Private Where The River Meets The Mountain

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Tunic
Equipment: Lightsaber, Backpack, Camping Gear, Bracelet, Uneti Flute
Tag: Tigris

Eve sat cross-legged by the embers beside Tigris, savouring the closeness of her. It felt like she could not longer bear to be apart from her. The moment was gentle, peaceful, as they enjoyed breakfast, the stillness resting over them like a blanket. Her silvery eyes had lifted to meet Tigris’ as soon as her name was spoken, and now, they didn’t move. She listened.

Really listened.

She watched the subtle ways Tigris spoke — not just the evenness of her tone, but the depth that lived behind her dark, bronze gaze. Eve felt it ripple through the Force like a stone dropped in still water: quiet honesty, aching with meaning.

As Tigris said "It was... indescribable,” Eve’s fingers curled ever so slightly around her cup, and she felt her throat tighten. She understood. Not all of it — how could she ever know what Tigris had endured, the weight of her past? — but she felt it. She felt the truth in those words like heat on skin. She nodded softly.

"Tigris…" Her voice was gentle, almost reverent. "I don’t think I can ever fully understand what that meant for you. But I’m trying. I want to. And I feel how... important it was. To you. To us."

She paused, gaze drifting to the morning mist still caught between the trees. A breeze fluttered the tips of her white hair. Then she turned back, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I’ve never... done anything like that before. With anyone. It wasn’t just love. It felt... sacred. You showed me that I was safe. That I could be all of myself with you. I... I want to give that back."

Eve leaned in slightly, one hand resting gently on Tigris’ thigh — grounding, tender. Her words came slow and deliberate.

"You’ve changed me, your love has changed me," she said breathily. "In the best possible way." She placed her cup down for a moment and reached her hand out, resting her palm on her love's cheek and turning her face so they could look at one another directly. Her thumb ever so gently rubbed along her cheek bone in comforting motions.

"And I want you to know, I'm here for you, always. Whatever we have to face, we do it together."

Despite this all being so new to the young Echani, something has fundamentally shifted within her. Deep down she knew — and was more certain than she had ever been about anything in her life before — that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this woman.

After a while, Eve gently pulled away from the embrace and stepped over to her backpack. She crouched beside it in silence, rummaging for a moment before retrieving something small from within. Then, she returned to Tigris, a quiet smile playing on her lips.

"Close your eyes," she murmured softly. "Give me your hand."

When Tigris did, Eve guided something onto her wrist — a bracelet, intricately woven from fine fibers. Two strands stood out among the weave: one silver, one brown. On either side, a polished bead of onyx and another of quartz caught the light just so. As it settled against Tigris' skin, the bracelet emanated a subtle warmth — not physical heat, but something deeper, like the feeling of sitting beside a campfire, or the way a gentle breeze feels on a quiet afternoon. The Light Side pulsed gently through it, like a comforting breath.

"I made it for you," Eve said. "The silver and brown, the quartz and onyx — they represent us. And wherever you go... I'll always be with you."

She leant in and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, as if to seal the moment.

 

[Tigris]

Outfit: Tunic
Equipment: Lightsaber, vibroknife, Bracelet, Echo stone, NJO utility belt, emergency beacon, Jakku Enclave Guardian Mantle
Tag: Everest Vale

Tigris, the one who never had anyone, who never needed anyone. She looked at Everest. In that moment, Tigris felt like her being was so full it expanded beyond her mortal shell. Her soul was naked before Eve, every protective, and isolating, barrier had been shattered, the last of it falling during their sweet union the night before. It was a sort of dichotomy for the age-old, ex-assassin, and Tigris admitted she wasn't always sure how to navigate it.

But she did know one thing, she was going to embrace it. With Eve, she felt life, she had life. The beautiful Echani was only a teen, innocent in some ways, yet the girl had a depth Tigris could hardly fathom. Love overflowed from Everest, and she spared nothing is showing it. The Echani was a marvel to her inked lover.

Then, Eve drew close, her warm hand on Tigris' thigh. the younger woman shared more of her heart, made herself vulnerable to the older girl. Tigris held the silver gaze, listening, drinking in Eve. A tear welled up at the corner of her eye and she quickly brushed it away. The revelation was deeply moving, that Tigris had been Eve's first in true loving intimacy. The gravity of that honor fell on Tigris, it was a privilege most precious to her. In truth, while Tigris was no innocent, the night with Eve was her first in love. It was, for her, as if it were her first time as well.

"...whatever we have to face, we do it together."

"Together." Tigris repeated when Eve was finished speaking. Her dark eyes glassy with restrained tears, their depths only a glimpse of the profound emotion she felt.

And then Eve gave Tigris another gift. Eve was selfless and so thoughtful. Tigris still had the Recopian flower Eve had given her on their first date. And now, another. Tigris held out her hand, and Everest slipped a curious bracelet around. It was beautifully made. Once it settled on her wrist, Tigris could feel it. The Force was woven into it, she could sense. But there was more. There was Eve. With it, that strange new connection seemed to resonate, clarify some. Tigris knew her lover had made it for her, and imbued it with the Force. Now, unbidden, the tears fell. No one but Eve had seen Tigris cry.

"Eve..." She whispered as she looked from the bracelet to Everest. "Its... beautiful." Rising, Tigris wrapped her arms around Eve and embraced her tightly. "I can't say in words how much I love you." She tried, consumed by an unfamiliar swell of emotion she didn't know what to do with. They had found a depth of love for one another in that jungle glen. And a connection most unexpected. One in the Force.

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Tunic
Equipment: Lightsaber, Backpack, Camping Gear, Bracelet, Uneti Flute
Tag: Tigris

The warmth of Tigris' embrace lingered long after her arms loosened. Eve leaned into it, into her, heart full to bursting. She hadn't known love could feel like this; not just the tenderness, but the raw, quiet safety of being seen. Tigris had seen every part of her now. And Eve had seen her, too.

Stillness stretched between them, peaceful and golden. The fire crackled gently in the background, the morning light filtering through leaves like lace. Birdsong stirred in the canopy, and a soft breeze played through Eve's silver-white hair.

She looked down at the bracelet now adorning Tigris’ wrist, the faint thrum of the Light Side pulsing between them. Their bond, it was still new, delicate, like the first thread of dawn before sunrise. But it was there. And it was theirs.

Eve reached up, brushing a loose lock of hair from Tigris’ cheek and wiping some the tears away gently, before cupping her jaw with one hand. She looked at her with a confidence she had never exhibited before. After last night, she knew that confidence would feed into everything now.

"I love you with everything I have, more than what the universe itself can muster," she said softly. "Wherever we go... Whatever we face. I’m with you. All the way."

She leaned in and kissed her, slow, sweet, and full of promise. Not the fire of the night before, but something just as powerful: belonging. A few moments later, she gently took Tigris’ hand in hers and looked out toward the jungle trail.

"Ready to see what else Selvaris wants to show us?"

The world was waiting. But this time, they wouldn’t face it alone. With fingers entwined and hearts steady, Eve led the way, back into the wild, the sun warm on their backs, their love guiding every step.

* * *​