Private Shopping Day

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Alderaan​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Kalie Alverez ​

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When Valery left the changing room and stepped up to the shopkeeper, she blinked in surprise and looked between the two with a great deal of confusion in her eyes. The dress was going to be free...? It made no sense and she was about to question it, but Kalie's hand touching her arm forced her to stop.​

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"Well then! We are happy to take it off your hands then, Slimo!"​

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Valery blinked again, the confusion still visible on her face but if they were really going to get the dress for free, she wasn't going to complain. She didn't have all that much money, so avoiding this big hit was actually pretty fantastic. She could use the money to go shopping for clothing or baby things instead.​

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"I... appreciate it. Thank you." Valery smiled warmly at the slug and then turned away with Kalie. She was happy to have the perfect dress for one of the biggest days in her life, but there was a sense of relief as well. The interaction with the shopkeeper had been one of the weirdest ones she's ever found herself in, but at least they weren't kicked out of the story.​

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She would have never been able to come home and explain that to her fiancé.​

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"Lunch? Hmm..." she pondered and looked around. "There, I think that place over there has really nice sandwiches — I'm not really craving anything specific but if they let us assemble something ourselves, I'm sure we'll figure it out." She said before she smirked. "Unless you get lost in all the options, of course."​

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With a grin on her face, Valery nudged Kalie forward and gently pushed along the stroller with Vera inside of it. This was turning out to be quite a lovely day.​

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[Kalie Alverez]

Valery Noble


She smiled and nodded in approval at Val’s choice. “You can’t go wrong with sandwiches.” She stated matter-of-factly as they entered the shop. Looking through the glass display, Kalie began to hum quietly to herself as she tapped her lips with her finger….

There were so many options!

“Ok!” She stated confidently as she straightened her posture and pointed briskly at the beginnings of her frankenwich.

“I’ll take that artisan bread… pickles! ummm… tomatoes…. That protein, please… AVOCADO… lettuce… peppers… MEAT BALLS…” Up until that point, the vender had been nonchalant in adding the ingredients she requested, but at the addition of meat balls, she looked up at Kalie as if to say, “really?” Kalie simply nodded innocently with a wide grin, “Bacon… squash… parsley… ALL of those sauces, just like…” She made a blending motion with her hands, the vender raising her eyebrows judgmentally at Kalie's decision. “...And some cheese. Ok, thats it!” She bounced up and down playfully at the counter, confident that she had truly crafted the most delicious of sandwiches.

As the vendor wrapped it up and handed it to her, she smiled and nodded a thank you. Kalie then lifted it up in front of her eyes, a sense of anticipation flooded her features as she mused upon her creation.

“I will call him… Hoss.” She nodded emphatically with a giggle.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Alderaan​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Kalie Alverez ​

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After the two entered the shop, Valery let Kalie order first so she could go last and handle the payment afterward. Kalie began to list a few things, and all seemed normal at first, but then the redhead mentioned meatballs. While the vendor looked up in surprise at Kalie, Valery blinked and also turned to look at her friend.​

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Meatballs, really?​

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She didn't say it out loud, but it was clear that she was thinking it. Then it got only worse, and while Kalie believed she was creating the most delicious sandwich ever, Valery couldn't help but think she was creating a monster. The redhead stepped away from the counter moments later, and Valery stepped up to look at her.​

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"Kalie, even Dark Side alchemy can't create monsters like that." Valery teased with a large grin on her face. "I just hope your taste in a partner is better than your taste in sandwiches." she winked and turned to face the vendor herself. But rather than creating a monster, Valery assembled a sandwich purely with healthy toppings that worked well together.​

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"Speaking of which, how is your love life going?" she asked after having paid, so the two could go grab a table to sit at and just... chat. There was nothing to worry over, no stress, no work. Just two friends spending some time together.​

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[Kalie Alverez]

Valery Noble


She let out a “tisk”, shaking her head at Val’s judgments of her frankenwich, bringing it closer to her chest in an almost protective motion, “He is beautiful, a true masterpiece my dear.” She retorted with an edge of humor in her voice.

Kalie let out an unfiltered snort at Val’s inquisitive probe into her love life, especially in relationship to the term “monsters”. She sat down across from her friend and gave her a playful look,

“Wow! You have such little faith in my love life?” She teased, then smiled as she looked out towards the street, musing upon the question.

“I mean, You’re pretty much up-to-date on Gramani… I know we both meant well, but… we don’t usually see each other for months on end, and it’s basically resorted to an occasional hookup here and there.” She looked down at her sandwich and unwrapped it, giggling as she saw how big it was, “Oh dear… Maybe you were right.” She poked at it with her finger, then looked back up at Val with a fresh sparkle in her eyes,

“But can I tell you about something? On the DL?” She leaned in closer towards Val and lowered her voice a bit, “So I have been using one of my personas in deep undercover work for a long time now, and it’s more… political and upper-class in nature. Anyways… I was at a fundraiser, and I met this… woman…” Kalie immediately blushed as she confessed that she was actually talking about a woman and not a man, knowing that it would likely catch Valery completely off guard because she had known her to only really be attracted to men in the past, “… Yes… a woman… I know, not usually my type, right?! But anyways, we really hit it off immediately… It was like we just… resonated with each other on some deeper level…. I can’t explain it. But we started to work together professionally, and then we randomly met during this festival, and we both had our guards down and were just enjoying each others company… and then…” Kalie buried her face in her hands as she let out a giddy squeal, “It was like something out of a holofilm, Val! We both kept blurring the lines, and both of us were so confused by it because neither of us had ever been attracted to women like that before… But finally… I kissed her… and she kissed me back…” Kalie’s face turned dreamy as she recalled the nights events, her voice growing soft, “And it was an absolutely perfect evening together. I’ve never experienced anything quite like that before. It was like we were meant to be together or something crazy romantic like that, ya know? And I totally spent the night with her...” She buried her face in her hands again and let out a deep sigh, “And now were... dating, but it’s secret right now because of our occupations and… and she is like, a BIG deal… so there’s political concerns and stuff… but… Yeah.”

Kalie shrugged with a frown growing on her face, “And I know it’s technically my persona who is in a relationship with her, but Damn… it feels terribly complicated. Because I really care about her. And…” She cast her eyes down to her sandwich, “…And she doesn’t know who I truly am. All She knows is my persona… she doesn’t know about… me.” Kalie looked back up at Valery, “Am I an awful person? Am I cheating on Gramani? What should I do, Val? If I’m honest… I want to be with her more than anything… It’s just that if i told her the truth... I would be risking EVERYTHING...”

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Alderaan​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Kalie Alverez ​

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"Wow! You have such little faith in my love life?"​

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Valery snickered and patted her friend on the shoulder, careful not to make her drop her frankenwich in the process. "I have lots of faith in your love life, but it's just too much fun to tease you." she grinned and brought her sandwich up to her mouth so she could eat and listen to her friend, who began to explain more about this love life of hers.​

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She was aware of Gramani, and the difficulty she had dating him. Not much had changed on that front it seemed, and Valery just nodded along, only briefly smirking as Kalie seemed to realize what kind of monster she had created with her food. "Told you." she said with a bit of a smug expression.​

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But then Kalie looked up with a sparkle in her eyes that was hard to miss, and Valery almost leaned in to quietly and intently listen along. ​

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Wait, a woman? Valery thought, but it was as if her friend could read her mind.​

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"… Yes… a woman… I know, not usually my type, right?!​

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Valery blinked and remained quiet, as her friend seemed to open up about a rather touchy subject. It was complex, not just because of secret personas, but also because of the emotions involved. So for a moment, Valery remained quiet before she finally offered a comforting smile and began to speak.​

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"It's a very difficult situation, but I will be honest with my advice," Valery said, her tone calm but also serious because this wasn't a topic to joke about. "Love isn't something you can really control — you develop feelings for someone and whether they are realistic or not, you're likely going to regret giving up on them. So if your heart truly desires to be with her, then that's what I encourage you to pursue." she paused a moment.​

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"That said, I do think you should be clear with Gramani about wanting to move on. It'll hurt, but that way he can move on and find someone who loves him as much as he loves them as well. It would hurt a lot more for him to find out that you love someone else way later down the line." Valery said as she briefly set aside her sandwich.​

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"As a final thing, I also believe you have one other decision to make. To live your life as a character you created isn't something you can do in the long run — you may have to tell her. In doing so, you risk losing her. But what's worse; losing her and looking for someone who loves you the way you are, or going through life knowing that the person you're with fell in love with a persona you created, rather than who you really are?"​

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Valery then let out a soft sigh, "I know your work as an agent is at risk as well, but sacrificing something as pure as love for a job, I don't think will make you happy at the end of the day."​

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[Kalie Alverez]

Valery Noble


Tears welled up in Kalie's eyes as she listened to Val. She knew she was right. She needed to end things with Gramani, no matter how much it hurt.

"Your right…" She said softly, looking down again and poking at her sandwich, "I just feel so selfish to take away something that means so much to Gramani… With his line of work, he is always risking his life, and…" a tear rolled down her cheek, "In many ways, just the thought of me helps him to make it through the hard times. I know I need to break it off with him… I just… feel so guilty, knowing that he doesn't have anyone else. And knowing that I do…" She shook her head as the tears streamed down her face, "It's just not fair. He is such a good guy… And I feel so completely terrible."

She sniffed loudly as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, "But I can't pretend like we will ever be more than what we are right now… And the truth is… I want more. I want more than just an occasional hookup. I want… I want…" Kalie looked up at Valery though moist eyes, a look of grief etched across her face, "I want what you have. I want something real… something that can last. Something that really means something at the end of my life."

Kalie reached over and grabbed onto Valery's hands, holding them tightly, "Thanks, Val…. I really needed this. I needed to have someone tell it to me straight. I get so lost in my own head sometimes… But I know more than anything, I want to make this work between her and me. And I really think it can work… maybe I'm naive… but…" She smiled, "She's worth everything to me… and if it means I loose everything for love… at least I did my absolute best to make it work. Thats all I can do, right?"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Alderaan​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Kalie Alverez ​

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"It's okay, Kalie," Valery said as she shifted over to sit beside her friend. She wrapped an arm around her, and gently rubbed over the side of one of her friend's shoulders. "Just tell him when you see him next. It will hurt him and he might lose someone who has helped keep him going, but it will also let him find someone new who can do the same," she said with a soft smile.​

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Valery then shifted away and just nodded as Kalie explained what she wanted with a smile on her face that showed her support. When Kalie took her hands after, she chuckled and nodded in agreement once again.​

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"I'll always support you with honesty, and I agree fully that you should make this step if that's what you really want most," she said with a warm smile as the woman squeezed her hands. "You're either going to find true love and be able to be yourself when you're with her. Or if things don't work out, you've at least been honest with her and with yourself, and you may find someone else someday who can make you feel this good as well."​

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"Love is a difficult thing, but honesty is important and following your feelings is a must," she said with a smile that formed as memories of her own love life flashed through her mind.​

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"I know you can do this. You're one of the strongest people I know."​

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[Kalie Alverez]

Valery Noble


Kalie sniffed, rubbing the tears from her eyes and giving Valery a smile and a nod. She then busted out with an authentic laugh as a funny thought came to mind,

"And if she ends up rejecting me and my whole life blows up, maybe I can get into the wedding vender business! I mean, if that slug can do it?" She laughed again, quickly drying her face from the tears, "… I mean, that is to say… If I don't end up incarcerated or worse when it's all said and done." She shrugged with a sigh, stating such an outcome as a definite possibility.

"Ok, now observe the brilliance of Kalie Alverez." She stated as she fully unwrapped the sandwich and opened it up. "You see, all together, it is quite a mess, but…" She started to separate the sub into two separate halves with different ingredients until she had a meatball sandwich in one half and a classic sub in the other. "Walla! Now I have two subs for the price of one!" She smiled victoriously as she quickly wrapped up one half and stuffed it back inside her bag before taking a decent bite out of the remaining half. "I am a genius!" She managed to mutter in the midst of her mouthful of food.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Alderaan​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Kalie Alverez ​

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It always surprised Valery how Kalie was able to get through difficult conversations, and be smiling and laughing by the end of it. No matter what happened, there was always a brightness to her friend that she appreciated a great deal. Especially now that she was struggling with things in her personal life as well.​

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"I think you'd be a fantastic shopkeeper, but let's hope it doesn't have to get there. Just..." Valery paused and offered her friend a smile. "Just know that if you ever need any help, no matter what it is, you can always call me. If you end up losing your job, if things don't work out and you need a friend — I'm here for you," she said before she finally decided to let the conversation shift to more fun things again.​

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Although, she wasn't quite sure what to think about her friend's sandwich just yet.​

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"A genius or just a lucky mad scientist," Valery said smugly as Kalie wrapped up one half of her sandwich. She then took another large bite from her own and let out a soft sigh. ​

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"Once we finish lunch, is there anything you'd like to do here? I'm not really that familiar with fun activities or places to visit, but I'm up for anything."​

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[Kalie Alverez]

Valery Noble


She felt tears welling up again in her eyes again as she smiled affectionately at Valery. She pulled her free arm up in front of Valery and wrapped it around her neck, pulling her best friend in for a snuggle hug of sorts as their heads touched lightly.

"Thanks, Val. You're seriously the best." She said warmly, then let go and took another bite of her sandwich. She chuckled at Val's comment about her possibly being a mad scientist, shrugging with a sheepish grin as she chewed the delectable bite.

"Hmm... We could go shopping for my new dress? Or we could go look at baby stuff? Hmm… what would be a fun activity…" She mused upon the question, trying to come up with something. Then a smile flashed across her face as she gently elbowed Val playfully,

"Hey! When's the last time you had some cocktails with your bestie?! Now that the little one is out and about you can have some drinks, right? We might be able to find a fun venue with some live music… It's the afternoon so it might be hit or miss, but…" She shrugged, "Also… I'll make sure to triple check to make sure Kahlil is nowhere to be seen before attempting girl banter ever again! Haha!" She did blush slightly at the mention of the embarrassing memory, placing both hands over her face and shaking her head in bewilderment. "I hope Kahlil understood, right? I was just trying to poke some fun at you is all. Oh force... How embarrassing!!"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Alderaan​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Kalie Alverez ​

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"Thanks, Val. You're seriously the best." ​

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Valery looked at her friend and tried to put on a serious expression, "I know." she said but almost instantly, she began to chuckle and smile brightly. She was happy to see her friend like this, with hopefully the weight on her shoulders reduced a little. At the very least, she was smiling and laughing again.​

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Kalie then went through some options for what they could do, and all of them were tempting. She enjoyed going shopping, and looking at baby stuff was always cute. But at the mention of cocktails, Valery began to smirk.​

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"I can drink again, and that sounds like fun. Just have to make sure the music isn't too loud..." she looked at Vera in the stroller and smiled. "But some nice live music, dancing and drinks is always a fun time!" she grinned and it only grew wider when she brought up Kahlil and that particular memory.​

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"Oh you're fine, he understood perfectly. He's also not going to be here, so you can poke fun at me all you want. Just know that I'll likely poke back" she winked and began to nudge Kalie along, as they moved through the area to find a place with music and drinks.​

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Luckily, with how busy and important Alderaan was, it didn't take all that long to find something. A stage was set up, a band was playing music and people were dancing along while others sat at their tables or by the bar for food and drinks. Valery looked at it with a smirk and then turned to Kalie.​

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"This looks pretty good, right?"​

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[Kalie Alverez]

Valery Noble

Kalie smiled wide as they made their way out into the street again, “Oh honey, it’s on!” She laughed as she playfully brought her two fingers up to her lips and blew on them as if they were smoking barrels. “Begun, the poking war has!”

She almost jumped from excitement when Val pointed out the lively venue. Thank the force they were on Alderaan or they might not have been so lucky in finding such a happening spot in the middle of the afternoon!

“Yes! This is perfect!” Kalie headed towards the bar, looking back at Val, “I’ll get us our first round of drinks and you find us a good spot to sit! Anything specific you want?” After Val responds, Kalie heads to the bar with a skip in her step, catching the attention of the bartender and ordering two drinks for her and Val. As she waits, she turns around and leans against the bar, tapping her foot and bobbing her head slightly to the music. This was going to be fun!

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Alderaan​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Kalie Alverez ​

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"Poking war, huh? Might not be one you want to start with me," she said with a playful grin. Valery always loved teasing Kahlil whenever she could and poked at him constantly. He was probably the only one who could really get to her with it as well, so she felt confident about her chances here.​

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The two then made it to the live venue, and Valery looked around with slightly widened eyes. It wasn't often that she visited things like this, but the music wasn't obnoxious and this was far from being inside some club in the underworld. Everything seemed fairly fancy.​

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"I uh, I'll take whatever you're taking. Unless you plan to mix drinks like you did your sandwich." she winked and made her way over to a small table meant for two — one a little further away from the stage so the loud music wasn't going to be a problem for the baby. Vera was happily smiling and clapping inside her stroller, which Valery positioned beside the table and there, she waited for Kalie to return.​

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When she eventually did, the redhead would be greeted by a grin. "You know, drinks is what started your antics on the Prosperity as well. This will be fun." she teased.​

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[Kalie Alverez]

Valery Noble


Kalie walked the drinks back to the table that Valery had found and slid one across to her friend before sliding herself in across from her. "So this is an Alderaan Blue Ice Daiquiri… I discovered it the last time I visited… Its sweetness is balanced with sour notes, and it punches quite a kick." She shrugged with a chuckle, not sure if Val needed such a detailed explanation. She took a sip of hers and closed her eyes with a signal of pleasure from the cocktail. "Yeah… that's nice." She confirmed with a smile.

"Hows little cutie doing?" Kalie peered over towards the stroller inquisitively. It was quite impressive how well the baby had been doing this whole time. She remembered that it had been almost impossible for some of her cousins to even be out for 30 minutes before the waterworks would kick in.

"She seems like such a steady kid." She said fondly with another sip, "She hasn't cried at all this whole time! She must have a steady temperament. What a precious little sweetie." Kalie dangled her finger over the table down towards the baby, wiggling it and cooing softly.

"So how are you feeling?" She said, turning back behind her for a moment to signal the waiter for two more drinks. She wasn't even close to finished with her first round, but she was more than happy to keep them coming. "And how is Kahlil? You two settling into parenthood? Any surprises or is it all pretty smooth sailing so far?"

She took another sip of her daiquiri, her finger lightly tapped in rhythm to the music that was playing.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Alderaan​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Kalie Alverez ​

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Valery accepted her drink with a bright smile and took a moment to get a closer look at it. No matter how strong it was, Valery felt confident that it wouldn't really knock her out. Jedi were abnormally skilled in cleansing the body of poisons, which included alcohol as well. Of course, she wasn't going to tell Kalie this at all.​

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"The drink looks fantastic..." she raised the glass up to her lips to take a sip and smirked. "Strong but I love the taste as well — I'll have to remember this one." ​

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Her gaze then shifted to Vera, who had been very quiet and calm today. She was likely fairly tired and until just now, they had been inside mostly quiet shops, save for the strange shopkeeper they met earlier. "She's not always this quiet, but she's definitely making momma proud today," Valery smirked and watched Vera squeal excitedly at Kalie's finger wiggling.​

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"As for me," she sighed, "I've been really tired, Kalie. Not just because of the baby, but my work and some other personal problems have been intense as well. Without Kahlil, I would have gone crazy by now but somehow, he always just... makes things better for me." she chuckled and spoke with a soft blush.​

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"We've settled into parenthood quite well, and he's really helping me get through the days and nights lately."​

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[Kalie Alverez]

Valery Noble


Kalie focused in on Val as she shared about being tired and the intensity of her life. Her defensiveness for her friend started to kick in as she took another sip of her cocktail, listening to Valery speak.

“Ok...” She said sternly, smacking the table lightly with the palm of her hand and giving Val an inquisitive and concerned look, “Tell me what’s going on. And tell me how I can help. I’m here for you, you know that, right?” She looked down at the bundle of cuteness in the stroller, “And Vera, like, adores me. So I can totally babysit for you if you need some Kahlil time, or some personal time.”

Kalie leaned forward, raising her eyebrow in expectation for Val to spill the beans. She didn’t have very many true friends, because it was difficult for her to truly open up to people. But Val was different… Val was someone that Kalie cared deeply about, and she would do anything for her. Val was someone that was always able to peak through the cracks of Kalie’s outer shell and see what was happening underneath, and it was because of Val that Kalie was learning how to open up and truly be herself again.

Valery was a true friend, and Kalie would do anything for her.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Alderaan​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Kalie Alverez ​

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When Kalie smacked the table and spoke with a more stern voice, Valery blinked and looked up a tad startled. But her surprise quickly faded and her friend's protectiveness was met with a warm smile. Earlier, Valery had talked to Kalie about being open and honest with the person she loved — it only made sense that she was going to have to be honest with her best friend now about what was going on.​

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I know, I..." she paused briefly to take a deep breath.​

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"So as I'm sure you can understand, taking care of a baby is very demanding. But Kahlil and I are both Jedi as well, with Padawans we train and I've taken up a leadership role within the Order not too long ago." Valery explained. "But not long after Vera was born, I also began experiencing these strange pain attacks. It starts as this crippling pain in my chest but expands through my whole body until I can't even stand anymore." she frowned. "It feels like I'm dying every time it happens."​

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"After the first time, I didn't think much of it, but it began to happen more frequently — each time I really pushed myself physically or with the Force, it would strike. So I began looking into it more, and recently learned that some kind of parasite was placed within me." Valery paused again, this time a lot longer as she tried to find the words. "We have no idea how to deal with it yet but it's slowly and painfully killing me. My connection and strength with the Force is the only thing holding it back right now. But I'm getting weaker with each attack."​

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There, that was all of it. She had only told the doctor she sought out and Kahlil about this whole thing, but nobody else was really aware of her condition. Valery never liked bothering people with her problems, even though at times she probably should have. She just preferred to deal with things herself, and she knew it was likely not a good character trait of hers.​

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Her eyes then began to tear up a little while she looked at Kalie, the friend she trusted the most, "I don't want to lose my family, my friends... not like this."​

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[Kalie Alverez]

Valery Noble


Kalie was focused intently on Val as she started to share. At first it was some of the standard things that definitely made sense… she was a new mom, and she was a Jedi with responsibilities… she was trying to figure out how to juggle everything, that totally made sense.

But then her eyes started to grow wider with shock and concern as she mentioned having strange pain attacks that were crippling to her body. When she said that it feels like she is dying when it happens, Kalie’s hand quickly came up and covered her mouth in shock. She was beyond concerned for Valery now… she was afraid. This was horrible!

Apparently it is some kind of parasite. Kalie shook her head, her hand still over her mouth and her eyes wide with concern. “Val…” She gasped softly.

"We have no idea how to deal with it yet but it's slowly and painfully killing me…”

That was too much for Kalie to bear. She gasped through her hand as tears welled up in her eyes, her face expressing a mix of horror and deep concern. This couldn't be happening...

Her eyes then began to tear up a little while she looked at Kalie, the friend she trusted the most, "I don't want to lose my family, my friends... not like this."

“Val!” She exclaimed weakly as tears started to stream down her face. She pulled herself quickly over to her friends side of the booth and wrapped her arms tightly around her, burying her face into her neck as she cried for her friend.

After a moment, she pulled away and looked intently into her eyes, “You listen to me.” She said in a stronger and more serious tone, “I know you're the strong one that carries everyone else on your shoulders, but it’s ok to be weak sometimes, you understand? And I am here, and I will always be here. We are going to figure this out together, ok?” She fought back more tears as her fingers tightened onto Val. She was scared. She couldn’t even bare the thought of loosing her friend. She would not allow it. She couldn’t.

“I want to move in so that I can help you around the house and help with Vera, ok?” Although it was technically a question, it came across as more demanding in its nature, “Do you have a guest room? I’m serious… You need to rest and to figure out what is going on, and in order to do that, you need someone to help you carry your responsibilities.”

 

[Valery Noble]

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Location: Alderaan​

Valery: Appearance​

Tag: Kalie Alverez ​

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The reaction from Kalie was to be expected all things considered — the redhead was her best friend, and a deeply caring person in general. But there was something about seeing tears in her friend's eyes that made it even more difficult. If something were to happen, she wasn't just going to lose those she cared about, they would also lose her. In the past, she hadn't considered this nearly as much, but in recent years she has gotten a lot closer to people and the idea of hurting them felt worse than anything else.​

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So when Kalie moved closer to pull Valery into an embrace, her own arms wrapped tightly around her friend, and she did whatever she could to fight back the tears in her eyes. Even now, she wanted to be strong to show that she wasn't scared and ready to tackle the issue. But in reality, she hadn't felt this weak in forever, and Kalie's words really punched through this facade.​

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"I know you're the strong one that carries everyone else on your shoulders, but it's ok to be weak sometimes, you understand? And I am here, and I will always be here. We are going to figure this out together, ok?"​

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Valery's lips began to tremble and a few tears finally rolled down her cheek. Kalie was one of the few who understood what Valery was like, and so she knew that despite Valery's strong outwards appearance, she actually needed help. "I... I appreciate it, Kalie," she said as the hug briefly tightened.​

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“I want to move in so that I can help you around the house and help with Vera, ok?” Although it was technically a question, it came across as more demanding in its nature, “Do you have a guest room? I’m serious… You need to rest and to figure out what is going on, and in order to do that, you need someone to help you carry your responsibilities.”

A faint smile found its way to Valery's lips at the woman's offer, and she finally decided to pull back so she could look her friend in the eyes while they discussed this, "I can't ask that of you, Kalie. You have so much going on yourself and Kahlil and I can take care of Vera but..." she frowned and broke eye contact only for a second or two. "I have an idea where I can find answers to my problem, and I'll need help with it. If you can spare the time, I'd really appreciate it if you could come with me to Onderon, to find the facility where I was retrieved from stasis." Valery asked with a gentle smile.​

​

"That's where my visions are guiding me, so I've already arranged an apartment on the planet. You can move in with me and we'll figure things out. But don't feel pressured, and you don't have to move in either if it's too much. You have your own problems to deal with as well."​

​

 

[Kalie Alverez]

Valery Noble


Kalie listened intently, wiping some of the tears away from her own cheeks as her eyebrows furrowed, her mind musing deeply upon what she was saying. After Val had stopped speaking, she placed her hand on her friends shoulder for comfort and reassurance,

“Of coarse, Val. I will request some personal leave from the agency, it’s not a problem at all. I am all yours.”

She forced a smile and tried to lighten the mood a bit, “Were going to kick that parasites butt!” She laughed, but her face could not cover up the concern she obviously felt for her friend.

As Val again implied that it would be an inconvenience for her and implored her to not to feel any pressure, she raised an eyebrow and gave her a look of disbelief, “Val…” She said with an edge of strain on her tone, “Do you know how much you mean to me? I would die for you, girl.” She said as tears again started to fill her eyes, “You are not an inconvenience, you are not asking too much of me. You are my best friend, and I would do anything for you. Because I love you, girl. And there’s nothing you can do about it.” She squeezed tightly onto Valery’s arm and offered a smile, “Looks like we will be roomies!” She let out a genuine laugh as she reached across the table and took hold of her drink, bringing it in and taking a good long sip from it.