A Destiny Awakens

[Connor Harrison]

He gave her a confident nod.

”Seriously, don’t think too hard into things. Whatever you make of yourself now, in this life, I think, will echo further down the line than if you simply be one of the millions who do nothing and just follow a pre-mapped path.”

Dax grinned like a mischievous youth behind his hand.

”And a future Ragnar child, 50-50 to become a Jedi like his mother or hotshot like his father. I like those odds.”

He turned and shook his head at the comical imagery bounded between the two and took a sip of his wine, before stopping mid drink.

”Mm, I forgot, my T70. It’s up there on the surface, will it be alright or what? It’s just sticking out like a sore thumb and I certainly don’t want to leave without that dinner as it smells amazing.”

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

With one final sizzle, dinner was ready. Tionne slid the wok off the stove and opened the lid, potent scents of fine spices grazing against their senses. Two rosewood plates were set on the table, with cutlery made out of bamboo. She then transferred the bottle of wine to the table and placed the wok before them and sat down, beckoning Dax to sit adjecent to her. Offering him the laddle, the Jedi woman continued -

"Don't worry, we have jammers installed everywhere. Only way someone could actually identify your ship from orbit was through a visual. And that level of magnification requires proximity, so close our radars would pick them up immediately. Rest assured."
Thanewulf refilled her wine glass and then added some emerald liquid to Dax's glass too. The beverage was potent, but of equisite taste. Unintendedly, it appeared as if she was trying to get the pilot drunk.

"I was merely giving an example." the redhead continued, seeing that thought of having offspring with a Force-sensitive entertained him - "Don't get your hopes up, Ragnar. I have a line of suitors just outside of the door."

She chuckled wholeheartedly, her facial expression diluting into an innocent smile.
"I could ask the same. I mean... have you ever looked into a mirror? I have a hard time believing you can walk into a bar and not attract some attention from the ladies."

[member="Dax Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Dax unzipped his flight suit more down to the stomach, his standard white tee underneath and dog tags hiding underneath. Sitting down as Tionna spoke, he eyed up the wok laid before them and didn’t hesitate to help himself as she offered.

”Thank you – and I would not think you’d have anything less than a very long line, I mean, as Jedi go you’re a fine catch.”

Dished up with a generous serving of the sizzling, succulent food from the wok, Dax then rose his miraculously filled glass to the Jedi.

”To your good health,” he sipped, ”and I have passed plenty of mirrors in my time, but as I said, life never slowed down it seemed enough to let me peruse what was out there. Besides, like your Jedi way, if nobody is attached, nobody else gets hurt, right?”

He flashed his eyes a little and picked up his cutlery and dug in, a helping of everything on his fork. The taste was electric – hot and succulent, crunchy and popping with flavour. A tight smile formed and his eyes closed for a second.

”Mmhm. Mm,” he nodded as he ate, clearly a good sign. ”Good, mm – really good.”

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

As Tionne saw the pilot delve into the dish she prepared, a timid smile crossed her plump lips. By the looks of it, this was the first proper meal he had in days, maybe even weeks. Cooked food was something of a luxury for space-faring individuals, as most of them relied on dry rations to cut down costs and for purely practical reasons. Freshly picked agricultural produce was not easy to come by, especially on such a desolate planet as Sullust. The ginger-haired woman brought a few pieces of vegetables to her mouth and began chewing slowly, in no particular rush. There was enough time to enjoy the meal.

"Humans are social beings. We crave attachment, it is only natural." she added apologetically, then reached for her glass againt, raising it in a small, wordless toast.

"I often dream about my mother. She was Hapan. I consider Hapes my second home, next to Coruscant. I don't know if you've ever been there... but the planet is almost magical. Shrouded in a nebula that reflected light from Hapan sun, the sky always illuminated by seven moons. There is no night on Hapes. Perhaps one day, if and when I retire, I will return to live in Ta'a Chume'Dan . Maybe settle down and grow roses, like my grandmother." the redhead shared, with almost a dream look in her eyes. A good part of her knew these was nothing but reveries. There was no way she was getting out of this alive.

"What about you? What are your dreams and hopes?" the Jedi woman asked openly and continued to eat with small, measured bites. Her manners were almost royal.

[member="Dax Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Perfect time to eat and drink the delicious offerings laid out before him and not feel guilty white Tionne explained her side of humanity, relating to her childhood and her mother, as dreams often did when stripped down.

”I’ve heard of that place but never been there. I hear it’s beautiful and those form it are equally as beautiful, which appears true.”

Dax paused and took time out to focus on the wine and his host. He sat back to let the food go down.

”I’m pretty boring actually. I have no real…dreams as such. Maybe one dream in time is to find a little more about my birth parents and what they did in order to leave me with my uncle for my own good. I’d be interested in finding that out, but it’s nothing that keeps me awake at night. They had their reasons. So be it. That made me who I am now.”

He took a sip, letting the flavour paint his throat from the generous helping of wine.

”As for hopes? I hope I do some good and enjoy life while I do it. I enjoy flying, I enjoy the thrill of engaging those trying to stop you doing what you’re doing, and I enjoy being me. So I hope to continue that and not lose me way.”

He sat forward and picked a vegetable from his plate and popped it in his mouth.

”When you retire and need a ride to Hapes, just let your pilot know.”

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

If Thanewulf was not oblivious to the intricacies of courtship, she would've blushed at his compliment. The beauty of Hapans was almost iconomic, almost at tell-tale as the grace of the Diathim. Her mother was a stunning woman, of both captivating appearance and intelligence. The recessive gene that colored her hair in copper shades Tionne also inherited from her mother's side. If her maternal relatives were still alive, they would see so much of Wesma in the Jedi woman.

"If I live long enough to enjoy retirement, you can give me a lift." she ascertained, quite aware very few Jedi grew old. In the turmoil of the galaxy, they had quite a short expiration date.

"Did you ever meet your parents then?" Tionne inquired, posing a rather personal question. But this was a very intimate conversation to begin with. She never brought anyone to her lair before.

"Most Jedi don't remember their parents at all. It was explicitly forbidden to contact them once you reach Knighthood. A very strong bond such as parenthood complicates things..." Thanewulf tried to compare, if comparison was even possible. There were cases of parents giving up their Force sensitive children to assure them a better life, especially if they were poor. Nonetheless, this was always a difficult decision.

"Whatever the reason why they left you with your uncle, it must have been hard for them. Biology assures its hard for us to leave our children." she said and continued to eat, while making only small pauses to wash her palate in emerald wine.

[member="Dax Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

The pilot wiped his mouth and placed his cutlery together on the plate and picked the last few remaining crunchy vegetables with his fingers to finish them off.

”I’m sure they did, but that was a long time ago and I’ve just...adapted to it. Got on with things and he’s done the best job bringing me up with knowledge about how to live and how to survive. I think I’m doing alright.”

He clasped his hands together on the table and turned his head to her.

”Now with the exception of this lovely meal and company, you’ve not REALLY said whether I am going to meet those who pull the strings in this Alliance. I hope you’re going to give me something to leave with.”

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

Tionne blinked when Dax offered one of the most mature viewpoints she ever came across. When parents abandoned their children for unknown reasons, there were bound to be deep scars. The more unstable of children began to thread the wrong path, from crime to the Dark Side, searching for acceptance and recognition. Ragnar, on the other hand, seemed like a perfecty normal, balanced individual. He seemed to accept his fate without questioning the inner workings of destiny. And those modest brown eyes... Thanewulf was intrigued.

"We take what is given." she stated with a nod, remembering the famous last words of an ancient Jedi Master - "No more, no less. But yes, you turned out more than fine."

Was that a compliment? If it was, Tionne missed it, merely speaking her mind out loud. Both plates were scooped from the table and set away, glasses filled to the brim with emerald wine once again. The redhead downed half a glass in a single sip. If anything, she could really hold down her liquor.

"Coren and the rest of the team are offworld currently, but they should be back tomorrow. I think you just passed the initiation, with the amount of alchocol we consumed so far." the ginger haired woman jested, raising her glass for another wordless toast.
"Besides, you are not leaving. That's not how it works, Ragnar." Shaking her head, Tionne set down her glass finally. Perhaps she wasn't too clear before, perhaps a definitive explanation was in order."
"This is your life now. Well, not exactly this, as in the dump where I come to crash, but this." A hand was waved between them, signifying she was talking about interpersonal bonds - "We live together, we cry together, we win together, he lose together, we die together. Galactic Alliance is not an affiliation, it's who you are."

[member="Dax Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Dax raised his freshly filled glass of the potent wine, raised it, spilled a tiny bit, and drank the same amount as her in one go.

”Thank you. I like to think I'm a good one. And that's good wine. Sorry for the spill,” he said, words getting a tiny bit elongated.

He stood, nodding and taking on her powerful words. He rubbed his hand over his stubbled jaw and walked around her a few times slowly, think on what she said.

”Nice words, very nice words. If you believe in something enough then the only way you can serve the ideas behind it is to live it. Feel everything, remember everything - every win, loss, every joyous moment and ever heartbreaking moment. Pain. Love. Loss. Excitement - everything.”

He stopped behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders gently.

”But, if I'm not leaving then just where can I go tonight? You're not keeping me locked up here with you are you? You'd enjoy it too much. And Jedi aren't allowed to enjoy things.” Dax kept his head very close to Tionne, mouth inches from her ear as he teasingly whispered his new-found confidence, thanks to the amassing wine and beer in his system.

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

He was close, too close. A thousand alarms sounded in Tionne's head, reminding her she was threading a slippery slope. If this was nothing more than a mission where she would effectively pretend to be somebody else, no problem would arise. Thanewulf could take one for the team, be man-handled by slavers, drooled over by Hutts, spanked by dark-siders. But this was real, his interest was genuine. If she reacted, something would come out of it, something she might regret very soon. Her heart raced to her throat, threatening to jump out of her chest. A unique sensation indeed, one the redhead never experienced before.

"You are staying here." she commanded and rose from the chair, his hands slipping down from her shoulder - "You can take the bed, I'll take the couch. I need but a few hours of rest."
Tionne turned to face him, less than a foot separating the pilot from the Jedi woman. A boundary was set, then and there. He would not use that tone with her again, not because she didn't like it, but due to the nature of their future relationship. Attachment stood in way of complex decisions.

"You are drunk, Dax Ragnar." she established while maintaining direct eye contact - "Besides, it's not that I'm not allowed to. I chose not to. Jedi are allowed to marry for centuries now."
The sterile comment kind of killed the suspense Ragnar was aiming to create.
"I don't expect you to understand...but at least try to respect it."

Damn, that was hard. He smelled of a subtle mixture of freshness and a light scent of sweat, just enough to entice her attuned senses with testosterone-ridden pheromones. His lips were framed by a beard about a week old, just enough to give him a rugged, coarse look. Otherwise, his face was an ode to symmetry.

"Let's finish the wine and call it a night? Starchaser likes to wake everyone up at wake of dawn. Preferably by shouting into the comm." The Jedi woman granted him a small smile and slipped past him and to the sink, to wash both plates. A deep breath was taken, mainly to relish those remnants of his scent that floated in the air around her.

[member="Dax Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Lolling his head back slightly as she stood, he didn’t fight her and knew she was right. The drink had gone to his head and while he knew what he was doing, he wasn’t exactly pushing for a night together to be forgotten in the morning with a sore head and a bad memory.

Dax saluted and stood back, resting on the chair for her to move away.

”I’d prefer it if you take the bed, lady Jedi…I’ve slept worse and a couch is fine for me really.”

Whether she heard or not, he was left to move to the couch and unzip his flight-suit and peel it off, careful not to dislodge the breathing kit on the chest. The gun slid off easily with it and he was left in his white tee and black pants, before laying back on the couch and claiming it.

His arms flopped behind his head and he stared up at the ceiling, light blinking through from outside which was therapeutic along with the noise he could her from Tionne cleaning up.

”You leave that. I’ll do it later,” he said, eyes closing to relax.

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]

 

[Zonia Kalranoos]

"What kind of a host would I be if I let you wash dishes?" the redhead replied with a faint smile, while scrubbing the plates with a sponge and then rinsing them in warm water. Setting them aside, she wiped her hands and reached for an extra blanket and a pillow. Tionne made her way to the couch and extended the pillow to Ragnar, then covered him with fleece cover to keep warm. The gesture was almost maternal, where the Jedi woman actively fought the urge to tuck him in. He seemed comfortable enough.

"You'll meet your squadron members in the morning. The Alliance has several divisions of starfighters. You'll meet Dex Bastion too. He's somewhat a maverick. Me and him managed to disable a Star Destroyer." she said, reminiscing of their adventure over Vandelhelm. It earned her a medal, which Dex's squadron members had framed and installed on the wall across where Ragnar would sleep. Thanewulf, on the other hand, cared little for formal recognition.

She unzipped her pants and peeled them off, leaving her in nothing more than black tight-fitting boxers.
"I'll go and take a shower, if you don't mind. Soot gets everywhere."
Shower was just across the room, a duraglass box with opaque sides and neon blue light from above. Tionne picked up a large towel from the cupboard, giving Ragnar a fleeting look over her shoulder as she made her way to the shower.
"I hope you don't snore." the redhead said jokingly, then opened the door of the glass box and stepped inside.

[member="Dax Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Giving a content sigh, Dax gave the thumbs up as he felt the blanket cover him and listened to her pottering around beside him over the couch.

”Now we’re talking. Let me at them Star Destroyers with your wingmen and I’ll do some damage. I look forward to that…meet some names and learn some faces…sorted.”

Flexing his toes and fingers to get comfy, he opened one eye at her little comment. Snoring? He didn’t snore. Did he? He never had anyone to tell him otherwise. Letting out an amused laugh he sat up and leaned over the top of the soft couch to see her across the way in the shower.

Though the glass was frosted, the illumination from above with the light gave it a sultry, smouldering look. The water fell over her and he made out her shapely body, hands raking through her hair as she washed.

Dax let out another sigh – one of contentment very much so – and watched her, before realising just what he was doing. Turning his head and rubbing his eyes, he shouted,

”You won’t hear a peep from me, Lady Jedi. ”

He fell back on the comfy couch, listening to the water and chuckling at the imagery in his head.

[member="Tionne Thanewulf"]