Ask Raxus Unravel

[Jonathen Baize]

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They moved quickly through the canyon; blasters pointed upward in search of the trap they knew they were walking into. They had finally punched through the cloud of green haze that had enveloped them for hours, revealing the blood-red sky of the afternoon sky.

There were shots up ahead, the Grand Marshal and their initial spearhead. A fierce rumble rocked the ground throwing him and the rest of his soldiers to the ground. He pushed himself up just in time to see the canyon all breaking free and a wall of stone falling toward them.

Then there was nothing.

Jon blinked open tired eyes, glancing over at the chrono on the nightstand. I read thirty past two, so he slept for an hour. Kali lay next to him; leg curled around his. She had worked tirelessly the last days to take care of him in the days leading up to the Inquest meeting on top of her own duties. It had been a heavy weight for her to carry, but she had done so with a second thought. He didn't think it possible to love anyone more than he did her, but he found himself further and further.

With that came extreme guilt. He had explained what had happened. earlier in the day during the Inquest. His Regiment was taken away, and he was reassigned to where an Officer's career went to die. He felt numb and hurt, but most of all, he felt ashamed. His biggest fear, being a coward, realized. He still didn't think his actions had been driven by fear, but so many others had agreed otherwise that he no longer had any confidence in his actions.

He had expected her to leave; she should have. She had come so far and was doing great things. The only thing he could do was hold her back. He knew she wouldn't; she had always been better than him, stronger, but he deserved it nonetheless.

All of it closed in on him, pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe. He had to get out, run away from this for just a while. He quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her, and put on workout clothes before walking down to the gym down the road. Jon had Kali had run into this gym shortly after their mission on Endor. All of that seemed so far away. Jon didn't feel like the same person from that day.

It was dark, but the owner had given him a key since he had been coming here since the day he had graduated boot camp. He flicked on a single light above the punching bag, his go-to when he needed to think. Tonight he wanted to do the opposite, though. Slowly, he started his routine.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

She felt them. The nightmares that kept haunting him every night. She woke when he did, sensing this inner restlessness and all the pain the heavy trauma still inflicted. She didn't sleep well, but every night she chose to stay with him, lay by his side, prepare dinner when he was lacking the strength to do so, get the other chores done to alleviate all the pressure that weighted him down by not having him to worry about this all and she constantly tried her best to help him stay calm.

The Inquest had just been another hit that had pushed him down further. He was in pieces and the men she knew so well was a shattered soul in desperate need of help. She was lucky she was on Raxus right now as she was helping the New Order move to their new premises, but after being concerned with managing and logistics and squire training in between, she, too, was exhausted every night.

They had shared everything and so she knew how both, Dathomir and its aftermath was connected to his most deep rooting fears and so she was more than understanding about why he felt this way. She could have left, or at least choose a night each week to get some more decent sleep, but obviously, she didn't. She knew he needed her as it did at least help a little, but there had never been a single moment in which she had doubted her decision to stay each and every moment. Her love for him was beyond everything she had ever experienced, and even these days it just continously grew.

It was in the middle of the night when she was woken by him slipping out of bed. She knew he needed some alone time as well, so she didn't stir at first, even if she sensed all this guilt, the fear, the sher weight on his chest. She was expecting him to take a breather at a window or something, but as she heard the door quietly close, she sat up.

A wave of tiredness washed over her as her legs dangled from the side of the bed and she let out a sigh. It was still dark and the room temperature relatively cool, so that a slight shiver went over her as she slipped out from underneath the covers and moved to prepare some coffee.

She was certain she knew where he went. At this hour, in his state, there was perhaps only one answer. While the coffee ran through the filter, she quickly hopped under the shower to get her systems running by the relatively fresh water she chose before she changed into some training clothes.

The coffee, she didn't immediately drink, but poured it into thermos flask and packed to cups as well before she got going. She didn't cross paths with any civilians at this hour, but she did pass a patrol of peacekeepers whom she greeted with a nod. The gym wasn't too far off and the memories about their unintentional meeting here right after Endor let a faint smile tug at her lips, but as she quietly slipped into the door that was obviously unlocked (which immediately proved the point about his whereabouts), the atmosphere shifted again.

He was training, stuck in his routine even, and yet this whirlwind of emotions persisted. She remembered how she had approached him back then, but tonight she simply put down her packed bag and walked about to him. "You're holding back. I know you've got much more behind those punches", she remarked, her voice soft and forcing herself to smile, even if it costed her a lot to do so. Maybe this would help him cope though. Maybe this release of energy was his chance to unravel all this conflict within.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

His fist slammed into the bag, running through long memorized patterns as he flowed from one strike to the next. He didn't notice her enter, or much of anything for that matter.

His arms stung with the drawn-out movements, but he ignored all that and continued. Normally Jon worked out with headphones, but nothing he had nothing, focusing on the slamming sound of fist against leather.

Jon looked over his shoulder, almost not hearing her as she spoke. He stopped and turned, his fists stinging with a slight numbness. "You should be sleeping. I am sorry if I woke you..." he said. There was a hint of worry in his voice. What would he do if she stretched herself too thin because of him and got injured? How could he live with that? The thought gnawed at him. If he couldn't figure out how to keep his own head above water, it was only a matter of time before he dragged her down as well.

He knew there was little chance he was going to convince her to go back to bed; he had given up on those types of arguments a while ago. "So you want a turn, or are you just here to coach?" he said with a tired grin, holding up a pair of gloves her size.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

While he hadn't noticed her at first, he was a little concerned once he turned. "So should you" she softly replied as she came to a halt not far from him. "Don't worry". It was a slightly tired smile that followed, but she'd have the afternoon off and would probably squeeze in a nap then.

"Do you want some coffee?" she put her bag down first and took out the flask and cups before she'd pour the both of them or just herself a cup. The caffeine did alleviate some of that inner exhaustion, but she already knew she had to take a moment for herself to meditate later on as well to counter the mental imbalance those long days threatened to provoke.

"Rather the latter, but I'll still take these" she replied, the tired smile widening as she took the gloves from him. She then positioned herself at his side, so that she had a good look at him as she jutted her chin towards the boxing bag "You ready?".

Once he'd continue slamming his fists into the heavy bag again, she'd slightly begin to circle him. Now that she was regularly training the squires, she was somewhat used to coaching, however as experienced a Jonathen was, there wasn't much to correct. However, the past weeks still held him on edge and so there were a few very minor things she did see.

"Solidify your stance" she said, her voice void of the regular, firmer tone she normally used when coaching. She kept analyzing the punches and watching his muscles flex, however still spotting those inhibitions that clearly stemmed from this inner conflict. "Tell me why you've become a soldier", she'd suddenly interject, exhaling slowly. She'd motion for him to continue of he stopped, positioning herself in a diagonal line of sight. She knew the answer to that question. She also knew all about his inner most drives, but she needed him to tell himself right now.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He didn't have much of an argument to that point. "I just needed to get out..." he said hesitantly. He wouldn't stop worrying but decided to leave it be for the time being.

He took one of the cups and held it in his hand for a moment. "Thank you." he responded before drinking, the warmth of the liquid spreading throughout his core.

She took the gloves but told him to start again. He gave her a quick raise of the eyebrow. What was she doing? He let a sigh a moment later and moved into a ready position before beginning again. More awake now, he moved a little quicker and hit a little harder.

He shot her another look when she actually did offer a correction. He opened his mouth to object, but no, she was right. He shifted his stance to be more correct, not hitting harder. He stopped when she asked her next question, hands dropping by his sides. She motioned for him to continue, her expression indicating there wasn't much room for discussion on that point.

Jon let out a slightly annoyed sigh as he started. Why had he become a Soldier? There were a lot of reasons. "I don't know.." he said with heavy breaths as he kept hitting the bag. "..I wanted to do something with my life..." he continued, scowl fixed on his face.

"I wanted to protect others." he said after a pause.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

The coffee did warm her up to some extent, but it couldn't fully make up for the inner cold his emotions caused inside her as well. Still, she was feeling hopeless after the Inquest had been concluded, the consequences had been laid out and the aftermath of Dathomir was slowly fading into the background in the mind's of those who occupied themselves with whatever came next.

Jon still needed help. Even if he appeared more stable, she knew that he hadn't allowed him self to unravel what was still in his mind, not just in the subconscious back, but also what bled into every conscious thought. He wasn't sure about what she was trying to do, but while she didn't want to unsettle him any further, he need to work through this slight inner uncertainty she was now triggering.

"That isn't true..." she gently pointed out as is first response was that he didn't know. He knew, she knew, and he knew that she knew. "There's more" she started to move around him again, gaze analytically transfixed on his motions, yet her features soft.

"You do. And you did. You always have". They shared that immensely strong trait, but she knew that it was connected to his core fears, which were then again connected to his trauma. "You always will". Even if she voiced it softly, their was a firmness in her voice that proved her inner conviction. She had never doubted him and she was fully convinced of what she said.

"Can we protect everyone?" she asked, obviously raising a rhetorical question. It was something every soldier had to learn and every Knights as well. Jedi, too. She had learnt that much about them as well. "Is it human to be afraid?". Another question with an easy answer. She stopped where she was, ensuring he kept going with his punches "Should we let our fears define us?"

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The silence of the gym continued to be broken by the steady rhythmic slapping of gloves against the bag. Sweat dripped the ends of his hair and ran down his shirtless chest. His muscles started to sting with constant pain, having been at this for quite a while before Kali had even arrived.

He pointedly looked away from her. It was an easy thing to lie to yourself in the moment, but she knew too much about him to let him off easy with cop-out answers.

He wanted to quit, to take a break, to get away from these questions. They made him uncomfortable; he didn't want to think. "No." he finally answered her when it became obvious she was going to wait for one to be given. "...yes.." he answered again, punching maybe even faster. He knew the answer to her last question but didn't believe it for himself. He felt detached.

Jon's body finally gave out, and he stumbled forward, catching himself on the bag. He slumped to the ground on his knees. His chest heaved with deep breaths. "I failed them, Kali...I failed all of them..." he said. The gym growing silent.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Even if she didn't let in shine to the surface in order to avoid making this even more difficult for him, it was incredibly painful for her to watch. Asking those questions was severely uncomfortable from her perspective and she knew how hard it was to him, yet she felt it was desperate needed.

She kept a straight face, her features still as soft as possible, having the familiar warmth he know so well in them while she carefully pushed forward. He had to confront those feelings and all this shame, guilt, fear and whatever else he kept buried in order to move on.

She had watched him suffer for a seeming eternity and staying this empty shell of the man he once was wasn't an option for ever. He needed his confidence back and he needed to start processing everything that happened in order to move on. If he had been able to command the Force, the dark side would continously consume him and maybe this was exactly why she couldn't no longer watch it.

It wasn't that she was afraid he'd drag her down into this abyss, as so far, she had no issues with staying strong, but constantly fighting against it and investing extra hours of meditation was still exhausting. She gladly did it for him, but his pain had to stop and these mental scars finally needed to heal.

He gave the obvious answers, but again, there wasn't much conviction behind them before he suddenly collapsed. He landed on the ground with a thud, his breathing heavy and the emotions swelling further. She approached him and kneeled in front of him, reaching for his hands.

"You didn't, Jon. There were so many decisions that needed to be made within seconds" there had also been a misunderstanding and he knew that, too, but someone, this whole aftermath kept making him doubt himself. "The only one you're failing right now is yourself...". It was a hard truth, but that was exactly how it was. It hadn't been fear that had made him retreat, it had bee the convoluted situation and he now failed to see that as he was still stuck on this dark hole.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He stared at the floor, taking in deep breaths of air. It all pushed in around him; he felt like the walls themselves inched towards him. He was caught in a spiral that he couldn't pull himself out of. The stress, the shame, and the sleeplessness all worked together to keep him in that dark place.

Jon looked up as she took ahold of his hands. Her last words slammed into him. It hurt to hear, however necessary. He was quiet for some time, everything telling him to pull inside of himself, run from this. There was some safety in withdrawing, some small amount of relief from just letting himself be numb. He would have if she hadn't been there, hadn't been willing to come after him relentlessly.

"I don't know what to do..." he admitted quietly. There had always been a sense of pride in his decisiveness; even on that day, he had been decisive in his actions. Now, he was so unsure of himself his confidence shattered, a fog cloud hanging in his mind. "Every time I close my eyes, I go back there," he spoke, barely above a whisper. He hadn't told her this but had a feeling she could sense it. "And every time I am awake, I just feel so..." he paused, searching for the words. "...so lost..." he said.

"I don't know how to stop..." he said again, finally looking up at her again.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

She kept in this physical contact to keep him grounded. To somehow be anchor he needed. He was spiraling, and she was there as solid as a stone, attempting her best to project calmness.

He was already at the stage of opening up and sharing what was going on inside this tempestuous shell of the man she dearly loved and whom she wanted to help out of this so desperately.

She met his gaze and couldn't fully held back the tears that were swelling in his eyes. They didn't roll out yet, but in the dim light the water did make her emerald eyes shimmer. He voiced his hopelessness, not directly answering her statement, but she saw that he did know it was happening.

As he continued elaborating on what he saw and felt each and every time she nodded slowly. She had sensed it again and again and this deep rooted trauma was stronger than she had ever seen it in anyone, but for the first time it seemed that he was making progress through this unraveling.

"You can't close yourself off like this...that's why you're constantly being taken back. You don't allow yourself to move on because maybe you don't even feel like you deserve it". It pained her immensely to spell that out, but she had the feeling he needed to hear that she had the same impression.

"It's okay. You're your own hardest critic, and you need to face those emotions. You haven't failed them. Allow yourself to feel everything you're feeling but push through instead of shoving it away". She tried to keep the pleading, desperately worried undertone out of her voice, but she was fighting, too.

"You've done so much...you've accomplished so much. You're a great soldier, even if you can't see it yourself right now, but you're also the bravest person I know". She had seen him push through mortal fear, repeatedly even.

"We are humans. We can't always function and you have tried everything you could. There was a misunderstanding, but it had happened and you have to accept it. You can't change the past, but you have power about how to respond to it. You know its in you. You have all those great values that make you the amazing soldier you are, but you have to reconnect with yourself". Her thumbs ran across the backs of his hands. "And you are not alone. I'm not going anywhere. I'll help you through this, but you have to let me".

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He held her gaze, even when everything in his body told him to look away. The tears in her eyes tore him to pieces. He had tried everything in his power to shield her from this, protect her from the debris as things had crumbled around him. The very thing he did had likely hurt her the most.

He listened to her words, forcing himself not to flinch away, not close himself off again. The abyss of those emotions called to him called him to retreat deeper. There was no pain there, no discomfort. He just had to let go.

Jon still didn't believe all of her words; his confidence still shattered and likely would take time to rebuild, perhaps never the way it had been. Still, he listened to her. He didn't pull away into himself. "You're right..." he finally admitted, letting himself believe just a little.

He pushed himself to his feet, pulling her up and into an embrace. "Thank you for being here." he whispered in her ear before kissing the side of her head and leaning his head against hers. Tears of his own fell from his face. There was still a long road ahead of them, but he at least saw a path forward. His moved to her shoulder, body heaving with a sob as he let go of a small piece of the weight he had carried the last weeks,

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

They both fought, they both struggled, but she did finally notice a slight shift in his light brown gaze - it were in those beautiful, caring, deep eyes where she had lost herself over and over again and now they were shifting away from this distant emptiness that had prevailed for weeks by now.

He held her gaze and she knew how much it costed him to do, but she was grateful that he was facing this right here, right now. A few moments passed and while they did feel like an eternity, he finally replied. He still wasn't convinced about what he was saying and he obviously didn't share her view completely, but she was confident it would come.

For now, she was simply grateful for this first step into the right direction and that was when the first tears came rolling down. The moment was just as tender as it was intense, but as he helped her up, she tightly wrapped her arms around him. While he was still tormented by this inner, tempestuous turmoil, she had to actively control her emotions to some extent, knowing that she couldn't risk having to deal with any dark consequences.

"I love you" she softly whispered as he buried himself in her shoulder, one arm wrapped around him still while the other hand softly brushed against his neck. Finally did he allow himself to let the emotions out and she exhaled slowly. It was in the middle of the night, so there was no other sound around while they stayed like this for quite a while.

Only once he'd began stirring and pulling back she'd meet his gaze again, a soft, however still exhausted smile tugging at her lips. "For old times sake...will you dare another fight against me?". She asked, the mood at least slightly lightened for now. She had many memories of this place, but the one day where she had run into him here after theirnfirst mission together was the fondest. He wanted to release some more energy, she assumed, and they were perhaps both to agitated to lay down right away.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

Moments passed and he clung to her. In that dimly lit, empty gym, she helped him take the first step back to his old self. There was still hurt, confusion, and brokenness within him, but he felt lighter somehow. The shadows retreated back for a time.

He chuckled, actually chuckled, when she asked him to fight. He was thankful for the transition to something a little less emotionally raw for the moment. "Yeah, but we will use the practice swords. Its about time I practice fighting against them anyways, and if you are going to lecture me, it might as well be something you're better at than me at." he teased, giving her a wink. His eyes were still tired, but they had some of their old spark, tiny embers of what had been rekindled here.

Jon moved, swiping the towel from the nearby bench and wiping away sweat and his face before moving and grabbing two of the practice wooden swords off the shelf and tossing her on.

He climbed up into the ring and waited for her. He had some practice with sword combat, but certainly not like Kalique. "Alright, where do we start?" he asked, hefting the wooden sword in his hand, trying to get a feel for its weight.

 

[Kalique Baize]

The weight on his chest was palpably lifted and it did immediately lighten the over all mood. They had made a vital step into the right direction and this familiar spark inside him was reignited- it was still burning low, but it was there. She could see it, regardless of how faint it was and so she was grateful.

"Swords? Okay...I didn't bring my lightsabers" depending on how well this went, Kalique did plan on definitely doing this next though. They could flip them into stun mode, because the idea wasn't that bad based on how often he had ended up in situations where he had used them.

"But heeey" the playful jab hit a little later and she was chuckling as she teasingly added, "You're the uncontested boxing bag murderer, I can't help it". She did move over to their cups and took a sip of the now luke warm coffee that had already been poured which warmed her from the inside. What warmed her much more though was the way he smiled and chuckled.

"Wooden swords?" she quirked a brow, climbing into the ring as she smirked. "Why do they even have those here? So that soldiers with a set of random, yet handy subskills like lightsaber combat can practice?" she couldn't help but to chuckle as those last tears finally dried.

She waited for him to join her and tested the Wooden swords weight a little as she moved into a readied stance. "Okay this will something...it doesn't feel remotely close to a lightsaber but techniques can definitely be adapted" she then said to him as he faced her.

She had the force to help her guide the weapon skillfully, he needed his strength, agility and precision alone, so this was also different than instructing force sensitive squires. "As defense is your first life insurance, we'll start there.
I'll strike and you'll block and parry. I'll start slowly, but pick up both pace and strength behind the blows. I won't instruct you on footing, positioning of hands, angles and so on just yet, but we'll find out where to start after the first round, okay?" she suggested. She was much more confident in his skills and so she wasn't assuming they'd start at 0.

"Ready?" she asked, waiting for a confirmation, before she'd start in a diagonal, defensive position with her wooden sword. She'd then start from above, still diagonal, first from her left, then from her right, rather just moving the sword than actually hitting.

He instinctively stepped how he needed to step and block with ease, so she did step forward, forcing him to step backwards while she said, "Okay that's too easy for you". She then switched between strikes from above, then upper and lower blows at his sides, before she followed with a forward thrust he couldn't simply block like this. She was moving much smoother and dynamic now, already fast enough that a lightsaber would definitely make him sweat.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"Yes, they do seem to quake in my presence." he said, glancing over at the handful of hanging punching bags.

Jon shrugged with the next question. "People practice all sorts of fighting here; I think there is some sort of competition some others were preparing for. I don't know; they have been here forever," he explained.

He nodded that it didn't really feel like a lightsaber. The handful of times he had used hers had taught him that it had felt much different than he thought it would have felt at the time.

"Ready." he replied with a nod after he had finished speaking. She hadn't given him much instruction on how to hold the thing, so he took it in both hands, holding it in the most comfortable way. In the first slow exchange, he moved his sword to block hers; they clicked together as she wasn't actually swinging them for contact.

Next, she picked up the speed and complexity of the attacks. He moved quickly, his hand-to-hand combat training helping him predict which way she was moving. As the last attack at his side came, instead of simply blocking it, he swung downwards, knocking the attack to the ground. She then spun and thrust the wooden blade at his stomach; not able to just block the attack, he stepped to the side and forward. He grabbed ahold of her and pulled her, tapping her leg with this sword. "Maybe I have practiced a little with these before...Once or twice" he said with a wink.

It was still a far cry from a lightsaber, he would never wield a weapon like that as she did, but he found himself enjoying the training regardless.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

She chuckled as her gaze quickly drifted to the punching bag and she took a mental note that she'd purchase one for their little personal fitness studio they could have in a spare room.

Maybe he was right and soldiers were actually training various combat forms, maybe some we're just happy to wave such 'primal' weapons around for fun, they couldn't tell for sure, but the thought slightly amused her. Obviously, if someone knew which parts of equipment the little gym offered, it was him, given it was his go to studio.

They began to practice and Jonathen was a complete natural. She didn't tell him just yet, but a smirk spread cross her lips. Even if she was making it way more difficult for him quickly, he skillfully countered each and every attempted strike. When he suddenly pulled her forward and tapped her, she met his gaze.

"Okay wow...you could have told me! I would have started right away. No wonder you're doing well with a lightsaber, too", she said to him, shaking her head. "Honestly, that was amazing. You moved swiftly, you shifted your weight appropriately and you skillfully adapted your sword movement. I'm impressed". She really wasn't sugar-coating this, he had literally been even better than she had expected.

"Next time we're definitely doing real lightsabers" she added with a smirk, pulling him in for a kiss. "How are you feeling now? Do you want to go again or should be wind down for a bit?" it would clearly still be dark for a while and they could, technically, go home, shower and lay down again, but she was fine with whatever and wouldn't say no to more training either.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"But I kind of like it when you're in teacher mode..." he said with a smirk, looking her up and down. She had gone easy on him; if she was actually trying and was channeling her connection with the Force, it would not be a close fight, and he knew that. Still, he was having a good time.

"Sounds like a deal to me," he said, letting himself be pulled into a kiss. He genuinely smiled, not the fake things he had worn in previous days.

There was a part of him that wanted to keep going, but that was just running away again. No, he wanted to be done running for now. "I'm tired. You're a slave driver, Captain," he said, keeping his smile. "Let's go home," he added quietly, putting away the swords.

He paused at the door, giving the gym one last look before he switched the lights off and locked up. "You on duty this morning?" he asked as they stepped out into the night air. There were still a couple of hours before sunrise, the night air cool against his skin.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

The wooden sword had still been a working substitute for a lightsaber as the Jedi had once started with actual swords before the much more advanced weapons had slowly evolved. "Oh do you now...well just know that next time I won't go as easy on you" she teased with a smirk, giving him a wink.

The mood was still so much better and she enjoyed the lightheartedness. His eyes did seem to sparkle again, even if it was still faint, but she was incredibly grateful they had gotten further. "No uh...that was harmless. Home sounds excellent though" she gave him a happy grin, handing him the sword before emptying the cups and packing her bag again.

"I still love this place...I remember the day after Endor so vividly" she was still training here every now and then, but definitely not as often as he did, but the gym simply had its charme. They walked out together and the cool night air was very pleasantly refreshing.

"Actually..." she stopped, pulling out her datapad to double-check. "Yes...but I'll be off in the afternoon, actually", she then replied, glancing up again before she slipped her hand into his. "What about you?" she then asked as they began to walk back.

Getting up would be a little hard, but she'd rest after duty. With every thing on her mind, she had slightly forgotten about the upcoming schedule, but perhaps there was some free time they'd share. "We need to get our visiting appointments for the apartment soon". This, she still remembered and it immediately made her smile again.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"I hope not." he said with a laugh as he nudged her. They quickly gathered their things and were on the short walk home.

"I remember you kicking my ass..." he said with a sideways glance. He had asked her for tips on fighting force users, and she had no issues obliging. She was largely the reason he didn't mistrust the Imperial Knights as he once did. Dathomir also changed a lot of minds in the military. Knights had bled and died right alongside the common soldier. That meant something. Those thoughts strayed too close to dangerous waters, though, guilt and shame patiently waiting for his return. For now, he decided not to go there. There was time to face his emotions, but he had done enough for one night.

"And we found our favorite restaurant on Raxus." he said teasingly. He had continued going occasionally, but he knew Kali's thoughts on the place. It actually wasn't bad if you stayed away from the frogs. "That was a good day." he added as they reminisced.

He nodded, feeling slightly worse that she had chased him out in the middle of the night when she was about to have to go back out in a couple of hours. "I still have a few days until my transfer is complete." he said.

"Let's make them. With me being stationed primarily here, should make scheduling a bit easier." he said. There was one good thing about being stationed on Raxus. He would be here whenever she was available. Over the last year, they had scrambled to find times with them both being off to spend time together; now they only primarily had to work around her schedule. There would be times he would need to go off-world, but they would be less and for shorter periods of time.

They reached his apartment once again. "...maybe we could do something later after you are off?" he asked as they stepped inside. They hadn't been out properly since he had been back. Maybe it would do them some good.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

"Hey now...give yourself some credit. You've done well back then as well" she immediately replied, smirking up at him. He had adapted the hints and instructions she had given him right away and he had truly fought well.

They had still joked about how she had kicked his ass and apperently he wanted to continue. "But well...you've scored a lunch date as compensation" she teased back as the conversation shifted to this very lovely place they had found.

"Despite the adventurous culinary experience, that day was still amazing...there was already so much in the air but neither of us truly acted on it". She couldn't help but to smirk. Somehow, she hadn't been as fully confident as she usually was and they had both kept it playful only, perhaps not believing the other was truly that interested. It was so sweet looking back and she remembered the day so fondly even if she had fought hard not to gag in that place.

"Perfect! This will be sooo exciting". His transfer surely wasn't all bad. Yes, he was here more often as she was so involved with squire training right now, so was she, so that matched rather well. "The next few weeks look quite well in terms of that. I've got plenty of squire training duty and we're soon moving to the new Knights' premises, so that sounds like great timing to me".

They couldn't just realize their furure plans, but also spend some free time with one another and he wouldn't be alone with his dark thoughts so often. Also, it seemed like his new department was a little safer than the old one. He had lost his regiment and she also knew that he missed his men deeply, but she tried to hold onto more positive thoughts right now.

"I'd love that very much" she definitely had to rest, too, but the prospects of spending some actual quality time again excited her. They were home a few minutes later and could quickly hop under the shower before a yawn actually escaped her. "I'd say for now we sleep as long as we still can, but we should definitely plan something cool later on. And no, no that restaurant..." she teasingly warned him, another smirk crossing her lips as she crawled into bed, waiting for him so that she could curl up in his arms.

@Raydo