The Sand Between Your Toes

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

He couldn't really blame her for working while pregnant. On Bastion, at least in the society he'd been born into, something like that would have been completely unthinkable. The idea that a woman would work was rare enough as it is, but while pregnant? It would make some men bluster out in anger and their wives feint. It was a cultural thing, something that was simply ingrained within society.

Jorg still felt that odd sort of pull, the temptation to sway into the thoughts of what he had been taught at a young age, but he'd come a long way since then. ”Well, I'm glad you succeeded.”

Oddly enough he actually had no idea what she did.

He could tell that she was obviously wealthy, at least in her own way. The clothes she wore, the way she spoke and carried herself were more than telling of that fact. Yet they hadn't actually discussed her work all that much. Maybe it was because on vacation you weren't supposed to actually talk about work at all.

Though Joza did keep bringing it up.

”So what do you actually do?” He asked finally. ”Your business I mean.”

As he asked the movements of their dance became slightly more complicated, Jorg gently swinging her to the right of him before drawing her back in close.

 

[Joza Perl]

There were holes and gaps in the things they talked about, but Joza usually talked about her livelihood far before her son or even any mention that she was with the Jedi in some way—but they didn’t seem to have a conventional way of going about conversation.

It surprised her a bit but it wasn’t a bad thing. Zeltrons were easy, they went with the flow and this was something that Joza seemed to do selectively. Right now she wasn’t bothered by it.

“I work in entertainment and humanitarian aid mostly. I have a club and a few satellite stores on Zeltros so I’ve decided to make my home here again.”

She paused to gather her thoughts, running through the list of her company’s operations in her head. It was a long lost now, longer than she’d ever imagined it could have become when she’d started out as a tiny dance studio.

Her lips parted to speak again but the words caught in her throat as Jorg shifted her to the right gracefully then drew her back in close. Though it was still a formal dance, it was a little more intimate than she thought he’d do.

A brow arched but she was not upset.

“Cosmetics, textiles, force imbued items and covert weapons are also areas I’ve expanded to but not to the extent of my main operations. Can set you up with some force imbued mascara if you’d like. Or some nice high heels.”
Eyebrows bounced as her grin grew.

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

”I don't think any of that is for me.” Jorg said with a small smile.

In truth he had no idea what “force imbued” mascara even did, but he imagined it was like some of the artifacts the Sith had used. They had always been more than willing to talk about them, mostly because they had wanted to brag about as much as they could. Jorg remembered feeling somewhat...skeptical about their claims, though that was just his nature.

It didn't feel the same with Joza.

”How about you just wear that stuff.” Jorg began. ”And I'll just tell you how beautiful you look in it.”

A heartbeat after he finished speaking Jorge eyes popped slightly and his face colored red, almost as if he couldn't believe what he had just said to her. The words had fallen from his mouth without any real though. ”Err...you know..”

He tried to think of something clever.

Eventually his mind failed him, and instead of saying anything at all he flashed her an embarrassed, perhaps hopeful smile.

 

[Joza Perl]

The Zeltron’s brows knit together in an amused fashion.

“You don’t need me wearing all of those things to tell me that.” She insisted. “Or anything.”

She laughed in a sort of carefree way that she hadn’t before around him. He was cute and quite amicable once loosened up.

“If you’d been drinking I would have said you’ve had enough. But seeing as how you’re completely sober, would you like to get a drink?”

Even if he didn’t, Joza would insist on having one of her own. A few drinks wouldn’t do much to a Zeltron’s tolerance, after all.

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

He smiled, thankful that she didn't smack him or something similar.

Being forward, that forward with women on Bastion could get you in a whole heap of trouble. Courting back home was a game as much as any other political maneuver. Men and women didn't really date, they were either set up or there was a long ceremonious process by which a man approached a woman. The whole thing was complex and had many pitfalls, though Jorg had done it successfully. At least he'd thought so at one time.

"No that's alright." He said with a shake of his head.

Bespin was still too fresh in his mind.

"But." Jorg cut in quickly. "I'll gladly get you whatever you want."

It was the least he could do after her kindness.

 

[Joza Perl]

It didn’t surprise her when he politely refused the offer of a drink, even as loose as he was now. He didn’t seem like the type to imbibe anyhow.

She flashed him a smile. “Sonic serodriver then, please.” No need to bat her eyelashes for this one. Joza had been a waitress in her teenage years, though the memories had a bit of a dark mark given she’d met a certain Sith while working. At the very least, those were the good times in their tumultuous relationship.

“Do you have a favorite drink, Jorg?”

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

"Apple juice." Jorg countered immediately.

Of course it didn't even occur to the soldier that Joza probably meant alcoholic drink. It made sense with the context, but he'd already told her he wasn't a fan of drinking and thus his thoughts instead immediately jumped to a much more happy place. Without further prompting he began to explain himself.

"My families home had a small apple Orchard." The estate had actually been ringed with the trees. Of course for his father they had been little more than a way to block the 'normal' people from seeing inside to the estate, but for his sister and him they had provided hours of entertainment in climbing, and apple picking. Silly looking back at it now, but a fond memory. "My sister and I often attempted to pick the apples."

He smiled, fondly lost in Nostalgia. "Didn't always go that well."

There had been more than a few bumps and bruises.

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza blinked, a bit taken aback by Jorg’s response—that was happening quite a lot today—but she soon melted into a genuine chuckle.

“That sounds nice. I would have loved to grow up in a place like that.” At least right now it sounded nice. She’d always been a city girl at heart, very much at home in the smog choked streets with the loud ambient noise of urban life all around.

“Apple juice is good—quite a lot of sugar, though. I’d recommend cutting it with water.” Poor Alan would likely never get fully concentrated fruit juice in his sippy cup because of his mother’s hangups about nutrition.

As they wandered towards the bar, Joza tilted her chin to something over the counter…a small shelf of fruit juices used to make mixed drinks. “How about a shot of apple juice to crown the night?” She teased.

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

He smiled, a small chuckle escaping him.

Despite everything that had happened to him over the last few weeks he felt an odd sort of...warmth. Perhaps a part of him had forgotten what it was like to enjoy himself, to have fun that wasn't tinged with a hint of desperation.

He had laughed over the last few years, he had even enjoyed a brief few spats of happiness, but it had always been tainted. Soldiers didn't get to relax, people like Jorg didn't have the time, they didn't have the...they just couldn't. There was always another fight, there was always another battle. There was always someone watching, but here with Joza?

There was no fight. No battle. "Alright."

Jorg answered finally, looking at Joza with that same small smile.

 

[Joza Perl]

She beamed back at him. Even the most stalwart of soldiers could be loosened after a few hours and some dancing. She would hardly recognize him as the anxious man from the beach.

“One shot of your finest cold pressed apple juice, please.” The bartender’s brows rose at her request as if waiting for her to indicate that it was a joke. But no such notion came and he shrugged, rummaging around behind the counter for the juice. It was something typically on hand, not to placate a child but to be used in mixed drinks.

“And one for me.” There was an inflection in her tone that implied she wanted something less sweet and more alcoholic. The bartender complied with two shots of nearly identical color, passing them off to the Zeltron who thanked him with another smile.

Handing one of the little glasses to Jorg, she raised her own in a toast before bringing it to her lips and tossing it back.

Of course, she’d accidentally given him the wrong glass, something she’d realized the moment after the sweet taste of apple juice landed on her tongue and not the sting she’d espected.

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

Jorg didn't pay attention to the glasses of course, nor would he really know the difference enough to actually stop her if he had.

His hand wrapped around the tiny cup, his eyes leveling on Joza for a moment as a small smile perked on his lips. In truth he hadn't expected the night to go the way he had, he hadn't expected any of this to go the way it had. Zeltros was supposed to have been a getaway for him mandated by the Alliance but...he'd never expected to actually get away from his thoughts. He frowned for a moment, his lips thinning as he glanced down at the small cup.

For some reason the idea that he'd been dragged out of his own little world made him somewhat uncomfortable. Maybe because he wasn't expecting it, maybe because no one had managed to do it in well over a decade. Either way it was strange, and he was only now realizing how strange it was.

His fingers tightened and Jorg forced himself to wipe his mind.

The evening had been nice, he wasn't about to ruin it now. He smiled and then tipped his head back, pouring the contents of the glass onto his tongue.

Almost immediately his face twisted, not quite in disgust but definitely in surprise. The alcohol tinged his tongue and sloshed down his throat before he could stop, but almost immediately the Soldier half doubled over and began to loudly cough, thumping his chest with his fist.

 

[Joza Perl]

The apple juice, though quite the surprise, went down far easier than the shot of liquor mistakenly handed to Jorg.

Realizing her mistake, Joza’s facial features tensed into a near cringe as she placed a hand on Jorg’s back.

“Oh wow, I’m sorry about that! Guess you owe me a shot, huh?” Her tone wasn’t quite on par with someone trying to defuse the situation with humor but she forced a smile of condolence as she rubbed his back.

“Are you alright? I’ll get you something to soothe the burn. A chaser, if you will.” Lot of good that would do this late, but the least she could do was get him another shot of apple juice as damage control.

Guess he really wasn’t much of a drinker after all.

[member="Jorg"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Joza Perl"]

Jorg coughed a few more times.

"N-no." Jorg wheezed out, managing to catch his breath and hold his hand up to stop her. He really wasn't used to drinking, even on Bespin he hadn't had any spirits to start him off. The others had tried of course, but he'd just had a plain ale. Of course that Ale had been spiked with something else, but Jorg chose to think that Joza wouldn't do that to him, especially not here in a place that was relatively classy. Compared to the strip club anyway.

His head shook.

"I'm alright." He smacked his chest. "Just..."

Jorg looked up, catching the slight glint in Joza eye as her hand gently swept over his back. His voice slowed to a crawl. "Surprised."