Private Take On Me!!!

[Zaiya Ceti]

THWACK!

Zaiya’s whole body flowed into that last strike, shaking the training dummy as she struck the right shoulder. Frustration returned as lavender once again, rose and licked at her patterns, carving over the deepening coral hues of her embarrassment as confusion riddled in gray spots.

Why was he insisting?!

Zaiya’s grip tightened along the bokken, opal blue gaze falling down to see the aura of glowing silvery bioluminescence signifying and ratting her out the negative connotations on what she was feeling. Lavender deepened to violet. Not at Aris but herself. It was times like these that Zaiya hated herself. Hated that it was so easy to see something was wrong when others could just hide it. Disliked that if someone had an idea of what it meant, that she’d be so easy to read when others would not. When others required asking questions to know just as much but even then, was it true?

Aris was her best friend. Of course by sheer pro proximity and their time together managed to figure Zaiya out better than anyone else. He wasn’t incorrect; something was wrong.

It was just too embarrassing.

And now that Aris Noble zeroed in on it, he wasn’t the sort to ignore it.

Thwack!!!

"No. That's- Gross…It's very unsanitary."

Aris’s words raced to her head and then her colorful head snapped over at his direction.

Fine.

“Why is the thought of kissing me so gross?How am I gross?!” Embarrassment laced her tone, as did the confused hurt, gray darkening the mortified coral as Zaiya braced herself for unfiltered Aris clarification.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

Wait talking about it was making it worse, wasn't it?

Confusion was all Aris had as he watched Zaiya's colors grow increasingly more upset. Had- was this actually the wrong choice? Was he making things harder for her to focus by talking? But wouldn't it be better to clear the air than just internalize the emotions? He truly had no idea, but there was no turning back now. He'd insisted, and he wasn't going to stop just because of some doubt in whether it was right or not.

Commit to the act, whatever it was, and put you're all in it. There were no next steps. Ko Vuto had taught him that.

And- Oh. Aris blinked in surprise at her question before tilting his head. That- Was it? That was the crux of it all? "I think kissing is gross. Not you. It's.. Embarassing. Mom and dad kiss all the time and just- eugh I don't want to kiss people."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Zaiya had braced herself to hear from Aris Noble the unfiltered commentary that perhaps she had stinky breath, or maybe he thought she was gross and not pretty, or a multitude of other things.

So when he explained that kissing, in general, was just gross and embarrassing, not that he thought she was gross and unsanitary, Zaiya felt all the wind get knocked out of her sails in that instant. The vibrancy and glow radiating out of her skin dulled momentarily, then the flustered, awkward embarrassment that she had outed herself at, thinking that Aris thought she was gross, rushed over her face again, filling it once more with heat.

"Oh." the quiet sound cut the din, and Zaiya's throat gave a bob. She dropped her gaze down to her Bokken, fingers flexing on the wooden hilt again.

"Right. Umm... Okay." now she was stammering, feeling like an idiot, but also unable to help the rush of relief that sent turquoise designs over her mottled spots and stripes that Aris didn't think she was gross.

So he just didn't want to kiss anyone. Okay. Okay. Cool. Well -- "Alright then. Good to know." Zaiya replied, giving a nod of her colorful head before returning her attention back at the training dummy.

"Sequences! Right. Umm... Zone three."

THWACK!

​

Oh my stars, that was so embarrassing!

 

[Aris Noble]

Oh. On one hand, this cleared up a lot of the negative emotions that had dyed a lot of Zaiya's skin. On the other? Those colors were replaced by embarrassment. He knew embarrassment now. Was this better? No, no regrets! No looking back. Communication was important, Zaiya herself taught him that! And he wasn't going to understand emotion if he didn't ask! He doubled down on the good side of this interaction as he awkwardly followed her attention to the dummy and nodded.

They could focus on training now, right?

Wrong. Very wrong. Because as much as Zaiya was now determined to focus on the training, Aris's mind kept cycling back to her questions. To her frustration. Was it normal for people to be this upset about potentially being called gross? Maybe. Especially after he just said he was her best friend. What was this new feeling.. Guilt? Did he feel bad because of the misunderstanding? He did. He absolutely did. But also, was it -just- that she thought he was calling her gross?

“Why is the thought of kissing me so gross?How am I gross?!”

"Do you want to kiss me, Zaiya?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"Do you want to kiss me, Zaiya?"

The attempt at zone three ended in a wild swing, the training dummy's neck taking the brunt of the blow instead of its intended target, the shoulder.

Thump!

Zaiya was not just startled, she was thrown off balance. The unexpected reversal of the question by Aris Noble left her reeling. It was a stark contrast to her usual conversations with Colette or Astri, where the focus was on Aris's feelings for her. The question that should have naturally followed, if she wanted to kiss Aris, was now hanging in the air, unspoken.

Another wave of heat bloomed over her delicate features, the coral deepening in tones over her mottled spots and stripes in growing embarrassment—not just at the question but also because she should have considered that question as well.

"Oh... Umm." flustered, Zaiya played with the Bokken, moving it from one hand to the next. Thinking more, she wasn't sure what sort of kiss they were talking about now. What sort of kisses were embarrassing and unsanitary that Aris saw his parents take that made him think they were gross?

Cogs were turning, wheels spinning. Zaiya's iridescent blue eyes would study Aris, tipping her head back up to him. Watching him as he observed her, taking note of his expression. Right now, he appeared to be trying to make sense of things, which made sense, her gaze meeting his, reading what she could from his eyes, noticing, once more, how pretty they were. Her tummy gave a slight flutter.

"Well, I mean... It depends." Zaiya came to her abashed reply, "There are different types of kisses. I remember my mom and dad would kiss me on the cheek."

"It's just another way someone would show affection, right? A friend could do that." that made sense. It would work for siblings and family too right? All the while, Zaiya kept asking herself, Do I want to kiss Aris? Well, kissing him on the cheek wouldn't be bad, right?

While the thought did fill her with pleasure, dark amber tones blended into confused grey and curious hues. Thinking. Wondering. Musing.

"Or on your temple...that's another one. A kiss on your temple or forehead." Parents did that all the time right? Friends could too? Her gaze flicked up to his tanned forehead, watching how the silver glints of his hair would fall over it. Again. Pretty. Aris was very pretty. Cute. She knew this. Especially when he wore his new clothing or would smile. Especially when he would laugh.

Which brought her attention to the type of kiss that would make her feel that she would need to brush her teeth if he thought it would be gross; lips. That had bothered her.

More cogs turning. What Aris's question had made had not just flustered her, but also shone a spotlight in an area that she hadn't quite considered yet. What she felt about Aris. Sure she loved him. Cared for him a lot. He was her best friend.

Yet the question had sparked something in Zaiya. Awareness. Awareness of Aris not just as her best friend, but as Aris. As a teenage boy.

"Umm.... as for lips... I mean... I don't know. I haven't kissed anyone before..." blushing harder, she quickly added, "I wouldn’t know what to do anyways.”

​

All that talking and Zaiya still didn’t answer the question. She’d been too flustered to realize it.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

Oh.

Oh no.

She was rambling.

Aris kept a pretty calm expression as she spoke, but his own thoughts were more or less following her thought process in trying to figure it all out. The fact her strike had missed meant there was a sudden rush of thinking and awkwardness. And as Zaiya spoke, it was abundantly clear. Yet- Why hadn't she answered the question? She was dancing around actually answering and just making up other reasonings. Did she-

He hummed before just reaching out to poke her forehead. Her answer didn't matter to him, but seeing her spiral like this? He smiled just a little as he lowered his hand. And.. That was it. He blinked as he realized he had nothing to actually say. He sort of just, froze, as he watched her. Then cleared his throat and stepped back to nod at the dummy.

"Um.. .. Six."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

The boop of Aris Noble 's finger against Zaiya's forehead immediately caused her to pause. The brief touch, however, relayed just a brief flutter of conflicting emotions of flustered embarrassment, curiosity, affection, and confusion. Irridecent blue eyes met jade, and once again, Zaiya was unusually cognizant of their color and the hint of a smile he shone at her.

The blush intensified, and Zaiya looked away and back towards the training dummy.

"Right. Six. Zone six." She repeated, doing her best to grip her Bokken like she had before. Well, trying to. Her skin was shimmering in an odd array of colors, blending in dove greys with bright citrines, ambers, teals, and ocher. She took her stance and took a deep breath.

"Okay, so my stance is good?" she asked him, trying her best to remain loose and ignore the slight hitch of her heartbeat as it fluttered in her ear. "And how my body turned when I swung the hits?"

 

[Aris Noble]

He.. Couldn't look at her long.

This was weird. He watched as she struck, but she was.. Shining? Well, she was always shining, but it seemed something.. More? He was confused now. Confused and conflicted. The emotions that had traveled through the brief contact hadn't left him at all. Why? It only took him a moment to realize it was because they'd only mirrored his own thoughts he'd been trying to sort out and figure what it all meant.

Now that he knew, he just couldn't bring himself to look at her long.

He scratched his cheek, nodding at her question. He couldn't look at her long, but he had been watching to ensure she was doing things right. "You look good. Better. Just a little overextending, but you're finding where you need to. Three, then one, then four, then two."

One after the other, if only to try and keep her from realizing just how red his own face had gotten. So she couldn't see the fear that had come with it.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

​

Don't look, don't look, don't look.

See, it had been easier not to get distracted or flustered by Aris Noble before the whole... kissing question. Avoiding looking at the Epicanthix meant the Lovalla didn't catch the intensifying blush or the look of fear that grew over his expression. Zaiya flexed her hands around the hilt and aimed the Bokken to the left shoulder again.

Thwack!

Then she immediately turned, twisting her body and doing her best to be as fluid as possible to rap a vertical strike to the head.

Thwack!

The horiztonal swipe to the Training Dummy's back required some deft footwork; this was easier for Zaiya, as she enjoyed dancing.

Thwack!

Then, finally, another horizontal strike to the right shoulder ended the combination; the strike thwacked slightly, reverberating up Zaiya's arm. There was a slight ache there. She wasn't used to having to swing something often or hit as hard as she could.

"When did you learn to do this?" Zaiya asked, the question coming out of left field again. She was good at that. But this topic was slightly safer than considering if she'd like to go on tippy toes and kiss Aris--

Stop it! She told herself, trying to wipe that image off her head. He said he didn't like kissing and that is gross, so that is that! I should respect that. He's my best friend.

"Shii-Cho that is? And did your arms get as easily tired? Maybe I should do some strength training." she mused aloud, trying to force that into her mind rather than what it had been mulling about Aris before.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Since I was ten. I started late, compared to the others." He'd taken his time to decide to be a Jedi. And, well, he was focused on answering her question to avoid thinking about anything else. Avoid thinking about the fact she still hadn't fully answered. The most he knew was that she hadn't before. Did that mean yes, she did? If that did, was she- was she in danger? Was he a danger to her? He didn't know much at all about her species, but she said it herself. If they found someone to be with, they needed to be with them or they'd die.

He didn't want her to die.

"I don't get tired. But that's because I'm weird, technically."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

“Oh. So you've been training for three years then? What did you learn about before?” Learning more about Aris Noble was something Zaiya always wanted to know more about. His likes. Dislikes. About his past. What his dreams were and what were his goals.

Discussing those things at least kept her mind busy. Busy from thinking of how she was perfectly aware of where he was standing in relation to her.

With a deep breath, Zaiya repositioned herself and attempted the sequence once more. She had to be more fluid.

Plus the slow burning ache was good right? Perfect distraction.

Sudden pause. Confusion darting in grey tones over the pink of embarrassment as Zaiya automatically turned to look at Aris. Opal blue eyes met jade.

“Wait. Do you ever get tired?”

​

 

[Aris Noble]

"Basic math. Advance math. Psychology, leadership. How to fight. How to kill. How to rule."

Before Kahlil had found him, he was already learning much in his tube. It was all he could do. All the droid would let him do. He needed to be ready to return to his people, return to royalty. In a new, perfect body so he could stand amongst his siblings with his head held hi. Aris didn't put much thought in that, though. His siblings, his family, they were the Nobles. And they didn't require that of him.

He blinked, though, looking back to her before tilting his head in thought.

"I do have to sleep, yes. But otherwise, no."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Everything Aris Noble said to start seemed standard - at least until he got to the how to kill, how to rule bit.

“Wait what?” Now Zaiya’s attention was avidly off of sequences, her confusion spreading into a perplexed and bewildered expression.

“How to kill and how to rule? Why?” That seemed so left field for her. The confusion helped the flustered awareness melt away for a bit, her rosy golden skin returning to its normal lovely pearly tone.

And of course he didn't get tired. Lucky.

Unable to stay still, Zaiya gripped the Bokken and twirler it back and forth for a bit, not at the trading dummy but in place, working her wrist.

​

 

[Aris Noble]

"I'm the prince of the Epicanthix. Technically. The program there was to teach me to rule." He didn't know all the details, just, that's what the droid kept telling him. He didn't see any reason to believe otherwise. He watched her fiddle with the Bokken for a moment longer before he cleared his throat and nodded again to the dummy. They could talk, but it'd be good to keep up with the numbers, right?

"Three."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Now shock ran over her expression, painting her patterns and spots in a medley of pale yellows and greys.

“You’re a Prince? Like royalty?” Okay that was news. Zaiya had to blink a bit to process that. What she didn’t realize is that when Aris Noble first introduced Braze to her, Braze had mentioned to Aris that he didn’t mention Zaiya was a princess.

She isn’t, but that silly comment never got cleared up.

“So wait, do I have to call you your highness and curtsy at you?” She asked, half amused and have unsure if that would be the case. Regripping her Bokken, she got into position again and made a horizontal swipe at the shoulder.

Thwack!

A pause. Another swing of her expression at him.

“But you’re a clone of your dad. Does that mean he’s one too?”

Talking made it less flustering, and Zaiya was starting to feel a little bit better.

As long as she kept ignoring the question she hadn’t quite answered yet; did she want to kiss Aris?

And if so… then what did that mean?

​

 

[Aris Noble]

"Yes."

Aris blinked shortly after, staring at Zaiya. Curtsy? Your Highness? He quickly put a hand over his face to cover the embarrassed blush. "Please don't. That's.. Please don't." He wouldn't be able to handle that, not at all. That'd just be.. Way too embarrassing. He half grumbled into his hand before speaking up again. "Three, two, six."

Something, anything, to distract from the embarrassment.

"And yes, he is. technically."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

This time around, Zaiya did catch Aris Noble ‘s blush and how he covered his face and grumbled out a no.

It was too adorable and far too much bait to not tease him about it. Not to mention it moved her focus beyond that what she ‘wants to do’, to the ‘tease Aris for being a prince’.

Mischief rose in her iridescent blue eyes as she completed the sequence he gave her, but not before she began her heckling commentary.

“Ohhh, so I should call you Prince Aris!” She grinned, her patterns dyeing a pale blue and cyan in mischievous amusement.

“Greetings Your Majesty!” She cried out all dramatically, moving over towards him to dip in a curtsy and half giggle, "Your Highness, grace me with your royal presence and your hand!"

Zaiya gave a dramatic swish of her Bokken, then an even more dramatic bow, “oh do tell me what your personal Knight may do for you, Prince Aris!"

A giggle broke free, a golden glow rising over her patterns again in growing mirth, giving a swoosh of her free hand as if offering to take his.

“I live to serve, Your Majesty!”

​

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris groaned.

"It's bad enough back homeeee. Some people there still try to treat us like we're nobility and it's so awkward." There was a mix of emotions going in here, half of which he wasn't sure what they were. But, one he did? Releif to see her smiling again. He half grumbled again before smiling himself a little. He reached up again, pushing her forehead so she'd at least be standing straight again before taking her hand.

If this was how she wanted to play it, fine.

"My own personal Knight, is it? You've a long way to go to properly serve. Guess that means you're going to have to double down on your training." He grinned. Just a bit as he squeezed her hand in his.

"It'd be awkward for a Prince to be a better fighter than his Knight, mm?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

​

Another giggle as Zaiya gave Aris Noble 's hand a quick squeeze, enjoying once more the connection as their emotions resonated. Sure, it had felt rather flustered and awkward earlier, but at the end of the day, as she felt his relief shift into happy joy, he grinned. She remembered that it was this that meant the universe to her.

The connection, their bond, their friendship. Zaiya wouldn't trade it for anything.

"Hahah... do they really call you that back on Niv Hani?" she asked, deciding it was best to take these few moments to reconnect and just bask in holding Aris's hand. She felt delight at the resonating of their emotions as they flowed back and forth, as close as a sensation of the Force flowing for the Epicanthix because it was the method it radiated from the Lovalla.

Opal blue eyes would crinkle at their corners, and Zaiya laughed at the counter Aris presented, that she'd have to train extra hard to become the better fighter than the Prince she was to serve.

"Oh, don't tempt me. I just might do it!" she shot back, already radiating competitiveness as sass and mirth danced in teal and light blue hues over her skin.

"That way, I can knock you on your butt, and you'll have to admit I'm the best!" she teased. The more she joked about it, the more she decided she just might give it a go.

"Alright. I'll do it. Since you're my best friend and all. Can't have anyone else be your personal knight, right, Your Majesty?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"Some do. It's- Ugh."

He didn't like it, was the short of it. But, right now, he couldn't help but smile none the less. He grinned wide, probably too wide, at her acceptance of his challenge. It was exciting to hear that she wanted to get stronger than him. A part of him was so very welcomed to the idea of someone who could keep up, someone he didn't hurt, someone he could spar with. Someone who's hand he could hold without needing to make sure that no matter how tight he squeezed, it wasn't tight enough to break.

"I look forward to that day, Knight Zaiya of the Glow. Hmm. Glow Knight. That works, doesn't it?"

Zaiya Ceti