Growing

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"So do you." Kurt said with a smile, knowing that the two of them were about as mismatched as one could get in this galaxy.

It was funny how that worked out. She wore glittering jewels and expensive dresses, his clothes were...well they weren't exactly up to the same quality standards. Still, it seemed to work in it's own odd little way. He smirked slightly and loops his arms around her for just a few seconds, gently squeezing her before he lifted his arm and glanced at the chrono.

"Better get going." He said as he pulled away from her. "Not sure how it works on Naboo, but I'd rather not have them throw out the reservation."

Though he imagined Jamie probably had the pull to get a table anyway.

Without another word Kurt slipped his arm around the small of Jamie's back, gently urging her forward so they could make their way down the hall and out of the palace.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She nodded and stepped into stride alongside Kurt, making their way towards the main halls of the expansive palace.

"Okay."

The horizon stretching out over the planet bloomed a vibrant mixture of orange, yellow, pink, and purple as the pair stepped outside. Night was just beginning to set, and the palette of colors Naboo painted with had been cast upon the sky, throwing a calm, warm glow overhead. At the base of the stairs more than a dozen speeders awaited, carrying passengers to and from the palace grounds, or waiting for their next fares. And while they could have just as easily requested a private pilot for the trip, Jamie personally enjoyed the company of the drivers, and frequently used them, even against the suggestions of her security detail.

"There." She said, pointing to an empty, waiting speeder.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt briefly wondered why they were taking a Taxi, but he didn't question it. Instead he simply lead Jamie over, flagging down the man standing just to the right of the engine bay. He glanced at the couple, giving a double take at Jamie before smiling and opening the door for the two of them.

The former Courier ushered Jamie into the cab first, smiling at her before he slowly leaned towards the driver and whispered something to him.

He was making an effort to keep all of this a surprise, the best he could anyway. Jamie would likely know exactly where they were going as soon as they turned down the second or third street. She knew Theed and Naboo like Kurt knew Tatooine, and keeping this a secret would be rather difficult. Still, he wanted to make the effort at least. They rarely saw each other and the bigger the surprise the higher the romance. That was what his father had always told him. "It'd help if you rushed a bit."

Kurt told the driver as he slipped into his seat besides Jamie.

"Spent a little too much time getting dressed." He shot a smirk towards his girlfriend, eyes alight with mischief.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde rolled her eyes as she tilted her head towards the window and peered out at the darkening sky above. Soon enough the final sun rays would pass over the horizon and leave the city in a glistening starlight accompanied by the large, full moon. Despite the quiet night brought Theed still seemed alive. Lights within buildings cast a glow on the streets as folks walked the cobblestone. Though the market had long since emptied by now, the nightlife had only just begun to claw its way into existence.

There were certainly no shortage of things to do, even for a city as quaint as Theed.

Jamie withheld her comment in response to Kurt's innuendo, if not for her own personal dignity in public.

Instead her thoughts wandered towards what he had planned for an evening, and what she might eat. It had been a long day after all, and she had skipped her lunch, come to think.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

The rest of the trip didn't take long. Most of Kurt's day had been spent on foot, and thus he'd really only managed to get to a small area of Theed. Despite that limit though he had found a restaurant that he’d both liked, and managed to secure a reservation at. The former Courier had no idea if it would be busy, but he had wanted to be prepared.

”Here.” He told the driver, tapping him on the shoulder and motioning for him to pull over.

A gruff sort of acknowledgement passed back to Kurt and within just a few seconds the speeder found itself parked on the side of the road. Without much hesitation Kurt pulled himself out of the vehicle, leaving the door open for Jamie as he reached into his pocket and dug around for his wallet. Within a moment or two he had a few credits pulled free.

Though he’d lost The Messa and thus his main source of income, he still had a few credits from his and Kaile’s surveying job with the Alliance.

With the cab fare paid Kurt motioned to Jamie, placing a gentle hand on the small of her back. ”Just have to go down there.”

He pointed to a walkway that lead towards a small, almost closed off, district. Down there they would find a tiny hole in the wall restaurant. It was a quaint little place, with only two dozen or so tables and a small staff. The kind of place that never saw dignitaries or ambassadors, but was beloved by everyone in the neighborhood.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Truth be told there were scarcely few places Jamie had never visited on Naboo. The numbers of times she had cut studies for one reason or another generally always led to exploration. Whether that meant cliff jumping from a falls into a lagoon basin, or meandering down the lesser traveled paths of Theed's inner and outer city quadrants, Jamie knew her home better than most anyone else. In short, unless she were blindfolded, she knew where she was, and where each road forked.

The girl was a walking map of Naboo.

"Okay." She answered, happy to let Kurt take the lead towards the establishment.

There was hardly a need to call out the name of where he was taking her, as she was certain he knew that she would recognize where she was once they had exited the speeder. The bigger surprise to her was that he found this particular locale, spending the time to venture off rather than sticking close to the inner city where countless other restaurants boasted large, fancy signs and bright lights to attract patrons. A small smile pulled at her cheeks, appreciative of the thought that went into this endeavor.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt gave Jamie a happy little smile as they ventured down the walkway. He had put an extreme amount of effort into finding this place, and he hoped that it paid off. The previous few times that he'd managed to come and see her had always been quiet and quick, mostly due to the constraints placed on the both of them.

His hope was that University would change that slightly. She would still be as busy as ever of course, but at the very least with school his schedule would be more regular. He would have breaks and they could plan their little trips around that. It was another reason that he hadn't wanted to go back to being a Courier. The chaos of the job, the danger and everything that came with it, none of it was something to look forward to it anymore. Well, not as much.

"You know." Kurt began quietly as they rounded the corner, coming up on the restaurant. "I'm really happy to be here."

His hand slipped into hers, giving her palm a light squeeze before they reached the entrance.

The former Courier gave Jamie another small smile, then pulled open the door. Inside of the restaurant things were as quiet as Kurt had found them mid-day, two or three tables occupied with waiters attending all of them at once. The Hostess stood at the small podium right before the entrance, quiet music floating through the air. Kurt walked over towards where the young woman stood. "Hi there, I have a reservation for two. Meyer."

For a second the Hostess didn't respond, simply staring at Jamie in the doorway. Then she gave a slight start, looking down at her podium before giving a nod. She stuttered something that sounded like 'this way', but Kurt could barely understand. He glanced back at Jamie, shrugged, and then followed the woman to a small booth in the back of the room.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie sat as the hostess offered them their table, thanking the girl with a polite smile and a tilt of the head. She sat across from Kurt, a small window was positioned to her right, his left. A few small candles lit the center of the table. It was a simple elegance, but one Jamie appreciated. The table was solid wood, made from an ancient Zaela tree, though the chairs were plenty padded for comfort, and just the right height. Before departing the girl set down a pair of datapads that contained the menus for the establishment, smiled to each of them once more, and then promptly scurried away.

"A night out is nice." She said, lifting the device up and tapping on the screen. "Don't get many anymore."

The spheres of azure lowered to the datapad, glancing quickly at the items before abruptly lifting her head once more. "I'm happy that I get to spend it with you."

She fell back once more to look at the device, perhaps thinking of something to drink before the waiter arrived and applied the pressure. Sometimes she was so indecisive over the smallest of things.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He smiled at Jamie, not even bothering looking at the menu.

When he'd visited the restaurant initially he'd already perused the menu, making sure that the food was something that both he and Jamie could actually stand to eat. Both of them were decently adventurous when it came to food, but what they served here was typical enough for Naboo. Simple, but elegant in a way. "Maybe we can do it more often now."

Kurt suggested quietly.

He knew that her schedule was still busy, would probably be even more so in the coming months. The Galaxy was falling into turmoil again. The First Order was continuing it's march forward, the Sith Empire was growing in the Tingel Arm, and even the Confederacy seemed to be creeping through the outer rim. He had no doubt in his mind that it all weighed heavily on Jamie, especially since she was the one making all of the decisions for her people.

That was why he wanted to spend more time with her. He knew that she would need a counter-balance, a way to take the weight off her shoulders, if only for a little while.

"I won't be flying around randomly anymore." He didn't have The Messa, he wasn't involved with the Alliance, and as far as he knew SIS had cut him loose completely. Kurt was free, no debts, no hidden contracts, just whatever he wanted. School would keep him busy...if he got in, but that would be more regular. "So we can see each other mo-"

Just as he was about to finish the waiter walked up to their table. There was a large smile on his face, an expression that most people on Tatooine would call 'dopey'. He looked from Jamie to Kurt, and then spoke at a rather loud volume.

"Hi There! My name is James? Can I get you anything to drink today!?"​