Private All The Colors

[Iris Arani]

​

Iris blinked slowly at one of those questions. One that stood out above all else. Her eyes narrowed slightly in thought. "It can, yes. But, no, not a mate bond. I- .. Aren't you a little young to be thinking about that kind of thing? I mean, there's no one you should be making that kind of bond with right now. And certainly not with your master, me or not. That's- .. There's a whole conversation to have about that but I'll answer your other question first."

Oh boy.

The Knight took a breath before plopping down beside Zaiya, leaning back on her hands. "Comforting. Someone you can trust and lean on. My master was the one person in this galaxy I feel I can trust most. Still is, even if I don't really speak with her much. Or.. Anyone. Been a really big recluse. .. Now about this mate bond. Zaiya you're- .. Wait how old are you again?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Iris Arani

It didn't seem like an odd thing to ask for Zaiya; after all, her kind ultimately desired those types of bonds. Seeing Iris narrow her eyes and question why she should think of that, made Zaiya tilt her head to the right with mild confusion, dove grey stripes blooming over her face.

"Why am I too young? " She asked, curious, slightly frowning, "My kind have familial bonds with their parents that are formed at birth, allowing us to feel connected with one another and be as colorful as possible. Only when we find a mate do we form a bond outside of that of our parents, and that one takes over until we can always feel one another." Zaiya explained innocently.

"My parents died when I was nine... so I... I don't have that connection, and... well, I miss it. I felt so lonely and alone without it..." her colors began to fade, muting until her rosy golden skin turned into a silvery dark pewter, and the shimmery, mottled spots over her skin melted into a dark melancholy grey.

"But... my kind are rare. I haven't even met another Lovalla, so the chances of finding a mate are low. However, when Aris taught me about the Force and how I could sense others with it, it got me excited! I felt like then... well, maybe there is a way for the Force to allow me to bond with someone again? I can feel others with the Force now, like when I hold hands with Aris or even now when I can sense others' emotions and thoughts...it's... nice. I like it. I want to feel that again -- so I makes me hopeful that maybe one day, I will." she bit her lower lip, brightening again so that her skin's vibrancy again began to glow and show her excitement. It was easy to see that it meant a lot to the Padawan, perhaps, a bit too much. A desire for connection that could be so easily manipulated if someone with evil or dark intentions took advantage of. At the very least, it wasn't a bond that would so easily be formed, but the desire to have one certainly was there.

Zaiya paused for a bit to soak in how Iris described her bond with her Master felt like -- Comforting, trustful, someone she could lean on. The person one can trust the most.

But.. isn't that how I feel about Aris Noble too? Zaiya mused a bit. Well, at one point, yes. That had been all it originally was. She had been comforted by Aris and knew she could trust him and depend on him. He had told her he would make sure she never felt alone. He was her best friend.

But that wasn't all of it now was it? Even thinking about how she felt around Aris made her flush a bit. The years she spent with him in close proximity had formed something between them, at least for her to feel flustered at his presence. To want to remain close. Enough to where she could sense him when he was close -- but was that because of the Force and her knack at sensing others, or was that more? That was the bit she was uncertain of -- and now they were both trying to see if there was a way to allow Zaiya to bond with him so that it wouldn't hurt her if he was far from her. That was why she had to do her best to keep her mental shields down so she didn't end up wanting... more.

"Oh, I'm sixteen," Zaiya told her, giving a wide smile.

 

[Iris Arani]

​

"Sixteen. Yeah, alright. None of these 'mate bonds'." Iris nodded her head once, though her brow was still furrowed as she tried to sort out what exactly Zaiya knew about what she was suggesting. Given how innocent her responses were, how much she was just wanting a connection she was robbed from with her parent's death? She didn't know at all. Iris reached up to pinch her brow for a moment, trying to sort out what she was going to say next. How in the world was she supposed to talk about this? The Talk™ she was given was just her telling her master she already understood because, well, she did on a scientific and uncaring way.

Iris was ace as ace could be!

"I'm sorry that you lost the bond you had with your parents. I won't be able to replace that, but as master and Padawan there will be a bond. A familiar bond. A mate bond is for someone you would have your children with. You're far too young to be thinking about making a bond like that and having.." She paused. Sighed. "Zaiya do you know how babies are made?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with:

Zaiya blinked, tilting her head at Iris in bemused confusion. Her grey mottled spots rippled with a faint golden luminescence, signaling her mix of emotions. She wasn't quite sure how they'd ended up here in this conversation, but she was more than happy to follow along. Too many people seemed to be embarassed about talking about it. She was glad Iris wasn't.

"Haha... well, no, not now," Zaiya said with an awkward laugh, trying to explain.

"My kind don't make bonds that easily. My parents didn't find each other until they were in their fifties, and I wasn't born until they were in their eighties." She shrugged, as if that timeline were the most normal thing in the galaxy. For the Lovalla, it kind of was.

Lovalla were long lived, and by their standards, Zaiya was barely more than a kid.

"It's just... my kind stay bonded with their parents until they find a mate. So, right now I'm kinda... floating? Sort of? I don't know." She gave a small, sheepish laugh, her colors shifting into a swirling mix of contemplative amber and muted grey. "Things are a bit confusing now."

She trailed off, thinking about Aris Noble . It wasn't a full bond -- nothing like the deep, instinctual connection her parents shared -- but she felt... something. She was acutely aware of him, of his presence in the Force, of the way she naturally gravitated toward him. She liked him. Like, liked-liked him. He also said he liked-liked her, and the few times she allowed herself to resonate with him recently... she could feel he felt the same for her. But that didn't mean she was ready for a mate. And they were both being careful. Too careful? Maybe not careful enough? Ugh.

Zaiya shook off the thought, focusing back on Iris. She could tell the older Jedi was genuinely concerned, but why was she so fixated on mates? Still, when Iris suggested that they could form a family bond, something akin to a sibling connection, Zaiya couldn't stop her colors from brightening. Her mottled spots and stripes practically danced, their bioluminescence intensifying with vibrant blues and warm golds. She beamed, the warmth of the suggestion wrapping around her like a cozy blanket.

"That would be great!" she exclaimed, her smile so wide in joy. But then, just as quickly, confusion crept back in.

"Umm...how babies are made?" she repeated, blinking. Her smile faltered for a second as she mulled it over.

"I mean, um... doesn't that depend on the species?" She tilted her head, her tone hovering between sincere curiosity and mild panic as her colors rippled with a nervous swirl of grey and pink.

This conversation had taken a very strange turn.

 

[Iris Arani]

​

Wait.

Iris tilted her head for a moment as things started to click together. Then, she plucked out a datapad, scrolling through it rather quickly. After a moment she let out a pretty heavy sigh. There wasn't a whole lot of information out there on Lovalla, but this? She reached up, setting a hand on Zaiya's head as she gently ruffled her hair. Then, came the talk. Iris was incredibly blunt with it, leaving there to be no misunderstandings on what she meant. The biggest point she made, though? How other species usually were. At her age, interest was common place in most humanoid species.

"Teens are dumb, is the short of it. This mate bond you're talking about, there's gonna people who don't understand what that is. Or that it might takes decades for you to feel comfortable with any physical interactions. You need to be careful about that sort of bond. And safe. You're still a teenager. No sex. Don't care if you feel like they're the one and you're going to spend your life with them. You're not an adult yet, and considering there's no information on what would happen if you bonded with a nonLovalla? Caution."

Given that The Talk™ was awkward as ever though, she again ruffled Zaiya's hair. "Just don't be in a rush. I know it might take a while for Lovalla, but for most humanoids they fall hard and fast. And teens really are the worst at that. Emotions change, people change. This parental sibling bond? Domxite and I can fill in for that, give you something to help keep you grounded than floating."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Iris Arani

Oh. Oh! OH!

The dawning realization, which Iris explained to her, made Zaiya's face flush in a heat wave. The pale blue and white patterns over her face darkened into a deep coral hue. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth fell open, only for it to snap shut. It was a good thing the older woman had ruffled her hair, sensing that Iris meant well not only out of concern for her but also that she was serious.

"Oh. Umm… well, I wasn't even — like that has never even come up —" Zaiya was obviously flustered, stammering with a bit of a high-pitched voice as she glanced up at Iris.

Sure she admired how beautiful or pretty others appeared, but it wasn't with the sort of thoughts of doing anything like, well, actual mating. Even with Aris, now that she knew she like-liked him, it was more that she wanted to be around him and hold him close. Okay, maybe she was curious about kissing, but it wasn't — nothing more than that! She hasn't even considered that an option at all!

Wait, did that mean Aris Noble was thinking about sex? No wait, he had told her that he didn't want her to get hurt and that they should figure out how to ensure that it would be okay — wait! Did he think that once it was okay to bond with him that perhaps he wanted to do that with —

Now Zaiya's face burned hotter.

"Okay. Yeah. I'm doing my best to be careful… how my bonds work with others do worry me… which is why I'm trying to keep my mental shields up everytime I'm — " well with Aris.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, her color shifting seemed to spazz a bit, pulsing rapidly between a ombré of colors only to shift again.

The Padawan took a deep breath then let it out with a big exhale, blowing up her colorful bangs away from her forehead as she took it all in. Looking back up at Iris, Zaiya nodded. Now she had more things to overthink about! However, it comforted her that Iris also confirmed the family bond she wanted Iris and Domxite to be willing to fulfill.

"Okay sorry, just a little overwhelmed. I'm glad that you are both there for me though," she told Iris and Domxite, a smile once again appearing over her lips.

What a crazy afternoon!