Kaadara Sunset

[Rayliav'enci]

Raylia far too excited to be sitting at an outdoor cafe in Kaadara. After a week spent in a swamp on the otherside of the planet, working with a team of Gungan archaeologists on an ancient surface ruin, she was clean, and dry. At one point during the excavation, Raylia noticed that she couldn't even see her deep blue shade through the mud. It had been that kind of dig.

Kurayami was supposed to be joining her, and she was looking forward to his company. The Gungans were great people but at night, they all headed back beneath the waters of the slew. That left her with a gaggle of grad students and she just wasn't hip to the latest trends. She spent every night reading to a solar lamp until the power cell faded and her small tent was plunged into darkness.

But here...here was a beach, a sunset, a very tantalizing menu and lots of alcohol. Which is why Kurayami agreed to meet her there in the first place.

She sipped her rum drink and let her eyes play over the page in front of her, trying to decide on something for dinner while she waited.

[member='Kurayami Bloodborn']

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

Kurayami had taken his time on the walk to the cafe. Not that this would have surprised any who knew him. This used to be a planet he hardly ever left, that was many years ago now but coming back here he still felt like he was returning to a childhood home. He had met and interacted with many while he had been here and he smiled slightly at the memories of simpler times. He was dressed simply, having left his armor behind dressed in his flight suit helmet hanging limp in his hand as he walked. Naboo was just as beautiful as he remembered it. He hadn't spent much time in Kaadara, but the city was as he had expected of the Naboo.

He made his way into the cafe, a slight smirk on his features as he told the hostess that he was meeting someone here. He gave her Raylia's name and she showed him to the table. He pulled out the chair across from his Rutian Twi'lek companion and took a seat. His posture was relaxed as he let his helmet drop to the floor. He picked up his menu, giving it a quick once over before saying anything. Well, she hadn't been kidding about the drink selection. He just laughed slightly as he set the menu down.

"So Ray, what would you suggest to drink here? Or do you think I should just give everything a try and see how that goes?"

[member="Rayliav'enci"]

 

[Rayliav'enci]

"Well giving everything a try might lead to blackout drunk before too long and I want to eat something. I'm enjoying this fruity rum thing, but I saw a whiskey thing that had some berries mashed in and it looked divine."

She reached for her glass, the condensation cool on her hand as she raised it to her lips. He looked better than he had the last time she had seen him on Sullust. The setting sun cast a rosy gold glow to everything and it made his features look positively... Raylia stopped herself from finishing the thought. Kurayami had been her friend for a very long time and nothing in all those years ever gave her any indication that he felt for her what she had growing in her heart.

In his own silly drunken ways, he had been casually shooting her down for a while and she had resigned herself to not bringing it up anymore. She couldn't avoid him, when she went too long without calling, he always managed to find her to make sure she was okay. He was a good friend. It was just a hard pill to swallow when she wanted something more. It was the harsh line that the Order had always forced her to accept only this time, it was reinforced from the chair across from her. The attachment she shouldn't have and the acceptance that it was probably for the best.

She set the glass down, her eyes drawn back to the lapping waves on the shore, the white foam pushing the line of fading brown further and further up the beach. Tides were coming in and the ocean surface caught fire with the dying light of the day. It was peaceful and serene, and for a moment she just enjoyed that she had a friend to share the moment with. The refrains of the calling seabirds broke her revery and she looked back down to the menu.

"I think I am going to try the crabcakes. They look great."

[member="Kurayami Bloodborn"]

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

"Yea, food does sound like a rather good idea...granted I didn't really make the trip because of the food. Since you mentioned it though I am getting a bit hungry, as for the drink that rum concoction you told me of sounds interesting."

He smiled at the Rutian Twi'lek across from him, his eyes fixed on hers as she took a sip of her drink. In the back of his mind there was a tug of an old memory, a different time, a different restaurant, but it had been in Kaadara. He had been younger then, only 25. The woman who had been across from him not even the same species as Raylia. There was a familiarity in what he felt though. The way the fiery reds and oranges of the setting sun played over her deep blue skin was a sight to behold and admittedly she looked far better than he remembered her looking on Sullust. To be fair though there had been a high dose of pain killers involved once he was in the infirmary so one would likely forgive his memory being a bit hazy. Still though she looked absolutely divine...

He ordered his drink when the waiter returned, after Raylia had ordered her food. His drink was brought in short order and he shook his head at the first sip. Stronger than he had expected, but certainly a good taste to it. He shifted his gaze back to the woman across from him as she looked out at the incoming tide. The slight smile was still present, though he was unsure why. Talk about looking like a lovestruck idiot right now. This was worse than one of those B-level chick flicks. He shook his head, she was a Jedi, a Master nonetheless, and he was a grunt. There was also the Jedi Code and the whole bit about no attachments, talk about unfair to her. Emotion and attachment were not things to be avoided, they should be embraced. Not quite like the Sith did by any means, but they were the best forms of motivation. It might not have always been the purest of emotions that drove him to defend those who needed his help, but he used it for good. Didn't he?

He averted his eyes from her as she looked at her menu. There was no way that she would ever see him as anything more than he had been, a good friend. But was he starting to see her as more? Or was he just now admitting to himself that he had seen her as far more for a long while? Had he missed important cues from her, or had he only imagined that there had ever been any to start with? He looked over the menu and raised his glass to take another pull from his drink. This time was far more than a sip. While she had seen him drink and get drunk plenty, he usually took his time getting there. If she picked up on how much he had just taken in one gulp...krifiing hell he needed something to say in case she did ask. He was never good at this part. He responded to her without looking back up.

"Great call on the rum drink. Feel free to have a sip and see if you want one. Not like right now since you are still working on yours, but later. Crabcakes do look good, but I actually had a bit to eat before I came so for now I'll just stick to the drink. Maybe get something to eat in a bit. Oh and as far as the check is concerned, I'll pick it up. "

Smooth one, great way to make this awkward by turning it into something it definitely was not. Damn, he really needed to learn to shut his mouth sometimes.

[member="Rayliav'enci"]

 

[Rayliav'enci]

"That's ok, the University's paying."

The half smile drifted away from the Twi'lek's face. The memories were thick here, even though it had been nearly 15 years since she first set foot on the peaceful planet. She felt a wash of nostalgia tug the smile back on the corner of her mouth and she sipped her drink again, thinking about the first time she met Kurayami.

She was a knight back then.

She were there to catalogue a library of force knowledge compiled by a cabal of neutral parties. Jen-Dai had recently broken her heart and the ache threatened to rend her of everything she held dear. It was the only time she had ever felt that the sorrow inside would match the deep of blue on her flesh. Kurayami was there, for a reason she couldn't remember. However, he wouldn't let her drink alone in the cantina that night. Or any night after that, come to think of it.

He had been a stranger, but turned into the shoulder to cry on and eventually the friend she could always count on. It always struck Ray as funny how the Force will work.

"Have you heard from Kaytren lately? I lost track of her a long time ago. She was the best healer I've ever seen. To this day."

[member="Kurayami Bloodborn"]

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

"Oh, well I suppose that voids the offer then. Kinda makes sense though, what with you being on assignment out here though I guess."

That...that could have been worded way better. Well, to late for that now. Truly, he was a master wordsmith...or whatever the opposite of that would have been as he just poignantly proved. How many years had it been since he first came to Naboo? He felt like he had been there before Raylia showed up, but he wasn't entirely sure either. He had found this place shortly after his leaving Coruscant...wait no that was a Jedi planet. Corellia. That was the one. Seriously, what was messing with his thoughts so badly tonight? He hadn't even finished his first drink so it wasn't drinking, at least not yet maybe later. He tried to remember what had even brought him this far from home...there had been tell of a place where all were welcome, where violence wasn't allowed on the grounds, a place of peace where ideas could be freely exchanged. It sounded too good to be true. Jedi, Sith, Gray Jedi, unaligned Forcies, and non Forcies all under one banner talking and sharing freely without killing each other. Well they still did kill each other when they left the place.

And yet, for a time it had been a real place. It was where he had met the beautiful woman sitting across from him. It was also where he had lost the first woman he had loved. That had been long before he knew Raylia as far as he could recall. The holorecording he still kept, along with the saber she had carried. His eyes glassed over at the memories of sparring with her in the quarters they had shared. Jennifer San'ire. A name forgotten long ago to many who had known them, he could still remember the entierety of the recording he had seen. How could he forget watching the woman he had been set to marry tortured in such a terrible way?

It hadn't been long after that he had met Raylia in the cantina for the first time, back then she had been just another Twi'lek, heartbroken over a break up. Honestly his feelings on first meeting her were not what one would describe as 'kind' when she was talking about the break up. He had wanted to deck her, at least the guy had a chance to come back at some point, he was alive. The anger he felt had waned as he realized that he had simply been overly sensitive from his loss, and he actually found himself wanting to help. His reasons were not entirely pure though, he wanted to fill the void left, wanted to feel whole again...he wanted to move on and forget Jenni. Not just forget about the hurt, but forget her completely. He learned long ago that would never happen, but he had for the most part, come to terms with her untimely death.

A name he hadn't heard in a long time derailed his train of thought. Kaytren. Kaytren Li, Jedi healer and one of his first friends when he had arrived. Over time the two of them had become like brother and sister. But the truth was he hadn't heard from her in a rather long time. He sighed and shook his head when he responded.

"Nah. Once I left Naboo I lost contact with everyone here. Well most everyone, you being the main exclusion. I mean I talked to her a bit, but I can't tell ya how many years have passed since I last heard from her. She was an amazing healer, but don't sell yourself short. You have managed to keep me from Death's doorstep more than a few times yourself, and given the trouble I tend to find myself in...well yea I am sure I don't need to say anymore there."

[member="Rayliav'enci"]

 

[Rayliav'enci]

She chuckled as she covered her mouth with her back of her left hand.

"Yeah, well if you would just stop trying to set everything on fire..."

The rum was starting to help relax her inhibitions, she wasn't much of a drinker normally. Someone had to take care of Kurayami when he got hammered. She tried to remember that she was a Jedi Master and act like one, which required a deep breath and changing the subject.

"Well I asked you here because I have some business that is going to take me out to the Tingel Arm for a bit. The Republic lost quite a bit of territory to the One Sith and that included Ossus. The Coalition has stepped in to make sure that it remains in allied hands but there are some rather delicate ruins and dig sites that I have been ordered to check up on and send reports back. Considering that the area is slightly unstable and that I just had enough of a fight on Sullust, I thought you might want to tag along. "

She laid it out, it being rather straight forward. She figured he's accept. He generally did when she was off digging up strange things around the galaxy.

[member="Kurayami Bloodborn"]

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

All he could do was laugh at what she said. She made a good point though, he did try to set many different things aflame.

"I don't try to set everything on fire...just most things."

Kurayami ordered another of whatever he was drinking with the rum and berry juices. It was certainly good. He was an adult, though how many would agree was debatable. He took a swig of his second drink as Raylia took a deep breath. Made him wonder what was going on insider her head.

"Business is always good to talk about. Tingel Arm? Where exactly? Lost Republic territory to One Sith, including Ossus and it is still in allied hands. A bit wild is usually kinda fun. Old ruins and dig sites are always good to check up on after an enemy tries to take control. Yea, I got not problem tagging along but I don't have a ship that carries two."

He knew why she was being blunt, at this point he could basically be her security detail and never run out of work.

[member="Rayliav'enci"]

 

[Rayliav'enci]

The rum was kicking in for him. He wasn't quite getting all of it. She shook her head and tried again.

"No, the Republic lost Ossus because the Sith cut off access but they never made it planetside. The Silver Jedi Coalition stepped in to take the reins while the Republic is licking their wounds."

It occurred to her then that she was probably in the know a little more about the political landscape of the galaxy because of her stature with the Order. She shrugged as the tchun crept over her shoulder and draped across her collarbones.

"Anyway, yeah. The Silver Jedi are custodians of the place now, but the university wants to reassess the condition of the cultural sites so it might be a rather long stay. I don't know if you have anything else on the horizons at the moment."

[member="Kurayami Bloodborn"]

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

He listened as she reiterated what she had said and expanded on it slightly. So it was a blockade then? Or something like that? Maybe? Eh, whatever he had his drink and a good friend here so he was happy.

"So the Sith set up an orbital blockade but never put boots to the ground? Or they were setting up for an invasion and never got the chance to before the Silver Jedi ran a bit of interference? I mean it's kinda important details but I never was good at keeping those in mind too long. If the planet is in allied hands now though then why are we needed to check up on things? Do they not have archivists within their order that could do the same?"

Sure he was trying to get the finer details but he was also curious as to why she specifically was needed. Most any grunt could do security, but as long as they had...whatever it didn't matter. It was a chance for him to get away from the large scale conflict for a bit, and for that he was thankful. Besides a little bit of alone time might be nice after the barracks on Sullust. He nodded as she filled in the details that answered the questions he had just asked for the most part.

"Sounds like there should be a relatively low threat level if we are going to cultural sites just to reassess how they are holding up. Long stay won't bother me, I don't have a damn thing going on currently. Or for the next while. So just let me know when you want to head out and I'll be good to go."

The Galactic Alliance had been making large strides in their quest to take on the Sith and they were managing more than fine without him, so off to Ossus with Raylia it was.

[member="Rayliav'enci"]

 

[Rayliav'enci]

"Alright." She said, mirth apparent in her chuckles as she relaxed back into her chair.

She liked traveling with Kurayami. Unrequited thoughts aside, he was entertaining. Kurayami did have a rather boisterous sense of humor when the modd struck him. Plus the bevy of corny jokes and he knew how to lighten her moods. For the most part, her journeys were fairly quiet, the life of an archaeologist was a dull one to most others. She loved it, the thrill of a new discovery was like nothing else. Fro her, knowledge was the antithesis to violence. Her quest for the understanding of sentient nature allowed her to step back from the endless drive of war to examine the reasons why some cultures reverted to the baser instincts.

Of course, that didn't mean she could not or would not take up arms if it was needed in the defense of the innocent. The burden of the Jedi was to strive for peace but to be the protectors of it as well against those who would see it perish in tides of blood. There was no love in her heart for the enemy, even if she understood their methods and madness.

The waiter dropped off and fresh round of drinks and her dinner, and for a time it was quiet while she ate, Kurayami telling her an enthalling tale of once again, setting something on fire. Because of course he would.

"You think the old place is still around? Maybe we could do some archaeological investigations of the old citadel."

[member="Kurayami Bloodborn"]

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

Kurayami slid down in his chair a bit more as Raylia relaxed a bit more as well. He took a deep breath to try and banish the last of those memories to the back of his mind for now.

He couldn't deny that he had always enjoyed his time spent with Raylia, though he knew little about archaeology. He would be the first to admit that, but that wasn't to say that he didn't enjoy listening to her talk about her new discoveries. In all honesty, he found such things very interesting especially when she started to go into her thoughts on what may have lead to the culture developing the way it did. Or her explanations of what the significance of an object was to the members of those who had built it. It was truly a fascinating field but he had never been the best with patience. Which probably explained why he tried to set so many things on fire, he got bored or frustrated dealing with them. They had discussed her view on violence and the place it held before. He couldn't say he was surprised at her response, he had looked for a simpler life once one where he would not have to kill or worry about being killed just for landing on the wrong planet at the wrong time. Mentally such things wore on soldiers. Constant violence and paranoia were no way to live and given how long he had lived with it he wanted out. He wondered how so many years had gone by where he had few flashbacks and then recently he was being hit almost daily with them.

Her question brought him out of his reflections and wishful thinking. While she ate he told her of his involvement at Vandelhelm and the insanity he had found himself part of there.

"Anyways, that's how I ended up needing to build a new fighter. As for the old place, I don't know but I wouldn't be too surprised. When it was there it was a well respected institution. If you are sure you can take time away from the Gungan ruins to do some other work, then sure let's go. After we finish up here obviously, I refuse to waste good alcohol. That is just unforgivable."

He looked out over the water as his mind wandered back to the 'old place,' a small smirk playing over his features as he did. He had to admit he had enjoyed the time he spent there as it had been the closest he had ever come to living a 'normal' life. A feeling he missed most days, but today had felt very similar to those times. Still didn't answer the nagging thought of why he was having to fight the urge to keep his eyes on the water though and not on Raylia. Maybe more booze would silence that thought, probably not though...either way he took another sip of his drink trying to quiet his mind.

[member="Rayliav'enci"]

 

[Rayliav'enci]

The meal was excellent, the company divine and after the colors of the twilight had faded from the skies, Raylia had wanted to walk along the wet sands of the beach, the water pulling away from the shore. She could remember parts of Ryloth, it was both hot and cold, and desperately dry. She had a life long fascination with water after seeing that the galaxy was vastly different from where she was born. Deserts made her think of where she was born but it never did feel like home.

Home had been the green plains and cities of Corellia. At least until they were destroyed.

She looked up at the star overhead, the pinpricks of light acting as beacons of their own little systems, some of them inside their reach and some of them so infinitely far that even hyperspace would never reach them. It made her ponder how much she didn't know, and how much within her own galaxy she had yet to discover. It was wonderful and awe inspiring and she walked quietly just stewing in these thoughts.

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

While Kurayami couldn't personally comment on the food, he had to admit that Raylia's meal had looked rather good and the fact that there had been a nearly clean plate left behind told him all he needed to know of the quality. After his slightly annoying flashbacks, he had focused more on the sunset and watching it. Granted it wasn't easy for him given his company, but in the end even if she found out...he shook his head trying to banish the thought unsuccessfully. They were friends, albeit rather close, but that was normal with how much they had traveled together, how many times they had saved one another's skin, okay so mostly it was her keeping him from getting killed, but was that really indicative of anything other than a good friend? He supposed it could be, but at the same time he hoped that it was he didn't want it to be. It would mean that not only could he have his heart torn out again, but that if anything happened to him how it might affect her. He was the one who had helped her get past the hurt as she had helped him, he couldn't risk being the one to hurt her in any way.

The thoughts that ran through his mind were things he had wanted to talk to her about for a long time, he wanted her to know that he had feelings for her, but there never seemed to be a good time to do so. Even in a setting like this he still wasn't sure if it was a good idea. He had hung back a bit as his mind ran through so many different scenarios, he had told her to go on ahead of him, that he would catch up. What he wondered about most though was what the impact on their friendship would be, or would it really change all that much? The biggest question on his mind was one he couldn't know the answer to without taking a risk, a rather large risk at that.

The situation was far more familiar than he cared to admit to himself. Eerily similar to when things between him and Jenni had started to get more serious. The two of them were completely different in many respects, but the slow building of feelings for Raylia was much the same way that things had happened before. How did he do it before? Was he straightforward with it or was it more a subtext that she mentioned? He couldn't remember after all the craziness that he had gone through since that time.

As the thoughts continued to run through his mind, he let himself zone out. Not focus on any singular thought. Perhaps it would give him a blank slate to work from once he caught up to Ray in a few moments time. He came to a stop next to her and followed her gaze, trying to think of how many of those tiny lights he had been to...and realizing how many he didn't even know the names of. It brought memories of his birthplace, memories of his family. Everything he had lost. His home, the history of his family, gone in an instant because of the Sith. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now was not the time to think on such things.

Slowly, his gaze lowered from the night sky and he turned his attention back to Raylia. She had been there through so much, she had been a shoulder to lean on when no one else was around, and even if he didn't remember crying around her he was almost sure it had happened at least one time when he was blackout drunk. The words he wanted to say were not coming to him right now. This meant he remained quiet with a gentle smile on his face as he looked at his long time companion, wondering what was on her mind.

[member="Rayliav'enci"]