Private A Flight to Remember

[Alicio Organa]

“Relax. I promise I won’t bite.”

Alicio tried to play off his tension with a laugh. "That sounds like something a biter would say." After the light moment, he stared ahead, unable to conceal his apologetic frown.

"Sorry," he muttered, furrowing his brow as he strongarmed back the nervousness of having Inanna directly behind him.

At the question of how to hold on, Alicio took a moment of thought, then bobbed his shoulders, embarrassed. "Um... Wherever you hold on, just make sure to hold on tight." The Organa smiled, trying to convey comfort. "I won't mind."

With one final, wailing cry, the thranta pushed forward, it's powerful wings flapping like a manta. It moved with a slow, ponderous grace, as if it were swimming through the air.

Alicio basked in the calm of the moment.

- Inanna Harth -

 

[Inanna Harth]

"Wishful thinking?" She snickered. “You’re fine. I’m the one more likely to embarrass myself here. Just don’t tell me I’m looking for love in Alderaan places.”

Finally. She’d been holding that dad joke in for hours.

She wound up wrapping her arms around his middle, and couldn't help the panicked thrill as the thranta took to the skies. It was like being on a roller coaster, except a lot smoother and without the certainty of a track to follow.

As the flight smoothed out into a glide, Inanna realized she had closed her eyes on instinct like a scared kid. She opened one eye, then the other.

"Oh, this is definitely a better view!" She admired it for a while, then remembered the conversation they'd been having before. "Where did you grow up, Alicio?"

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Wishful thinking?"

It was Alicio's turn to roll his eyes. But he was smiling...

"Just don’t tell me I’m looking for love in Alderaan places.”

...Which immediately turned into a grimace of pain, and an actual facepalm. With one hand guiding the reins, Alicio massaged the bridge of his nose, staring back at Inanna with a look of 'you did not just say that'. "That was, I think, the worst thing you've ever said to me," the Count chastised, grinning.

With arms wrapped around his midsection, Alicio guided the thranta up, and over the artificial lake, getting a feel for the creature, and thinking about how to talk about his childhood. "Balmorra," he finally said, gripping the reins a bit tighter.

"House Organa was attacked by a rival House before I was born. Faith's side of the family stayed, while mine went into hiding." He stared straight ahead, memories playing like holovids behind his eyes. "We didn't grow up with much, my family didn't have access to our wealth. The first memories I have were in the corner of a Balmorran homeless shelter. I didn't know a home for more than a few years, didn't have... um... didn't have many friends." Obviously a sore subject. But he braved on, nonetheless.

"But I was luckier than many, I know. We eventually made enough to get a house. I have two sisters that I love dearly. And I had parents, which is more than can be said for a lot of refugees." Alicio absently traced a hand over Inanna's at his waist, listening to the thrantas for a heartbeat.

"Where did you grow up, Inanna?"

- Inanna Harth -

 

[Inanna Harth]

"That was, I think, the worst thing you've ever said to me."

“Why, thank you! If you stick around long enough, I’m sure I’ll top it with something far worse.”

The joking gave way to the more serious subject of Alicio’s upbringing. Seeing how difficult it was for him to discuss, she almost wished she hadn’t asked. But she got her answer and more.

“I see now why you care so much about the refugees,” she said softly, then wrinkled her nose. “The more I hear about these oh-so-noble Houses, the worse they sound. Who attacks a family with children?”

"Where did you grow up, Inanna?"

“On Lao-mon, in a big house with seven brothers,” she replied. “And a few strays my dad brought into our home over the years. He believed very strongly in ish’ken, the spirit of adoption. No orphan stayed an orphan for long with him around. Hell, I even sent a fugitive from the Sith Empire to him once. That… wasn’t a very good idea, since it drew the wrong kind of attention to my family, but… nobody died, at least.”

As harrowing as it had all been, it was practically a fond reminiscence compared to what later years held in store for them. She laid her other hand over Alicio’s. “The only members of my family alive today are my mother, one of my brothers, and my niece. The rest are all gone, dead or missing.”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Who attacks a family with children?”

House Rist, the nobleman thought coldly. But he didn't say the name, he wasn't sure he had the strength to and not follow it with a string of curse words vile enough to make a sailor proud.

His attention transitioned behind him, listening intently as Inanna answered his question, laying his hand atop hers as she paused, to pass on whatever comfort he could. He was staring ahead, making sure the thranta didn't crash, but he imagined looking Inanna in the eyes. "I... my parents are dead, too. My sister Tori is missing. I, um... I understand that pain. The hole it leaves." Another moment of somber silence, suspended on the breeze.

Alicio found an odd smile.

"I don't think this is the kind of baggage we're supposed to talk about on a first date," Alicio ventured, finding a bit of humor in the situation.

- Inanna Harth -

 

[Inanna Harth]

Both his hands were now on hers, though the gloves remained a barrier. Her fingers inched toward his wrists, seeking skin contact in the gap between glove and sleeve.

“I don’t know what I’d do without my mother. Although she’s…” Not the same anymore, she almost said. Instead, she sighed. “She’s become withdrawn. Losing her husband and children and home changed everything.”

I wish I didn’t know how she feels.

"I don't think this is the kind of baggage we're supposed to talk about on a first date."

She hummed. “Might as well know what we’re getting into early. That way it doesn’t come up later on and cause problems.”

“Childhood trauma, enemies and rivals, dark pasts, dead loved ones and missing relatives…” As she listed off all their baggage, she tugged on each finger of his left glove, before smoothly slipping it off. “Sounds like we’ve both led pretty tragic lives so far.”

She gently entwined her fingers with his, and for a while she was quiet.

“What happened with your sister?” she asked. “We don’t have to keep talking about this, but I just want to make sure she isn’t...” How to put it delicately? "A bad apple who left in disgrace, or something."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I can only imagine that kind of pain," Alicio said, all the while getting the strangest sense that his companion didn't have to. "Having everything taken away like that... Your mother is stronger than I can fathom."

Alicio noticed when Inanna began tugging off his glove, and decidedly didn't fight her on it, letting it fall into his other hand as he laced his fingers into hers. They were long, with well-manicured nails, and strange callouses on the tips.

Despite the dour atmosphere, Alicio felt the most relaxed since he had begun this date. He didn't mind the proximity, or the touch. The Count only wished he could turn around and talk to her, look her in the eye as he conveyed his compassion, shared his own dark truths.

Dates, he didn't know. Comforting someone in need, he knew.

"Victoria is... complicated." As many things they had discussed were. "She took our parents' deaths poorly. After it happened, she went to Nar Shaddaa, started doing spice, cut off all contact with our family." Alicio frowned. "I was at boarding school when everything happened, so I never got to say goodbye to her. I just... I just hope she's alright."

"Your brother is still around? How is he?"

- Inanna Harth -

 

[Inanna Harth]

“I hope you never experience it,” Inanna spoke in almost a whisper, hastening to get away from the topic.

Her fingers were long and delicate, and somehow didn’t look quite real. The artifice was perhaps too perfect, lacking the complexity which had long plagued artists trying to depict the human hand with any degree of realism.

Inanna held her tongue as Alicio spoke of his sister. There was no way a spice-addicted woman alone on Nar Shaddaa was even remotely “alright”. But Inanna suspected Alicio knew that already, and saying so would only drive the knife deeper. Still, she felt compelled to do or say something.

“Even if you were to track her down, you couldn’t make her give up the life she’s chosen for herself,” she said. “I know that’s not much consolation, but… don’t feel useless just because you can’t do anything about these complicated things. ‘Love is to will the good of the other.’” She paused, her brow furrowing. “That was an awkward translation of a Shi’idese term. You understand, right?”

Ah, language barriers. Gotta love ‘em.

“My brother Hieronymus is an anthropologist. He travels around and uses his shapeshifting to blend in among various beings so that he can study them. He wasn’t there when Lao-mon was attacked, and he’s stayed away from the refugee camps. I can’t blame him.” She rested her head against his shoulder, sharing the spot with a sleepy Elfangor. “I don’t think I’ve spoken more than a few words to him in decades. He was still a child when I left home—he’s closer in age to my niece than to me. And she’s forty-six, so right in the middle of those terrible teenage years…”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I know that’s not much consolation, but… don’t feel useless just because you can’t do anything about these complicated things. ‘Love is to will the good of the other.' That was an awkward translation of a Shi’idese term. You understand, right?”

Alicio nodded slowly, answering with a bit of hesitance. "Yes. I think I do."

His grip tightened on Inanna's hand. Maybe he didn't.

He felt worse than useless. Before everything happened, Alicio had left his family to pursue an education. Sure, he wasn't happy at home, felt a need to escape it all, but he loved his family. If he had stayed, maybe Tori would have seen how much her little brother needed her.

How much he wanted to help her, even though he knew it was probably hopeless now.

As Inanna talked about her own sibling, Alicio's frown only grew, abating only when he felt Inanna lean on his shoulder. "It might be nice to message him again," the Count offered, attempting not to sound imposing or nosy. "Family is important. Especially when you don't have much."

Alicio looked over his shoulder at Inanna, smiling a bit. "Fifties are the teenage years for Shi'ido?" He asked the question innocently enough, but there was an obvious second question behind his eyes he didn't voice.

Damn those etiquette classes.

- Inanna Harth -

 

[Inanna Harth]

Alicio had heard her, gleaned some understanding from her words, but the sentiment hadn’t sunk in. She could tell that much. “Alicio…” she began, but as he squeezed her hand, she found that there was nothing she could say. He would either reconcile with his sister someday, or live with the guilt.

“I’ve tried. He doesn’t answer.” Perhaps, like Victoria, Hieronymus wanted to get lost. At least he wasn’t in any immediate danger. He hadn’t run away from home to do spice on Nar Shaddaa…

While Alicio talked of the importance of family, Inanna planted a gentle kiss against his neck. It was supposed to be a comforting gesture, but somewhere along the way she got a little distracted. His next question put a stop to her nuzzling.

“Yeah,” she answered, a bit embarrassed. “In standard years. We come of age at around sixty-one and live to be around five-hundred.” She sighed, realizing what this line of questioning would inevitably lead to. “I’m a hundred and three.”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

At first, Alicio seemed hesitant to accept the kiss at the crook of his neck, sitting a little stiller in his seat, seeming to process it. But after that first instant, he leaned into Inanna, closing his eyes, and trying to let the weight of the previous conversation slide off him.

When she stopped suddenly, and the Count sensed the awkwardness behind him, the nerves came back in full force. Had he said something wrong? Had he upset her?

Alicio let go of the hand at his waist, and returned both hands to the reins of the thranta. It shook it's head a bit at the sudden tautness of it's rope, but the well-trained animal continued it's lazy loop regardless.

“I’m a hundred and three.”

"Woah."

That single word, erupting before Alicio could curate it, didn't hold any disgust. He was surprised, curious, fascinated that someone could live so long, and still have lifetimes ahead of them. But then his empathy caught up, and he realized no one would like their age being woahed at.

"Um, I'm sorry, I-I didn't... mean it like that. It's just... That's a lot of life experience."

Inanna had lived five of his lifetimes. If Alicio were being honest, that was a little intimidating. He tried not to show it, but his date had been reading him like a book all afternoon.

- Inanna Harth -

 

[Inanna Harth]

In the span of just a few seconds, Inanna’s emotions ran the gamut from concern that something had gone wrong, to humiliation at his reaction, to confusion. Finally, as Alicio fumbled an apology, she stifled a laugh. It wasn’t derisive laughter—she wouldn’t have tried to stop it otherwise—but the entire sequence of events was so silly in retrospect, she couldn’t help it.

“That about sums it up. I’m not smart or wise, I’m just experienced.” As her giggling died down, she loosened her grip around his middle. “Okay, I’m going to take this as a sign that now’s the time for less talking...”

Unclasping her cloak so it wouldn’t hinder her, Inanna used her flexibility (and the Force) to her advantage. One moment she was behind Alicio; the next she was in front of him, sitting side-saddle with her cloak in her lap.

What was underneath her cloak was noteworthy, if only because of how strange and fantastical it looked. In place of cloth garments, her body was draped in filaments that resembled strands of spider silk heavy with dew, each droplet a moonlit pearl strung on a silver thread. This was, evidently, the Shi’ido fashion she had deemed unfit for a meeting with the queen. And to be fair, it was a little... uh, sheer.

Inanna didn’t give Alicio much time to look, though.

“... less talking, and more of this…” She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips to his.

This was probably not what thranta-riding was supposed to be used for. Oh well.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Agape- Nicholas Britell​

It was at about this point Alicio had figured he had blown it.

Ever since picking up Inanna, he had been so nervous about messing up. Every moment of intimacy, he had pulled away, or frozen up, out of worry he would do something wrong, something to offend her. Now, in what should have been an exciting ride on thranta-back, they had delved their dark pasts together instead. In Alicio's mind, the final nail in the coffin had been that dreaded woah.

So the Count was reasonably surprised as Inanna placed herself in front of him. He canted his head to the side, curiosity turning to baffled silence as he realized what she meant. And as she came in for the kiss, having just enough time to wonder what he had done to deserve this, he met her half-way.

It was as if Alderaan had exploded all over again, leaving nothing but Inanna; the taste of her lips, the feeling of her hair as a hand grasped the back of her head, the sound of her voice, ringing like chimes on the air.

It was fireworks over Sanctuary City at night, lighting up an ink-black sky with brilliant color.

Alicio was the first to break away, all hints of nervousness or tension completely absent. "You know, that was very unsafe," he said, smiling like a fool. He pulled Inanna in just a bit closer. "If you aren't careful, you could fall."

Of course, he went in for seconds.

- Inanna Harth -

 

[Inanna Harth]

Though it was bold of her to make the first move, Inanna approached the kiss with a certain measure of caution. Up until now she had believed she was the one trying to woo Alicio, not the other way around; his awkwardness and nervousness were obstacles she would have to overcome with patience and endurance until he eventually warmed up to her. Until then, his ice would always quench her fire.

She didn’t expect him to meet her halfway. It made the moment all the more pivotal, and she recognized the importance of it by holding him tighter, pulling him closer. Even with his eagerness, it was still a first kiss—sloppy and fumbling and pure as the driven snow. He pulled away with a dopey smile and a look like his brain was filled with pyrotechnics. She suspected that he’d never kissed anyone before in his life, but that hardly mattered to her. If anything, it made her feel a greater affection for him—he’s gone outside his comfort zone for her. Besides, he was already leaning in for round two.

“Unsafe?” she echoed in that sultry voice of hers, reaching up to bury her fingers in his hair. She need no longer tread lightly for fear of scaring him off. “For you, maybe.”

Their lips met again, and this time the sparks caught flame. She did her best to leave him breathless.

Observing the proceedings from Alicio’s shoulder with a bored expression, the forgotten Elfangor licked his chops and thought about dinner.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

As far as first kisses went... Not bad.

Alicio leaned back, disengaging from their lock, his smile smaller, but more true somehow. Distilled into something sweeter, as a bit of rose touched his cheekbones.

"Mmm... well, good," he said, his awkwardness coming back a bit, although not stemming from discomfort, but a euphoric vertigo. "I'm going to take that as a sign we should stop flying, because I kind of forgot we were for a second."

Back at the docks, the thranta rider had paused his work a while ago to people watch. He'd seen the midair seat-change, and the interesting interaction that happened afterward. The man simply watched, shaking his head.

His buddy walked to his side, craning his neck up. "God, I wish that were me."

"Which one?"

"Does it matter?"

LATER​

The food market was packed this time of night.

It was the time the workers got off their shifts, and went out looking for food and drink to fill them. They packed the walkways, stopping at vendors selling dishes from across the galaxy over, bringing a taste of their previous homes.

Alicio picked his way along the street cautiously, glancing around every once in a while, but most of his attention was on Inanna at his side, whom he had given Elfangor back to along the way. He'd been quiet for a while, simply enjoying the advancement of the evening.

"This is... my first date," Alicio said, insecurity shining through. "I hope it isn't too obvious."

- Inanna Harth -

 

[Inanna Harth]

They were back on earth, and no one was happier about it than Elfangor. The fox-snake strained his grip on Inanna as he leaned his head in the direction of every food stall, drawn toward the various smells.

Alicio seemed to still have his head in the clouds, his attention wholly on Inanna. She smiled at him. It was cute, though she was mildly concerned that he wouldn’t look where he was going and wind up running into someone or something.

For her part, she felt light but not quite as buoyant as him. He had nothing to weigh him down. No past loves lost, no negative experiences. When he said he hoped it wasn’t too obvious that this was his first date, she gave him an amused look.

“It doesn’t matter to me. In fact, it’s sort of… endearing.” She wrapped an arm around him as they walked. “I do find it a little hard to believe that no one has ever taken an interest in you, though. You’re far too attractive for nobody to notice.”

He probably drew a lot of attention from people who were only interested in manipulating or using him for their own purposes. If that was the case, she was surprised he had bothered to give her a chance—although she supposed that if she was going to seduce him in hopes of improving her chances of getting asylum for the Shi’ido, she would’ve done it much earlier. Not that she’d had much of an opportunity at that stage anyway. Watching an impostor get decapitated wasn’t exactly conducive to romance.

She gestured vaguely toward the stalls. “Which of these places do you recommend?”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

“I do find it a little hard to believe that no one has ever taken an interest in you, though. You’re far too attractive for nobody to notice.”

Alicio wasn't quite as lost in the moment as he may have appeared. More... introspective. He was quiet, happy, letting things come as he did, but his mind never rested. When Inanna made the comment, he smiled, but not as much as someone on cloud nine would. "A few have. But I've always rejected them. Not out of a lack of want, but... I've always been busy."

Then, reflectively, almost as if he'd meant it only to himself, "I'm still busy."

Alicio moved on, glancing around at the various carts and trucks selling food. There were a multitude of options here. Kebobs and rice bowls and fried everything. He gestured past them. "Well, there's a bar down the way. If Kil is working there today, she makes an incredible spicy ramen. If you like that."

- Inanna Harth -

 

[Inanna Harth]

"A few have. But I've always rejected them. Not out of a lack of want, but... I've always been busy. I'm still busy."

She inclined her head curiously. “But not too busy for me?”

Maybe she was just easier to work into his schedule. They were already spending a lot of time together anyway. But if that was the case, what would happen when all was said and done, and the matter of the Shi’ido was settled?...

At the mention of a bar, she hesitated. The pause and the slight shift in her expression, as if she had an automatic reluctance to go anywhere near bars, were noticeable but brief. “Sounds good.”

She let him lead the way through Sanctuary City, filling his silence with questions.

“Did you always want to build cities? Or were there other dreams that you had?”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio looked down at Inanna, seeing the question in her eyes, a question he reflected in his own. "I don't know," he said honestly, before trying to project a bit of optimism into the conversation. "But I'll try my hardest, if you'll let me."

He loved what he did. It brought him joy like nothing else, giving those who needed it a helping hand. But he'd received some advice from a mentor a while back. Advice he was trying to take, now. Before he regretted it later.

Look around. Follow your heart.

Alicio laid an arm around Inanna's shoulders, careful not to squish Elfangor. He'd noticed her tensing at the word bar, and frowned a bit. He waited to comment, instead addressing her follow-up question. "Well, I wanted to be a Jedi for the longest time when I was younger," he said, his expression sphinx-like. "I wanted to wield my laser sword into battle against the Sith. I used to go out into the woods with a stick, fight imaginary criminals, pretend I was living an epic fantasy..."

'But, um... I realized that the issues in this galaxy went further than a lightsaber could cut. Jedi can broker peace between systems, wage war against the Dark Side, but you don't usually hear about them fighting homelessness, or hunger, or sickness." Alicio took a moment to think, cutting through a long line of people.

"Faith inspired me to use my name for something good. Whether that's building cities, or setting up camps, or running for office one day... Whatever I can do to help people, I'm going to do it."

The bar was in sight, a neon sign written above the door in Cheunh. Underneath, in Basic text, it read 'Last Taste of Home'.

"What did you do, before Lao-mon was attacked?" The noble looked down curiously at the Shi'ido. "What will you do after we give your people a home?"

- Inanna Harth -

 

[Inanna Harth]

“If things go exceptionally well, maybe I’ll be out of a job soon. Then you could hire me to keep me around.” The suggestion was mostly in jest. Part of her felt like the affairs of the Shi’ido would never be fully laid to rest. Not until the Maw was less than a memory. “Or would that be considered cronyism?”

Inanna found herself smiling at the thought of a young Alicio waving a stick around, pretending to be a Jedi. But his words rang true. She tended to avoid expressing it, but she held a certain degree of antipathy toward the Jedi for their laser-focus on war, too often ignoring the destruction and shattered lives they left in their wake. They had already saved the day—why stick around to clean up the mess?

They were nearing the bar. She noticed the sign written in the language of the Chiss—several of whom she had seen walking around the City. They were perhaps the only species she could think of who had it worse than the Shi’ido. Even if the Maw was finally defeated, they had no homeworld left to return to. It was simply gone.

“I used to write novels,” she said, her tone surprisingly shy. “Mystery novels, mostly. A few of them were bestsellers. I published them under my maiden name, Inanna Hoole.” Pausing just beyond the door, she quickly added, “I was married, but not anymore…"

"Um, it’s a long, weird story, but I knew a few higher-ups in the Erakhian government, and when Lao-mon was attacked, I saw an opportunity to help. I convinced them to accept refugees and set up the camp. When the population kept growing and the situation started to deteriorate, I still felt responsible for it all. Nobody else was stepping up. I kept getting more and more involved, and… now I’m here.”

Her life was probably starting to sound rather strange, and no doubt Alicio had even more questions now.

“I have no idea what I’ll do when this is over. Going back to writing doesn’t seem possible after all that’s happened.” She shrugged, then glanced at Alicio. “I’m sure something will come along.”

Alicio Organa​