Public [Zinder Event] Ilum's Grand Life Day Extravaganza!!! [Zinder Event]

[Naniti]

"But not flaming swords," Naniti replied in a droll manner. "Somehow, I'll find a way to live without the exotic outfits."

A soft snort followed suit. "Alright. No sticks this time. Time we work on your fundamentals, Lysander. Make you a danger on the ice for reasons other than imbalance." About time she got to teach him something. His rugged determination to be self sufficient wasn't deplorable, but it certainly cut into Naniti's opportunities to take the lead. Why he even watched holodramas! Couldn't even blow him away in trivia.

She returned the squeeze of his hand as she finished the last of her caf. "At least the instructors can't say we didn't learn something." Not that they'd probably care, but complaints of them wasting time would be hollow, which would be its own, silent victory. "Might even have a few ideas for a new snow suit for you."

Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Naniti
​

Naturally, part of him wanted to bristle out of reflex, to fire something back. Any counter, really; by now, he was simply trained to never leave an opening unanswered. But this time, his mouth just opened and closed.

Why would he turn down a flaming sword? Chasing after a Jedi running away with one surely had its own merits. Lysander could justify that easily. Pulled straight from the Ukatis fairytales he’d grown up with. In a very loose sense. Slightly different from those where a knight rescued some princess in a tower guarded by a krayt dragon.

Lips pressed together like he was holding something in. He looked away once more for a second, then back to her. A smile bloomed, showing a hint of bright teeth. “Oh. Is that what we’re doing now?" Not that he minded when she sounded so sure.

Between the words, his fingers found one of hers, letting it slip only to catch it again. “I think we can confidently say today counts as educational. We’ve already stressed the practical implications, right?”

Luckily, they hadn’t faced any questioning yet. But then, Lysander had been supportive of basically everything with the Covenant’s direction from the first through the fifth day, PTO mindset and all, so disappearing with Naniti on the sixth and seventh didn’t seem terribly unreasonable. Was that too much to ask?

He didn’t want to dismiss her last thought entirely, but.. it sounded dangerous. “Do I get a say in this? I should have known there’d be conditions."

The last morsel from the skewer disappeared, cheeks full and all, chased with a long pull of caf.

Easing up from the table, he only made it halfway around before their hands nearly parted. He latched onto her index finger and gave a soft pull.

“By all means, Naniti. Show me where I’m getting it wrong.”

 

[Shan]

Location: Ice Skating Cave
Tag: Lily Decoria

"O-Oh. I didn't mean to say that I needed to have a favourite. Just...that there's a lot I don't know. Because of how I was brought up."

Shan wasn't fully dwelling on the past, but it was something that was in his mind. He knew that the way he focused on academics and studying wasn't how most people saw the Galaxy. But it had always been that way for him. It was something he was contemplating changing in the future, but Shan didn't want to focus on the idea of a future, for it could always change.

"Well, not every Jedi might be dating you, but...I dunno. It just felt wrong for me to be around you with the rest. It feels like...I'm cheating. Saying I'm not a Jedi, but still showing up to Jedi things."

So it was almost amusing when Lily said there was still some form of Jedi within the Mirialan. It wasn't something he'd entirely refute, but he wasn't sure himself. He couldn't bring himself to be a Light in the dark anymore. He would be a doctor, he would help the little people...But to be a great hero who fought against the Darkness? He'd leave that to people who were more suited to it.

Though he tilted his head as Lily continued to talk. Bringing up how she had the app beforehand, and that was why she had invited him here. About her deleting the app and Shan gave a small shrug of his shoulders, breaking out into a slightly cheeky grin.

"'Course I'm ready Lily. I wouldn't even know about this thing if it wasn't for you. I haven't used Zinder in an age. I kinda stopped with it when I kept getting paired up with Dark Siders."

 

[Valaine Valentine]

Tags - Kito

Valaine smiled as Kito caught her hand and the two started to leisurely skate along the ice in a slow and steady pace. She offered the Shaper's hand a light squeeze of her own before she felt her thumb brush against her cheek, the heat of it warming her face immediately. She smirked sharply in response to Kito's words as she took the lead in directing them along the ice. "Better. And well, I've always been pretty good with balance... I don't have a talent for much, so maybe this is one of them?" she asked as she gracefully slid along the ice like it was second nature to her.

As they circled the outer ring of the rink she kept a hold of Kito's hand to keep her steady and prevent further mishaps. "That being said I really thought you'd be better at it yourself. You're always so... what's the word...? Confident with how you old yourself, you'd expect a natural talent for pretty much anything with that type of attitude." she hummed softly as she leaned to turn a little more sharply, moving a little faster as she herself grew more confident upon the ice.

"Ah, I forgot to mention, I met another of my kind recently. Told me a few things I didn't know about, a few things I suspected too. I'll have to go over them with you at some point since it's sorta important..." she spoke as her tired gaze glanced to where Kito had stashed away the gift she brought earlier, "Also, are you going to tell me what you're hiding there?" she asked with a soft smirk.

​

​

 

[Eenia Vahn]

TAG: Adelle Bastiel
Wearing: [X]


A laugh came from the blonde of the pair, and her head shook only a little as the subject of her promise was addressed. "You say that like I would mind." She commented back, and then a thoughtful sound followed. "I sometimes wish I had a companion that looked after me and my wellbeing." Without her sister around, there was sort of a void left in that department. "Not a pet mind you, but a companion of intelligence." The idea was appealing, and maybe she really would look into it....maybe.

As they continued to skate, another laugh was riled from Eenia and she shook her head at the subject of leaving the ice. "Not even close!" she replied about being done falling for the other. "I'm almost positive there will be plenty of falls left for the evening." she almost sounded like she was assuring her companion of the fact, though really it was absolutely likely that Nia would fall on her butt again before their skating venture was through.

"To be fair, I'm not that bad!" Nia protested over the fact, even though she was very aware that yes, she was. "My balance has at least gotten better." Which was true, though she was still a little slow in the moving department. "Though now you've piqued my interest over these secrets, or cheats. Whatever you want to call them." The blonde said, "I don't want to hold you back all night after all."

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Tags: Eenia Vahn

"A companion of intelligence?" Adelle echoed. She had to chuckle wryly. "And yet you're on Zinder. I don't think you'll find one there. Case in point." She gestured to herself with a knowing smirk.

Tension bled from Adelle's shoulders as the conversation returned to lighter things, the ease she'd gotten used to while working with Nia coming back. As healers, they didn't have much opportunity to laugh. It was nice, not having to worry about life and death.

"I might've made it sound more impressive than it actually is," Adelle said, somewhat sheepishly. "Mostly just using the Force to catch you is what I meant. Honestly you're probably doing a lot to keep me upright right now. I'd be trying to test my limits, kriffing around and finding out."

Knowing herself, she'd be trying to go faster than she should, losing her center of gravity, and falling spectacularly. Worse than what Nia had done. Adelle had never really been able to help it: even as a Jedi, she pushed herself and her physical limits, pushed her limits of Force use, and often suffered Force euphoria and its resulting crashes. She'd even felt the beginnings of Force exhaustion, the slow ripping apart of atoms from channeling the Force too much.

"But if you're not that bad, then we can pick up the pace a little," Adelle said with smirk. She sped up a little, gently pulling Nia forward a bit, but only going marginally faster. Certainly not as fast as the reckless part of her wanted to go. "So. A healer in Mandalorian space. What brought you there?"

 

[Lily Decoria]

​

Location: Objective 1 - Ice Rink Cave
Outfit: Dress
Tag: Shan

Lily giggled and shook her head, "we all have a lot that we don't know about. I am sure there is plenty on medicine that you could talk about that would go over my head."

"Well, mister. If you are going to be dating me, you need to start expecting to attend galas, royal events, Jedi events and all kinds of dances. No point dating someone if I can't drag them to all these events and show them off. Especially when they are an amazing doctor doing all kinds of great work." She gave him a friendly nudge, a look saying that she wants and needs him to be present for such events and to be there with her. It wasn't just the fun, intimate dates like this that Lily needed.

She needed someone who was going to be keep up with her in the social aspects and be as present as she was going to be in a relationship.

Nodding her head, "I am glad, I just know that it has been a while since we talked about this whole thing." She looked over to him, "I am looking forward to seeing where this will go though." A smile beaming on her lips as she looked to him.

"Soooo, these dark siders.... Do I need to be concerned about any vengeful scorned lovers of the Sith variety?" Lily giggled softly.

 

[Kito]

//: Valaine Valentine //:

It was different, having Valaine take the lead. It felt like everything else; Kito was the one often dragging the girl behind her. Seeing Valaine glide gracefully, as if she had done so her whole life, was mesmerizing. Kito couldn't take her eyes off her, watching each movement, the confidence that moved with the quickened pace. Kito kept up as best she could, but she was slower to join the activity. Soon, though, she passed the wobbly legs stage.

Her face wrinkled in silent disagreement with Valaine's comment about herself. To the Shaper, the woman was good at many things and deserved to take credit for them. Still, Kito let it pass for the moment, nodding along as if to accept it.

For now.

"Don't be silly. You're good at a lot of things — I've seen it firsthand," Kito said, her voice steady and matter-of-fact as her crooked little grin surfaced. It was hard not to smile around the Sangnir. Even when the galaxy seemed determined to keep them apart, they always found their way back to one another.

A blush brightened the shaper's cheeks as she cleared her throat. Kito had also felt she would be pretty natural at skating. The concept seemed simple enough, and balancing was necessary for some of the more complex martial arts she performed while fighting at the speed she did. And yet, sliding on ice was too foreign a concept for her body.

Her cheeky grin faded to a sheepish smile, "I thought…" she chuckled softly and shrugged. "I thought I'd be good at it too, but I'm a pretty fast learner."

Pausing, Kito continued to smile, taking the opportunity offered to her, "It helps when I have someone talented to show me."

Kito kept her feet under her and continued to listen. Suddenly, her ears perked up when Valaine revealed she had met someone else like her.

Deep down, Kito worried, she had met another Sangnir before, the woman — she seemingly relished in the concept of killing those unlike them. For the first time, the Shaper had felt like prey, a feeling she had never felt when it came to Valaine.

Her hand squeezed gently as she kept up Valaine's pace. She wondered curiously what things were important that Valaine needed to tell her.

Though nothing seemed different in a sense with the Sangnir that would echo that she had become something like the other Kito had met. The momentary worry faded as they came to a stop near the wall of the rink. Kito followed the line of Valaine's vision towards her pocket. Despite how sly the Shaper had tried to be earlier, it seems nothing got past the Sangnir.

"Aah, you saw that?" Kito laughed as she leaned against the wall for support. As she pulled her hands back, she gave a small kiss to the top of Valaine's knuckles and then released. It didn't take long; she pulled the small box from her pocket and held it out to the other woman.

"I made you something. Happy Life Day, Valaine," Kito smiled as she waited for the present to be opened. Inside would be a grey-silver flower earring with a pearl and a red gem carved into a sphere. The moment the box opened, the Shaper's force presence, along with a calming aura, would gently emanate from the earring.

It was the same earring that the Shaper wore on her left ear.

 

[Naniti]

Naniti looked down at his catch of her finger and peeked back up at Lysander. She didn't try to pull away. It was... different. Everything he did was. It was invigorating. It was... enjoyable. Was it acceptable to enjoy training or to experience more than brutality? Whether it was or not, they did it, and the Togruta didn't much mind either. As unorthodox as it was, she learned plenty from the man across from her, which kept her accepting every invitation.

"Are you lodging a formal complaint?" the Togruta asked followed by a smile. Why shouldn't he be fitted with a new suit? Lysander deserved to look as dashing as his background warranted. Her dashing Warrior Prince. Her eyes wandered a bit and her cheeks grew warmer at the thought. Now that was unorthodox thinking among Sith.

She practically sprung up from the table with Lysander latching onto her finger. "We'll see how much of a crash course you get, Lysander." With a sudden grin, the Togruta surged toward the ice atop her skates eager to get started. They'd be sailing about the rink in no time. Perhaps they'd even try their hand at translating some dance moves onto the ice. It'd be an absolute delight to explore something together; something she had a little more familiarity with so she could share something of her's with him in turn. They'd play with hoverskates later.

Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Naniti

​

"I'm still collecting evidence.. but I'm optimistic it'll fall within acceptable parameters."

Of course, when the Togruta’s smile blossomed right after, Lysander found himself thinking that maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t actually a problem at all. No reason to object. And he was fairly sure that had nothing to do with her being exceptionally skilled at Sith deception.

A hint of color showed on him as well.

He almost laughed at the suddenness of it, when she darted off, leaving him only the choice of keeping up. Not that he minded.. far from it. Flashing his own grin, Lysander quickly found his balance, sliding onto the ice beside her. The rhythm while tagging along was light, almost.. joyful? Whatever the feeling was, it was fresh. Like an adventure of sorts..

Those scraping sounds of skates returned too, and he caught sight of the sticks they’d been swinging at each other earlier not too far away. Impressive, really, if no one had tripped over them. He figured the sound would’ve traveled to their table.

That lone finger was still his; somewhere along the way.. Lysander went ahead and took another. A slow circle around Naniti guided them both through the motion as blades cut lines into the ice. A second followed. By the time he looked back up, his mirth should've made his approval obvious.

“I’m already improving at an alarming rate. I should probably listen to you before that changes.”

Plenty of options, and none of them sounded wrong.

 

[Eurydice]

​

Eurydice shifted in her seat. Varin was right; she had to make peace with her own discomfort, especially when asking such a loaded question. She'd spoken to very few Sith, but they'd all had a tragic story in one way or another.

"War touches most places in the galaxy," she offered softly. It made the fact that they'd both come to the Sith through an insurrection of their home feel less ironic.

When she closed her eyes, she could still see Axilla burning. Still feel her lungs fill with black smoke. Eurydice thought she'd never feel kindness again - not that her life before had it in spades. The Sith seemed hellbent on adversity.

"…Nuggets?" She said the word slowly, as if it were a new concept. And it was. "I've eaten nuna before but never in the form of a nugget. Are they good?"

Eurydice blinked, craning her neck to peer up at Varin. She wondered how many nuna nuggets someone of his statute would need to eat to maintain caloric balance.

Varin Mortifer

 

[Shan]

Location: Ice Skating Cave
Tag: Lily Decoria

"Perhaps. If I learned one thing from my...sparce teaching I tried to do at the Temple, I always try to simplify the more complex terminology. But it's in the same way as you know plenty about martial arts that I couldn't dare to imagine or understand."

Shan gave a small shrug of his shoulder, as he nudged Lily carefully, doing his best to make sure that he wasn't going to faceplant whilst skating. Lily had a point. Shan needed to be able to show himself galas, events and the like. Perhaps unfortunately for him, he didn't get to be much of a hermit anymore. But that was fine by him. If these wer eevents that Lily needed him, he would be there in a heartbeat. No matter what the cause was.

"I'm eager to see where this goes as well. I don't have much...experience in dating. Colette and I were...unique, I suppose. We both didn't have an interest in "traditional" dates at the time. And as much as Kahlil used to ask me...I didn't find anyone during my university studies."

To be fair, that was because Shan hadn't been willing to look. He gave a small dismissive wave of his hand at that thought, before glancing at LIly at her little question, rolling his eyes at her giggling as he broke out into a smirk.

"And that should also answer your question about scorned lovers. None of those Dark Siders took interest in me. Perhaps they saw I was too incorruptible for them."

Confidence was never really Shan's forte. But this was one topic that Shan was extremely confident in. It would be difficult for anyone to turn him towards the Dark Side. Perhaps it was because he was far more naive than the average Jedi and still believed everyone had some form good of them. Or perhaps there was another reason that he had yet to think of.

 

[Naniti]

The Togruta gave a high-pitched note of satisfaction with a touch of warning to Lysander accepting the idea of a new suit. He should trust her implicitly! Yes, even if that was counter to all the big, bad, evil Sith teachings out there. Yes, it could be a euphemism, but if it were it would be the most dashing and noteworthy one this side of the novelty of the First Death Star.

Their quick pace and basking in the moment did quite a bit to keep Naniti's thoughts or habits from rearing their head again. Lysander once remarked she hid the darkness within well. Perhaps she did. Hide it. Control it, perhaps. But it could surface even unbidden as it had earlier when the overwhelming need to win or prove herself surfaced. She had learned control, but it was tempered by the urge to action as all Sith upbringing instilled.

As for the stick, Naniti didn't so much as glance at them. Were they a tripping hazard? For others, maybe. They had limbs and could move them aside too if it was such a big deal. Frankly, they should be far enough out of the way not to pose a problem unless someone else face-planted in the same general area as they had.

"Listen?" Naniti looked over at Lysander with a smile. "Skating is something you feel. I'll keep an eye out for your feet being too far in or out, or going in weird directions, but this is about as instinctual as learning how to walk." She reached out to take both of his hands so they could slowly circle one another as a unit. "Go ahead, try making slight adjustments to the angles of your skates. Feel what helps maintain your momentum." She'd add some back when any was lost from the experimentation.

Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Naniti
​

At first, a low amused hum answered her. It wasn’t the first time she’d caught his meaning and adjusted the wording. Probably wouldn’t be the last either.

“I was aiming for that, you know,” the admission light, breath creating tiny clouds that danced in the small space between them. Lysander’s focus dipped to where their hands were before looking back up. “You just said it nicer.”

He nodded once and shifted his weight slightly, letting the momentum ease. The ice whispered beneath his skates with the slow curve.. enough to feel the change. Unlike any of the academies, he didn’t find himself anticipating the next correction or bracing for any consequence.

They turned together again in a shared circle. From his observation, the movements appeared synchronized. Around them, other skaters adjusted as if they held claim to that very spot on the ice. It may have even felt like camaraderie at that moment. Whatever it was, it was nice.. something that transcended competition.

There was no denying he thrived amid challenges and being tested, but right now, he didn’t care about winning anything. Nothing wrong with taking the time to enjoy the smaller moments.

“So,” warm and easy, the grip from his hands softening, “where do we go from here, professor?”

 

[Lily Decoria]

​

Location: Objective 1 - Ice Rink Cave
Outfit: Dress
Tag: Shan

"Sure, we all have our specialties and we do our best to make sure that we simplify it enough for anyone to understand. However, that doesn't mean the concepts and practicality of the stuff won't still go over the head." Lily smirked, "I could show you plenty of combat moves but doesn't mean you will be able to grasp them since that isn't an interest in your mind."

Nodding her head, she was glad to see that Shan was excited as well. It was important that they were on a similar page with this and she was not concerned at all with his experiences or lack of them. Just meant the experiences that they were going to share would be all the more special. "That's fine. I've done dates and other stuff with people in the past but nothing serious. Nothing that was done with the mindset of a committed relationship." Lily stated. "And it just means we get to explore and try things together for the first time and those experiences can be even more unique."

"Good, didn't want to be beating up a load of Dark Siders that you have been flirting with!" There was a mischievous grin on Lily's lips as she skated along the ice with Shan. "Bad enough having to fight them for fight, fighting them during dates would just be too much." She teased with a small giggle.

 

[Naniti]

The Togruta smiled across at the willing pupil. "Where else?" Naniti's fingers slipped free of one of Lysander's hands. The leg on that side angled so that it would break the circle, but not their hold on one another. Momentum would sustain their orbit now broad in reach rather than contained in privacy.

"Like you always say, you need to focus on your footwork; but out here that's taken to another level. Never enough traction. Too much momentum. An impossibly sharp turn. All things an opponent can use against you. The only thing left to do is learn how to move again on such a slippery surface so you aren't where they expect you to be when they try to out maneuver you."

All perfectly true, but it was also... thrilling to be out there with someone else. Little tugs, slight shifts of a stance, and their trajectory changed. Not to mention the way both of their bodies pulled and interacted with one another while their hands were joined.

"What do you think of Ilum, by the way? I didn't know they had a place like this until we came here."

Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Naniti
​

His body found its groove just fine as his balance dipped. At first, one arm lifted, believing it might help steady him, before settling back by his side. The circle stretched out, coaxing him forward. Rather than fight it, Lysander let himself go with it, trusting their rhythm. Even the wobble in his knees from their duel earlier was gone.

Another tell came in his breathing; each exhale lengthened as he listened to his violet companion.

Something in the familiar phrasing loosened a small smile.

“Yeah,” the thought finding form, “almost like I have to rethink everything about balance. Earlier, if I pressed too hard, I began losing control. The few times I tried going lighter, I felt stuck. Like learning a new dance.”

So far the trajectory held without needing correction, so he just let it be.

“I never pictured Ilum as a place for an event like this. I always imagined it as little more than ice and kyber caves, somewhere most just pass through. It's a better surprise than I anticipated.."

A glance carried him around the lake. "Much different from the first time I visited.”

His arm swung naturally with the glide; everything seemed to be behaving the way it should. The feeling was a nice one.

“I’m curious how you’re taking it, Naniti. This is a long way from Desevro."

 

[Naniti]

"The first time?" Naniti echoed, curious.

As they circled on the ice and slowly spread out among the no doubt perturbed skaters, the Togruta looked over at Lysander. "I can survive the conditions on Desevro. Its a crucible designed to burn away weakness. We aren't meant to like it," Naniti replied as a matter of fact. "But, I do prefer to explore these opportunities with you, Lysander. I can burn away weakness out here just as easily. More importantly, I can enjoy doing it with someone... invested."

She'd tried not to make it sound too presumptive, but Naniti didn't want Lysander to think her oblivious or unthankful either. He wasn't doing this sort of thing with everyone. Well, not that she knew. And if she became aware of it there might be fewer Acolytes (or Apprentices) on short notice. It wasn't jealousy. A woman had to defend something... genuine when it came along.

"If I might be bold, I look forward to these moments together. I hope I make it worth the effort it must take." Naniti wanted affirmation, naturally. Some reassurance. If necessary, feedback how she could ensure times like these were worthwhile.

Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Naniti
​

Lysander's history with the Light was something that'd been tucked away for years. The passage of time dulled all urge to ever visit those memories. He’d invited the question, sure, but that didn’t keep it from arriving in a place he rarely let anyone touch. Even his old Badawan crew at Kor’ethyr Academy, the ones he’d trusted most back then, didn’t even know.

“The first time I arrived here was when I started my Padawan training on Coruscant. Four years ago. Naive, really. Trying too hard to step into someone else’s shadow.” Leaning into the next turn, it brought him nearer to her. He wasn’t doing so badly, granted they weren’t moving at a fast pace.

“The caves nearby are where I found my kyber crystal. Or.. maybe it found me. The same one in my saber now..”

Since the first day in the training yard, the Togruta always moved through harsh places as if they posed no challenge. He noticed it then.. and still did. If Desevro was a forge, she was a flame he didn't mind standing near.

“I am invested,” slipped through the space between them. “It’s more than just trying to survive out here. The journey matters more with you. And it doesn’t have to lead to some perfect destination.”

He didn't mind if that meant sharing the setbacks and the bad days too.

The chill of the frozen lake pressed against his cheeks. “The Academy can do more than burn away weakness; they can also show us what remains, and who we trust enough to share the truth that survives.”

As their momentum slowed, fingertips gently brushed along her waist, guiding her closer into his space. “You already make every moment worthwhile. Time with you is never wasted. I wouldn't let that change." A slow breath was gathered. "If you’re being bold, let me be too. Being this close to you.. it’s something I want to keep, more than words can say.”

After that truth settled, he murmured, “You’re safe with me, Naniti. Stay as you are.. and be honest with me, if you want."

 

[CT-312]

//: Quinn Varanin //:
//: Ilum //:
//: Attire //:
//: Objective 2 - He was a Skater Boi and I was a Skater Gurl! //:

CT-312 inclined her head at the soft sound of Quinn’s laugh. Not fully understanding what exactly had been amusing, but she kept listening in silence. Their skates carried them forward in smooth measured strokes.

Life is busy, and we tend to forget.

That part made sense. But for CT-312, with duty and missions consuming everything around it. That was her life… Even in the rare stretches where she was left alone, there had never been much thought to stop and ask whether a moment was enjoyable. Blue eyes slid briefly toward Quinn through the corner of her vision before returning forward.

It's nice to be reminded, at least to stop and enjoy life.

The Princess said it so simply. It was as though, pausing to enjoy life was an ordinary thing. What was there to enjoy? “Stop and enjoy life.” she repeated quietly, the words sounding unfamiliar. Yet here she was, on a frozen lake under crystal light. No mission or urgency clawing at the back of her mind. It wasn’t peace. Not exactly. But it was adjacent to it. Would this count as ‘enjoying life’?

“...I don’t think I was ever taught to.” CT-312 found herself for the first time wondering if maybe that was this strange quiet feeling was. “But I understand what you mean or at least starting to understand the concept of it.” The Scout felt Quinn drift closer beside her. Noting the close proximity and the shake of her head about her hands being cold.

The next set of words were unexpected, catching CT-312 off guard. It wasn’t because the words themselves were dramatic or loud, but they came out so quietly. For a split second, the Princess felt strangely small beside her. CT-312’s head turned towards Quinn immediately. ‘Disappoint, her?’ The thought of it did not fit. Confusion passed through immediately, then a small foreign ache stirred something unsteady in her chest. CT-312 didn’t know how to name it. The idea of the Princ— Quinn thinking that at all felt… wrong.

How could she? The Princess, who had chosen to be here. Who shared stories and patiently explained Life Day. Quinn who thanked her for simply being present… CT-312 mouth moved before she could overthink it more. “You won’t.” The words came out too quickly, almost blurted. “You haven’t.” Her tone certain. “I’m the one out of my element here.” The Scout’s voice softened as she looked forward again. “If anyone should be concerned about disappointing… it would be me.” Even that did not feel fully right either.

CT-312 tried to reason through it in her own way, lightening the mood. “If you’re worried about disappointing me and I’m worried about disappointing you…” Slowly speaking aloud. ”then logically, it should balance.” Her brows furrowed slightly as she was working through it. Was this making sense? “So either neither of us is disappointing… or we both are…” She raised a brow at Quinn. “Which either way cancels out.” CT-312 gave a small decisive nod, satisfied with that conclusion. “So disappointment doesn’t exist at all.”

By the time they neared the edge of the rink, CT-312 had just enough time to notice the sudden change in Quinn’s movements. The Princess had suddenly drawn closer, enough that CT-312 instinctively braced. Expecting a stumble or a slip, ready to catch her—

Soft. A brief brush of warmth against the scarf covering the lower half of her face. ‘Lips?’ The contact had barely lasted a second. CT-312 froze. Despite the fabric between them, the place where Quinn had made contact with, suddenly felt impossibly warm. ‘Accidental?’ At that moment CT-312 forgot what she was supposed to do with her hands, with any of herself. Her eyes blinked once.

Quinn pulled back just as quickly, smiling. Through the bond, it felt… lighter. CT-312 cleared her throat beneath the scarf as a subtle attempt to buy herself a second to recover. “Yes,” Her free hand rose halfway, almost as if to touch the spot where Quinn had kissed. “Food.” She caught herself and redirected the motion to adjusting the scarf instead. “Are you hungry for something specific?”

When they reached the bench, CT-312 sank into a kneel in front of Quinn once more. Automatically reaching for the Princess’s laces, loosening before guiding each skate off. Her hands settled around Quinn’s foot and ankle. Firm, but gentle as CT-312 pressed lightly at first and then more slowly. Testing for tenderness and discomfort. Her thumbs moved along the arch, around the heel, and the side of the ankle. Inspecting. Understanding and familiar with wearing boots that didn’t fit right or gear that rubbed skin raw.

“Putting on boots that aren’t yours,” CT-312’s focused on the task, “or not broken in can be uncomfortable.” As her hands moved with one last pass with even pressure, “No blisters.” That was good. She glanced up briefly. “Hurt anywhere?” CT-312 reached for Quinn’s heeled boots and carefully helped put them back on. “—Ah,” She blinked. “Sorry. I’m sure you didn’t need help putting your boots back on.” CT-312 moved quickly after that. Undoing her own laces and swapping back into her own boots. Then collecting both pairs of skates, returning them.

As they made their way to the festival stalls, she found herself far too aware of the place on her scarf where Quinn had made contact. The warmth lingered there in a way that made no practical sense. CT-312 kept her gaze forward, surveying the lines of stalls ahead. Smoke carried the scent of spice and sugar through the air. But her thoughts kept circling back to that single point of contact. Unable to make sense of it, CT-312 let the question slip out.

“Was that a standard Life Day custom?”