Private Woven In Silence

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Katana
Tag: Tigris

The training circle was quiet.

Sunlight filtered through the trees, dappling the ground beneath Eve's bare feet in soft gold. A gentle breeze stirred the New Cov jungle air, rustling the leaves in a hush like breath drawn and held. Somewhere nearby, a bird chirped once, then fell silent again. The world was waiting.

Eve stood still at the centre, vision obscured by a white blindfold tied firmly over her eyes. Her hands were relaxed at her sides, one wrapped loosely around the hilt of a training katana, its blade dull. The weapon was smooth and balanced, familiar in weight, but that wasn't what grounded her. What grounded her... was Tigris.

She could feel her through the Force, quiet and steady, yet alive with that undercurrent of fire. A storm held in perfect tension. And somewhere within that storm was something softer. Something that belonged only to Eve. She took a breath.

The breeze stirred again, and Eve raised her blade. No opening stance. No guard. Just readiness. She didn't speak. The silence between them stretched, taut, fragile, electric. The kind of silence that held meaning, weight; an invitation. She could feel Tigris on the edge of it, waiting, watching, coiled.

And Eve waited too.

 

[Tigris]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Training Katana, Bracelet
Tag: Everest Vale

Tigris breathed in the humid jungle air, but the light breeze prevented the atmosphere from clinging like a wet blanket, as it often did deeper in the jungle. She had come to love that air, rich with the scent of flora, the call of jungle birds now familiar and comforting. New Cov Temple had become home for Everest and Tigris, Eve leaving Coruscant and Tigris Jakku to reside at the enclave of the Nobles' making. The temple was remote and quiet, the jungle rich and challenging. It was a refreshing respite from the metropolitan busyness of Coruscant.

The padawan couple had become close over the past months, through good and bad, war and peace. A turning point came on their trip to Selvaris, where their intimacy sparked a connection in the Force neither expected, or had fully understood. It continued to mature, even as they tried to comprehend it further.

That day, they were to work on the connection between the Force and saber combat. It would be challenging, for they were to deny thier senses, especially sight, and rely on the Force for their awareness. They stood on opposite sides of the outdoor training circle. Eve had already donned her white blindfold and stood waiting. Tigris indulged a moment to ogle her girlfriend while Eve was blinded. They silver-haired Echani was breathtaking as always. Tigris put aside her momentary admiration of Everest to focus on the training.

Tigris wrapped a black blindfold across her own eyes, ensuring no light penetrated. She stood quietly for a moment, allowing her other senses to adjust. Her fingers sensed the hilt of the katana in her grasp, a subtle shift of her soft boots feeling the dirt of the circle floor beneath her feet. Then, she focused on the Force, tuning herself to it.

As a Seyugi, Tigris had excelled at employing the Force internally, ennervating muscles and nerves to move with lightning agility and powerful strength. She had learned to use it externally only as an affect upon others, or objects, moving them, tricking them. But to 'sense' with the Force was a newer skill for the tattooed padawan, and she was still learning to use it. There was one exception to that. Eve.

Through their blossoming Force bond, Tigris could feel Eve in the Force as readily as if she touched her skin or smelled her hair. Whether she could sense how the girl moved in order to defend and attack her, well, this exercise would tell.

She could sense Eve's stillness, her anticipation. Tigris had to let go of more emotional thoughts, worry about harming Eve, protecting her. The Atrisian was doing just that in helping Everest learn how to fight and defend herself. Tigris set her mind and body to the pending task, muscles coiled, nerves open, aware of the Force in every fiber of her body. She held the well-balanced, dulled weapon in both hands, vertically to one side of her body. Then, she surged forward towards the light that was Eve's presence. Her footfalls were soft whispers against the sand.

He blade lifted over her head as she drew closer to Everest.

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Katana
Tag: Tigris

She felt her before she heard her. A shift in the rhythm of the jungle. A breath drawn, just slightly sharper than the breeze. The subtle tremor of intention blooming like a ripple through the Force.

Eve didn’t need her eyes. The bond thrummed gently with presence, heat, focus and motion. She felt it like the echo of a heartbeat against her own. As her senses stretched outward, she let go of the need to anticipate. She simply trusted.

Tigris moved, fast, silent. A streak of will arcing through the training circle. Eve exhaled, and she moved. Her body turned with the grace of water spilling in a new direction, arms flowing into a perfect redirection. Her katana came up at just the right moment, parrying Tigris’ downward strike with the flat of the blade. A flutter of birds came from the trees as the clash of steel on steel sung through the forest. The force of impact vibrated through Eve's arms, but she did not resist it; she absorbed it, listened to it.

In the same fluid motion, Eve stepped into the arc, not retreating but welcoming the closeness, the heat of Tigris’ energy. Her blade slid along the contact point and twisted out, guiding the motion into a spiral as she turned her hips and brought her weapon back around in a tight, precise counterstrike toward Tigris’ side.

Controlled. Measured. Not meant to wound; only to speak. Through steel and silence, she answered the invitation of her love.

 

[Tigris]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Training Katana, Bracelet, Echo Stone
Tag: Everest Vale

As Tigris executed her strike, she felt Everest's motion like a soft wave rippling against her being. The Force offered a tangible sensitivity to Eve's presence, revealing, not hard movement, but a smooth fluidity. The two women were well-trained in different schools of martial arts, creating a curious dance between them when they sparred.

Eve met Tigris' katana with a near perfect block. While the strike was halted, the kiss of the metal was not with brute force, but with a skilled glance, allowing Eve's blade to slide down Tigris', caressing the steel with a chiming ring. The blades parted, but the feel of Eve's weapon continued in momentum. Eve was going to counter.

Tigris remained in motion, the sparring ring quieting again after the calls of the startled birds faded. Shuffling feet, rustling robes, soft breaths, blades cutting through humid air, there was a intimacy to the hushed sounds as the lovers engaged in a martial dance. Listening, feeling, Tigris sensed Everest's blade sliding towards her. With a graceful contortion of her body, the bend of her spine, a dip of her hips, Tigris sought to evade the weapon.

The Atrisian's blade met the tip of Eve's, guiding it only enough to deflect it as Tigris slid by, the flat of the girl's weapon grazing along Tigris' ribs. The tattooed padawan rolled along that smooth blade, her feet moving with practiced ease as she parted from Everest and settled into a relaxed fighting stance.

"You have become like flowing water, angel." Tigris spoke with an unseen smile, her tone soft and playful.

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Katana
Tag: Tigris

A soft laugh slipped past Eve's lips, light as wind through leaves. She didn't lower her blade.

"And you," she murmured, her voice like silk across steel. "Are the earth, my love. Steady, grounding... and impossible to resist."

There was no teasing in her tone, only a reverence that tingled at the edge of flirtation. Her head tilted slightly, though her eyes, veiled behind the white cloth, remained fixed in the Force, tracing every flicker of her partner's presence. The jungle air clung warm to her skin, thick with tension and the scent of earth. She moved.

In one smooth motion, Eve surged forward, not with force, but grace, her blade sweeping low first, testing, then twisting into a higher arc aimed at Tigris' shoulder. She wasn't trying to win. She was merely trying to understand her love on an even deeper level than they already understood one another. Their language was that of passion and silence.

The dance continued.

Eve's bare feet skimmed the earth like she was born of it, the momentum of her strike flowing not from strength, but from intuition; an invitation and a challenge both, carried on the rhythm between them.

Steel kissed steel. Their blades held for a moment, and she lingered in the hush between heartbeats, savouring the warmth between them, the quiet thrum of connection that danced just beneath the skin. Her words slipped in like breath between them, a soft tease at her love's ear.

"Careful, my love... Even mountains give way to rivers... eventually."

 

[Tigris]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Training Katana, Bracelet, Echo Stone
Tag: Everest Vale

Tigris stood still, muscles coiled, but when Eve quipped her flirty reply, the tattooed jedi smirked and hummed in appreciation. The bond still resonated between them. The bracelet around Tigris' wrist, made by Eve as a gift, seemed to sharpen the bond, put it more in focus. It was that intimate cord that foretold Everest's movements.

Tigris responded, sensing her lover's blade swinging low, her own blade began to dip, but a sudden prodding coaxed Tigris to lift her blade as she spun on the ball of one foot, the other stretching out to lightly touch the ground, keeping her balance perfect. Their blades met again with a ringing kiss. The solid steel katanas were pressed to one another with gentle force. Tigris heard the subtle breath Eve inhaled before she spoke.

A light chuckle bubbled from Tigris' lips. She had felt Eve's warm breath on her as the Echani spoke, sensing how close they truly were. "Oh?" Tigris chimed back with innocence. "Rivers seem to find their way, between peaks and along valleys, just fine." She crooned, the smile on her face almost audible.

Tigris suddenly took a fluid step back, her blade sliding again along Eve's until they parted. Silently crouching and rolling, she attempted rise at an oblique angle to Eve, to her side and slightly back. Tigris' sword swung up, aiming to lightly kiss the tender white skin at Eve's neck.

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Katana
Tag: Tigris

Eve felt the blade slide away from hers, the metal parting like a sigh between them. In the quiet that followed, she heard Tigris’ teasing words, warm and smug, and they danced through her mind like ripples on a stream, a soft flush creeping into her cheeks.

She turned, not with alarm, but with certainty. The bond between them shimmered like a thread of light, and she followed its tug instinctively, sensing Tigris’ rise at her flank. Even before the blade reached for her, Eve was already moving.

She dipped low, her form folding like water slipping around a rock, letting Tigris' strike pass just above her. The near brush of steel stirred the fine hairs at her nape, and yet Eve’s expression didn’t waver, but it softened.

"I wonder," she murmured, twisting smoothly to face her. "If the earth ever aches for the river..."

Another pass — her katana swept low, forcing Tigris to pivot. A breath passed her lips, warm and trembling. "Just like the river…"

Their blades met again, locked for a heartbeat, eyes searching behind blindfolds and instinct. Eve’s breath caught as she pressed forward, their bodies nearly touching now.

"...longs to lose herself in her..."

A final step, blades crossed, their foreheads almost brushing, the heat between them humming through the Force.

"...again and again..."

She leaned in, her whisper grazing the shell of Tigris’ ear, a smile in her voice, hungry and reverent.

"...until there’s nothing left but wanting."

She bit her lip, the faintest smile tugging at its corners as their blades locked once more. Heat coiled in her chest, not just from exertion but from the nearness, the thrill of feeling Tigris move like breath and stone beside her. The air between them was thick with the scent of earth and sweat, tension laced with reverence. Beneath the blindfold, her lashes fluttered against her cheeks as she leaned ever so slightly forward — not for advantage, but simply to savour the space between them. The moment hung, delicate and charged.

 

[Tigris]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Training Katana, Bracelet, Echo Stone
Tag: Everest Vale

Tigris' blade cut through the air as Eve flowed beneath it's arc. She felt the movement through the bond, a velvety rope whose tension and slack revealed Everest's presence. Tigris allowed the weapon to complete its full motion even as the Atrisian pivoted again lightly. Her ponytail swayed behind her, loose strands of hair dancing around her face as she moved.

Eve's voice again spilled into the ring, as calm as if they were sitting in the temple gardens having tea. She posed a question, poetic and laced with innuendo. Tigris crouched and spun the other way, hearing the passing of Eve's blade so close. The Echani's playful tone brought a broad smile to Tigris' lips as she continued her momentum. She had not stopped moving, her lithe form flowing as they danced, their blades flashing in the dappled sunlight.

Eve's words continued, stirring Tigris. To hear such a suggestive narrative from her angelic paramour drew a warm heat to her core. Deceptively innocent, Everest knew how to undo her otherwise stalwart girlfriend.

Their blades met again, a satisfying clash of cold steel, a stark contrast to the heat of the ring, and the warmth Tigris felt as Eve drew close, their weapons locked, their bodies brushing one another. The Atrisian inhaled deeply of Eve's scents, relishing the sound of her breathing. Another hum rumbled in Tigris' throat, a bit more sensual that time.

"The earth craves the flow of the river, to feel it winding its way through the contours of its terrain, flowing into caverns and pooling in its sacred glens." Tigris purred. The tattooed padawan played along, perhaps more deeply than was anticipated. But it was Everest's fault. She knew what affect she had on Tigris.

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Katana
Tag: Tigris

Their blades were still locked, pressure trembling between them. The clang of steel had barely faded when Tigris' voice reached her, low, poetic, and laced with something deep and desiring. Eve felt it like a current through her body, a flush rising to her cheeks, a shiver that trailed along her spine. Her breath caught, chest rising and falling as the weight of those words — of Tigris — settled into her skin. The Force shimmered between them, not in tension, but in want.

"Tigris..." she breathed, barely more than a whisper.

The name left her lips like a prayer, and in the silence that followed, she leaned in. Their mouths met — soft, unhurried — a kiss shared in the charged quiet of the ring. It wasn't just affection. It was intimacy, raw and reverent. A promise wrapped in the hush between heartbeats.

But something stirred behind the blindfold. A flicker of mischief, and Eve... was still a fighter.

The kiss had barely broken when she shifted — not away, but down. In one smooth movement, she swept Tigris' legs from beneath her. The momentum took hold before muscle could resist, and with a thud softened by soil, the Atrisian hit the training circle floor.

A beat passed.

Eve pushed her blindfold up, revealing silver eyes alight with laughter and mischief. A peal of giggles spilled from her, unguarded, giddy with the sheer joy of it. She leaned down, offering her hand with a grin curved wicked at the edge.

"I might have cheated there," she confessed, trying and failing to look apologetic. "Just a little."

But her hand was steady and honest, and within the depths of her eyes — silver pools glinting with tenderness and devotion — was all the love she hadn't spoken aloud.

 

[Tigris]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Training Katana, Bracelet, Echo Stone
Tag: Everest Vale

Eve and Tigris were held in the moment, their blades still locked, measured pressure from each woman keeping the katana's pressed together with balanced force. It was like a moment out of time, where the galaxy watched, felt, all that passed between the blindfolded lovers. On the surface, in the mundane, Everest and Tigris were combatants, engaged in a martial exercise to hone their skills. But even a fool could see there was infinitely more between them, even as they stood in the middle of the ring, weapons held against one another.

Tigris marveled at the intensity of her entanglement with Everest. Emotion itself had been, at one time, indoctrinated out of her life. A good assassin could not afford sentiment. Feelings also made for inconsistencies when using the Force. Especially the Dark Side, who took advantage of passion for its own gain. But kindness shown her, heartfelt encouragement, from the likes of Knight Moghul and Master Vanagor and others in the Order, had started to stir Tigris' heart.

Feeling emotion had been difficult, and Tigris dragged her feet even as her heart insisted she experience them. The world changed when Everest came along. Something about Eve lit fire in Tigris' heart. An overwhelming wave of emotion followed, but without the resistance. Tigris could not but embrace all that Everest was, and how she had melted her cold heart. She taught Tigris how to love, and eventually, Eve helped the former Seyugi to learn that desire could be a beautiful part of love. And there, in the sparring ring, the Echani played upon that fire she had taught Tigris to relish.

But there was more. Something had happened between the two padawan lovers. The Force, perhaps by its own will, bound the two together. It was an unusual dynamic, such a connection between learners. But few could deny that the Force was strong in both Everest and Tigris. The unrestrained adoration between them, maybe, allowed such a deep, visceral Force connection to form.

All of that, in the few breaths that passed in that jungle fighting ring, two souls captured in a moment of metaphysical embrace. Stars exploded in Tigris' soul at the rich, breathy whisper of her name on Eve's lips. It was inevitable that one of them move, only enough for the physical touch they both desired. It was Eve, the younger, who leaned in, by instinct finding Tigris' lips without sight. They kissed with the sweetest passion.

But, one could not wallow in the cosmic pleasure of such an intimate, mulit-faceted bond. Everest, unexpectedly, brought them both back to the earth, and Tigris soundly so. The bond twanged with something, but Tigris perceived it too late. Her feet were swept from beneath her. It was only the second time such a thing had occurred, both taking place when she let down her guard.

Tigris hit the ground, instinctively bringing her arms up and curving her spine to protect herself and soften the blow as much as possible. Still, a breath of air blew out audibly as she hit the dirt. She lay there for a breath, finally reaching up to pull down her blindfold, dark eyes looking up sharply at Eve.

The glint of silver eyes and the ripple of girlish laughter softened Tigris. She laughed lightly as well. "You would make a good Seyugi, I can't believe you did that! And here I called you an angel. You are a little devil!" The tattooed Atrisian quipped. Tigris looked at the offered hand, measured the beautiful, angelic features of the Echani, sensing Eve didn't plan more mischief. But Tigris wouldn't forget... she would get her impish girlfriend back.

Grasping Eve's hand, Tigris leaped to her feet, katana still in hand. She wore a smirk on her dark lips, giving Eve a tap on the rear with the flat of her blade. "Don't forget, the earth remembers where the river runs..." Tigris jibed with a wink.

 

[Everest Vale]

Outfit: Robes
Equipment: Katana
Tag: Tigris

Eve yelped at the sudden swat, more out of surprise than pain, and turned with mock indignation that melted almost instantly into a grin. Her silver eyes sparkled, the earlier heat of the spar now softened with fondness, her cheeks still tinted with the remnants of their kiss and laughter.

"Oh, is that how the earth plays?" she teased, stepping backward lightly, katana twirling once in her grip. She tilted her head, her voice lowering into something more honeyed.

"Good... I wouldn't want it any other way..."

Her bare feet shifted through the soil as she returned to her stance, this time looser, more open — not careless, but trusting. In the Force, the bond between them shimmered like a silver thread strung between heartbeats. The spar had only drawn them closer, and in that closeness, Eve felt not just the hum of love, but the quiet thrill of challenge.

In the hush between banter and blade, Eve felt her heart catch. The way Tigris looked at her — sharp and shining and so full of life — it carved a space inside her chest that she never wanted to fill with anything else. How strange and beautiful, she thought, to find something so fierce and tender all at once. She could have stayed in that moment forever, two hearts tangled in laughter, in challenge, in something that felt dangerously close to forever. The jungle hummed around them, but it was the quiet between their heartbeats that sang loudest.

She gestured with the tip of her blade, one brow rising over her blindfold in invitation.

"Shall we see how the river runs this time, my love?"

And though she was smiling, her whole being stilled — breath calm, presence focused — ready again to move like water through stone.