OBJECTIVE ONE: THE DANCE
Interacting with:
Aris Noble
Azurine Varek
Aadihr Lidos
Mahsa
Ayhan
Wearing:
Dress
Hearing Aris suggest that the guy with Azzie
might be her boyfriend sent Zaiya's mind spinning with a mix of confusion and curiosity. Her bioluminescent skin flickered with faint pinks, ambers, and vibrant oranges, betraying her intrigue even as she laughed at Aris's shoulder bump and returned it with a playful nudge of her own.
Wait, Azzie's interested in someone? The thought was both surprising and oddly amusing, but before she could unravel it further, Azzie's companion stepped into view.
Zaiya blinked, her irridecent opal blue eyes widening as recognition hit her like a shockwave. Knight Lidos. The same Knight who'd been on their strike team at Iridonia. She hadn't expected
him to be here, let alone with Azzie. Her spots rippled with a curious citrine as she tried to process the surprise, but she didn't have time to piece it together.
Aadihr's pointed questions came quickly -- about her, about Aris, about
their relationship -- each one landing with a precision that left Zaiya stunned. She froze, the colors on her skin flaring in startled patterns. Speechless, Zaiya could only stare, the faint glow of coral embarrassment bleeding into her usual hues as her mind scrambled for something,
anything, to say.
Boyfriend?
The Lovalla Padawan tried to stifle the sudden flutter of giddiness his comment sparked, but it was no use. The sensation resonated through her, bouncing between her and Aris like an echo. The feedback and the questions brought a dawning realization, and her eyes went wide, wincing internally -- oh stars, she wasn't even
blocking her resonance like she promised she would, so carried away in awe of Aris's dancing and being with him that it just happened again.
Great. Just great.
Her mental shields slammed into place as soon as she realized, cutting off the link to Aris and preventing anyone from reading her emotions, aura, and thoughts. It did not, however, prevent the way it left her emotions a bit of a mess in her own head. The colors on her skin didn't get the memo, though, pulsing with embarrassed gold and startled coral, but thankfully, those who could understand the colorshifting were extremely rare. She could feel Aris's hand tighten on hers, and the sensation only made her blush deepen. He wasn't upset, quite the opposite, but that didn't help her flustered confusion.
They hadn't even defined what they
were yet. Things had been so chaotic lately, and the idea of... labels had barely crossed her mind. Well, it had, but there'd never been a moment to talk about it. Besides, they agreed on trying to figure out how her bond worked and agreed it would be best to not resonate to prevent her from growing one. And now? Now, it was out in the open.
"Oh... umm..." Zaiya stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. Her hand reflexively brushed a lock of colorful hair behind her ear as her gaze darted between Aadihr and Aris. Her skin shimmered as her feelings warred inside her, equal parts awkwardness and a strange, warm joy she didn't know what to do with. She wished the heat on her face could be blamed on the nearby torches, but no flame burned hotter than the embarrassment glowing over her face.
And yet, beneath her giddy confusion, something else stirred. The
pointed way Aadihr mentioned Aris being the
spitting image of his father sent a ripple of muted caution across her mottled spots. It wasn't a harmless observation; it felt
loaded. Zaiya's iridescent opal blue eyes narrowed slightly, studying the Miraluka Knight. There was something unspoken in his tone, something that raised her defenses.
"I've been well, thank you," Zaiya finally replied, her tone polite but careful. Her skin muted into a more subdued palette, save for the yellow sparks of caution rippling faintly across her arms.
She forced herself to keep her voice even as she added, "
Although, last time we spoke, my focus was on stabilizing your injuries and trying to make sure hidden assassins weren't going to attack us..." The words were quiet, but the subtle edge in her tone conveyed her discomfort with his earlier remarks. What went unsaid was that it had not been appropriate to even convey her relationships, their status, and the rather inappropriate query into it.