Ask Onderon Brunch

[Malou D'Amaris]

It had a while since Malou had last spoken with the Jedi she'd met on Kesh. They'd exchanged contact details over a year ago, and she hadn't attempted to message him much since. Her life had gotten exponentially busy immediately afterward. Missions, conquests, acolyte-trials... just the usual. There wasn't even anything specific that reminded her that she had his information. She'd just remembered, then sent him a message.

If you're anywhere near Onderon by chance, let's get lunch tomorrow.

To her surprise, he'd replied, and they were set to meet in about an hour. Truth be told, Malou couldn't quite remember what about the Jedi had piqued her interest. She remembered the events of the museum food court though. He had asked her if she wanted him to refer her to his masters. She'd declined, but it was certainly an opportunity she might be able to take advantage of one day.

-----​

Malou waited outside the café, sipping on a coffee while she swiped through various profiles on a local app. She was dressed casually and had her hair pulled back at the base of her neck. There was a small sliver of space at the bottom of her silk binding that allowed her to peer down onto the digital screen and see the people she was reviewing. Her thumb never paused though; none of the people she saw suited her tastes.

'I wonder when he'll get here.' Malou closed her eyes and searched the area around her, but she couldn't see the twin montrals she was expecting quite yet. Unbothered, Malou went back to mindlessly swiping.

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

"R1, it's beeping again" Ruzaan complained, holding out the datapad so that "his" astromech could plug into it and assess exactly what was wrong. "What? No, I don't have a date" he replied to R1-NT. Dates were something that other people went on. "Who did you say it was from?" he asked.

Malou. Ruzaan wasn't quite sure what to feel; elated that she'd remembered him or wary that this was the first communication he'd received from her in a long time. When he thought about it, though, he'd hardly been responsive as well, due to his rigorous studies and his complete inability to work a datapad. "Huh. Lunch sounds good." Onderon wasn't too far away, and hopefully they wouldn't get shot at this time...

The next day, bare feet stepped off of a public transport to Onderon as Ruzaan arrived on the planet. Although Jedi traveling robes were fairly inconspicuous, he decided to wear a more neutral outfit. His double-bladed lightsaber hung on the left side of his belt; Ruzaan had learned on the flight over that it was only truly concealed when he was standing up. Thankfully, Onderon would probably be more welcoming and less dangerous to a Jedi than Kesh... or Kabal.

However, such gloomy thoughts vanished as he made his way towards the café and spotted Malou. It wasn't hard to find her, given that she was the only one wearing a blindfold, but she clearly had arrived before he did and as such Ruzaan hurried over to greet his friend. "Malou! It's good to see you" he smiled, waving as he approached. Being uninterested in datapads, he wouldn't notice her aimlessly swiping on the popular Nab-boo dating app, and instead focused his energy and joy on reuniting with his unique, talented, and mysterious friend. "How have you been?"

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

'There he is.' Malou rotated her head to face the approaching Togruta, then rose her hand to return the wave. She closed the application on her datapad and dropped the device into her pocket before gesturing to the seat across from her.

"It's good to see you too, Ruzaan," she replied with a smile. "I've been doing just fine. I finished my studies, so I've had a bit of free time recently. Here, sit." With the smallest application of the Force, she would scoot the chair away from the table just enough to allow the Jedi to plop down without having to move it himself. He would certainly notice the usage, but it was subtle enough that it was unlikely any passerby's or on-lookers would notice.

As Ruzaan sat down, Malou would take another sip of her coffee, then tap a finger on the laminated menus laid out on the table in front of her. "I told the waiter to return when you showed up. They've got soups and sandwiches, mostly." There were additional things on the menu, but the little café Malou had asked Ruzaan to meet her at was apparently known for those items. A crimson sign nearby read "Peter's Perfect Soups and Sandwiches," if the Togruta hadn't spotted the name already.

Inside the café, the waiter Malou had spoken with earlier set his sights upon the new patron and began to gather himself to come outside to greet them again.

"What about you? Been busy?" Malou could count at least three conflicts between the Sith and the Jedi in recent months. She paid little attention to much outside of her work in and around Avillion, but she was sure she'd seen the news about conflicts on the holonet. That was one thing that could've kept him busy, but she was sure his late responses had more to do with more mundane tasks or even just a lack of tech-savviness on his part.

Without skipping a beat, Malou took another sip of her coffee and lifted the menu. She'd requested a menu for the blind, so the raised braille allowed her to read through the different options available. There was a spicy sausage soup that sounded pretty good, but the sandwiches did too.

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Despite his cheery attitude, Ruzaan couldn't help but feel a flutter of nerves as Malou pushed back his chair with a wave of her hand. Seeing another person apply the Force in such a casual and trivial way thrilled him and made him nervous at the same time- Malou existed outside of the community and organization that Ruzaan was devoted to, and he was still having a difficult time wrapping his head around the idea of an independent Force user. He couldn't argue that Malou was independent, however, and the Togruta sensed that she had only grown into that area since they had last seen each other.

Of course, Ruzaan had grown, too. A couple of years adhering to the strict Jedi training regimen had helped him grow into his frame, at least by Togruta standards, and his control over the Force had grown as well. With some surprise he'd noticed that he was no longer among the newest (or youngest) crop of Padawans at the temple.

Despite his personal growth, Ruzaan still got the feeling that he was at a disadvantage now that he arrived. Being social creatures, Togruta were adept at reading social cues, and Malou felt as closed off and as reserved as ever. She was in control of herself and the situation, and if Ruzaan didn't know better he would have guessed that he had been summoned and not invited to join her for lunch.

At least the arrival of the waiter gave him time to gather his thoughts; he hadn't been prepared for how seeing Malou would affect him, and now that he was here he still wasn't sure what to make of the girl. He politely ordered a water and the least expensive item on the menu (a cheese sandwich and some kind of plain reddish soup), leaving the waiter slightly disappointed. Ruzaan tried not to feel self-conscious about it; the Jedi had gotten a lot of bad PR recently, and Padawan allowances had been one of many cuts as revenue streams and donations began to dry up.

At least the time between their meetings hadn't been boring. "Well, things have been pretty crazy recently" he responded once the waiter left. "I took part in the defense of Kabal on the way back from Kesh" he said, "although that was more by accident than anything. The transport I was on was rerouted there and BAM! The Sith decide to invade." The Togruta chuckled in spite of himself. "That could've been a lot worse than it turned out. Glad I wasn't on Dantooine, though..." he trailed off, his cheery mood evaporating at the mention of the bloody defeat. His friend Clove still had nightmares...

Anxious to change the subject and aware that he was rambling, Ruzaan lifted his gaze to where he assumed Malou's eyes were. "How about you? How have you been spending your free time?"

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

If Malou noticed the change in Ruzaan's appearance, she did not show it. There was a lot she didn't showcase, as Ruzaan had figured out. It could be a result of her upbringing, her position within the Sith, or a facet of her personality. That meant nothing of how she actually felt though. She did notice a difference in her friend. He looked stronger, and through his presence, felt stronger. Even his voice sounded a bit different, though she couldn't quite pin down what about it seemed to have changed.

Malou ordered the spicy sausage soup she had been eyeing on her menu and water to drink. She did not even bother to check the price of her soup as she read the name off to the waiter.

"Kabal?" He was on Kabal? 'It was a good thing we did not cross paths.' She didn't recall seeing him, and if she was correct, she'd worn her armor into battle. There was no way he might've recognized her if he'd seen her at all. "I think I heard about that." The Sith were unsuccessful there, unfortunately. Fortunately for Ruzaan, though.

'Now that I think about it, I don't think I've participated in an invasion against the Jedi since.' She orchestrated a full-scale invasion on Rago and convinced the leaders of Aeten II to join with Avillion, but no Jedi had been involved with that. To her chagrin, the idea of meeting Ruzaan on the battlefield gave her a sick feeling in her chest. Once again, Malou reminded herself she was exploring a potential opportunity here. She couldn't get mixed up thinking of him as someone she could care about. He was just a Jedi.

But now the questions were on her. "Since I finished my schooling, I have had a lot of free time," was the beginning of her answer. She began to absent-mindedly twirl a curl around her finger as she pondered for a moment. "I have thought about continuing my research on old Sith groups, but it has gotten dangerous trying to just locate old Sith ruins with all the conflict going on. I just turned eighteen, so I guess I have been trying to have fun before I actually have to go and be an adult."

With that, their food arrived. Ruzaan's soup and sandwich were set before him, Malou's before her, and their waters were placed soon after. After thanking the waiter, Malou lifted her spoon and took a sip of the soup with a small slurp. 'Damn.' It was pretty good.

"This is some damn good soup," remarked Malou as she lowered her spoon. "How is yours?"

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Free time. Fun. The concepts that Malou mentioned were much rarer in Ruzaan's life, although he supposed that this meet-up with Malou counted as both. Being 18 would certainly help with that, as most species were considered adults by their 18th birthday. A slight thrill of excitement wound its way through Ruzaan as he realized that Malou could now legally enter some cantinas!

"Well, be sure and have some fun for me!" Ruzaan said, smiling a bit wistfully over at his friend. "With the war on and all, there's not a lot of time for that." Malou spoke of the time before becoming an adult, but since joining the Order, Ruzaan realized that he'd signed up to be an adult for his entire life; most of his waking hours were spent training, studying, or on missions. He wouldn't give up his life as a Jedi for anything, but Ruzaan had to admit that he slightly envied Malou's freedom.

Ruzaan's mouth watered as their meals were placed in front of them. His own soup was probably subpar, but the Togruta had been raised to appreciate food when it came so he didn't complain. "It's good!" His sharp nose did pick up on the scent of Malou's soup, however, and he couldn't help but smile; Malou was composed, serene, and collected, so her decision to choose something spicy amused him. The fact that she liked it indicated that she might have a wild side, after all.

In between spoonfuls of hot soup, Ruzaan pondered which direction to take the conversation. He finally decided on the topic he was most curious about; Malou's idea of what "fun" was. Apparently it wasn't spelunking in old Sith ruins, as he previously would've guessed.

"So, free time and fun, huh?" he asked. "Is that what brought you to Onderon? Oh! By the way, thank you for the invitation."

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Malou didn't mind spicy food. Her tolerance was low because nothing she ate growing up was spicy to any degree, but she had slowly found that spicy meats in particular were quite delicious. She'd never had spicy sausage either, so she had wanted to try something new.

When Ruzaan mentioned the war again, Malou was glad there was a blindfold to hide her microexpressions. 'Is there a reason he keeps mentioning it?' The Miralukan rarely found herself near conflicts between the Sith and Jedi; most of her combat experience was against neutral systems. 'I wonder how much time he spends away from his home?' While she had the choice of going off to do whatever she wanted as a Sith, he was much more limited as a Jedi. Surely it couldn't be fun.

"Hm..." Malou pondered on the Togruta's question for a moment as she decided the best way to answer his question. Her main reason for being here was the library of Iziz; the woman had visited before, and she'd liked it enough to stop by again. She had passed her eighteenth birthday here, too. 'What was it, two days ago?' Something like that. "I guess I technically came here to visit the library of Iziz, but I've just been...hanging about." She spent her birthday watching local soap dramas with a glass of wine. She could've maybe seen in Ashla wanted to do anything, or maybe even any of the acolytes she knew, but it felt weird. Part of her felt disconnected from the rest of her former peers because she had moved on without them.

"I've been a bit at a loss of what to occupy my time with lately, so I've just been wasting it." She felt incredibly unproductive, but as long as she managed to avoid drinking out of boredom, she wouldn't be too hard on herself.

"...but you said you don't have much free time?" A change in the subject might suit her about now. Malou was curious to hear more about the Jedi, after all. Ruzaan was literally one sitting right before her, full of all sorts of information he might be willing to share! Though part of her wanted to dig her fingers into his mind and extract every sensitive piece of information from his psyche, a larger part of her was just curious to know what life as a Jedi was like. "What is your life as a-" Rather than speak the word "Jedi", Malou simply mouthed it. "-like? Is it true you have to mediate three hours every day?"

No one had ever told Malou that Jedi had to do that, but she felt the addition of it was right. Thinking about it then, Malu wouldn't be surprised if they did. The Sith had their own meditation rituals too, though Malou wasn't particularly fond of sitting in silence herself.

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan was tempted to continue questioning Malou about what she did in her free time- her answers were almost frustratingly vague- but as she turned the focus back to him he conceded that if she did end up sharing more details it would be because she wanted to, not because he kept asking. That, and he was unable to stifle a friendly laugh as Malou questioned the meditation habits of the Jedi Order, his mirth causing him to overlook her omission of the word, "Jedi".

"No, not exactly" he said, still smiling in the wake of his chuckles, "although I'm sure it's not uncommon to spend a few hours each day meditating. I've done it myself a few times." Ruzaan took a moment to compose his thoughts on the matter; at the Jedi temple everyone more or less knew what meditation was for, but he'd never thought about explaining it to an outsider. "The Jedi place an emphasis on self-discipline and emotional balance, and meditation is one way we can process emotions and sort through feelings. It also trains our minds to be sharp, and deepens our connection to the Living Force." He hoped he wasn't mansplaining meditation to his friend- certainly, as a Force user, she'd done something similar?

He was about to ask Malou that question when he realized that he'd only answered half of hers. "Besides meditation, my time is spent going to classes, studying the galaxy and its history, and training. The basic structure of each day is similar, but it varies from day to day."

Convinced that he'd now fully answered her question Ruzaan leaned forward, eager to have an answer to his. "What interests you at the library of Iziz?"

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Malou nodded absentmindedly as Ruzaan spoke, noting the things he said as he said them. 'Emotional balance...' That was a difference between the Jedi and the Sith. The Jedi were taught to suppress their emotions. They weren't supposed to give into or dwell on anything that caused them to avoid falling to the Dark Side, or something like that. Malou had never understood that. In the moments in which she hadn't been sure if she could pull through, it was strength through determination through anger that had given her the edge she needed to survive. The Miralukan recalled that dark cave on that creepy planet. When even she couldn't see, it was that inner fire that saw her through.

'Anger is balanced, though.' When she felt weak, it was anger at her weakness that strengthened her. All things considered, Malou was far from an angry Sith. Many of the other acolytes and champions she'd interacted with were over-flowing and bubbling with all sorts of emotions. That is unbalanced, Malou thought. She knew her reservations hindered her, but in a way, they helped her too. If she was angry all the time, where would she find her strength?

"The books," was her humorous response to Ruzaan's question. The truth was she was here for no particular reason. The Miralukan liked to read and figured it would be a fair way to celebrate her birthday. She had peace, quiet, and all the time in the world here. So it was a humorous response, but the truth as well. "Right now I have a couple of books checked out. One is about Force-cults of the past and the other is about how flora evolves to be poisonous." Both were very interesting so far. "I'm on a waitlist right now for a book about the history of the Jedi," Malou added after a moment. She supposed it was a bit odd to tell a Jedi she was learning about their history, but it was hard to come across.

"I'm sure you don't care since you have access to any history on the Jedi you want, but it's hard to find history about you guys. The Empire and the First Order destroyed a lot of texts." The woman's lips curved to a frown as she lifted another spoonful of soup to her lips. "The destruction of information forever irks me. Civilization is nothing without knowledge. It's how we grow and learn." Don't even get her started on private information! Paying for journal articles? Hell no.

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Neither of the first two books that Malou mentioned sounded particularly interesting to Ruzaan, but he had long since realized that he and Malou had different tastes. The third book, however, was a shared interest; the history of the Jedi. Unfortunately, Malou's comments regarding the destruction of Jedi lore was correct; all Jedi had been instructed to keep an eye out for bits of their Order's history as they traveled throughout the galaxy, and Ruzaan made a mental note about the text Malou mentioned.

"Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it" he agreed, reciting a quote he'd seen in the temple library back on Yavin IV. He had to count himself in that grouping, however; Jedi History was pretty boring to him, so he often fell asleep in that class. "What's got you switching your focus from Sith history to Jedi history?" he asked. A glimmer of hope blossomed in his chest- maybe Malou's search would lead her to consider applying to the Order!

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

What was her reason for switching from Sith to Jedi history? Well, for one, she was just curious. Especially now that she was a champion, she had access to more sources of Sith history including the location of tombs, temples, etc. in addition to some restricted libraries. Having a council member as her master helped with that as well. Jedi-related history was much more difficult to come across. Most information the Sith had on the Jedi was riddled with propaganda. That was a huge pet peeve of hers. Could she not just read an objective history of the Jedi without having Sith rhetoric shoved down her throat? Secondly, she wanted the bridge the gap between her and the Togruta. As much as she was really enjoying his company, she had a plan here.

"Well, I would say partially that knowing a Jedi had piqued my interest in the matter," she admitted with a smile in his direction. "But also, the Sith and the Jedi have been at arms for millennia. I can't study Sith history without studying the relevant Jedi history as well. That's also why I research other Force-based groups. Many of them are offshoots of one or the other."

Malou grew quiet for a moment as she ate a couple of spoonfuls of soup. "How much do the Jedi care about history? I mean, your history? I would assume they keep very detailed records."

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan had expected a laconic response to his question, so when Malou expanded on what could've been a simple answer or deflection he took notice. It was also hard not to feed the growing hope inside of him that Malou was interested in joining the Order. Suddenly, the fact that she'd reached out after so much time seemed less odd.

Even if that wasn't her motivation, he had to admit that her line of thinking made sense as far as the intertwined histories of the Jedi and the Sith. Her question about the Jedi's interest in history brought a knowing laugh from Ruzaan. "Almost too much, I think!" he replied, shaking his head in mock admonishment. "As important as history is, the classes I have to take on the history of the Order tend to be boring." Ruzaan leaned back in his chair, before realizing that he may have unintentionally insulted Malou; she was, after all, a student of history. "Um... but I'm sure there's cool parts in history, too!" he hastily amended, and shoveled a spoonful of soup into his mouth... only to find that his foot was already there. "Sorry."

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Malou didn't attempt to hide the disappointed look on her face when Ruzaan called his classes boring. He tried to recover, then apologized, but the frown only lifted a tad. She decided then would be a good time to spend a minute eating spoonfuls of soup as she mulled over what to say next.

"What are your interests then?" she would ask after the silence had grown awkward enough for her liking. If he didn't want to talk about history, that was fine. They could talk about what he liked then. Maybe they would share a common interest. She certainly had other interests, though most of them were either learning or involved holonet memes. If she remembered correctly, he wasn't very technologically adept.

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Guilt pierced Ruzaan's chest as Malou abandoned the topic of history; his fault, clearly, for not being more receptive to her choice of topics. Now it was awkward, and Ruzaan internally grimaced as he realized that it would be unfair for him to prattle on about his own interests after dumping cold water on hers. "I... I'm sorry" he apologized again. "That was rude of me, and I'm happy to talk about the Jedi's history with you if that's what you want! I might just not be the most reliable source" he admitted. "If you want?"

With the ball back in her court, he could console himself if she did decide to take the conversation elsewhere; at least he'd tried to make amends! It also gave him time to think if she did want to hear about his interests... for not the first time since joining the Order, Ruzaan felt as if he was being tossed around by a whirlwind of choices and possibilities and outcomes, and the sheer volume of it all was making it difficult for him to focus on any one area. He found himself dabbling in a variety of studies; Force Healing, Unarmed Combat, History.... but thus far nothing had stuck out to him as being particularly interesting.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

"No, no; it's fine. Really. I do want to hear about what you're into. Maybe we have some shared interests." Malou lowered her spoon into her now empty bowl of soup. "We can always talk about history some other time."

She really was curious. Though he said earlier that there wasn't much he did for fun, she didn't think that meant he had no specific interests. She spent most of her childhood either studying or reading. Her love of history had come from her love of reading, which came from her love of learning. Her youth was full of monotonous days, but she'd still come out with interests. Maybe a specific Force power?

"I mean, are there any facets of the Force you particularly enjoy?"

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

"It's fine." The two words sent alarm bells ringing in Ruzaan's head; he'd been warned that that phrase rarely was true. He needed to tread carefully lest Malou reach for a knife instead of her soup spoon. That being said, the Mirulakan seemed genuinely curious, so Ruzaan overcame his desire to deflect back to her and decided to actually answer the question.

Ruzaan quickly found that her question did not have a simple answer, though. The Togruta leaned back in his chair in order to ponder exactly what his interests were. Since joining the Jedi a couple years ago, the choices available to him had increased exponentially. Still, Ruzaan hadn't found a passion yet; he didn't have an area of study, like Malou did, nor did he count himself particularly skilled in any one skill.

All of that made answering Malou's question difficult, and it was some time before the Togruta spoke. "I don't know if I have a particular area of interest in the Force" he finally admitted. "I've done a little bit of everything that the Jedi teach- you know, healing, telekinesis, stuff like that- but nothing has really stuck out to me yet. I do like helping people, but I've found that changes from day to day so I guess I'm just trying to be as well-rounded as I can."

He met Malou's eyes as best he could through where he thought they were underneath her blindfold, and tilted his head to the side before throwing the question back at her. "What about you? Have you considered continuing your study into the Force?"

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

'Helping people? Being well-rounded? That's so...Jedi.' Malou would never understand the desire to help random strangers. She did understand that it gave the helper a sense of duty and a little spark of serotonin, but the lengths the Jedi would go to sacrifice themselves, their minds, and their bodies? She didn't see why they would do all that for a few feel-good chemicals in their brain.

"I have," she nodded. "I don't have any specific goals in mind though." That was true. Her main goal was to improve herself until she couldn't improve anymore, which she believed was impossible. That being said, she didn't really have anything specific in mind. For a Sith, her connection to the Dark Side was average at best. The Serennian still viewed the Force as a tool that could further her goals and aspirations; she didn't care all that much about delving into the lore and secrets of the ancient lords. She figured one day she would study it further, but she didn't want the side effects that came along with it.

"How is the food tasting? Any drink refills?" The waiter magically reappeared to repeat the standard "do you need anything?" checkup. "I'll take a refill, please."

After he refilled her water, the waiter looked between the two, then settled his eyes on Ruzaan. "Any interest in a coffee or dessert today?"

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan was relieved to hear that he wasn't the only person his age who felt as if they lacked a direction for their talents and energies, as Malou also seemed to be without a particular goal. Talking with her was a breath of fresh air compared to many of his fellow Padawans, who tended to have more specific futures planned out than he did.

As the waiter returned to offer coffee and/or dessert, Ruzaan politely declined. He'd never tried coffee before, and dessert sounded tempting, but he would have to walk back to Yavin IV if he spent any more on this trip. At least water was free, so he asked for a refill of that.

Ruzaan had been planning on asking if Malou wanted to go walk around the Library of Iziz- because one of the few ways to make such a place more interesting was to play a game of Wed/Bed/Behead with a friend using the cover art of holobooks as reference- but now that they both had full glasses he decided to put that idea on hold for now in favor of more conversation at the café. Their previous conversation had been derailed by the server's appearance, so Ruzaan decided it was safe to take things in a totally different direction with his next question.

"Do you want to play two truths and a lie?" he asked.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

"What do you have?" The waiter listed off the café's most popular dessert options. "Okay. How about the profiteroles?" The waiter disappeared off to procure the dessert.

"Two truths and a lie?" repeated Malou. She'd never heard of such a game, so she gave a shrug in response. "Sure, why not. How does one play?" If she were to guess, she would guess the game was played by stating two true facts and one false or made-up fact. As she thought about it, Malou decided that she knew enough obscure tidbits to do well at such a game. After all, she doubted Ruzaan could tell her much about the Consuilul de Sapte!

While Ruzaan presumably went about explaining the premise of the game, the waiter would return with a small plate of five or six of the profiteroles she'd ordered. The profiteroles were a small, puff pastry filled with sweet cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup. Malou picked one up with her thumb and index finger, then gestured to the plate with her other hand. "Try one!" She highly doubted this was something the Jedi served in their temples. The Serennian was even surprised that the café had them, but after taking a bite, she was less surprised. They were good, but nowhere in the realm as good as the ones she ate back home.

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan quickly explained the premise of Two Truths and a Lie, and was grateful that it was a simple game to play because he was quickly distracted by whatever desert Malou had ordered. His second stomach grumbled at him, and he gratefully took her up on the offer to try one of the treats.

The Togruta momentarily forgot the rules to Two Truths and a Lie as the profiterole melted in his mouth, sweet and as light as Bespin air. "Wow!" was the only word that immediately came to mind; somehow, it still felt appropriate. "That was excellent! Thank you!" he said, his gratitude both earnest and genuine. Anyone who shared a new food with him was a good friend, indeed, and his previous reservations about Malou asking him to meet abandoned him as quickly as Brentaal had left the New Republic.

What had they been talking about before the treats arrived? It took a moment for Ruzaan to remember, before his face cleared again. "Would you like me to go first?" he offered.

@lizziie