Private Sharing Sanctuary

[Alicio Organa]

Amani's immediate discomfort made Alicio grow a deep frown. He should have guessed it was a touchy subject. But he didn't interject as he watched Amani, open and nonjudgmental, as she fought herself, silence winning out in the end. Despite her final decision, Alicio didn't seem upset.

Gingerly, Alicio closed the arm-width gap between them. "You don't have to tell me anything," he said, reaching an outstretched palm to Amani, offering a point of contact, if she wished it. "But you can tell me anything. That's our deal. I lend you my ear, you lend me yours."

"When you're ready to talk, I'm ready to listen." He smiled comfortingly, letting the moment hang, before gently changing the subject.

"You know, when I was little, my sisters and I used to practice the waltz around our apartment. But, both of my sisters are much older than me, so it usually devolved into them spinning me around the room." His voice was tender, but animated as he told the story. "Um, one day, my sister Victoria was whirling me about. I accidentally let go, flew across the hallway, and landed face-first into a grate."

Alicio offered a muted grin. "There was blood everywhere. And yes, I did cry. But, I acquired a cool tiny eyebrow scar out of the ordeal, so I think it was worth it, overall."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"I know, I know," She forced herself to remember, with his assurances. Alicio offered his hand, which she took, before setting the cup aside to embrace him fully.

"I thought I was over it. I did. And I don't want you to feel like I'm… keeping something from you. It's just-" A sigh. Her head laid against his chest, the rhythm of his heart thumping against her ear. "Tonight's been so great. And I don't want to spoil it by thinking about… that." She mumbled, and her worries slowly trailed off as he changed the subject. She relaxed, and listened.

"Aww..." Amani cooed, finally looking up at him again with large doe-eyes. The sound came both out of the thought of an adorable little Alicio, and out of pity for his unfortunate spill. She tried to pout, but couldn't help a faint smile."So that's what that is." A hand reached up and hovered gingerly over the faint mark on his brow. Her grin widened, and she chuckled teasingly, "Maybe not the most badass scar story anyone ever told but… very cute." Inasmuch as a story about a child face planting bloodily into a grate can be cute.

Almost reactively she grazed her fingers against her own scar, which was at least partly visible given the neckline of her sundress; Touching up to the base of her neck were faint, lightning-shaped scars that almost appeared to lie just beneath the surface like dark veins, rather than the textured presence of more 'normal' scars. They branched out from further down her chest, beneath the coverage of her dress.

Maybe a more 'badass' story than the Count's, but certainly not as innocent a one either.

Amani embraced him once again, squeezing a little tighter as she nuzzled into him. "…Thank you." For not pressuring her into speaking. Though it still took gentle reminders like those, Alicio continued to prove why she felt so comfortable in his presence. He was someone she could lean on. Confide in. Trust. Even if that was precisely why he was now the one she was afraid of telling the most.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio gladly accepted the hug. He had wanted to offer it, but hadn't known if the full contact would be wanted by an obviously hurt Amani. He coiled his arms protectively around her, as if his body could shield hers from her past. He met her words of justification with silence, before telling his story, swaying slightly back and forth as she relaxed.

Alicio waggled his eyebrows as the Mirialan found his scar, barely a white line at this point. "In that case, if anyone else asks, it was a vicious rancor attack." He found a coy smile. "You should see the other guy."

His eyes followed her hand down to her own scar, barely visible under her dress. He lingered for a moment on the black lines under her skin, before hugging close to Amani once more. When she was ready, she would tell him about it.

"Of course," Alicio said, his voice low. "That's what friends... or, whatever we are, now... are for."

"You don't have to justify yourself to me. Or anyone else, for that matter."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani snorted, "A baby rancor, maybe," And even that was pushing it a bit. "I'll spread the word, though."

His comfort made her heart flutter. Feel lighter. Feel warmer. Amani wanted nothing more than to tell him everything, and for him to give her that assurance. And in turn she wanted to know everything about him, so she could do the same. But tonight, her fear of failure overtook her faith. She looked up again, uncertainty in her gaze, "Is… friends… what we're calling it?" That didn't... feel accurate, but his apparent hesitance to give it a different label made her hesitate as well. "D'you… usually do all this with your friends?" She scoffed a quiet laugh, trying to ease in the question with an attempt at humor.

Amani waited, looking into his stormy eyes for some kind of answer.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Is… friends… what we're calling it? D'you… usually do all this with your friends?"

Alicio looked down at Amani weirdly, even as she laughed. "No, of course not," he said, with some certainty, frowning as his mind returned to a recent date-gone-sour. The mild panic introduced into his tone was subtle, but present.

"I just... this is new to me. I've n-never... um, never gone far enough with someone to think about next steps. I just didn't want to force a label that you weren't comfortable with." His lip twisted in worry, that now it was him that had ruined a perfectly good night. Again. "Sorry, I wasn't clear."

"So... we're not friends." He held her clear-sky gaze, returning a question of his own.

"What are we? What do you want us to be?"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Some of Alicio’s nervousness ended up putting her at ease, in a way. They were both treading into new territory now, unfamiliar with what the next step actually was. But it seemed they were both trying, and both equally dissatisfied with just ‘friends’. She smiled faintly, but more amusedly, while he stumbled over his own words.

“Oh, we’re not friends?” Amani asked as if she’d taken his words literally. She couldn’t help but tease him about it a little. Rather than let him become further tongue-tied though, she kissed him once more to reign in his attention.

“This is pretty new for me, too.” A reassuring smile that contorted when the question was put back on her, “We arrreeeeee…”

“We’re like… dating, right? Or like, we’re… together? Partners?” Her face scrunched up in thought, each word coming across as if she were testing it out, “A… couple?.. Boyfriend and… and girlfriend…? Right?” Amani cringed, and looked to him for some kind of confirmation. Was that too far? It felt like being an awkward teenager all over again, and she was running out of terms that were more or less synonymous.

Considering how they both felt on the matter, it was a surprisingly challenging game of word association. Amani was still just paranoid about saying the wrong thing.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

“Oh, we’re not friends?”

"You know what I mean," he managed to get in before locking lips with Amani again.

Alicio felt his panic recede, realizing through the kiss that he hadn't, in fact, ruined everything. He kept his eyes on hers, unable to convey just how grateful he was.

Her attempts at test-driving various words brought a smile to his face. He deliberated the options for a moment. "I like all of them," he murmured, finally. "Yeah. All are good."

He straightened up, looking over Amani's head to the purple plush, which was inconspicuously facing their direction on the island. He put on a bit of an annoyed flair. "Chauncey, can't you see I'm having a moment with my girlfriend?" Chauncey didn't respond, likely too embarrassed to speak.

Alicio bobbed his head to the side, as if weighing the word.

"Felt a bit weird to say, but... a good kind of weird." Alicio smiled down at the Mirialan. "The kind of weird I could get used to."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

With his agreement came relief. Had he rejected the notion for whatever reason, she may very well have shriveled up and slinked into the shadows on the spot from sheer awkwardness. But just like that they were… official.

"They're good?" Amani echoed, nodding as she gave it more serious thought now, "...Okay. Yeah. They're all good. Yeah." The mirialan smiled excitedly as the new reality hit her.

Alicio gave Chauncey a piece of his mind, and she looked back at the ever-creeping stuffed animal, laughing. In response Amani put on an apologetic display, "I'm sorry about my boyfriend, Chauncey. You know how he gets." The nerf gave her no reply to her either, but the silent gratitude could be seen in its dumb, crossed eyes.

"Good weird." She seemed to agree, "I can work with that."

Amani reached back for her cup, and gave it a long, final sip, "Pretty good tea, too." Unsurprising, seeing as it comes from a planet literally known for its tea.

"Shall we... retire for the night... boyfriend?" She laughed stupidly at her weak attempt to force the word in.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"I'm sorry about my boyfriend, Chauncey. You know how he gets."

Something about Amani saying those words made Alicio's heart pound a bit faster.

He'd never been in a relationship before. Hell, he'd only ever been on one date before today. It was all new, and mysterious, and the kind of thing Alicio was wholly unprepared for.

But unlike his other steps into the unknown, there wasn't hesitation. He wasn't overwhelmed. For the first time, he felt nothing but excitement. Joy. Maybe even tranquility, which was entirely new to the Organa.

Her last comment coaxed an eye-roll from the Count. "Yes," he finally replied, leaning into his accent, even as he began to lead Amani. "We shall. Let us away, girlfriend."

They were blazing a new trail together, slowly but surely. Alicio didn't want to rush things. Perhaps there was a bit of fear there, after all. Fear that work would get in the way, or that he would say something to hurt her. But he had no fear of Amani Serys.

He'd never been in love before, so he wasn't quite sure what it felt like.

But if he had to guess, it was probably something like this.

- Amani Serys -