Ask Who Dunnit

[Altair Din]

The agony overwhelmed him and he could see nothing but every nightmare play out in vivid detail. He had always tried to do the right thing and he had nothing but pain and anger coursing through him then. The fear, the anguish, the crippling weight of every emotion at once slowly began to shift towards rage. It was what the Sith had taught him - to harness emotions as a weapon. He continued ramming the walls with his horns, the force of the blows making the wall cave in and crumble. He flailed like a wild animal, his entire body riled and pumping full of adrenaline and fury.

He was only vaguely aware of Celeste’s touch, not quite registering what it was. However, it gave him pause for just a moment as her voice began to cut through the nightmare that swirled around him. Unfortunately, he only saw rage and fury then. Without warning, his hand shot up and grasped Celeste by her throat, not registering who she was in that brief moment of chaos. In that moment, he was every bit the devil that lore dictated he was. His face was inches across from hers and there was nothing but rage emanating from him. His eyes were yellow, replacing the normally gentle lavender hues. His jaw was tightened, his teeth gritted to give him a completely demonic look. His grip on her neck was hard enough to cause the faintest bruises.

The moment passed almost as soon as it arrived. His jaw dropped open as he relaxed his grip, a look of pure horror on his face as he suddenly realized what he was doing, “Celeste, I-” He didn’t get anything else out as Everett made the executive decision to stun Altair at close range. The proximity along with his other injuries meant Altair’s eyes rolled back as he convulsed and abruptly collapsed on the ground with a thud, completely knocked out.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Seeing him like this was terrible. It was even so bad that her mental pain turned into actual physical pain and everything just started to intensify with each and every thrust into the wall. Witnessing his suffering was even worse than calling on the dark side again and doing the very thing she loathed by using the very powers that usually remained dormant so deep inside her. The pain caused by that view was completely overshadowing her own wound and even partly that exhaustion.

No inner cold or strife was as bad as seeing someone you truly care about in such deep agony and knowing exactly that there was almost nothing you could do. Funnily enough, this thought brought Celeste to an important insight: Even though they haven't spent much time together, the intensity of their encounter had left his marks already. No matter how empathetic she usually was, she felt even stronger for him already. In fact, if there had been away to divert the nightmares into herself, she hadn't even hesitated a second to do so.

Unfortunately, that was however impossible when it came to Anxynth. Even though Celeste wasn't sure what would happen if they were to stun him, but she knew that it would take hours until the highly concentrated poison wouldn't affect him any more. "Focus on me. Focus on my voi-" she tried again, her voice soothing and soft, but unfortunately Altair seemed to follow her calm command in a way too literal way. All of a sudden, the Tiefling stopped banging his head against the wall and wildly glared into her eyes, but before he even laid hands in her, his feral, horrified and even wrathful gaze told her that he was not himself.

His hands tightly and mercilessly wrapped around her throat, leaving her gasping in panic. Wildly gesturing for Everett to wait and stand down, she stared at Altair wide-eyed, yet the Tiefling's grip only seemed to intensify, completely obstructing her respiratory tract."Pl..ease" she somehow brought forward, but the pressure on her vocal cords was just too high to articulate more than the faintest, pain stricken and even slightly panicked whisper. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Everett was already aiming for the Tiefling, yet Altair finally released her and she fell back to the ground, gasping for air.

With slightly blood stained eyes the blonde Senator collapsed, her heart hammering against her ribcage from the inside while his hands had left visible marks on her throat. "No!" she squealed as Altair went down, stunned from the bolt that Everett had shot while chaos was still all around them. "We're leaving. Now!" Everett declared firmly and she was way too weak and injured to argue, so that she didn't even fight anymore when he picked her up and immediately carried her into the direction of their airspeeders...

-----

According to reports, it hadn't taken long until the situation at the spaceport had been brought under control and they had at least managed to capture the one that had led the assault. However Celeste was still aware of the fact that he was only the second in command, actually, and so the true leader was in hiding again, which left her immensely frustrated.

She had other things to worry about though, since Altair was still knocked out and was tied onto a bed in the hospital on Barterus. They couldn't do much for Celeste after having treated her wound, yet the bruises were a visible reminder of Altair's attack. She sat on the bed next to him, just barely a meter away and carefully watching over him while she waited for him to wake up. Whenever he would open his hopefully violet eyes again, he would notice that he was in a rather sterile, white room that could not be mistaken as anything else than a hospital, yet the restraints would possibly freak him out...

She was praying his livers would have already filtered out the toxins, yet since she couldn't be sure she had left him restrained. Two guards were staying in the room with her, but she was ready to send them out if he was stable enough to leave them some privacy. Everett had been everything but pleased that he had managed to hurt her in the first place and was super wary of the Tiefling and he had even refused to acknowledge that the Anxynth had made him loose his mind like this. She had sent him out though, knowing that such negative vibes wouldn't be good for the waking and probably disoriented Altair.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

It took very little time for Altair’s livers to process the toxins and filter them out. Celeste didn’t have to wait too long before he slowly began to blink his eyes open. The first thing she would notice was that his eyes were back to their usual amethyst. Altair squinted a bit as he gazed up into the harsh lights above him. This looked familiar - as if he were in a medical bay. He looked around himself, feeling slightly dazed as he returned to consciousness. Altair spotted Celeste at once and he felt as if he had been punched in the gut. He spotted the bruises around her neck right away and it made him sick. He had caused it. He had done that.

“Celeste..” He managed to get out as he moved to sit up. That was when he noticed he was bound to the bed. Altair tugged against the restraints, staring at them in disbelief and then looking to the guards in the room. There was anger at first, followed by hurt and then begrudging understanding. He was a monster and he was chained up like one. He bowed his head and stared down below himself, unable to even find the right words. Nothing could change what he did. Nothing could change how she saw him. How they all saw him. He had arrived on Rattatak, at her home, and he managed to hurt her before they even made it into a city. She would never trust him again. He couldn't even trust himself.

“‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t even begin to cover it…. I saw nothing but the destruction of everything and everyone I loved. I…I have no excuse for what I did…I hurt you and I can never take that back, Celeste..” Altair said after a long moment, knowing the words would mean nothing. He felt too ashamed to look at her. The last time he was in a hospital bed like this he had been handed over to New Alderaan as a prisoner. And that was courtesy of a girl he thought loved him. The tiefling sighed to himself, glancing over at his restraints, “I suppose I’ll be spending my days in a cell..” Altair exhaled, closing his eyes. He had harmed a planet’s aspiring representative - prison would be the kindest of his potential sentences.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste kept sitting and was studying his steady breathing for a while. Was that a good sign? While unconscious, it seemed as though he was alright again. She definitely interpreted that as a good thing for now, because maybe the toxins could have even let him stir while stunned.

She rested her own eyes for a second as the last days had been rather eventful, yet after just a few moments she suddenly heard his voice, quiet but clear. Her eyes immediately shut open as she worriedly assessed him. "Altair.." she gasped in relief, yet her voice was still severely impacted from his from grip around her throat a few hours ago.

He would notice that the bruises were now an almost vibrant, fresh shade of purple with dark blueish swirls and if was almost amusing how one could literally saw how his fingers had left individual imprints. She slowly shook her head, keeping in mind that she was advised to take it easy for now. "Leave us...and stop Everett from getting in" she ordered, her voice firm yet definitely raspy. She immediately tried to clear her throat but she knew this strange feeling wouldn't just leave right away. Her guards were both indecisive at first, but she intensely glared at them, demanding some privacy and after another moment they left.

She inhaled and faced him, her facial expressions reflecting nothing but the deep worries for his well-being, physical and mental. "Altair, please. You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. I've made my experience with Anxynth and it was horrible. I know exactly how it felt like so please don't be sorry. You did hurt me, yet that wasn't you who carried out the action..." she began, her voice soft, but he would see that speaking was painful. "I was worried someone might shoot you. Not everyone had seen the darts. They found several injection sites, so it was not just one dose. It's a miracle you're alright now. Thank your anatomy once again" she carefully moved over to him and sat down on the soft mattress next to him while laying a hand on his cheek. "Before I loosen those restraints...tell me: Are there still images in your head?". She softly ran her thumb across his cheek, hoping that he was indeed fine now. She was not going to push him, but she felt truly terrible about what had happened and she wondered what exactly he had seen. She remembered her own experience far too well... "Are you thrifty? You need to flush out all remnants of that drug". If he would be indeed thirsty, she would loosen the first, upper restraint already, allowing him to raise his head so that she could help him drink a few swigs from the water that stood on the table next to his bed.


@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair winced as he heard Celeste speak, hearing the rasp in her voice. It felt like another dagger through his chest. He felt her sit next to him and he had to fight back the urge to pull away - he felt far too ashamed to be anywhere close to her after what he had done. Altair opened his eyes again when he felt her touch against his cheek, though he still couldn’t bear to look at her. Anytime he looked, he saw the ugly bruises he had left behind. Without looking at her, his hand slowly moved to rest on her leg. He couldn’t bring it up to layer above her hand while the restraints were still on. She spoke about the toxin, but his mind was elsewhere entirely.

“Celeste..” He whispered quietly, finally looking at her. His vibrant purple hues were riddled with pain as he gazed at her and his words were more than enough to assure her that he wasn’t under the toxin’s influence anymore, “Would you ever consider putting your saber aside? To never go out into the field of battle and willingly put yourself at risk? To only devote yourself to diplomacy?” He knew she was stubborn, but he couldn’t help but think about future wars and a day where he may be leading an assault into Alliance territory. He felt horrible when it had been out of his control and he hurt her - would he be able to stand it if he had to do it knowingly?

“I shouldn’t be here,” He said after a moment, more to himself than anything. He knew Celeste wouldn’t put up with that kind of talk. Altair nodded at being thirsty, waiting as she undid the restraint. He rose up to take a drink, quenching the unnatural levels of thirst he felt since he woke up.

Altair glanced over at her. Right then he wanted nothing more than to embrace her and put aside what had happened. However, he was entirely too haunted by it and he didn’t miss the way the guards looked at him as they left the room or how she had commanded Everett to stay away. He withdrew his hand away from Celeste, suddenly finding it difficult to get close to her.

“So…what happens now?” He asked quietly, his entire body rigid and stiff.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

His wince didn't go unnoticed at all and it literally broke her heart. What had happened? How could he possibly feel so bad about an accident he hadn't even caused? Her expressions softened even further, even though her she worriedly frowned. When he finally looked back at her there was actual agony in his gaze and his pain was only infectious for her.

What he said next surpsied her, as he was slightly shifting the conversation's topic and she immediately wondered why. She couldn't help but to assume that the nightmarish images of destruction and death he had witnessed were related to that, but if she was being honest there was no way that wasn't the case. She pondered on his words for a moment and he would notice that the answer to that question wasn't an easy one for her. Hadn't he just indirectly asked her to do it? It almost sounded like a plead at least...she immediately remembered the conversation they had on that couch. "Since I want to be honest with out, no. I will always fight for those I love and for what I think is right. If someone would attack someone I love, I would be the first to fight back. If there are more rebellious warlords to come I will not stand back and let my soldiers handle that" she was purposely leaving out the question about what would happen if the two of them would ever face one another on a potential battlefield, as this was simply a thought process she hadn't want to follow now. "I'll never be the aggressor though. I only fight if I have to. I'm afraid I can't say the same about you...the academy won't leave you much of a choice, right?". Even if she did not want to have such a conversation now, she couldn't help put to raise that tough question.

As he mentioned that he shouldn't be here she immediately shook her head again, this time even harder, regardless of the pain. "Stop that. There is no place you should rather be right now. You haven't done anything wrong. I'm sorry they fired those darts in the first place" she answered gently while she removed the restraints one by one, allowing him not only to drink but to move his upper body. She noticed that he was extremely hesitant and seeing this new kind of insecurity broke her heart. Why was he feeling so unbelievably guilty about this? Was he not believing her when she said that everything is fine and that he hadn't done anything wrong? When he posed that next question he appeared stiff and doubtful, perhaps even slightly afraid of her answer. "I tell you what's next. You stop worrying. I'll be fine" she softly replied, trying to hide that rasp, but the softer she attempted to speak, the more it hurt. "And then we leave this place" she added, but it was merely a whisper. She carefully placed her hand on his cheek again, softly pulling him closer before she gently pressed her lips against his. Even if it was painful, it was worth it, as this gentle, affectionate kiss immediately sent a new warmth through her body. It seemed like all that stress and all the pain was forgotten in that beautiful moment in which their lips tenderly melted against one another again. She really couldn't wait to leave the hospital with him, yet she also enjoyed that moment too much to go right away.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair knew what her answer would be before she even gave it. She was never going to step back from a fight no matter how rough it got - he got a taste of that when she refused to leave when infected were rushing them from all sides. The tiefling quietly shook his head, “I’m a soldier, Celeste..” He remarked with a somber tone, “My career lies in defense and expansion. Here's hoping I mainly engage Jedi because I can't stand the thought of ever hurting you.”

He blinked at her when she spoke, opening his mouth to protest, but he gave up in the end. He managed a faint smile, his tail finally flicking a bit after hanging limp for a while. Altair closed his eyes as she leaned in to kiss him, that familiar rush returning when she did it. Sometimes it felt as if he had known her for years - as if her touch, every time they kissed, all of it had been part of his life for some time.

His arm wrapped around her, and he was careful to avoid where she had been cut before. His own shoulder still stung from where he was stabbed, though they had done a great job of patching him up. Altair deepened the kiss just the bit when the door abruptly opened and Everette barged in, entirely too uncomfortable at the thought of Celeste being in a room with Altair alone.

"I really must insist-" He stopped abruptly mid speech. The tiefling quickly drew back, but Everett had seen everything there was to see.

“Uh….hi..” Altair muttered awkwardly before he realized his arm was still around Celeste. Clearing his throat, he quickly drew that back as well, half expecting the Everett guy to shoot him in the face while he was still in the bed. Altair had a feeling they would have to leave the medical bay sooner than later.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

She sensed that he had asked her to fully stay out of the fighting to protect her, yet she would never stop protecting others. She was too ambitious, protective and driven to be someone who just stayed in the background and watched and even if he didn't agree with her, he should have known about her stubbornness already. "I know you are a solider" she sighed, sadness in her eyes but there was also a spark of hope, "Yes also the mist loyal solider does not have to fight each and every battle" she reminded him, however doubting that someone as loyal as him would deny any orders. "No matter what anyone would order, we wouldn't be pushed in such a position. I promise you that". Could she even promise such things? Maybe. She could always...yield. Even if that had never been in her nature, but she still didn't want to picture the two of them facing one another on a battlefield.

She had been slightly insecure about whether or not he would reciprocate it, however as he leaned in, she immediately deepened their kiss while a wave of relief swept over her once again exhausted body. Again, there were only the two of them and she didn't even realize that they were still in the hospital, both injured and in pain, not just physical but mental as well, however she couldn't savor that beautiful moment that seemed to fix everything for long, as she suddenly heard the door and spun around, startled. The expression on Everett's usually so stern face was hard to read this time. There was disgust, disappointment and deep rage, each and every emotions swirled and tainted by something she hadn't seen before.

Sue stared at him wide eyed, realizing that his right hand was already encompassing his pistols dark, metal hilt, but so far he just stood their frozen as if in shock, before Altair's reply involuntarily made her chuckle. "I'll be...right back" she quietly muttered to Altair before immediately jumping up and moving towards the door to pull Everett away before he would kill the Tiefling right here. As she glanced over her shoulder she was grinning, but the grin was only half amused and half alarming.

Outside Everett still couldn't move a single muscles while he just silently stared at her in disbelief. "I gave you an order. And you disobeyed me again. I know you just do this to protect , yet I feel like I might have to reconsider your rank..." she began, the grin immediately fading as she confronted him with her icy, business woman facade. "You're only saying that to distract me. Are you out of your karking mind?!" he growled in response, his tone quite accusingly.

Good for him that no one else was around...otherwise she would have rigorously pushed him against the wall behind him. He knew far to well that he was the only one that could talk back to her like that and he kept using it against her. Unfortunately, she knew far too well that all he wanted was her well-being and she couldn't even blame him for being so wary of Altair, yet he had no business in interfering with her choices."I will send you off. I'm warning you one last time. He was not himself, he was drugged. You will leave us now. Take the day off or something...I can handle myself" she kept her voice down, yet her tone was slightly dangerous. " Oh I know you can. But I won't hesitate to kill him if something like that happens again". "Disobey me again and I will kill you" she replied with a challenging smirk, but he just rolled his eyes.

"Go" she said again and shoved him away in the same moment. She glared at him while he just gestured that he will watch and observe and it was definitely not hard to tell that an immense amount of hate radiating in Altair's direction. Even though him and Celeste had never been romantically involved he had always been especially wary when it came to men, but Celeste just knew that Altair was now literally walking on thin ice. With a deep sigh she stepped back in, her expressions immediately softening.

"He is...not exactly amused but it's fine. He won't bother us...out of safety precautions I will not let you sleep alone tonight if you plan on staying though" she cheekily said to Altair with a smirk, just casually playing of what had just been to avoid any further drama. "But once again: Do not worry. I know you would never deliberately hurt me" she quickly sat down next to him, leaning in to let her lips melt against his yet enother time just to properly finish what they had started. She pulled back after kissing him passionately for a moment, another smile forming on her lips. "Let's get out of here. I still have plenty of spots to show you". She got up with a wink, her mood not af all affected by that short yet inconvenient...interruption. She was just dearly hoping he would be alright with all that.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair sat in silence as Celeste disappeared for a moment, his face growing hot. He felt extremely awkward being here and facing people that wanted him dead - people that were entirely justified. The tiefling’s tail twitched back and forth erratically as he waited, only guessing at the sort of conversation the two were having outside the room.

He glanced up when she returned, giving her a faint smile, “I don’t blame him,” He said after she explained things, “I prolly woulda done a lot worse if our places were switched,” Altair admitted. He was normally a relaxed man, but he wouldn’t hesitate to gore someone that hurt anyone he cared about. He could never fault Everett for acting out or ignoring her orders to stay out when she was alone with him. The academy side of him saw it as insubordination, but the civilian side could empathize.

Altair was distracted when she sat down next to him and leaned in to kiss him again, “What if he-” He began to say but the words died on his lips as soon as hers met them. The tiefling lingered on the kiss far longer this time, savoring it like he wanted before that interruption happened. A part of him wanted to take it further, but he certainly didn’t want to make matters worse for her and her men.

The tiefling watched as she rose from the bed and gave him a wink. He was surprised and impressed at her resilience. She didn’t hold any grudge and truly did appear to forgive him for what happened. She genuinely understood that he had no control over his actions. Altair could only stare at her for a moment - at this survivor that had been through more than most ever did in an entire lifetime. And through it all, it never broke her resolve, never cracked or destroyed who she was. It was something to admire and respect and it was exactly what made her so fascinating.

Altair cleared his throat again when he realized he was stupidly staring at her with a dumb smile. Hopefully he could blame the drugs and she would just forget drugs processed through his system in a flash. The tiefling rose from the bed, grimacing a bit at the pain in his shoulder. Altair shrugged off the hospital top given to him, revealing his torso briefly before he reached for a shirt and tossed it on. He looked like a regular civilian now instead of an obvious Imperial.

“Only out of safety precautions, huh?” Altair asked with a coy grin, referring to her remark about him not sleeping alone. As they stepped out, his gaze flicked down at her side, “Are you all right?” He hadn’t had the chance to ask yet. By now, his tail almost involuntarily brushed against her gently when they walked side by side, “Where are we going first?” Altair asked curiously, still slightly wary of staying. A part of him still felt a measure of guilt at not simply running away, “When I’m healed up, I really do want to hunt that fucker down,” Altair declared after a moment, a stern expression crossing his face.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

After she had come back in, the mood had immediately shifted and she could still tell how this all severely weighted him down. Thus, she was more than just glad when he kissed her back, his soft lips sensually melting against hers while she lost herself in that beautiful moment again.

When they started kissing now it was somehow different. This time it was not just desire that drove them, but rather something purer, much more tender. Admittedly, they had literally been through so much within such a short period of time that whenever they had going on, was immensely intense and it simply felt great. She didn't mind at all that she had interrupted him with this kiss as she felt like her action had convinced him that everything was indeed alright. The pain would remain...perhaps for days, but it wouldn't affect her too much. She was still overly happy to have him here and to show him around on the planet she called home right now, and a few bruises wouldn't stop her.

She waited for him for a short moment while her gaze lingered on her. It only made her smile brighter until he joined her on the door. "Of course. It seems like you could use some protection...especially in the night when you're asleep and vulnerable. I'll definitely keep you close" she replied with a seductive grin, wiggling her brows for a moment before she gently took his hand to guide him into the direction of the exit.

"I'm fine. Honestly, don't worry" she assured him softly and she was indeed not lying. Yes, it still hurt, but it wasn't too bad. The doctors had advised her not to speak to much, but she was not planning on giving public speeches again, so everyday conversations should be fine. "How is your shoulder? They said patching you up was easy, yet the wound was rather deep so it destroyed some inner tissue and damanged some fibers. The ligaments are fortunately intact, so the recovery will be rather quick if you take it easy" she explained, knowing exactly that if his muscles had been damaged, he would have probably gotten some issues with the academy.

She lead him outside, not answering that curious question of his yet before his new found determination made her smirk. "Oh I bet you do. Trust me...so do I. It's about time he gets hunted down...but I feel like unfortunately we need rest first again" she wasn't exactly pleased about how this had been the second time they had been assaulted like that, but she was optimistic that the drama was finally over now. Once outside, the hot Rattataki air immediately encompassed them while the afternoon sun was shining down from above. "Depending on how good you feel, we can either drive further away or stay close for now" she still suggested slightly worriedly, but she immediately got an even better idea. "Are you hungry? We haven't eaten in a while" she remarked with a smirk, having just the right place in mind.

The hospital was just located outside the actual city of Barterus and she had a speeder ready not far away. She spotted Everett leaning against his speeder bike in the small parking lot across the street, arms folded in front of his chest and his stern gaze warily lingering on Altair. She warningly glared at him for a moment, eyes narrowed as she noticed that he slowly slipped his hand down towards his pistol again, so that she was even tempted to telepathically snap at him, but she let him be for now, knowing that he was always keen on teasing her, but she was definitely not in the mood for bantering right now.

She forced herself to ignore him because she knew he wouldn't disobey her again and directed her gaze back to Altair instead, her facial expressions immediately softening again. She also ignored the other guards in their immediate surrounding who were also cautiously observing the two. If Altair hadn't been right next to her she would have probably snarled at all of them because their lack of understanding made her slightly furious. Her people had always been rather mistrusting of things they couldn't actually control and she imagined that quite a few of them had still caught a glimpse of Altair's brutal fighting skills, so that she couldn't fully blame them for their suspicions. What she did slightly condemn though was that they were questioning her statements about her companion, but then again he had still attacked her and the Rattataki had always been a protective folk.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair didn’t protest as she guided him by the hand, though he did know it would only irk her guards and Everett if they saw. Then again, it was that same fiery side of her that he liked coming to surface - no one could bully her into being one way or another. Altair grimaced a bit as she described his shoulder - he didn’t think it had been too deep but it was obviously worse than he thought. As a melee warrior, he had to begrudgingly wait for it to heal or it could lead to permanent damage.

He almost drew his hand away from hers when they stepped out and he could feel the glares of the guards. However, he remembered that she ultimately wanted this and it would defeat the purpose if he continued to let the guards get to him. Instead, Altair tightened the grip on her hand and stepped closer to her, pointedly ignoring the guards or Everett as they walked. He was used to judgmental glares, but somehow it bothered him a lot more because they were Celeste’s people.

“You think he’ll ever get over it?” Altair couldn’t help but ask as he briefly glanced at Everett as they walked.

Once arriving at the speeder, he politely held the door open for her before getting in himself. While he was thrilled to get away from the guards, he was wary about it being just the two of them while they sported injuries. He was finally afforded some privacy and he glanced over, “Thank you…for not seeing me as a monster,” He gave her hand a squeeze, managing a smile, “The whole galaxy thinks so sometimes.”

Altair thought back to her suggestions and he nodded, “I’m starvin’,” He admitted, “We can stop somewhere to eat orrrrr if you wanna take me somewhere that has a kitchen, I can make us something,” He flashed her a grin, “I gotta make things up to you somehow.”

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

She had grabbed his hand because it felt good in the first place, but now she held it almost a little provocatively. After all, she was the one in command and no one would tell her what to do. When Altair tightened his grip so did she while she affectionately rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand. She led him over to the speeder, but he kept sounding worried, which was why she flashed him an encouraging smile. "To be honest: They will hold onto that grudge for a while. They are fiercely protective after all and after what happened this morning I guess everyone is extremely alerted. Things have been rather stable but that little assault was definitely unexpected. Everett will have to tolerate you though. They all will" she replied confidently, yet still with that usual hint of softness to her voice.

She gratefully nodded as his courteous gesture and went inside. It was still rather hard to take her eyes off him and his presence still had soothing effects even though he had involuntarily attacked her a few hours ago. "You have literally nothing thank me for. You are no monster, and everyone who assumes that must be either blind or ignorant. You have such a gentle soul...even seeing you this worried proves how sweet you are" she replied, her lips curling into a smile again. "Seems like the whole galaxy doesn't know a thing about the real you..." she added, but it was merely whisper as she pulled him closer once again to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.

As she pulled back she already started the engine, grinning because she had expected that he must have been quite hungry indeed. She pondered on his suggestion for a moment because his offer was indeed tempting. "You are my guest after all...so I can't just let you cook for us" she interjected contemplatively, until she had a better idea. "I tell you what. I'll remember that offer, but we'll do that next time, when we're not as beat up again. And when it's not you're first visit ever here. I know a lovely little place we can visit instead" she finally replied, shooting him a grin. It was probably indeed for the best if the two of them could just focus on their recovery while still having a good time here.

Once she took off, a vast dust cloud spread behind them and continued following them across the sand covered road. As soon as they had left the grande hospital building behind, he would catch a glimpse of the Rattataki landscape with its mountainous terrain and the seemingly endless desert around it. They where not fully leaving the enclosures of the city but heading deeper inside instead and he would soon notice more and more tall, beige and sand colored buildings to both sides. She was headed to one of the fancier restaurants, but not for the posh ambience, but for the larger selection of food. There was no dresscode, so no one would have to be worried about the proper attire, but she wanted to offer him more than just plain, local food. They soon took a slots up a mountain pass because the place she had chosen was located on the top and it offered an overview over the city. "I do hope you're not afraid of heights..." she playfully teased him even though she already knew the answer to that. "We might even get a chance to watch the sunset..." it was still a pity that they had spent quite some time in the hospital.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair opened his mouth to debate about him cooking, but she was likely right. With a busted shoulder and limited mobility of one of his arms, it was better to take it easy for now, “All right, but I’ll hold ya to it,” He said with a grin, “I’m quite decent in the kitchen if I do say so myself,” It was one of the trademarks of being a Din - every single sibling knew how to cook, though some better than others. Altair’s specialty was baking, but he certainly knew how to whip up excellent meals outside of that.

Throughout their ride, he gazed out towards the landscape all around them, a lot of it reminding him of Korriban in some ways. However, there was a beauty to it that was entirely unique to it. And it didn’t pulse with the Dark Side like Korriban did. He never realized how oppressive the aura of Korriban was until right then. Were Jedi planets also pulsing with the Force but with the Light? And would it sting him to be around it?

When she asked about him and heights, he gave her a grin, “I mean..that penthouse balcony was up pretty high and I managed just fine,” Altair playfully nudged her with his tail as he said it. He glanced over to see their destination, genuinely impressed by the sight of it. He couldn’t help but glance down at his attire and hoped he wouldn’t look too underdressed. He figured Celeste was known at these establishments because of who she was, so he would have to remember to make a good impression after already failing that at the spaceport.

“Sunset would be breathtaking out here,” Altair said as he looked towards the sky. The valleys stretched out for miles in every direction and he could already tell the stars would look stunning at night. Altair turned to look at Celeste, “And that sounds awfully romantic,” He gave her a teasing grin, “Is this you taking’ me out on a date?” He quipped as he walked around and opened the speeder door for her and extended a hand to guide her out.

It wasn’t long before they were guided inside, only to be led back out towards a balcony that protruded out over the valley. It was certainly not the spot for anyone afraid of heights, but it offered ample privacy and an incredible view. Altair hadn’t exactly been to many fancy places coming from a humble background. He took his time marveling at the sights.

He took a seat across from her, curious about the kinds of food they offered here, “What do you like from here?” Altair asked as he looked through the list of foods he had never heard of before. He was partial to spicy foods and more ethnic flavors, but he had a feeling he would get both here. Altair paused for a moment before he looked around, and then he smiled, “You know, people were so taken by you walkin’ in here, they didn’t even notice me and my tiefling self. That was refreshing.”

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

She was assuming he might argue with that because she could still see that he continued to feel about what he had accidentally done, that was however why she was more than happy when he simply accepted her suggestion for now. "Definitely. This will not be forgotten and I definitely believe you. After what you've told me about your pies, I can't wait to try anything you made" she glanced back over to him, lips curling into an excited grin. He had already told her that she would have to earn his pies, but she couldn't wait to try a meal.

Once on the slope, his comment immediately brought back the admittedly pleasant memories of last night. "Hmm...that balcony" she softly replied, savoring the memories, "I can't offer you a penthouse here but I do have something on my mind for later..." she teasingly added, a seductive grin on her lips. She would keep everything she had planned for the rest of the day secret, especially because she would let him have a saying in all that, as he was her guest after all.

They had soon reached the top and the rather cozy, yet still classy restaurant was right in front of them as she pulled the speeder to a halt. She elegantly alighted, gratefully accepting his extended hand after thanking him for the courteous gesture once again. "You're such a gentleman" she softly remarked admiringly before one of the waiters was already receiving them to guide them inside. "Is romantic necessarily bad?" she then playfully asked, "and yes...you chose the last venue, so now it's my part". Celeste was obviously referring to the events of the last night, knowing that she would definitely make this night memorable too.

They were soon seated at a beautiful balcony overlooking a vast valley and several other mountains while the sun was slowly setting. The sky was colored in a mesmerizing mixture of orange and red hues, with a soft fade into a deep, darker purple. Even though Rattatak's nature was rather dry and desolate, the sunsets were usually stunning, but Celeste's gaze kept lingering on the handsome Tiefling in front of her, while the smile never left her lips. "This place offers a wonderful fusion of local and intergalactic foods. I usually go with one of the curry dishes, as they offer quite a delicious mix of many different spices and delicacies" she recommended, immediately wondering what they usually served on Bandomeer, but perhaps she would find out about that soon.

She amusedly shook her head at his remark, legs gratefully crossed as the waiter was already making his way over to take their first orders. "That's not true" she corrected him with a grin, "The people here just don't care about horns or tails". She playfully tilted her head to the side, her gaze being caught by his vibrant, purple eyes once again. "They might be a little surpised I brought a date here" she admitted truthfully. In fact she bad never brought someone here anyway, as she usually kept all that private when she was working, but she still had the day off. "I wonder what you think about the planet so far" she was indeed curious, but before they would continue their conversation, the waiter was waiting to receive the orders. She shot Altair a curious look, excited to see what he would choose.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair’s brow rose as she explained that no one here cared about the horns or tail. He had only felt that level of ease when he was in Hutt space. No one gave a rat’s ass about his race there. In many ways some of the seedier planets were far more inclusive and welcoming than the posh wealthy ones. Rattatak was proving to be a great halfway point, especially with Celeste’s help. The tiefling glanced over at the waiter, “I’ll have a blurrg curry, extra on the spice level please and a Rattataki chardonnay,” He said as he looked back at her.

“Oh? Where do you usually take your dates?” Altair couldn’t help but quip with a teasing grin. He imagined she could hook whatever man she wanted given her appearance, intelligence and position. He had no doubt she would marry some equally important guy down the line and live a fairytale life. However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy his time now. He knew how older women operated - people like him were usually a passing fling and nothing more. It was easy to accept it when he was prepared for it and he quelled any unwanted desires.

Altair’s gaze was tilted towards the sky as he was momentarily lost in his thoughts. He quickly recovered when she wondered what he thought of the planet. He took a sip of the wine, marveling at the taste. He had guessed correctly - it would pair excellently with the curry, “Well other than bein’ jumped as soon as I walked out of the ship, it seems pretty nice,” Altair said with a grin, “I think this place could be a safe haven for all races. But…” He paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on hers for a bit, “I hope you ain’t gonna change everything about the traditions here. The gladiatorial combats can be pretty solid if they’re voluntary, for example. People from all corners of the galaxy would come out here to watch and it might even allow peace between a lot of warlords to keep their culture alive,” He shrugged vaguely, “But I ain’t no politician so I could be way wrong,” He thought about Huttball and how popular the sport was despite there being some violence, “I wouldn’t mind fightin’ in the arena one day,” Altair admitted as he glanced at her, “I’ll even ask for your favor if I win,” He winked at her playfully.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

While she curiosly waited for his decision on the food and the beverage she made up her own mind about hee choices. "I'll go with the Chardonnay as well...and I'll have the Rootleaf-Shuura Fruit Curry" she politely told the waiter, going for something exotic and meatless. She closed the menu and handed it back before directing her attention back onto Altair, a bright smile on her lips.

She wondered whether his question was a cheeky way of enquiring about her dating life, but she had nothing to hide. "Oh that depends. It might not be super surprising, but as a matter of a fact I'm usually quite busy and such days off are rare, so I'm not having many people over" she truthfully replied, giving him a grin. "Now I'm intrigued...", she admitted, "But how does dating life works on the military academy? Is it easy to sneak into your penthouse every now again?" she playfully teased him, assuming that she had definitely not been the first woman up there. He was young and definitely attractive, so she was completely certain he was desired in the female world.

The waiter soon served the wine and she took a sip as well, having the sweet liquid glide down her throat while she savored the taste and the beautiful scenery for a moment. His comment immediately made her chuckle, but she was indeed sorry about what had happened. "I'm still sorry about that...I know you wanted action, but that was a bit too much I'd say" throwing him an apologetic smile, she set down her glass again, light blue eyes resting on his violet orbs. His next remark slightly surprised her, but she was more than happy to answer that. "It's funny you bring that up. I was just trying to make that place a safer, more just planet and slavery was therfore a thing I had to stop". No one could convince her otherwise. Buying and selling people and forcing them to do stuff was just horrible and unjustifiable, regardless of traditions.

"But it's funny how you bring up the fighting pits. At first, we closed them, because slave fights were all they offered, but we've actually reopened them to voluntary fights. Contestants can fight for glory and also for money...that is debatably slightly morally reprehensible but that's why I have regulated them. They are not a matter of life and death any more because yielding is definitely an option. This way, they can still fight for honor and glory and determine who is the most capable warrior, but we don't have families torn apart anymore. I've also not banned their rituals. I'm trying not to interfere with their culture...quite the contrary: It's something super interesting and valuable that I'll try to preserve" she replied honestly, however noticing that she had given quite the speech with her monologue again- a tendency she had picked up while in politics.

His last remark made her chuckle once again, because it was actually quite a sweet thing to say. It sounded like he wanted to explore that culture, but he also seemed thrilled about that gladiator-fight idea. "Oh you're chances should be great. I'd love to see that. I can assure you that the fights are fairly safe now" she slightly leaned forward, affectionately placing a hand on his while she softly ran her thumb across the back of his hand. "What would you say to a nice, relaxing evening tonight?".

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair hadn’t expected her to turn the topic around on him about dating. He coughed a bit at the thought of taking girls to penthouses. His face grew hot and he said nothing for a moment before taking another sip, “Well…” He began, still collecting himself, “All those rumors about flocks of girls bein’ into me are totally over-exaggerated,” No they weren’t. By now there were multiple women that sought him, but he was either downright oblivious or he had his walls up. There were lots of rumors and gossip surrounding him in Sith social circles at this point and no doubt some of it probably made its way to Celeste, which was embarrassing, “I just go with the flow I guess,” He shrugged vaguely, “Most girls ain’t lookin’ for anything serious so..” He drifted off there. Unless things were spelled out for him by the girl, he would always remain clueless in this department.

He listened to her explanation and plans for the fighting pits, nodding along in agreement as he began to dig into the curry. To his surprise, the spicy food was actually genuinely spicy and gave him a kick. He absolutely loved it and marveled at the flavors, giving himself a reminder to buy some local spices before he headed back.

“It could prolly bring in a lot of credits if it’s opened for tourism,” Altair thought back to Huttball once again. Playing in the games certainly changed his perspective - each tournament likely brought in billions of credits if not more. All of that could easily fund other parts of an economy. He was surprised at his own line of thinking - he normally was clueless about these things.

“Oh, I don’t mind some danger,” Altair said with a grin as he sipped his wine again. He glanced down at where her hand layered over his. It was a simple gesture, but it had a tenderness to it that caught his attention. He decided to entwine their fingers as he looked back at her, “As long as it’s with you, I’m up for any kinda evening,” He answered honestly, his gaze lingering on hers.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

She couldn't immediately stop herself from raising a brow in curiosity at first. Was this subject so uncomfortable for him? Well, apparently yes, but she wondered why. This slight hemming and having was indeed a little unexpected and it definitely not been her intention to stir up anything unpleasant or to make him uncomfortable, so she felt already sorry for having returned that question.

She studied him attentively, definitely analyzing his body language and facial expressions while he struggled with finding the right words. A slight smirk crossed her lips as she realized if his skin hadn't been of that beautiful charcoal hue, his cheeks would have probably already been red."Over-exaggerated? Well I've already seen a few girls being into you, but I don't mind. You're definitely desirable, that's not a bad thing, is it?". Why was he avoiding that topic so obviously? Her smirk widened as she couldn't stop teasing:"It's cute when you're flustered like that" she then admitted, hoping it didn't come across to deviously. It was in fact adorable to see this hints of nervousity shine through every now and than because that simply was what made him him, charming as he was.

His 'go with the flow' quote made her snicker while she was enjoying a bite of her deliciously piquant curry that was just the perfect mixture of spice and warm, sweet flavors. "True...our society has changed. Finding something true is rare" she admitted still slightly amused, but there was a deep, sad truth to it. He was a bit younger, so it must have been even worse for him, but she didn't feel like what they had was just a brief affair...She was convinced they would attend more...mission together in the near future and the sheer thought made her smirk again.

"Definitely and since Rattatak is relatively poor in resources, tourism might be a great chance" she replied, internally admiring this sudden business brain of his. She had thought that tourism idea through already, but she was positively suprised that he had similar ideas. His next reply made her genuinely happy and her head dipped with yet another chuckle. "You're truly sweet, Altair. I'm looking forward to it...and I bet you'll enjoy what I have planned". She wouldn't rely on action alone tonight. After all, they were both hurt again, he even worse than her and the last days had been eventful enough. While she was enjoying the food and especially the company she had soon finished her portion while the sun was disappearing behind the horizon in the most mesmerizing way, covering the sky in a beautiful, fiery symphony of colors.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

So she did hear the rumors. He gave an almost shy smile, running his free hand through his hair, especially when she called him out on being flustered or how girls were into him, “Oh? Then I gotta figure out how to make you do the same,” Altair said with a teasing smile.

It wasn’t long before he finished his food, and every now and then he glanced over to look at the sky. He could already see faint stars in the distance and there were streaks of purples, blues, oranges and other colors all mixing together and blurring into an abstract. He could hardly take his eyes off it, and he enjoyed the cool breeze that came with the coming evening.

Altair looked back at her, still marveling at how she had everything planned. It was then that he began to realize that she wouldn’t have put in that kind of effort if there wasn’t at least some level of investment. He was used to girls looking to him to drive everything and normally he was happy to do it, but Celeste found curious ways to spoil him and it was entirely new of an experience.

After they were done, he reached to pay for the meal or at least half of it. However, with some back and forth he finally yielded and accepted that he was indeed a guest on her planet and she wouldn’t hear otherwise.

“I saw some nice spots where we could watch the sunset,” Altair said as he rose from his seat, finishing off the rest of his wine. This time, as cheesy as he felt doing it, he nonchalantly reached for her hand and grasped it as they left. It came naturally to him, and though a part of him cautioned him against such gestures, he did it anyway.

“Well I can tell you right now the skies here are way more beautiful than Korriban or any other desert planet I been on,” Altair said, awe still in his eyes. He stepped outside with her, enjoying the cooler weather, “If there’s a blanket or somethin’, we can lie down and watch the sunset and stars,” He glanced over at her, “What? You ain’t the only one with romantic ideas,” He flashed her a grin.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Seeing him so flustered was indeed not just sweet but also slightly amusing. She couldn't quite grasp why, but she started to take a small liking in getting him nervous when she wanted too...playfully teasing him was indeed fun, especially because she had seen other sides of him that were a completely different story and she literally adored all of them."Oh I dare you to try...it takes a lot for me to lose my composure" she teased back with a challenging smirk, however knowing that he seemed to have found a way to reveal a fully different side of her as well...

After they had finished their delicious meal she immediately told him that she would pay as he was her guest, but of course he was stubborn enough to start arguing. However, after a quick back and forth she payed with a triumphant smile on her lips before they were already on their way out. "So...how was your first Rattataki meal?" she curiosly asked as she affectionately interlaced her fingers with his, heading towards the speeder.

His idea of watching the sunset positively surpised her because despite their walk at the lake, she hadn't considered him a full romanticist after all. "And you keep surprising me...I like it" she immediately replied with a genuinely happy, sweet smile as she stopped. "And that idea is great. I literally had the same one, but I wasn't so sure whether you'd enjoy it. We can hurry to my estate, grab a blanket and some pillows and perhaps a view snacks and head to the spot" she suggested, her light blue eyes lingering on his vibrant, purple and still mesmerizing orbs before she quickly checked on the sun to determine how much time they had still left. "Whenever were done with that though, I had another great idea" she teased, not spilling any details just yet as she was definitely planning on surprising him with that after all.

@Sreeya