Private Needing A Hand Or Two

[Alina Tremiru]

His laugh brought out her own. It was nice to be able to laugh about this with Darth Strosius . Well. Whatever this was. Alina glanced out of the corner of her eye to watch him for a moment, but then the station came into view. She sat up, glancing over herself. The blood had started to dry, so at least she wouldn't leave a trail. But they'd be pretty noticeable until they got back to the hangar.

"So how do you want to do this? Just run? We are covered in blood."

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Yep, time to put our new speed through its paces." Alisteri didn't care much for the idea of having to run through to get back to the ship, but they didn't have too many other options. There was no where for them to go to get fresh clothes, nowhere that was free anyway. "We have to be quick, the second we land we need to move. Can't let anyone see us and remember our faces right?"

He took his time landing the speeder, mostly circling the landing zone before going in to land finally. "Here we go, I'll see you at the ship." Once the speeder had touched down and powered off, he hopped out and began sprinting back towards the ship.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

This was it. Their murder spree would be easily found once they were noticed. To be caught was not an option. The smile on her face fell as the reality of it hit. New power, but it could be the cost of her freedom. She gave him a single nod once Darth Strosius decided to finally land. "Get there safe." Then they were off. Alina stayed low, trying to stick to shadows while she burst from the ship and out of the shop. The new strength of her form made it much easier for her to sustain her speed, and she took advantage of it.

It wasn't long at all before she was back to the hangar. To these people she was just a blur of blonde hair, tanned skin, and red. She knew there were cameras, and if this ever needed to be tied to someone, they'd have no issue finding out it was the pair. But she had no intention of coming back to this planet again. Her gaze turned to the doorway, yellow eyes scanning. He'd be there any moment. He had to be.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri chose a more...direct approach. Rather than sticking to the shadows he moved quickly between the crowds. His hood pulled low as he dashed between and dodged around people. To the unobservant or those that were otherwise distracted, he was little more than a blur and a breeze. it was a bit risky to go through the main road like this, but it would confuse whatever surveillance systems they had. It was harder to spot a quick moving target in a crowd than to pick one out on a lone side street.

It was almost a solid minute of waiting for Alina Tremiru before he appeared at the door, panting but with a small smirk on his face. "Sorry, turns out that stopping from high speed takes a bit more prep work than just a sharp turn." Alisteri spoke sheepishly, glancing behind him as he closed the door. "I...may have also given the people around a little bit of a uh...distraction to occupy them while we take off. Which we should do. Right now." He glanced behind himself again as the distant sounds of sirens suddenly grew audible.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Seeing Darth Strosius walk through the door brought immediate relief. Then panic as the sirens went off. Her eyes narrowed on him before she turned to rush up the ramp of the ship to get to navigation and get the autopilot set up. "What kind of distraction did you do!?" The point was to avoid getting any law enforcement attention. She grumbled under her breath as she punched in the commands. The ship took off immediately once she was done, quickly making it's way to atmosphere. She didn't leave the cockpit till they were in hyperspace.

When she finally did, she had the relived expression all over again. "Okay. We're good, finally."

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri was quick to run up into the ship right after Alina Tremiru , throwing himself onto a seat as the ship begain to take off. "Don't worry! I just started a little fire!" He paused, glancing out of a window to see a fairly decent sized plume of smoke arising from a building about a block away from where the had just taken off. "...It just may have so happened to be near a small fuel depot..." It was an abandoned building of course. Well, abandoned as in no one was inside when he had started a fire. More than likely it was a business that was closed for one reason or another.

Oh well, it was in the hands of the proud Nar Shaddaa Fire Department now.

That poor business.

A sigh of relief left him as they entered hyperspace, rubbing his eyes as he let out a couple of small laughs. "We did it." He sprang out his seat and wrapped his arms around his friend in a hug. "We did it! You're healed and we got away scot-free!"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Oh." Well, that actually worked in their favor then. She still didn't look relieved, not until they actually made it off world. But they were now. Alina's arms lifted on their own once Darth Strosius pulled her into a hug, wrapping around him tightly. They did it. She wasn't stuck with those horrid cybernetics. Her fingers dug into his back as she held on. "Thank you." Her voice was softer than it'd ever been as she closed her eyes. After a lot longer than what was normal she finally pulled away from him, turning quick. She realized only too late that she'd been lingering too long and didn't want him to see the embarrassment on her face.

"I'm gonna go get cleaned up." The young Sith hurried right to the shower, but paused just in the doorway. She glanced over her shoulder, face still heated. Why was it he made her feel this way? She certainly had no issue with talking to other people. Or doing more than talking. Was it because she wasn't drunk? No, that'd be a shallow reason. Maybe it was as simple as the fact she trusted him. Alina closed her eyes, taking in a breath to still her thoughts. Get rid of that blush she had. After everything he'd done, she trusted him completely. That's what mattered.

Her eyes opened slowly, the faintly glowing yellow orbs focusing once more on her fellow Sith. The faint smile returned as she nodded her head towards the shower.

"You want to join me?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

There had been a couple of close escapes in Alisteri's life, but none of them had him feeling as relieved afterward. They had gotten away with themselves intact, even more intact than when they had arrived actually. Everything hadn't gone exactly according to plan of course, not that it ever did, but here they were nonetheless. He didn't mind how long Alina Tremiru and him were hugging, it wasn't like he was eager to pull away either. For that little while, he was far more than content with enjoying how his friend had her arms wrapped around him. Well, friend doesn't fit anymore does it? They weren't just friends anymore, not after tonight. He didn't know what they were, but they were closer than before. They had each lost something separately, but together they had gained so much more.

Indeed, had it not been for her, he wouldn't have even given his missing parts a second thought.

Once she had pulled away and quickly turned, he actually did the same. It wasn't until he glanced at the clock on the console and realized how long they had been hugging that he turned a bit red however. "G-Good idea yeah..." He muttered in response, clearing his throat slightly. Had time really melted away so quickly? Usually he was very good at keeping up with each minute that went by. He barely noticed that she hadn't gone into the shower, staring out into hyperspace as he was enraptured in his thoughts. There was a lot to think about, and his regrown hand and eye weren't anywhere near the top.

Mostly he was trying to wrap his mind around his friend and how she made him feel. He wasn't used to flirting of course, but she had been doing more than playful flirting recently. She had some sort of actual interest in him, and that mere thought made his face heat up even more. He had never pictured himself with her, in that regard anyway, but now that was all that he could think of.

"Huh?"

He blinked as he was snapped out of his thoughts, looking back to see her gesturing to the shower. Oh. For a few seconds there was no response from Alisteri as he blinked and failed to stave off the rising heat in his cheeks. Finally he turned away and took a moment to clear his throat and try to recompose himself. Keyword being try of course. "N-No thank you Alina. I...erm...I'll just go after you. Heh..."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

It didn't surprise her that he said no. He'd gotten incredibly flustered just at the idea of a date. "Okay." Alina quickly slipped into the room and shut the door, trying to hide any further embarrassment for either of them. That usually worked. Though, she was often drunk. Always drunk. Huh. It hit her just how terrible she was at actually dating as the water rushed over her body. She certainly wanted to go on a date with Darth Strosius , but would she actually be good for him?

How bad would she mess it up?

That was the biggest worry she had. He was the only person she truly trusted, and if he saw that side of her, would he still want to be that person? Blood wasn't an easy thing to wash off, thankfully. Made an excuse as to why she was in the shower so long. When she did finally emerge it was only in a towel. Her clothing was practically ruined by the feast. Not that she really cared. Though he might. "Shower's free." She hurried off to her room to get some clothing.

Once she was dressed she nearly laughed. Alisteri didn't have any more clothing, did he? She scoured through what she had, trying to find something he could borrow. Alina opted for some sweatpants and a sweatshirt, neatly stacking them outside the bathroom. "There's some clothing here for ya. You want anything to drink? Uh, not blood drink. Like water or something."

 

[Darth Strosius]

A small sigh of relief left him as she finally disappeared into the bathroom, an aura of calm and silence settled over the young man. For about three seconds. The next few seconds involved him pacing as quietly as he could as he wracked his mind about her offer. Surely she was kidding right? Just one of Alina's jokes... The more he thought about it though, the less that such a prospect seemed to be true however. Alisteri was very bad at social cues, he wasn't really the best with interactions in general if he was honest with himself. But if there was only one thing that he no concept of or experience with, it was matters such as this. Romance had never even been on his mind before now.

And all that he could think of was how badly he was going to ruin their first proper date.

After another minute of pacing and debating with himself, he searched the pockets of his usual clothing and fished out a datapad. He sat down, feverishly scouring the device for any and all dating tips that it could provide. Had he been in a better state of mind, he would've thought that looking up several lists of tips about a first date was rather silly. Not right now though, now he needed all the help that he could get. He even briefly rolled the idea around of calling someone to ask them for advice but he pushed that thought aside. He could do that later. Besides, he didn't really know how Saket or anyone from the Dark Wonosa would react if he suddenly called them whilst covered in blood to ask for dating advice. Why do all these guides just say to be yourself? I'm trying not to feth this up! Suffice to say that his search only lasted a few minutes before he went back to pacing in frustration and confusion.

Thankfully, that was around the time that Alina Tremiru got out of the shower.

The fact that he didn't have anything clean to wear didn't cross his mind until he had already slipped into the shower, quick to get in before he was caught pacing and muttering to himself. He had barely even noticed that she was only in a towel. The shower gave him time to ponder his current situation, although he was distracted by how much scrubbing he had to do to get all of the blood off. No wonder those other Sangnir just had blood in wine glasses, this is exhausting. The fact that he now required the blood of another to feed his hunger hadn't weighed on his mind all that much. To him it was just how it was, much like how he used to eat meat before his transformation. It was the way the galaxy worked, everything ate something else. Draining people was a bit jarring admittedly, but he was sure that he would get used to it in time.

"Just a water yeah, and not whatever that bartender was serving."

Soon enough he was out of the shower and had cracked open the door to swipe the clothes that had been left for him. "Thank you Alina, walking around in my bloody clothes would've been dreadful." He spoke as he opened the door, just finishing toweling his hair off before stepping out. Oddly enough the sweatpants were just a little bit long on him, but he wasn't going to complain.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

There was a laugh at the mention of the water from the bar. It was a clever ruse, that much Alina would give them credit for. They likely spiked the drink of anyone who wasn't from around there. Or well, did. With three dead and the Sangnir in charge gone, those who remained likely wouldn't continue. Or switch up to selling slaves. That thought brought a frown. Maybe they should of gone to the bar instead of a random drug fueled gang party. Too late now. She set his glass down on the table for when he was done.

Alina was never much of a pacer. She sat in her chair, pulling her knees up to her chest as she sipped at her water. Too many different thoughts were going through her head, all of them about Darth Strosius . She could only settle on a single idea without second guessing it and assuming the worst. She trusted him. That would never change.

Right?

Her gaze snapped to him once he came out. "I figured. Glad they fit." She gave him a soft smile, but after the earlier interaction. All the random thoughts. She couldn't keep her gaze on him for long. Her eyes fell to her cup, trying her best not to look incredibly embarrassed. Didn't exactly work with how red her cheeks were getting.

"There's uh, water there for you on the table."

 

[Darth Strosius]

"You aren't the only one." He muttered with a small smile, idly glancing over himself as he walked over to where she was sitting. It didn't take long for Alisteri to notice how red her face was, a confused yet inquisitive look settling over him as he sat down near her. "Thank you, always got to keep hydrated right?" In truth he wasn't sure if he needed water or not to survive anymore. Sangnir dietary needs weren't something that he knew off the top of his head, but it certainly gave him something to learn about later.

Regardless of whether he needed it or not, the glass of water was rather refreshing.

He was silent for a little while as he drank from his glass, finally turning to look at Alina Tremiru once he was satisfied with his sips of the water. "So...I've been doing some thinking..." All of a sudden his throat felt very dry, the usually-masked man shifting in his seat for a moment as he hesitated to continue. "And I was wondering that...well...I know you mentioned it a few times but..."

He cleared his throat to try and regain his composure, his gaze now resting on the drink in his grasp as he felt heat rise in his cheeks. "I uh...ahem, what I mean to say is that...if you..." There was another small pause as he swallowed. Well now or never I guess. "If you were serious about the whole...date thing...I-I want to take you out somewhere. Somewhere for a proper date...o-only if you want to of course."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Right." Asides from that overwhelming need for blood, she wasn't sure just what a Sangnir could eat either. Dangerous waters, not knowing. She'd have to look at it when she had the chance. Though she wasn't really thinking about that. Her eyes stayed on her glass, only drifting off as she took a couple small sips. It was a test to see if she could actually handle it. Thankfully, yes. Her eyes turned to Darth Strosius once he started to speak, just out of the corner of her eye.

She listened in silence, turning her head to actually look at him after a moment. He was certainly beating around the bush. Though, he did say his upbringing didn't exactly let him experience anything. She set her glass down after he finally dove to the core of the subject. A bright smile formed on her lips. There was a sense of.. Relief. It dawned on her that she was actually nervous he didn't want to pursue that sort of relationship with her. But he did.

"No."

Immediately she knew he would take it as saying no to him. But she said no for a simple reason. After everything that'd happened, she didn't want to wait any longer. As she was sure he might either be confused or disappointed she reached over, setting a hand on his cheek. That was the only warning before she pulled him into a simple kiss. It only lasted for a couple seconds before she pulled back. Her cheeks were heated, yellow eyes glancing between his. The nerves were back, in force. She wanted nothing more than to know what he thought about this.

 

[Darth Strosius]

For a few brief moments, Alisteri could hear nothing but the sound of his own quiet breathing as he waited for an answer. He felt something in his chest flutter as a smile appeared on Alina Tremiru 's face, a small breath of relief leaving him right before she responded.

N-No?

His immediate reaction was simply to blink in surprise, and then blink again...and then again. Before he could even fully register what that word truly meant in response to his question, her hand was suddenly on his cheek. He had just enough time to glance at it in confusion before she had pulled him into a kiss. ...I...Whaat?! Rather than attempt to return the kiss however, which he had no idea how to do, he froze up in surprise and confusion as his own yellow eyes widened. This was certainly unexpected.

When she pulled away, he was still confused and wide-eyed. He regretted that it wasn't longer, but that was just one thought amidst the jumble that currently occupied his mind. He gave her no immediate response, simply blinking in disbelief as his hand reached up to touch his lips. It was then that he pulled back slightly, his face flaring red as he tore his gaze away from her.

It took a whole minute before he worked up a response, still staring off to another part of the ship as he failed to contain the heat in his cheeks. "You...you stole my first kiss..." He muttered weakly, his hand still idly touching his lips as if he still couldn't believe what she had done.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Embarrassing him was part of her intentions. It helped her deal with her own embarrassment, knowing he was no different. Him looking completely confused and wide-eyed wasn't at all what she expected. She blinked in return, watching him. Her own confusion showed, especially when he pulled away. The fact he pulled away brought horror to her expression. She looked away, staring directly at her lap like she was about to get scolded for shattering a prized urn.

Though, all she felt like was she shattered their relationship. Too much, too quickly. And that was his first kiss. Ever. She shrank into her seat, not knowing whether to apologize or run away, or both. She ended up doing neither. She was embarrassed. Extremely and wholly so.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Finally summoning the courage to look back at her, the first thing he noticed was that she seemed almost...sad? Odd. He quickly decided that, even amidst his own thoughts and embarrassment, he hated seeing Alina Tremiru sad. It was the second time, and he already couldn't stand it. He let the silence continue for a few more moments as he attempted to recompose himself.

When that failed however, he decided to say 'feth it' and attempt to speak anyway. First he cleared his throat to get her attention as he finally brought his gaze back to her. His voice was shaky, but he powered through it nonetheless. "Well...I suppose that...after you...uh...after...y-y'know what happened." He was already regretting opening his mouth. "I suppose that you...that you owe me one for that." And with that he hesitantly reached out to try and slip one of his hands into hers.

"I...I reject your no as compensation. I-I am going to take you out on a nice dinner and you will enjoy it."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

The clearing of his throat stopped her from bolting to her room. Those moments of silence were exactly why she was about to run away. In her mind she was sure she'd done too much. But he was speaking. Talking to her. She looked back to him hesitantly, not entirely wanting to see the shocked expression again. Instead she was met with his nervous stuttering. She gave a soft smile. Darth Strosius must of been taken way off guard. It was the least she could do.

Oh. No, he had an idea of what the least she could do was.

"Okay."

 

[Darth Strosius]

Another sigh of relief left him, all of the tension leaving him seemingly from just that one simple word. "Okay." He returned the smile before shooting forward to place the quickest of pecks on Alina Tremiru 's cheek, sitting back and clearing his throat again. "There. Now we'll be even after the date." Although he was satisfied with himself outwardly, well his red face did give it away but still; inwardly he was fighting the urge to not run and hide in the shower.

Be confident Ali. Do not break face, just ignore how flustered you are and look confident.

After a moment however, he covered his face with his hands to hide his embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry I don't know why I did that..."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Her hand slid into his squeezing lightly. Keeping him from just up and leaving after the peck on her cheek. He really was far more bashful than she expected. Alina nodded once at what he he said. Darth Strosius was pretty intent on them going on this date. What was a date to him? There were a couple different thoughts on that crossing in her mind. Keeping her attention from his growing blush.

His stuttering apology caught her attention, flooding her features with confusion. ".. You're really easy to embarrass, huh?"

 

[Darth Strosius]

The only response that she got for a moment was Alisteri shooting her a small glare, albeit one that held no real malice. If anything, he seemed more frustrated that he had gotten himself into such an embarrassed state than anything else. "I am a warrior..." He paused and glanced away again, muttering an 'in training' under his breath before looking back at Alina Tremiru . "I am unaccustomed to...well...this whole dating thing..."

"Besides, did you ever think that maybe you're the only one that can me this way?" It was a reluctant admission, but he had to save some face somehow after all.