Private Where Roots Run Deep

[Ala Quin]

Ala caught the training saber and spun it once in her hand, letting the familiar hum buzz gently through her grip as she moved to the center of the arena. She smirked, raising an eyebrow at Caltin’s faux-offended confusion.

"What? You’ve got the presence, the loyalty, the emotional availability—plus I’ve seen you cry at a holovid once. You're basically halfway there."

She flashed him a toothy grin as she dropped into a loose Ataru stance, bouncing lightly on her toes with just enough flair to live up to his “Lizard Monkey” challenge.

With a dramatic roll of her shoulders, she began circling him slowly, saber at the ready, eyes alight with mischief.

"Just think of the dress options, Caltin. Something with sequins? Maybe shoulder pads?"

She giggled, the sound light and effortless, and then launched herself into a twirl with too much energy to be entirely tactical—clearly still playing around. A flourish of motion, a bounce to the side, then she settled again, testing the waters of movement, distance, rhythm.

Her voice came quieter now, still teasing, but with a thread of sincerity woven beneath.

"Thanks for this."

Then, with one final grin and a mock-formal bow:

"En garde, Master Maid of Honour."

| Caltin Vanagor |​

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE…
Kesh - Eskellen Mountains
Temple of the Elements - Starport

Though he rolled with it, Caltin was honestly a little annoyed at the comments. Call it what you wish, but proceedings like she was suggesting makes him uncomfortable, even his own did.

You know that if a guy stands up for the bride, he is called the “Man of Honor”, right? Yes, she was just playing, and he knew it, and he could let her, but he could give her more ammunition. Suits already have shoulderpads, but sequins? Well it would be your big day. Or could be. Though I don’t know why you wouldn’t wear a white dress.

Not moving from his stance, he just spun the training weapon in a flourish of his own. He did not prefer a dual blade, but was more than capable, thus the abilities of a Weapons Master.He continued to spin the weapon, his movements fluid and precise. Despite his annoyance, he couldn't help but admire her playful banter. It was all in good fun, after all. He knew she meant no harm, but he couldn't shake the discomfort. Still, he played along, adding a touch of humor to his response.

Bounce at me then!

Ala Quin • TAGS are open but please ask first
[Text in Brackets is spoken on Comm-link] ~Like this is through the Force~​

 

[Ala Quin]

She had barely caught the saber before his voice cut through again, and Ala blinked. “Man of Honor.” Right. That was the term. Of course he knew it. Of course he’d take it seriously.

She bounced the saber in her palm and gave a sheepish smile, her curls bobbing slightly with the movement.

“You’re right,” she said, tone gentler now. “I forget not everyone grew up romanticizing things like I did. Not everyone dreamed of flower crowns and a ridiculous number of sparkles.”

She didn’t apologize outright, but her playful energy softened just a touch, replaced with something more grounded. Respectful. Honest.

Ala watched the way he handled the dual-blade with ease, the flowing spin of his form almost hypnotic for a moment. She caught herself admiring it—not just the movement, but the calm, the strength, the precision. Then the smirk curled across her lips again.

But rather than leap in immediately, she walked forward, slowly, and slid her arm around his massive one—her entire head barely reaching his shoulder. Her small hand gave the thick muscle a companionable squeeze as she leaned into him with faux-innocence.

“You’re gonna look amazing in sequins,” she teased lightly, then added with a quiet chuckle, “...white dress is mine though.”

She grinned, cheeks puffing with the teasing.

“Let’s practice.”

She gave his arm one last squeeze before gracefully twirling out of the embrace and taking a few steps backward. With a spin of her training saber, Ala shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet. The grin she gave him now was fierce—playful, but focused. Then, in a blur of motion, she launched upward, twisting through the air in a clean Ataru-style aerial arc meant to test his reaction without aiming to harm. The first strike came angled toward his left shoulder, followed by a quick rebound flip to the opposite side—classic acrobatics fueled by precision, not brute strength.

Bounce she did.

| Caltin Vanagor |​

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE…
Kesh - Eskellen Mountains
Temple of the Elements - Starport

She’s all over the place right now. She’s either trying to work up the nerve to tell me something that she doesn’t want to, or something worse. Either way, she is worried about me. It’s starting to make me want to know why.

He did not hide it. Even if Caltin did, or tried to, Ala would see right through all of it, even his best effort. It was why they had always been so close, he was her protector, she kept him grounded. However it also meant that while she was “tougher” than in the past, she was still relatively fragile, and he knew that if he pressed, he would feel like he went too far. Even her observations about no one romanticizing things like her struck him like she felt disheartened by what he said. It made Caltin angry with himself. All their time spent around each other and he still had not learned.

Maybe he did take things too seriously at times, but he had a weight that he constantly carried. Was it self-imposed? Yeah, probably, but it was his, and it was what he knew.He knew he needed to change his approach, to be more mindful of her feelings. Caltin resolved to be more patient and understanding, to show her that he was there for her without overwhelming her. He owed it to her to do better.Caltin realized he needed to adjust his behavior and become more sensitive to her emotions. He decided to be more patient and understanding, demonstrating his support without being overbearing. He felt it was his responsibility to improve their interactions even more.

When she jumped, he knew her approach, not just because it was her but because it was his training he fell back on. Caltin defended simply, efficiently, and quickly, not to defeat, or humiliate, but to counter and push her harder. He would push to make her think more on her feet, and trust herself more, rather than simply have “Caltin will come rescue me if I fail” in the back of her mind all the time. Of course he would, that goes without saying, but if she wants him to fully trust her out there, she needs to show it.

Of course he already did, or he would not have given his blessing already, but that is beside the point.

Ala Quin • TAGS are open but please ask first
[Text in Brackets is spoken on Comm-link] ~Like this is through the Force~​

 

[Ala Quin]

Ala landed with a light skid across the training floor, knees bending to absorb the momentum as her boot slid on the smooth stone. Sparks of energy still fizzled in her limbs, but her mind—the part she usually trusted to lead—was unusually quiet.

She didn't look at him immediately. She didn’t have to. She could feel the tension in the air, not from the clash of sabers but from the weight between them. It wasn’t the usual kind. It was... layered. Knotted. The way silence sometimes holds more meaning than a thousand well-meant words.

He was holding back, and not in his strikes. She could tell. She felt the gap—measured, intentional—like he was waiting for something from her, even as he pushed her harder.

So she moved again. A blur of motion. Not with grace this time, but with decision.

Low spin. Slash. Recovery. Pivot.

Again.

Her strikes came faster, less rehearsed, more instinctive. She wasn’t dancing anymore; she was testing—not him, but herself. Her breath came shallow. Controlled. Her fingers gripped the training saber with more strength than style.

She needed to stop hesitating.

One leap took her over his defensive angle—barely—and she twisted midair, bringing her weapon down with a clean arc that didn’t aim to strike, but to challenge.

Because somewhere deep in her chest, a quiet truth stirred.

She wanted him to stop treating her like she might break.

Even if part of her still worried she might.

| Caltin Vanagor |​

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE…
Kesh - Eskellen Mountains
Temple of the Elements - Starport

She was starting to take his defenses negatively. She may be able to read him like a book, but it went the other way as well. She was doing exactly what he wanted her to. She was starting to push harder and harder. He wanted her to, he wanted her to not look at him right now as “big brother Caltin” she needed to look at him like he was someone who could kill her with a swift strike.

Her mid-air twist brought her blade down in a fortuitous moment and position. Sure, she didn’t mean for it to happen, but he just positioned himself to let the edge of the training weapon nail him across the mouth. Guh!

Stopping and grabbing his lower jaw, the big man clearly looked mad. He wasn’t and if Ala was paying any attention at all, she would see this, after all she knows him better than anyone. She did not hurt him, at least clearly not on purpose, but Caltin then looked her way. Stop trying to break through, and break through… you’re better than you think you are.

Standing erect and flourishing his weapon again, he cracked his neck. Or should we talk more about the wedding you're planning? A faint smirk crawled across the right side of his face.

Ala Quin • TAGS are open but please ask first
[Text in Brackets is spoken on Comm-link] ~Like this is through the Force~​

 

[Ala Quin]

She didn’t expect the hit to land—but it did. And the moment his hand went to his jaw, Ala’s stomach dipped. But she knew that look. She could feel it—he wasn’t angry. Not really. Not at her. And then came the comment.

Wedding.

Her boot slid across the floor as she landed again, but this time her blade stayed still, her arms slack for half a breath longer than they should have been. Her brow twitched. A slow exhale pushed past her lips as she stared at the massive Jedi in front of her.

She swung again—not reckless, but sharper. Tighter. A crisp downward strike that he’d block without effort, but it had weight behind it now.

“I’m not getting married,” she said, low, mid-spin, the words clipped at the edges.

She dipped under his guard and twirled out, frustration rippling just beneath the motion. A grunt escaped as she struck again.

“Because the universe has exactly zero interest in giving a damn about that dream.”

The blade hissed as she brought it up in a fluid, arcing deflection, not waiting to see his next move before stepping into another pass.

“And before you say it—yes, I know I’m loved. Yes, I know I have family. But it’s not the same.”

She stopped—just for a heartbeat—feet planted, breath heavy, her expression raw but not broken. Her curls clung to her cheeks, damp with sweat and a little more emotion than she’d like to admit in front of him.

“Just once,” she murmured, softer now, raising her saber again, “I want someone to stay. Choose me. Not the Force. Not a cause. Just... me.”

She leapt again before her voice could catch. Let him block. Let him push. But this—this was hers to let out.

Caltin Vanagor
​

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE…
Kesh - Eskellen Mountains
Temple of the Elements - Starport

There it is.

The root of the majority of all of this.

She’s been scorned.

Obviously she was not looking for him to fix anything, and if she was? Well too bad. He was not going to go off and try to fix her up or anything, but there was one thing he could say.

Her attacks were a little more “pointed” each time, like she was taking all of her frustration and packing it into each strike, like Ala saw him as the root of her problems. That was fine, he could take it. Right now he was weathering the storm and waiting for his opening.

You’re not ready for a relationship. Holding up a FAST hand, he wanted to clarify. Before you say anything, let me explain. You have more to give than any sentient in this galaxy. You’re problem is that you are in your own head on this.

Blocking her in a manner that opened up a strike to his side, he grimaced hard and kept on. You’re looking you’re poignantly looking... you’re not ready because if you were good with yourself… you wouldn’t be doing that.

Then he stopped, as in self-realization. You need this trip more than even you realize. You have to return to your failure before you can be restored. Even if you find nothing in Venetia’s old place, you need this… and most of all… you need it without me, or anyone. I get it now… more than ever. She wished he would stop worrying about breaking her?

Wish granted.

Even if in a roundabout way.

Ala Quin • TAGS are open but please ask first
[Text in Brackets is spoken on Comm-link] ~Like this is through the Force~​

 

[Ala Quin]

She felt the shift in him before he even spoke.

The way his voice dropped, not in volume but in weight. The way his movements became deliberate—not to win, but to teach. To see her.

Ala froze mid-movement, feet still planted from her last dodge, saber held but no longer swinging. She stood there, chest rising and falling, the hum of the weapon buzzing against the sudden quiet in her head.

He wasn’t fighting her anymore.

He was telling her the truth.

Her grip tightened slightly. Not out of defiance, but because hearing the words aloud hurt more than she thought they would. You're not ready. He wasn’t wrong. But it still cracked something open.

Her jaw shifted, but no words came. Not yet.

Instead, she stepped forward and pressed the tip of her saber gently to the floor. Her other hand found her hip, more to steady herself than out of attitude. Her eyes stayed locked on him—defiant, vulnerable, trying not to blink too much because she knew if she did, tears would try to sneak out.

He got it. Really, truly got it. And that somehow made it worse.

Ala exhaled sharply through her nose. Then, without warning, she stepped into motion—not an attack this time, but a clean, smooth transition into one of her practice forms. Her saber danced across the air with poise, not power. Precision. Control. Confidence.

She flowed through the sequence again, then reversed it, each movement a statement. Not defensive. Not aggressive.

Present.

Her final pivot brought her back to face him, standing firm, saber held in both hands now. No cracks. No snark. No performance.

Just her.

And for once, that felt like enough.

| Caltin Vanagor |​