The Sand Between Your Toes

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

He blinked for a few seconds. "Uhh."

The thought hadn't really occurred to him. Jorg hardly at time to dance nowadays, even if he was on vacation. The frown at his lips was telling to that effect, though briefly he wondered if he could even pull such a thing off anymore. The Soldier slowly shook his head.

"Maybe." He said finally. "Take me to dinner first."

It was a joke of course, meant to deflect the idea of...well dancing. The last person that he had actually done so with was his fiance, former fiance. The memory of her still stung somewhat, a flash of thoughtfulness pulling across Jorg's features as he remembered his time with Isabella.

His head shook, then slowly he took another bit of his ice cream.

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza nearly snorted.

“After I bought you ice cream? It’s your turn to pay.”

She was teasing of course, she didn’t offer to buy the ice cream as a way to indebt him to her. It was a simple gesture of kindness to a new face on Zeltros, one who didn’t seem entirely comfortable with his surroundings.

Thankfully he seemed to loosen up some, smiling and even making jokes instead of looking like he wanted to run away.

Still, there was something deeply emotive going on behind the scenes. At least for him—he had a sort of longing look, like he was staring into the past.

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

Jorg smiled. "I'm not rich."

He joked, though it was true in a way. His wealth had mostly come from his family, a family that he had now abandoned. He could have returned long ago, claimed his inheritance, his place back on Bastion, but it had seemed wrong. After everything he had done, all the atrocities he had witnessed and helped commit, going home just didn't seem like the right thing to do. He couldn't face his mother, his sister, he couldn't tell his father he had left.

He just couldn't.

"The Alliance doesn't pay us much." Jorg said, though he was still smiling. "They generally tell us that our rehabilitation is our payment."

It was true in a way. The Legionnaires didn't really make much money at all, less than normal Alliance Troopers. They worked more for citizenships on one of the planets of the Alliance, and unlike others they had no pension. The soldiers of the 5th Legion worked for a freedom that they hadn't been offered under the Sith.

That was the story anyway. "I can maybe afford a picnic."

Maybe.

 

[Joza Perl]

The work rehabilitation echoed in her mind for some reason. It seemed…strange. Now that she’d gotten to know him a bit, the image of a stormtrooper seemed less demonic and a little more human. Like the Alliance soldiers, they were people who just wanted to get by.

Sure, there’d always be a handful hell-bent on causing mayhem and trouble to satisfy their own desires, but any military force would have a few sadists among their soldiers.

“How did you come to work for the Alliance, if you don’t mind me asking?

Her voice was light, curious. She didn’t want to offend or dredge up any bad memories even though the chance for that was high.

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

He frowned for a moment.

The story wasn't really a pleasant one, but at least he didn't have to bend it all that much in order to actually tell the truth. For some reason he felt compelled not to lie to her, not anymore than he was anyway. His lips thinned for a second and he took another small bite of his ice cream.

"They found us." He said quietly. "Floating through space."

Jorg shook his head. "After the One Sith Government fell apart my squad and I didn't have anywhere to go. Coruscant had fallen, there were a dozen warlords that declared themselves..."

He trailed off then took in a breath.

"So we ran." It wasn't exactly a prideful moment. "Stole the fastest ship we could find, got off world, ran across some pirates...GA patrols. Eventually we got pretty hard, Ship couldn't stay in hyperspace, we reverted somewhere near Kiffu, Alliance picked us up...me up."

His words would make it obvious he'd been the only one to make it.

 

[Joza Perl]

Wasn’t what she expected to hear, but the surprise died down quickly as a look of understanding simmered in her eyes. She’d never given much thought to stormtroopers, and those thoughts typically didn’t revolve around them being humanized in any way. That was probably the point—they were uniform soldiers, faces obscured by rigid white helmets and often commanded by those of a darker might. As far as she’d been concerned, they were the enemy.

Jorg wasn’t, though. At least not here, not now. He was an anxious albeit genuine man and she was regretting the path she turned this conversation down.

Still, it came as no surprise that former stormtroopers would become targets.

“I’m sorry,” She said softly, hand instinctively reaching for his shoulder and squeezing without much of a thought.

It didn’t linger for long, retracting back to her side so as to mind his personal space. “That must have been difficult.”

Maybe he hadn’t been close with the people he’d fled with, but maybe he had—the quiet tone and the trail of his voice banked on the latter.

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

"They were good men." He said with no small amount of sullenness in his tone. "Better than me."

Jorg meant that as well.

There had been a few times when it was his squad, not himself that kept things on the level. While normally he was calm, collected, there had been times in his life when he'd simply lost himself. During battle, when the SIth Pressured them, when all odds were stacked against just him and his team. It hadn't always happened, but sometimes, sometimes he'd simply lost sight of what they were supposed to do.

His features turned grim as he remembered those moments. "They're not forgotten."

The mark on his shoulder told that story.

It wasn't a subject that Jorg really talked about all that often, not even with members of the 5th Legion. Many of them had of course experienced the same thing over their own tenure, and some even shared their stories in hopes of some sort of therapy, but Jorg didn't. He didn't want to, or intend to. Not with people he considered strangers.

 

[Joza Perl]

While Joza and Jorg had been busy conversing, the two failed to take notice of the quickly approaching storm on the horizon. Even Zeltros, comparable to paradise in a multitude of ways, was no stranger to bad weather.

The ocean waves churned and heaved, gradually becoming larger and larger at each pass. Suddenly, a great swell drew back and surged forward. The wave it produced was far larger than that of the other, an outlier if you will.

Joza had been so focused on the soldier and his story that she hadn’t noticed the approaching weather during their walk. A little rain was nothing new but her focus shifted to the rolling ocean the moment before the wave broke over them, crossing her arms in an x pattern over her head as a slapdash defense.

While the wave was unexpected it wasn’t particularly strong, at least not powerful enough to submerge two healthy adults provided they knew how to maneuver properly in water. When all was said and done, Joza, who had been knocked over, propped herself up while holding one arm over her chest while her bra floated away. The look of irritation on her face said it all.

“I didn’t want my hair to get wet!”

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

While Joza's face might have been filled with irrational, Jorg's was flooded with red.

Almost to a point of matching hers.

Jorg immediately looked down at his feet, his eyes averted and his gaze lowering to whatever he could latch onto. The wave hadn't quite managed to knock him over, at least not entirely, but when Joza had stumbled and the water had torn off her clothing his instinct had been to see if she was okay, something that took him only a moment. Of course in that exact moment he'd spotted her bra slipping off and away.

His eyes had bulged for just a second, his lips thinning, and then he'd turned the shade of a tomato.

"Oh." Jorg said quietly.

The Soldier could hear the irritation in her voice, but it wasn't because he'd taken a peek, or rather been forced to do so, but because of her hair. For a moment the Soldier stood there awkwardly, not quite sure what to say. Then he stripped off his now partially wet T-shirt and offered it to her. "Here."

Modesty wasn't exactly common here on Zeltros but where Jorg came from...well it was required.

 

[Joza Perl]

In what she presumed Jorg was thankful for, Joza had the sense to cover the peak of her chest with her arm. Like most Zeltrons she was more free with her body and didn’t think that nudity was that big of a deal, but she was aware enough to know that the rest of the galaxy didn’t think that way.

That, and he seemed more the proper type.

“Oh,” She looked a bit surprised as he removed his T-shirt and handed it to her. For a second she thought he intended for her to dry her hair with it. A quick glance at his muscled form and she accepted the offering. “Thank you,” She smiled in gratitude, turning around to wring out the wet portion of the shirt before slipping it over her head and fitting it around her body. It was loose on her, loose enough to not cling to her wet chest and create an NC-17 outline.

Turning back to Jorg, she sighed lightly. “I promise I’ll wash it and give it back as soon as I can—when are you leaving Zeltros?”

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

Jorg smiled, though he still looked at his feet. "Three days."

He finally looked up at her, pleased by the notion that she was now covered by something. It wasn't that Jorg felt it was wrong to be uncovered or anything, everyone had their own look on the galaxy, but he had been raised in a more proper setting, where a woman with bare breasts was a shocking sight even on the lowest streets.

The soldier met her eyes, bright blue clashing against green.

"I'm staying at the..." He trailed off for a moment. "Uhh."

His mind drew a blank. "It's a circle shaped hotel...has a Nexu on the sign."

Perhaps the description would be enough for her.

 

[Joza Perl]

“Nexu Heights.” It didn’t take much thought to bring the hotel’s name to mind, not considering the industry she worked in. She often hosted other business men and women and had a host of hotels to recommend.

Speaking of recommendations…

“Have you checked anything out yet besides the beach?” While this area was nice and safe away from the nonsense of the inner city, a part of Joza’s heart would remain on those busy, smoky streets.

“There are lots of places to check out, not just clubs and brothels.” She added in quickly. Zeltros may be famous for its hedonism, but it was an advanced world with a lot more to offer than sex.

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

Jorg slowly shook his head. ”No I haven't.”

He hadnt really intended to either. Jorg didnt like places like Zelteos all that much. It was too chaotic too all over the place. He wasn't exactly the most calm and serene person alive, but he knew himself well enough to stay away from most crowds and dozens of other peoples. He frowned for a few seconds, glancing down at his feet and then over towards Joza once again.

”Not exactly afraid of crowds.” He commented with a small smile. ”But I think I'd prefer to stay on the beach.”

Jorg looked around. ”Its quiet. Serene.”

Perhaps he should have gone elsewhere if he wanted more peace and quiet, but the Alliance paid for his trip here.

Besides he didn't want to run around in crowds no matter where he went.

 

[Joza Perl]

“Not a fan then? You might have been more suited to a quieter world then, like Bakura.” There were still little bastions of serenity in the galaxy but she supposed that there was a reason he had picked Zeltros unless he hadn’t had much of a choice at all.

“The beaches are nice here. Can get crowded during the day, though.”

By contrast, Joza liked crowds. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she’d grown up in a crowded building so she felt cozy in places others would describe as cramped. Even her own home was spacious enough to make her feel uneasy in rare instances, but it wasn’t for her.

“Got any plans for your trip, then? I’d be happy to act as a guide.”

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

"The Alliance paid for my trip." He told her quietly. "They have a list of a few places that you can go. Coruscant, Naboo, stuff like that."

He frowned for a moment. The whole thing was decided by a general vote of what 'soldiers' liked. They all voted and the greatest amount of them wanted to go to a world like Zeltros or similar, most of them were young after all, they wanted to party and enjoy themselves before getting back to the fight. "Naboo was appealing...but I thought i'd fit in even less there than I do here."

Jorg smiled slightly.

"Coruscant? I haven't been back there since the fall." Nor did he want to go back, lest he was recognized by someone and arrested for his crimes. It was a rather dark thought, and the idea of going to a planet where he would have to look over his shoulder the entire time didn't appeal to him at all. Here on Zeltros at least no one could recognize him, not even Joza whom he'd actually...well not met, but at least seen before.

"I uhh." He stuttered somewhat as she asked her question. "I wouldn't want to waste your time."

His heart skipped a beat.

 

[Joza Perl]

It made sense the more she thought about it—where would young soldiers go on their allotted break? The party planet would rank at the top of the list.

“I don’t mind.” Her voice was smooth, almost taking on a tone of assurance so as to smooth over his worries. “I’ll be on world until the morning after tomorrow. Have quite a few meetings scheduled out for next week.” She sucked in through her teeth at the last part, not particularly looking forward to them in this moment. Once she got going though, she’d build up momentum.

She always needed to keep herself busy, which was part of the reason she thrived in the entertainment industry.

“What do you say? I am curious to hear about the life of an Alliance soldier.”

Stormtrooper turned Alliance soldier, moreso.

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

Part of him just wanted to say no.

The more time that he spent with her the more likely it was that shed realize they met before. He had managed to stumble his way around not revealing himself yet, but there was no telling if he could do it for the next day or two. He was a decent enough liar, but keeping oneself hidden from a force user was difficult to do at the best of times. Here? Well he was already stressed out.

His lips thinned.

There was also the other problem. If he said no she could very well gro suspicious, suspect that he was hiding something. After all why would someone like him deny a beautiful woman like her? Didn't make much sense really.

In the end Jorg was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. In the end he had no choice but to go with the option that would at least provide him a modicum of control over the situation. So he hoped anyway. ”I...sure.”

Jorg relented.

”Only if you think you won't be busy.” He told her with a smile. ”If you have to run I won’t mind.”

 

[Joza Perl]

In the end they had decided on something they could mutually enjoy; dancing. Not the typical Zeltron bump ‘n grind, but ballroom dancing at a small charity gala.

There was no shortage of parties on Zeltros, and of course they varied—not everything was a rave! But they weren’t all that difficult to find either.

And so Joza stood in front of Jorg’s hotel room door, fulfilling her promise of showing him the city starting with dancing. A sitter had been acquired, and the Zeltron was dolled up par this sort of event—her dress, while reveal in some areas, was a floor length gown woven to be exquisite and refined.

It would pass on any other world at a similar event, maybe turn a few heads and maybe draw a look of ire from a particularly stuffy socialite, but on Zeltros no one would bat an eye and the plunging neckline or the high slit of the skirt.

Clutching her evening bag in one hand, she knocked at the door with the other.

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

Jorg opened the door.

To say he wasn't nervous would have been a complete lie. He wasn't entirely sure that he could continue to pull off this lie, plus he wasn't confident he would be all that good at dancing either. The last time he'd had to do any of that was well over a decade, and although she'd joked it was easy to remember...Jorg wasn't so sure.

He flashed her a brief smile. "Hello."

The soldiers voice almost squeaked as he spoke, though he managed to clear his throat half-way through to avoid completely embarrassing himself. He smiled and scratched the back of his head, not quite knowing exactly what he was supposed to do or what the protocol was.

"Do you want to come in?" He asked. "Have a drink before we go?"

That was normal enough he thought.

And hoped.

 

[Joza Perl]

“Nice to see you again.” She returned his smile, reaching to smooth her hair over one shoulder.

She peered behind him a bit at the mention of drinks. So he had liquor in his hotel room? Perhaps he was more fun than she’d thought. The idea of pre-gaming the gala was tempting, but ultimately she declined. Zeltrons could more than hold their drink but there’d be plenty of alcohol at the party.

Again, Zeltros.

“No thank you. We can get our drinks at the gala, I’d rather not deplete your supply.” She smiled politely before taking a half-step away from the door so as to allow him room to move out. A not-so subtle once over of him gave way to a hum of approval.

“My, don’t you look handsome?”

[member="Jorg"]