Private Staring Into The Abyss

[Aris Noble]

His ears burned. And yet, he couldn't help but laugh himself with her. Especially at her snort. He didn't think she was laughing at him in the slightest, which only made this that much funnier to him. What he said was pretty silly after all! He just, leaned back on his hands, still snickering as he did keep some watch around them, on the hills and mountains, on the far off Abyss in the sky.

As embarrassed as he felt right now, he couldn't be happier.

"I like your breath."

Again he paused. And again his face lit right up beat red. He reached up, rubbing the back of his neck to try and soothe the blush that had formed there. "I- I mean. Your breath smells fine. I just- you drank something and I could smell it. Alcohol. It was just- strong to me. Your breath as is smells nice. And you're not silly or dumb. You're the smartest person I know. I'm wearing tech you made for me, to keep me from being overwhelmed by sound. It's- I could never think you're dumb or silly, Zaiya."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya glanced at Aris cautiously, hoping the tension would dissolve. To her relief and amusement, it did and she was rewarded with his laugh. The sound reverberated around her, genuine, full. It made the corners of his eyes crinkle, and his face light up.

He was very pretty. No -- handsome.

She'd always thought he was beautiful. But looking at him now, in these little moments she could steal for herself, he really radiated in a way that made her take mental holo pictures of him.

Especially of moments when he clearly was still so much like her in saying such silly things that it made him blush red. It was adorable. It was cute. It made a spark of impish mischief rise up over her iridescent blue eyes, and ripples of mischievous cyan shimmers painted her skin.

"You like my breath then?" Zaiya leaned forward, bracing her palm against the stone to get closer to him, eyes dancing with mischief.

"Smells nice?" considering she had brushed her teeth three times today, it better! She mused, getting close enough so that Aris could feel the slight puff of her breath when she drew near and spoke. It was a double edge vibrosword, though, because it made her all too aware of the lovely shade of green his eyes had. Add in the compliments he gave her, and now she was the one blushing to the tips of her ears.

" -- wait what? Alcohol?" The slight flustered sensation waned, confusion painting her expression as her dark brows drew forward.

"When? I didn't drink any." at least, from what she could recall. At least she didn't remember.

So much for focusing on healing her thigh; then again, it was starting to feel a little better. The passive curta salva was helping at least.

 

[Aris Noble]

Ah.

Aris blinked slowly as he looked back to Zaiya as she leaned over. His blush only worsened. He wasn't used to not being able to think clearly. His mind was made to think incredibly fast, sorting out problems and equations at breakneck speed all simultaneously without issue. It was as if he'd sort circuited now as she clearly was trying to get him to smell her breath now in confirmation.

He didn't know what to do, what to say. He just stared with his face red as can be.

The only relief was a different question he knew he could answer without feeling flushed. "When you came back the other night, and I said your breath smelled, it was because it smelled like alcohol. You were acting a little off too. Did you not realize you did..?" He'd been so focused on his own embarrassment then that he'd forgotten to even ask her. To figure out if something bad had actually happened. It didn't seem like it, but, now he was even more worried something had.

"Did someone give you a drink they shouldn't have?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

For once, Aris didn't have a witty comeback or one of his usual logical quips. Instead, he just... froze. His face went completely blank, and the tips of his ears turned a deep crimson under the silvery mop of hair that curled over them and tickled his neck.

Zaiya couldn't help it as a giggle bubbled up before she could stop herself. It didn't help that seeing him flustered like that made her just as flustered. Her colors shimmered with a soft, rosy pink across her mottled spots and stripes, a bright, cheerful contrast to her usual hues. If he hadn't already made it painfully clear that he'd smelled alcohol on her breath last time, she might've booped his nose just to snap him out of it.

Instead, she frowned, leaning back into her sitting position and letting the giggle fade into thoughtful silence. Her brows furrowed as she tried to piece together what he meant. The memory was hazy, but... oh. The tea party.

"Oh... so that's what you meant." Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment as she rubbed the back of her neck, colors shifting into a muted amber streaked with pink.

"I thought you were talking about the garlic cheesy shrimp cakes I ate..." She laughed nervously, but her amusement fizzled as she thought more about it.

"Um... no, I mean, there were a lot of drinks being offered, but I didn't touch any of that stuff! I only had this really yummy fruit punch thing with bits of fruit and smashed ice. It didn't taste any different..." Her voice trailed off, her eyes narrowing as realization dawned. "Oh."

Her gaze snapped back to Aris, her bioluminescence flickering in a bright citrine wave as she sat up straighter.

"Wait... you don't think there was alcohol in it, do you? But... I thought you could taste alcohol?" She frowned, looking genuinely puzzled. That's what she'd always assumed.

Wait a minute!

A new thought struck her. She tilted her head, a dark brow arching as a teasing glint sparked in her opal blue eyes. A ripple of mischievous cyan swirled over her skin as she leaned closer, the suspicion clearly playful in the narrowing of her eyes.

"Wait a second... how do you know what alcohol smells like?"

Her grin widened as she stared him down, clearly relishing the rare chance to tease him a bit more.

 

[Aris Noble]

Wait what. Aris blinked slowly as she asked her question, head tilted to the side. "My parents drink some times. Usually wine. I learned the smell early on." Was she.. Trying to tease him about it? She was trying to turn all of this around on him? Aris ended up flashing a grin now, leaning over in turn. So this was their level of challenge now? The blush was mostly gone from his face as he let himself be swept up in this little spar of words, his green eyes glinting mischievously.

"I get you didn't realize you were drinking. But do you forget how much you fell about? Seems more like you can't even hold your liquor, considering you even tugged me down over-"

The memory came back. How close they'd been, how he had to prop himself up on the door to avoid actually landing atop her. The worry had been there, how she had been acting, how it was clear she'd drank something she shouldn't. He couldn't ignore how pretty she was then, though. How pretty she looked now as her colors swirled around, the sparkle in her eyes.

The fact them both leaning closer now had them incredibly close. His face lit right up as he sort of just froze, his eyes darting between hers. Then fell to her calf. Not here, not while she was hurt. They were on a mission. Don't get distracted.

".. How's your leg?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Oh. Oh no. This didn't work out as planned, Zaiya thought, her eyes widening as Aris's eyes danced with mischief and leaned forward to give as much as he got with the Lovalla's teasing. Granted, she did not have a plan to begin with as much as she had simply acted because he had been so adorablely blushing.

"It was my first time!" she blurted out. Now, she was the one caught, struggling to maintain her composure. She had to swallow hard and force herself to think of what to say and not how close he was.

"Oh, umm, still a bit sore. I've been passively trying to heal it but yeah, I should, umm, work on it more." she bluttered out, a deep blush spreading over her cheeks.

"So. Wine then. Umm.. ever had any?" she asked, leaning back to focus on her thigh -- as much as because she had to as well as because she was briefly thinking of how she had been a bit of a klutz that night.

Oh my stars!!!

He had been so close enough to kiss! Not that they would have right.. but... oh Force, Zaiya focus on healing your thight!

Placing her hands on her thigh, she tried to focus on healing, summoning the Force. But there was no denying the way the telltale colors swirled and pulsed with pretty glowing glints that her mind had been exactly on what Aris had mentioned regarding that faithful night she'd come stumbling back to the dorm.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris blinked.

Then stifled another laugh. He didn't know all the thoughts going through her head, but seeing her get as flustered as he did was.. A relief. There was a lot they were going to have to figure out now, but.. For the most part it was going to be fun. The sort of thing he just.. Hoped would work out. Should he think of the future at all? .. No. Not yet, anyway. His gaze turned back up to the Abyss above, focused on it. He could see what was happening inside it, the various odd metals structures. He could almost see the planet hidden on the other side when the shifting debris moved enough.

"No. We're too young to drink. .. But also I don't think it works on me."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Even with Zaiya focusing on speeding up the healing of her thigh, she could still hear Aris's response regarding the wine. Warmth would pour from her hands into her muscles, diving deep, doing its best to work through the soreness and the ache she felt there. Much like her Master Iris Arani taught her, she was getting better at this, especially the ability she learned from her to instead picture the Force in a multitude of colors, on where the pain, infection, and the like would be, and trying one's best to draw it out of the body or stimulate it into letting the body's natural abilities to heal to go faster.

"Oh.. right. Like during the training for Curato Salva, when they had us drink the tiny amount of fluid that made us nauseated?" Well, it made her and Masha nauseated, Aris seemed to be fine in his spar with Vera afterward.

"Wait, but didn't you pass out after that, though, when Master Qel-Droma did something to make it more difficult for you to process?" she asked, remembering how he had fallen to the floor suddenly. At the time, Zaiya hadn't known that the Corellian Master had used Malacia on Aris to make it more difficult for him to try and sustain his endurance.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris blinked, then.. Pouted. It was a little expression, one of those things that you could blink and miss it, but he was absolutely pouting. The memory of how he just dropped as he had wasn't a fun one. He was embarrassed, especially with how quickly it had taken care of him. "He made me dizzy and- It's not the same. He messed with my ears. The poison didn't work. With that logic, I doubt alcohol would ever work on me."

Which, given how uncontrolled she was just from one drink, was probably for the best. She might not have been all over the place or wasted, but he needed to keep control. If he lost it, who knew who could get hurt.

"I'm not sure what I could do to stop that from happening again, honestly."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

The tension and soreness of her thigh were beginning to wane; Zaiya was getting a little better at healing, but certainly nothing like Master Iris Arani . A little bit more, and she could get it to the point where it wouldn't be too uncomfortable to walk; it was just stiffness. It was the unfortunate side effect of being Lovalla -- if she wasn't careful, she could technically bruise like a Namanian Peach.

A side glance over to Aris had her catch his pout. It made her chuckle a bit, and she shook her head. "Ah. so that is what it was, because of your super senses. Vertigo must have been overwhelming for you," she thought in a slight pensive musing.

"Hmm... so you can't get inebriated at all ever because your body will detox it out... but if you end up spinning with high gravitational forces, odds are you'll toss your dinner." Aris wasn't invincible after all, so that made sense.

"Pity... I wonder how you'd act if you could," she ended up murmuring aloud before she realized what she said. Blushing she pushed forward and cleared her throat, following up quickly with a potential solution on what could be done to fix it.

"Well... you could try to ease your way into getting a better tolerance? Don't they have a sort of spinning ride at Hologram Fun world or other amusement parks that could help with that?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"Maybe. I'm not sure just what it takes to overwhelm my senses. Kinda feels like I've been hit with the biggest extremes rather than a proper way to know. But- I don't think it'd be something good, me being drunk. I'd break things if I lost control. And people." A Sith Lord's screeching voice, amplified by the Dark purposefully. A Jedi Mater using an ability to make his head spin. Drinking, though? No, no he didn't want to loose control like that.

An amusement park, though? Aris tilted his head, leaned back on his hands, hummed. That wasn't a bad idea as a test to see just what his limits were for those sorts of experiences. "Want to go to an amusement park with me?"

He paused. His face immediately flushed red. He didn't move, he just stayed leaned back on his hands, a calm smile on his face. But his cheeks, his ears, even the back of his neck? All beat red as he realized just what he'd asked of her. But he didn't double back. Didn't say anything else. He wanted her answer.

And ho boy did he hope it was yes.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Aris always worried so much about losing control -- it was one of the things Zaiya liked most about him, even if it made her heart ache sometimes. The thought of being inebriated would only deepen that fear, and she didn't want to push him into something that made him uncomfortable. Besides, what was the point of fun if Aris didn't think it was fun too?

"That could be really fun to go to an amusement park! I bet they have lots of good food vendors too!" Zaiya said brightly, nodding her agreement. The irridecence of her opal blue eyes sparkled with excitement, but when she turned to him, she noticed his face was an alarming shade of red again. Her brows furrowed slightly in bemusement.

Why was he blushing this time?

She studied him for a moment, her head tilting like a curious bird. Then, unable to help herself, a chuckle escaped her lips.

Satisfied with the progress she'd made healing her thigh, Zaiya let the Force energy fade, flexing her leg experimentally. It felt better, a little sore, but nothing too bad. Her body would do the rest. Turning back to Aris, her own cheeks tinged pink as a mischievous grin curved her lips. The faint cyan glow flickering over her mottled spots betrayed her playful mood.

"Want me to check you out?" she teased, lifting her hands and wiggling her fingers in his direction like a healer preparing to administer a serious examination. "You're looking awfully flushed, Aris."

Her grin widened, and her voice dropped into a mock serious tone. "We can't have you passing out from heat stress now, can we?"

Moments like this, lighthearted and warm, felt like little treasures in the whirlwind of back to back missions and training. With being able to communicate what they felt, it felt like a big weight off her chest. It allowed her to go back a bit more to how they were before, being silly and making jokes.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris paused at the whole rubbing at the back of his neck at Zaiya's answer. It'd sounded like he was asking her out on a date, right? They were so flushed and embarrassed earlier, but, she was so casual about it? His hand lowered as he.. Pouted. He didn't put thought in his expression, but he was still just pouting as his cheeks burned ever slightly more red. Especially at a chuckle. Did he just assume too much about it being a date? Did she not realize it?

Grant it the moment she spoke up about checking him out he turned and his face flushed over that much more. "Wha-" He huffed before he leaned over in turn, squinting at her. "Oh yeah? Heat stress is it? Why don't you go ahead and check me over then. I really would hate to pass out before we can even have a proper date."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

The truth of the matter was that Zaiya had not realized what Aris meant by asking her to go to an amusement park. In her mind, it was just like all the other times they made plans -- working through their list of burger places, holo-arcades, or interesting spots they wanted to check out together. She didn't even blink at the idea, already mentally ranking which rides might be fun.

Aris got all huffy, his cheeks bright red and his lower lip sticking out in a pout that only made him look more endearing. Zaiya couldn't help herself; a giggle bubbled up, spilling out as she studied the brand new pouty expression. The more he flushed, the more Zaiya's mischievous side itched to tease him. The thought of ruffling his messy hair like he was a bemused Tooka kitten practically sparkled in her mind.

Okay, maybe I shouldn't tease him too much…

But any restraint she might have had flew right out the viewport when Aris suddenly leaned in closer. His face was impossibly red now, and he squinted at her as he huffed out a quip.

"Oh yeah? Heat stress is it? Why don't you go ahead and check me over then. I really would hate to pass out before we can even have a proper date."

Her hands immediately cupped his cheeks, holding him in place, mischief rippling in teal gold fleck shimmers over her face, fully intending in a mock claim, "Okay, let me check your temperature th-- " At least, until it registered what he said: I would really hate to pass out before we can even have a proper date.

Her brain froze.

Date. A proper date.

"Wait. Date?" Her voice cracked on the word, shooting up an octave as her golden tones flickered wildly against streaks of flustered pink and startled silver. "A proper date?!"

Her thoughts short circuited, and she stared at him with wide, blinking eyes. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized she was still squishing his face, making his mouth pucker out like a Giju fish out of water, but the realization only made her spots ripple faster.

"You want to go on a date with me?!" she blurted, her voice loud enough to echo in the jungle.

So much for staying out of sight and incognito again. Here's hoping that Moug was still passed out.

 

[Aris Noble]

She was still holding his face. Very much still holding his face. Squishing his cheeks and making quite the silly face, but her freak out and blush hadn't stopped her from holding his cheeks at all. And getting flustered more and more. He couldn't look away from all the colors she was shifting through, the embarrassment, the joy (or at least he hoped?), the panic. Or maybe it was just a string of really unknowable emotions at this point.

Then she shouted. Screamed, almost. He blinked in surprise before he ended up full on laughing, reaching a hand up to gently if firmly cover her mouth so she wasn't going to continue to yell about this and lure back that Mogu or some other local critter that would have no issue trying to eat them. "Hey hey we're still hiding from the wildlife! Don't yell like that- pffaahahahaha."

He couldn't stop himself from laughing. Seeing how flustered she'd gotten from this realization, it really took him out of his pouty mood.

"Yeah, Zaiya, I do." He smiled after the laughter stopped enough for him to, his hand falling away. "I wanna go on a date with you."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Aris was laughing. Not just a chuckle or a quiet snicker, but a full on, shoulder shaking, breath stealing laugh that left his jade green eyes sparkling with mirth -- even with her squishing his face! It was the most Zaiya had ever seen him let go like that, and for a moment, the sound was so infectious she almost forgot why he was laughing in the first place.

Almost.

The initial flustered shock ebbed, replaced by a twist of pouty aggravation that danced faintly across her skin in muted coral and silvery hues. Her lips puckered into a slight pout, and she huffed softly against the hand he'd pressed to her mouth, the playful indignation building in her expression.

Oh, he thought he was so-o funny, huh?

Just for that, Zaiya squished his cheeks a little harder, her hands gently mashing his face in retaliation before finally letting go.

"There," she muttered, though the amusement in her eyes betrayed any seriousness. She leaned back, crossing her arms with a sidelong glance, her skin rippling with soft waves of pouty lavender and faint glowing effects that swirled at her temples.

"Go on... laugh away," she said, her tone dripping with exaggerated ruefulness. The corner of her mouth twitched upward despite herself. She wasn't really mad, especially not with how happy he looked right now. It was kind of adorable -- annoyingly so.

When Aris finally managed to catch his breath between laughs, Zaiya felt the need to defend herself.

"How was I supposed to know that? We always go out and plan stuff together!" she huffed again, crossing her arms tighter over her chest, her cheeks warming with a bright flush of rosy gold as her colors flared in embarrassment.

"And besides…" she hesitated, the glow deepening as her voice dropped to a quieter pitch. "What does one do on a date?" She shifted uncomfortably, her blush now spreading in uneven waves of soft pink across her mottled spots. "What makes it a date?"

The truth was, Zaiya had heard about dates before, of course -- holo-dramas and gossip around the Temple had ensured that much. But none of it ever seemed... clear. Was there a checklist? Rules? A secret code she was missing? The idea of getting it wrong made her stomach flutter nervously, though she tried her best to cover it up with a casual shrug.

She peeked back at Aris, hoping he'd have an answer that wouldn't make her skin light up like a hyperspace jump.

 

[Aris Noble]

At least she let his face go by the time he was done laughing. Seeing her pouting though, seeing her all flustered and annoyed with him? He couldn't help but grin just a bit more. It was fun. Really fun. Maybe too fun? This wasn't a side of her he really got to see, but he really liked it, that much was obvious to him. And to her, given how he smiled and grinned.

Though his flustered blush returned shortly after as he rubbed the back of his head again. What did one do on a date? Thinking through it, what he had read so far in his hasty reading that night when he'd realized how he messed up by calling her breath bad, it wasn't anything more than they normally did. Holding hands, talking and laughing. Going to places to explore and see things together. Eating food.

The only real difference he did read was the kiss.

".. I guess nothing." He flashed a grin regardless. "We've been doing things like we've been dating since we met. I guess the difference is we're aware we like each other more than just friends. So.. We'll figure it out as we go, then. We should probably figure out what to do here first, though, before we start trying to plan our date, right? Gotta get that catalyst here."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble


Hearing Aris's explanation made Zaiya blink a few times -- so dating was doing the same thing we've been doing the past few years? Well, with the exception that we now knew that we liked each other?

That seemed... so curiously interesting. Zaiya might have followed up with more questions until it registered that they still needed to complete what they had come here for! Finding the next catalyst.

Her iridescent blue eyes went wide, and she blushed in mortification, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks.

"OH! Right! I'm sorry. We are here for the catalyst!" She exclaimed, her hands starting to flail in a hapless gesture before she went to push herself back onto her feet, the urgency of their mission now evident in her mind.

"Sorry about that - I mean, just got distracted and well.. everything --" She began to babble in a breathless rush, flustered and feeling silly, realizing her own distraction.

"Right. We can walk and talk, too!" She realized that if she was being honest with herself... she still had a lot of questions.

The Lovalla Padawan tested her weight on her foot, and while it was a bit sore, she could now flex and move it with more mobility.

"Let's go!" She smiled at him, if still a bit flustered regarding it all, her skin giving off a flutter of color shifting with mildly alarmed flecks of yellow and silver -- although hearing that Aris said that they can figure out how things go did give her a sense of relief, drawing a few pastel shimmers of pink over her face.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris smiled softer this time, his expression slowly defaulting back to the focused look he had before. The Mogu wasn't likely to stay unconscious much longer, and he did want to find the catalyst. He stood with her, dusting himself off before taking out the orb to light rhe path. Back down, but this time into the facility.

"Alright. Down we go. Think you can jump, or should I carry you again?"

He paused, glancing down to Zaiya again. And blushed as he looked off. That wasn't going to be easy anymore, was it?

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

"I think I can jump," Zaiya said, her gaze sweeping over the gap below. She took a deep breath, gauging the distance and the drop, weighing her options.

"Besides, I gotta get used to moving even if I'm injured. Never know when it might happen again." Her words carried resolve, but the grimace tugging at her lips betrayed her annoyance.

The tar clinging to her boots didn't help matters. Each step felt like she was dragging through a sticky swamp, and it made her movements slower, more deliberate.

"It's more the annoyance of the tar," she muttered, trying to scrape some off against the edge of a ledge before turning back to him. A smile broke through her frustration when her eyes landed on his face.

He was blushing again.

Was it silly to feel giddy about that? To be happy that he noticed her? That something she did -- something she said -- could affect him like that? The fluttery warmth blooming in her chest said no. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink as her bioluminescent stripes shimmered faintly, betraying her own nervous excitement.

ALright, here we go! Zaiya told herself as she then focused on the task at hand, carefully making her way down. Zaiya leapt from one surface to the next, using the Force to guide her movements and absorb the strain on her injured leg. It wasn't easy, but it was good practice, and a small part of her felt proud for pushing through. By the time they reached the facility, the effort had been worth it.

As her boots hit solid ground, she straightened up, brushing the wayward strands of hair away from her Her gaze shifted around the area, her brow furrowing slightly. Amber streaks pulsed over her skin as she fell into thought, her expression curious and contemplative.

"So... what sort of facility do you think this is?" she asked, her voice low as her eyes scanned the dim surroundings.