History Is A Touchy Subject

[Linori Pryde]

Linori stares at Graxin for a few moments. No one had ever said that before, never to her. She swore she had never considered it before, someone else caring for her. But she had secretly yearned for it, wondered what it would be like to have someone else care so deeply. It strained her to figure out why someone would go that far for someone as simple and boring as herself. She was no jedi, not of noble birth, and certainly not very sociably apt.

Linori takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, offering the jedi her hand.

"Alright. Fine."

Fuck. There it was, her death sentence. At least thats what it felt like she was signing. Perhaps that is putting it a bit too heavily. There was a light, a small switch at the center of her soul that seemed to flip. Perhaps it was the feeling of the room, the Force working its magic that gave her the smallest push of courage to say yes. Perhaps...things would be alright, and this was the right thing to do. It was either that or be stuck as a librarian for the rest of her days.

"I want to come back if I don't like it, and I won't take any sort of retaliation if I want to turn this ship around."

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Graxin took her hand without any sort of hesitation. His almost trembled as their fingers interlaced. He did care for Linori a great deal, though he had often hid it under the premise that such feelings would never be returned. Linori had always seemed to be against everything he did--he understood now. She didn't hate him; she feared the dangers that leaving Naboo would bring. Yet she had seen them, and whether she knew it or not, missed the adventure. Whatever the reason, she was here now, and offering to rejoin him. Graxin was ecstatic.

"It'll be like old times. With less Sith and more decent food." The former part wasn't necessarily true, but the latter was. They had a cook now, an actual cook! Not the disgusting rations they had been forced to eat under the Sith. "Your old cabin is still unoccupied...I wouldn't let anyone have it in case you...eh..came back."

He brought up the leatherbound hand to rest against her cheek. She'd agreed to come with him, but were his feelings returned? It seemed that way, but Graxin was unsure...

"You won't hate me if I kiss you again, will you?" He whispered so only she could hear. All Graxin could see was Linori's face, everything else was irrelevant. Things were getting better now. Perhaps splitting from the Order was the right choice...perhaps Linori would have him.

[member="Linori Pryde"]

 

[Linori Pryde]

"A cook? Thank the Gods, a cook,"Linori blurts, as though food had been the only thing on her mind the entire night. In all honesty, it brought back memories of burnt concoction and hours of hugging the porcelain. Yeah. A cook was well-needed on the ship, and she was thankful Graxin had come to that realization before her return, not after.

His last words brought her attention back to his grip on her hand, fingers interlaced with his. What was this feeling? The heavy weight drawing the two together like the gravity's effect on their ship. She peers up at him curiously as his gloved hand grazed her skin, only to tense up as his fingertips edged along the surface of her eyewraps.

"Kiss me? Why would you ever want to do that after what happened?"

To Graxin's surprise, she didn't sound angry, or sad. Simply...confused. The entire concept was new to Linori, and lets be honest, she wasn't the wisest of the bunch when it came to emotionally inclined things.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"Yes, thank the gods." He murmured quietly. To be fair, Graxin's mind wasn't particularly on cooks, or anything related to food for that matter. He lofted a brow as she asked her question, partly out of pleasant surprise, and partly out of amusement. "I caught you by surprise then. I just told you what I was going to now, didn't I?"


Yes, Graxin had already decided. He offered her a small smile, one of warmth and latent affection. The rest of the Grand Council would lose their heads about this, he was sure. The Grand Council was not here though, thank the force. That would have been awkward. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and brushed his nose against hers. "Was it not a good kiss? Am I that terrible?" He teased, leaning forward as if he were going to repeat the action that had brought her here in the first place, only to pause at the last second.

His mother was going to lose her mind. Linori's parents--he knew she had them-- would likely feel the same. Their sheltered daughter running off with the leader of some fledling power on the outer rim. What would the neighbors think?! Graxin reached over to run his fingers through her hair, and marveled not for the first time how someone who could be so terrifying was really so very small, at least compared to himself.

"I'm happy to have you back. Really." He added quietly. He was in her face now, daring Linori to make the move herself.

[member="Linori Pryde"]

 

[Linori Pryde]

Linori didn't know what to say. The jedi was so close, that breathing became difficult. Had he always been this tall, or was she simply that short in comparison? She presses her back against the ship's wall, but she was trapped by his body, watching his fingers trail through the silvery fragments of hair that spilled over her shoulders. She narrows her gaze, opening her mouth to speak, but nothing seemed to come out.

The kiss hadn't been terrible, as far as she had remembered. Though to be honest, she had little to compare it to, save for a boy she had kissed in her younger years. Her gaze rests on his dark eyes, her mind struggling not to return to the void of a nightmare. His death flashed before her eyes, as did his success. They had not always been bad, she was no doomsayer. But perhaps it was out of habit and worry for Graxin's well-being. She could recall barely, just for the moment, this face. His face, as he had looked at his rightful birth mother in her dreams. They had touched hands, fingertips grazing one another as though verifying eachother's presence, before collapsing upon one another. She could remember the way Graxin's mother held him, fingertips running through his hair, tears streaming down her face. Her face was clouded, like so many before in her dreams, though Graxin's had always been clear.

And in that moment, he had been happy. Not dying. Not betrayed. Not angry, but in bliss.

It must have been a minute of long, dreaded silence between them. Linori simply stared up at Graxin, her slow, even breaths matching his own. His closeness was a challenge, one she had not dared to accept for years, be it by her own feelings or her misunderstanding of their connection. There was no turning back, at least until she commanded the ship to do so.

Linori, spurred by her vision and the heavy weight that drove the pair together, leans up on her tiptoes. She rests her hands on Graxin's cheeks, and presses her lips against his.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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It had been quite sometime since Graxin and Linori had met. Years in fact. On that fateful day , the then Sith Apprentice had been dispatched to silence her employer. He had performed his duty zealously, leaving only one witness: a young Miraluka woman whom took his breath away when he looked upon her. In an uncharacteristic show of mercy, he had let her live, and taken her aboard his ship to keep her from giving his Master away.

Over time, the hostility had given way to a semblance of friendship. Graxin had looked out for her, and vice versa. She'd seen him grow, and he'd kept her safe. It was only after the New Order's fall that they parted ways, and he truly did miss her over the long years since.

All the waiting, all the games, all the falsehoods of their relationship melted away when she kissed him. His hands fell to lace around her thin waist, and his eyes twisted shut as he returned her embrace. The moment was perfect in the organic, chaotic way that love often took root. Graxin had dealt with childish affections before--both during his tenure as the Emperor's Hand and his early days in the Jedi Order-- this was not such. There was nothing trivial in the way she lit him hold her.

The kiss broke after what seemed to be an eternity. Graxin could still feel the tingling on his lips as he pulled away, his brow leaning against hers. He was grasping at straws when it came to speaking. The right words eluded him. Swallowing his anxiety , be pecked her gently on the lips, and smiled like an overjoyed child.

"I'm sure the cook will love you." He snickered. "I think that was a pretty good one. Opinions?"

[member="Linori Pryde"]

 

[Linori Pryde]

Linori stares, out of breath as he pecked at her lips once last time before parting. She yelps, pulling back and slamming her back against the wall. She hugs her gown to herself, staring up at Graxin with what he could only assume would be wide eyes, had she obtained them.
She had expected the weight between the pair to disappear after the kiss, but now she simply felt heavier. She wasn't sure what she felt, or how to explain this feeling, but it was entirely new. Linori opens her mouth to speak, then rests a hand over her lips, the tingling sensation still there.

"I..I..."

Oh. Ashla's head, this was hard. She takes a deep breath and shakes her head, quickly striding out of the room.

"I need my clothes! And I have to pack! And talk to my FATHER!"

That went well.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Graxin was a bit stunned. He had rarely seen Linori so flustered, and he found himself amused by it. His gaze followed after her as she marched on out of the room as if he'd called her a terrible name and was no longer tolerable. The Knight followed after her.

"The droid should have your clothes, and I think they'll be dry now. I can help you pack, if you want." He called to her as he followed. He was elated to have her back, both ecstatic and terrified with this feeling in his chest. He wanted to hold her terribly, something he had never felt for anyone outside of family. It was new, and scary, and wonderful, and he only wanted to be in her good graces. No one else mattered at the moment.

"Does you dad need to meet me, or would that be bad?" He added quickly, his face still flushed a faint shade of red from their embrace. Were they in a relationship now? Was it just a casual thing? Had Linori decided not to pursue the possibility of being anything more than friends? FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON DRAGONBALL ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

[member="Linori Pryde"]