think I'm beautiful? Even now? I look and feel terrible..." She said digging her face into his shoulder.

She knew he knew something was wrong.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

He didn't care if she looked terrible, all he cared about was that she was here. With him. And after months apart, they finally had a moment together... Wounds would heal, both physical and emotional... They had time for that. He'd just returned from mission himself, he was no picture perfect definition of health. But it didn't matter. She was here, after so long. That was all that mattered...

"Hey Shmi" He would whisper back, just allowing her to dig herself into him, just happy to hold her in his embrace for as long as he could. He knew something was wrong, he knew before they had even run into one another. But they would get to that. Again... They had time. He was just glad she was here, glad she was alive... He'd been worried sick, but he tried not to let it show. But then again... She knew him well. Maybe not entirely, Josh still kept himself reserved at times... But he didn't leave too many barriers up when it came to Shmi.

To her question, he would merely smile in turn.

"You've always been beautiful in my eyes. And nothing can possibly change that."

He would place a playful little peck on her nose, before allowing her to dig her face into his shoulder.

After a little while, just staying that way... He would pull back a little, but held her hands as he looked her in the eyes.

"Have you finished your meetings and briefings for today?" Josh would inquire, tilting his head. "I've done my share, so I was thinking of shooting off. But... We have a lot of catching up to do, so..."

He took a breath, then smiled again.

"Remember that promise I made?"

 

[Tarrlok]

She titled her head and began a slight nod, "Well I left...I couldn't focus, but for the most part yeah." she said forming a smirk.

"Promise?" Was he referring to what she thought he was referring to? She would feel terrible if she forgot something really important, it wouldn't have been on purpose it was just...

"What Promise?" She said inquiring.

Josh did look great, and she knew that he wasn't just sitting idly while she was away. Even seemed a tad bit more muscular though he always had a nice physique. Perhaps it was just not being around him as often as she use to be, they were just getting back into the swing of it. She was just glad she was attractive enough even now when she felt like crap.

In her peripheral vision she noticed a silhouette of a very small child, seemingly facing their direction. She squinted her eyes and peeked around Josh to look closer but it wasn't there anymore...She squinted her eyes and face Josh again.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Well, that'll have to do" The golden blonde-haired Jedi Master would tease toward her, with a slight smirk accompanying a light chuckle soon after. She didn't seem to remember the promise though... But he was referring to the one that he had made back at the amusement park they had gone to during their last date, shortly before she had gone on mission and soon after disappeared. Man, he knew it'd been a few months, but by her reaction to it all, he'd figured she would have remembered... Disappointed or not, he'd shake it off, she'd been through a lot, after all.

"Well, I was thinking of, uh... Heading home. Back to Naboo. I haven't been home in quite some time, and I've been on mission after mission without much reprieve the last few months, so I figured I'd head back to let my body rest. And I figured if we were to do some catching up, alone... I figured... You know, maybe you'd like to come with me? I -did- promise I'd bring you one day, after all" He spoke softly, removing a hand to scratch his head a moment, a gentle blush spread across his cheeks as he chuckled a tad nervously.

Damnit, he was a mid-20 year old man, and he was still blushing like he was in grade school! Wait, he'd never been to grade school!

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

 

[Tarrlok]

Look at that, she was skipping out on meetings to go rendezvous with her lover...that's the type of influence Joshua had over her. No, not really but thats how it looked, neither of them cared though it was a long overdue meeting. When he smirked, it forced one out of her as well because she missed his smile and the way he would tease her, something he did since the day they met.

"Back to Naboo?" She said to herself in her head, so she was right. Of course she remembered, it was a conversation they had on their first real date before she was sent out on business. For some reason she was just drawing a blank.

"Yes I remember...and of course I'd like to go home with you." She realized what she said, her cheeks turned slightly red "I...mean yeah our bodies should get some rest. I'd want nothing more than to see your home Josh."

She was scared as crap of Josh now...part of her was in love with him but since she got back she wasn't sure if she wanted him to be as close to her as they were before...She'd just seen so much end up lost and it was really starting to overwhelm her. She figured she'd go with him so they could really see, so she could really see if she wanted to reciprocate their bond.

"When do we leave?"

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

I mean, she'd said she had left her meeting and didn't seem to be planning to go to the next one today anyway, so he didn't really feel all that bad about skipping her meetings and heading to Naboo. Though the way she worded her response brought a chuckle out of him, noting the red that spread across her cheeks. "You're adorable" He teased, grinning in turn, as his confidence slowly began to return. His own blush was still there, but he'd regained his confidence quickly when he found his stride again.

He was curious as to what was on her mind, what she was thinking... But perhaps he would get an idea of it once they were at the house. But for now, they'd best get going.

"I'm ready to head out whenever you are" He spoke softly, smiling as he would gently squeeze her hands in support.

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

 

[Tarrlok]

"My stuff is still packed up, can we leave now? Please..." She said sort of begging. Rather than cramming herself in her rough bed all day and ignoring the buzzing and ringing that would likely persist all week, she would rather be away somewhere more peaceful in the company of Josh rekindling their relationship. Just for a second she wanted noting to do with work...and this was the perfect option to be away for days if she needed to.

For the most part she recalled their date, it was one of the most precious times she ever really shared with someone. Most wouldn't know that Josh is more than just someone she carries love for, he was her best friend and she hadn't anyone since before she met him. She wanted to see his home, it felt like another step for them.

But she would try her hardest not to show the distance she was putting between them. He was likely to bring it up, especially if they were going to be alone but she didn't know what to say just yet. All she could do was smile at him when he squeezed her hands.

"Please...by all means steal me for the whole week."

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Well, she was certainly eager to get going. He had to wonder why? She hadn't been at HQ for months, had been quick to get out of the meetings, and now wanted to get out of here immediately. Just what had happened during her trip? Where was her head at? All of these questions filled his his as he merely squeezed her hands and smiled toward her request.

"That could be arranged. I disappear so much, they don't tend to look for me anyway" Josh would half-joke with a cheeky smirk, before releasing one of her hands as he would begin walking, still holding her by the other. "We can grab what you've packed then and get going straight away. The Dragon should be all re-fueled by now, so I'm ready to head out whenever" Josh would remark as they walked. He'd noted the distance she'd put, but.... Well, how did he bring it up?

He supposed he'd just have to figure it out in time.

Eventually, they would find the hanger, and Josh would release her hand, welcoming her to grab her things and join him when she was ready as he would head up the ramp and into the ship (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Defender-class_light_corvette) that he called his own.

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

 

[Tarrlok]

She watched him as he smiled at her and released her hand. All she could was watch him, most time she did that anyway...she would just observe him just because she liked to. She wondered if he ever noticed that she would stare at him, even when she didn't realize she was doing it. He just had the brownest eyes that could pull you in and see beyond his warrior exterior...at least she could. His blonde hair...just highlighted everything else and she wanted to run her hands through it...I mean the texture was better than her own.

"I'll meet you over there."

She smirked and walked in the opposite direction to gather her things which she was sure wasn't completely unloaded from the transport she took back. She began to make moderate strides in the direction of her things, bringing her left arm up and rubbing her neck with her hand as she was still slightly sore.

She nodded to a few others who caught her gaze, people she had the pleasure of working with here and there. She noticed her things were some of the few cases that had been set out already so she promptly grabbed them before the could be loaded up for transport to her room. Though when she bent down and grabbed her bags she looked up and noticed that same silhouette again...this time it didn't go away. She stood straight up again and squinted her eyes.

"Hey..." She took a couple of steps forward and then stood in place almost as if she was staring into space.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He hadn't, surprisingly. It wasn't something that'd crossed his mind. Perhaps he would notice eventually, but Josh was so constantly on the move, that sometimes he just missed things. But that was life when you were a busy man like he was. Driven from one goal to the next. He'd be on one side of the galaxy helping people one day... On the other side of the galaxy doing the same, the next.

But if you wanted to talk about staring, let's talk about the staring on his end when Shmi turned to leave. He couldn't help but look her up and down, looking over her curvaceous figure when she wasn't looking. Not to say that she wasn't easy on the eyes in the front... Actually, he was quite happy with how she looked on all ends. She was beautiful, he'd told her that and he meant that. She had a beautiful, soft face that didn't always reflect her age. She had a warrior's face... And yet, a lady's, at the same time. But he didn't care of the type... Either type, she'd still be beautiful to him.

But he did indeed stare when she turned around, checked her out, admired her cute backside. Why stare at her from the back in opposition to her staring at his front? Who knows? It was possible he just figured she'd notice, and he didn't want to try and formulate an explanation. Perhaps explaining checking her out was far easier. It didn't need much of one, obviously. But Josh's reasonings for most things tended to be complicated, so... Who knows? Maybe he'd mimic her habit of staring at her face when her own gaze was to the side. Or maybe not. Who knows what his reasonings for anything were? At least Shmi knew he liked her face. I mean, where else had he been kissing? Although elsewhere might be able to be arranged if she was daring enough to ask...

Once the ship had been prepared for takeoff, Josh would go looking for Shmi. It wasn't like he could leave without her anyway. I mean, he could. But he -had- made a promise... Eventually finding her, he would casually lean against the wall, in time to catch her bending over. While he did gaze over for a moment, he decided not to push his luck near as much this time considering she wasn't on the move, and would speak.

"You need a hand?"

When his presence would be broadcasted, he would smile and wave casually. "The ship's been prepped and ready to go. Just need -all- the passengers accounted for" Josh would crack.

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

 

[Tarrlok]

She started to notice exactly who the girl was as the features became clearer but then she heard Josh, his voice broke her out of her trance and she looked over to him with a puzzled look and then back to the silhouette but it wasn't there. She shook it off and looked back to josh forming a smile.

"Right...I'm ready. I...I just...nevermind. Lets go" She side shrugging her shoulders and grinning as she walked closer.

"Also I know you were looking...I caught a stray thought or two." She had developed the ability through training, she didn't use it purposefully to read his mind but because she was thinking of him she just sort of heard his surface thoughts as they related to her.

"I don't mind." She said blushing more than she probably ever has, so much so that she couldn't even make eye contact. Most times she was glad she had her training to keep her body in shape, and glad that Josh enjoyed observing her. She walked the ramp of his ship until she boarded and entered the conference room. She was familiar with ships that had similar layouts so she sort of had a sense of direction but opted to sit her things to the side. She then leaned up against the holocomm system and just observed the rest of the ship. It was a good feeling knowing she wasn't being dispatched somewhere, that she could try to relax.

She started to fiddle with one of her bandages on her arm, tightening it back up.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

She had been staring at something prior. It was suspicious... But he decided not to ask. She was likely just tired. Although the way she'd been acting, the emotions he could sense, everything just seemed... Off. But that was Josh, he was generally untrusting to begin with, and it wasn't like he hadn't had people close to him stick a lightsaber in his back before. It was a habit he formed, nothing to do with Shmi herself, and he would overthink, overanalyze.

Deep down, it was part of why he hated this lifestyle. He utterly despised having to keep eyes in the back of his head at all times. It made him want to hide again, but even there, when he had, he hadn't been able to relax. The blame fell solely on the people of this galaxy. People he worked with, people he was close with. He'd seen so much selfishness, so much betrayal, so much affinity to backstab for personal gain... Deep down, he just wanted it to stop. But it never would. Not while he was a Jedi.

Still, he'd push his suspicions aside for the moment, even when her first words certainly didn't help. When they got to the ship, he would let her walk first up the ramp, and follow behind her, catching a good look in the process. Whether he'd switched the order on purpose, or had simply been polite and had realized after, who knows? But once they entered the ship, then she spoke...

Eeep.

Busted.

He looked down, then to the side, blushing heavily and unable to make eye contact himself. Damn, she'd caught him red handed. Suppose he wasn't being as slick as he thought he was. The confidence was leaving him again, and he would bite his lip, scratching his head a little, both habits that seemed to appear when he was nervous. Another of course was the twirling a loop of his golden blonde hair with his fingers, which also made an appearance. Well, at least she didn't mind. His confidence began to return as he would let out a breath, seeming to let it sink in that she didn't mind, she wasn't mad.

When the doors shut behind them, and they were truly alone for the first time in a long time, his confidence showed itself as he would place a playful little smack on Shmi's rear end, shooting her a cheeky grin as he headed for the cockpit. His own belongings had been loaded up already, so he didn't have anything to place down.

"R4, double-okay more like triple checking, we're ready to rock and roll, right?" Josh would ask the astromech droid, who would let out a series of beeps and boops in affirmative. Josh would hop into the pilot's chair and start hitting buttons. "Alright, we're clear! Let's get this baby flying, we're going home!"Josh would chirp, raising a fist into the air with a laugh as the ship would get off the ground and fly out.

"Hey honey?" Josh would call back to Shmi from the cockpit. "I'd hold onto something, we're about to head into hyperspace!"

 

[Tarrlok]

She just felt a light pat on her backside, her body jolted forward just slightly. Well...she didn't know what to say, and she could only chuckle and grin as he walked past her. As he spoke to his astromech droid she just observed, and her eyes followed him as he made his way towards the cockpit. She shook her head because she had no words, it was all in good fun. She enjoyed it.

She had started moving her bags to the living quarters, walking back and forth past the cockpit. Then suddenly she heard Josh call for her and peaked around the corner sticking her head in to see if he needed something. "Yeah?" she responded. Heeding his warning she nodded, "Gotcha!" she reached out for whatever she could that was sturdy and endured the jump.

Minutes had passed, she wasn't sure how many but she had already got her stuff situated and proceeded to change her bandages. If she had returned back to HQ before stopping on Yutan maybe she wouldn't have reopened so many wounds and amplified the soreness she was already in. But treating them helped, and she was fine as long as she just kicked back and relaxed...for once.

She returned back to the conference room and made her way to the cockpit, she decided to take the other seat. For a moment she just looked through the glass and said nothing. Then she just suddenly took a deep breath and looked over at Josh almost like she wanted to say something.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

[Mobile originally, added a bit more when back to PC]

That had been a brave move. A brave, brave move. Smacking her rear end and all that. It was funny, really. At one point she had been the Order's Grandmaster before the reformatting, his boss more or less. And now here he was making kissy faces at her and smacking her ass when he passed. The irony wasn't lost on him, but in the end, he didn't see her as an important business figure right now. Right now all he saw was Shmi. The woman he loved. Far more important then any political or business related figure could ever be in his eyes.

When she would sit down in the seat nearby, he peered over at her curiously. It was as though she wished to say something... And he would curiously tilt his head. She had a moment before they jumped after all...

Josh would peer over at the windows, then back to her, just checking to make sure about hyperspace before looking back at her. She seemed troubled, he felt... But why? What in the world had happened during her absence that made her seem so... Off?

He would gingerly reach for her hands with his own...

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

 

[Tarrlok]

"Josh have you...ever wanted a family?" She said just out of the blue, "Like to start your own..." and just where was she going with this question? Ugh she didn't even know herself. She turned to face him when he began reaching for her hands. She scooted towards the edge of the seat so that she could hold his hand, and have them rest on her lap.

She left a moment of silence for thought, I mean she had her reasons for acting so off....just for a large chunk of time she had seen nothing but war and on a whole different level then she ever had as a Jedi. The One Sith War had its atrocities but...

It was eating her up inside knowing she hadn't returned the same person...that she was more sensitive to emotions she had never experienced before until she started to open herself to Josh. In a way she just felt so odd...like she didn't belong....

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He was curious then, as she spoke. The question was out of nowhere, but he'd grown to expect strange and out of the blue questions from others by now. He even did it himself sometimes. But the question in particular caused his eyes to raise wide. And then he relaxed...

And then he smiled.

"You want to know the truth?" Josh would trail off, taking her hands in his and squeezing them firmly as she would rest them on her lap, staring into her eyes with the warmest of smiles. Sure, the question he'd produced was ominous, but the way that he looked at her, the look in his eyes, the smile on his face, said that he had no intention of harm.

"Truth is... Besides maybe bringing peace, and completing my mission as a Jedi if that's even possible... That's my biggest dream" He would admit softly, a bit of a blush accompanying a small bite of his lip. His hands were occupied, so his other habits didn't form, but it was clear that he was a tad nervous to discuss it. And yet at the same time, the very mention of it brought a brightness to his eyes, a glow to his face that attested to the fact that he looked to the idea fondly.

Still... It wasn't something he told to just everyone. Or to most people, really. Other Jedi would think he was thinking of something other then his work, having thoughts that would distract him, impede his performance... Or take him away from the Jedi entirely... But he trusted Shmi.

"And why do you ask?"

[member="Shmi Labooda"]

 

[Tarrlok]

When she saw his eyes grow big, she thought maybe she mentioned something that completely freaked him out. She thought to herself, "Of course...I figured. I was wrong to ask."

Whatever truth he was about to reveal caused her heart to beat faster than normal because she was anticipating it to not be anywhere close to the answer she wanted. But...typical of Josh, his answer was sweet and full of genuine emotion. He brought a smile to her face and then there was his usual blush. Cute.

But it was everything else he said that made her smile revert back to the distant look on her face. His question of her forced her smile to drop, and she looked back down towards the floor.

"I've just been thinking about...the fact that I would like a family one day but I'm worried that..." She said stumbling over her words. "That maybe I won't get to experience that day because of my mission as a Jedi" she said quoting him. "I know I've seemed distant but thats because I was trying to push you away...our bond just brought to many emotions that I was afraid to feel after I returned."

She felt like a weapon...and less of a person. Called to serve since she was a child but lacked the tools to serve herself. In this moment she just didn't want to be a Jedi anymore...It was something she was considering taking a break from. Death...war...clouded her judgement and the love she had for Josh brought on other emotions she had never experienced before. It was overwhelming, especially because she was so sensitive to emotional input. She really considered running away.

She turned and sat back in the chair, she brought her legs up and tucked them into the seat with her. She didn't release his hand though. Now they hung between them; they hung between the seats.

"I know I have a responsibility...but when will I get a chance to be normal? To have a family of my own, for once to do good in a way that doesn't require me policing others?"

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]