Ask With Your Own Eyes

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

She had been a Mandalorian for eight years and yet the moment the ship dropped out of hyperspace and Sorgan came to view, Reiel felt as if she never really left the planet behind.

The coordinates to the farming village she grew up in was still in the ship's records, and Reiel was left wondering if Buir kept them on purpose. When she swore the Creed she had become cin vhetin – a blank slate. It meant that whatever she had done in the past would become irrelevant once she accepted the mantle of Mandalorian and yet there her father went, keeping one thing from her past so she could revisit it if she wanted.

And now she was here. Back to where it all began.

Of course she'd cried when she caught sight of the village itself – more so it's dwellers. Because of the heavy armor and helmet she wore, it was understandable that no one recognized her at first. But some of the elders – those who gave Wulfric Crowholde permission to adopt the child raised by a former village leader slash ex-pirate captain – seemed to have an inkling on the identity of the grey beskar-clad Mando who entered the village because instead of an alarm being raised and fighters going to their positions, a Wookie's delighted shout had drowned the curious whispers of the villagers.

"Been a while, huh, Testa?"

And for the first time in a long while, Reiel Mal beheld the first place she called home with her own eyes.

—·—​

Her father's ship was docked in the same large clearing in the forest where Reiel first saw it. There was something nostalgic in the way she left the ramp open while she wandered around before stopping by the lake closest to the village, waiting for Carrick's arrival. It was reminiscent of the time she first met her buir, but now she waited for someone important to her to arrive. Someone she had come to hold dear. This time it was her turn to send him a message, and it had been brief: simply the planet's name and the coordinates of her current location, and for him to meet her there.

He wouldn't find her in the ship. But through the Force he would be able track her presence, and the path would lead him to the lake. There he would find the small Mandalorian sitting cross-legged on a wooden dock, a seven-string hallikset held in her ungloved hands. She was humming along to the tune she was playing, eyes closed and helmeted head tilted to the side.

An air of melancholy seemed to surround her as she played the song, lost in her childhood memories. There was a reason why she had wandered in this side of the village and the lake – this was the place where she laid the woman who raised her to rest, the ex-pirate captain's ashes now one with the lake.

The call to return to Mandalore she and her father received had been fruitful. Granted, the first part had been rocky, with her fellow vode arguing and debating amongst themselves on how to establish a new Mandalorian government when the sender's original intent was to rediscover their heritage by entering and exploring Sundari. And then, breaking away from the group to enter the Palace with her vod Gett'se, Reiel soon found that the sacred halls of her people have been desecrated and their artifacts looted by pirates. Fighting broke out, of course, and with it came the discovery that there were bigger fish to fry than the Nagai and their base on Concordia.

Her clan was more than ready to join the battle to reclaim their homeworld. Some of them may never see Mandalore truly reclaimed and restored, including herself. She didn't want to dwell on thoughts of death, but hey. Someone had to be a realist when war loomed overhead.

And if she didn't survive in the battle for their homeworld?

At least she saw the farming village and the people she first loved for the last time.

And Carrick?

With her choice made back in Sundari, he would finally be able to gaze upon her face. And maybe, should Reiel find the courage to do so...

I could tell him how I feel for him. It's only fair he knows before I go to war. I... I owe him that much.

Reiel's fingers continued to strum the strings, waiting for the sorcerer who called her his.

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Sorgan.

Not a planet he had ever thought he would visit but one he was happy to see actually. Not for the planet but for the person he had waiting for him on it. She had wormed her way deeper than he had been expecting.

He had expected, planned, to have her on the outside. To enjoy her company, to enjoy the benefits of having a Mandalorian bounty hunter on call and to never truly let her in. Perhaps it said something about her that he hadn't managed to keep her on the outside?

Or maybe it said something about him?

Perhaps he wasn't as cold and as methodically political as he had thought himself. He landed the ship and wandered down the ramp, having switched his ship up to be one slightly larger since the last time they had seen one another. Big enough that he had had to get an astromech too.

"Stay with the ship, R7."

It had a name but it was an R7 droid and that was what he called it. He wandered away from the ship, following the call through the Force that beckoned for him to follow the familiar sense he always got from her.

Song filled the air as he neared and he waited as the song came to an end before announcing himself.

"Beautiful." he called out to her with a small smile, "Sad but beautiful."

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Reiel heard Carrick before he called out to her, and a smile automatically found its way on her lips. She didn't make any indication to acknowledge his presence, instead she just kept playing the song until she reached it's end.

She placed the hallikset down beside her gloves before she rose to his feet and turned to face him. Reiel caught her breath at the sight of him, the smile on his face sending a rush of warmth to her cheeks. Dapples of sunlight slipping throught the canopy of the trees seemed to soften his features and it made her heart skip a beat.

These steadily growing feelings for him were alarming, dangerous. And yet never had Reiel felt so safe and secure in Carrick's presence, and caution always transformed into softness and warmth whenever he gazed at her.

Harboring feelings for an aruetii was something she never thought she would experience and yet here she was, wanting – needing – to deserve even a fraction of his affection.

Reiel made no move to approach him, nor did she beckon for him to come near. Instead she just stood where she was, staring at him rather tenderly through her helmet's visor.

"It is," she replied quietly. "To be honest, I never knew what that song was called. The woman who raised me... she loved it, loved to play it whenever I woke up from a nightmare. Taught me how to play it, but never told me what it's called."

Her gaze found the lake again, and she smiled sadly.

"I scattered her ashes here when I was fifteen. And then, three years later, Buir found me and took me as his own. No one has ever seen my face since then except for my father, and his."

She tapped the side of her helmet with a finger, grinning.

"Eight years. Sometimes it feels long enough, but mostly it's still short for me. Not even reaching the one decade mark yet."

A small glimpse into her childhood, and her prelude into becoming who she was today. Reiel and Carrick never really had the proper chance to talk more about themselves, and she realized that – with war hanging upon her – this might be the last time they'd see each other again. The small Mandalorian had no plans in dying on Mandalore, her desire to see her homeworld reclaimed fuelling her will to live. Her buir, her clan, and friends she made along the way also demanded that she continue to live another day. And she would be a fool to deny that Carrick was one of the main reasons why she would fight to stay alive.

Was that selfish of her? Was that cheating? To court death then turn away from it at the last second because she found people worth loving and living for?

Huffing out a short laugh, Reiel finally beckoned for Carrick to come over as she sat back down and patted the space beside her. With a flourish, she brightly told him,

"Welcome to my old homeworld, when your Mando's still not kicking butts as a Mando yet! And to our second-slash-third date! Food and drinks aren't available yet, because I feel like procrastinating a bit today and hanging out to jam to my old caretaker's sad but beautiful tunes."

She wanted to ask him if he ever wanted to see what she looked like under her helmet... but panic and doubt stopped her. Reiel didn't want to drop something so heavy when he had just arrived, so maybe they could have a little chat and have some fun first?

Despite having made her choice in Sundari, she was still a coward, huh?

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

So this was where she was from before she ended up as a foundling huh? He had done some research into the Mandalorian culture and he knew (basically) what a foundling was so it made sense to learn that she had come from a different world. These days he supposed more Mandalorians were foundlings than ‘true Mandalorians’.

Whatever those were – did it mean born into a clan or born on Mandalore? Because there were basically none of those last group as far as he was aware. He didn’t think she wanted to discuss either of those things for the time being though so he wandered over to her and took one of her hands in his own. Giving it a gentle, squeeze, Carrick smiled a little bit down at his Mando.

She had opened herself up to him so…

“Kind of know what that’s like.” He admitted quietly to her, watching over the planet ahead of them, “Being a foundling sounds like it worked out for you though. Your clan gave you a purpose, strength and a family again. Now you get to be this version of yourself while still remembering who you were before it too.”

Carrick gave her helmet a gentle ‘kiss’.

“I like this version.”

He smiled a little bit and gestured over his shoulder at his ship.

“I brought a bigger ship.” He told her with a small smirk that grew, “Made sure to stock it well so I could show off my cooking skills.”

And cocktail making – it had been an odd skill he’d actually learned in the Jedi Temple of all places.

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

A small but bashful smile graced her face at his comment. It was the truth – she held no reservations and doubts when she realized what she had signed herself up into when she became a foundling. The life of a Mandalorian was fraught with hardships and the harsh reality that she might die young, but not once did Reiel regret being one of the warrior people. They gave her purpose and above all, a family who would go to hell and back for her, something she was willing to do for them as well.

Reiel's smile widened as she leaned into the kiss, an airy chuckle escaping her at Carrick's follow-up.

"That's smooth, Mister Sorcerer," she teased him, her other hand coming up to brush against his cheek. That same hand would then slide down to his chest where she'd lightly pat once as she pulled herself away from the keldabe.

"My old version would've stayed stuck here if Buir hadn't come to spirit me away... Can't imagine myself being a farmer for the rest of my life. I wanted to see the stars, you know. Make my way around the galaxy. And, as cheesy as it sounds, I wouldn't have met this mesh'la jag in front of me."

The last part was cheesy, yes. But it was the truth.

So, he had a bigger ship now. Good for him, but she would miss his old Pathfinder. Nothing beat traveling from one planet to the next perched on his lap as he manned the ship.

"Ah, yes, that's wise," she teased him. Reiel could still remember the taste of that curry he'd kept in his old ship. "I, for one, love a man who can cook. That curry tasted so good – made me wonder if there's a secret ingredient or something."

Her hand in his, the small Mandalorian began to lead him back towards the ship.

"This is gonna be like Serenno again, isn't it? Blindfolds and all–"

She stopped, eyes growing wide and her hand squeezing his a little tighter. Footsteps halting altogether.

No, that's... that's not what was going to happen. The real reason she met with him was more than that, and she cursed herself for letting her earlier panic and doubt steer her away from her original intent. Reiel invited Carrick here for a singular reason that stemmed from that life-changing decision and events back in Sundari, back in Mandalore.

Reiel moved in front of the politician, heart in her throat as she looked up at him. She felt nervous all of a sudden – she was just going to remove her helmet to finally show him her face, what was there to be so anxious about?

She could name a few. Her fellow Mandalorians outside of her clan (and an ex-Jedi outsider, to boot) had already seen her face in Sundari when she made the choice to break away from the Way of the Children of the Watch to embrace what it really meant to be a Mando'ad. It wasn't a spur of the moment thing, her intent to remove her helmet founded on respect and reverence for her people's heritage and legacy. Her father and the clan's alor have accepted the path she had chosen for herself, but a few others in the clan who were strong adherents of the Way of the Mandalore looked upon her with disdain. They didn't name her dar'manda since they didn't raise foundlings to be zealots, at least, but the way they avoided her stung.

Then came the matter of how Carrick might react. Outsiders – most of them – knew that Mandalorians never took off their helmets. And he knew her as one who practiced that belief. It might... confuse him. But she was prepared and willing to explain the matter to him if he would express curiosity. It was always good to dismantle assumptions (more so the bad) about her culture, that much she'd learned from her buir and ba'buir.

And, of course, as petty as it might sound: what would Carrick think once she showed him her face? Would he find her... beautiful? Reiel wasn't vain, but when only two people in her clan assured her that she was a good-looking kid, well... that didn't speak much, right? Most especially when those aforementioned people were her adoptive father and grandfather, and they were the only ones who ever saw her face after she swore the Creed!

Maker, that last one sounded so pathetic than the first two...

And of course there was the possibility of death in their war to reclaim Mandalore. She couldn't possibly have Carrick remember her as the faceless Mandalorian who fell for him, could she?

She'd made her choice in Sundari. She couldn't let her trivial fears hold her back from doing this. And finally removing her helmet so he could finally gaze upon her face...

When it came to Carrick, it felt... intimate. Like she was about to bare her soul for him to see.

Reiel lifted her gaze to look at him, and her voice was laced with honest curiosity when she asked him,

"Have you ever imagined what the face beneath this helmet look like? Have you... Have you ever wanted to truly see the person you're talking to?"

She took his hands and, with a slight tremble to her fingers – not out of discomfort, no – she placed them on each side of her helmet. Honey brown eyes gazed at him through her visor, wide and imploring. The small Mandalorian had dreamed about this, had imagined what expressions Carrick would make once he sees her face. They were mixed, of course, both the good and the bad. But she always liked to imagine the good, where his smile would be filled with nothing but joy that reached his eyes–

Reiel squeezed his hands before letting them go.

"Carrick, take my helmet off. I assure you, we're not breaking my Creed by doing so. We're not. I–"

Swallowing hard, she tried to calm her wildly beating heart but it refused.

"I want you to see me. And remember– And remember the person behind the helmet. The person behind the Mandalorian. I want you to... please, cyarir."

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Smooth? Him?

Guilty as charged.

Carrick hadn't made it as far as he had with political aspirations without learning how to play the game. Sometimes it bled through into the rest of his interactions though, making him seem smoother than he really needed to be. Some people said it was enough to make conversations with him feel... colder and more cynical than they had any right to be.

He usually reassured them that it was far from the truth - and sometimes that wasn't a lie to put them at ease.

"My Mando is still rather weak." he joked right back at her, "So I'll have to take your word that it was cheesy - sounded good from where I'm standing though."

At the mention of it being like Serenno again he chuckled ever so slightly and made a show of looking around. The last time he'd been on Serenno, after all, there had been shots fired. He shrugged.

"Doesn't remind me of Serenno too much." he joked before pausing, noticing that she had stopped moving to squeeze his hand tighter, "... Reiel? You alright?"

He reached out with the Force, wanting an answer quicker than he thought she might be willing to give him one. She felt... strange. Emotionally she felt both resolved and confused at the same time, as though she had made a firm decision and was now coming to regret it.

It was more than he had expected from the meeting, having expected to just have a nice picnic while wearing the new blindfold he got. He'd made sure to buy one that was comfortable so he didn't have to wear anything irritating for too long. When she spoke he blinked a few times.

There were a lot of answers to that but he went with the simplest truth.

"Of course." he replied quietly, "But I realize that isn't something I can do, not being part of the clan. I understand."

She took his hands and placed them against the side of his helmet; and suddenly the strange mixture of emotions made sense. Staring at her visor in silence for a long moment, Carrick let her speak. This was a big moment for her - far bigger than it was for him even though he had looked forward to it.

He nodded once and began to raise her helmet - he did it slowly not to prolong the experience but so that she would have plenty of time to change her mind if she wanted to. When it was off, he slowly let her helmet fall to the ground to the side. Instead he reached out with his right hand, cupping her left cheek and tilting her head so she would look up into his eyes.

So much smaller than him, it felt like the distance was even greater as he stared down into her eyes. His hand caught how soft, smooth and warm her skin was and his thumb ghosted across her plump lips but he focused on her eyes. He smiled, it growing larger and larger slowly.

"... they're brown. I had wondered..."

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Honesty bled through his words at his response to her questions, and Reiel felt her heart break for him for being so understanding and accepting of the differences forced upon the two of them by her culture. It wasn't really a surprise to know that Carrick would want to see her face. What was surprising was his acceptance about their situation.

She told herself that she wouldn't force him into something that he was not prepared to embrace, something that was not a part of his ambitions and goals. Carrick resepcted her and her culture, and she respected him and his in return – and by extension his goal relating to politics. He'd been eyeing to become a senator, and she told herself not to get in his way. Told herself to support him without compromising his reputation. She wouldn't ask him to forsake everything he'd worked for and take the Creed so they could be together. Unless he would be willing, Reiel wouldn't ask that of him. That was too much, and she would never force him to do it for her, for her own sake. Wouldn't force him to make sacrifices if he shared her feelings – if he wanted to be with her. She didn't – wouldn't – want to be unfair to him.

It was the least she could do for her sorcerer.

He could most probably get a read on her emotions through the Force... so when he began to lift her helmet, the small Mandalorian took a deep breath to calm and steady herself. He seemed to be taking his time, and she understood. This was a monumental experience for the both of them, so she wouldn't begrudge him for removing her helmet so excruciatingly slowly–

Or maybe Carrick was being... considerate? He must've felt her emotions – the Force was fascinating like that – and thus was giving her the chance to retract from her request?

She steeled herself. This moment meant so much to her as much as it did him. This... This was for them.

The helmet was off, and instead of meeting his gaze Reiel fixed her vision on his chest. She couldn't look up at him, she couldn't, where were these doubts and fears and insecurity coming from–

The first thing she felt when Carrick cupped her cheek was that his hand felt impossibly gentle and warm against her skin. Her breath shuddered at the contact, and almost instinctively she nuzzled against his palm, lifting a hand to keep his in place. He tilted her head up and she willingly went with him, meeting his gaze with wide eyes.

She smiled against the thumb that softly brushed against her lips, her vision blurring with tears at his comment about her eyes and how his focus was solely fixed on them. Of all the things he would've noticed, would've said, it was the sight of her eyes that made him smile so freely and openly...

Red bloomed on her cheeks and Reiel shied away from Carrick's gaze, feeling bashful and stupidly happy. She'd call female characters on romantic holos stupid for saying something so silly like their hearts felt like bursting with happiness for having feelings towards their partners, and now she numbered among them.

This was bad... but so damn good.

The fact that he'd wondered what color her eyes were only made her face redden even more.

"I'll... I'll punch you if you start calling me Brown Eyes or something," she mumbled shyly, stepping closer to him and burying her face on his clothed chest, hiding her blush and grin from his gaze.

Her helmet lay forgotten on the grass, and for the first time in quite a while, Reiel felt free and unburdened by her responsibility to her clan. Unburdened by her own Creed. Alone with her sorcerer and her growing feelings for him. And with war and certainty of death hanging over her and her kin, she would make this moment with him worthwhile.

Voice muffled by his clothed chest, Reiel's hands gripped the back of his robe and with a timid grin, asked, "Is it bad that the first thing I want to do now that you've seen me is to... to kiss you?"

She would selfishly draw it out as much as she could, for it may as well be her first and last.

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Brown Eyes?

He had the feeling that was a Mandalorian joke that he just didn't have the right context for. It doubtlessly had something to do with the colour of her eyes but there was a mirth there that wasn't explained by it. Reading her emotions was a whole lot easier when she didn't have her helmet on - Reiel was the kind of person who had never learned how to mind her facial expressions because she had never needed to.

Now that the helmet was off he could see every emotion as it crossed her face, even if the subtle ones only flashed in her eyes briefly. He could tell what she was thinking and it made him smile just to know it.

"Hmm not brown eyes... I think I'll stick to your name. My Reiel..."

... though he might have to reign that last part in. Being possessive was a rather ugly trait on some people and he didn't want to risk coming across too strongly. She was new to this whole thing after all, it wouldn't be good for him to rush it and end up hurting her in some way.

His hand moved from her cheek to run his fingers through her hair. It felt softer than it had any right to be considering it spent so long inside a helmet. There was a joke about helmet hair on the tip of his tongue but he refrained from spoiling the moment, instead just running his fingers through the strands.

"The way I see it? You've just done something far more intimate than a kiss, by taking off your helmet for me." he whispered down to her, his free arm wrapped around her shoulders, "Anything else is just a bonus."

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Words were powerful, or so that was what Reiel knew even before becoming a Mandalorian. Being a part of the warrior people only cemented the fact because when a Mando spoke their mind, it was sure that they meant it. No ifs nor buts. If a Mando told you that they would attempt to achieve a great feat, chances were high that they would do it. With much conviction and determination even in the face of defeat.

Words held power. They could also offer a sense of belonging.

My Reiel.

It should be something similar to when he called her his Mando and yet Reiel felt – knew – that this held more magnitude than the former. And as the claim played on repeat in her head the small Mandalorian could feel herself falling even deeper for him. It was unfair, no one had the right to be so perfect and sweet and yet here Carrick was, holding her against him and his hand on her cheek now moving to brush his fingers through her hair.

If she was a loth-cat, she would already be purring at how good it felt.

His following words, spoken in a whisper and with a tenderness she'd last heard in Tinnel IV – when she had been too consumed by desire and he had been nothing but respectful even if the fire in his eyes mirrored hers – made her eyes widen with surprise. Slowly, Reiel lifted her head to meet his gaze, lips slightly parted in awe as she processed what he'd just told her.

Her grip on his robe tightened, tears pricking her eyes. She couldn't put to words just how much she appreciated him for saying those words. She wanted to speak, to say something, but her mind couldn't just cooperate with her mouth so the small Mandalorian could only settle for staring up at him as a solitary tear rolled down her cheek.

Carrick. Her charming sorcerer who delighted in teasing her, so much so that she always ended up getting flustered even from a single smirk. Who respected their differences so seriously. The aruetii who effortlessly made her heart skip a beat whenever she thought of him when they were apart and even when they were in the middle of a gunfight.

Was it okay to love him? Was it okay to offer him her heart even if he won't give her his in return? Was it okay to love him even if they haven't really known each other for too long?

The answer was simpler than Reiel had initially thought, when she had been alone in her room in her father's ship and she'd spend time in between hyperspace jumps drawing him. The way he stood and carried himself. His face.

Another tear followed the first, then another. She smiled brightly up at him through her tears.

"You really are beautiful, you know that?" said Reiel, one of her hands travelling up to lightly touch his bottom lip with a finger. "My sorcerer. My Carrick. Ni dinu gar kar’ta."

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Carrick still didn’t speak her language and she knew that but she persisted on speaking some phrases in her adopted tongue instead of Basic. He could feel, through the Force and his instincts, that she was saying something that she believed with all of her being, seemingly. The emotions made it seem as though she was saying something of importance to her heart but he didn’t understand the words themselves.

Was it alright that he understood their tone well enough that he felt confident in his next actions? If he presumed too much he was going to get an armoured fist to the face at best and he knew that. But still, he looked down at her as she cried, shaking his head a little bit.

“Now now… this is no time for tears.” He assured her with a brighter smile than before, “Shedding your helmet for someone you care for – I believe it’s supposed to be a happy time. And one more private than out in the great wide open so…”

Reaching down, he picked her up in a bridal style carry, one arm under her knees and the other around the back of her shoulders. It actually had the added benefit of bringing her face closer to his actually since she was so short when standing on her own two feet. Using the Force he made sure her helmet rested in his lap as he carried her towards his ship.

He smiled down at her as they passed the threshold.

“Don’t get it twisted – a bridal carry is just much more dignified than a piggy-back ride.” He teased her with a wink as he carried her aboard his new ship, “I just thought we should have some privacy.”

The Force obeyed, wiping away some of her tears with a feather-light touch.

“Better?”

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Did she mean what she told him in the language he couldn't understand?

Most certainly, and that was why Reiel chose to tell Carrick that her heart was his in Mando'a because she had no idea how he would take it nor react to it if she told him that in Basic. It was either he'd accept it or turn her down... and to be honest, she was not prepared to hear the latter. At least not when she had just made herself vulnerable in front of him, for him. And not when he would be able to see the pain in her eyes if he rejected her.

She chuckled shyly through her tears at his assurance but made no move to wipe them away. "You must think I'm silly for crying... I psyched myself up for this, you know? Told myself that I'm not gonna cry... but I'm just so happy that I can finally show you my face and I've been imagining how you'd react about this. I even got worried for absolutely no reason!" she rambled, sobbing a little.

"My poor, gorgeous sorcerer, stuck in a backwater skug hole with a silly Mando," joked Reiel, sniffling as she smiled up at him.

A startled gasp escaped her when Carrick effortlessly carried her in his arms. She wouldn't be surprised by the action if she wasn't wearing her armor – she was much smaller and lighter than him in comparison; he practically dwarfed her, more so without her helmet on. Even with the absence of her weapons, the full heavy armor alone weighed a lot and for him to be carrying her?

He made it look as easy as breathing.

And she caught hers at the close proximity between them, more so their faces. The problem with wearing a helmet and having to gaze at him through the visor and her helmet's HUD was that she couldn't pinpoint what color his eyes were. Now, without the helmet?

They were blue. Not the most vivid she had ever seen, but the most breathtaking. Never had she thought that the pale blues she'd only ever seen on the glaciers on Maldo Kreis could hold so much warmth and affection whenever they met honey brown irises.

Kriff. Oh, kriff, she could drown in those heartbreaking blue eyes. She would not be exaggerating to say that she could stare at them – at him – for hours.

Her lips parted in shock, eyes growing wide with embarrassment at the teasing and the wink he sent her way, so much so that she failed to comment on his brand new ship. Here now laid the problem of not wearing a helmet – her face was now bare for Carrick to see, more so the expressions she'd found no need to restrain under the cover of her helm. Face beet red, Reiel did a spectacular impression of a fish out of water before gathering her wits and hitting him lightly on the shoulder.

"How dare you assume I'm gonna twist this, mister!" she teased him right back in between peals of laughter. "Did you hear me commenting about being manhandled? No? Well, you heard me just now, and you'll need to try hard to make me repeat that!"

It didn't escape her notice that her tears were being wiped away by a ghost-like touch. Her laughter abated, and Reiel shyly pressed her lips on Carrick's cheek before laying her head on his shoulder.

"Better. Much better."

She smiled, lifting a hand to brush her palm against his chest, fingers tracing the fabric of his robes idly.

"Now, show me the cooking skills you're boasting about."

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Carrick thought a lot of things but he didn’t think she was silly for crying. Emotions were something people thought Jedi just straight up didn’t have but the truth was that Jedi were trained to deal with their emotions. Part of dealing with emotions was to be able to understand them on a stronger level than most regular people, to be able to examine where the emotions were coming from and how to process them.

How to accept and live with them.

“I don’t think you’re silly.” He assured her with a grin, “This is a big step for you - for us – and it makes sense to be worried about it. Now if you told me you were crying because you were afraid of lothcats or something? That’d be silly. This? Seems appropriate to me.”

She was kind of staring at him, specifically his face, and it was odd not because she was staring but because he could tell that she was staring. He supposed it made sense for a Mando to be rather obvious about where they were looking; didn’t need to worry about looking like you weren’t looking when you were wearing a full-helm helmet that covered every part of the face.

Just like he could see where she was looking though, he could also see the expression on her face and it was enough to make his cheeks ever so slightly heat up. She was looking at him like he was the most interesting, amazing, thing in the Galaxy. Worse was that he could sense similar emotions from her through the Force. Worse only because it confirmed it and it made him squirm slightly to be under such positive scrutiny.

He was grateful when she hit him, breaking the stare. Chuckling a little bit, he shook his head slightly.

“No I did not hear you complain about my manhandling of you, Miss.” He answered in a faux military voice before smirking as she kissed his cheek and adjusted how she hung to him, “Oh I agree – much better!”

There was a pause as he stood in the middle of the living area with her in his arms, her head resting against his shoulder.

“… so am I cooking with you attached to me?” he teased her, “Or is there somewhere you wish for me to lay you down, my Mando?”

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Reiel appreciated Carrick's reassurances. She could also see the way his cheeks turning a light shade of red ever so slightly the longer she stared at him. A silly little grin crept across her face, intent on keeping the image forever in her mind. It was only fair that she could also make him blush, no matter how much the result of his words and actions outnumbered hers.

Case in point when he started to tease her again. The small Mandalorian had been too comfortable in her sorcerer's arms that she had failed to notice that they were now in his ship's living area. Lifting her head from his shoulder and giving him a wide-eyed stare, an apology was already on the tip of Reiel's tongue but her mind seemed to be insistent on answering his follow-up question.

"Your bed, if I'm lucky."

...what?

Did she just say that out loud?

Face exploding in a brilliant shade of red at the sudden realization, Reiel wordlessly gestured for Carrick to put her down. Once her booted feet hit the floor, the small Mandalorian covered her face with her hands in utter mortification. She took a deep breath, then another, trying her hardest to collect herself before gazing back up at him with the most nonchalant look she could muster.

Of course that didn't work.

She wouldn't be surprised if she was as red as a Lethan now. He might have told her that he would tolerate her perving on him, but she felt that she had overstepped the line this time. Maker, someone kill her now or else the sheer embarrassment would!

Playing it cool for now but still painfully red in the face, Reiel swept a hand to a random direction and smiled up rather shyly at her sorcerer.

"As much as I'd love to stay in my second most favorite spot in the galaxy? Go cook, now. I'll watch, and hopefully be impressed by your cooking skills. Before I–" she chuckled a little breathlessly, unconsciously fanning her face with one hand. "Before I say something more stupid."

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

... he hadn't expected her to be anywhere near that forward in some ways but it other ways he wasn't really surprised. The looks she was giving him and the emotions he could feel through the Force painted a picture - all her comment did was make sure that the picture also came with a great big neon sign to showcase her intentions towards himself.

His cheeks did the same as they had before, reddening despite his self-control and despite the fact that he wasn't exactly opposed to the idea in the long run either. She was an attractive woman (he had found out today) and she was reliable in a lot of ways that other people weren't (which he had found out several times). He smiled a little bit and chuckled but he made it clear that he wasn't laughing at her when he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.

See how she liked it without a helmet in the way.

"Who would be lucky depends on your point of view. I think I'd actually be the lucky one." he teased her with a wink as he withdrew, "Maybe later though."

He got the feeling he was playing with fire though; the fires of repressed sexuality. Carrick himself had had a few flings once he left the Jedi just to experience something he'd not had a chance to before. The Jedi didn't forbid anything like that anymore but it was something that was harder to do surrounded by old men.

Still, he set her back down on her feet and gave the rear section of her armor a pat as he passed through to the galley area of the ship.

"Alright but it's not going to be anything too grand." he warned her as he shed his cloak/cape and rolled up his sleeves, "You going to get your hands dirty and be my assistant or not?"

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Him? Lucky? Reiel would've begged to differ if she wasn't feeling so embarrassed by losing control of her own damned mouth. She wouldn't hold it against Carrick if he thought that she only wanted to... to... do... er, have...

I'm not, though! I like him more than just having the prospect to l-lay with– with him!

The intent was there, that much she wouldn't deny, but it still irked her that it must have been the only picture she had been painting for him to view at his leisure every time he teased her. Granted, she had only ever felt this way towards him and him alone. But Reiel knew that she liked him more than that – she'd admitted that already, hadn't she?

When his lips pressed against her forehead, Reiel blinked at the sudden jolt the sensation had brought to her chest. It was better than keldabe, and she knew right then and there that this new one would be the kind of forehead kisses she would demand from him from now on. The soft press of his lips on her forehead felt so wholesome, and it sent another flush of red on her face.

The small Mandalorian smiled sweetly up at her sorcerer, a breathy giggle escaping her lips when she felt his hand on her shebs. Naughty. She picked up her forgotten helmet, tucking it beneath one arm as she followed him to the ship's galley. She hummed a little, thoughful and satisfied, as she looked around.

"This new ship is impressive," Reiel commented as they stepped into the galley. She placed her helmet on the table, the visor facing the two of them. "I have to admit that I'm going to miss your old Pathfinder, though."

...more like she'd miss sitting on his lap.

"I like getting my hands dirty, cyar'ika," she replied, taking her vambraces off. A thought crossed her mind, and the rest of her upper armor soon followed, from pauldrons down to her cuirass. Reiel then shed the top part of her flightsuit, tying up the sleeves around her waist. That left her with a white tank top on.

Much better.

With an eager smile on her face, the small Mandalorian stole a glance at Carrick's bare arms before shifting her focus back up at him.

"Alright, tell me what to do, Master Chef," she said, tone light and a little teasing.

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

She was getting a bit nervous so he decided to leave the teasing there for now – or, at least, leave the teasing that he wasn’t going to back up there. He got the impression that she didn’t quite want him to see her go as red as a tomato. It always amused him how Reiel could be both the great warrior Mando and the blushing small woman in front of him. There were different sides to everyone, he knew, but this was still something of a large difference between the two.

Not that he was complaining at all; a Mandalorian ready to kill with him and a woman who seemed so enamored with his company that she freely allowed him to see her face despite the social taboos of such an action.

Still, he wasn’t going to tease her too much… well he wasn’t going to but then she decided she was going to try and tease him. He smirked back at her.

“I’m sure you enjoyed the accommodations of my last ship.” He teased her with a wink, “You can get comfortable on this ship too you know.”

The joke about getting her hands dirty? He just couldn’t bring himself to get a tease in atop that one – it was just too damned easy. Instead he busied himself getting some of the ingredients out that they were going to need. Nothing complicated but he was looking forward to making her something, especially with her helping.

Turning back to her, he blinked a few times at seeing her in a tank top rather than armor or jumpsuit. It was… more revealing than either. A splattering of red appeared on his cheeks despite himself and despite what he decided he was going to do. Reaching out, he guided her by the shoulders until she was in front of the counter-top with him behind her.

Close behind her with his arms coming around her.

“I’ll show you what to do. If…” He whispered into her ear from behind her, one hand reaching down to brush his fingertips against an old blaster wound near her hip, his fingers ghosting over the scar slowly, “… you tell me the stories behind these scars.”

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

"I sure did," she replied, winking back at him. "It had the best seat in the galaxy, after all. And I'll make sure to enjoy this one's accomodations... now that it has an actual bed to sleep on. Love me some good night's sleep."

Of course she wouldn't name any other activities done on a bed. No need to have Carrick call her a huge pervert or something. Her Mandalorian sensibilities would have none of that – even if she had already thrown those out of the window when she tried to seduce him on Tinnel IV.

Keyword: tried. Her sorcerer had out-seduced her effortlessly that time.

It was easy to forget her lack of a helmet to hide her expressions with when she caught sight of his flushed cheeks. Reiel's intention with removing her armor and the top part of her flightsuit was for practical reasons (like being weighed down by beskar and durasteel) and she hadn't really expected that Carrick would momentarily freeze at the sight of her in a simple tank top. But he did, and the small Mandalorian barely managed to hide the wicked grin that threatened to appear on her face when he placed his hands on her shoulders. It showed in the way her honey brown eyes twinkled, however, how her gaze lingered on his face.

Letting herself be guided towards the counter-top, Reiel would've opened her mouth to ask what he was planning to cook. However, the words got stuck in her throat when he whispered into her ear, his lips brushing faintly against her skin. She stiffened at the ghost-like touch on the scar near her right hip, a small gasp escaping her at the contact. Hands curling into fists, Reiel unconsciously pressed her back to Carrick's chest as she tilted her head to the side to peer up at him through dark lashes.

"I got this one," she whispered back, one hand guiding his to press lightly on the scar his fingertips were busy tracing, "on Ord Radama. Sniper bolt. I was asked by a vod– a fellow Mandalorian– to help him capture a Trandoshan skin stealer and a droid. I thought I was done for that time. I didn't even realize that I was hit if it weren't for the Trandoshan talking shit about his next shot hitting me on the neck. I would've bled out in that swamp if it weren't for Gett'se – the other Mando. He saved my life back there."

She smiled at the memory, her thoughts briefly going to her taciturn but kind vod. He was one of the few Mandalorians she admired, and she hoped that he was doing well wherever he might be. Reiel wished to see Gett'se on their return to Mandalore, and to be able to fight by his side once more to reclaim their homeworld.

The small Mandalorian then shifted her focus back to the present. Guiding Carrick's hand on a blaster burn on her right upper arm, she pressed his palm against the scar. "This one's from Eriadu. Remember the job I told you about back in Serenno, when I–" she chuckled lightly "–turned you into a taxi service? It's from that one, including the other two on my left arm. Worked with a Blackwell exec to get rid of the gang terrorizing the streets of Eriadu City. Got into a firefight with said gang when they stormed into the five-star hotel me and the exec were supposed to be staying at. It was my first time on a luxury hotel, you know, and those Orange Haze thugs ruined the experience. I was so mad... I was looking forward to sleeping on that impossibly plush bed!"

Laughing at the memory of how frustrated she had been to be denied of such luxury, Reiel faced forward once more and looked at the ingredients on the counter-top.

"Alright, I already told you two backstories out of my numerous battle scars," she said teasingly. "Now tell me what to do, or else we'll spend hours talking about all of my scars instead of cooking something."

She wasn't embarrassed nor insecure for having these scars. They were proof that she had been successful with her training and subsequently her verd'goten, as well as surviving from jobs and missions were many have died undertaking. Reiel was a warrior, and to be ashamed of these marks she received in battles was the height of dishonor to her own skills and the clan who shaped her to be the Mandalorian she was today.

And besides, the small Mandalorian would have to... disrobe to show the ex-Jedi everything. She had plenty of scars to show, after all.

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Carrick grinned a little bit at her little flirty comment about his old ship – it wasn’t a bad little ship at all but even having someone as nice as Reiel in his lap had gotten a little bit tiring over a longer trip. She was light and he could think of a few ways to improve such a ‘ride’ but he put those thoughts on the back-burner for now. He didn’t want to come on too strong with his Mando after all, she might spook.

Honestly, as far as he could tell she was absolutely fine with some teasing and some physical contact but he wasn’t going to try and push his luck. There was still a part of his mind that was telling him that she was just playing along with the teasing rather than actually being interested. Might seem somewhat strange in light of the circumstances and evidence but, well, there it was living rent free in his mind.

Still it was hard for him to misread her intentions when it came to her way she took his hands and started guiding them across her body, across his scars. It was clear that she didn’t see them as anything worth being ashamed of and he agreed with her, though the excuse to run his fingers gently over her was a plus. He smirked.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He teased her, leaning in to breath softly against the side of her neck as he whispered into her ear, “But if you insist… grab that knife on your left and let’s begin.”

It was a simple stir and fry dish that he had picked up a liking for when he’d eaten it with some locals on a planet he couldn’t remember the name of as a Knight. Didn’t take long before Reiel was able to finish it up with him, allowing him to focus on other parts of the recipe that made it slightly different to most other noodle dishes he had had during his time after the Jedi.

And, like most things, it came with a story.

“So the locals, right?” he smirked as he tossed the pan slightly, cheating using the Force because of course he did in private, “They tell us that we’re going to have to get the noodles for our dish – and they take us out and there’s these worms that are thin like regular worms but, like, three feet long. So me and this other Knight are grossed out but we don’t want to offend anyone, right? So we start wrestling with these giant earthworms to try and wrangle ourselves some dinner!”

Carrick rolled his eyes as he started pulling a set of plates from storage with the Force.

“You can guess where the story goes, right?”

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Reiel could not stop the giggle from slipping past her lips when she felt his soft breath against her neck, his voice so close to her ear sending a pleasant chill down her spine. She then did as she was told when he let her go, chopping up whatever that was needed chopping and setting them aside for Carrick to throw into the pan.

The task was rather menial and oh so painfully domestic that the small Mandalorian found herself blushing at the latter thought. It was surprising how her interactions with Carrick could easily switch from teasing to something entirely wholesome, and she liked him all the more for it. She never really expected to fall for a politician, but Carrick single-handedly threw that notion out the window. And quite effortlessly, at that. She was lucky her buir gave her that bodyguard duty for that Chandrilan senator, huh?

Brown eyes twinkled with amusement as she watched the ex-Jedi cook their meal, visibly perking up when he began to tell a story about his days as a Knight. Reiel had shown him her homeworld, had given him a slice of her childhood days. To have Carrick do the same by sharing a funny anecdote from his past was something she deeply appreciated. Her gaze never left him, her smile growing wider with every movement.

Fingers drumming lightly against the counter-top, the small Mandalorian broke off from staring at her sorcerer to glance at where her helmet was. While she had chosen her path on Sundari, Reiel knew that she still wouldn't shed her buy'ce for anyone else – not for someone she didn't trust on a scale greater than her father, her clan, her sworn Mandalorian siblings, and the friends who respected her for who she was, for that matter. For Carrick to be included on that list was a surprising revelation to her, but a pleasant one at that. Not as a friend, considering that her feelings for him obviously surpassed that. He was...

On an entirely dfferent scale.

Reiel's smile turned into a grin at the question, her cheeks dimpling as she tilted her head to the side in contemplation, honey brown eyes meeting his pale blue gaze. Planting her elbows on the table, she rested her chin on her hands and chuckled.

"No, I can't," she told him teasingly, nose crinkling a little with a hint of apprehension at the thought of giant worms being turned into noodles. It was pretty gross, that much she could agree with, but who was she to judge other sentients' food culture? For all she knew, the dish could've been delicious.

But still, if he was keeping three-foot long worms in his ship... Reiel suppressed a shudder. She knew that Carrick would never stop teasing her about it if he found out that – of all the things the Mando warrior had to be afraid of – she was scared of worms. The way the critters squirmed and writhed was too unnerving for her, and weren't there a certain species of worms that could hijack your brain to control you?

The image of her sorcerer wrangling down giant worms for dinner was too much for her to imagine and so she didn't settle on even trying to paint a picture of this particular memory of his.

"You'll have to fill me up on that one, ner cyar'ika."

The only good worms, in Reiel's book, were dead, unmoving ones. She'd have none of that wriggling, thank you very much!

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Oh god he was going to have to fully explain one of his embarrassing stories? This was precisely why he didn't tell people these kinds of stories in the first place... bad enough when people could kind of draw their own conclusions but when he had to spell it all out? Ugh it was the worst! But he had started the sharing and Reiel had already shown she trusted him with something far more important than an embarrassing story so he had to finish.

Well he had properly set the scene at least.

"Right so we were wrestling with these giant earthworms and we manage to kill them with our bare hands because we'd left our lightsabers on the ship to be respectful." he shrugged, "Also I don't recommend eating anything cut off by a lightsaber. It doesn't so much 'cook' as it does immediately turn whatever it touches to ash at best and well-done at worst."

As he was speaking he was finishing off the last of the cooking, the dishes ready for them to use. It was surprisingly comfortable just spending time around her like this. As though they weren't a politician and a Mandalorian warrior; like they were just two people having a date night round one of their homes.

Which they were, he supposed and that made him smile.

"So we kill these earthworms... and then the locals talk to our droid who finally translates; the noodles were kept in a shack just past these earthworms." he explained with a laugh, "There I am, covered in mud and earthworm blood... and it turns out I just needed to walk around them. Honestly, the worst part?"

He grimaced.

"Worst part was that the locals had a tradition about eating what you kill so..." he gestured at his stomach, "I have, in fact, eaten giant earthworm. And, before you ask, I shall never be doing so again! Ever!"

@Forsythe Crowholde