A Friendly Approach

[Arekk]

Being invited to Aevan's own comfortable space that she called home was a very noble gesture and he appreciated that. They walked inside the place and the immediate smell of food made Ar'ekk's stomach grumble unvoluntarily to which he reacted in a funny manner. He left the heavy backpack at one side where it wouldn't bother any of them to walk around or exit the property at all, a relieving feeling on his shoulder as if he was carrying a Rancor on one side of his body.

Ar'ekk sat down in the small dinning table that was barely able to have two people on each side and patiently waited for Aevan in complete silence. The young Jedi looked around her house to give it a quick inspection, a beautiful place with her own personal touches in terms of decoration and everything else.

"Thank you for having me here, Aevan."

He replied back to her as he remained to patiently wait in his seat, his lightsaber hilt resting on top of the table where it wouldn't bother anyone at all.

[member="Aevan Kitaki"]

 

[Riamah]

Ar'ekk made himself comfortable at her small table. When she bought it, she never actually expected to have company over and while it could seat two, it would be a tight fit for them. He had placed his saber hilt on the table and when she brought over the dinner, she looked at it oddly.

"What is that?"

Setting their plates in front of them, she turned back to get them both something to drink. Returning to the table with some water, Aevan sat down with a small sigh.

"It feels good to get off my feet."

The food which looked like a stew of some kind was brown, had some meat and what looked like small round beans in it. Taking her first bite, she closed her eyes to enjoy the flavor and when she was done looked across at her companion.

"What do you think?"

 

[Arekk]

"This is the weapon of a Jedi, built from scratch by its owner. That's me." He explained to Aevan in full detail what a lightsaber was and the symbolism it held in the Jedi Order and the overall "religion" that was usually called by many people. It's the first reveal about the young Jedi that she would know, certainly there had to be an amount of trust between each other and he felt comfortable saying so.

Ar'ekk had to remove his mask to properly eat so he set it aside to comfortably join Aevan during dinner. The stew had a very delicious taste and the food in general was wonderfully cooked although slightly hot which made him react accordingly: "Argh, that's hot!"

His hazel coloured eyes laid upon her and with an approving nod he replied back to her (much wanted and important too!) inquiry,

"This is the best food I've had in years. After a while, you get bored of frozen chocolate bars and military rations. Thank you."

[member="Aevan Kitaki"]

 

[Riamah]

Aevan listened to his answer on what the hilt was and exactly what it meant. To both him and the Jedi. As well as what the Jedi were. It was nothing like she had ever heard of before. If time permitted, then she would ask more, but the conversation moved on. Letting out a friendly laugh as he burned his mouth on the food, she tried to hide it behind her hand.

"I'm sorry, yes it's little hot."

Taking another bite, she blew on her food to cool it down before eating it.

"Glad you like it though. Can't say I've ever had to eat many rations before."

The look on his face showed he was speaking the truth though and that made Aevan feel nice inside.

"Can I get one of those too?"

Pointing to the lightsaber hilt again and going back into the conversation he had started before.

 

[Arekk]

A lightsaber was a weapon that could only be wielded by a Force User and to his knowledge Aevan did not demonstrate any kind of sensitivity, at least for now. She could possibly build a lightsaber if time and knowledge allowed her to although it wouldn't be as viable without being attuned with the Force.

"You can, in theory. It is recommended and usually only people that are Force sensitive wield these type of weapons due to their many strengths and weaknesses. Do you know what the Force is?" He briefly explained once more.

This type of conversation seemed to bore him a little bit due to its complex implications and different methods, a chat to be held in another time. He felt like a religious fanatic trying to sell their pamphlets to people not interested, funnily enough.

"I don't want to bore you with this topic. It's much more complicated than I think and we'd need a whole lot more of time to have an understanding. I promise I'll teach you some more soon."

Ar'ekk gave her a coy smile as he continued to munch on the delicious dinner that Aevan had prepared for him. They were pretty comfortable next to each other and that was a positive indicator for things to come.

[member="Aevan Kitaki"]

 

[Riamah]

While Ar'ekk took the time to answer her question, he appeared bored of talking about. It was all new to Aevan though. He was her guest though and as a host, she should do what she could to make him comfortable and not bored.

He did ask if she knew of the Force though and she shook her head.

"Nothing much really. Only that it flows through everything. It may quite similar to the river the Shapers use."

In saying that, she held up a single finger and at its tip was a small flame. Taking a moment, she focused on it and it floated across the table to appear to go into his bowl of stew. Just as it touch the surface, she let the flame go out on its own. He had already said it was hot and she didn't want to cause him any more discomfort.

"I'll hold you to that."

The thought of spending more time with him was wonderful. Hoping that her small blush would appear to be due to the heat of the food, Aevan looked down into her bowl as she took another bite. His smile was contagious and she had one on her face at the same time as the blush.

"What would you like to talk about or do? I'm not sure of what to do after dinner."

 

[Arekk]

He acknowledged her brief explanation of her understanding of the Force, pretty spot on in his eyes. It was even bigger than that but yes, the Force sorrounded all living things and binded us together.

"Similar, yes. You're probably right about the Shaping ability of yours."

The Jedi sensed the force within the girl sitting in front of him as she demonstrated once again her ability to shape, her finger turning into a small flame that dispersed in his plate. He grinned at this brief demonstration of her powers, taking a sip from the bowl of the hot steaming stew.

He had noticed the blushing on her soft cheeks and he hid a smile behind the spoon as he sipped the hot stew, the feeling was mutual between the two.

"I am not sure. Can't say I'm good with ideas since I spend most of my time inside a thousand years old ship." He laughed once again, making a reference to the Ebon Hawk.

"But I can say that I'm very happy to be here, with you."

[member="Aevan Kitaki"]

 

[Riamah]

He agreed that her shaping and his Force were probably related, but she wasn't sure how or if she could even use the Force. Time would tell though and if the opportunity was there, she would like to learn more. He smiled at her small display, but finished off his food after.

"You said earlier you would tell me about your ship. Only if you still want to."

Her own words to herself were that was going to ask about it anyway. Ar'ekk brought the subject up himself and this gave Aevan the chance to ask about it. His answer though she found rather amuzing.

"I don't think either of us have much of an idea on how to entertain another person. I could play music or dance if you're interested."

 

[Arekk]

Heavy rain began to pour down against the windows with lightning striking above in the sky, a loud thunderstorm was coming their way. Certainly it'd be too foggy outside for Ar'ekk to leave if he was to do so, not going to stay at Aevan's home without her wanting to as it wouldn't be a polite thing from his part. Regardless, it seemed unlikely he could go outside as the weather would get worse by the time the hours passed. Inside the house was warm and really comfy.

"I'll do something different instead like show you the ship in person and tell you the whole story there. It's much more exciting."

The stew combined with the rest of the food made the young Jedi feel satisfied and it could say so much that he could barely breath due to having a heavy stomach. A combination of laughter and joyful yet slight pain made him suffer due to the latter but he'd be okay.

"Dance? You wouldn't like to see me dance, I really suck at that." He laughed about that because it was true.

[member="Aevan Kitaki"]

 

[Riamah]

He said he would do better than only tell her about the ship, but would show it to her. A crash of thunder came and Aevan knew Ar'ekk wouldn't be going anywhere that night. Storms such as these didn't happen often on the desert world, but lasted for hours when they did. When he said she wouldn't want to see him dance, she shook her head.

"No, you sort of misunderstand I think. I mean I could dance for you or make music. Both we could do together. If you wanted I could show you how to dance and teach you some of what I do."

It would have to wait until dinner was less full in their stomachs. Standing up from the table, she took her bowl, plate and cup over to the sink to wash them. If he was done, she would do the same with his items.

Moving into the front room again, she took a seat on the couch and waited to see if he would join her.

 

[Arekk]

The idea of her dancing for himself never crossed his mind, it was something he would never have thought of before. For sure, it was a very exciting idea given by Aevan and he wouldn't say no to that if that's what she really wanted to do. The rain continued to pour down outside with an immense strength so probably there was nothing else but think positive and enjoy the little things.

"I see that now. If you would like to dance for me, that's fine. We can do that first then you can teach me afterwards." He said as he walked towards her and offered his open palm so she could stand up. It was tempting whatever she could do when she said they'd dance together, so the Jedi couldn't wait to see what evolved from that idea.

"How do we go about this?"

[member="Aevan Kitaki"]

 

[Riamah]

Aevan accepted the hand he offered and moved to go upstairs for a few minutes. Before she did that though she motioned for Ar'ekk to sit down in her place.

"I need to let the dinner get a little digested before dancing. Can you make music? Be back in just a moment."

Leaving him down stairs, she removed her skirt and changed into something a little more tribal looking. It was a thin material and had a few different colors all in reds and browns. Her top was a copper color now. Next to her bed was her flute and a small instrument that was handheld. It had little cymbals laced through tight strings in a loop at the top.

Bringing both of them downstairs with her, she returned to the couch and sat down with Ar'ekk. Handing him the almost ancient looking shaker, she explained how to use it. Once he started shaking it, she lifted the flute to the mouth and started playing him one of the songs from Kro Var.

Giving a smile, her blue eyes glowed as they found another way to connect with each other.

 

[Arekk]

Ar'ekk watched Aevan go upstairs as he took her place in the sofa, slouching even deeper until he reached a comfortable position. For his viewing pleasure she walked down from her bedroom before they exchanged warm smiles and coy glances. The music that the young Jedi put on in the background was a rather calm one, for such occasion if you could say. Appropiate. She was wearing what seemed to be the outfit of her people, from Kro Var as she said before to him.

With an awkward look upon his face, Ar'ekk took the shaker and began to do as instructed by Aevan. Certainly he felt uncomfortable playing that instrument but he didn't want to be unpolite to her so he just went ahead with the idea. It was pretty funny actually to see a "hardened warrior" type of person like himself playing a musical instrument when all you can see is him holding a gun to save the day. People do funny things for... you know, right? Right.

His eyes wouldn't leave her blue ones, they were enchanting and he felt drawn to them.

[member="Aevan Kitaki"]

 

[Riamah]

Aevan allowed him to set the rhythm of the music and after a few minutes of playing her flute, she stood up. An orb of flame appeared in front of her face. Focusing on the music and the flame, she made it start moving around her. Her own body then started to move with the music and the flame.

A tail formed on the end of the flame to make it look almost comet like, through the various layers of her skirt, the flame flew through them. Not once did it touch them, her or the floor of her dwelling. While she did, she did break eye contact with Ar'ekk to focus on the flame. Once she went through the song she had picked to play, the flame went out and she lowered the flute. Hopefully he took the sign and stopped playing the sistra.

Moving back to the couch, she sat down next to him.

"I'm not sure if you can touch the flame like I can, but that's a simple dance from home. Had to put on this outfit to make sure the flames didn't light me on fire."

Her eyes met his and she wondered what he was thinking, but didn't ask. If he wanted to share with her he would.

@Ar'ekk

 

[Arekk]

He was struck in awe. No words came out of his mouth at all since it was something that couldn't be explained, almost like a trance. Her beauty combined with a captivating dance and the music made him unable to take his eyes away from Aevan. What is this? That's what he thought when allowed to, by the way.

The way she danced had a special effect on Ar'ekk because he went from all talkative to completely unresponsive, out of words. The flame moved in every direction possible as it was directed by the girl until it disappeared when she sat down next to him.

Their eyes met once again after the dance as the soft music continued to play in the background. He continued to hold the shaker in his hand yet remained motionless, an expression of warmth and extreme happiness forming in his face.

Silence.

That's all he had to offer in that moment. He felt in paradise.

[member="Aevan Kitaki"]

 

[Riamah]

Aevan had not noticed the entranced look on his face when she sat next to him. While he had kept the music going for the dance, he must have been some sort of daze. She gave him an odd look at his silence and after a moment with a smile, waved one of her hands in front of his eyes.

"Hello in there."

It was like this was the first time he had ever seen such a display and didn't know it was possible to do something like that.

His face showed he was happy, but yet he didn't speak.

"Would you like to join me in a dance?"

Holding a hand out, not for him to take though. Resting in her palm was a small globe of flame.

 

[Arekk]

Ar'ekk shook his head to get out of the trance that had gotten a hold of him. She was waving her hand in his face when he finally reacted and let out a small laugh.

"Sorry. That never happened before."

Yeah, he had never seen that type of performance before so the effects were pretty obvious for Aevan. She held a hand out with a globe of flame on display to invite him for a dance. He stood up almols immediately before placing the shaker on the sofa he had been sitting on.

"I would be honored." He countered almost immediately, his quick-wittiness kicking in.

[member="Aevan Kitaki"]

 

[Riamah]

He shook head at her head waving in front of him, bringing him out the trance he had been in with a small laugh. Apologizing for his reaction, when he did answer her question about dancing with her, she smiled. Standing up with him, taking a hold of one of his hands, Aevan lead him to where there was just room enough for them to dance in the small room.

"Stay right there. Need to change the music."

Moving over to the radio, she put on something that was a recording from various festivals of her people. The tempo was faster than what she had done with him previously and the songs were different. Walking over to him again, the flame in her hand again. She floated the ball between them and looked at the clothes he wore to accommodate for as they moved.

"Close your eyes for a moment and tell me if you can see or feel the flame through your Force."

She stood there patiently, waiting to hear his answer.

@Ar'ekk

 

[Arekk]

When they started to dance together face-to-face and the music with a faster tempo played in the background, Ar'ekk went with the flow and allowed Aevan to dictate their movements. He held her hands tightly as they moved around the house dancing to the tunes of her people. Aevan told him to close his eyes and he didn't hesitate to do so because the Force would be his guide and connection with his sorroundings. And there it was, he could feel the flame right away through the connection or bond he had (the Force) as many liked to call it.

"I can feel it moving everywhere. It's there." He said with his eyes closed and a broad grin forming on his face.

The young man had finally found the connection between the girl and the Force. She was sensitive to this mysterious bond that binded every living thing sorrounding them and he could show her the ways of it and much more, should she want to.

[member="Aevan Kitaki"]

 

[Riamah]

They moved to the tempo together and she controlled the flame, weaving it around and between them. Never once did it get close enough to burn either of them. His answer that he could feel fire as it danced with them, made her return his smile. The current song ending, Aevan let the flame go and stood there just looking up at Ar'ekk. While they could dance more as there was more music to listen to, she didn't want to dance at the moment. At least not with the flame.

They were holding hands comfortably. While she had dancing partners before, that was all they were. Classmates, nothing outside of a learning environment. As she thought about it, there was nothing in her life she could think of that compared to what was happening now.

"You've had just a small taste of what Kro Var is like. I'm just sorry I can't take you there myself."

Still holding his hands, she looked to the floor for a moment and then back into his eyes.

"You said you were going to Coruscant earlier. Is that where you are from?"

Unsure of what to do now, Aevan decided to make this bit of small talk with him. If he didn't want to speak of his plans fully, she would understand. The silence though comfortable, was a little odd. What she thought or felt inside were new and she didn't know how to react.