Private Holo the Fun Be With You

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

Zaiya felt her face flush with warmth at Aris's compliment, a soft ripple of pink and gold shimmering across her skin. As much as it flustered her in the best way possible, it was immediately countered by the mock indignation sparking within her when he teased her about being scared.

Her hands dropped from the holo, and she spun around with a mock huff, jabbing a finger at his chest.

"I was not scared!" she declared, lifting her chin in defiance, her lips curling into a playful pout.

"It was just... surprise! That's all!" she insisted, giving his chest another poke for emphasis. But the stern front only lasted a second before she broke into uncontrollable giggles, her iridescent skin swirling with mischievous blues and cyans.

"Alright, fine," she said, catching her breath and tossing him a teasing grin.

"I've got one picked out already... but where's your holo picture, huh?" Her eyes sparkled with a challenge as she turned back toward the holo screen, fingers already poised to swipe through the images.

"Let's see how you turned out!" she added, laughing as she searched for his picture, her excitement lighting her up. Whatever she found, she was already prepared to make it her new favorite thing to tease him about.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Surprised, scared, very rarely not the same thing you know."

He teased again, his grin wide as she jabbed a finger in his chest. He just leaned over to get closer to eye to eye, especially as she poked his chest again. This banter, this teasing. It made the day that much more enjoyable. Fun. His grin only turned more smug as she tried to turn it back on him. He pointed to his picture, not too far from hers, with his excited grin plastered over his features in it.

Aris didn't seem to really feel fear.

"I think I turned out pretty well, don't you think?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

Zaiya's breath hitched as Aris leaned closer, his grin utterly disarming and his vibrant green eyes catching the holo lights in a way that made her chest tighten. Her finger, which had been poised for another poke, froze midair. The heat rushing to her face was immediate, the glow of her skin betraying her with soft, flickering shades of pink and coral, her mottled spots shimmering in flustered bioluminecence.

"I...umm--" she stammered, suddenly acutely aware of how close he was. Her heart thudded so hard it felt like it might knock the air right out of her lungs.

Pull it together, Zaiya, she thought desperately, forcing a laugh to cover the awkward silence.

"I mean, su-rre, if your goal was to look like you just saw a mynock up close and thought it was cute!" she teased, her voice a touch higher than usual, waving a hand vaguely toward his holopicture. She tried to sound confident, to lean into the teasing, but her voice wavered ever so slightly. She stepped back just a hair, as though putting a little space between them would help her cool down the radiant blush still shimmering across her skin.

Aris's grin only grew, his amused smug gaze flicking between her and her shifting colors. Zaiya could practically hear his seemingly unspoken thoughts: Gotcha.

Her arms crossed as she tried to regain some semblance of composure, though the giggle that slipped out betrayed her efforts.

"You're impossible," she muttered, but the fondness in her voice gave her away.

"Okay! On to the next one, Your Highness!" Zaiya chirped out, grabbing his hand once more to tug him along. Better to do that now or else end up even more flustered.

"I heard there is a cool rollercoaster that spins and turns while it does twists and flips all while playing awesome music. It's all in the dark too, making it seem as if we are flying through space!"

 

[Aris Noble]

He didn't expect it to be as fun as it was. Aris could hear her breath hitch, her heartbeat quicken. Flusteredness. That was the term for it as her words failed her and her eyes widened. It was cute. He couldn't help but want to see more of this blush, of this embarrassment. It was the kind that had her giggling and smiling. That was more than enough for him. "Not impossible." He flashed one last grin before looking up, towards the ride she mentioned. There was a bit of a line, but nothing too long from what he could see this far away.

Mysic in the dark, all the twists and turns. That sounded like fun. A lot of fun. He took her hand in his, smiling all over again as he started to head towards the line.

"Sounds good to me. Maybe the dark'll hide your scared expression." He teased again, glancing to her with an all too wide smirk.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

Zaiya was grateful for the cool drift of the atmosphere recycler as they exited the ride, hoping it would cool her cheeks. She tilted her head down, pretending to be absorbed in her holomap, but mostly just trying to calm the topsy turvy swirl in her chest. At least until she caught Aris's teasing smirk and commentary about how maybe the dark ride would hide her expressions, prompting a rueful flicker of opal blue eyes in his direction.

"Now I know you are teasing me! Considering I can literally glow in the dark!" she shot back in a mock affront, her lips pursing in a narrowed, huffy, but comical scowl. She peeked up at him through her lashes, catching that all too smug smirk he was showing off more and more often. Ugh, why did he have to be so good at teasing her?

"Not that I'll be scared," she added quickly, her bioluminescent spots flickering a defiant bright yellow, though the shimmer softened as her focus shifted back to the map. With a flourish, she deactivated it, her bracelets giving a musical jingle before tugging on his hand to weave through the bustling crowd.

The smells of sweet fried snacks and savory vendor food filled the air, blending with the hum of music and the flashing lights of holobillboards advertising the next big ride or the best deal on nerf nuggets. Zaiya focused on the lively surroundings, hoping the distraction would keep her from focusing too much on the fact that Aris was holding her hand and how the warmth of it made her feel.

"So-o," she started, hoping to sound casual, "what's new with you? Feels like we haven't had a second to breathe since then." They hadn't had a chance to speak since Iridonia, and so much had happened since then, not just in the world itself but in other things.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Oh I'm aware you glow."

He was just all teasing smiles as he watched her colors, her own smile and blush. His hand idly squeezed hers all over again, relishing the warmth her skin had to offer his own. Aris was wholly focused on Zaiya now, even has his mind sorted out the different smells. sights, people. It was a passive thing, sorting the information his body naturally absorbed. All he wanted to do was focus on her, and now that they were in line it was that much easier.

"I can turn into f- .. No wait that's a surprise. Hmm. Honestly not much asides from the surprise. Things have been real steady for me. What about you? Anything new?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

"You can turn into what?" Of course, Aris had to bait her by starting to tell her something, only to stop and say it was a surprise. The Lovalla eyed him a bit through amused, narrowed eyes, only to chuckle a second later.

At his question, Zaiya hummed. What to discuss? She had a few sobering thoughts regarding past events, including Iridonia, but she didn't want to bring down the mood with them. Maybe later?

"My Master has been teaching more healing applications and practicing how to do a Battle meld with others. Domxite is there to ensure I don't get too attached to doing it because of how I seem to bond and such... " Zaiya explained, pondering back at how wonderful that had felt to be so connected.

"It felt ... surreal and interesting. Being both parties at once and feeling what they were feeling in such a way; thoughts, actions, and all of that."

 

[Aris Noble]

"That- does sound really surreal, honestly. Being two people at the same time? Not sure if that was something I could handle." He hummed in thought as he tried to wrap his mind around it. Double the senses. No, that didn't work out in his mind. He chuckled after a second, glancing down to Zaiya again as they waited in the line they were in. Wasn't too much longer until they'd get onto the ride. He could already hear the music.

"Healing though, glad you're able to keep up with that. I know Shan was teaching you that for a bit."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

Zaiya chuckled at Aris's answer. "It's a bit like when I resonate with you... but... more," She tried to explain, giving a little frown as she tried to recall the sensation.

"Only that instead of just emotions... it is thoughts... sensations... everything." and was a little bit addicting if Zaiya was honest. Which was why Domxite was there to make sure she could handle it and train properly when she practiced.

At the mention of Shan, the Lovalla's color-shifting brightened, the pair moving along the line as it kept flowing towards the ride. "Yeah. It's great. I feel like I can really be able to help more than with what I've done before. I know I'm not the best or the first at drawing my lightsaber, so I want to know I can help and support in other ways, be it healing, defending with the Force, or using methods to stun or immobilize others."

Glancing back up at Aris, her opal blue eyes took on a curious iridescent hue, "So, how is your training going?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"It's- going." Aris frowned, even just briefly. His relationship with Jonyna Si was at least getting better, but it still felt like there was a disconnect on what it was she was teaching him. He'd never needed the basics, or new tricks with the Force. How to be a Jedi was what he was hoping to learn. How she was a Jedi, what made her unique, how he would be unique in turn.

"I'm glad that it's going well for you though. I don't think being a Jedi should be about drawing your lightsaber. For the people I want to protect, it's the best way I can, but you can do so much more. Don't underestimate how much you're doing, how great it is you can support people. Worse comes to worse, I'll be your lightsaber. Then we're both helping people together."

He flashed an even wider grin this time as he looked back to Zaiya, his earlier moment of melancholy gone. He really was happy.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

Zaiya gave a small frown of concern as she saw Aris's slight frown, a small dapple of dove grey hues dribbling over her rosy golden skin.

"What's wrong?" She asked, wanting to know more, especially if it seemed to be bothering him.

Either way, Zaiya was grateful that he agreed that a Jedi shouldn't be quick to draw their lightsaber, giving a slight flush of pleasure as she rocked on her heels upon hearing that.

The faint smile over her lips grew wider, "You'll be my lightsaber, huh? Well, I guess as a personal knight, I should make sure to protect you to the best of my ability then, but I'll find other ways since you seem to do pretty well not getting hurt to begin with." He very, very rarely bruised or even cut his skin, but there was always the possibility he might. As they found out, when they did their jump rope challenge, he could eventually get tired, which meant that there might be something that could ultimately harm him.

The line was getting closer, and they would be seated soon.

 

[Aris Noble]

"We don't know each other well, so I don't feel like I'm learning much is all. It's nothing bad, promise." And certainly not something he wanted to focus on here. They were here on a date together, after all. He blinked briefly before he did his best to stamp down that flustered feeling that bubbled up with that line of thinking. "My personal knight wouldn't be someone to fight my battles for me, despite what people think. Protecting me, though?"

Right. That's where it all started with the whole knight joke. Teasing one another, about him being a prince, about her becoming his protector. He was someone who rarely got hurt, and even when he did those wounds never stayed long. No matter how beaten or broken, he'd heal as if it never happened to begin with. No scars, no marks. In some ways it was like he didn't need to be protected.

Hearing that Zaiya would find a way to protect him anyway brought a different sort of feeling to his chest. Flustered joy, if he had to put a label.

"I'd like that. A lot."

Aris flashed a beaming smile to Zaiya, then looked to the ride. Their turn to step on. "So try not to be too scared here, mm?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

Don't know each other well? That made Zaiya pause, thinking about it and what it meant. Were Aris and Master Si not able to talk openly with each other? Or was it something else? It was a little harder to understand what Aris was thinking, but then again, for Zaiya it seemed second nature because she just naturally kept asking questions.

She would have pursued it more, but it was clear that Aris didn't want to talk about it right now. So instead, Zaiya gave Aris a comforting and encouraging squeeze, flashing a smile at him, "Well, let her know what is on your mind and what you've learned so far about what you can do compared to what you've found out how far you can go. Like when we did the endurance test with the jump rope."

She then thought, "Oh! You could maybe ask her to help you understand the catalysts and how they work with you. Perhaps she's seen something similar to them?"

When he turned to her and gave her that beaming flustered smile regarding liking the fact that she wanted to protect him and keep him safe, that warm, fuzzy feeling within her chest practically made her float as if she were on cloud nine on Bespin.

"Okay. Well...just be ready. Cause once I'm the perfect Knight, you will be stuck with me!" She teased him, bopping him gently on the shoulder with her own, not realizing how that sounded.

They made their way and sat down, the security bindings being clicked into place. Zaiya gave Aris a silly expression and jutted her chin out.

"Nope! Not scared, you wait and -- " a final check, and the tram began to move, cutting her off. Her expression focused, and she had a comical flurry of hues that detailed her determination to ensure she was not scared at all!

 

[Aris Noble]

"I- should probably bring those up to her. I will, soon, yeah." It wasn't a bad idea to tell Jonyna Si about the catalysts, get her opinion on the whole Forge thing he'd been trying to handle. He didn't want to bring his parents into it because they were doing so much already. But having supervision, a Jedi who'd know what to do? That'd help a lot. Maybe way more than he really realized, considering the ties to Darth Carnifex now.

He didn't dwell any more though. Date. He wanted to focus on that, on Zaiya. On his pla- nope he didn't finish that thought just incase it bled through their connection. He smirked as they were strapped up. He only had a moment to glance towards her as her colors rippled. Determination. He laughed just a bit as his gaze turned forward. Then they were off. It was right to full speed in a matter of seconds. No build up, no normal pull to the top. Another more excited laugh escaped her as he felt the ride's twists and turns.

He was having fun. And a lot of it again.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Zaiya couldn't help but give a startled scream, one that quickly turned into one full of exhilaration and an adrenaline rush. They went zipping throughout the cosmic holographic scene of space, their chair spinning and twirling in place while it shot backwards, while some classic rock music played in the background.

It was awesome!

By the time their tram returned to the loading ramp, Zaiya's hair was a fluffy, colorful mess, and she was laughing. The flash of the holocamera had been hidden among the rest of the holographic effects, and the ride had gone so fast that it was hard to discern when exactly it took it. Nonetheless, the Lovalla was laughing and grinning with the adrenaline rush she felt after that, the attendants already releasing the safety binders and allowing them to step out of the tram.

"Oh my stars, that was awesome!!" She exclaimed, giving a dazzle of colors flecked by thrilled bioluminescence rippling off her skin. "Haha, what did you think of that one?!"

 

[Aris Noble]

Adrenaline was good.

Aris grinned wide as they stepped off the ride, grinning from ear to ear as he looked down towards Zaiya. She was just as thrilled as he was it seemed! Good. Very good! "I thought it was great! faster than the other one certainly. You seem to have had more fun, or less fear, this time around too, huh? Fast enough to keep ya from thinking about how scary it was?"

His grin widened to a teasing edge before he looked towards the photobooth. It was time to look, wasn't it?

"Let's find out, mm?" His was the first found, easily enough. Together, at that, considering they were sitting together. He was just all grins and excitement, and oddly looking right at the camera. Yeah, he'd picked it out of the darkness.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

Sure enough, this time around, it showed Zaiya with another comical expression -- mouth wide open in a scream, eyes squinted shut, and a dazzle of bioluminescence painting her skin, her colorful hair flowing everywhere. Enough for the patron in the back to give a rather annoyed look at how her hair was flowing back as if to smack the Rodian in the face.

"Oh my stars!" Zaiya cried out, her hands coming up to cover her mouth as the embarrassed, muffled exclamation came out.

"Nope! No need to see!" the Lovalla immediately did her best to tug Aris away from the holoscreens, and while her face flamed in embarrassment, the flecks of teal and light blue clearly indicated that she was also having fun, finding amusement in it all.

"Gotta go to the next one! Can't waste time!" She added, giving a pointed sage nod that slipped into a giggle.

"Or food. Food is always good!" she recomended, trying to bait Aris from commenting on how silly she looked in the holo picture.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Pfff-"

Oh Aris saw it. No way he couldn't. Even in the quick moment he had before Zaiya started to tug him away he saw it clear as day and without issue. He laughed completely as he was pulled along, willingly at that. Was he going to tease her about it? Absolutely, eventually. Not just yet. His laughter faded to a bubbly grin as he nodded his head. Food would be good.

"Food is good. We should eat food. We should have enough time, I believe."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Aris Noble

The holographic lights shimmered around them as they walked, casting vibrant images of nearby rides, food vendors, and other attractions within Hologram Fun World. Zaiya's skin gave a faint shimmer of content gold, a half giggle escaping her as they left the ride and that disastrous holo picture of her behind.

"Yes! Food!" she said, practically bouncing on her toes. "Oh! I read there is a vendor up ahead with the best Bantha-butter noodles... unless you want to try spicy Gluk ones. Iris really likes spicy.. but I couldn't handle the amount she had before."

That had been embarrassing! Not to mention, the amount of spice had Zaiya's regretting life decisions for a bit.

But then she caught a specific phrase Aris mentioned, and her head tilted curiously. She glanced up at him with a slow and inquisitive grin.

"Enough time for what?" she asked, her curiosity brightening to a playful spark.

"Oh no, wait," she added, poking him lightly in the side. "What are you scheming, huh?" A ripple of amused cyan danced across her mottled cheeks, reflecting her teasing mood as she leaned in, waiting for him to spill whatever he was planning.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Spicy, huh? .. Not much a fan of spicy but we can give them a try if you want. Dooesn't surprise me that Iris likes them, though. She was one of mom's weirdest Padawans from what I've heard. Good weird." He really wasn't too much a fan of spicy food as he'd learned, but he could eat some without issue. Some. Maybe a little. If Zaiya wanted some, he'd definitely have some with her without protest. Though, he did pause for a moment. She'd caught what he'd said. He should've been more discrete.

".. You'll see." She was too smart for him to try and play it off, so. He grinned instead, smirking down at her as they walked towards the food stalls.

"But I'm sure we'll be good on time."

Zaiya Ceti