What Lies Beneath

[Damsy Callat]

Form: Humanoid Location: Theed, Naboo - spaceport​

Outfit Tag: [member='A'Runda']​

Damsy sat in a chair just outside of security, facing the gates. Honestly, she was surprised A'Runda even wanted to see her. What, with her relatively recent break from the Confederacy and him seeing her marine siren form before that...

She let out a small sigh and tried not to think about that too much as she slouched back and began to play on her datapad. Her game of choice, of course, wasn't really a game at all but a training simulator. She liked to stay fighting ready for Luna, even and maybe especially off duty.

After only a minute, though, she powered the datapad off and put it away. It felt strange to not meet her love again with Trinj. The pain of her pet seamouse's death on Kamino had subsided quite a bit, but the flash of the memories from him on Rishi still dampened her mood. She would probably have felt a little bit better had she brought her new seeker droid with her.

 

[A'Runda]

Wearing: X​

Tags: [member="Damsy Callat"]​

​

Despite A'Runda's own absence from the galaxy at large he was thrilled when he learned that Damsy had still wanted to see him after all this time. After their last meeting with how he poorly reacted to seeing her he was worried she still didn't have feelings for him, and with his own personal issues of what the doctor's called "Radiation Sickness" he wasn't in the best state of mind.

As A'Runda got through the security gate in an outfit very similar to when they met on rishi. To say he looked like a fish out of water would be almost an understatement. He was frantically looking around trying his best to fit in and make sure he didn't trigger any alarms and followed directions well from the security officers. Nonetheless he got through without issue.

Looking around now that he was passed security he saw Damsy, and it seemed as though his tense body relaxed some. In his more baggy clothing it help to to conceal his now gaunt features, even now he still felt nervous about show even his love what he looked like under all his garbs. Walking over with some excitement in his pace he hugged his love and spoke. "Damsy, It's wonderful to see you again! I hope you've been well since we last met."

 

[Damsy Callat]

"A'Runda!" she exclaimed, standing almost too fast for her leg braces to continue to support her. "Oh, seas!" She ran to met him halfway and wrap him in a hug, jumping just barely into it. "It's so, so good to see you," she murmured into his neck, nuzzled into his wrappings. Pulling away, she was careful to keep them in place. "You have no idea." Between beginning to reconcile with her father and rejoining the Legion with the Omegas, proving herself on Taanab and then immediately after on Mustafar, she really needed this.

She needed him.

Damsy smiled ear to ear when she looked into his goggles once again. "Yeah, yeah, I've been good," she said before pausing and nodding sideways, thinking. "Well, mostly just okay." She didn't want to lie to A'Runda after all this time apart, especially since her knew about her racial shifting ability now, but also didn't want to get into it at present.

She took a step backwards to look at A'Runda more comfortably; her neck had been slightly craned upwards. "How-how 'bout you?" she asked, but continued before receiving an answer. "You look good. Not that you normally don't!"

 

[A'Runda]

After Damsy jumping into her hug he stepped back a foot. Even if it was a little jump he was still considerably weaker then normal. But he stood up well and straight for her. Even thought he hadn't been as active as her that didn't really mean he'd been having it easy himself. Ever since Copero he'd been struggling and has nearly died several times from that he got during the conflict. Fortunately modern medicine was something he now had access to. Since he knew that the sparse herbal remedies Tusken's utilized wouldn't be enough for him.

"Well I'm glad to hear that. I've been worried about you since I know working for the Confederacy isn't the safest job in the galaxy." He said looking back at her through his goggles and smiled behind his mask, even though she couldn't really see him. "Me on the other hand, well I've been having a tough few months... or has it been close to a year now?" He thought to himself for a moment. "I'm not very good with measuring time or much when it comes to math. Since where I'm from you never really needed to count past 100. But I've been rather sick, which has been rough for me since I think of myself as more of an outdoors men. So to be bed ridden for so long, it's been rough."

After that he looked around the space port for a mere moment before looking back at Damsy and presenting his arm to her. In a rather well manner fashion. "So shall we make our way to Theed. I've personally never been to Naboo before so I'm a little exited."

[member="Damsy Callat"]

 

[Damsy Callat]

Damsy frowned slightly at her boyfriend's news. "Aww..." she cooed in between his sentences. "I'm sorry to hear that, cuddlefish." But she didn't waste any time in looping her arm to A'Runda's, more aware of her strength - that of a Dauntless Commando.

"Yeah, let's find somethin' fun to do!" she exclaimed, holing back the desire to skip as she instead walked with her beloved Tusken Raider first out of the departing terminal and then into the bright sunshine outside. They continued on the wide footpath toward the Solleu River, slowly leaving the small Civic Spaceport behind.

Suddenly, Damsy let go, momentarily leaving A'Runda's side to jog through the moving crowds. In a moment, she returned with her datapad in her hands and, nearing A'Runda, showed him the map she had just downloaded from a tour guide standing on the corner for a credit. "Looks like there's a park just a ways up," she mused, pointing in the general way. Broadberry Meadow, the map read, a public island park nestled on a fork in the river.

With that, she powered her tablet off and hooked it to her belt in collapsed form. "Tell me if you need to sit down," she added.

 

[A'Runda]

A'Runda couldn't help but look around as they left the terminal. Seeing the amazing architecture of Naboo's capital. All of it felt like a wonderful sight to the Tusken, who found it fascinating that even after several years he could be blown away with the vast variety of societies and cultures that the galaxy contained.

Eventually he came back to his senses as he noticed his girlfriend jog off to find something within the crowd. He smiled softly from behind his mask as he watched her come back with something on her datapad. A'Runda eyed the supposed destination on the datapad and nodded. "That seems like a good spot for us to check out. Not that I'd doubt your ability to find good locations for us." He added.

Walking with her towards the park he'd reply, "Oh I'll be fine, it's just the more extreme stuff that can give me a hard time." He did really want her to worry about him. But then again it was hard for him to not worry about her, so he could imagine where she was coming from. Eventually the couple arrived to the river and from there could see the park across the water. He wondered if there was a boat they were supposed to be on to get to the other side.

[member="Damsy Callat"]

 

[Damsy Callat]

There was one, Damsy was aware. With a quick look around, she hurried off again to a ticket booth nearby. The thought of ordering just one paper slip and swimming over herself was temping, if only for a fleeting moment. She knew most of the aquatic critters on Naboo were already terrifying to the locals, and sighting a mermaid shifting Sithspawn would most likely be no different. "Two for the ferry, please."

She turned one over to A'Runda after returning to him. The wait was short for the boat to return to the mainland, but the ride longer before the stepped off first on the jetty and then the island park. Damsy began to idly wander down the dirt path winding down the the riverbank opposite the dock. "Would you like to talk about it?" she asked gently, as not to pry. "What happened, I mean. But we can talk about something else. How was the trip over for you?"

 

[A'Runda]

A'Runda thought for a moment as he walked along the path with about how to answer her question. He understood that she knew that it might be a little difficult for him to talk about. "I guess, the hardest part of all this. And by this I mean what it's been like since I left my home... It always finding out, and always reminding myself just how ignorant I have been and still am. Like, I didn't even really know what radiation was, and now I have this illness that might be with me for the rest of my life, you know? Sorry, I didn't mean to all my feelings out." He said, while looking over to Damsy. His voice had hints of somberness and regret. He felt life had been a little unfair to him. Seemingly constantly punishing him for never being brought up to know better.

"But on a less serious topic, the trip was surprisingly rough actually. My ship has been giving me lots of trouble and I don't know how to all the mechanics in my ship. So I'm thinking on getting, or even making my own ship with the help of some Jawas back on Tatooine." He said before looking over at the river to the side, and then to a park bench facing it. "Hey, you wanna just sit together and look at the river for a bit?"

[member="Damsy Callat"]

 

[Damsy Callat]

As she listened, she gentley nuzzled her head into A'Runda's neck. "No, no, don't be sorry, cuddlefish," she replied. "Let me know if I can do anything for you. Like, medically, or something. Naroh Se is a top scientist at home." After that, she only listened, withdrawing to nod her head though she had no idea what a Jawa was.

Then again. "Yeah, let's!"

For the first few minutes on the bench, Damsy was perfectly content staying in silence with A'Runda. After them, she spied something on the river bank a handful of yards on, and rose her head off of the Tusken's shoulder. "Be right back." A closer look, as combat boots crunching down the gravel path, revealed the small writhing form to be a scalefish that had somehow landed itself. "Aww, hiya, poor thing." Returning it back into the water would be a tricky maneuver, as the creature was drying off in the sun but still wet and Damsy was more than happy in humanoid form.

 

[A'Runda]

A'Runda easily felt calm and content sitting on the bench with Damsy. He'd come to find much enjoyment from the littler things. Yet he felt a little nervous still. There's something he'd been meaning to tell Damsy, and to show her. When she took her head off his shoulder he felt like it might have been time as he fiddled some with his hands in his lap. "Damsy I-" However, she got up to go check on something she'd spotted and said she'd be right back. Watching her get up he blinked a couple times behind his goggles and looked down for a second before looking back to see her looking down at something near the water.

Slowly the curious Tusken got up from the bench and made his way over as well. Following his girlfriend closer to the river he saw what had caught her attention. Looking down by her there was a little fish on the shore idly flapping around some. However, A'Runda had never seen very many fishes before in his life so his body language made him seem a little put off by it. Looking over at Dasmy he asked. "W-What do we do with it?" Clearly showing some of his ignorance to aquatic organisms. A big part of him wondered if Damsy could speak with and understand the animal.

[member="Damsy Callat"]

 

[Damsy Callat]

Damsy had squatted down at a safe distance, but pivoted on her haunches to look up at her boyfriend when her joined her at the riverside. "It'll die here," was all Damsy said as she shifted yet again to untie the jacket from her waist. Once done, she turned out one of the arms and pushed her hand partway through, using it as a mitten. She inched out over the bank sediments, quickly grading from gravels to coarse-grained sands and finally mud, and reached out to nudge the fish's flask. The creature plopped back into the river and, with a few more disturbances made to the surface with it's flicking tail, it had gone.

Damsy stood, taking her hand out of her jacket to inspect it. Dry. Good. The thick material protected her skin from the scales' residual water. Then her eyes found A'Runda again, concern for the fish gone but for him returning. "What were you sayin'?" She tried to calm her mind and wait for his answer.

 

[A'Runda]

A'Runda simply nodded as she replied to him. He looked down and watched as she cautiously handled the fish. He didn't know what kind of species it was so he was worried it'd flap around and bite her. However, he beleived that Dasmy knew what she was doing as it got back to the water and left them. After that she looked back at him, asking what he was going to say. Suddenly he felt a little bit of pressure to reply correctly. Looking back at her he let out a sign. "Damsy I... I can't help but feel..." He was having a hard time trying to explain what he wanted to say.

He figured it might just be easier for him to express himself through actions. Looking down he brought his gloved hand up to his neck, near the beginning of some of his wrappings. With a moment of hesitation he soon began unwrapping some of his mask that hid his head. "I've seen you become more comfortable with who you around me... I just feel like I need to do that same, for you, and for myself." He explained before the wrappings were loose enough he tugged some on his mask and removed it. Looking down for a second met her gaze, only this time without the filter of his googles. His face was a little more weathered then he'd like, and his features were quite gaunt from the radiation poisoning. Even though he was still fully clothes he felt rather naked as he felt the fresh air on his face. Which was the first time for him, in a long time. "I... Just wanted you to finally be able to see the man behind the mask." He concluded, hoping she understood.

[member="Damsy Callat"]

 

[Damsy Callat]

Tag: A'Runda
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Something possessed Damsy to cover A'Runda's cheeks with her hands, cold thanks to the breeze and clammy with her skin's moisture. The natural milky cloud that usually glossed over her eyes, to allow her to see in low-light marine conditions, was now restricted to the edges of her dark irises, held back by her clarity contacts designed for her by the CDF. She canted her head, a certain angle causing an eye to momentarily flash red, and smiled, baring her filed-but-still-somewhat-sharp teeth. They had both evidently changed quite a bit since their last meetup on Rishi, and certainly since they first fell in love on Thaere Privo.

"Thank you, my cuddlefish," she breathed, taking in his gaunt features. She had experienced a handful of injuries herself before, and even more had she administered basic field aid to many comrades and walked through hospitals to bolster the morale of her wounded brothers and sisters in arms, but she had never seen radiation sickness personally. Still, she could tell his features were not right though she had never seen them before. He looked like how that scalefish would have looked if it had remained beached for any longer than it had been, for a entirely different reason. But -- "You're beautiful." Truly, she thought.

"I love him. I love you," added Damsy as she dropped her hands to hold onto his. "How do you feel?"