Private To the Air, the the Earth, to the Atmosphere

[Nylea Apollodor]

Talaos City, Makeb

It was a sunny day in Talaos City. Under a clear blue sky, crowds of people shuffled through busy market streets in the city's center. Nylea watched from the terrace of a small cafe as countless faces passed by, though there was one specific face she was looking out for. It was Elisea's, and the thought that she'd likely be showing up any moment now caused some anxiety within the echani. This wasn't a simple meeting, after all. It was a date.

Of course, it hadn't been Nylea's idea. Oddly enough, however, it hadn't been Elisea's either, though she was very much under the impression that it was Nylea who had asked her out. In reality, it had been Nora Lithos 's doing. She had 'borrowed' Nylea's holodevice and asked Elisea out for her. The way Nylea found out about it was through the response she received later that day. With no way back and Nora's reassurance that 'it was going to be fine', the woman now found herself at the place they agreed to meet.

She had never been this nervous in her life.

Deep down, she had wanted to ask Elisea out for a long time already. They had known each other for a number of years now and as time had passed, Nylea only found more reasons to like the Avalonian. Countless times had the echani tried to overcome her insecurities and ask her out herself, only to fail. Something held her back from taking that step but now here she was, thanks to Nora's push from behind. It was a little forceful, but it was what Nylea needed.

Her holodevice lit up again, showing the time. Elisea was going to be here any moment now.

A silent prayer to the Force that things would go well.

Elisea Korrado

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[Elisea Apollodor]

Elisea hadn't been out to Makeb, at least, not on a date. She was surprised when Nylea sent her the message and if the woman was honest. It was a welcomed distraction from the weight of the Galaxy. Byss had been... Something she did not want to experience again, still it seemed that the Republic held out and were going to stay at least for a while. Elisea traveled by freighter and public transport, it took her longer than she expected and she hoped that Nylea could understand. ​

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Bri, Elisea's sister accused her of falling in love so easily, and with an Echani. Of course, all Echani are beautiful because they look the same. She reassured Bri that over the years, and the months that had passed that she'd been wanting to talk to Nylea. It always felt as if one thing or another would crop up, some intergalactic crisis or another kept the counselor on the move. People were hurting, they needed help - her kind of help, so it didn't leave a lot of time for a personal life, let alone a romantic one. Her last shuttle was delayed and Elisea typed faster on her datapad than she had in her entire life. Thankfully, with some divine miracle or help of the Force the shuttle was able to get through security and headed down for a starport in Talaos City.​

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She let Nylea know that she was at least in the port, the Avalonian shifted her bag on her shoulder and followed the signs to the arrivals gate. A soft smile curled along her lips as she turned the corner and spotted the Echani within the crowd. Elisea picked up the pace and pushed her way through the crowd. "Nylea!" She shouted, her hand up in the air while the other kept hold of the bag over her shoulder. "Nylea." Elisea stated with a smile as she finally came face to face with the Echani after all these years, "hi."​

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Nylea Apollodor ​

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

A message. Elisea had arrived at the starport. It wouldn't be long now before they would be face to face again. Nylea wondered how long it had been since the last time they met, but it had been much, much too long. At her table the echani sat, half elated and half terrified.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt nervous. Within the Light she was always able to find serenity and certainty even in the most perilous times. Though now, she felt her heart beat in her throat. Nora's actions hadn't given her much of a choice, but doubts still crept into her mind. Questions whether she was even ready for dating in general and if she was going to be able to keep it together plagued her, but there was no running from this. Not anymore. She had been running from her feelings for too long.

You can do this. She said yes for a reason. Just be yourself.

A deep breath to steady herself. Nylea looked towards the mass of people once more to see if she could find Elisea among them. Someone who looked vaguely like her passed by and it made her heart skip a beat, only to realize that it wasn't her. Then she suddenly heard a familiar voice call out her name. Her head shot towards where the sound came from, and there she was.

The echani didn't know how quickly to shoot out of her seat and run towards the edge of the crowd. "Elisea!" she shouted back while waving both her arms. The Avalonian broke free from the crowd, and now there they stood. "Hey. I am so glad you could make it." A big, dumb grin appeared on her face and there was no way of suppressing it. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest. In that moment, it felt like her demons didn't exist. It wasn't going to last forever, but it felt like the weight she carried was lifted off her shoulders.

"How have you been? I am surprised you had not forgotten about me entirely," Nylea said jokingly.

Elisea Korrado ​

 

[Elisea Apollodor]

Elisea smiled as she was greeted by Nylea. "Yeah, I know, the traffic getting here was terrible and then we were kept in a holding pattern." She remarked and gestured for the two to walk toward the baggage claim. "I've been good, helping people where I can."​

She was taken aback by Nylea's joke, "why would I? You always left a good impression with me."​

​

The port was crowded, as usual, people coming and going - after all Makeb was a popular vacation planet. The Avalonian honestly hadn't been to Makeb before so she wanted to take in the sites and sounds. "So what about you? What have you been up to since we last saw each other?"​

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They followed the signs and arrived at the carousel for her transport. ​

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Nylea Apollodor ​

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

The way Elisea reacted to her joke had Nylea internally scolding herself. Putting herself down, even jokingly, was a habit she was trying to kick. Even worse was the fact she hadn't even noticed until the other woman commenting on it. Although the echani slowly doing better at getting those thoughts out of her head, her nerves got her to relapse a little. Hopefully this was not only the first, but also the last time. Her fast-beating heart and butterflies in her stomach were more than enough to deal with.

"I did some soul searching for a while after the Lotus disbanded. I travelled a lot, with Makeb being one of the planets I visited." For a while, Nylea had felt a little lost on how to fulfil her duty as a Jedi. With the Sacred Lotus there was always work to be done, but when that vanished she had to find a new path, find what it meant to be a Jedi in the grand scheme of things.

"It gave me a lot of perspective. I have been doing a lot better since." It wasn't hard to spot, either. There was a certain look in Nylea's eyes that hadn't been there before, one that was much brighter.

"Afterwards I slowly transitioned back to, well, helping people as well." Even if her work was different from Elisea's, they did it with similar intentions. "I keep myself busy, though I do not assume you get bored too often either."

Their transport was ready and with a gesture she stepped out of the way to let Elisea get in first. "After you," Nylea remarked before following Elisea into the speeder.

"If you are hungry, I know a lovely little place not too far from here."

Elisea Korrado ​