Private And All the Rest

[Corazona von Ascania]

It was still a bit early for dinner, and they'd ended up at a bar and grill restaurant that appeared entirely too casual. Purposefully casual, with the type of setting and décor that mimicked a family owned restaurant, but sanitized by its own upscale presence.

Getting a reservation at one of the truly luxurious restaurants at Nova Point would have required a reservation weeks in advance. Something told her that Makko wouldn't have been particularly comfortable at a place like The Skysitter.

"This place had pretty good reviews." Cora mentioned while scrolling through the menu. The fare would be similar to what you'd find in nearly any casual restaurant—salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, even a few choice cuts of meat. All familiar, but obscenely expensive.

They'd selected a little booth near a window, away from the majority of diners who were at the bar. Roughly their age, Makko and Cora had a good view of a gaggle of giggling rich girls as they struggled to find the best angle to snap photos of their overly adorned meals.

"Order whatever you'd like." She smiled at him from across the table, finding a trickle of pride in the statement. They could order every dish available and she wouldn't come close to hitting her monthly allowance.

Taking a sip of her wine, she continued tapping her way through the menu.

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

His eyes widened as he crossed the menu. He was used to thinking that the longest menu was the fanciest restaurant. The menu here was long, but not because of the number of dishes.

Each option had a long description of its preparation and from where the ingredients had been sourced. There were a number of things he didn't recognise, but he supposed that would be a surprise. What was coming out of the kitchen smelled amazing.

There was nothing in their dynamic that made him feel uncomfortable about her paying. He just had to push past the part of himself that died a little at the numbers next to each meal.

"You're not going to mind if I don't take twenty photos of each dish though?" he said, side eying the girls on their devices.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora watched him carefully from behind another sip of wine. Despite the manufactured casual atmosphere, this was likely the most expensive place Makko had ever eaten at.

She nearly snorted into her glass, fingers pressing against her pursed lips to stifle a laugh.

"Actually, I believe that's a requirement. They'll throw you out if you don't." Her gaze slid with good humor to the girls, who were now posing for a selfie with one of the droid servers.

A few taps and she'd placed her order, opting for a simple garden sandwich with a side of soup.

Not soon after did a basket of complimentary bread arrive, complete with small dishes of flavor infused olive oil to dip it in. Cora reached for a piece, tearing it in half before soaking it in the dressing.

"It's not quite like home, but it beats temple food for sure."

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

Judging other people would only be fun until Makko expressed amusement at something Cora did herself.

"Ooo posh bread," went Makko.

He entirely reveled himself by finding a selection of bread and dips without asking as posh. He got to eat some fantastic food, but it was usually bought it a paper wrap and eaten with the fingers.

Makko had ordered something which sounded simple. It was a chicken breast. A chicken breast hammered, wrapped in a breadcrumb, cheese and served with a common root vegetable served three different ways and truffle shavings.

"Home," he mused quietly. "You, er, went back recently didn't you?" He asked.

He could feel his own heart speeding up as he edged towards the topic he'd been avoiding.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"You should try some," Cora deflected Makko's teasing with insistence. She nudged the bread basket closer, chewing on a petite bite before swallowing. "This oil is really good-" She gestured to the thin liquid, red and gold swirled together with flecks of pepper. "It's a bit hot, not as much as the spiced noodles."

A moment of reflection dawned on her, recalling the meal they'd shared together in the Coruscant underworld.

If his question caught her off guard, she didn't seem surprised. Probably because she was chewing. Cora nodded slowly.

"Yes, I went back for Life Day. One of the noble families of Ukatis is chosen to host the annual Life Day ball. This year was house Ascania's turn."

She offered a small, muted smile to go with the conflict in her eyes. "It was nice to see my brothers and sisters again."

Cora loved her family more than anything, but the visit had its challenges.

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

He went dipping bread into oil. The texture wasn't outstanding, but he had to admit it was nicely seasoned. There was more of a kick to it than he had been expecting.

The silence was more than just him eating. Several times in a row he laid out what he would say and then the world's fell from the pinboard of his mind and fell to the floor in a jumble.

"Cora...the bruises..." he said quietly.

He looked up at her and offered a small, guilty smile. He was trying not to seem judgemental or confrontational, but it was clear that it didn't sit well with him.

"We can always send an encrypted holo message if you, you know, need to talk properly sooner," he said. Makko didn't really know if he was in the place of confidant for her personal life, but he tried to make some kind of offer to her.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

The silence that fell between them was mostly comfortable. Cora looked a little pleased when he tried the posh bread.

The quiet lingered a little longer than it usually did between them. Maybe it was because the noisy girls at the bar had filtered out of the restaurant.

"Cora...the bruises..."

Cora had been poised to tear another corner from the piece of bread in her hands, but her fingers stilled. She stared back, regarding his empathetic smile with wide eyes. Makko had startled her.

"You...saw those." Of course he had. Cora could feel her heart flutter unpleasantly behind her ribs, face heating in embarrassment. Abruptly, her gaze shifted to the side. This certainly wasn't something she'd talked about before, and absolutely not to someone outside of the family. It was a private matter, as far as she'd been concerned.

"It's fine."

She deflected his concern with a harsh tone. Her fingers tensed, pressing into the soft texture of the bread. Makko knew how she was disciplined by her father, given she'd told him as much. Panic welled in her chest, kept in check by her suddenly defensive nature. The fact that he was trying to be gentle and empathetic had been lost on her in the moment.

"You don't need to worry about it. This is a family issue."

Her bitter words cracked at the edges.

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

Makko sighed. He chewed on the inside of his cheek. He'd tried to approach it carefully and had already upset her.

Stupid.

He very nearly completely dropped the subject. He'd seen marks before, but seeing the fresh bruises made him realise how hard she was actually being struck.

"I mean...of course I'm gonna worry about you," Makko said. He stopped short of completely challenging her views on the matter. She would only dig in.

This wasn't one of those matters where he wanted to bait the full blown argument.

He reached across the table and placed a hand on hers before she could complain.

"What did you do for that? No, no sorry you don't have to tell me."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora looked startled, taken aback by his concern, by the hand resting atop her own. She fought the instinct to pull away from them both. She was embarrassed, scared to talk about something difficult and simultaneously finding threads of comfort in Makko.

He's worried about me?

He's worried about me.

She didn't know how to let someone in this much. The care he'd shown was foreign to her, not something Cora experienced particularly often growing up. Her lungs swelled as she drew in an audible breath, then let it out.

"It was on Life Day."

It was a struggle to keep her voice level. "My family was hosting the annual celebration, and everything had to perfect. It was perfect, until I was invited to dance by the Prince of Ukatis."

She tensed here, finding the admission that she'd danced with another man uncomfortable. Even if it was simply the polite thing to do in her situation, Cora had been in no position to turn him down.

"Our dance had been going well until I tripped into him, and he fell into a table of champagne. He was alright, but..."

It might have been funny, she realized, had it not been for what followed.

"After the event ended, my father...disciplined me for my carelessness."

Her voice had lowered to a wavering whisper, and Cora found herself looking out the window, watching the well-dressed people milling around outside.

Cora's had trembled beneath Makko's own, and she swallowed nervously around the lump in her throat.

"So...I messed up."

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

She knew this wasn't right. It was in her tone, in her body language.

There was a lot for Makko to take in. He had to try and look past the fact that her family were obviously looking for suitors. They both knew that this had a limited lifespan. That her family and an arranged marriage would come first.

"If he wasn't upset, this prince.."

No, don't use that tone for him. Probably a perfect gentleman.

"Then your father had no right to hurt you like that. What did he even use to do it?"

Makko was aware that his feelings were coming through far too strong. He meant to offer a sounding board for her to open up. Instead he was coming in too strong.

He shook his head, squeezed her hand.

"I can get some more bacta from the medbay, so you don't have to," he offered. He was rather prone to getting hurt during his training, now it was becoming more physical.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Through all of the discomfort, Cora almost laughed.

Her father had no right? Didn't Makko know that the Viscount, being the head of the family, had every right to do as he pleased? That was simply the way things worked on Ukatis.

"His cane." She answered hollowly.

Gaze still affixed to the window, Cora's free hand ghosted across the skin behind her neck. "You don't understand," She sighed, eyes dropping to where their hands rested atop one another. A single point of contact, a blooming warmth against the chill of reality. "It doesn't matter that the Prince was unharmed. What matters is that I made my father, and the family, look terribly foolish. Especially after all of the work he's done to keep us in good station…"

When Makko squeezed her had, Cora bit her lip to hold back a swell of feelings. She was touched by his concern, but part of her felt like she didn't deserve it.

Head lowered, Cora peered up at Makko from beneath her lashes. That was twice now, she realized, he'd made an offer to help soothe her. The gangster from Denon was really far more empathetic than he let on.

She nodded slowly, squeezing his hand back. Tightly. "Yeah…" Was all she could say before her voice cracked.

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

When she said cane he could almost picture it. He could picture her obedience and blind faith in the strength of her family as it came down on her pale skin. Anger came hot and heavy. Visible on his lips as the right thing to say evaded him.

Makko had never dealt with anything like this before. When someone had tried to abduct her Makko happened to have the right tools for the situation: slicing on the holonet and lashing out with misguided violence.

What could he do? Try and tell some family patriarch that his way of life and his culture was wrong? Cora could be whisked away from the order any time that man wanted.

"You don't normally stumble," he said. He glanced to the kitchen. No serving droid was about to interrupt them at least.

"They don't let...they don't let a husband cane a wife?" he asked quietly.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

You don't normally stumble.

He was right. The waltz had been slow, and Cora's steps had been sure. It was a dance she'd practiced over and over before that night.

In the end, all of her preparation hadn't mattered.

An uncomfortable silence settled between them after he'd asked his question. Cora thought of her mother, small and frail and quiet.

"Discipline comes in many forms." She explained softly. "A patriarch can do what he pleases with his family. Many will turn a blind eye to...the unsavory."

It felt uncomfortable to confide in Makko, simply because she'd never confided in anyone before. Not about this. Anger had hardened the sharp features of his face, and her stomach tightened. Cora didn't feel particularly hungry anymore.

Teeth pressed against her lower lip, she looked to him with watery eyes.

"Please," She found herself pleading quietly. "Please don't be angry."

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

"No I'm, I'm not angry at you. It's just the idea of...yeah..."

He kept a grip on her hand but looked down at the table. He was poking and prodding and saying all the wrong things.

"I just didn't want it being like...something we didn't say."

Not when the marks were so very obvious. He couldn't pretend they weren't there.

"Just if some suitor or whatever raises his hand to you, you let me know and I'll...publish their holonet browser history to their feed," he said. He tried to offer a smile.

He didn't want her to cry. He wished she wasn't subjected to this at all.

He knew that in this imaginary future he really meant husband, not suitor. And in this future he saw himself as some contact in her datapad she occasionally messaged. That was all he could be in that imaginary - and likely - future.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

One thing that Cora had learned about Makko, though their varied interactions, was that he was far more open than she.

About nearly everything, too. Thoughts, physical affection, even empathy—many of the things she'd been taught to quash and repress because they were unrefined. In a certain sense, it was freeing to interact with someone like Makko, who said what he thought and did as he pleased. Unbound by layers of rules and decorum, sometimes his attitude got him in trouble. Sometimes it revealed how much he really cared.

Her lips pursed into a sad, ugly smile. Cora chuckled dryly and squeezed his hand as a few tears eased from the corners of her eyes. Turning her head, she swiped them away with the sleeve of her jacket.

"It's too soon for me to have any serious suitors." She lied, mostly for her own benefit. Her own mother had been married by her age, but Cora liked to think that the times were changing. If slowly. The idea of marriage was gradually emerging from the shroud of the future, and she was terrified at the prospect. "But I'll keep that in mind."

It was sweet of him to offer.

"I think father intends for me to finish my Jedi training before anything like that." Her words carried a desperately hopeful tone.

Cora sighed, shoulders slumping with emotional burden. "I'm sorry that this came up. We were having such a nice time, I didn't mean to ruin our day."

Her gaze fell to their hands, clasped on the table. The parallel from this moment to another struck her.

"Remember in the jungle, when I was...unnerved by the storm, and you comforted me through it?"

That seemed so long ago.

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

Her tone might have been hopefully, but Makko was eager to latch onto it. He didn't press any further on the matter of suitors. If she was given the time to finish her jedi training, then that seemed like a long time to him. He wanted to believe it, so he subconsciously ignored the tone of her voice.

"You didn't...ruin our day Cora," he said. "I just couldn't ignore it."

The mental image of her obeying her father and baring her back to the cane was going to stick with him. It was unpalatable, something he would never be able to swallow down.

"I do remember," he said. His expression softened.

"Just don't go telling people that I can be nice sometimes," he added.

Trying to lighten the mood in the face of what they had just discussed was going to be an uphill struggle. It was selfish of him, but he wanted to enjoy what little time they could put aside for one another too.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora met Makko's words with a small, sad smile. He really was far more empathetic than he let on, perhaps even moreso than he'd like to believe.

Her mind oscillated between allowing herself to indulge in his company, and pushing him away for fear of what the future would bring. This was all still new, but they shared a silent understanding of her predetermined destiny. Arraigned marriage to a nobleman befitting of her station. A life serving her family.

"Who…was that girl that you were latched onto at the Tangle? She's pretty."

The situation had been dire with Jalen passing out, so she hadn't the chance to confront him about it then. Now, her frazzled emotions were the perfect vector for jealousy to bloom forth.

Cora's gaze slipped to the side, narrowing harshly.

"She said something about you forgetting to call her?"

Likely someone with less baggage than herself, too. A girl who didn't come with an expiration date.

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

"To be fair, I don't think I forgot to call her. I think we forgot to exchange numbers."

Two beats and Makko realised that Cora wasn't checking if he had been cruel by failing to call someone back, she was trying to establish the nature of the relationship.

"That's Hex. We hung out at her roommate's birthday party once. We talked about swapping numbers but didn't. She did...show me a rocket launcher and a coaxium bomb," Makko explained.

"We haven't..."

He leaned towards the direction she was facing, trying to gauge her reaction.

"...kept in touch at all since that party."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"And yet, somehow she seemed to find you all the way on Coruscant…"

Cora could see him trying to catch her gaze from the corner of her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to look at Makko head on.

"You just seemed real comfortable putting your arms around her, is all."

She didn't have it in her to make any attempts to hide her jealousy. Part of it was Cora's mind attempting to sabotage them, hoping to make it easier when reality would inevitably crumble their relationship.

The other, much larger part was owed to teenage insecurity.

Her eyes widened, head snapping up to stare at Makko in shock. Her cheeks burned brightly as she opened her mouth.

"She showed you her what??"

The demand came out a little louder than intended. Cora almost didn't want to know what rocket launcher and coaxium bomb were slang for.

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

"She showed you her what??"

"Her rocket launcher and bombs!" Makko hissed. "Really."

She'd thought it a euphemism and when he said it out loud he could hear it too. It would have been a slight change in history for Hex to have genuinely been an ex-partner and then Cora would have had much more to deal with.

She was deflecting because he'd drawn attention to her own problems. Makko let a flicker of frustration take light.

"I had to hold her or else I would have fallen and died!" Makko said, becoming testy.