Private Where the Engines Dream

[Nyra Kairo]

Objective: Date #2
Location: Dantooine
Outfit: Black jacket / white tank / black shorts / boots → Flower Dress
Tag: Saul Whesai

Nyra's expression softened at Saul's proposed compromise concerning the increasingly dangerous L-word. She nodded solemnly. "Yes. That's acceptable." Her smile immediately betrayed how seriously she was taking the negotiation. "You can love my walk. You can love my smile. You can love the way I talk..." Nyra leaned closer. "You can even love the way I kiss you." She demonstrated that particular option with another brief kiss.

"Just maybe don't bundle all of those together quite yet." Because the increasingly inconvenient truth was that Nyra understood exactly where Saul was coming from. She was starting to feel it too. That was ridiculous. Completely unreasonable. She'd known him for a matter of days. And yet...Nyra didn't particularly want it to stop.

Saul's imagined scenario involving her mother examining her Zinder profile produced another groan. "First of all, I don't have bad hair days." Nyra immediately lifted her curls with one hand. "Occasionally my hair decides it has a different creative vision than I do." Completely different problem.

"And my whole family is nice." She bumped her shoulder against his. "My little sister is competitive, though." Nyra gave Saul a completely straight face. "I know. Hard to imagine, right?" That expression lasted perhaps two seconds before she laughed.

It was his comment about settling down that surprised her. Not because it frightened her. Nyra actually smiled more. "I don't think Mom is looking for that. Neither she nor Dad is pushing me about starting a family or anything." Thank the stars for that. "But..."

Her fingers curled more tightly around his. "They'll both be happy I've found a nice boy." Nyra turned her head and inspected him. "Assuming that's what I've found." The teasing couldn't hide the affection behind it.

Then Saul caught her wording. When, not if. Nyra opened her mouth to argue. Nothing particularly convincing came to mind. "Okay." She rolled her eyes. "It is certainly looking that way." There. That was as much as he was getting. For now.

Being called dangerous, however, delighted her. Nyra giggled. "I'm dangerous?" Her eyebrows rose. "You're the one who can turn almost anything I say into something dirty." She considered the problem. "I really must find somewhere dirty jokes are completely off the table."

Nyra moved closer, arms slipping loosely around him. "Then I could finally make you all mine without your defenses getting in the way." She gave him an innocent smile. "Purely wholesome domination." That sounded worse. Nyra's eyes closed. "Never mind."

Then came the ship. Or, more accurately, the complete absence of one. Nyra stared at Saul as he explained what he'd actually meant. Her cheeks began warming. "Oh." She'd heard ship. Everything after that had apparently ceased to matter.

"No, I knew that." Utterly unconvincing. Nyra nodded. "Obviously." She folded her arms. "I was joking." She had not been joking. "I never actually thought you had a ship."

Her blush deepened. Nyra finally surrendered with an annoyed little huff. "Fine! You said ship. I like ships. My brain stopped listening." She pointed at him. "That's your fault for using misleading metaphors."

The rest of his explanation took some of the embarrassment from her expression. She didn't particularly like hearing Saul describe himself as trash she'd found in a gutter. Nyra stepped closer and caught his hand. "And I didn't salvage you." Her thumb moved across his fingers. "I found you." There was a difference. "Everything I like about you was already there." Her smile returned. "Except the suit. I'll take credit for that."

The dress Saul chose remained an unexpected success. His relief when she approved made Nyra grin. "Oh, your execution hasn't been stayed." She lifted the heels. "Sentence reduced." The promised foot rub received a much more interested expression.

"Wait." Nyra glanced between him and the shoes. "So I wear these all night..." Her smile slowly widened. "...and I get a foot rub afterward?" She slipped the shoes back into the pile. "Deal." His whispered compliment earned him another blush. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

The mounts, admittedly, might have been more fun for Nyra than Saul. His complaint that they could have simply walked earned absolutely no sympathy. "We walk all the time." Nyra leaned slightly toward him from her saddle. "This is an adventure. Not all of them have to be super speed that make your legs go weak."

Besides, there was something thoroughly entertaining about watching Saul negotiate with an animal that cared absolutely nothing about his engineering expertise. Nyra resisted the urge to race him. Mostly. She compensated by stealing kisses whenever their mounts were close enough. By the time they returned, she considered the excursion an unquestionable success. Saul's opinion might have varied.

Later, dressed for dinner, his claim that she simply got better results earned a little shake of Nyra's head. "No." She stood close enough to adjust his collar. Again. "I just have more practice showing mine off." Her eyes moved appreciatively over him. "We're working on you." She smiled. "And judging from earlier, other people are starting to notice."

Nyra kissed him softly. "You're welcome."

At dinner, Saul discovered her weakness. Shoes. Nyra felt his foot move along her calf and narrowed her eyes across the table. "Don't you dare." She was already fighting a smile. "And these heels didn't bring me down." She lifted her chin proudly. "I am choosing to suffer for fashion."

A pause. "And because a cute boy picked them." She sighed. "Mostly the second one." Nyra shifted her leg just enough to bump his beneath the table. "So don't get smug."

Then came her question game. She'd expected Saul to begin with something light. Favorite food. Favorite planet. Most embarrassing holo she'd ever watched. Instead, he asked what made her her. Nyra blinked. "Huh."

She sat back. "Going straight for the complicated ones." She'd promised answers, though. Nyra looked toward the window while she thought. "I don't know if there was ever really a plan."

Her attention returned to Saul. "When I started, I was just a cute young girl getting into things other girls liked. Clothes. Places I visited. Things I thought were pretty or fun." She shrugged. "I wasn't really broadcasting then. I'd post things afterward. Pictures, little holos, whatever."

Nyra smiled at the memory. "And people liked it. So more people followed." Her fingers traced absently around the rim of her glass. "Then I started growing up." She gave Saul a knowing look. "And apparently boys discovered I existed."

Nyra laughed. "So suddenly it wasn't mostly girls following me because they liked my clothes or wanted to know where I'd gone. There were a lot of boys too." She gestured toward herself. "I can't imagine why." That earned a deliberately innocent expression.

"But the audience just kept growing." Millions became more millions. Eventually millions became billions. "And when billions of people are watching you, people start offering you things. Trips. Clothes. Speeders. Credits. Sponsorships. Invitations." Nyra shrugged again. "I mostly just kept doing what sounded fun."

That, she thought, was probably the real answer. "I see somewhere interesting, I want to go there. Somebody tells me there's something exciting happening, I want to try it. I find something pretty, I wear it." Her smile became slightly self-conscious. "I just started bringing a camera along, and apparently people enjoy watching me do it."

There was certainly strategy involved now. Contracts, schedules, sponsors, analytics and an entire business existed around Nyra Kairo. But none of those things had created her. "Now I have obligations. Sponsor appearances. Events. Certain things I have to record. If somebody is helping pay for me to fly halfway across the galaxy doing ridiculous things, occasionally I have to smile beside their logo." Nyra grinned. "Seems fair."

She thought about Saul's actual question again. "So what made me successful?" Nyra pursed her lips. "Curiosity, probably. Confidence. Being willing to look stupid trying something new." She smiled. "And being pretty didn't hurt." No false modesty there. "But I think mostly people can tell I'm actually having fun. I'm not traveling somewhere because an analytics report says people want Dantooine content. I wanted to come to Zinder."

Her eyes settled on Saul. "And that turned out pretty well." Better than any sponsor could have arranged. Nyra squeezed his hand. "So that's me. I find things that sound fun, say yes far too easily, and somehow convinced billions of people to come along." Her smile became softer. "Lately, I've apparently started bringing a blue-haired cyborg along too." She leaned across the table for a quick kiss. "He's been a particularly good addition."

Nyra settled back into her seat. "My turn." There were countless things she wanted to ask. Some were questions about Saul's past that she suspected carried answers neither of them needed tonight. So she deliberately chose something simple. Something about his life rather than what had happened to him. "What does a normal day look like for you?" Nyra rested her chin lightly against one hand. "Not vacation Saul. Not date Saul." Her foot found his beneath the table. "Regular Saul." She smiled. "You wake up in the morning. What happens between then and going back to bed?"

 

[Saul Whesai]

He grinned as their lips embraced for not the first time today and not the last time. When they parted, Saul couldn't wipe the grin off his face. "Seems like you love the way we kiss more." Not that he was complaining.

Saul smiled and nodded in understanding. The L-word was rather fast for what was going on here. Yet he didn't want to call this anything other than what he felt. As Nyra lifted her curls and explained that they had creative differences, Saul reinforced it. "I adore the way you look, no matter what your hair decides to do." The best part about that was that it was the truth.

Saul playfully pretended to write something down, talking to himself. "Ask... who had a board game piece shoved up their nose... first." No, it was not hard to imagine the two pulling each other's hair out. But hey, family was family. And if hers was willing to like him, then he couldn't complain. "I guess that depends on the context... But yes, I'll at least pretend I'm nice and never have a dirty comeback in my mind." Who knows for how long that would last, though... But at least she admitted to wanting to go, and so did he.

When she denied being dangerous, Saul just raised an eyebrow. "Nyra, look at yourself. Yes, you are dangerous." Her arm slipped around him as she whispered. "And I will wholesomely be dominated into cuddling with you all day, every day." The Cyborg didn't think it was bad at all.

The Cyborg decided not to embarrass her more as he looked on, amused at her huffing. "We can find a burnt-out ship to use as a pet project if you really want to." He gave her a playful hip check. "Maybe we could even find one with a hyperspace ring since you like collars so much." The Cyborg just couldn't help it, could he?

Saul's expression was hard to read as she moved her thumb across his palm. Maybe she was right... Maybe he was too hard on himself. "Fine... I'll admit to being a diamond in the rough then. And you can take credit for my closet as much as you want." One knew she was going to do it anyway. Just how she was going to remind him of that foot rub when they got back to the ship.

Wincing as he bounced one more time in the saddle, Saul admitted the scenery was nice. And so were the kisses. "I just think I'm better use to you with my nuts intact.... But... this is a new experience, so thanks for letting me try it." Or just being here with her in general.

As Nyra adjusted her collar, Saul's robotic hands would come in to give her hips a squeeze as he grinned like someone who was actually happy for once. "You are the only person whom I want to notice." His lips connected with hers as his grin only grew. "And you seem to like noticing since you broke into my changing room."

Oh, what fashion could do to a woman. "Of course. It will only play back in my mind a couple of times while I internally scream, 'Yes!'" But he listened to her story with a smile, resting his head on his hands. Her explanation was long-winded, but she was right. Confidence was one of her main selling points. And curiosity... well, she wouldn't find him without that. So the Cyborg couldn't help but love her traits. "I love you for them, so no complaints from me." And her question wasn't even that hard. "Well, mostly it's get up, stick head in engine, have lunch, stick head back in engine, and then go back to sleep. Sometimes I play cards with the other mechanics or watch boloball, but overall, that's it." Man, his life was depressing. "You can ask about the cybernetics and my past, by the way." Saul took a second to glance around. "Well, maybe not here in the open, but on the ship you can ask all you want." He had to get over the past somehow. Why not by talking to someone else?

His second question was easier than the first. "What animal would you keep as a pet? Anything is an option." Not like he was totally angling to see what he should get for her birthday already. But it would be interesting what she would pick.

Nyra Kairo

 

[Nyra Kairo]

Objective: Date #2
Location: Dantooine
Outfit: Black jacket / white tank / black shorts / boots → Flower Dress
Tag: Saul Whesai

Nyra narrowed her eyes the moment Saul finished praising the traits she'd just described. There it was. Again. She slowly raised one eyebrow. "Excuse me." Her fingers tightened around his hand.

"I love you for them?" Nyra leaned forward, suspicion written all over her face.

"That sounded remarkably like you just violated the agreement we made about five minutes ago." He'd been granted permission to love individual things about her. Her smile. Her curls. Her walk. The way she kissed him. Not to just casually drop I love you into conversation and hope she wouldn't notice. Except...

Nyra's mock accusation gradually softened into a smile. She didn't ask him to take it back. "Fine." Her thumb brushed over his knuckles. "I'll let you have that one." Her smile became playful again. "But I'm keeping track." She absolutely wasn't. That was becoming the problem.

Saul's preparation for meeting her family, meanwhile, was already going disastrously. "You are absolutely not asking my sister who shoved a board-game piece up their nose first." Nyra pointed across the table. "And you definitely aren't asking her for embarrassing stories about me." She paused.

That had probably been exactly the wrong thing to tell him. Nyra groaned. "Actually, forget I said that." Too late. "Liora will happily betray me if she thinks it's funny. You two are not allowed to form an alliance." Her eyes narrowed. "And you pretending to be nice isn't going to fool anyone."

She knew exactly what would happen. Saul would behave himself for approximately fifteen minutes, get comfortable, and something would slip out. "Although if you could keep the dirty jokes under control around Dad, I'd appreciate it." Nyra smiled sweetly. "Mom might laugh." A pause. "Dad will ask follow-up questions." That ought to frighten him sufficiently.

His willingness to be wholesomely dominated into cuddling all day received a laugh. "See? Dangerous." Nyra gestured toward herself. "Look what I've reduced you to." She shook her head sadly. "Cuddles. Kisses. Nice clothes." A sympathetic squeeze of his hand followed. "Terrible."

Then Saul managed to connect a hypothetical derelict ship, a hyperspace ring and her accidental collar comment. Nyra stared. Long. Silently. "I walked directly into that one." That was all he was getting. Although...

A derelict ship wasn't an entirely terrible idea. Nyra loved flying them. Saul loved fixing them. Finding some neglected old wreck and seeing what the two of them could turn it into sounded—No. They'd known each other for two days. She was not planning joint restoration projects. Yet.

The more important victory was hearing Saul call himself a diamond in the rough. Nyra smiled immediately. "I'll take it." That was considerably better than trash. "And don't worry. I have absolutely no intention of taking over your entire closet." A beat. "Immediately." She grinned. "We'll ease you into it."

She did have some sympathy for what the Dantari mount had apparently done to Saul. Some. Nyra winced. "Okay, when you put it like that..."

She glanced down at his saddle and then back at him. "...I admit I may not have properly considered certain anatomical disadvantages." Her lips twitched. "But you tried it." That mattered more to her. "And now you know."

Nyra leaned toward him as far as their mounts allowed. "Next time I'll choose an adventure that's equally uncomfortable for both of us." A kiss followed. "Because I'm thoughtful."

At dinner, Saul's description of an ordinary day initially made Nyra laugh. "So basically..." She counted on her fingers. "Engine. Food. Engine. Maybe cards or boloball. Sleep." Nyra tilted her head. "I've kidnapped a mechanic from his engine bay."

She seemed perfectly satisfied with that conclusion. "Good." Her foot brushed against his beneath the table. "You're going to be much harder to return than I expected." There was a tremendous difference between their lives. Nyra could barely remember the last time she'd spent an entire week in one place. There was always another destination, another appearance, another adventure, another idea.

Saul apparently had engines. And Nyra didn't think there was anything wrong with that. "If you like that life, there's nothing wrong with it." Her expression turned thoughtful. "But I might have to expand your definition of a normal day a little." A grin. "Not every day." She wasn't trying to transform Saul into another version of herself. "But occasionally your schedule should include something more interesting than putting your head inside an engine." She squeezed his hand. "Like putting your head inside an engine on another planet." Much better.

His next words caught her more seriously. Nyra had deliberately avoided those questions. Not because she didn't want the answers. She did. She wanted to know why Saul had so many cybernetics. Why the components beneath the synthflesh looked so worn. Where he'd learned to survive the way he had. Why family seemed like something he observed from the outside.

There were a hundred questions. Saul had just opened the door. Nyra didn't walk through it. Not yet. "Okay." Her voice softened. "I will." She curled both hands around his now. "But not here." He was right about that. "And not because I think you owe me explanations." Nyra's eyes remained on his. "I just want to know you." She smiled. "All of you." A little squeeze. "So when we're back on the Drift and it's just us, I'll ask."

She leaned forward slightly. "And if there's something you don't want to answer yet, you tell me." Simple. No interrogation. No expectation that two days of kissing gave her ownership of everything that had happened before they met. "Deal?"

Thankfully, Saul's next question was considerably easier. Any animal. Nyra's eyes immediately lit up. "Convoree." There wasn't even hesitation. She'd seen holos and read stories about the beautiful little birds. Brilliant plumage, strange associations with places and people touched by the Force, appearing at just the right moment—

Nyra frowned. "Except I'm pretty sure convorees are basically mythical." Perhaps not literally mythical, but close enough from her perspective. "I've never seen one. I don't think I know anyone who's seen one."

She considered the question more realistically. "So..." Nyra tapped a finger against her lips. "A tooka." That answer earned a decisive nod. "Definitely a tooka." She could picture one curled up somewhere aboard the Drift.

"They're small enough for the ship, independent enough that I wouldn't feel terrible when I'm busy, but still affectionate." Nyra smiled. "And cute." Very important. "Obviously I'd get one with an adventurous personality."

Her eyes moved toward Saul. "Although..." The smile became dangerous. "I apparently already brought home one stray." She studied him. "Blue hair. Eats my food. Sleeps in my guest room. Constantly demands affection." Nyra sighed dramatically. "Maybe I don't need a tooka after all."

Her foot bumped his beneath the table. "I'm still deciding whether I'm keeping this one." The expression on her face made the decision considerably less uncertain than her words suggested.

"My turn." Nyra straightened. She already had a question. "If I handed you the Drift's nav computer tomorrow morning and told you that you could take us anywhere in the galaxy..." She paused. "...where would you take us?"

Nyra waited approximately two seconds. Then her expression changed. "No." She held up her hand. "Don't answer that." A laugh escaped her. "That's not fair."

She'd suddenly remembered the idea that had been forming earlier. Something she'd heard about. Somewhere she'd never bothered visiting because engineering history wasn't usually enough to pull her across the galaxy by itself. But with Saul? That changed things.

"I have an idea for tomorrow." Her smile grew. "And I don't want to put my idea against whatever you say and then have one of us wondering which trip I actually wanted." She leaned across the table conspiratorially. "So I'm withdrawing the question."

Nyra pointed at him. "And no, I'm not telling you my idea yet." She'd have to check the route. But if her memory was right, Roche would work nicely on the way toward Gallinore. And there was an old research station there that an engineer might find considerably more interesting than she ordinarily would.

Research Station Shantipole. She could already imagine Saul getting distracted by whatever ancient machinery remained there. More importantly, she found herself wanting to see him get distracted by it. Nyra smiled to herself. Tomorrow. First they had tonight.

"Okay. Real question." She thought for another moment. "If you could wake up tomorrow and suddenly be really good at one skill you've never learned before, what would you choose?"

Nyra rested her chin against her hand. "Anything. Something useful, something ridiculous, whatever." Her eyes sparkled. "And no cheating by picking something you're already halfway decent at." She grinned. "I want something you've never learned."

Nyra gave his hand another squeeze. "So, diamond in the rough..." Her eyebrows rose. "What new facet are we adding?"

 

[Saul Whesai]

Saul raised an eyebrow, not having said that, all but wanting to go with the flow. "I meant you love my kisses, but I'll let you believe your selective hearing." It was a low price to pay for other great things about her. Like the touch of her hands on his.

His smirk only grew as Nyra specifically said not to ask about embarrassing stories. "So you're saying a board piece was shoved up someone's nose then?" But he knew this wasn't the hill to die on. "But fine, I won't ask for any embarrassing stories." If any came his way, though... But Nyra seemed set on preventing any embarrassment from happening, and she probably would get her wish. "And I think I'll be scared shitless enough that a fart might be able to come out. You shouldn't be worried about any dirty jokes." In truth, Nyra should be more worried about him throwing up from the pressure.

The Cyborg sighed dramatically as Nyra squeezed his hand. She was right; this chocolate woman was turning him into something else. Hopefully, something for the better. Well, mostly... Saul was ready to put his hands up to defend himself as he felt her withering glare upon him. Thankfully, Nyra wasn't up for a physical fight this time. But finding a ship to fix up would be a nice bonding task between them, just like riding together would be.

At this rate, he might let her take over his entire closet if she kept looking at him with those eyes. Maybe she could even add a cup protector in there somewhere. Saul certainly knew not to trust any beast. "I... forgive you... for now..." Though he kissed back when she came to him, he hoped that their next adventure would have so many bumps.

Shrugging and smiling at Nyra's line on kidnapping a mechanic from his engine bay. She technically was right... "I mean, sometimes I do things like count all the parts we have or go on trips to make deals with manufacturers, but that's basically my normal day." The Cyborg left out dealing with weapon parts, but that was probably the last thing she wanted to hear. As their feet rubbed together and she gave her approval, Omen only shook his head. "You are making it sound like you can get away from me easily. Too late to return me now." Like he would ever want her to.

A line zipped back at Nyra as she tried to tell him to broaden his horizons. "Why would I want to do that when I have the important thing right in front of me?" He reached under the table to squeeze her knee with a smile. "But yes, you are right, and I try to see new things whenever I travel." Otherwise, he wouldn't have come all the way here to see her.

But he did owe her an explanation. Or else she really would think the worst of his past. Better to cut off her mind before it got there. "Deal." Hearing her favorite animal, though, did bring a smile to his face. "Tookas are pretty cute." He was pretty sure he had seen Convorees before in some exotic pet shops, but they certainly were more than the Cyborg wanted to spend. "You say adventurous till you wake up with it directly on your face in bed." Having to cough out fur wouldn't be his favorite activity as a pet owner.

Her comparison of him being a pet wasn't wrong, though... "Hey, I bought those ingredients myself. Thank you very much." She made it sound like it was a bad thing.

When she tried to pull back her question, Saul was in the middle of trying to say Endor. It would be a good camping trip, and being able to camp out under the stars in those treehouses would be fun. But he let her change the question without protest. When she asked for one skill, Saul smiled as he received the squeeze, knowing what he would pick. "Being able to make you happy, or if I already have that down, being able to find a place where I belong. Or the power to fly through the cosmos, either one." The Cyborg would always be comfortable, so he didn't need to pick anything with assigned wealth. So making her happy was the choice. "As for my question, what would you like to order?" Because sooner or later, this restaurant was going to kick them out for just wasting time and taking up a table.

Nyra Kairo

 

[Nyra Kairo]

Objective: Date #2
Location: Dantooine
Outfit: Black jacket / white tank / black shorts / boots → Flower Dress
Tag: Saul Whesai

Nyra stared at Saul for a moment. Then her eyes narrowed. "Wait." She pointed across the table. "You meant that I love your kisses?" The accusation collapsed almost immediately into a laugh.

"Okay, fine. Maybe I heard what I wanted to hear." That admission probably surrendered far too much ground. "And maybe I do love your kisses." Nyra leaned across the table. "But don't get smug about it." She gave him another one anyway.

The board-game piece was a problem of her own making. Nyra immediately realized that. "No." Too fast. Her eyes shifted away. "That was a completely hypothetical example." It absolutely was not. "And since you've promised not to ask for embarrassing stories, this conversation is over."

Nyra smiled triumphantly. Until Saul admitted just how nervous he expected to be around her family. Her expression softened. "Hey." She squeezed his hand. "You really don't have to be scared of them." The teasing faded enough that the reassurance was genuine. "Mom's going to like you because you're nice to me. Dad's going to ask questions because that's what Dad does. Neither of them is waiting at home planning some elaborate test to decide whether you're worthy of their daughter."

Probably. Nyra considered. "Liora, though..." Her eyes narrowed. "Never let my sister know you're nervous." A solemn nod followed. "She'll smell weakness." Nyra grinned. "And if you're genuinely that scared, I promise I won't abandon you." She paused. "Much." Apparently they were no longer discussing whether Saul was coming. Nyra noticed that only after she'd said it. Strangely, she didn't feel any urge to correct herself.

Saul's hypothetical restoration project had also lodged itself somewhere in her thoughts. "You know..." Nyra leaned back. "The ship idea isn't actually terrible." Her eyebrows rose. "If we ever find some poor abandoned wreck worth saving, I could see that being fun."

She pointed toward herself. "I fly it." Then toward him. "You make sure it continues flying." Perfect division of labor. "And absolutely no hyperspace-ring jokes." Nyra held his gaze. "We have retired that subject." She was almost certain Saul would respect that declaration for at least several minutes.

His expanded description of an ordinary day didn't dramatically change her assessment. "So sometimes it's engine, inventory, lunch, engine." Nyra nodded. "Much more exciting." She smiled. "But traveling to meet manufacturers counts. You escaped the engine bay occasionally even before I kidnapped you."

Then Saul squeezed her knee and told her the important thing was already sitting in front of him. Nyra's response was immediate. A warm smile spread across her face. "You're getting dangerously good at that." Not the dirty jokes. The other thing. The little comments that slipped underneath her defenses before she had time to prepare some clever response.

Nyra placed her hand over his beneath the table. "And apparently you're right. Too late to return you." She pretended to consider the problem. "I suppose I'll have to keep you." Her smile softened. "I'm beginning to think I can live with that."

His answer to her skill question completely derailed the teasing. Nyra had expected something technical. Some obscure engineering discipline. Flying. Languages. Cooking something ridiculously complicated. Instead: Being able to make you happy.

Nyra stared at him. "Saul..." Her smile came slowly. "That's cheating." She reached across and took his hand again. "First, you're already pretty good at making me happy." The last couple of days were fairly compelling evidence. "Second..."

Her thumb moved slowly over his knuckles. "I don't want making me happy to be your job." There was no joke behind that one. "I want you to care whether I'm happy. Obviously." Nyra smiled. "But if we're going to keep doing..."

She gestured between them. "...whatever increasingly serious thing this is becoming, you don't have to spend every day wondering whether you're successfully keeping Nyra Kairo happy." She leaned forward. "I liked you when you showed up at the carnival." A kiss against his knuckles. "Before you had any idea how to make me happy."

Her smile returned. "So that answer is disqualified." Which left the second one. Finding somewhere he belonged. That hurt a little more than Nyra expected. "I don't think belonging is a skill either." Her eyes remained on his. "And I don't think somebody can just learn it overnight." Nyra hesitated.

It would have been very easy to tell him that he belonged with her. Part of her wanted to. But that was a promise far larger than two days could support. Instead, her foot found his beneath the table again. "For what it's worth..." She smiled. "...you seem to fit pretty well here." She let here mean whatever Saul wanted it to mean.

Then Nyra sat back. "So I'm accepting flying through the cosmos." She nodded decisively. "Congratulations." Her grin returned. "You're a bird." Much safer.

And then Saul asked what she wanted to order. Nyra blinked. She looked at him. Then at the menu she'd barely touched. Then back at him. "Seriously?" She started laughing. "You could ask me absolutely anything. Secrets. Dreams. Most embarrassing thing I've ever done..."

She stopped. "No, actually, you couldn't ask that one." Especially with the board-game discussion still dangerously recent. "But you have one question and you ask what I want for dinner?"

Nyra opened the menu. "Fine. Those are the rules." She actually studied it this time. "I'll have the grilled nerf, roasted vegetables, and..." Her finger moved down the drinks. "...that." She indicated one of the restaurant's fruit cocktails. "Something sweet."

Nyra lowered the menu. "There. Deepest mysteries of Nyra Kairo revealed." She gave him an amused look. "And you wasted an entire question on it."

Once they'd actually ordered, Nyra allowed the question game to dissolve naturally. They didn't need every moment together to reveal some hidden piece of themselves. There was food. There was teasing. There was Saul sitting across from her looking far too good in clothes she'd chosen. And occasionally there was simply conversation. Normal conversation. Nyra found herself enjoying that almost as much as the adventures. Almost.

By the time their plates had been mostly cleared, however, something had been sitting impatiently in the back of her mind. Nyra finally reached for her datapad. "So." That particular tone announced trouble. "I've been thinking about tomorrow." She activated a small holo projection over the table. A route appeared. Dantooine. Gallinore. And another system along the journey.

Nyra enlarged the middle point. "Roche." She looked across at Saul. "Specifically, Research Station Shantipole."

Nyra knew enough about it to have become interested once the idea occurred to her. An old Alliance research station hidden among the Roche asteroids. Verpine engineers. The development of the B-wing. Exactly the sort of place she suspected could make Saul forget she existed for several minutes. Which she was strangely excited to witness. "It's an old engineering and research site. B-wing development, Verpine technology, starfighter history..." Her smile widened. "Basically lots of things you can stare at and explain to me while I pretend I understand all of it."

That wasn't entirely fair. Nyra knew ships considerably better than the average person. She just wasn't Saul. "It's close enough to the route that we can spend part of the day there and still keep moving toward Hapes." Nyra looked at the little representation of Roche. Then back at Saul. "I thought you'd like it." That was really the whole reason.

"I've spent two days dragging you through things that sounded fun to me." She smiled. "Thrill rides. My ship. My landspeeder. An obstacle course. Shopping. Dantari mounts..." A tiny grimace. "That last one might owe you another apology." Her hand crossed the table and found his. "So I thought tomorrow we could do something that's a little more you."

No sponsor. No audience metrics. No question about whether Shantipole would make good content. Nyra wanted to take Saul somewhere she thought would make him happy. She hadn't entirely missed the significance of that after everything they'd just discussed. "And..." Nyra moved the holo route onward. Past Roche. Into the Hapes Cluster. Gallinore. She became just slightly less confident. "We could still make dinner."

There it was. Nyra looked at Saul. "If you still want to." Her fingers curled around his. "You don't have to come just because you talked me into going home. I can drop you somewhere, or you can stay aboard the Drift, or..."

She shook her head. "No." That wasn't what she wanted. Nyra had promised herself she'd be honest tonight. So she would be. "I'd like you to come." There was a small, almost embarrassed smile. "Which is probably completely insane after three dates."

She glanced toward Gallinore's holographic marker. "But Mom already knows you exist. Dad probably will by then. And apparently I've already started warning you how to survive Liora." Nyra laughed quietly. "So we're a little past pretending this isn't happening."

She squeezed his hand. "We go to Roche. I show my favorite mechanic a place filled with engineering things. Then we head for Gallinore." Her eyes met his. "And you meet the Kairos." A pause. "Assuming you haven't regained your senses by then."

Nyra's smile turned mischievous again. Then her gaze traveled over the formal clothes she'd picked for him. She froze. "Wait." Her eyes narrowed. "You talked me into reconsidering family dinner after I bought you a suit."

Nyra leaned forward suspiciously. "Saul." A finger pointed accusingly at him. "Was this your plan?" She managed to hold the accusation for perhaps two seconds. Then she laughed. "Because if it was, I'm almost impressed."

Nyra sat back, still holding his hand. Tomorrow suddenly felt much bigger than another date. Tonight, Saul was still the handsome blue-haired man she'd met at a carnival and impulsively invited aboard her ship. Tomorrow she'd take him somewhere she'd chosen specifically for him. And afterward? She'd take him home.

 

[Saul Whesai]

Saul raised an eyebrow as a smirk spread over his face. "I think you mostly just hear what you want to hear." It was hard not to be smug as she admitted just how much she liked his affections. Or to be smug when she admitted the board game piece, her eyes shifting away with guilt. "Mhm... Sure..." The Cyborg clearly didn't believe her for a minute. Still, he let Nyra have her peace. At least it would be obtained by one of them.

Nyra's reassurances went a little way to calm him down. "I'm not exactly scared of them. More scared about being in a situation I've never been in." When she squeezed her hand, he squeezed back with a smile. "But knowing you'll be there will make it alright." He could answer questions well enough. Now all they could do was to see how many loopholes her father was going to offer him in their questions.

Hearing about her sister sensing weakness... He was half sure that this woman was an animal instead of a human being. "Good to know you'll be there to support me." He knew that wouldn't mean much if her sister got him alone. All the Cyborg could hope for was that if Liora did get him alone, she didn't want to tear him apart.

Building a ship together was a good idea, because they would get to do it together. "I do actually have some good ones, you know." It wasn't a perfect division of labor (the fixing would take a lot longer and be more hazardous than the flying), but at least she was excited for it. At the no-hyperspace-ring jokes, the Cyborg tried to look innocent. "But you make it so easy." Still, he knew it was time to stand those down. Even the dog he was knew when to sit when instructed.

If he could roll his eyes, he would. "Yes, I know it's surprising that I'm not a total homebody. That I don't always like to be in my own bubble." So the Cyborg was here on a date with her, shoving clever jabs until one stuck. Saul let her win his hand, saying, "What a fool we both are, even if you are the bigger one. I'm beginning to think I can live with that too."

Yes, his answer was a cop-out; it was true. He just didn't know what to say other than the power to pick what he wanted to be when he was born. It certainly wasn't being a robot man. A robot man who blushed when his knuckles were kissed. "Just want to keep you happy is all..." And Saul was going to use everything in his power to do it. And keep her foot in check. At her acceptance of him flying through the cosmos, he couldn't help but smile. "I hope you join me. It would be lonely up there all alone." Besides, he didn't think he wanted to do anything without her from now on.

Saul just grinned as Nyra looked at him like he was crazy for using up his question so easily. "Let's say it's a cease-fire for now." She was right; it was a waste of a question, but he also wanted actually to get something in his stomach. Talking to Nyra was so incredibly addicting that he had to stop himself from wrapping himself up more in her web. "I was going to ask what part of your body you like my kisses on the most, but I guess I can find that out myself." Surely Nyra wouldn't mind.

After glancing at the menu, Saul ordered a Dianoga Pie, Verdian vine beans, and Pashi noodles. Now he just had to keep the conversation up till one of the restaurant's droid waiters brought their food out. And thankfully Nyra had that covered.

Saul looked at the holo projection as Nyra talked about her plan. He wasn't hating it. "So... breaking into an ancient military facility. Sounds like the start of a horror film." He couldn't help teasing her about the reason for being there. "Half the reason you want to visit is that you want to weld two A-Wings together and see if you can make a cloud car out of them. But sure, I'm game." Hell, it would probably be a pretty good thing to stream. Maybe it could be Saul's first time experiencing Nyra's craft.

The Cyborg chuckled as he gave her hand a squeeze. "They were fun for me too. Well... maybe not the Dantari, but I never said I hated them. But thanks for including me." It was nice to be wanted. His eyes followed her finger into the Hapes Cluster. Hearing her actually admit to wanting him at the dinner created a smile on his face. "Oh no, it is insane, but I'm happy you want to show me off." Now he just had to be mentally prepared for all the questions coming his way.

Saul just shook his head when she accused him of colluding. "No, I think you just wanted to put me in a suit and are making up conspiracy theories to cover it up." They both could hear the server droid roll forward out of the kitchen, the big doors automatically opening as the droid held onto their food. And it smelled so good.

Saul couldn't help but stare at Nyra as the droid laid their food on the table. Not for the first time and not for the last. Today had been perfect, and tomorrow would be too, as they walked through it one day at a time.

Nyra Kairo

 

[Nyra Kairo]

Objective: Date #2
Location: Dantooine
Outfit: Black jacket / white tank / black shorts / boots → Flower Dress
Tag: Saul Whesai

Nyra's smile softened when Saul admitted that meeting her family wasn't frightening so much as unknown. That she understood. "Okay. That's fair." Her fingers squeezed his. "But you're not doing it alone." The words came easily now. "I'll be right there. If Dad starts asking too many questions, I'll rescue you." A pause. "Eventually."

Her grin returned. "And Liora..." Nyra considered her sister. "I'll protect you from her too." Another pause. "Probably." That was the best guarantee he was getting.

The idea that Saul could be genuinely nervous tomorrow did make Nyra want to make things easier for him, though. She knew her family. There wasn't going to be some elaborate interrogation or judgment awaiting him. They would simply be curious about the boy Nyra had unexpectedly brought home after three days together. Which, admittedly, was plenty of material for questions.

Saul's continued defense of his ability to occasionally escape his little mechanical bubble earned a laugh. "I believe you." Nyra lifted her free hand in surrender. "You occasionally emerge from beneath an engine, blink at the sunlight, and interact with civilization." Her eyes sparkled. "I'm proud of you." She leaned forward to kiss him before he could properly object.

The hypothetical ship project sounded increasingly fun too. Not something Nyra was about to start shopping for tomorrow. But someday? "Fine. You can have good ideas." She smiled. "If we ever do find some wreck worth saving, we'll figure out the division of labor then."

Nyra pointed at him. "But I still get first flight." Obviously. "And thank you for finally retiring the hyperspace-ring jokes." She narrowed her eyes. "Even if I apparently make them easy."

Saul's answer about flying through the cosmos stayed with her longer. ”I hope you join me.”

Nyra looked at him for a moment before smiling. "Obviously I'm coming." There wasn't even hesitation. "You think I'm going to give you the ability to fly through the entire galaxy and then stay home?" Her head shook. "Absolutely not."

She leaned closer. "You'd get lost." A kiss landed against his cheek. "I'm coming for your own safety." That sounded much easier than admitting how much she liked the image Saul had accidentally created. The two of them flying somewhere together. No destination necessary. Just together. Those little assumptions were appearing more frequently.

When he met her family.
When they traveled together.
When they found another adventure.

Neither of them seemed particularly interested in imagining the alternative anymore.

His revelation about the question he'd nearly asked brought Nyra abruptly back to the present. Her eyes widened. "Where I like your kisses the most?" Color immediately rose into her cheeks. "Saul!" Nyra glanced around the restaurant as though someone might somehow have overheard the question he hadn't actually asked.

She leaned toward him. "No." A moment passed. Her lips curled upward. "If you want the answer to that one, apparently you're going to have to conduct field research." Nyra immediately pointed at him. "Within reason." There. Perfectly responsible qualification. Probably. She sat back and picked up her drink. "I can't believe that was almost your question." She absolutely could.

Their food arriving finally forced both of them to spend at least a little time doing what people traditionally did in restaurants. Eating. Nyra discovered fairly quickly that Saul's Pashi noodles looked better from across the table. One disappeared from his plate. Then another. She offered him a piece of her grilled nerf in exchange, which Nyra considered a perfectly legitimate trade regardless of whether Saul had actually agreed to it.

Dinner gradually stopped being a relationship examination. They talked. They laughed. Nyra occasionally reached across the table for his hand simply because she could. Her foot continued finding his beneath the table. And every so often she caught herself looking at Saul rather than the spectacular view outside. That was becoming a habit.

When she finally revealed Roche, his reaction was almost exactly what she'd expected. Except for one thing. Nyra stared at him. "Breaking in?" Her eyebrows shot upward. "No!"

She gestured toward the holo. "We are going through the front door like respectable visitors." A pause. Nyra considered who she was speaking to. "Well..." Her eyes narrowed. "I'm going through the front door like a respectable visitor." She pointed toward Saul. "You are not getting arrested on our third date."

His accusation concerning A-wings was less easily dismissed. Nyra looked thoughtfully toward the projection. "Okay, first of all, welding two A-wings together would be ridiculous." She paused. "Second..." Her head tilted. "...now I kind of want to know if it would work."

Nyra shook herself out of it. "No. Shantipole. Verpine engineering. B-wings. History." Her eyes returned to him. "Respectable visitors." She smiled. "I'll probably record some of it." This was the sort of destination that naturally belonged on her channel.

"But you don't have to suddenly become Holonet Boyfriend Saul." Nyra giggled at the title. "You can just enjoy yourself." She pointed toward him. "If you start explaining something interesting, though, I reserve the right to point a camera at you." A beat. "With warning."

She'd already promised him that much with their future cooking holo. "And if you hate being recorded, I'll edit you out." Her smile softened. "I picked Roche because I think you'll enjoy it. The content is secondary." That distinction mattered to her.

Saul thanking her for including him earned a warmer smile. "You don't have to thank me." Nyra squeezed his hand. "I like having you along." She looked down at their intertwined fingers. "A lot, apparently."

The Dantari qualification made her laugh. "Fine. Next adventure, fewer threats to your anatomy." She could promise that much. Probably.

Then Saul accused her of wanting to show him off to her family. Nyra looked him over. Slowly. "Have you looked in a mirror tonight?" She gestured toward the outfit she'd chosen. "Of course I want to show you off." Her grin lasted another moment before softening.

"But that's not why I want you there." Nyra's fingers curled around his. "The suit helps." Her thumb brushed his hand. "But I'd take you home in the coveralls." That was perhaps the strongest endorsement Saul's usual wardrobe was ever going to receive.

"Actually, don't be surprised if dinner is considerably more casual than this." Nyra glanced down at her own dress. "We're going home, not attending a royal reception." Though on Gallinore, those two concepts could occasionally get alarmingly close together. "And you don't need to impress them."

She smiled. "Just be you." A beat. "Maybe a slightly filtered version of you until Dad gets comfortable." That was reasonable.

His denial of the suit conspiracy wasn't remotely convincing. Nyra narrowed her eyes. "Mhm." Apparently Saul wasn't the only one allowed to deploy that response. "You just happened to encourage me to attend dinner after I'd already purchased clothing that makes you look unfairly good."

She stabbed a piece of roasted vegetable. "Very suspicious." But the accusation didn't survive long. Dinner did. Dessert followed. So did more conversation that neither of them seemed particularly eager to end. Eventually, though, even Nyra had to admit they'd occupied the table long enough.

The trip back to the Drift was considerably quieter than the journey out. Not awkward. Comfortable. Nyra stayed close, her hand frequently finding Saul's. When the familiar shape of her ship finally came into view, she felt that peculiar little shift she'd begun noticing. The Drift had always been home. Now she was starting to associate returning to it with Saul being there too. That was another thought she wasn't quite ready to examine.

Once aboard, Nyra disappeared into her quarters long enough to escape the dress. The heels came off first. Immediately. She changed into comfortable sleep shorts and a loose top, freed her curls from the more deliberate styling she'd given them for dinner, and emerged looking considerably more like the Nyra who actually lived aboard the Drift. Much better.

She settled onto the couch and pulled out her datapad. "Okay." Her fingers hovered over the display. "This makes it official." She looked toward Saul. "I'm telling them we're coming." Nyra typed a short message to her parents.

Making dinner tomorrow after all. Taking a stop at Roche first. She hesitated. Then added: I'm bringing Saul. Nyra stared at those three words. That suddenly made everything feel substantially more real. She sent it before she could reconsider.

"There." The datapad dropped beside her. "My parents have officially been informed that I'm bringing a boy home." Nyra covered her face for a moment. "After knowing him for three days." Her hands lowered. She looked at Saul. A smile appeared. "Completely reasonable behavior." She didn't regret it. That might have been the strangest part.

Then Nyra remembered something considerably more urgent. She stretched her legs out along the couch and looked down at her bare feet. Then toward Saul. Slowly. A dangerous smile appeared. "Oh." She pointed at him. "I survived." Her toes wiggled. "All evening."

Nyra shifted until she could present her feet toward him with absolutely shameless expectation. "You promised." She settled comfortably against the cushions. "So pay up, pretty boy."

The rest of the evening required very little. No cameras. No challenges. No relationship questions. They simply existed together. Nyra found something light to put on, though she paid considerably less attention to it than she did the man sharing her couch. Conversation drifted in and out. Sometimes they talked. Sometimes Nyra simply leaned against Saul and enjoyed the increasingly familiar comfort of having him there.

Eventually, however, even Nyra had to surrender to sleep. Tomorrow promised Roche, Shantipole, another flight—And family. Nyra rose reluctantly. "Come on." She caught Saul's hand. "Big day tomorrow."

She didn't immediately release it. Instead, she let him follow her through the Drift's corridor until they reached her bedroom. Nyra stopped outside the door. For a moment she simply looked at him. Two nights ago he'd been a stranger from Zinder. Tomorrow she was taking him home.

Nyra stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. "Today was..." She smiled against him. "Really good." That somehow felt more appropriate than perfect. More real. She drew back just enough to look into those glowing eyes.

"I'm glad I swiped on you." Then Nyra kissed him. Not one of the quick teasing kisses she'd stolen throughout the day. Something warmer. Lingering. When she finally pulled away, she remained close for another moment before reluctantly releasing him.

"Goodnight, Saul." Nyra backed into her room. Her hand blindly found the door controls. She smiled at him one last time as her finger reluctantly pressed the button to close it.

 

[Saul Whesai]

The idea that Saul could be genuinely nervous tomorrow did make Nyra want to make things easier for him, though. She knew her family. There wasn't going to be some elaborate interrogation or judgment awaiting him. They would simply be curious about the boy Nyra had unexpectedly brought home after three days together. Which, admittedly, was plenty of material for questions.

Well, Nyra would try to protect him. Guess he couldn't ask more for that. Even when Saul looked embarrassed as Nyra told him the truth and kissed him, he couldn't help but kiss back, as those eyes were stuck in his mind. When they pulled away and she admitted that building a ship together was a good idea, Saul couldn't help but smile back. "I know I have good ideas because meeting you was the best one I ever had. But he was certain they could find something small that they both liked. "And who knows, maybe I'll even teach you something." Though whether she could handle an arc welder safely... that would be an experiment plagued with danger.

Flying among the stars with Nyra, there was nothing that would make him happier. Even worth forgetting the hyperspace ring jokes. His hand gently found her thigh through her dress's skirt, gently rubbing it as he said. "You make a lot of things easy. Like how it's easy to adore you." And if he was taking anyone into the star on a long flight, it would be her. The Cyborg accepted the kiss on the cheek, shaking his head when she insisted that he was only coming along for his safety. "And here I thought you were coming along because you were enamored with me and wanted to see how my eyes shine against the darkness of space. But I'll take you not wanting me to get lost as a reason to keep your beauty along." Beauty that he would stare at almost as much as the stars.

The way that Nyra blushed as he spread thoughts into her mind and glanced around like he had just said something scandalous only made him want to push the boundaries more. The customers around them were either focused on their meals, the rustling grasslands outside, or each other, so they didn't notice their spicy interaction, and Saul upped the stakes. The Cyborg leaned in, playfully biting at the part of her shoulder her dress exposed. "I don't know... Some of the parts I want to kiss are in the unreasoned areas. But I'll happily conduct my field research when we are alone." Hopefully that liquid would stay in its cup and not end up on Saul's face, but the way she leaned towards him... It was a far bet that wasn't going to happen.

Just like his food wasn't going to stay his for very long. He slowly saw noodles one after another disappear off his plate, which the Cyborg reluctantly let go of for the sake of domestic harmony. When Nyra offered the steak piece out, though, he decided to be... difficult. Leaning in, Saul gently put his teeth around the piece of meat and slowly... tourturingly... slid it off the fork while looking directly into her chocolate eyes. The sounds of him slowly chewing while that smirk still held on his face told Nyra he wasn't done with her yet. "It isn't bad. Maybe we should trade food more often." Or he should let Nyra steal food more often.

Despite all of the touching and laughing that the new Saul liked, the old remained. The kind that broke into these places for materials and parts. He was still thinking of this place as a black site and not some tourist attraction. He managed to admit he was wrong. "Yeah, you are right, didn't think this place would have a welcome center, but I guess I was wrong." Hearing her talk about how welding two A-wings together would be interesting brought his smirk back. "See, told you you would be interested." As for how two A-wings welded together would work... probably how most things not meant to be together were supposed to work. And yet, here they were.

Saul just shook his head when Nyra said you reserved the right to point a camera at him whenever she wanted. "Why do I think you are going to have trouble aiming the camera? But I'll try my best." He had been on a lot of ships, more than most in their lifetime. So, he at least had some knowledge to pass along. And she was right, Saul probably would like this place. Just liked how he liked being with her.

Hearing there would be last threats to his anatomy in the future made the Cyborg raise an eyebrow as he managed to suppress a laugh himself. "I don't know why you are saying that. You are one of the threats to my anatomy." But she was right; he did look decent, at least. Maybe even good... One, admitting that he was handsome was weird... Admitting someone genuinely wanted a life with him... That was even harder. And yet, that's what he was doing.

The last thing he thought about Hapes Space was the word causal. Most thought about a bloodthirsty game to control the throne when it came to thinking about Hapes in general. But... maybe her family would be different. The small smile told her that the Cyborg was willing to give it a try. Squeezing her hand, Saul commented. "Just be a child-friendly version of me. I can do that." Or at least he hoped.

The Cyborg was slowly getting comfortable with this new partnership. Comfortable with someone who liked and wanted him to be himself. Like Nyra, he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to think about the future, but right now...? Right now was feeling pretty good. Even with her accusations of Saul influencing Nyra to make him look good in front of her parents. Only one thing was wrong with that theory. "I said you should have attend before you decided on getting me clothes. I think that pops your theory right there." Still, she wasn't wrong about one thing; he was going to need all the help he could get.

As Nyra plopped down on the couch inside the Drift, she saw Saul come in a blue-and-black layered tank top and black sleep shorts, and sit beside her. Saul smiled reassuringly as she confirmed their plans. "I'm sure they are fully panicking right now." The Cyborg managed not to roll his eyes when she put her feet out. "Yes, you survived all evening..." And so, he took hold of her feet and gently started to rub her soles. Hopefully, he would do a good job of rubbing her feet as he did choosing her outfit.

Saul enjoyed the rest of the evening of quiet music and conversation, even as he did his job as his new queen's foot-rubber. When Nyra finally gave in and got up, catching his hand and pulled him down the hallway. His eyes glowed with surprise as she stopped them in front of her door, wondering if this meant what he thought it meant as she embraced him. "Yes... Much more than I thought it was going to be." When she drew back and their eyes met, he felt an electricity between them that he had never felt with anyone else. Maybe that's why the kiss she laid on him felt so good. When they finally parted and she went back into her room, Saul decided in the millisecond after she tried to shut the door that he couldn't let her go. Not tonight. Maybe it was his want for her, or maybe he was just being a misguided romantic, but the Cyborg stuck his foot into the door, hoping he wasn't inviting Nyra to throw him off the ship after all.

Nyra Kairo

 

[Nyra Kairo]

Objective: Date #3
Location: Dantooine
Outfit: Flower Dress → black shorts / fitted magenta top / lightweight dark jacket
Tag: Saul Whesai

Nyra had to admit one thing before the evening ended. Saul gave a good foot rub. She had stretched out comfortably across the couch, her feet surrendered into his hands while the ache from the heels slowly disappeared. Every so often she made a satisfied little sound without even realizing it. Eventually Nyra glanced toward him. "This is unfortunate." Her expression was gravely serious. "You're actually good at this." She flexed her toes experimentally. "I was prepared to complain dramatically and make you keep trying until you got it right."

Nyra settled more comfortably against the cushions. "Now you've set expectations." Another contented sigh undermined the threat completely. The quiet hours afterward only made it easier to relax. No plans needed to be made. Nothing needed to be proven. She could simply curl against Saul, talk when they felt like talking, and allow comfortable silence when they didn't. Eventually, though, exhaustion won. For the moment.

Nyra let Saul follow her as far as her bedroom door. The hug lingered. So did the kiss. She told him goodnight and stepped backward into her room, still smiling as she began closing the door. It stopped. Nyra blinked. She pushed again. Nothing. Her gaze dropped. Saul's foot.

Slowly, Nyra looked back up at him. "Saul..." For several seconds she simply stood there with one hand on the door. She knew where the guest room was. So did he. There was no possible way this was an innocent navigational error. Nyra should have asked what he wanted. She should have teased him about forgetting which room was his. She should have reminded herself that this was only their second date and tomorrow would already bring a third date and meeting her family.

Instead, she looked at him. Really looked at him. And discovered she didn't particularly want that door closed either. Nyra sighed. "You're trouble." Her hand left the door control. There was one last pause in which common sense was given every opportunity to intervene. It failed. Nyra caught Saul by the front of his shirt and pulled him through the doorway.

Her lips found his almost immediately. The door was forgotten behind them. Nyra's arms slipped around him as she kissed him again, their slow, awkward shuffle carrying them farther into her room. There was laughter somewhere between kisses when their steps failed to coordinate, but Nyra made no effort to retreat. Tomorrow could worry about tomorrow. For once she didn't want to analyze what this meant, decide which date number permitted what, or calculate whether something was happening too quickly. She just wanted him. Another kiss. Another backward step. Nyra's calves touched the edge of her bed. And the rest of the night belonged only to them.

---

Morning aboard the Kairo Drift arrived far too early. Nyra was already dressed when she emerged from the 'fresher, wearing practical black shorts, a fitted magenta top and a lightweight dark jacket she could throw on before they left the ship. Her curls had been gathered into a high, loose ponytail, though several stubborn tendrils had already escaped around her face. She felt...

Different. Not dramatically. The Drift was still the Drift. Today was still Roche, followed by the increasingly terrifying realization that she was bringing Saul home to Gallinore. But something had shifted between last night and this morning. Nyra wasn't quite ready to put words to it. So she didn't. There was something else she was considerably more willing to address. The nightmare.

Nyra had awakened during the night because of Saul. Whatever he'd been dreaming about had been enough to pull him sharply out of sleep. She hadn't interrogated him then. She wasn't going to interrogate him now. But she hadn't forgotten either. Nyra approached him once they were both dressed, her expression softer than her usual morning energy suggested. "Hey." She touched his arm. "About last night..."

For perhaps the first time since they'd awakened, she wasn't referring to anything that had happened before they fell asleep. "The nightmare." Her eyes searched his. "You scared me a little." Not scared of him. For him. Nyra slid her hand into his. "You don't have to tell me what it was about."

Especially not first thing in the morning. "But..." Her thumb brushed across his hand. "If that's something that happens a lot, I want to know." They'd already agreed that she could ask about his past when they were somewhere private. There wasn't anywhere much more private than this.

Still, Nyra wasn't going to turn their morning into an interrogation. "And if you ever wake up like that again..." Her smile was small. "You don't have to pretend you're fine because I'm there." A squeeze of his hand. "Okay?" She let that sit.

Saul could tell her as much or as little as he wanted. Then Nyra inhaled and deliberately brought some of her usual energy back. "Now." She looked toward the main compartment. "We need supplies." The Drift could have crossed considerably more than one system with what Nyra normally kept aboard, but if they were spending part of the day exploring Roche and then continuing to Gallinore, she wanted fresh food, drinks and a few other things before they launched.

"Food. Drinks. Probably snacks." A pause. "Definitely snacks. And essentials." Nyra started counting on her fingers. "Anything you need. Anything we forgot yesterday. And whatever keeps two respectable visitors alive while exploring an ancient Rebel engineering station."

Her eyebrows rose. "Respectable." She wasn't letting that one go quite yet. "We make one quick supply run, come back here, load everything..." Nyra gestured toward the cockpit. "...and then we're off to Roche."

Just saying it made her smile. Yesterday had largely been her world. Today she was going to get to watch Saul walk into something she'd chosen specifically for him. Then came the part after Roche. Nyra glanced toward the chrono. "And we really shouldn't take forever." She looked back at Saul. "If we're going to spend enough time at Shantipole for you to properly nerd out and still make it to Gallinore in time for dinner, we need to get moving."

Dinner. Her family. With Saul. Nyra smiled and squeezed his hand again. "Come on, pretty boy." She tugged him toward the hatch. "Third date." A beat. "And then you get to find out whether I've been exaggerating about my sister."

 

[Saul Whesai]

Well, at least he was good for something other than mechanical nonsense. Saul's smile didn't go away as he listened happily to every little sound she made. "For me to be a good partner? I'll take those expectations." Because that's what he wanted to be for her, a good partner. And it seemed like he had been doing okay so far.

To be honest, the Cyborg had expected Nyra to rebuff him. To say she wasn't ready to go all the way yet, but she didn't. And to say his foot was glad the door had an auto-stopping function was an understatement. As she looked into his eyes and said, "You're trouble," with the sigh of an overworked teacher, Saul knew it would be alright. And her kisses told him that he was going to be more than alright. And as they both hit the bed and the evening faded into black, Saul thought he could get used to this.

---

Come morning, Saul already didn't want to get up. Amid all the groaning and pillow throwing as his new partner tried to pull him out of bed, the only way Nyra was able to persuade him to get out of bed was an offer to share the shower with her. And so that's why he came out of the shower behind her in just a pair of dark blue cargo pants and a purple tank top. Saul was in the process of thinking about getting a lightweight raincoat for the agri-factory when he heard Nyra's words and felt her hand slide into his. As he heard her recall events from last night, Nyra could see the guilt pass over the Cyborg's face. "Maybe I should have stayed in the other bed after all..." As he plopped down on the bed, Saul wondered what front he could put up to tell her everything was alright. But it wasn't, and she knew that. No point in trying to hide it. "They're about... my creation... They happen at least once every couple of weeks, sometimes more... So, there are a lot of days where you won't like sleeping with me." Saul tried to force a smile on his face to meet hers when she tired to reassure him that she understood but he couldn't bring it to his face. He could only return the squeeze as he let the silence soak in around them.

Saul slowly nodded as Nyra tried to bring the energy back up but that images of... that... were still dancing in his head... Nyra was right of course, they needed to get things ready before heading out. Slowly, his usual nature came back to life. "What do you think I'm going to rope into essitials? All the stuffed animals you have? Flashlights, those we will need." Too be honest, he didn't quite know what they were headed into. First Nyra sounded like they were going on a guided tour and now she sounded like they were going caving. Either way, this trip was certainly going to be interesting.

As Nyra urged him to get moving, Saul let her tug him out and out the door. Ones, she didn't like to say in one place for very long. "Fine fine, lead the way oh slavedriver of fun." Though by the way he said it, Nyra knew that he was looking forward to this and showing off his skills just as much as she was listening to him go on and on and on.

Nyra Kairo

 

[Nyra Kairo]

Objective: Date #3
Location: Dantooine
Outfit: Black shorts / fitted magenta top / lightweight dark jacket
Tag: Saul Whesai

For all the teasing about Saul being difficult to drag out of bed, Nyra's expression changed quickly once he sat down again. Maybe I should have stayed in the other bed after all.

"No." The answer came immediately. Nyra moved over and sat beside him. "No, don't do that."

Her hand slipped back into his. "I said it scared me because I was worried about you." She turned slightly toward him. "That's not the same thing as wishing you weren't there." If anything, waking beside Saul had made her glad she'd opened the door. Even with the nightmare. Especially, perhaps, because she'd been there when it happened. Then he told her how often they came.

Every couple of weeks. Sometimes more. And finally gave her the smallest glimpse of what they were about. His creation. Nyra's eyes lingered on him. Not an accident. Not surgery. Not whatever happened to his arms or legs. Creation.

There were questions hiding inside that single word that Nyra desperately wanted answered. But not now. Saul had already given her something difficult. She wasn't going to reward that honesty by immediately demanding more. What bothered her more was his conclusion.

"So there are a lot of days where I won't like sleeping with you?" Nyra's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me." She squeezed his hand. "You don't get to decide that for me." There was no anger behind it. Just certainty. "If you wake me up every couple weeks, then you wake me up." She shrugged lightly. "I'm probably going to annoy you plenty of times too."

A little smile appeared. "Maybe not with nightmares. But give me time. I'm creative." Nyra leaned closer. "If there's a bad night, we'll deal with the bad night." She wasn't going to pretend it didn't matter. Clearly it did. "But you don't have to exile yourself to the guest room because you're worried I might not like seeing the difficult parts."

Her thumb moved across the back of his hand. "I'd rather know." Nyra hesitated before lifting her other hand to his cheek. "And when you're ready to tell me what creation means..." She held his gaze. "...I'll listen."

No questions followed. No demand that ready meant today. Nyra leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "And for the record?" The beginnings of her usual smile returned. "I'm still very happy I pulled you through that door." She rose. "So no rewriting last night because this morning got complicated."

Thankfully, Saul eventually began sounding like Saul again. Nyra welcomed it. Her hands went immediately to her hips at the accusation concerning her collection. "My stuffed animals are not supplies." A pause. "Matsu stays here." She pointed vaguely toward where the plushie had been safely abandoned. "She's a valued member of this crew, not expedition equipment."

Nyra looked Saul over. "And don't think I've forgotten how difficult you were to get out of bed." Her eyebrows rose. "For the record, I shouldn't have to offer increasingly ridiculous incentives every morning just to get you vertical." A mischievous smile betrayed that she hadn't exactly suffered from this morning's solution. "Tomorrow I'm throwing something at you." Much more efficient. Probably.

"Flashlights, yes." Nyra started mentally assembling the list as they headed out. "Portable lights. Fresh power cells. Water. Snacks. Basic med supplies." She looked toward Saul. "And whatever boring engineer things you think we're going to need."

Before he could object, she amended: "Important and extremely fascinating engineer things." Better. "And we're not going caving." Nyra laughed. "Shantipole is a real place we're actually allowed to visit." Apparently that needed repeated clarification.

"But parts of that station are something like nine hundred years old. I'm not trusting ancient emergency lighting with my ankles." Her eyes narrowed. "And you're the one who immediately assumed we were breaking into a forgotten military black site, so don't act like I'm overpreparing."

The supply run itself was mercifully straightforward. Nyra took responsibility for the things that actually mattered. Food. Water. Other essentials. More food. Snacks. Something sweet. More snacks. Saul was permitted to concern himself with less vital matters like illumination and equipment.

At one point Nyra looked down at what she'd accumulated and frowned. "We're going for part of a day." She considered putting something back. She didn't. "Whatever." That was what cargo space was for. More importantly, she didn't try to dictate Saul's choices.

When they reached the technical supplies, Nyra gestured toward everything. "You're the engineer." She gave him a little push forward. "If there's something we should have, grab it." Her smile became suspicious. "Within reason."

Nyra knew enough about mechanics to recognize that telling an engineer to buy whatever equipment he thought he needed could become financially dangerous. "And remember we're visiting the station." She pointed at him. "We are not repairing it." Probably.

By the time they returned to the Kairo Drift, their supplies were distributed between the galley, storage compartments and the small packs they'd take onto Shantipole. Nyra deposited the final bag and clapped her hands together. "There." She looked around. "Food. Water. Lights. Enough equipment to survive the horrifying dangers of a functioning museum and research station." A grin. "We're ready."

There was an almost immediate change in Nyra once she entered the cockpit. This was her world. She dropped into the pilot's seat, tied her curls back a little more securely, and began bringing systems online with practiced movements. Displays illuminated around her. The Drift hummed awake.

Nyra glanced toward the copilot's seat. "You know..." She smiled. "This is your first actual trip aboard her." The carnival hadn't counted. Saul had spent plenty of time aboard the Drift since then, but they hadn't actually gone anywhere together. Now they were. Nyra's hand settled onto the controls. "Try not to get emotional."

She started the repulsors. "And don't touch anything unless I tell you." A beat. "Actually, you're an engineer." Her eyes narrowed. "Definitely don't touch anything."

The Kairo Drift lifted from Dantooine. Nyra guided the freighter upward, watching the landscape shrink beneath them as atmosphere gradually gave way to stars. She loved this part. Always had. The moment when a planet stopped being the world around her and became somewhere she'd been. There was always somewhere else waiting. This time felt different.

Nyra glanced toward Saul. She wasn't leaving something behind. She was taking someone with her. Her smile appeared almost unconsciously. "Still think I'm a slavedriver of fun?" Her attention returned to the controls. "Because you haven't seen anything yet."

Soon enough there would be hyperspace. Then Roche. An asteroid field, Verpine engineering, ancient starfighters and whatever pieces of Shantipole had survived centuries of galactic history. Something she'd chosen because she thought Saul would love it. And after that...

Gallinore. Nyra decided to worry about that part later. For now she pushed the Drift toward their departure vector. "Next stop, Roche." She looked sideways at Saul. "And remember." Nyra pointed toward him. "No breaking into anything."

 

[Saul Whesai]

Her hand slipping into his made his spirit rise a little, a small smile gracing his face. "Worried about me after only the second date? Wow, you must really be falling in love with me. Makes me wonder if you are already imagining our wedding venue." Because if she was, he would probably agree to it. Nyra made him feel heard in a way he never expected he could be. And he would always be thankful for it.

When she squeezed his hand, Saul tried to joke the whole thing off, like it was something everybody deals with. Because that's how you make the boogeyman smaller in your mind: you laugh it off. "More like I suspect there are days you are gonna want to suffocate me with a pillow whether or not I'm in bed. I might need to go into the guest room for my own protection." Either way, he knew Nyra was going to claw him back out again, whether he liked it or not.

Saul gently leaned into her hand as she reached out to cup his cheek. To know she was in this for the long haul was comforting, even if it meant verbally sparring with her every step of the way. Now what creation meant... Saul's face twisted as if he were trying to get out of a maze. "Creation means what you think it means... You know how a sun is created? It's very... violent." That was an understatement, but like how Nyra didn't want to press him about it, Saul didn't want to push his bad mood onto her. And so he moved on, smiling as her lips pressed against his forehead. "You sounded very happy about what happened when you pulled me through that door." The Grinch-like grin expanded across his face as he let that thought sink in. Because the sounds that Nyra made last night were certainly ingrained in his mind.

The Cyborg's smirk stayed on his face as he let her defend her plushies. "Just thought you would need them to help you through the dark. Otherwise, you might cut off the blood flow from my arm because you are going to hold onto it too tight." Now that was a fun image of her gripping onto him for dear life while they slowly tried to make their way through the cave network. "And you weren't complaining once we started to get ready together in the shower; why now?" She certainly didn't when they were together embracing under the rain coming from the showerhead.

Slowly, they got their supplies together in their heads, everything they would need for the apocalypse if it came. Saul knew better than to rise to her jabs, letting her engineering references go with just a head shake. "You do know that if there weren't engineers, you wouldn't have this ship right?" She wasn't wrong about the age of the station, though, and he knew the museum probably didn't have enough to keep up with all of the work needed to keep up the place. "As long as we stay in the tour group and watch for signs and roped-off areas, I'm sure we will be fine." Even if he wanted to give belaying a try.

Well, at least she was paying for the extra snacks with his money. When Nyra said that he could be anything within reason, he quickly turned around to the pharmacy section for some reason only she would know. Still, they were well-stocked and ready when the Drift was ready to lift off. As they both went into the cockpit and got settled in, with Nyra's warning not to touch anything in mind, he reached out and booped her nose. "There, I touched something, and we are still alive. So stop worrying." The Cyborg might have to get the hammock out so his feet didn't touch the floor. But as the Ship finally lifted off, he pulled down the seat restraints before reaching out to grip her hand, smiling while looking at her as she gave one final rule. One he couldn't follow. "And I've already broken into something, your heart. So I guess I've broken that rule already too." And be infuriating while doing it.

Nyra Kairo