Private Been a While

[Scherezade deWinter]

Josh Dragovalor​

Maymgnosis was one of the few spheres of the Scintilla that did not have the hand of Scherezade involved in any part of its design. The station stood silently in place, bigger than the ones that surrounded it, and was filled almost entirely with sea water. At the top was an air pocket in which an island could be found. The rest of the non-aquatic stuff could be found in the crust, where the schools were and control rooms and all of that other stuff that didn't interest her.

It had been half a year now since Scherezade and a small group of people had left their former locations and came together to form the Agents of Chaos. WIth a small streak of disappointments on their side, the Sithling was still positive and certain that their luck would soon change. Morale was high and mistakes were being learned from. It seemed that every front of the Scintilla was developing; more people, more places, more things to do, more combatants and speakers signing up… But she could easily imagine Discordia being satisfied with the direction it was all going in.

And Scherezade was not.

Well, it wasn't completely correct. From most angles, she was perfectly fine. She had a lot of new connections, no one looked down at her, people trusted her on the field of battle, and… And she was still not… Something was still not it.

She'd yet to choose an official position within the Agents, opting instead to float from group to group, choose her missions based on what she thought of them rather because of her belonging to the general group that would be tasked with the responsibility of handling it. In many ways, that particular aspect of her life hadn't changed at all.

And when there was no mission, when there was no battle for her to throw herself to… That was when she started to feel a little bit lost.

Today though, was hardly a lost feeling day. Today she was supposed to meet up with Josh Dragovalor . It had been too damn long since she'd seen him last, and she wasn't sure about whether or not he'd be bringing Jason along. But figuring that her sister had already shown the two of them what the capital city looked like, Scherezade herself preferred to focus on something more… Marvelous.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh tried not to make Jason travel around too much, considering his age and how often they traveled about already. So it was just him this go around. It wasn't anything to do with the planet, of course, or the faction involved in it. He'd already had a great day out with Jason and Madalena recently, so it wasn't a matter of trust. Perhaps next time though, he would bring Jason. Maybe he could meet up with both sisters at the same time even, if the schedule worked out for all of them.

It had been some time since he had seen Scherezade. With her induction into the Agents of Chaos, she had been quite busy and he hadn't really had an opportunity to see much of her or her sister. He hoped to amend this with the both of them over time, now that things were beginning to settle. His lessened duties with the Silver Jedi had given him a little more time to go around do things, both in his business affairs outside of Jedi business, and in personal affairs. He'd also been hunting down the ones behind his father's imprisonment, which he intended to bring up his recent leads with the girls once he had something more solid.

The aquatic sphere Maymgnosis was an interesting sight to see. One he would need to bring Jason to see another time. As he arrived in the thing, he couldn't help but admire the view as he then looked around to find his friend.

Scherezade deWinter

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Josh Dragovalor​

Scherezade was seated on one of the benches, looking at a few ducks waddling around. When she sensed Josh's presence nearby, she got up, looking towards the direction he was coming from. It really had been too long since they had some one on one together. She had seen him a few times, sure, but they were always surrounded by other people in those times and there wasn't really any change to just sit and look.

Josh had changed in their time apart. And so had she. But she wanted to know more, she wanted to know why. She wanted… To be able to better keep up with one of the only two people who'd been there for her during the worst months of existence.

"Josh!" she smiled as he got closer. She still didn't do the hug thing, but she gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder instead. Immediately, her hand went to her belt, where she freed a small paper bag of cheese cubes, and offered them to him.

"How are you?" Scherezade smiled, letting the sea-smelling breeze fly her hair straight into her face for a moment before she moved it aside.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

A warm smile spread across his lips as he would recognize the woman heading his way. He would walk faster to meet her. She was happy to see him, and less reserved in doing so than he remembered. It was... Nice, really. The miserable despot who was so desperate to forget that she replaced herself with someone else and temporarily wiped her own memories to do so, was... Well, she seemed a bit more better of it. Her leaving the CIS seemed to have done her some good, if he was to guess.

She didn't hug him. He wasn't shocked, even if he had almost forgotten that she didn't with how used he had gotten to Madalena sharing her looks. He frowned at first, but he quickly remembered and hid it, smirking lightly at the shoulder punch. Over time, he hoped he would spend enough time with both sisters as individuals, until he was able to better differentiate. It would take time, but he would get it.

"Adorable as ever" He teased with a small smirk as he would take the offered cheese cubes. "Holy cow, I love cheese cubes" He admitted with a laugh as he would shove it into his mouth. The sea breeze kept his smile going this time around. It was familiar. It reminded him of home and it was a comfort because of that. She asked how he was. "Busy. But aren't we all?" He asked with another laugh. "More important, how are you? I've missed you, you know."

Scherezade deWinter

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Josh Dragovalor​

"You do?!" she asked, nudging the bag even more towards his direction, "I think I've always loved cheese but after coming here to the Unknown Regions I discovered this place… They called themselves Agents of Cheese after us, and they make the best cheese cubes ever. Sometimes I think the cheese is replacing all the blood in my veins," Scherezade laughed.

Motioning for him to come with her, she took some steps towards the beach line, letting the water flow over her bare toes. She hadn't yet taken a plunge into the water. Into any water. She still couldn't swim, though in a shallow lake she'd become better at slightly floating.

"Also busy," she answered, "Which is why I know that when you say busy you're actually trying to change the topic."

Turning to him, she let the wind blow her hair wild. "I…" she stumbled on her own words for a moment. Scherezade had only once been open about how she felt with someone and it had bitten her very hard. She knew it was unfair to treat everyone because of what she'd learned from the incident, but it was still a learning process.

"I missed you too," she finally said, a bit on the quiet side, but in earnest nonetheless.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He laughed a bit. "Always been a big cheese fan" he brought up with a casual shrug of his broad shoulders. The little cheese squares were always a favored snack of his. Good for on the go between missions when he was on the ship, when he could take them straight out of the fridge when they were nice and cold. "Also, wouldn't Agents of Cheezus be more fitting for a tribute?" the Jedi broached with an amused smile. It was a silly name, but it did stand out... Agents of Cheese worked too, though.

He studied the water for a moment with a curious eye as he followed behind, curious as to its properties and hoping that there weren't any contaminants. Closing his eyes a moment, he performed a more detailed search, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. This was not out of distrust of Scherezade or the planet, of course. It was a matter of precaution for a world he had never visited before. It was always wise to test bodies of water, as well as any drinks served. If the properties were out of the ordinary, then it was possible they might not be as compatible with a human's body. Then he would research before doing anything. It was just something he did as a well-traveled voyeur, who needed to be in tip top shape at all times.

Not finding any issue though, he followed her example and gingerly removed his combat boots. Leaving them in the sand with their socks, the Jedi let out an exhale as he dipped his toes in the water. The feeling was good, he always enjoyed something like this. It was why his own home had convenient scenery to match just that.

She said that when he was saying he was busy, he was trying to change the subject. He rolled his eyes. "Not really. I mean it, I am pretty constantly busy. That is literally the life. Jedi business, plus running my own independent business, being a father... There's certainly a lot going on."

Still, his smile indicated he saw no harm in her words, and his tone indicated teasing. She spoke up after that, but there was a long pause. He picked up on her hesitation right away as he turned to look to her with a curious eye. She finally spoke, but quietly. He let out a resigned sigh.

"Scher" he spoke softly as he reached over. He knew she wasn't big on the hugging thing, so he didn't do that. He also knew she wasn't big on touching, but he tried to find some way to give a show of reassurance in a physical matter. It came in the form of his arm resting on her shoulder. But he didn't lean hard on her, it was almost a hover. It was the best attempt he could think of to respect her wishes and her space, while still conveying the point.

Though he didn't respect her hatred of shortening her name. But did he really have to say "Scherezade" every single time he addressed her?

"How long has it been now?" he asked bluntly, though his voice remained soft and gentle as he could. Brown eyes met green. "How much have we been through?"

How much had he been dragged through with her? The Gerwald Saga had been a hellhole and a half to slog through, filled with adventure... And angst... And tears... And more teenage angst. But he was still here.

"Do you really still not trust me enough to just say how you feel?" he asked, frowning a bit. It hurt. He didn't terribly blame her, of course, and he wasn't mad at her or anything. But...

"I mean, I could understand it all those years ago. We'd really just met, but... I've always been open with you for all these years. And it's not like I don't understand why you feel this way. I get it. I was there, I get it" he reminded her, as a faint smile crossed his face as he tried to brighten things a little. "I cussed out your sister for you all those years ago. And gave your ex a verbal hiding at that too. I think I get it" he brought up with a small laugh.

He'd severely dislocated his arm for her too. That hadn't been fun. But he doubted she needed a reminder.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is... I've been here with you all the way through. I'd like to think that by now you know this, but I'm going to make it clear now so you never forget."

He lowered his arm from her, regarding her with a stare.

"I'm not going anywhere. I love you dearly, and you know that."

And what could he even do, sleep with her sister? It wouldn't be her problem if he did. Ra wouldn't be happy though.

Scherezade deWinter