Dessert in the Desert

[Valae Heavenshield]

Treema, Klatooine

Valae was asleep with her head resting uncomfortably against the viewport of her transport. She jolted awake as the ship touched down, she may have snorted in surprise, but she hoped that no one had heard. Her hands quickly gathered up her belongings, what little there was left to her name, it all happened to fit perfectly into the rucksack that she set onto her shoulders. Just as she turned to leave, she looked down to see that the area surrounding her seat was littered with snack wrappings. Quickly, she bent to scoop them up and stashed them into the pocket of her jacket -- the one without a hole in it. Her clothing had seen better days, but she liked to think they looked rustic. The petite woman filtered out of the ship with the rest of the passengers, and into the midday heat.

She’d come to Klatooine simply because she had happened upon a transport going that way, it was relatively close by, and she had just enough credits to get her there. But it was a pleasant turn of fortune for her, for she knew that there was a community center nearby. It wasn’t just a place to gather either; it was actually a safe house for Jedi. During most of her travels away from Voss, she’d been living ship-to-ship, so it would be nice to have a restful place to hang her hat for a few days. Though she had never been to this world before, she’d heard of it. After all, the name did rhyme with that of her home world – Tatooine. And from what she understood, the climate was quite similar, boasting large expanses of desert sand.

Valae drew in a deep breath of dry air and pushed it back out into a sigh. It was just like home.

Of course, there would be plenty of time for exploring later on. But for the moment, she needed to get her loding situation sorted out. Springing steps brought her to the community center, and she entered with a cheery smile. After a quick stop at the front desk, she'd been assigned a small room of her own, and she wasted no time in checking it out. It would be nice to sleep in a comfortable bed again, the blankets and pillows were already calling to her. For now, she chose to ignore the siren song of sleep and she made for the cafeteria.

As always, the prospect of a hot meal was never far from her mind.

[member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

In the kitchen, Arisa removed pans of toasted rusk from the convection oven with a couple of eager volunteers. They allowed the pans of toasted bread to cool upon the island, then slathered them up with gobs of golden syrup until the viscous liquid permeated the rusk and left the pieces soaking. Next, they pulled out large bowls of sweet custard that had been left to chill in the refrigerator. It was all evenly spread over the layers of soaked rusk. As a final touch, ground nuts and brown sugar was sprinkled over the custard layer of some of the pans and bits of dried pak'pah fruit (a few left nut free for those allergic!). With that, the cream slice desserts were complete!

For their troubles, Arisa allowed her volunteers to have the first pieces of the cream slices while she helped herself to a cup of the custard alone. The creamy pudding was a treat in itself, sweet vanilla with just a hint of lemon. She quickly downed her custard, then helped bring out the pans out to the cafeteria for the incoming lunch crowd.

She was just about to disappear back for another round of custard, when she felt a Force Sensitive among the crowd. From the group, she picked out a human woman that looked to be her age. Pretty, but also rather scruffy looking. Arisa couldn't be one to talk, however, a little messy herself after working in the kitchen all morning.

She stepped from behind the counter and pulled off her hair net as she approached the stranger, smiling.

"Well hello there, welcome to the Treema Community Center!"

The Jedi had made no moves to mask her power, so if the woman was capable then she may be able to feel her out. Arisa was confident that she could, for her counterpart appeared to be strong in the Force. She hoped so, so it didn't seem like she was a crazy person coming up to the woman out of the blue. Even more, she hoped the woman was a fellow Jedi like herself. Klatooine was okay, but the Watchman was starved for attention from her own kind.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae passed through the doors of the cafeteria and was immediately met with the heavenly aroma of food. Drawing in a deep breath, she cast her gaze towards the buffet line that was quickly forming. From her spot by the door, she attempted to discern the different offerings – roasted vegetables, mashed tubers, a hearty-looking stew, fresh salad (pass)… and then dessert! Her chestnut eyes followed the form of a young woman with jet black hair, but her gaze was locked on the tray in her hands. Oh my, it looked like a dreamy confection of some sort.

For the past few months, she’d been surviving on whatever she could scrape up – be it powder supplements and water, dehydrated meals, or nutrient heavy ration bars. There had even been times when she had contemplated feasting on the sad remains of other people’s meals, but luckily, it had never come to that…

She may have been a salvager in her past, but never a scavenger – there really was a slight difference.

Valae’s mouth was already watering, and her stomach was rumbling in anticipation. But just as she lifted her boot to move towards the counter, she caught sight of the raven-haired woman on approach. Immediately, Valae picked up a sense of familiarity. It wasn’t that they had ever met before, but there was an aura of light about her. She was a force-user, no doubt, but perhaps also a Jedi. The possibility was quite strong. A kind smile pulled at the corner of her mouth as she stepped closer, and she let her own presence radiate brightly.

“Thank you,” Valae said in a warm tone, “Mighty glad to be here. I’m Valae Kitra, nice to meet you.” Her grin grew wider, “Say, was that some delicious cake that I saw you bring out just now?”

[member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Upon acknowledgement, the woman seemed to radiate in the Force with great intensity. The stranger's aura was a lovely thing to behold, feeling like a gentle breeze against the mind.

"Likewise! I'm Arisa Yune. It's a pleasure to have you at the center."

She held off identifying herself beyond her name. People tended to treat her differently once they knew her true position as the Watchman of Klatooine, and by extension, all of Hutt Space currently under the Silver Order's watch. When she could, she just played it off like she was another manager at the community center while present.

Not only was the Force strong in this woman, but also her appetite, if surface thoughts were anything to go by! All the cooking and baking earlier in the day had left her quite famished, herself.

"They're cream slices," she answered, glancing back at the serving counter for a moment. "They're a popular local dessert. Thought I'd try my hand at whipping them up today. Care to appraise my work?"

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

“Yes, please!” was Valae’s response. “I think I’ll mosey on through the buffet line, too.”

With that, the brunette joined at the end of the queue and let her eyes wander down the array of food. Her mouth was already watering. Eager hands grabbed up a tray and her stomach gave another loud rumble that caught the attention of the man standing in front of her. Valae offered a sheepish smile, but turned away before he could see the blush that colored her cheeks.

And when the cafeteria worker raised her brows at Valae, the jedi gave her a bright smile. “I’ll just have a little bit of everything, if you don’t mind.”

The woman standing behind the counter merely shook her head and set about scooping a variety of things onto Valae’s plate. A few moments later, she had a tray with not one -- but two entry plates, and a smaller one with a healthy helping of Arisa’s dessert. She had a seat at a nearby booth and waved over to Arisa, though she doubted the other woman would have any trouble spotting her. Valae lifted her fork and took a tiny bite of the creme slice, utilizing all of her will not to dig in all at once and make a fool of herself.

“My, my.” She grinned, “That is heavenly. Really, it is.”

Valae’s next moments were spent mostly in silence, save for an occasional “Mmm,” or “Aww, yes… that’s good.” She continued to eat with a smile, and chewed until her jaw was sore. After a quick pause to chase her food with a sip of water, she looked over at Arisa. Now that her mind was no longer occupied with hunger, she was suddenly very curious. Though she had been traveling for some time now, she’d actually met very few Jedi along the way.

“So, what’s your story?” She tilted her head, “Are you staying here at the Community Center?”

[member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Valae didn't waste any time helping herself to offerings of the cafeteria for lunch, heaping multiple plates with all she could get away with. Done in the kitchen, she figured this was a good of time as any to enjoy the spoils of the volunteer staff with Valae. She didn't quite stack up her plate like Valae had, but she did walk off with a well-crafted hoagie, almost spilling with meats, veggies, and all sorts of condiments and seasonings. It wasn't all that strange to see Force Sensitives eating so much, typically requiring a much higher caloric intake than their non-Sensitive counterparts.

She took her seat with Valae, sipping on her drink of iced Pak'pah tea before getting into answering her questions. Made from native fruit exclusive to Klatooine, it had a unique taste that reminded her of a combination of a pear and sweet melon, enhancing the flavor black of the tea base a great deal. Her own concoction, which she sometimes had half the mind to bottle up and sell. This Jedi wasn't above making her own spending money for all the nice things she enjoyed from life in the Core.

"I'm glad you like it here," she said as she let her drink rest back on the table. "I'm actually the Director of the Community Center, and the Watchman of Klatooine as a Knight of the Silver Order."

That's about the depth she would go in her explanation toValae, not willing to share all the details of her twisting journey from the shattered Republic to the middle of Hutt Space. Their encounter had begun on a sweet note, and she wanted to keep it that way with the only other (friendly) Force Sensitive she had encountered in weeks.

[member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

As she waited for her companion to answer, Valae’s eyes glanced down towards Arisa’s plate. The items seemed to have been carefully chosen, and almost artfully arranged before her. Once more, she lifted her fork and took a couple of more bites. Her mouth was full of cake when Arisa mentioned that she was a Knight of the Silver Order. Valae nearly choked. She sputtered and coughed for a moment, and quickly dabbed her mouth with the napkin. After a long drink of water, she had regained her composure enough to speak.

“The Silver Order, you say?” She said, brows lofting. “What a coincidence. I’m a Knight of the Order as well – or I was. I guess it’s all a bit complicated now.”

Valae went silent and shoved another bite of cake into her mouth. In truth, she was still struggling with the way she had departed the Silver Order. She was ashamed that she had been so weak. The members of the Order had been like her family, especially her Master – and she had turned her back on them. Would she be welcomed back? She had a hunch that they would accept her back into the ranks, but the fear of being turned away was enough to make Valae keep her distance.

“Can’t say I’ve ever met a Watchman before.” She nodded, “Must be an interesting role. So, you mostly keep to Klatooine, then?”

[member="Arisa Yune"]