Ask Fire And Ice

Altair Din · Nov 3, 2022

Her words and emotions slammed against him like a tidal wave. In the past, he was a boat that rocked and swayed with those waves. This time, he stood as a mountain. Unyielding, unwavering and so very used to pain. She would notice that he calmly stared ahead of himself as she grasped for any answer she could. He heard each one, and each one sounded more desperate than the last. He didn’t stand immediately when she stepped out in front of him while still holding his hand. Altair gazed up at her, his face almost impassive for a moment.

He finally stood up, towering well over her. With his broad shoulders, horns and much larger stature, the contrast between the two of them could not be more stark. Altair reached a hand out and cupped the side of her face, “Sugaring,” He corrected her softly, “You don’t curse.”

Altair gazed into her eyes, his thumb affectionately brushing against her cheek, “I’m not gonna be the reason everything you build up collapses,” He stated firmly, a direct opposite of her flustered outburst, “I love you the way my Pa loves my Ma. Because that’s what I wished I could have with you. But that boy fades a bit more each day I step towards Emperor,” He leaned in slightly closer so she could clearly see the hints of gold that were becoming etched into the amethysts. It wasn't all on her, and she needed to see that.

“I ain’t selfish enough to just take what I want even if that means watchin’ you and your work get destroyed,” Altair sighed and chuckled bitterly as he looked away, “Not yet.”

@LilyNion

Clove Vanhoop · Nov 4, 2022

Song

Clove wanted to burn the world down, to destroy everything in her path if she had to. She wasn't going to stop until she found a way. While Altair remained silent, thousands of plans raced through her mind, each more absurd than the last. At some point she was even considering faking her own death. But then she felt his hand cup her cheeks and gently guide her gaze to his.

He was everything she wasn't. Tall and broad, as stable and unmoving as a mountain, and calm. She, on the other hand, felt and looked small, fragile, and ever so high in her emotions. And yet, seeing his calm, seeing how unmoved he was and hearing him explain how, for once, it wasn't entirely her fault; he, too, chose for this... it began to calm her down. He brought her back to the ground just as she was about to lose her grip again. Yes, she wanted to fight until the bitter end, she didn't want to give up, but maybe he was right.

Although hearing him compare his love for her to the love from his parents triggered another wave of emotions in her body. It wasn't anger this time, nor did she seem panicked or desperate; it was a deep hurt and sadness mixed with happiness. His parents were everything to him, and she could only imagine how much they loved each other. "I love you too, like my mum loves my father." She whispered, clearly struggling to get the words out through the lump in her throat. "But you'll always be my Altair... Even as Emperor." Her head was tilted to the right, her cheek against his hand.

"Well... then... as promised, if you can handle it, I'll be here as a friend," she said, her lips curling into a faint smile as she fought back tears. "I'll stay in your life until you're sick an' tired of me; I'll heal you, your soldiers, set up camps... I'll be there for you," she said, her lower lip trembling. They almost had it all. He was so close to saying those words. She was so close to having him in her arms, so close to being his, and yet, as usual, something dragged him away. Cursed by a galaxy intent on dooming them. And even though they were on good terms when they realized this, unlike the last few times, it didn't lessen the pain.

But before she could fully cry, she wrapped her arms around his back and drew him into an embrace, her face hidden against his chest. "What now?" She whispered in a small muffled voice after a short silence. Would it be selfish to stay one more night? To visit his home planet?

tag @Sreeya

Altair Din · Nov 4, 2022

Altair stood in silence as she said those words back. How words could ignite him in flames he would never understand. How words could make him feel weaker than any Force power ever could, he would never understand. All he knew was that he felt both on top of the galaxy and completely shattered at once. But this time he wasn’t alone. Clove was here in his arms, so close and yet lightyears away.

He pulled her into that embrace, holding her so tight that even his tail curled around her. She felt small and frail in his powerful arms, but he enveloped her entirely, letting her feel just how cherished and protected she was. Altair cemented this feeling to his list of fond memories he would forever have of Clove no matter what happened.

He exhaled when she asked what now, his gaze staring past her. She wasn’t quite tall enough for him to nuzzle her neck from here, but it suited him just fine. He thought about her words for a moment. He couldn’t be just friends with her. Not today, not tomorrow, perhaps never. But he didn’t say that aloud.

“Be mine for at least the next few days,” Altair said quietly, barely above a whisper. He wanted to show her Bandomeer and he wanted to soak up whatever time he had with her.

@LilyNion

Clove Vanhoop · Nov 4, 2022

There was a small sense of pride in her as she stood there against his tall frame, resting her cheek against his warm chest. Pride that, for once, they had actually talked it through. Not just once, either—this was the second awkward conversation. And they dealt with it... as best they could. This is a far cry from many moons ago, when one of the two would have stormed off in rage. Instead, there was a sad calm and an endless amount of love between the two.

Perhaps it was the same love that drove their choice.

And that love was clear from the way he held her and the way she pressed against his chest. As much as she despised it, she couldn't deny that she had never felt so safe, loved, and... accepted. A warm, spellbinding tingle ran through her body, quietly whispering in the back of her mind that she would never forget this moment.

Her gaze lifted slightly, catching sight of his chin. Her ears dropped slightly at his words, but she couldn't help but smile, albeit sadly with tears still rolling down her cheeks. Clove leaned back a little more to get an even better look, then raised her hand to cup the Tiefling's cheek. The fact that he still didn't realize her heart wasn't going anywhere, even after they decided they couldn't be together, was enough to bring back an albeit small giggle. "You silly goose, I'll always be yours, even after all of this. But... I get what you mean.... and I'd like that. A lot." she replied softly, agreeing that she, too, wanted to enjoy their time together while they still could, before the galaxy caught up with them and forced them apart. She may not be his lover, but she'd never say no to making some more incredible memories with him. "How about we finally get something to eat and then watch a movie in bed?"

-----

Their first ever night together was incredible; being able to fall asleep in someone's arms was an experience Clove never knew she wanted, but after having a taste, she no longer desired anything other than that. Which made her a little bitter, but she pushed it aside, deciding to enjoy the time they had left together with a smile rather than a frown.

"You know..." Clove stood next to the bed, attempting to pull the pencil dress over her cybernetic spine, the metal bits getting caught here and there. "You definitely snore. And I was right, it's very cute." She gave her dress another downward pull while grinning at Altair. The ship was approaching Bandomeer, and it wouldn't be long before they landed, so she was doing her best to look as good as she could. With a simple dress, white sneakers, and shoulder-length curls that didn't dry in the most flattering way. Still, it'd do, and she knew Altair didn't care all too much about how she looked like anyway.

tag @Sreeya

Altair Din · Nov 5, 2022

Altair didn’t have any desire to get out of bed, and he actually held her tighter against himself when it was time to do so. After a bit of protesting, the alarms began to signal that he needed to help take manual control of the ship to land it. Altair finally let Clove go, grinning at her words, “And you steal all the blankets,” He pointed out as he watched her for a moment. He rolled out of bed and helped her with her dress so she didn’t have to struggle with it on her own.

As she expected, Altair wasn’t fussed about how she dressed. The tiefling himself threw on a casual t shirt and jeans, though this was a step up from his usual overly baggy clothing. It didn’t take long before he took control of the ship to land it at a spaceport closer to his village. Clove would see right away that they were in the countryside of the planet, rolling green hills all around instead of the industrial city centers further away.

Altair led her towards the carghohold where a speederbike was stored for navigating on the planet. The tiefling hopped on, gesturing for her to get on. After a moment, he considered her height and stood up again, gesturing for her to sit up front, “You drive,” He said with a grin, curious to see how chaotic this would be.

If she did so, he would sit behind her. The paths ahead were rudimentary roads, fields of tall grass all around them. Altair would point out things here and there as they drove. He pointed out another farm that they passed.

“That’s farmer Garl’s place!” He called out, “One of my brothers hooked up with old man Garl’s daughter and he tried shooting his tail off with a slugthrower. Now if any tieflings show up on his property he chases after them with a janky ol’ thrower,” Altair snickered, “It’s become a family feud now ‘cause my bros and I would dare each other to see who can run through his field, touch the barn, and run back alive.”

@LilyNion

Clove Vanhoop · Nov 7, 2022

"It was cold!" Clove pouted at Altair before laughing. It wasn't cold, at all. Altair had been like her own personal fireplace in bed, but the habits she had developed while sleeping alone for years seemed to have stuck with her now that she shared the bed with someone. When he helped her dress, she smiled. "Thank you!" She quickly pushed her feet into those white sneakers before following Altair through the ship.

She couldn't help but steal a glance as he began to manually fly the ship; she'd never seen him in jeans and a casual t-shirt before. And, while she liked his looks regardless, she couldn't deny that the new look piqued her interest, if only because it was different. But she quickly shifted her gaze to the windows, where she saw rolling green hills, farmlands everywhere, and the brightest sky. It was absolutely beautiful.

She followed him excitedly towards the cargo hold, unable to stop the skip in her step. There she saw the speederbike, which only excited her even more. The thought of sitting behind him on his bike, feeling the wind in her hair and taking in the scenery sounded like a dream. But before she could sit, the Tiefling stood up and gestured to the bike, causing Clove to blink at him. Logically, she should have known it was a bad idea. Logically, she should have politely declined. Instead of listening to logic, Clove grinned brightly and climbed into the front seat of the speeder. "Okay!"

Clove was clearly struggling with driving from the moment they left the spaceport, even more so than when she was driving the landspeeder. But she did her best to keep the speeder bike straight, helped by the fact that there were no trees to collide with, unlike Kashyyyk. And, dare she say it, she could occasionally shift her gaze from left to right to observe the surroundings.

That was until Altair pointed at a farm.

Clove's upper body turned to look in the direction he was pointing, and the handlebar turned with her. It was enough to cause the bike to spin in the same direction, which would have been fine for any skilled driver to correct, but Clove wasn't such a driver. No, there was a reason she had a flying mount; she wasn't the one doing the flying. The mount flew; all she had to do was give the directions. Clove's speederbike slipped and swirled as she lost control, heading straight for the farm.

Knowing she was about to collide with the farm building if she didn't do something, she realized there was one thing she COULD do. The half-Annfyn jerked the handlebar to the right, causing the bike to turn sharply away from the structure. However, the abruptness, combined with the fact that the speeder bike was already uncontrollable, caused the bike to topple over. Altair and Clove were thrown off the bike and into the dirt next to the farmhouse, while the speeder bike skidded through the same dirt before coming to a stop.

Clove lay there dazed for a few seconds before pushing herself off the ground, leaning on her hands. Her knees and right elbow were stinging, her rib was grumbling in the background and she was covered in dirt and grass. But, as she turned to ask Altair if he was okay, the Tiefling, much to her surprise, started talking about the barn. With a blink of confusion, she stared at him and how casually he took the crash in stride. It was enough to relieve any tension she might have felt and instead snort unflatteringly."Seriously?! You all dared each other to do that?!" Clove began to laugh, shaking her head with glee. "Do you think he's still mad at you? Because in that case, we should check to see if the speederbike is still workin' an' leave right now. Also, are you all right? No wounds or anythin'?"

tag @Sreeya

Altair Din · Nov 7, 2022

Altair saw the crash about to happen before it did. He focused the Force and it effortlessly channeled through him, weaving more than it ever did in the past. They were thrown from the bike, but he clutched Clove to himself, spinning around so he landed with a thud on the ground to cushion her fall. He helped her to her feet, dusted himself off, and began to tell the story of the farm without missing a beat.

“I’m fine,” He said with a grin, his tail waving eagerly, “I can handle your shit driving,” Altair looked back out towards the farm, “Psh I ain’t gonna let old Garl scare me,” He said as he crept closer to the farm, staring at the barn. Altair thought about climbing over and playing that old game again. He glanced over at Clove, wondering if she would join. Then again, she wasn’t exactly the quickest with her cybernetic spine.

He only had a moment to think before he heard motion from the farm. Altair looked over to spot a grizzled old man glaring at him. Within seconds, the man leveled an old slugthrower, “STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER, YOU DEMON GOAT!”

Altair looked confused for a moment before recalling that his daughter had blond hair and from a distance to his senile self, Clove likely looked similar. The tiefling opened his mouth to talk but a bolt was fired. Before Altair even thought about it, he held his hand up, the slug caught midair. Clove would feel the tangible pulse of the Force coursing through him, a powerful surge that betrayed that he was a Sith Master and no longer a novice.

The tiefling closed his fist, the bullet crumbling to pieces and waving into the air in a breeze of debris. Altair looked at the old farmer that stared in horror. For a moment Altair lost himself and he started taking slow steps towards the terrified farmer. He would keep going unless Clove stopped him.

@LilyNion

Clove Vanhoop · Nov 9, 2022

Clove followed Altair closer to the barn, excited but nervous, her heart racing now that she'd heard the story. Even so, despite her nervousness, she didn't expect the elderly man to actually emerge from the farm and raise his old slugthrower in their direction. As the man pulled the trigger on the gun, all she could do was blink, her fluted ears twitching. And for a moment she figured this was it, there was no way she could reach out with her Force quick enough to stop the bolt.

And yet, while she was too slow, Altair unleashed a power she'd never seen up close before, catching the bolt mid-air and crushing it without hesitation. Clove could only stare in shock, taking a moment to process what had just happened. Sure, she knew he was a strong and capable fighter, but feeling his raw power like that sent her mind into overdrive. And she couldn't help but wonder if she had completely underestimated Altair and everything he was capable of. And when she noticed that look in his eyes—a look that wasn't Altair's—the questioning only deepened.

For a moment he almost looked like a stranger.

Still, when Clove realized what Altair was about to do, her body started to move. But instead of fleeing, she jogged towards him to stand in front of him. And as she came to a stop, the Force began to flow noticeably through her own body. It wasn't intensely strong or powerful; in fairness, it paled in comparison to a Sith Master's. But it was bright, warm, and, most importantly, controlled. Because, despite leaving the Jedi, she never neglected her training in the Lightside of the Force or her meditations. This pure comforting warmth encircled the two, forming a Force Barrier against whatever slug the senile man may have fired out of fear.

The half-Annfyn smiled up at Tiefling as the barrier shimmered like a thousand tiny fairies dancing a delicate ballet in the sky. "Aren't you supposed to show me what you an' your brothers did? Come! Best start runnin'!" She turned around in the barrier and reached for his wrist. She took a deep breath and hoped that the distraction would be enough to keep Altair from murdering the senile man before lowering the barrier. And the moment the barrier dropped, Clove ran. She ran as fast as her legs could go through the grass field, trying to drag Altair along with her, hoping he'd join in the fun.

tag @Sreeya

Altair Din · Nov 9, 2022

Altair kept walking, his eyes so focused on the farmer that he lightly collided with Clove when she stepped in front of him. He was bristling with rage, but he looked down at her, almost seeing hints of fear. While the old him would have been heartbroken to see it, the Altair of today wasn’t fazed. He wasn’t ashamed of who he was. He cast one last look at the farmer and bolted along with Clove, though he wasn’t smiling.

By the time they paused, Altair was still moody. He looked over his shoulder, glaring in the direction of the farm, “Just once I wanna snatch that slugthrower and break it so he never uses it again,” He said icily, revealing exactly where his head was the whole time, “His daughter would prolly appreciate it too. Stupid old kook,” He grumbled.

Altair looked around, realizing they were nowhere near the farm. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Clove with a grin, “You intendin’ to walk the rest of the way?” The speeder bike was still by where she spectacularly crashed it.

@LilyNion

Clove Vanhoop · Nov 13, 2022

Altair wasn't smiling, but hearing his footsteps behind her as they bolted away together made Clove laugh. It felt strangely nice and joyful to run through the fields, away from the farm and danger. Being able to do these things with Altair brightened her mood because they were things she'd never done when she was younger; silly challenges with siblings and upsetting a neighbor before running away. It made her feel like a child again.

That is, until he mentioned how he intended to destroy the slugthrower. Clove stared at the ground with a sheepish expression as she leaned forward with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. She had really just assumed the worst, hadn't she? But why would he approach a man with a gun, clearly enraged, all slow and creepy, if the intention was to break the gun?! Ah man. No, she needed to have more faith in him. Just because he was a Sith didn't mean he went around murdering people. Not every Sith was a killer, right? She shook her head, her gaze meeting his when he smiled at her. ".... Uuuhhh."

She blinked before looking over her shoulder at the speeder, her sheepish expression worsening. "... Okay. I have a plan. I'll Force Speed to the speeder and you'll protect my back while I drive back." Because, while Altair was the better driver, he was also the stronger of the two and the most likely to deflect any stray bullets.

Clove looked up at Altair, waiting for an answer as she lightly shook her arms and started to channel the Force through her body yet again, getting ready to run to that speeder as fast as she could.

tag @Sreeya

Altair Din · Nov 13, 2022

“Protect your back?” He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, “So let that geezer riddle me with bullets since smacking him upside the head is out of the question?” Altair quipped, looking skeptical, “And I ain’t lettin’ you go there when that idiot can’t tell what he’s shooting at. You ain’t survive Aadya, Raze, Kashyyyk and a Killik invasion to get taken out by fuckin’ Old Man Garl.”

Altair started sneaking back towards the farm, Clove free to follow him if she wanted. He couldn’t spot old Garl, hopefully the old man was spooked from earlier. Instead a speeder came into view, parking near the house. A tall, blond woman stepped out along with a few of her friends. She had giant sunglasses on, copious amounts of lipgloss and very tight clothes with high heels. Altair grimaced at once, quickly picking up the pace to get to his bike.

“Oh my goddddd,” The girl said as she took off her sunglasses and her jaw dropped, “Is that you Altubby?!” Altair visibly cringed at the name. He controlled his anger as he looked at Clove, instead continuing his walk towards the bike.

“Oh my god, it is him!”

“What the hell?! He’s, like, hot now!”

The girl with the shades eyed him up and down, “Damn you are. How do you look so good? You used to be huge!” She asked, “And are you free later?” She giggled.

Altair was bristling with rage as he swung a leg over the bike, glaring at the woman, “My name is Altair, you fuckin’ bimbo,” He stated coldly, “And I’m here with my girl so find someone else's dick to guzzle,” He jutted his chin for Clove to get on behind him as he revved up the engines. If she did so, he would start the bike and zoom right past the girls, but close enough to Sunglasses where she flailed her arms and toppled back to sit down in a puddle of mud. Her screeching would echo loudly behind them.

@LilyNion

Clove Vanhoop · Nov 15, 2022

Clove blinked at Altair's skeptical expression. Obviously, she didn't mean he had to stand out in the open and catch all the bullets with his body, but rather that he had to hide behind a tree or something! But there was no time to fight him because he not only brought up some more sensitive subjects, but he also began to sneak away before she could even respond.

Despite her huffing, the half-Annfyn followed him to the farm, sneaking behind him while her sensitive ears twitched, listening for any sounds that might indicate danger. And she soon heard that danger, but it wasn't the danger she expected. It was a girl who could've looked like her sister, but taller, more human, and with faaaaar more make-up.

Clove's expression dropped the moment that girl addressed Altair as 'Altubby.' It was not only envious of her, but it was also rude and insulting. And the other girls joining in, treating him like a piece of meat and inspecting him didn't help. Altair's gaze caught hers again, and she followed him to the bike.

He getting on the bike and calling that girl a himbo while also calling her his girl happened so fast she could barely keep up. But she jumped behind the bike as quickly as she could, her gaze turning to the girl he had just declared a bimbo. And that girl toppled backwards and landed in filthy mud the moment Clove did. Clove's eyes thinned as she raised her right hand to her face, her left hand wrapped around Altair's waist for support. She pointed two fingers at both of her eyes before turning those two fingers to the girl. And she repeated the 'I'm watching you' gesture several times until the bike faded from view.

Clove sat there in silence for a few moments before snorting. "Okay, those girls were incredibly disrespectful. An' seriously, Altubby?! They only care now that you have muscles?! Let me guess, they're the town bullies?"

tag @Sreeya

Altair Din · Nov 20, 2022

Altair drove in silence for a while, enjoying the wind in his hair and Clove’s arms wrapped around him. It made it easier to forget the incident and remember that he was far above all this. Those girls led simple lives and would never know anything outside of it. He was on Holonet and he had killed a Jedi Councilor. What had Cindi Garl ever done?

He was drawn out of his thoughts when Clove spoke and he started to slow down for the second stop on the tour. Altair parked the bike and glanced over at Clove, his hair still messy from the wind. He flashed her a grin, “I know it may be hard to believe, but I wasn’t always this fine,” He said as he dramatically gestured to his entire body. Altair couldn’t keep a straight face as he chuckled, “People like her bullied me while we were all growin’ up.”

Altair held a hand out to help Clove down, “This is farmer Bo’s place,” He pointed out to another fenced-in field and a lake just beyond it. The fields were huge and there were multiple fruit trees and fields with strawberries, “They always been nice to us. We trade with ‘em. Papa Bo always has a boat for anyone to use if they know the fam.”

There was an elderly man working out front and he waved eagerly as he saw them. Altair waved back before looking at Clove, “We can go pick some strawberries or go out on the boat. You feel like either of those?” He asked eagerly, clearly having missed this laidback and relaxed side of his past life.

@LilyNion