Private Broken Wings

[Zaiya Ceti]

The Jedi Temple
CORUSCANT
Interacting with Colette

-

The Lovalla teenager let out a laugh before explaining, "You could say I'm color-coded. Specific shades and their combinations have particular meanings. Generally, teal signifies my happiness, turquoise shows that I'm content or comfortable, light blue indicates amusement, and cyan? That's when I'm being facetious," Zaiya said with a chuckle.

"The yellows range from pale to dark. The lighter the shade, the more it signifies my concern or fear, whereas the darker shades suggest I'm feeling especially courageous, or perhaps recklessly so, depending on one's perspective," she explained, as light blue tones with a flicker of golden light revealed her growing amusement.

"There are some combinations I am not one hundred percent sure, so as I grow, I'm also figuring it out. " She admitted.

"I can ask my friends not to spread the word so it remains our little secret foodie spot," Zaiya paused, then glanced at Colette. "Oh, would you like to meet my friends? They're pretty awesome." Zaiya beamed, grinning, her skin swirling with happy and joyful shades of blue. She made a mental note to ask Colette about her favorite stews. While Zaiya enjoyed making soups, she considered stews to be more substantial.

And oh, with freshly baked bread...that would be so-o delicious!

 

[Colette]

Zaiya Ceti

What the hell did fesseechess mean? Colette played it cool, much too proud to admit that after a year or two in a society that liked all these big words, she still only understood about half of them on a good day. So, she merely nodded and hummed a 'mhmmm…' as the kid explained their spectrum of emotion.

"Well, uh, nice." Colette shrugged at the question. "I mean, I guess? I don't have any reason to say no."

"Who are they?"

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

The Jedi Temple
CORUSCANT

-

This was wonderful! Zaiya was already forging a new friendship! But wait, does this count as making a new friend? They were going out to eat and everything. Okay, I need to confirm with Colette if we're friends now...

However, Zaiya's train of thought was interrupted when the older Padawan inquired about her friends. "Oh!" Zaiya lit up instantly, her face, neck, and arms adorned with a swirl of bright, vibrant joyful hues and striking golden bioluminescence.

"My very first friend is Aris Noble . He's amazing. He's incredibly strong, intelligent, and capable of doing all sorts of remarkable things. He's also an excellent organizer, way better than me, which is perfect because we have this extensive list of burger places we're eager to visit together. I'm excited to travel with him. That's why I'm here; I'm scheduled to meet him later," Zaiya shared with Colette, detailing her list of friends and their significance to her. "He has a very nice laugh and has promised never to let me feel alone. That meant a lot to me."

It really did.

"And then there's Braze . He's also an adept fighter and can perform various feats with the Force. He can form bonds like me, but differently. I find him really fascinating, though it seems he has a lot on his mind. I'm concerned about him. He also expressed a desire to make friends, so I was excited when he agreed to be my friend," she continued, her smile broadening as she thought of Braze. "He always dresses in the most pretty robes. He and Aris assisted me in selecting a few outfits that are more practical for training and attending festivals."

By this point, Zaiya was bouncing with each step, her colors becoming brighter and more vibrant as she spoke of her friends. Her rosy gold skin even began to exhibit a pearly luminescence.

"Then there's Loomi . Loomi is the best! She can feel emotions, which is cool because it's almost like me, but not quite. She feels them constantly, and oh, she and Braze share an incredibly special and super close bond," she whispered excitedly in a low murmur, a light blue ripple with brief flashes of lavender in mild envy swept over her skin. It was clear that it wasn't serious, but the longing for those bonds was there.

"My kind can only form bonds with our parents and our mate when that happens, and it seems Braze and Loomi have already found each other... But it seems to embarrass Braze when I asked if that meant they'd be mates when they're older, so -- Oh, wait, I'm not supposed to talk about that anymore. It makes people uncomfortable," Zaiya clamped her mouth shut, looking panicked for a moment as her color faded, and she glanced at Colette with avid concern, pale yellow tones washing over her skin in alarm. She hoped Colette wouldn't think she was weird or get upset, right?

"Umm... so... yeah. They're all pretty awesome."

 

[Colette]

Zaiya Ceti

Okay, woah, wait. Aris? Colette kept herself from showing her surprise, opting instead to merely let her brows sink and her head bob with a nod as if she knew who he was, not to mention the other two.

"Oh, well, I know those names." Colette said with an increasingly relaxed nod. If Aris knew this person well enough that they would… Somehow paint the picture of an Aris that didn't keep himself nose-deep in a book…

"I haven't met Braze, but I was roommates with Loomi for a while before we got our own rooms at the temple. Back when I first joined." Colette smiled at that. It was a treasured memory. She smiled even wider when Zaiya seemed to panic at having mentioned Braze and Loomi being 'mates', almost as if Colette would recoil in surprise at it.

But, she did not. 'Mating' was just another part of life and nature itself. Some people did it for pleasure, others for survival. Colette herself hadn't found her spot on that spectrum, if it even existed, but she hardly judged others who had. So instead of getting flustered she just laughed and shook her head to defuse the situation.

And once the moment faded…

"So…" She trailed off. "Friends with a Noble, huh?"

"What is Aris like? Do you know any other Nobles?"

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

The Jedi Temple
CORUSCANT

-

Seeing that Colette wasn't troubled by Zaiya's conversation brought a sigh of relief to the young Lovalla, pleased that she hadn't made anyone uncomfortable. There was still the chance for a new friendship.

It was even more encouraging when the older Padawan revealed she already knew everyone!

"Really?! You were Loomi's roommate?! That's amazing! Oh you are so lucky," Zaiya exclaimed with genuine excitement, thrilled that someone else recognized the Godoan's awesomeness.

"But why aren't you Loomi's roommate anymore?" she inquired next.

Regarding Aris Noble , Zaiya was oblivious to the renown of the Noble family, missing the significance entirely. Her attention was solely on Aris.

"No, not others. But Aris mentioned he has six siblings! That's quite astonishing. I said his parents must feel incredibly fortunate. It's rare for my kind to have more than one child; any more is seen as a stroke of great luck."

The Lovalla teenager couldn't hide her giddy excitement when she thought about Aris and his personality.

"Aris is fun. I think it's adorable how he gets just as excited as I do about festivals and food. He even said he was going to learn how to fly so he could come to visit me and maybe we can do overnight trips then." That made Zaiya feel very, very special and grateful.

"But beyond that, I sense that Aris genuinely cares for others. He has a desire to protect and ensure their safety. His deep love for his family is evident, not only through the resonance I felt with him but also in the way he speaks of them."

Zaiya mused with a hum, "I don't know, he's just pretty awesome...and well, it is nice to have someone to depend on. To not be alone. He promised he wouldn't let me feel alone." It might seem premature for such a declaration in a budding friendship, but to Zaiya, these bonds were precious. She began to fidget with her fingers, then offered a shy yet sincere smile.

"I feel safe with him. When I went to visit him on Tython, he and Braze kept me safe when we were attacked at the temple." Zaiya explained, genuinely meaning it. It was clear that Zaiya had no qualms about speaking what was on her mind or her heart. After all, her emotions were projected for anyone to see if they had the cheat sheet to decipher.

 

[Colette]

Zaiya Ceti

How was this Aris? None of this sounded like Aris. Which when Colette thought about it most likely said more about her relationship to the kid than anything. A brief moment of panic flashed across her entire body as the thought struck her that perhaps she wasn't as good of a sister as she had hoped to be for the kids, no matter how old they were.

No. No, it was just a sign that she needed to put in a little more effort and nothing more.

"I heard about that attack." Colette frowned. "I was away on a task on the other side of Alliance space. Didn't hear about it until it was already over."

"Still, you're alive and at the end of the day that's all that matters, I suppose."

"The living keeps on living and the dead are put to rest."

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

The Jedi Temple
CORUSCANT

-

"Yeah, it was quite terrifying," Zaiya admitted, twisting her hands once more. Her skin's rose-golden tone paled, shifting to silver as her patterns undulated with a gradient of greys and a pale yellow, echoing the fear and bewilderment she had experienced.

"Both Aris and Braze were injured -- Braze's hand was broken by that... I can't think of what else to call him but the creepy, sickening Twi'lek who just seemed... off." That was the only way the young Lovalla could articulate the sensation of the Force that emanated from him -- a dense, foul miasma that stuck like tar.

"Aris's ears suffered damage from the Twi'lek's scream as well," Zaiya murmured, biting her lip in contemplation. "That's why I'm devising something for him, so he hopefully won't have to endure that again. I'm fine-tuning it to ensure it functions properly and looks ok, but at the very least the goal is that it will automatically soften loud sounds and blunt concussive forces so he can still rely on his senses."

Zaiya glanced at Colette , "Oh, right, you might not be aware, but Aris has incredibly acute hearing. His sense of smell is remarkable too. I believe that's why he loves to eat and food so much. His senses are so sharp that he can likely discern various spices or flavors just by taste."

 

[Colette]

Zaiya Ceti

Yeah, Colette remembered that. She had worried for her brother at first but eventually realized that much like those around him he too was built different, built Noble.

"I have met Vera, she's like that too, but eerily aware of everything going on around her." Colette smiled as they approached an alleyway. "She does that vision thing."

"Have you ever met Vera?"

Now THAT would have been a GREAT person to gather dirt on.

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

The Jedi Temple
CORUSCANT

-

"Vera?" Zaiya blinked a few times before shaking her head.

"No, I haven't yet. Between my studies and making sure I finish my work, I can only come visit now and then. But I finished my finals early so I have the summer free," she explained, her expression brightening with anticipation.

A glimmer of curiosity danced across her patterns, a vibrant hue of bright orange adding a touch of intrigue. "Visions?"

"Aware of everything going on? Like with emotions?" They continued down the alleyway, Zaiya keeping her hands busy to avoid accidentally reaching out to touch Colette 's hand or getting too close.

While she knew Aris didn't mind, she made an effort not to make others uncomfortable. Of course, Aris Noble could always tell her to stop, and she really didn't want to make him uncomfortable. The last thing she wanted was for him to avoid spending time with her because she was being too forward with her desire for contact and being close to him.

Zaiya was also still trying to see if it was okay to act the same with Braze and Loomi . Then there was the part that they shared a special connection already. She didn’t want Loomi to think she was being forward or trying to come between her and Braze.

It was a conundrum, but Zaiya was just glad that they were willing to be her friends anyway.

 

[Colette]

Zaiya Ceti

Right turn, straight ahead, left turn, greet the Besalisk chef with a smile and take a seat. Colette slid onto the raised bench with a quick drum on the table and waited for the waiter to approach. A colorful gran approached the two girls.

"What can I gets ya'?" She asked with a thick local dialect. "We gots' the Manaan special an' the Dosuun Meal at a discount."

Colette eyed Zaiya and then the waiter.

"Two of each. Give the chef my praise." The kid said with an unspoken wink and nudge.

"Oh I gets' it." The gran said and brightened just a little. "Two of da' good ones comin' up, alright."

The waiter returned to the kitchen and Colette turned her attention back at Zaiya.

"I hope you like fish."

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

The Jedi Temple
CORUSCANT

-

Zaiya immediately caught Colette 's wink and nudge to the waiter. Eyes went wide and as soon as the Gran left, Zaiya went leaning forward towards the brunette, and with an excited hushed voice. "Oh my stars, did you just order off a secret menu??!!'

That completely and utterly blew Zaiya's mind, and she was just glowing with delight.

"I've never ordered something off a secret menu!!" who cared if she only had fish in soup, this was going to be a culinary experience! In all her research, secret menu items were top tier in terms of amazing cuisine.

"So you know the chef personally too?" Zaiya was also gullible, but right now, Colette had turned in her eyes into the most awesome foodie imaginable. One would even say the Lovalla had sparkly hearts in her eyes.

 

[Colette]

Zaiya Ceti

"Oh, no. I know the owner who is also the chef, but it's all there in the menu if you look at it. I've just been here enough times to know what to pick." Colette outright lied through her teeth, but their menus had never even arrived since she had been so quick to order, so who was to tell? She might have shown the kid her favorite spot, but she sure as shit wasn't about to spill the 'secret' menu on top of that.

"Rather than offer what others called, uhhh. Choice paralysis, I think they call it, I figured you'd just want a wide spread to try from."

"Aaaand, maybe if you find something that you don't like, then that's all the more food for me!" Colette smiled rather happily at that idea. "But trust me, you're getting some real good food here."

Except, that might not have been too obvious from the pieces that eventually arrived at their table. They looked a little odd even to the untrained eye, but in terms of content it was all there. The rice was a little less pearly than one might expect, perhaps, but it was still very much edible. Needless to say the best of the best restaurants were not located in alleyways, but this certainly came as close to it as one could get around here. It wasn't 'pompous-and-rich' fancy as much as the 'I-work-a-mid-level-job-and-want-to-treat-myself-today' kind of fancy.

It all reeked of someone cooking food learned from a home, not from a recipe.

Colette grabbed the two chopsticks in her hands and began to get to work adjusting them for optimal grip. The concept of eating with wooden sticks had seemed so funny to her back when she had first found this food, but now that she used them there was just no denying the uses.

"Okay, so…" Colette said and picked up a piece, flipped it on its head so that the fish was facing down, plunged it into the pungent-salty sauce, and then chomped down on it with a very happy groan. "I've missed this."

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

The Jedi Temple
CORUSCANT

-

Nope, Zaiya didn't suspect Colette of lying. She eagerly believed every word the older brunette said, treating her recommendations like a foodie gospel. The fact that Colette knew the chef personally only added to Zaiya's excitement, confirming in her mind that the food must be incredible if Colette could recite the menu from memory.

This only fueled Zaiya's anticipation for their visit to the hole-in-the-wall sushi place with her friends. However, there was one thing she was familiar with: chopsticks. Thanks to Braze 's earlier lesson, she wouldn't embarrass herself in front of Colette by fumbling with utensils. The thought of asking for a fork was too dreadful to entertain; Zaiya was determined to make a good impression and ensure Colette wanted to dine with her again.

With practiced grace acquired from hours of chopstick training in her dorm room (which also proved handy for eating spicy chips without staining her fingers), Zaiya deftly mimicked Colette's sushi selection. She dipped it in the oily black sauce and popped it into her mouth, her iridescent eyes widening in delight as a wave of golden-blue joy rippled across her skin. The sushi was delicious—salty, savory, and... wait.

A sudden burning and tingling sensation shot up Zaiya's nose and into her nasal cavity, spreading over the top of her scalp. Her eyes watered, and she quickly brought her hand to her mouth. Not to spit it out but because she wasn't sure how to react or if the sensation would continue. She swallowed her bite, fingers fanning and waving in front of her face in comedic gestures as the colors over her patterns seemed to spazz out trying to figure out how she felt about it all.

After all, Zaiya had just survived her first encounter with wasabi.

 

[Colette]

Zaiya Ceti

And the wasabi would kick in 3…

2…

1…

Colette grinned from cheek to cheek as a cacophony of colors began to dance all across Zaiya's skin. She tried to stifle it and purse her lips, but there was just no use. Instead she shuffled another piece of her fish platter into her mouth and merely watched as she chewed away the amusement.

"I forgot about that." She eventually laughed against her will. "You should have seen your colors, and your face, it was…"

A hand waved back and forth to chill Colette's increasingly warm face.

"Are you okay?"

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

The Jedi Temple
CORUSCANT

-

Zaiya coughed and reached over for the glass of water. She drank several gulps of it, her expression and the color shifting on her skin indicating she was still trying to process the wasabi while figuring out how to stop coughing.

"I-- I'm fine!" she squeaked out, her patterns showing a deep yellow hue. It was a foolishly brave attempt to power through the teary eyes and her coughs.

"It... it's great! Just.... WOW," she stammered out to Colette , clearing her throat. "I... I wasn't expecting it to ..... " She took a deep breath, suddenly confused and bemused that her sinus cavities seemed to clear miraculously. If she had any sinus pain, she knew what food to eat to fix that.

"Wow... okay... that... that cleared the airways,"

 

[Colette]

Zaiya Ceti

"Some try-hard once came into the shop and tried to impress me by challenging me to eating a spoonful of that." Colette reminisced and gently shook her head in continued amusement as she listened to Zaiya snivel. "If I lost, he got my number, if he lost, he would never be allowed to show himself around here again."

Colette grinned.

"... Never seen a grown man cry so much as I did that day."

"... Even more so as he left in embarrassment."

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

The Jedi Temple
CORUSCANT

-

Finally able to talk without coughing, Zaiya gave a nod. There was a new level of appreciation for Colette now, especially if she is able to eat so much of this green paste without it affecting her. The Lovalla tentatively picked another piece of sushi, and dunked it anew. At least this time she knew what was coming and it wouldn't catch her off guard. It tasted good, just a new experience.

"I am amazed by your palette, Colette. That's so awesome." Zaiya genuinely praised her; one could even say stars shone in the teen Lovalla's eyes in admiration.

"This is all so very, very good; thank you for bringing me here," She added, taking another bite of the sushi but this time able to enjoy it without having such a comedic reaction, if albeit, just a little shudder as the sensation came again.

 

[Colette]

Zaiya Ceti

The hardest part about sushi was to not get carried away. It was to enjoy each piece to its fullest and to resist the urge to stuff your face until you either couldn't fit anything more in your stomach or the sheer density of the haul lingering in your throat waiting for clearance.

Colette was not ashamed to admit that she had done all of those at some point or the other. Sushi was love, sushi was life.

"Right? This place is authentic without the authentic prices." She cast a glance over her shoulder and wink-smiled at the chef with a grateful nod who did the same back. "Well, I mean, I'm not sure what it's authentic to, but I believe it."

"When I am down in the dumps, which happens all the time on Coruscant, I come here to either just pass some time or get food."

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

The Jedi Temple
CORUSCANT

-

There was just something about watching someone thoroughly enjoy their meal, how it would brighten their faces, the joy that would ripple and not only in their mood but in the conversation, in the rapport. How is it that sharing a meal can lower barriers and allow people of different cultures and places to be able to communicate - hopefully- and enjoy a meal together.

It was just so lovely to see Colette enjoy her food.

Delighted by it, Zaiya would only glow brighter, no longer caring how the wasabi would make her comically shiver now and then. An acquired taste perhaps, but the fish was fresh - as fresh as one would get on Coruscant. Did they have their own aquariums from which to pull fish for each order? - and the sauces absolutely delicious. Everything was melded in a happy little yummy rice and fishstrip of delight.

"I can see why!" The Lovalla teen replied, smiling so broadly the apple's of her cheeks puffed out. "Are there any other places you enjoy eating at? It doesn't have to be on Coruscant."

 

[Colette]

Zaiya Ceti

"Nah." Colette shrugged at the question. "I tend not to get out much on Coruscant. It's not my kind of a place. There's no trees here."

Colette bobbed from side to side for a moment as if to put a silly underline on her statement before she spoke up again.

"There are no free trees here. They're all trapped in cages, just like the animals. Where I'm from, that's just wrong."