Private So We Meet Again

[Gnox the Insatiable]

He was all smiles and grins, tugging Shai Maji more onto his lap so her back was resting against his chest. Gnox had steadily grown more and more affectionate, getting comfortable with this new sort of interaction with the woman. Though her questions game him reason to loose the smile. There was a single nod. She was right. If he was going to make this work, he couldn't keep eating people.

Having gone without already was a withdrawal that he knew was only going to get worse.

"I'm more than willing to try. I feel.. More. Real. Alive. But I can feel the hunger gnawing at me. Even with a replacement I'll grow weaker. More.. Mortal. And that's if I can get through the worse of this withdrawal."

 

[Shai Maji]

A soft giggle escaped the Shistavanen as Gnox pulled her onto his lap. But when he started to speak, she turned around and straddled him as her hands rested on his chest. She listened as he spoke and looked at him with sympathetic eyes. Her one hand moved up to run through his mane and cup his cheek. "I know all about withdrawal, believe me. I'll be there to help you." she gently proclaimed. A smirk appeared on her face as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "And take it from one. Being mortal isn't so bad." she muttered as she gazed into his eyes. "I'll help you in any way I can if you go through with this." she stated as she held him in a gentle embrace.

She finally pulled back and glanced at the holoprojector still shining against the wall across the bed. Looking back to him, she got off him and sat down beside him with her body pressed against his. "Okay so... what are you in the mood for?" she asked him as she looked around for the remote. "You wanna go for round two or do you wanna find out..." she kept rummaging through the sheets and glanced over the floor of her room, both not easy tasks for finding something as small as a remote. "... What a... movie is- where the hell is that remote?!" she called out with a light frown as she glared around the room.

She finally found the device... on the floor on the other side of the room. She sighed in defeat and rested against him. But one glance at his hand gave her an idea. "Say... you're Sith, right?" she started with a grin. "Can you like... do the magic hand thing?" she asked, waving her hand around and twiddling her fingers to get her point across.

Gnox the Insatiable

 

[Gnox the Insatiable]

"I'm more worried about you being there." His voice was soft this time, a far more shameful look taking over his features. "If it doesn't work, I'll eat you. All it takes is the hunger to win once." That was his biggest worry of all of this. The blood worked, sure, but not enough. If the temptation grew too much, no one would be safe around him. Gnox hugged Shai Maji pretty tightly, his eyes closing. "If it gets to that point, just burn me. Fire's the most effective way to slow my healing." The fact she had a flamethrower in her arm was slightly relieving, but still. He truly didn't want to hurt her.

The change of subject was welcome. He watched her with a brow raised as she scanned the room for the remote. A laugh escaped. "You should try cleaning next time." He teased lightly as he leaned over to nuzzle her cheek. Yeah, he'd have to clean this at some point. Just to get a bit more order at least. Her laziness earned another laugh. He did as asked though, raising a hand to bring over the remote in a quick pull of the Force. "I'd call you lazy, but I was gonna do it anyway if you tried to get up."

He flashed a grin as he wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her close. "Show me what a movie is. If I get bored, I'll just take round two. If I don't, that'll come after."

 

[Shai Maji]

His worries were understandable, and Shai understood them as well. The last thing she wanted was to become the next meal for a guy she thought she could love. But at the same time, she felt pretty damn confident when wearing her armour. "I figured that much. In my experience, anything can be killed with enough bombs and fire." she quipped as he held her against him. Her smile faded, though, as she took it more seriously. "In all honesty, I'm sure it'll work. We can go to a secluded planet and I'll make sure to bring enough gear to get out of there if things go south." she reassured him.

When he joked about her mess of a room, he earned a light slap against the gut. "I try, okay! It just goes back to this after a few days." she admitted with a chuckle. Thankfully he saved her the effort of getting up and summoned the remote to them. She shot him a mischievous grin when he quipped about her laziness, giving him a nudge with her shoulder. "You got magical space powers that can summon anything in a room to you, I'd say you're the lazy one here." she teased before scrolling through the list of movies. A snicker escaped her at his reasoning but she wasn't opposed to it at all. "Just need to figure out what'll be a good... oh this looks promising." she muttered, opening the overview of a movie. "I think you'll like this. It's got a nice mix of action and comedy." she explained as she rested against him and started the movie.

She rested an arm against his chest as she shifted to lie against him. After a few minutes in, she glanced up at him to see how he was faring.

Gnox the Insatiable

 

[Gnox the Insatiable]

"We did meet with me crawling out of a wreckage that obliterated my body." There was a dry chuckle, but ultimately this was fine. This would work. He'd make it work. Shai Maji seemed worth that much at least, and likely more. Another chuckle at the slap, then he nestled more against her. Holding her close as the movie was turned on. He'd never seen it before, obviously, but the whole concept of a movie still made him as curious as ever.

She'd see him completely enthralled, his gaze unwavering from the holoscreen. A goofy grin formed now and then at the jokes, but for the most part he seemed pretty happy with this whole thing. The only part of him that moved was his ears, flicking at the gunshots. When the movie finally ended he laughed and shook his head. "How many uh, movies are there?"

 

[Shai Maji]

Looking up, he seemed to be enjoying herself. She was glad that she made the right call otherwise it could have been rather disastrous. With her heart at ease she sat back and enjoyed the movie with him. Her laughs were a lot heartier and a lot more memorable, but she tried to keep it down with the parts she knew were important. When it was finally done she let out a soft snicker and looked up at him. His question made her blink in surprise. How the hell was she supposed to answer that?

"Um... a lot. Like... a lot." she commented, exiting back to the library. "Lemme just show you." she muttered as she scrolled through a seemingly endless list of titles all with their own pictures. After a few moments she simply stopped and looked at him. "There's literally anything for anyone. And these are simply among the most recent. If you know where to look, you can even find movies dating back to the Clone Wars or even before that. And these are only movies. We're not even talking about shows now." she explained to him as she paged over to the shows and repeated the cycle. "So safe to say... if you're bored, there's something for you somewhere in that mix." she finally finished with a chuckle.

She set the remote aside and looked at him again with a sultry smile. "Now... what's next? You in the mood for another one or would you like..." her hand caressed his chest and moved up to cup his cheek as she leaned closer to him. "... Something more interactive?" she asked with a sultry smile, inches away from his face. She hoped the movies stuck with him, though. She was going to have a problem chatting with him over Sith scriptures or the goings-on in that area of the galaxy...

Gnox the Insatiable

 

[Gnox the Insatiable]

An endless supply of movies. And shows? Gnox laughed a bit, glancing to Shai Maji with a grin. "It's good that I can't grow old then. I've an eternity to watch these, unless something kills me." What started as a joke had quite the sobering effect in the back of his mind. He looked away quickly, back to the screen as he tried to bury the thought before it infected the mood that had been set. Her touch thankfully was enough to pull his mind from it all. His own sultry grin formed as he leaned into her palm.

"Sounds kinda like you want something more interactive. Didn't get enough yet?" It was a tease, and a bad one at that. He definitely wanted more, but he didn't exactly want to give that away too easily.

 

[Shai Maji]

At his little comment Shai sat upright and folded her arms as she tilted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow at him. Safe to say, his tease sucked. She maintained her unimpressed stare for a good long moment before she gave a huff. "Like I'm the only one who didn't get enough." she retorted, though it was clear in her voice that she was simply putting on an act. With a smirk in the corner of her lips she climbed off him and sat on her side of the bed like a pouting child.

With crossed legs, folded arms and her face pointing off into a different corner in the room she pretended to ignore him flat. "Well sorry for you, but now we're not doing anything. You wanna do something, you're gonna have to earn it." she stated, trying to keep her laughter suppressed. She shot him a sly sidelong glance before looking away again as she kept up her joke. But it didn't last long and soon she came scooting back to him with a grumble, pressing into his side and resting her head against his chest. "Okay fine, you win." she mumbled. "Though we can't just stay in here all day, you know. We need to get out and do some stuff." she commented as she shifted to stretch her legs out over his.

"I'm definitely gonna take you to the mall, though. You can pick stuff you like and I'll give my commentary on it. After that we can set you up with your new diet and then you can show me what you do in your free time. How's that sound for a plan of action?" she asked as she smiled up at him. While it was meant as a joke, there was a degree of truth and a healthy dose of optimism in her voice as she smiled up at him.

Gnox the Insatiable

 

[Gnox the Insatiable]

Gnox wasn't use to people. Teasing, actually being annoyed, he didn't really know the difference yet. He practically whined as she left him and immediately went full apologetic. "I.. But. I. What do I have to do? I'm sorry, tha-" The realization settled in as he saw the sly look, and a much larger grin formed on his face. He stayed quiet, listening to her, letting her talk and plan the day. And he was absolutely all for it. He nodded once, his smile turning kinder.

But only for a moment. The next, the wide grin was back and he tackled her to the bed with a playful laugh. "We'll stay here for much, much longer." He growled his words in her ear as he pinned her down. "Got it?"

*********************************************************
​

Much longer turned out to be a couple hours. Some of which was a nap. Gnox awake slowly, yawning a bit and sitting up. He idly rubbed an eye as he looked around and remembered where he was. A smile formed as he looked back to Shai Maji before he got out of the bed to find some place to clean up. He'd likely be there by the time she awoke, frustrated trying to figure out how it worked.

 

[Shai Maji]

He seemed to agree to everything, simply smiling as she explained. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something else was going on inside that head of his. Then he made his move.

A shrieking laugh erupted as she was tackled to the bed and pinned beneath him. But just like that, she calmed down and gave a sharp nod at his order. "You're the boss." she quipped, though there was a healthy amount of sarcasm in her voice.

**********​

While Gnox woke up easily enough, the sane could not be said for Shai. Sprawled out on the bed, she had the majesty of a bantha as she snored loudly. She only stirred a bit when a sound disrupted her nap... however her heart sank when she opened her eyes and all she could see was fire. It was only for a brief moment but it was long enough for the smell of the village and the sounds of the roaring flames to fill her ears even after her eyesight adjusted to the red pillow in her face.

"No!" she screamed as she scrammed bacl and accidentally threw herself off the bed. Immediately she curled into a ball and clutched at her head, her hands pressing her ears flat against her head to try and drown out the sound. With her legs tucked into her chest she stared into nothing...

Gnox the Insatiable

 

[Gnox the Insatiable]

The scream caught him off guard. Gnox froze in the shower, staring at the infernal contraption for a moment. Was he hearing things? Was it the voices? No, that was Shai Maji . Something was wrong. He tore from the shower (Much to the poor thing's dismay as he might have broken the door) and back into the bedroom, looking around frantically for her. It took a moment for him to realize she was on the other side of the bed. Carefully he stepped his way around, not wanted to scare her any more than she was.

He watched, unsure what to do. Seeing her like that was.. Sobering. Slowly he moved to crouch before her, setting a hand on her shoulder. The real shoulder, just incase touching the robotic one would freak her out further. "Shai. It's okay." That's what he was supposed to say, right?

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai was shivering on the floor as she pressed her ears down, tears forming in her eyes. She flinched and looked up at Gnox when he touched her shoulder, quickly wrapping her arms around him as she buried her face into his chest. "I keep seeing them, Gnox!" she cried as she clung to him. "I can smell them, I can see them. Make it stop!" she pleaded into his chest. For several long minutes she held onto him until the smells and faces finally disappeared. She pulled back and wiped at her eyes as she stared at the floor. "I'm sorry." she whispered to him. She peeked up at him with shame in her eyes then quickly looked away.

Wordlessly she got up and grabbed her nervestick as she made her way to the kitchen. With shaky hands she took out her can of hot chocolate and scooped some into a mug but slammed the can down on the counter when she accidentally threw the powder out next to her mug. With a shaky breath she picked up the nervestick and took a long drag of the device. Everything was wrong. The hot chocolate was wrong, the nervestick made her sick, the silence deafened her, even the expression Gnox gave her ticked her off. After a few more drags the device's effects started to kick in and the frustrations began to filter out. The harsh scowl on her brow broke down into a saddened gaze as she looked to the bedroom. "Gnox?" she spoke up with a timid voice.

She set the nervestick aside and went to go look for him. When she found him, she wrapped her arms around him with a shaky breath and held him for a moment. "Just forget about that, please. It's... it happens now and then." she confessed softly. The last thing she wanted was to make him uncomfortable.

Gnox the Insatiable

 

[Gnox the Insatiable]

Carefully he wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest. He really didn't know what to do. His embrace tightened after a moment. If there wasn't anything more he could do, he'd at least hold her until she could calm. When Shai Maji pulled away he made no move to stop her. This was something she'd been dealing with for a long time, and he certainly didn't know how to help someone. He was barely figuring out how to be sociable. His gaze was full of concern as she got up and left.

He'd stay where he was for a little bit, watching where she left. Should he follow her? Or give her space? He opted for the second, trusting that she was doing something to settle herself. He went to the shower again to at least get clean. Took a little bit, but he did figure out how to turn on the water. He'd be just getting out of the shower and drying off when the woman came back.

Once more Gnox wasn't sure what to do as she hugged him. He took a breath before wrapping his arms protectively around her, squeezing her to his chest. "I'm not going to forget about it. We're aiming for something more together right? I don't know how to help you, but I want to. Tell me what to do."

 

[Shai Maji]

His arms wrapped around her and held her close. A comforting and gentle embrace. She sighed as her own arms gripped him tighter and her face pressed into his chest. He wanted to help her. It meant a lot to her but she knew there was nothing anyone could do to fix what was wrong with her. "There's nothing you can do. There's nothing anyone can do." she muttered softly. "They're gone. Murdered in their homes by those karking traitors. Unless time can be turned back, there's nothing that can fix this." she whispered to him as she looked up at him. "I'll see them for the rest of my life. That shallow grave filled with my kiddies. One of my best friends with a hole in the back of her head. My Alor on his knees as his parents hang from the roof of their burning home. My entire clan up in flames with the smell of burning flesh in the air. There's nothing that can fix that. I'll live with that for the rest of my life." she spoke with a cracking voice.

"But this helps." she admitted as she kissed his chest and hugged him tighter. "It's easier to live with when I'm not alone." she continued as she looked up with a faint smile. "It keeps the voices away."

After a few moments of holding onto him, she released a heavy sigh and let go of him. "I'm gonna catch a shower. Gotta at least try to get my mess of a pelt clean." she spoke with a more light-hearted tone. She didn't want to linger on this topic. It only served to ruin the moment of peace they had together. But before she entered the bathroom she quickly turned back and placed a tender kiss on his lips. "Thank you, Gnox." she muttered before disappearing into the shower.

Gnox the Insatiable

 

[Gnox the Insatiable]

A deep frown formed as the fact he could do nothing to truly help Shai Maji was made clear. It was.. Odd. To feel powerless with all the strength he had. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, nodding. "Then, I'll help keep the voices at bay as much as I can." His grip around her tightened, squeezing more protectively than he had before. No, he'd find a way to help her. He had to.

He kept his arms around her for a little while longer, even as she let go to go to the shower. His gaze followed after her, before a smile formed at the kiss. It was amazing how quickly the mood could change. Perhaps that was just the dynamic they had. He sat on the bed, waiting for her to come back from the shower for less than a minute before laughing. Why wait? He hopped up to his feet and followed her right in. "You gotta show me how this works as it is, so I'll just join ya."

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai entered the bathroom and came to a halt by the mirror. For a long moment she stared at herself as a myriad of emotions ran through her. She at least got her act together and focused on making sure her physical state was good. Her pelt was clean -relatively speaking- and her mane, as wild and unkempt as it seemed, was still combed out and clean. Gnox's compliments helped a lot with how she saw herself as well. But her eyes didn't have that same glimmer it always had. She knew that, behind her physical appearance and her eyes, her health was a different story.

She shoved those feelings down and entered the shower with a sigh. But before she could turn the water on, she heard Gnox's voice behind her as he jumped into the shower as well. She tensed up in surprise and spun around with a shocked expression. "What on... wait what?" she spoke with confusion as she stared at him. Her startled thoughts cleared up and made sense of what he said... it didn't help at all. "What do you mean I gotta show you? Do you seriously not know how to use a shower?!" she asked him in disbelief. As much as she tried to keep it back, a defeated chuckle escaped her as she bumped her head against his chest. "Okay fine, I'll show you." she relented with amusement in her voice as she turned to get the shower going.

"Okay pay attention." she instructed, though she doubted that a shower was the most important thing on his mind. "This is the warm water. This is the cold water. You start by opening the warm water first. Because I swear, you're a mad man if you start with the cold water." she spoke with determination as she pointed out the controls. She opened the warm water and stepped back against him, pushing him back with a smirk as the steaming water rained down in front of her. "Then you open the cold water..." she opened the cold water and adjusted until it was at a temperature she liked. "You just keep adjusting until you get the pressure and temp you like then you're set." she finished, taking hold of a washing cloth and throwing it at his chest. "You go first, mister caveman." she teased as she stepped aside and gave his backside a light slap.

Gnox the Insatiable

 

[Gnox the Insatiable]

"Hey, I bathe in pools of water, not under a sprayer." He huffed, looking someone embarrassed at her reaction. It wasn't his fault his people didn't have showers when he was still on the old world. They didn't even have technology. Her chuckle brought a smile to his face regardless, though. He could never truly be upset with how Shai Maji teased him. His own amusement grew as he followed her direction. There was a light hum as he listened, but really he wasn't watching the shower.

A much larger grin formed as he pulled her close after the slap. "Why don't you show me how to do that, too?" The playfulness was clear in his voice as he waggled his eyebrows. "I'm not sure I know how that works either."

 

[Shai Maji]

He pulled her in and she relented, letting him drag her closer as he continued with his shenanigans. She couldn't deny that he was helping her feel better already. "Oh you poor wittle baby, not even knowing how to wash." she teased him as she lightly tapped his snout with her finger. "Fine, let me show you..." she muttered as she turned to face him. Using her foot she picked up the cloth and took hold of it with her hand. She held it into the water then faced him fully as she looked up into his eyes, her lip inches away from his as she took hold of his hand...

Then slapped the cloth into it and pressed it against his chest. "Drag the cloth over your body until you're clean. Use the soap too but don't let it get into your eyes." she ordered him as she twisted him around and pushed him under the water. A cackling laugh soon erupted as she leaned against the wall, barely able to breathe. She tried to speak but the laughter cut her off from saying anything coherent.

"You can do it, I believe in you!" she cheered him on before laughing further. When she finally calmed down she pressed herself against his back and wrapped her arms around his stomach to hold onto him. "I'm sorry, you just made it too easy for me." she quipped, still snickering from her little joke. But even in this position, she made excellent use of him to block the water from splashing into her face. She was curious as to how long it would take him to figure that one out...

Gnox the Insatiable

 

[Gnox the Insatiable]

He rolled his eyes at the baby talk, but still grinned none the less. Maybe this'd actually work out in the way he intended. Gnox leaned right in as she did, mind already racing with many different things, none of which involved actually getting cleaned, only to be interrupted by the wet smack of the cloth in his hand. He was dumbfounded as Shai turned him to the shower, and actually ended up just doing as intended with cleaning himself. Too stunned to think of doing anything else.

The apology is what snapped him out of it. He cackled madly as he glanced over his shoulder to her with a big old grin. He didn't say anything more as he tossed the cloth aside and turned to snatch her up in his arms and drag her into the water. "Yeah yeah, I aint gonna take it easy on you!"

*******************************
​

"I uh, there's not a limit in the hot water right? I didn't just use all it up?" He chuckled a bit as he dried himself off and stepped out of the shower. His brown eyes glanced back to her, full of joy, but also of hesitance. Worry. "You'll be alright, when we're apart. Right?"

 

[Shai Maji]

She glanced up at him witb deceivingly innocent eyes, blinking a few times as she smiled up at him. She knew exactly what was coming now...

He spund around and pulled her into the water, causing her to laugh as she tried to fight bacl to no avail. "Wai- Gnox, my hair-!" she shrieked with laughter as the water rained down on the two of them.

**********​

Shai dried off with another towel beside him, carefully working on her fur to not cause it all to puff out. Not that it would work all that well. "Nah, it'll refill. There's a tank with an element inside that heats cold water up. It's all good." she explained as she finished up with her mane and tossed the drenched towel over a railing.

Her smile faltered for a moment as she glanced at him. "Yeah..." she muttered as it returned somewhat. "I'll be fine. I'll ask a friend to come over or something, no big deal." she dismissed his worries as she glanced at the floor.

"Don't worry. I just have to hold out until we meet up again." she continued as she glanced up at him with a small smile.

Gnox the Insatiable