Private Bittersweet Home, Emberlene

[Phalsi Drynchen]

"A little more yeah. But Kashyyyk is for learning, so not entirely surprised by that. Besides that, with the Silvers bringing the planet into their protection, I'm sure a lot more business will be drummed up." She mused, thinking on old memories as pulled at her shirt and scratched at her leg absently.

She hadn't noticed his wandering gaze just yet. His attention to her shoulder had her waving her hand at him.

"Got caught off guard on the station. It's been healed but it feels...itchy." She frowned, hand moving from her leg to the shirt as pulling the collar back to gaze at the spot before looking to him as she listened to his answer.

"Thank you. I wouldn't have made you stay. But...I wasn't going to be gone forever. That'd be acting childish." She scolded herself, hand moving back to her shoulder and rubbing against the skin.

"The force is a strange thing when you think about it." Her words were quiet, still remembering how much the vibroblade had hurt when it glanced her shoulder. "Someone used it to heal my shoulder. I can't get over how...come and feel. I can't put it to words."

She'd offer the right shoulder, a finger wide white line where the blade had gouged her remained as both warning and reminder. It traced from the point one would place their hand for a formal dance to just below the collar bone. Something easily seen up close without a full cover shirt.

"It-My brain says there should be a cut there. But it also knows it's been fixed. And it feels baby smooth. And I am pretty picky about my skincare, but even my best week wouldn't be that damned soft."

 

[Acaadi]

The erm that followed seemed to occupy far more space that one little sound should have done.

"Actually managed to get my ship through everything without a scratch this time," he said, shuffling forward in his chair without standing up. It was just a shoulder, but strappy tops and strapless dresses had always been difficult.

"Could have seen me out a window."

Acaadi stood up and moved beside her chair. The acrobatic jedi knight managing to make such a simple maneuver look awkward.

"Oh yeah, like...soft baby skin," he said, running a finger across it far too gently. "Better than stitches and a ragged scar though?"

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

"A plus. Especially given last time you landed without your gyroscope." She teased him a little, now paying far more attention after the sound he made. A brow rose as he shuffled forward, rather than standing as he spoke. Filling the air between them with gab as he finally stood.

"Was a bit occupied to be looking outside. Bet it was neat though."

Touch was something she had always enjoyed. But touch was something that was difficult to negotiate for outside of family. The familiar hugs of parents and idle pats of friends were things she hadn't realized she had missed until the whisper of contact sent a chill from head to toe.

Recognition floated across her mind of what it was as she schooled her face into mock annoyance.

"Touch, not tickle Acaadi." She put sass into her voice, turning sideways and staring over her shoulder at him, hoping to draw his attention away from the appearance of gooseflesh on exposed skin. It would have been easier to sell if she could keep looking annoyed.

 

[Acaadi]

"Sorry!" he apologised, drawing his hand back. The attempt at looking annoyed really didn't hit home so he laughed at her expression.

"I didn't know how sore it would be," he added. That wasn't entirely why he had been so tentative at all. That truth was further underlined by the mirialan looking slightly lost before taking his seat again. He suddenly felt as if he couldn't even walk naturally without thinking about every movement.

"I managed to lose two fighters twisting between the struts inside the structure," he boasted. What he had really done was avoid them long enough for another fighter to engage.

"So how did you end up getting that?" he asked.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

She snorted at his apology but didn't comment. His moment of confusion didn't help her in the slightest, drawing the collar of the shirt up before he sat down.

"Not sore surprisingly. Itchy...like a scab!" She finally had the word for it with the aha moment plastered across her face. She resisted the urge to now scratch rather than rub the offending place on her shoulder however.

"Always good. Twintail is good for those quick turns given the rear adjustment rudder." She mused before he finally asked how she got the wound.

Her hands twined in front of her and slowly rung together.

"It's a bit embarrassing really. I'm more technically skilled than practically skilled. I came across a Mistryl that I'd been told to bring back and got into a hand to hand fight and would have lost if Aayla hadn't shown up." She grimaced and looked to the table sheepishly. She'd been capable with a lightsaber. Beyond that was mere luck.

"You're good at that right? The hand to hand stuff I mean?" She asked while making mock chopping motions. "Could you teach me a bit?"

 

[Acaadi]

"Can actually see you trying not to scratch it now," Acaadi remarked. There was a brief look of concern on his face. His mind played out the scene, the vibroknife had cut very close to her neck. A little deeper and it would have gone through her collorbone without resistance. A few inches further in and she would have bled out.

"The old hand to hand stuff?" he asked, mimicking her chopping motions. "Is this because I won the great blanket wrestling match of 64?" His cheeks darkened a shade or two.

"Best thing with a knife is to get distant. Its not easy to avoid a knife unless you have a lightsaber or a blaster. I can do a bit of practise with you."

She didn't mean now did she? his gaze dropped more obviously to bared legs.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

She squinted at him, her mouth tightening to keep back a sassy word as he commented on her not scratching. She held back seeing his expression focus on the spot as she shifted a little before he made her smirk at his mimicking the motion.

"Stop! I'm not good at fighting alright!?" She snapped, waving her arms at him across the table before expounding while puffing out her cheeks and laying on the table. Her face still held the joy as she pursed her lips and remained laying on the table, sulking. "And I thought you were pretty fast given you are pretty fit and all. You hold yourself like a fast in and out fighter."

Her eyes held a lazy gaze at him, her features dropping a bit when he mentioned getting distance from a knife. "Hard to do when you are grappling." A deep inhale had her watching his eyes for a moment, brow drawing together in confusion as she tried to guess where his eyes where and letting her shoulders drop a little with realization.

"I have shorts on. Or are you afraid you'll lose this time?" She teased, pulling her arms up and preparing to throw herself out of her seat. A large and trouble promising smile gracing her features as she watched him.

 

[Acaadi]

Acaadi felt utterly mortified when she explained her exact state of dress. In a way, it was better than she thought he was just worried about the sparring and not just letting his gaze wander.

Her smile easily took the edge off his worries. Phalsi had leaned forwards, placed her weight on the right part of her feet to launch herself forwards.

"I've never really learned to grapple, but I'm pretty light on my feet," he boasted. Acaadi glanced to the side. He was stalling as he got a sense of the space in the room in case she went for him. For when she went for him.

"Better with a saber than as a pilot!" he said before darting to the side. It gave him a little room and meant he wouldn't go falling back over the chair behind him.

Or he might look rediculous standing balance and hands up as she laughed at him from her chair. It felt like it would have been quite a Phalsi thing to do.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

He spoke in preparation for her to move. The smile she wore growing wider still as he darted to the side, moving as she did, the pressure on the palms of her hand real enough as she faked her jump to the side. Her chair protested to the juke. An obnoxious squawking sound happening as her legs tangled with the chair legs. Terror crossed her face, life flashing before her eyes as the chair tilted backwards but quickly settled back down to its correct position having only been upset by a few centimeters.

Her face was pale, every muscle tense as she stared at him as though her final moments in the galaxy had come and gone.

"Glad one of us is good on our feet." She managed with a bland and final tone, her palms flat against the table. Everything ached after the moment passed, fear and adrenaline zinging through her system as the chair had threatened to take her life. Or at least how she felt it had.

"Won't be doing that again." The words were still flat, her body sliding out of the chair before she stood and stretched a little. A gusty breath coming from her, eyes still wide and hands slightly shaky.

"No one hears of this." Her gaze slowly shifted to him, her half stretch paused to see confirmation from him.

 

[Acaadi]

Acaadi was frowning, slowly catching up with what had happened. He had thought Phalsi was about to leap in his direction and then something had taken place.

"Did you just almost fall off your own chair trying to fake me out?" He asked, not expecting an answer. He realised now that she'd tipped her chair to the point the lurch had triggered a reaction.

"No I don't think as a story it would really amuse anyone anyway," Acaadi replied when he realised she genuinely wanted an answer. "I will tell people of your knife fight to the death. Not...your battle for supremacy with the off-kilter chair."

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

He answered, but she wanted assurance from him. Not feeling entirely assured by the slight pause on the bit about the chair. She squared her shoulders, turning to face him this time as she prepared to leap again.

For real this time.

"You hesitated." She remarked, taking a force assisted step across the distance between them and trying to grab an arm with both hands.

 

[Acaadi]

Acaadi tried to twist his arm to force the narrow side of his wrist from his grip. As he dropped his weight and yanked it out wide he reached for her shoulder with his free hand.

"Had to decide if it was worth any leverage!" he laughed.

Unfortunately her clothing provided no leverage of its own. Smooth to the touch, he was either going to slip off or tear it. Acaadi tried to use her grip on his arm to twist her side on to give himself a way to get a grip on her.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

His hand slipped a little with the twist but she held firm, his words causing her to smirk. His free hand did however manage to get her around the middle as he twisted her around. There was a delighted squeal from her as the movement was made.

In return, she would push the arm she held upwards while loosing one hand from his wrist, moving to the arm around her waist, trying to pry it free enough for her to wiggle through in a shimmy. While the shirt would make it easier, there was a severe flaw in her plan she hadn't thought of in that moment.

 

[Acaadi]

With Phalsi having a two handed grip on his arm he didn't managed to break free. Acaadi's expression was dominated by the large grin he wore, but a look of determination briefly hid the joy.

It was supposed to be training. He didn't really have that notion at the front of his mind right now. There was the teenage awareness of how close they were and a small voice that didn't want him to lose.

Phalsi tried to twist away and Acaadi was tempted to let her. He could reset and look to initiate the next grapple. Unfortunately there wasn't near enough room for her to move away. Acaadi tried to use his free hand to get under her armpit to get some actual leverage to control her movements.

Embarrassment was doing battle with the desire to 'win'.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

The attempted shimmy stopped when the arm about her began shifting. The arm around her waist moving upwards as his hand tried to leverage into her armpit while her own hand pushed and threw it off course. There was a shrill squeal as his hand reached its target before her other hand wrenched free of his wrist suddenly.

Having found her ultimate weakness of being tickled, her mind shifted to instinctual survival.

The strength went out of her as she felt him tickle her, body twisting automatically to escape as his hand shifted around her. There was a breathless laugh, but it died quickly. The moment ended as soon as it began, twisting her head up and around from beneath him. Remembering that while she had her small stature to work against his reach, she still had to be careful about certain things.

Her whole body had stiffened and froze in the following breath.

"I guess...your win?" She informed him quietly. Entirely unsure about how to proceed, there was a distinct lack of tone in her words, bewilderment taking hold.

 

[Acaadi]

I think tickling was cheating so it doesn't count. Another round? he said calmly and confidently inside his own head where Phalsi couldn't hear.

What he actually said was: "Erm."

Moving away from the ticklish spot he hadn't even meant to find, Acaadi found that his hand settled quite comfortably on the curve of her waist. Silence reigned for the space of a dozen rapid heart beats. He wasn't grinning any more.

"Sorry," he apologised suddenly, looking rather embarrassed for the lingering touch. On instinct his mind stretched out towards her, fearful of finding annoyance at his actions.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

His hand slid down. She blinked, her own hands settling over his. His singular word response had her snorting a little.

"It happens. Don't worry about it." She dismissed the apology. His brush against her mind would reveal a touch of surprise surrounded by humor. There was no annoyance to be found. She was becoming used to the mental contact, not shying away from it this time.

Her hand squeezed against his as she looked down. There was delight in her smile, a feeling of warmth and comfort in that moment resonating in her mind.

"This is nice though." She offered, a slice of joy butting into the previous feelings in her mind.

 

[Acaadi]

Oh is it? In which case there's no reason to stop, continued the voice of who Acaadi wished he was. All the way to a Jedi Knight and his confidence still wavered every time he was taken outside of his comfort zone. After Emberlene he was supposed to be travelling under minimal supervision to carry out the duties of a Knight. It was going to be the test of him.

His smile returned a measure at a time. Finally settle in a comfortable expression. His pulse was still slowing from the brief exertion, but didn't reach its usual slow resting rate.

"Good," he said, finding a measure of confidence deep down. It was easier when he could feel her own consciousness brushing up against his own.

Acaadi let his other hand settle on the other side of her waist. The battle was over but he wasn't letting her go. His head cocked to one side as he looked down at her. He looked as if he was searching for something.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

She didn't withdraw from either contact, relishing in it since she doubted it would last beyond this moment. There was a lance of surprise in her mind, settling quickly back to a growing delight. She felt him shift a little as she twisted around to look up at him.

He was smiling, not pulling away, and seemed to be looking for some answer or otherwise.

"I'd ask if something was on your mind, but I'm not getting much from that." She teased a little, hoping not to spoil the moment. Her hands tightened a little, not wanting him to pull away just yet as she pressed on.

"Ask."

 

[Acaadi]

"Ask?" he muttered under his own breath.

Why was she telling him to ask her? Why couldn't he just let such thoughts swirl around in his own head until they drove him to despair? That was where they normally resided.

He hadn't expected to end up in Phalsi's flat today. He hadn't even sensed she was on world and had been living with such questions as 'where did Phalsi go' without trying to actually answer then. Maybe it wasn't the way to live.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked, wincing immediately as he expected rebuke.