Private Back at the Temple

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Kashyyyk​

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After a rather eventful trip to find some parts for Ara, the two had safely escaped the planet, albeit somewhat embarrassed. Using what she could retrieve from the fighter, she was likely able to make all the necessary repairs to her podracer, and Kyell spent his time after returning to the Temple studying and training mostly. If the trip had proven him something outside his awkwardness around women, it was that he had a lot to learn before he'd be remotely ready for the Galaxy and all its dangers.​

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How would he be able to help anybody if he could barely help himself?​

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But even though he had kept himself busy with some classes and personal training, he was really looking forward to meeting up with her again. He was hoping to train and learn, and perhaps take her out for that dinner they had talked about briefly. All of this and more was on his mind as he sat within the tall grass, his back against the tall tree behind him. Kyell had just finished his lunch and found himself his usual quiet place to think and play some music.​

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This time, he had brought along his flute again and closed his eyes while his mind reached out through the Force. The peacefulness of nature and its fauna and flora played a melody in his mind that he hoped to replicate and elaborate on. Each creature and every Jedi that passed shifted the rhythm, melody, or even the key of his music — it all depended on their emotions and how they carried themselves.​

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But as much fun as it was to him, he also got lost in the music quite a bit, and classes or training sessions would be starting soon. Right now none of it mattered to him or even phased him at all. He was in his own little world, surrounded by just music and nature.​

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Ara Sheridan ​

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[Ara Sheridan]

"Emotion, yet peace." Ara muttered to herself with a deep breath as she sat atop a very tall tree. After her sparring session on New Cov, she understood that there was a different angle of thinking about stuff. Especially her struggle with the Force and being a Jedi. She knew the dangers of not learning how to control herself. It nearly took her mother's life with a simple argument, something that still weighed her down with guilt and caused a lot of doubt in her capabilities.

But she gained a lot of insight in that duel. The walls she erected around herself, while effective in Underworld, were holding her back in this new journey. Insecurity, doubt, anxiety, all these worries that held her back and cut off her efforts to try and progress.

Which was why she climbed a tree that stood as tall as some buildings that she saw on planets she visited. With her legs crossed and her lightsaber laid out in front of her, she focused on the Force and the overwhelming life around her. The first time she did this, it was the greatest thing she ever experienced in her life, and it still worked to calm her down and catch a glimpse of everything around her in the Force. The trees, the animals, the soil and creatures lurking far below, the cycle of life and death as a defenceless critter was caught by a powerful predator. The Living Force that flowed through everything. She could practically even hear something akin to music flowing with the cycles of...

"Wait, that's actual music..." She muttered, looking around.

Far below her, she heard an instrument that sounded very familiar. A smile formed as she realize who it was below her private spot. Immediately her worries faded as she thought of how to get the jump on Kyell. Between the mess on Raxus Prime and the embarrassment of a party on the beach, she ha grown rather fond of the mute, shy dude with his flute. She realized that something was up when the mere thought of meeting him got her excited. She needed to get over herself... but damn, that dinner joke better become a reality soon.

She clipped her lightsaber to her belt as she got up and carefully started to descend the massive tree in hopes of giving him a fright. Quietly and slowly she took each step and slide down the enormous trunk, a massive grin plastered over her features as he drew closer and closer. He seemed immersed with his music, which was definitely solid stuff to listen to, so her chances of simply sitting down next to him seemed almost fool proof

Until a branch snapped beneath her and she came tumbling down with a series of grunts and severe cussing.

She finally crashed down beside him with a grunt, scratches and bruises littering her body from the heavy fall. "Mother kriffing..." She lifted her head to look around, only noticing him next to her after a few long seconds as her brains scrambled back together. With wide eyes she struggled up with a bloody smile, wiping at the busted lower lip as she looked around. "Hey, uh... you mind if I drop in?" She quipped with a nervous chuckle as she clutched at her arm. Whether it was nerves or the pulsing pain, she wasn't sure.

Kyell Laysel

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Kashyyyk​

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The music that Kyell played was generally calm whenever he was surrounded by nature, but while he didn't realize it yet, the presence of someone he had grown to care a lot about made his songs even more serene and peaceful, capturing the way he felt whenever she was around. If it wasn't for him being this lost in the music, he likely would have noticed her earlier, but he was completely oblivious as she began to climb down the tall tree.​

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Only the rhythm of the music changed to match her desire to sneak up on him. It got faster, and with a bit more tension to it that didn't seem to get resolved. At least, not until the branch snapped and a set of dissonant tones completely changed the feeling of his music. Watching her fall down to the ground, Kyell stopped playing and just stared at her for a few seconds, his own eyes as wide as hers, as he lowered the flute away from his lips.​

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What was she doing? Had she been up there the whole time?​

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He then blinked and noticed that she had gotten herself hurt, so he reached into his backpack and pulled out some tissues he always carried with him. With an extended hand, he offered them to her, and with his index finger, he tapped against his own lips to show she could use them for the busted lip. Kyell wasn't a healer so he couldn't help her with the scratches and bruises, but at least it gave her a way to get rid of the blood.​

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Finally, he reached for his datapad and sent her a message with a look of concern on his face.​

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{"Are you alright, not broken anything I hope? I can get you to someone in the Temple if you need some help."} He looked up at her again and stepped a little closer, ready to help her in any way she'd need. He knew she was a tough one who likely didn't want to show that she was hurt, but he still offered his help.​

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Ara Sheridan ​

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[Ara Sheridan]

The longer she simply looked at him, the more her body started to ache from the various hits and bruises. At least nothing was broken, which was a huge relief this time. Though, she looked very confused as he tapped his lips while holding a tissue in his free hand.

Ara frowned for a moment as a deep blush set in along her features. "Dude, no! We don't know each other that well... oh." The realisation of what he meant dawned on her, silencing her completely as she accepted the tissue and nursed her busted lip. Awkwardly and slowly, she sat down next to him with several groans and grunts before she leaned against him to see what he was typing for her on his datapad.

"I'm good, it ain't that bad. I've had worse... But kark me, it's gonna be hurting for a few days most likely." She explained gently as she looked over herself then glanced at him, managing a faint smile as she gave him a nudge. "Yo, but you're blasting them notes, though. I heard 'em from up there, you're really good. I was serious, you gotta teach me how to play sometime when we're open." It was certainly truth to some degree. She wanted to learn an instrument. But she also tried to think of every way she could to spend more time with him without looking weird.

"By the way, didn't we make a deal on Raxus?" She asked him with a smug grin as she leaned into him and looked up at him with her green eyes.

Kyell Laysel

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Kashyyyk​

​

When Ara responded to him offering the tissue, he seemed really confused for a bit — maybe even more so than Ara herself. It was only after she realized what he meant, that he began to understand what she was thinking initially. ​

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OH​

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He blushed a bit himself, flashed the usually awkward smile he had whenever these things happened, and shifted around a little. At least he wasn't able to make it worse by saying something awkward and stupid, which was perhaps the only benefit of being mute. It was a lot more difficult to make a fool out of yourself.​

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{"I'm sure you've had worse, but just take it easy, yeah?"} was the first thing he typed when she looked at herself and told him she was fine. He knew that she likely wasn't too injured, but she was definitely the type who didn't want to show weakness. So he wasn't going to pressure her to admit anything, but he still showed that he cared.​

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{"Besides, it's hard to play an instrument if you keep busting your arms or hands."} he looked at her as she nudged him, and actually smirked a little bit. Now that he was getting more comfortable around her, he felt better about joking around and really being himself. ​

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{"But I'd be happy to teach you-"} his message was interrupted the moment her eyes looked up at his and she asked about the deal they made. It instantly brought back his blush, but the awkwardness faded as quickly as it came and he began to smile.​

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{"That we did, and it reminds me... are you free this evening?"} ​

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Ara Sheridan ​

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[Ara Sheridan]

Upon reading his concerned message, the gears started to turn once again in her head. "Ain't this just perfect. I got my own Jedi knight in shinin' armour to look out for me." She teased with an overly dramatic voice as she bumped against his shoulder. Though her movements were rather careful as she swayed and shifted beside him. Her chin rested on his shoulder when he started to type again, this time making a very valid argument.

"Okay, yeah, fair enough." She admitted as she looked at her hands for a moment. Probably the only thing that kept her grounded, the fear of seriously injuring or losing her hands. Hands were everything. Her ability to work on her pod, her ability to excel as a Jedi (theoretically), and the only way of being able to feel-

That was getting a bit carried away. She needed to check herself. They were still relative strangers, no need to already get funky thoughts. "Definitely can't end up with my hands in casts or something. How else am I gonna make you squirm then?" She teased, poking at his side as she snickered away. She had a bunch of questions she wanted to ask him, lots of topics she wanted to discuss with him. But one glance at his datapad deterred her entirely, she didn't wanna punish him like that. Once again her mind started to drift to the idea of learning telepathy in order to communicate easier... but even that was a terrible idea, given both of their inexperience in the Force. Eventually her train of thought crashed into oblivion and she leaned back against him, taking a deep breath.

Peace.

She was reminded of why she constantly wanted to hang out with him. The peace and quiet, the silence between them devoid of awkward stares or forced words. A peaceful silence that somehow had her feeling closer to him than anyone else.

{"That we did, and it reminds me... are you free this evening?"}

"OH kriff, you mean-" She instantly shut her mouth as a sense of excitement set in. Her cheeks burned up as she looked around them for a moment with the realisation that he was actually asking her out. The fact that she was the one who instigated it was conveniently tossed aside as she looked at him with a bright, busted grin. "For you, definitely." She nodded happily. Realizing that it was likely going to get awkward really quickly, she got up from her seat next to him and tried to dust herself off. "So I'll be seeing you tonight, then?" She asked with a smile. "Just send me the details, I'll be there."

And just like that, she left. The reality of how bad it looked only hit her when she was on her way to her room, and her nerves started to boil over. She looked back, wondering if she needed to go back and try to explain that she wasn't trying to be rude about it... but that would only make it weirder. She could explain it to him later...

**********​

A while later, Ara was done with her studies and other duties, and found herself loafing on her bed. She didn't know what to do with herself, the thought of going on a date had her mind running all over the place. Primarily around the thought that she probably forced him into the whole thing. He was a reserved guy, after all... did she pressure him into this?

She rummaged through her robes on her bed until she found her datapad. :: Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ::

No, scrap that.

She stared at his name at the top of the messenger for a moment, unsure of what to say or send. :: Hey whats up, cat got your tongue? ::

Really bad joke.

:: Hey wachu doing? :: She finally sent him. Probably best to start it out casually.

Kyell Laysel

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Kashyyyk​

​

A small roll of the eye followed after the comment about being a Knight in shining armor, but the smirk on his face made it obvious that he thought it was funny. That was one of the attractive things about her in general — she had a really fun personality. Ara could be extremely funny, teasing but also caring and protective. And of course, she was really-​

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Wait, have to be careful with those thoughts.​

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But right as he kept himself from blushing with his own thoughts, she made a comment that turned his face a little red anyway. Make me squirm? He turned his head and looked at her with a gentle smirk, one that hid most of his embarrassment and showed a bit of confidence. Thinking about it, her teasing wasn't all that bad.​

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{"You'll find a way."} he gently nudged her back and tilted the datapad so she could see the display. But after that, a peaceful silence lingered between the two and Kyell would simply look out into the forest, a tad nervous because the display of his datapad now had his final message on it — he was asking her on a date.​

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He himself had a hard time believing that he just did that, and she seemed to need a moment to really believe it too. He just smiled at her, only a little bit awkwardly, and nodded when she asked if they'd be seeing each other tonight. Kyell then turned for his datapad so he could tell her about the details... but then she was gone. He blinked and looked after her slightly confused, but he figured that she was likely a bit nervous as well.​

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So with a big smile on his face, he began to walk back to his own room not long after she left.​

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After he made his way back to his room, Kyell made reservations at the restaurant he wanted to take her to. He wasn't sure if she liked overly fancy places or not, so he picked something that wasn't too extreme either way. It had a great atmosphere and the best steaks and burgers Kashyyyk had to offer.​

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It did require a small trip to the capital city, but he had arranged a taxi to pick them up at the Temple to take them there.​

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Eventually, though, he found himself staring at the datapad that rested beside him on the bed. He was playing his flute as usual but wanted to send her a message. Just... he wasn't sure what to say. It was proper for him to first message her, right? Maybe I should- Oh crap, she already sent a message.​

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{"Got everything sorted for our dinner!"} God, that sounded overly excited, {"Meet me outside the Temple at 7? Then I'll take you there."} Yeah, that was starting to sound a bit better.​

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{"You up to anything until then?"}​

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Ara Sheridan ​

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[Ara Sheridan]

With her legs subconsciously swaying back and forth, Ara waited for his reply with a stupid grin. :: 7? Ya boi be cliche tonight XD :: She joked, quickly following up with another message. :: ill be there dw. :: She reassured him, glancing over to her closet. Her heart sank a little as she tried to figure out what to wear. Where was he even going to take her? She wanted to ask, but that would simply look like she had no trust in him... and asking him if it was formal or not was out of the question as well.

Looking at her current attire, she was tempted to simply rock the tank top and shorts. But that was too much, even for her. The least she could do was try to scrub out the grease marks... or get some proper clothing. Her datapad pinged again and she rolled over to read the message. "Huh..." She huffed as a smirk formed on her lips. "My parents aren't home?" She snickered to herself. "Nah the poor dude..." She looked around the place for a moment as she thought about what to say.

:: Nada. Thinkin of what to wear tonight. :: She simply sent him, only realizing how silly it looked afterward. :: Isnt it bad luck or something to see each other before the date or something? :: She might have gotten confused with another thing. :: No wait aint that marriges? :: The spell checker was broken. Again. Did the same the other day, simply highlighting whatever word that was remotely big for her.

She rolled onto her stomach again. This was why she hated texting. What was she supposed to say? "What do people even talk about? I gotta watch more teenage dramas or something." She grumbled to herself as she rolled off the bed and went over to her closet. What was there to wear? All of her clothing either looked too informal or too Jedi... "Kark it, gangster mode it is tonight." She muttered as she tossed her clothing onto the bed and stomped off to the refresher.

Kyell Laysel

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Kashyyyk​

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Looking down at the response he got from her, Kyell wondered what "XD" meant, but there was no way he'd ask her that and make himself look like a fool. He just grinned like a madman and read her second message several times. She was going to be there at 7, and there was nothing he could be more excited about right now.​

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More messages followed and he blinked — she was wondering about what to wear tonight? He hadn't even really given it any thought yet because well, he never had to dress for something specific before. Luckily he hadn't picked something too fancy... that really wouldn't have been fitting for either of them.​

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{"That's for weddings, yes."} he snickered a little that she brought that up, and began to wonder if he should offer to spend some time together before dinner time. Hmm...​

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{"I'm going to wear some nice jeans and a new-ish jacket I got. Don't worry about what to wear too much."} He said, hoping to reassure her a little as well. She had no clue where they were going yet, after all. {"But uh, unless you're afraid to have bad luck during our dinner date tonight, maybe I can show you a thing or two on the guitar? I think that'd be a fitting instrument for you."} ​

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She seemed like the type to go wild on hard rock or heavier music, so hopefully, she'd enjoy it.​

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Kyell then jumped off his bed and quickly moved to grab his black leather jacket, some jeans, and better-looking shoes. It was rare for him to focus on his looks as much as he was now, but why not go all out for someone you like? He then grabbed his guitar and equipment for it before checking to see if she had responded already.​

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Ara Sheridan ​

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[Ara Sheridan]

Her datapad buzzed away as he messaged her, poking the curious Zabrak as she washed up in the bathroom. But she was also not very anxious to reply, they were going to have plenty of time to chat when they were at the place. She was wondering where he was going to take her. A part of her wished for something like those awesome Naboo places she always saw in movies... while the rest of her wanted to get a heart attack at the thought of her setting foot in one of those places.

When she finally emerged from the shower, the towel was chucked over the door and she walked over to her bed, though she stopped as she looked down at her hand and then at her datapad. A smirk formed as she focused on the device. It rattled and shuddered for a moment before it flew into her grasp, earning a silent air punch as the girl smiled at her achievement. :: Sry, was in the shower. Def wanna learn guitar ngl. Bit we can do that later I think. Wouldn't mind going to your place. :: Her heart sank when she realised what she just sent him. :: For guitar stuff... :: That only read even worse. :: Def some more time together as well! :: A loud slap echoed through her dorm room as she slammed her hand against her forehead with a groan. "Kark my life... She grumbled as she tossed her datapad on the bed.

"Jeez, you'd think I'd be more mature than this. Acting like a real air-head paddie over here." She grumbled to herself as she got dressed and finally dropped face first onto her bed with some more groaning. "Just get it together, it's just dinner." She finally rolled over and sat up to slip her boots on. Overall, she definitely looked like a swoop gangster... what didn't help was the very legitimate emblem on the back of her jacket as well as the badges on her shoulder.

Upon reading her messages again she groaned some more and tossed the datapad down again. Best to simply shut up for a bit.

Kyell Laysel

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Kashyyyk​

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Even more text-message language he didn't quite understand — although figuring out 'sry' wasn't the most difficult, and after thinking about it a minute longer, he figured that 'def' had to mean definitely. He grinned in a somewhat dumb way but nobody was here to see it, so he didn't care and just continued reading.​

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She wants to come over to my place?​

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Kyell blinked, blushed slightly, and set aside the guitar before he looked around the room, which wasn't very big or luxurious by any stretch of the imagination. But he did keep it clean and simple, so he felt no shame in inviting others over. Not that he had done that before... but it's the thought that mattered most, right?​

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{"Sounds good. My room is on the east wing, room 34B. The door isn't locked."} he sent back before he stared at his display and wondered if he should say more? Somehow, texting felt even more difficult than talking to her face-to-face; he just had no clue what to even say, and he worried about how it would come across even more.​

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It's going to be alright, stupid. Just be... chill.​

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Kyell then set aside the datapad himself and walked over to the small kitchen area to prepare some coffee. He had soda or just water as well, but she seemed like the type who would appreciate some decent coffee that didn't come from some cheap machine in the food hall. So while he waited for her to arrive, he'd prepare that for them.​

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Finally, he sat down with the guitar, dialed up the gain and volume a little, and he began to improvise a rock tune that reminded him of her. ​

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Something spicy that really kicked ass.​

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Ara Sheridan ​

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[Ara Sheridan]

The datapad pinged next to her ear, and the message on the screen served to both confuse and fluster the Zabrak as she read the words. "Wait... like, now?" She muttered to herself with wide eyes. Her plan was to go to his place afterward... but now that concern was quickly fading as she looked at her outfit then at her datapad. "Kark it."

Grabbing her datapad, she left her quarters and started to look for his room, eventually finding it after a few wrong turns. This was no longer the type of territory she was used to. Going over to a dude's room, then a date, and she actually loved to hang out with him. Her life was starting to feel way too normal for her own comfort. The worst part of it all was that, deep down, she was liking it. The giddy anxiety, the lack of fear, learning something other than hotwiring speeders and swinging a deadly weapon... something normal with a normal person who she could trust.

Coming to a halt in front of the door, she could hear muffled music from inside the room. 34B, that was the right place. Door was unlocked, this was his place. She raised a hand and gave the door a firm knock before pressing a button to open it. "Hey!" She greeted with a smile, casually walking in and closing the door. Though she halted for a moment to take in the room, a smirk forming as she glanced back at him. "I was somehow expecting wacky pieces of art and stuff for some reason." She quipped, walking over to sit on the bed and pull him into a quick hug. The lack of open space and eyes around them made it a lot easier to pull off.

"You sure the 'not seeing before' thing is for weddings, right?" She asked again with a grin.

What a way to start it off...

Kyell Laysel

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Kashyyyk​

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If it wasn't for the fact that he was playing music, he'd likely have gone crazy — she was coming to his room, and they were going on a date soon as well. Thinking about it made him nervous and caused his heart rate to go up, but the music was able to keep him calm. At least, until he heard her knocking on the door and felt her presence, as she entered his room.​

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There was a slight skip in his heartbeat, but he quickly muted the strings of the guitar with his hand and looked over his shoulder to greet her with a warm smile. The comment about wacky art and other items made him quickly roll his eyes, but he understood why. Musical people were often the types to collect all kinds of strange things.​

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Not him though, he liked everything to be simple.​

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Then, with the guitar still in his lap, he leaned into her to return the hug the best he could, but he very quickly leaned over behind her and picked up his datapad.​

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{"I'm sure it's for weddings and... you look great,"} He wasn't sure why he added the three periods, but it worked? She wasn't dressed super fancy but he himself was rocking an actual leather jacket and some jeans too, so it worked out pretty well. Especially with where he planned to take her later.​

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Kyell then set the guitar back on its stand and turned to her on the bed, his smile bright but a little awkward. He... wasn't actually quite sure what to say next for a moment, and just looked at her. Come on stupid, don't just stare at her.​

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{"So uh, do you want to try and mess around with the guitar a bit? Or prefer to relax until we head off for dinner?"} he looked up from the datapad with a somewhat goofy smile.​

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Ara Sheridan ​

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[Ara Sheridan]

Ara smirked as she read the message, her cheeks heating up already. With a snort she gave him a light shove, glancing away for a moment. "I was actually tempted to look for a dress... but then I remembered what I look like. I dig the jacket, though. What's next, got a souped up speeder with a flame job parked outside?" She teased back. She would likely freak out if that was the case... maybe she could be enough of a bad influence on him to make that a reality.

Upon suggesting they mess around on the guitar, Ara tensed up for a bit as she stared at the instrument. Now that she was here, she was getting nervous about it. Kyell was a solid musician, how the hell would she be able to...

Nah, no need to think like that. That was exactly what Master Valery said not to worry about. Haters gonna hate, just ignore 'em. Kyell won't judge and if others do, she could just flip the bird and slice a fuel line... flipping the bird would suffice. "We can talk smack and relax at the dinner place, let's jam." She scooted closer with an enthusiastic smile and studied the guitar. Six strings, long plank thing to hold onto, couldn't be that hard, right? "Alrighty, how does it work?" She asked as she plucked at a string, the reverberating sound bringing an enormous grin to her face.

Doing her best to remain patient and composed, she listened... or read... intently to every instruction he gave. She made sure he sent every message he typed out to her, she was going to practice while not busy with all her other stuff. To her surprise, time seemed to tick by quickly as they messed around with the guitar.

Kyell Laysel

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Kashyyyk​

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{"I'm sure a dress would have looked great, but the jacket is fitting."} He looked at her with a bit more confidence and began to grin like an idiot when she shoved him. A speeder with a flame job would have to wait for next time though — he had made sure they would be picked up by something a bit more proper for a dinner date.​

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Ara then seemed more interested in a guitar lesson and he agreed. If they chatted away now, he would have no idea what to talk about at dinner. Now that would be a horror story for someone like him. So instead, he leaned over and settled the guitar into her lap before he fetched himself a different one. Of course, he gave the cool-looking one to her and made sure all the knobs and settings were correct.​

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The last thing they both needed was to go deaf from the heavy gain he had been playing on.​

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Then, he patiently began explaining the basics, and he decided to actually teach her a cool riff. Something a beginner could learn but still sounded kick-ass. When he started himself, he really disliked learning boring songs or chord shapes without ever feeling like he could recognize a song in them. So he did the opposite with her and guided her through the steps until she got it down.​

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Time went by quickly like this, and if it wasn't for the fact that he had set an alarm, he likely would have missed the arrival time of the taxi he arranged to pick them up. But the sudden beeping saved his butt, and he quickly reached for his datapad to let her know.​

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{"Oh, the taxi is here! You ready for dinner?"} He looked up at her with a smile and felt the nervousness fade away. It was likely going to return at the first teasing comment she made, but he was actually getting comfy around her. Which is how it should be, considering the time they were spending together.​

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Kyell then extended a hand so she could pull herself up from the bed, and grinned.​

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It was time for their date.​

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Ara Sheridan ​

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