Private You're Really Glowing on Me

[Zaiya Ceti]

The Dormitories
Interacting with: Aris Noble

It was the giggles that gave her away.

Well, technically, it was a pair of giggles that turned into full-blown laughter, followed by a clumsy bump against the furniture and then a faint squeak of surprise. That was quickly followed by a low, growly mumble, a tiny hiccup-giggle, and a burst of glowing colors. Even in her giddy, floaty state, Zaiya could tell Ayhan didn't mean any harm, so she left him and Mahsa in the common area, Mahsa's response barely intelligible between hiccups and her hair flashing through a rainbow of colors.

With a playful hum and a skip in her step, Zaiya made her way down the corridor toward her room. Well, it was more of a stumble-skip, the kind that almost made her crash into the wall. She couldn't help but giggle again, propping herself up for balance. Her shoes were pinching her toes, and without a second thought, she bent down to slip them off. Only, she leaned a little too far forward and ended up plopping onto the floor.

Another bubbly laugh escaped her, and Zaiya's rosy golden skin was now tinged with a bright pink hue, her bioluminescent patterns shimmering more vibrantly than ever. Each mottled spot on her skin seemed to glow like a constellation, the soft iridescence twinkling in time with the effervescent feeling bubbling inside her.

The party had been a whirlwind of fun! Zaiya felt so pretty, and she and Mahsa danced, laughed, and had the time of their lives. It had been so, so-o lovely.

Definitely something she'd do again in a heartbeat!

 

[Aris Noble]

There was something off about how the pair returned. Aris was.. He wasn't sure what the feeling was exactly. She'd gotten dressed up, asked his opinion even, then left for some kind of party with Mahsa. That was fine, without a doubt. But she hadn't invited him along. Was he jealous? .. He wasn't sure. Could that be the emotion? Those thoughts didn't last long though, as he did smell something wrong.

Did they.. Drink?

Ayhan had a more aggressive response to this. He gave the boy a nod. If there was something underhanded here, if they'd been slipped something, he was going to be making a list to cross off. And yet, he didn't want to just assume this was something bad, right?

It didn't change the off feeling.

"It looks like you had a lot of fun. .. You okay?" He really hoped she was.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

​

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya sensed Aris's presence before she even saw him. It was getting easier to, feeling him hum in the Force like a warm melody. A wide grin stretched across her face as she tipped her head back, irridecent blue eyes sparkling with delight.

"Aris!" she called out with a playful, mischievous lilt in her voice. Just seeing him made her skin light up in a radiant display, bioluminescent patterns shimmering in vibrant teals, chromatic blues, and the faintest blush of crimson creeping onto her cheeks. Her emotions danced across her skin, betraying just how happy his presence made her.

"Yes! It was amazing!" she gushed, her excitement bubbling over.

"We had a blast! Mahsa looked extra cute!" She shimmied her shoulders proudly, her joy practically overflowing as she beamed up at him -- at least until a couple of seconds later, she realized something. That from her spot on the floor, Aris looked... gigantic.

A pout tugged at her lips as she remembered their bet. The height difference! She'd nearly forgotten. If only she had kept her shoes on, maybe -- just maybe -- she could finally win.

Determined, Zaiya narrowed her gaze at Aris, her playful nature bubbling back to the surface. She quickly scanned the room, searching for the pokkuri shoes she'd just discarded. They had pinched her toes painfully, but this was about principle now!

"Don't move!" she commanded, instructing him with a colorful wave of one hand, her skin rippling with dark orange flecked with blue -- a clear sign that she was on a mission. She snagged one of the shoes and started slipping it on again, wincing a little as the sore spots between her toes protested.

But still, victory was within reach! Maybe this time she'd finally stand tall enough to win that bet.

 

[Aris Noble]

Nothing bad happened, then, right?

Aris was doing his best to just smile, but the concern in his eyes wasn't something even his poker face could hide. How she was behaving was.. It was booze, then, that he smelled? She started to put her shoes back on for.. A reason he couldn't fathom. He didn't understand. He reached down, stopping her. Her feet looked sore as it was as he took her hand in his.

"What are you doing? You shouldn't be going back out."

And through it, she'd feel it completely. Concern. Worry. And buried beneath it all that jealousy he was trying so hard to ignore.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

​

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

"Oh no, wait, I need to see if..." Zaiya started, her words trailing off the moment Aris's hand gently closed around hers, halting her attempt to put her shoe back on. A flood of emotions rushed in -- concern, worry, and something else… something that made her pause. Wait. Was that…?

For a second, Zaiya blinked, confused. The sensations swirling around her felt oddly familiar, like what she'd felt earlier at the party when she'd seen Azurine. Azurine had looked so strong and beautiful, her shimmering outfit highlighting her battle scars like trophies of bravery. The Iridonian had seemed like everything Zaiya wasn't -- vibrant, confident, strong, and fearless.

Was she feeling that again? Or was this coming from Aris?

Her mind spun in circles. Did Aris think Azurine was stronger, braver, prettier? Was he drawn to her now, after sparring with her, laughing and smiling in ways she hadn't seen him do so before? What if he admired Azurine's fearlessness, her ability to be so open? Would he spend more time with her, share moments Zaiya couldn't? The thoughts snowballed in her mind, and without realizing it, the colors on her skin began to shift. Deep, stormy greens and flickers of amber swept over her rosy golden skin, glowing with the anxiety and jealousy bubbling inside her.

"Oh... umm... I'm not going back out," she said, her voice softer now, more uncertain. Her fingers curled around Aris's hand, her thumb absentmindedly tracing circles over the top of it. He was warm. He was always warm, but somehow, right now, it felt different. More.

Without thinking, Zaiya tightened her grip and tugged him down with a surge of the Force as he had taught her to do toward her to increase her strength, emotions fueling the act, hoping he'd sit beside her on the floor. She felt like she needed him close, needed some kind of reassurance.

"I think I'm taller now... gotta win the bet," she blurted out, trying to break the tension with a silly comment, though her heart was racing.

And then, before she could stop herself, the question slipped out.

"Hey, Aris. Am I… pretty?"

The second it left her mouth, Zaiya felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. But the question hung in the air, vulnerable and raw, and she couldn't take it back.

 

[Aris Noble]

He couldn't feel her emotions the same way she could feel his, not as in depth, but her holding his hand like this made it impossible for him not to feel the rush of emotions. What was she thinking about? Who was she thinking about? What had gone wrong? Did someone actually hurt her? Was there something here that was going on that she couldn't bring herself to tell him? Was someone threatening her?

No, there wasn't that kind of fear. Inwardly he chastised himself a little for thinking so drastically on something he had little information on, but he felt so incredibly worried. Who had given her alcohol? Maybe that's why her colors were shifting around, now that he thought about it more. Did this show that when a Lovalla got drunk their colors were more wild or was it truly matching her emotions?

"Okay. Then-" When she was better, more herself, they could talk more. Or so he thought. The sudden yank took him by surprise as he half stumbled then just fully fell forward. He caught himself on the wall, propped up by a hand. And much, much closer to Zaiya than he thought he'd be. For a moment, he almost blushed. But that faded to a soft smile as she mentioned their height. Their bet, from the moment they decided to become friends. Become best friends.

"You're never going to end up taller than me now. Sorry, Zaiya." He started to push himself up so he could stand again, but froze up completely as something he didn't expect was voiced in the air.

"Hey, Aris. Am I… pretty?"

"You're the most beautiful person I know." No hesitation, no beating around the bush on that. His bluntness on it even had him blush faintly, but rather than let that linger in the air any longer he fully stood. A hand was offered as he looked off, towards where Ayhan and Mahsa had gone. In truth he wasn't looking for them at all, instead hiding the blush that was still clear on his ears even if Zaiya couldn't see his face.

"We should get you to your bed so you can nap. You might have a headache soon, if what I'm smelling is right. Maybe take a shower? Might help with it."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Aris wasn't wrong, a bit of alcohol was the cause of her current effervescent state, so her feelings felt even more out of control, especially with Aris so close.

So when he fell forward, barely catching himself with a hand on the wall to hover over her, her breath caught, heart skipping a beat as her wide opal blue eyes locked onto his -- and then his expression softened into a smile, the kind that made her stomach twist in that funny way it always did around him.

He made a quip that she wasn't going to ever be taller than him, but Zaiya couldn't focus on the banter this time. Not with how close he was or how good he smelled, like something earthy and warm that made her want to lean in.

It didn't help matters that without missing a beat, he answered:

"You're the most beautiful person I know."

He thought she was the most beautiful person he knew without hesitation. That meant he really, really meant it. The words made Zaiya's heart flutter, and her skin lit up in a swirl of vibrant coral and pink hues, glowing softly over her rosy-golden skin. He really meant it. The most beautiful person he knew.

She was glowing -- literally -- but couldn't help it. So... maybe... just maybe... she still had a chance? If she worked hard, trained, and became better at sparring, be the best Knight she could be, maybe one day he'd look at her like he looked at Azurine. Maybe she'd be the one to make him laugh like that during a fight. Her thoughts raced, each one making her heart flip a little more.

By then Aris stood up, offering his hand, though his gaze drifted down the corridor as if checking in on Mahsa and Ayhan. Zaiya just stared at him for a second, face as warm as his, before taking his hand. She couldn't ignore the way their emotions tangled together at the touch, fluttery and awkward, neither of them really knowing what to do with it.

"O-okay," she stammered, letting him help her up. She barely noticed she was still barefoot until Aris mentioned something about a smell. Her skin flushed brighter in a wave of embarrassment. "Wait -- what? You're smelling something? Do I... stink?"

Before he could answer, the slight tenderness in her toes made her wince, throwing her off balance. Zaiya stumbled, and the next thing she knew, she was bumping against Aris, her palm flat against his chest, pressing them even closer than before. Her breath hitched again, her eyes wide as she looked up at him, her heart racing.

She could feel every inch of the space between them disappearing, and for a moment, all the awkwardness, all the insecurity, melted away into just one thought: Aris was right there, his silvery hair falling over his eyes in the jostle. And for once, Zaiya didn't immediately try to pull away.

No, instead, the fingers that always seemed to twitch in desire to touch him came up. They sailed over his chest until they came up to gently brush the silky strands away from his eyes.

"You have very pretty eyes..." The words slipped out before she could stop them. Thoughts she normally filtered and kept to herself easily flowing in the way she had wanted to freely express them for a while. She had complimented him in the past on his good looks and his pretty clothing, but that had been different. It had been an appreciation of beauty -- not because Zaiya saw him as attractive.

It was different now. Very different. Oh.

The glow over Zaiya's skin changed, becoming a mesmerizing, almost ethereal display of golden flecked turquoise, with a slight ripple of Firegem red weaving through her patterns. It shimmered and danced across her rosy skin, reflecting the realization that had just struck her like a speeder crash.

Oh.

She liked him.

No -- she like-liked him.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Something in your breath, it's-" Before he knew it, she'd stumbled into him. He shouldn't reacted faster to it, kept them both stable. It was easy for him to, normally. He could think fast enough, react fast enough. But right now the boy was just too distracted by his own thoughts to realize Zaiya had even tripped until she bumped into him. There was no hiding his blush this time as he looked down to her, cheeks a deep, deep red.

He was frozen. She reached up, brushing the air from his face. It'd gotten longer these last couple months, to the point he needed to tie it back. Dad had given him some hairties specifically to help with that. Which was the thought he went into to try and distract himself from the thumping of his heart in his chest. From the compliment she spoke up without hesitation or how it made his heart leap that much more.

It didn't help her colors had shifted so drastically.

Reason won out, as it always did for him. A smile formed, calm as he decided that, for now, while she was still probably drunk, he needed to not let this get to his head. He understood that much on how drinking worked right? It was an ironically sobering thought as he helped her to stand more on her own feet.

".. You should shower and rest. Then we can talk more on this, okay?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Oh. My. Stars.

I like Aris. I like-like Aris!

The realization hit Zaiya like a hovertrain, her heart skipping into overdrive. Her eyes went wide as everything suddenly made sense -- why she'd been so upset about Azurine Varek , why she got so nervous around him, why she always wanted to be close, to touch him, and why it stung so much when he said she shouldn't bond with him. It all came crashing in at once, and with it, her bioluminescence went into overdrive -- stuttering, flashing, and rippling across her skin like she couldn't control it.

And here she was, so close to him, staring at his bright red face. Wait... why is his face so red? Did he say something about her breath?!

OH NO.

Does my breath stink?!

The thought made her freeze, mortified. Was he holding his breath because of her? Because she'd been so close and -- oh no, nonono no no was that why he told her to take a shower and get some rest?!

Her panic exploded in a scramble, Zaiya practically launching herself off of him, her hands flying to cover her mouth.

"OH! I'm so-sorry!" she stammered, voice muffled behind her palms, eyes wide with horror as she tried to apologize and hide her breath at the same time.

In her rush, she lost her balance and bumped straight into the corridor wall with a wince, still clutching her mouth in embarrassment. She was a mess, her thoughts spinning out of control, convinced that she'd just ruined everything. First, I realize I have a crush on Aris and now I've probably grossed him with bad breath?!

Her mind flashed back to when he said kissing was gross and unsanitary.

He will never want to kiss me!!!

"Sorry!!!" she blurted again, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

Oh my stars, Zaiya, could you be any more of a disaster?!

 

[Aris Noble]

"Huh?"

Aris was still between the flustered thoughts that she did like like him and the sobering thought that she only did because he thought she was drunk, but completely didn't realize at first what she was saying. That she was.. Sorry? For what? There was nothing that made sense for why she would be sorry- was she covering her mouth? He ended up just tilting his head as she rushed off to the refresher.

He ended up smiling after a moment as he stepped over to her, reaching a hand out to again help her to her feet.

"When you're rested, we'll talk more about all of this, okay? Don't be sorry or anything now. Just, be safe, okay?

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya was in full on panic mode now. She'd just realized she like-liked Aris, and now crashing down like a meteor, came the mortifying thought that he thought her breath was…stinky? Had he actually been trying to tell her that?! She felt like she could die from embarrassment.

Her lower lip trembled as kept her hands clamped over her mouth, tryiing to keep her emotions in check. The happy, giddy feeling was gone, buried under a landslide of self-doubt and worries. All she wanted was some reassurance that this wasn't as awful as it felt. But if she said anything else, Aris would probably think she was just being silly.

Even though he'd told her she didn't have to apologize, the words barely registered. She couldn't look him in the eye. She felt her cheeks flush, coral luminescence to the roots of her white hair, and all she could do was duck her head to hide her face, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Okay," she mumbled, her voice barely more than a whisper. She didn't even reach for his hand, though she knew he'd offered it. instead she slipped past him, heading toward her room, her heart sinking.

Stupid, stupid, Zaiya, she scolded herself. He might've said you're the most beautiful person he knows, but here you are, probably grossing him out with your breath!

Her face burned, and all she wanted to do was disappear into her room.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris watched her as she hurried to her room, concern as ever in his eyes. He really didn't want her to get hurt. She didn't look like she was unstable, but she had fallen twice already. The concern was overwhelming. As was the concern for the colors she was flashing. They were so vibrant before, but now? Had he said something wrong? His brain replayed the conversation over and over again until he realized why she'd covered her mouth.

And immediately his face burned a deep read as he rested it in his hands and just.. Groaned.

".. I'm actually an idiot.."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble

Zaiya barely made it into her room before she slapped the control panel, and the door slid shut with a soft hiss. She leaned back against it, only to slide down to the floor in a rush of embarrassed frustration, a flurry of coral and silver bioluminescent spots flaring over her face as she hid behind her hands.

"Stupid, stupid Zaiya!" she muttered, her pulse racing in a mess of self-conscious panic. Did he think she had bad breath? She wracked her brain, replaying the evening in humiliating detail.

Was it the cheddar and garlic crab cakes? Or the grilled shrimp? Did I seriously eat too much of that stuff right before talking to him?

The evening had been bad enough, with her nerves already on edge as she tried to ignore how stunning Azurine Varek looked in that shimmering dress. Between the pretty dress and bubbly fruit drinks she'd downed to distract herself, she'd clearly been one giant ball of embarrassment just waiting to unravel.

"He's gonna think my breath smells terrible now!" she groaned, pressing her forehead to her knees.

After a while, she sighed, finally pulling her hands away from her face and letting her head rest against the door with a soft thump. Staring up at the ceiling, she started questioning everything.

What am I supposed to do now? Act like I didn't just figure out I like him?

And then a new worry struck her, making her sit up with a jolt.

Wait, what if I'm reading this all wrong? She replayed his words back on Aldhani, the hopeful ways she took it when he told her about finding a way to protect her and keep her safe when he asked if her species needed to remain with someone... Was he saying that for him specifically, or just in general? Did he mean he'd find a way for me to be with someone else then?? Not him? Is that why he told me not to bond with him?

She groaned again, her face flushed with even more confusion and a swirling mess of other emotions. Aris was right about one thing -- she definitely needed a shower. And a good, thorough brushing of her teeth. Maybe a whole cup of mouthwash too.

After a heavy sigh, Zaiya got to her feet, taking her robes off in frustrated jerks. By the time she'd finished with her shower, her hair was damp, her mouth tingling with the sharp mint of mouthwash and the floral scent of hyacinth shampoo clinging to her like armor. Clad in her comfiest pajamas, she padded back into her room, feeling a bit more herself -- though, admittedly, with her heart still a hot confused mess.

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris was on the couch now, knees tucked to his chest as he was reading. It was quick, fast scrolling reeding on as many different questions as he could think of. How to tell a girl you don't think her breath stinks. How to tell a girl you like like them. How to avoid letting a girl know you like liked them. So many questions along those lines as he just continued his scrolling at breakneck speed.

He only paused when he heard the bathroom door open. He looked over the couch to watch Zaiya's door, ever listening to at least make sure she didn't slip or the like before he fell back on the couch, hiding his face in his arm in the process.

".. I really hate how dumb I am."

Zaiya Ceti