[IC] You never see it coming[Freedomliveson/The Elvenqueen]

[The Elvenqueen]

Their shared meditation helped, and in a way Yerbol's philosophical musings also lent the pair strength. They had overcome those narrowed viewpoints on the Force and it's properties, and even changed the views of many of the Elders who currently worked with them (which, at the time, had also seemed impossible), they could stop Illesia too. They spent the rest of the journey meditating again, even the hounds oddly quiet as they seemed to sense the gravity of the situation they were about to go into.

As they began to skim over the planet’s surface, her partner shot her a glare and she instantly knew what he was referring to, but offered little more than a thin smile which didn't come close to filling her face in response, too focused on their intended task and its possible outcomes to make Wampa jokes. Instead, she sat further forward to squint at the glaciers as Yerbol brought the vision Renso had sent them months before back to their attention. Spotting the odd formation mere seconds before Yerbol did himself, Aria had raised an arm to point it out when the other Champion spoke and veered towards it.
Upon leaving the confines of the ship, the duo and their beastly companions found the surface of Chufion Prime to be even colder than it first appeared. Pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders, Aria exchanged a glance with Yerbol and pressed forward. The further they advanced into the hallway, the more familiar it seemed. This was definitely the place from Renso's visions. At the end of the hallway, they were greeted with a set of pods that were also recognisable, out of which emerged their quarry.

Aria narrowed her eyes warily at Illesia, choosing her words very carefully.
“Renso made a mistake with the way he treated you, he realised that before he died.” she knew it would do little to change the Xiis leader’s ways, but perhaps it would bring her some manner of closure before she met her end. “But what he learned...the teachings he gave you, they were the right ones.”
The Champion shook her head sadly. “You know what's sad is, you don't even see that anymore. That real strength and power comes from the balance of knowing when to kill and when to show compassion and mercy, not from hatred and fear.”
Drawing her lightsabers, Aria's muscles tensed in preparation for the confrontation, her eyes never leaving Illesia. It was difficult to judge the level of power in this place, and thus difficult to judge whether they could successfully overload Illesia's abilities by feeding TOO much energy into her. They risked draining too much of their own energy in the process too, which didn't seem viable.
I think we've got a better chance trying to cut her off than overloading her… she pointed out to Yerbol, shifting her weight warily. Or at least trying to wear her down a bit first seems like a good idea. It nearly worked last time, right?
Illesia had no other Xiis, so far as they could tell currently, which would make the task easier...more like a one on one fight. We'll keep goading her, maybe if I can irritate her enough she won't notice what you're doing this time.
If all else failed they could attempt to overload her instead. Giving her partner one final nod, Aria went on the offensive, Chwuq flanked her while Taral hung back at Yerbol's side to give the Champion some form of protection. The Xiis leader’s teeth flashed again as she dodged sideways to avoid Aria's blade, Chwuq’s teeth snapping shut inches off their mark as Illesia avoided her too. And thus the deadly game of feint-and-dodge began, though Illesia wasn't entirely invested, too much of her attention was still fixed on Yerbol, making the Champion’s task of stripping her Force connection that much harder. They would have to fix that.
With a flummoxed snort, Chwuq shook her coat as she glanced between Aria and the Xiis.
This prey is difficult. Much hurt for us if it hits back.
Aria avoided another swipe to her shoulder and nodded, grasping for the tendrils she recognised as the beast’s mind.
I know. We're the distraction. She needs to be weaker, then we kill her. It was a dangerous game to be playing, but a few broken bones or battle wounds could be mended, compared to the alternative of allowing Illesia to recover her strength fully and launch another attack on an Alliance world.

That, Chwuq understood. With renewed understanding, the pair closed in on Illesia again. Chwuq turned out to be surprisingly agile for her size, twisting and leaping to deflect some of Illesia's more savage blows away from Aria, for which the Champion was grateful the longer the dance went on. For all their efforts, they seemed to be in a stalemate, every blow Aria landed or deflected was mirrored in kind by the Xiis leader, only one in every three lunges of tooth and claw from Chwuq landing their mark (though Aria suspected the Tuk’ata intended this to be so, each wound was not enough to bring them the endgame opportunity, but deep enough to bleed and gradually sap the Xiis’ strength). Keep hounding her, keep her attention off Yerbol and Taral, who was doing a good job of snapping and lunging to force Illesia back towards the other two whenever the Xiis came too close. This time it was a more even match of strength and stamina between them thanks to the few weeks of sparring, strength training and meditation the duo had partaken in at the academy, and that seemed to put Illesia's caution on high alert. Her lunges were more cautious, her muscles always tensed to leap away as she avoided getting too close.
Holding her blade aloft, Aria's features quirked into a smirk as she pointed it directly at Illesia and proclaimed between slightly shaky breaths:
“It's not like a Xiis to try and run from a fight.”
A snarl. “What's the matter, afraid of a bit of competition?” she rolled to the left to avoid a projectile of broken glass which Illesia plucked from the broken edges of the stasis pod behind them and hurled at her in retort, hiding her wince as some of the shards nicked her shoulder.
The Champion popped back up on Illesia’s right side, features spreading into a smug grin as the taunts continued, since they appeared to be having the desired effect.
“For all your efforts, you know he’s never going to want you. Not while I’m here.”
She had perhaps, underestimated the force with which Illesia would launch her next attack due to her anger at the Champion’s constant prodding, Aria’s eyes widening a little as she was hurtled clean over Illesia’s head and back into the pods behind the Xiis. She was sure the glass might have cracked on the impact, though thankfully it seemed to cave inwards and thus meant very little injury to Aria other than being momentarily dazed, which the Champion played to her full advantage by feigning a stumble and inability to hold her weight underneath her in the hopes of drawing the Xiis in closer, if Yerbol could cut off her Force abilities, Chwuq could come at her from behind and prevent her escape, so the duo could finish this…

[freedomliveson]

While his initial reaction would have been rejection, he knew that this would be the safer option. Overloading Illesia might cause the result they want or end in their swift deaths.
I'll do all I can. I think you'll know when I've done the job.

Quickly he sank to his knees, Taral stepping in front of the Champion, low and menacing growls uttered from his throat while Chwuq and Aria began their ploy to keep Illesia distracted.
"Oh come now, just you and one dog? I thought this would be fair." A teasing pout before her teeth bared, snarling as she lunged at her prey, talons extended forward. As she dodged, danced and dashed across the room, she could feel her energy being sapped away from her. Casting a frustrated glare in Yerbol's direction, she deduced what their plan was and made several attempts to leap at the docile Champion, those attempts thwarted by the other dog. Taral managed to get a few good swipes and even made contact with a vicious bite into her calf, Taral spitting chunks of blue flesh out of his mouth as the attacking duo managed to corner her once again.

Keep at it. She's weakening.

Yerbol managed to tap into their bond for a quick message before resuming the almost transcendental experience of ripping away the pulsing, undulating cords that emanated from Illesia's frame. With each successful disconnection, he could feel Illesia's power wane, her very "essence" disintegrating. There were some feeble attempts make on her part to try and thwart Yerbol's targeted attacks, but Aria and Chwuq kept most of her attention. A sickeningly sweet satisfaction swept over him as he watched the last of her connections to the Force fell into nothingness, like she had never had the attachment in the first place. What she had drained from him and so many others was finally dissipated. She would suffer the crippling loss of power, of the source of her identity.

And it felt so good to be the one to do it to her.

In one final act of desperation, Illesia mustered what strength she could and flung Aria against the stasis pods, Chwuq galloping towards the temporarily incapacitated Champion in preparation for what looked like a protective charge against the oncoming Xiis.
"I will not...bow...to...to..." She staggered forward, arms raising momentarily only to fall back by her sides.
"I can't..now..." Her shoulders sagged, knees slamming into the merciless metallic floor. Behind her stood Yerbol, his saber ignited as her head turned, eyes narrowing, a teasing smile coming across her face.
"Think...of..me...fore-" His saber swept across her neck, head severing cleanly from body before rolling a few feet away from it's former position, her serene expression preserved. The Champion's eyes bored into the now dysfunctional body part, emotions of complex and inexplicable magnitude dancing in his visual connection.
"Sad?" Taral pawed at Yerbol's foot quizzically, snapping the latter's gaze down at the hound.
"No. Not anymore." A soft half-smile formed, patting the hound on his head before sheathing the weapon in his hand and helping Aria straighten herself up.
"Don't look too bad for fighting a maniacal, power-hungry would-be demi-god." A wave of exhaust crashed into his body, his muscles visibly trembling from the effort he had just exerted.
"Let's go...but I want to do one more thing before we leave this forsaken rock."

After getting settled onboard and lifting off, he had the ship hover just far enough from the abandoned installation.
"Keep it at this elevation." He told his partner, clambering down a hatch just off the cockpit and settling into the gunner's seat. Hands graced the controls, thumbs running over the switch to the turret.
"No one can ever remember you. I won't give them the chance." His promise uttered, he pressed firmly on the turrets activation switch and allowed streams of laser fire to cascade down on the facility, which after a couple of seconds, gave way to the melted glacier tips that cascaded downward onto the shattered roof. Within moments whatever was left standing by Renso was submerged in the arctic waters, hopefully to be never found again. A weight lifted off of Yerbol's chest as the ship careened into space, a genuine smile crossing the Qyaari's face in what felt like an eternity.

Finished.
Finally.

"Do we have any of the wine Neta left behind?!"

____

Relief. Laughter. Wine. Kisses. Laying about like good for nothings. A needed shower.

Those several hours that passed in transit to Zinuthra featured all of the above, the duo savoring every possible second they could while it was just the two of them. Their time ended far too quickly for the Champion's liking, the ship's landing gear touching down on the hangar's surface almost as fast as they had left Chuffon Prime. Before they got off, however, Yerbol stopped his partner with a gentle tug of her wrist, pulling her close to him.
"Just...give me a second." He embraced her tightly, chin resting on her head, eyes closed.
"I don't care if I'm being sappy, but I just want to hug you for a minute." Yerbol mumbled in a half-hearted apology, kissing the crown of her head.
"Because I never thought I would be able to again." The hum of the cooling hyperdrive and the occasional thumping of the Tuk'ata's tails on the floor were the only sounds that floated through the ship for their embrace.
"Ok. Ok, I'm good." Yerbol withdrew, but not before telling her:
"I promise you that we're going to go somewhere nice soon. Let's call it a 'sabbatical' from saving the galaxy?"

_____

They reported their actions on Chuffon Prime to the Elders, all of whom were greatly relieved to have Illesia taken care of. Matthew did bring up a point that tempered their enthusiasm somewhat:
"Not all the Xiis have been accounted for, though."
"We'll find them, dear. I don't think they'll be able to survive without Illesia's feedings."
"Still, Malu, I'd feel a lot better if we knew they were all dead."
"Fair point. We can appraise Saresh of the situation when we discuss the report of these two with her in a couple of hours." Voldon scanned the room and urged any of the other Elders to contribute to the discussion, waiting for their points to be concluded before wrapping up the meeting:
"I dare say that we owe you two a great deal once again. This is becoming too habitual." A half-smile formed as he continued:
"You've earned time off. Heal. Mend. Chip in where you can, but know that our remaining settlements are still sending us recruits. We'll need you both in top condition to groom the Knights that will serve as teachers in the near future."
"So we didn't screw up too bad in our first week?"
"The students enjoyed you both. Some were...hesitant to say anything other than that, but the ones that were honest tended to differ. Some appreciated Aria's very hands on approach while others enjoyed your discourse-based learning. In any case, they need to learn how to adapt to different instructors, which means you two are an excellent pair. Now I think you two should be off. We'll contact you when we have any news worth sharing."

____

The sun's rays pierced through the blinds incessantly, attempting to stir the Champion from his slumber with passive aggressive vigor.
"Rrr..." He rumbled groggily, turning over to find that his partner wasn't in the position he had last seen her in. Instead of a lovely face(and form) to greet him, he was instead looking at a rumpled sheet and comforter.
"Where did she-" A brief "HA!" came from his throat when he saw the chronometer mounted on the wall next to their restroom reported that it was one twenty in the afternoon. When did they go to sleep last night?

He lumbered out of bed, looking down and quickly dressing himself while thanking the Force that the blinds weren't completely open so that all of Zinuthra couldn't see what he saw. With a t-shirt and loose jogging pants on, he stood by their miniature caf dispenser, paper cup waiting patiently for the whirring machine to do it's trick. It was at the moment the Champion was hit with a sudden realization:

There was NO imminent threat to the galaxy.
None.

An almost child-like giggle shot through their quarters, saying to the empty room:
"Nothing! NOTHING! We can actually do NOTHING!" He then added a qualifier so that the room didn't think he was a total sluggard:
"For a few days anyway. The kids should be fine without us." Grabbing the now filled coffee cup, he strode to his datapad just as he heard their automatic door "swoosh" open.
"I think I slept harder than a bantha after an evening meal."

[The Elvenqueen]

With Illesia finally taken care of and the ghosts of the former Xiis project left on Chuffon Prime by Renso and his research teams finally put to rest, the Champions were finally able to celebrate the victory of once again preventing the galaxy from falling into anarchy.
It wasn't until they had docked in the hangar and Yerbol pulled her close to his chest, mumbling an apology for the somewhat unexpected gesture that two things dawned on Aria: not only had they not had the opportunity to freely share a warm embrace since leaving Taris three or so months prior, but she had nearly LOST him forever to, in his own words, “a power-hungry lunatic of a woman” no less. The gravity of the second realisation hit her so hard that it all but knocked the breath from her lungs, prompting the Champion’s grip to tighten around her partner's torso in response to the overwhelming surge of protective instinct that flared in her chest. If anybody wanted to so much as lay a finger on him again, they'd have to go through her (and two sets of serrated teeth, no doubt!) first. But he was here, he was REALLY safe from harm, and she was NEVER letting him go again. She tried to convey her relief to him as some form of words in addition to their embrace, but ultimately all she could manage to mumble into his chest was:
“I love you.”
__________

Hearing that there were some Xiis still remaining did cause their mirth to deflate momentarily, though most of the Elders were quick to jump in to defend their own capabilities, implying that they did not expect the duo to be the ones carrying out the pursuit if they would rather abstain from such activities for the time being.
“Come now, Matthew.” Cheriss commented, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes, “I think some of us would benefit from the exercise that would come with tracking these stray Xiis down ourselves for once, no?”
Matthew fell silent then to allow Voldon to speak, the former battlemaster’s praise supplemented by a further nod from Ailel, who proclaimed:
“Indeed, Voldon. I daresay that if we start to rely on their help any more often than we are now, we’d have to start paying them stipends.”
After exchanging a few more statements regarding the status of the academy's student body and prospects for future lecturers, the pair were dismissed and left to decide for themselves whether to slip back into their teaching roles right away or to simply goof off for a while (which sounded reasonable).
The duo spent the next couple of weeks taking full advantage of their ability to relax, chipping in on a few lessons here and there but for the most part keeping to themselves. There were still places in the jungle and the mountain ranges which had not been fully explored by Zinuthra’s newest inhabitants which made for several interesting hiking excursions, filled with much laughter and messing around, or on other occasions choosing a tranquil location to sit together and pick out shapes in the clouds while the Tuk’ata terrorized the local Riika cat nests. One such scenario brought both hounds slinking back after disappearing for an hour, for Taral to tuck his tail between his legs and proceed to whine petulantly at Yerbol about the state of his nose, which looked as though the cats had scratched it to pieces.
“Bit off a little more than you could chew, huh? Told you to be careful there wasn’t more of them waiting to ambush you.” Aria chided them as she scratched Taral’s ears while the duo channelled some basic Force healing auras to fix up the worst of the damage.
________

Having the option to lay about doing absolutely nothing even if she had awoken a bit sooner than she would have liked. She had watched Yerbol sleeping peacefully beside her for a few moments, glad to know that he was able to get rest untroubled by visions of Illesia and his terrible experiences during his capture. She had been content to simply lie there with him until he woke, until some persistent (and familiar) scuffling and grunting at the door drew the Champion’s attention.
“Waaaaaallkkk?”
“Why are you suddenly unable to take yourselves for a walk? It’s not like the rest of the doors are locked.” she grumbled, but both hounds persisted to the point she was worried they would wake Yerbol and thus was resigned to complying with their demands in order to shut them up. While it was unlikely that the temperature in their quarters was REALLY below average, it still felt cold enough against her bare skin to elicit a slight shiver from the Champion as she fumbled to slip on a plain shirt and similarly coloured bottoms. The hounds greeted her as eagerly as ever on the other side of the door, and seemed quite glad for her company on their latest trek as she trailed along absently behind them. Perhaps, she theorized, they had simply been concerned because the pair had locked the door last night and hadn’t left the room since, it was after eleven in the morning according to the chronometer. The fresh air did her some good, Aria feeling more refreshed as they returned to the academy building shortly after twelve, only to run into Janika as the young Knight was leaving one of her previous classes. This led to more time being spent in conversation whilst accompanying the Knight to the library, which the Champion could not deny was nice. As fond as she was of her partner, she also appreciated the opportunity to sit with Vano and Janika and exchange “girl talk” gossip which she was sure Yerbol would much rather abstain from (the chief topic of choice being whether Cheriss and Matthew were in fact, flirting, or “was I imagining that the other day?!”)
It was well past one in the afternoon before she returned to check up on Yerbol again, a smile forming on her features as she faintly heard him cheering from down the hallway.

“You certainly snore like one.” the teasing response to his statement as the door shut behind her was followed up with a more rueful apology.
“You were sleeping so well, didn’t want to disturb you. I was hoping to crawl back in before you woke up, actually, but a certain pair of somebodies decided that if I was awake I should be doing something other than staying in bed.” A fondly reproachful look was shot in the hounds’ direction as Aria explained how Neta had also holocalled while she had been with Janika and Vano, the former spec ops demanding to know why they had yet to pay her a visit and “What in the galaxy was taking them so long”.
“So I guess we should make arrangements for that...” settling beside him, she perched her chin on his shoulder to peek down at the datapad where a message flashed up from Voldon summoning them to a meeting of particular importance in the Council’s chamber.
“...after we see to this, I suppose.”
Arriving once again before the group of Elders, they would find them regarding the message from Saresh that had come through earlier that morning, suggesting that a formal treaty agreement be drawn up between the Qyaari and the Alliance.
“I know, we promised not to disturb you for a while.” Ailel apologised. “But this is an important step and we thought you'd like to be a part of it.”
Upon playing back the Twi'lek’s message, the unanimous decision was that it would be beneficial to attend the ceremony the Chancellor was proposing, with the academy running so well and the stigma Bracknell and Soto had created all but forgotten, it would be foolish to discard such an honourable invitation.
________

Coruscant turned out to be one of the planets which had suffered the least from the Xiis’ brief reign of terror, and thus was the location the Qyaari were summoned to for the ceremony. Aria had to admire the dedication and resilience of the planet’s people as they stepped out of the spaceport and made their way towards the square where the former Senate Tower was situated, the place looked a lot closer to its former state that she had been expecting. Sure, there were a lot of establishments with the shutters pulled down and the windows boarded up, or here and there a dishevelled pile of rubble and broken glass, but a lot of the destruction Illesia's minions had wreaked since the Champions and Voldon had left seemed to be contained, on the upper levels of the city at least.
Chancellor Saresh and what remained of her aide team met the Qyaari in the forecourt, Aria dipping into a respectful half bow out of habit.
“Chancellor.” Ailel greeted the Twi'lek with a warm smile. “It's good to see you well, and unharmed.”
“Likewise, I appreciate you all agreeing to make this more official.” Saresh responded in kind.
“With the academy doing so well, and with your recruitment broadcasts yielding such a strong influx of new recruits it was the natural next step.”
“We never expected the class numbers to expand quite so quickly as they have.” Aria chucked, “Not that we're complaining, of course. It's good to know people are seeing the Qyaari as a positive force, for doing good and helping people. That's what we wanted.”
“And this new treaty intends to ensure that.” Saresh promised. “It will tie you in as important political allies to the Alliance and all worlds under its protection (which should also bring more recruits into the academy you have on Zinuthra), while still ensuring you have the ability to act independently of the Cabinet for the good of any people involved, should the need ever arise.”
“Without forcing us to become too politically entrenched?” Ailel inquired carefully. “The Jedi Council made that mistake and it left out hands tied in places it shouldn't have, all thanks to political treaties and promises.”
“I assure you we took your instructions on board, Master Sparr, in an attempt to avoid exactly that.”

This was getting too political for Aria already, the small statured Champion huffing out a quiet sigh as she pulled a hand through her hair.
“We should've brought Cheriss along, she likes all this political jargon, she'd probably know what she was looking at.” but after the stint on Dromund Kaas, the Dathomirian had protested that she would much rather remain on Zinuthra and let Ailel take the lead for once in this instance. While not as politically versed as her counterpart, Ailel knew enough to converse with the Chancellor properly in order to seal the treaty, alongside the other Elders who had volunteered to come along.

Those who remained behind on Zinuthra with Cheriss would be tracking down the escaped Xiis, once their locations were triangulated those Elders could then lead squads of newly qualified Knights, perhaps supplemented by Alliance personel if Saresh agreed to it, and ensure they were taken care of too. Soon, they would be nothing more than a bad memory.

[freedomliveson]

All had gone well in their interactions with the Chancellor until she mentioned that the Qyaari would become "tied in" with political alliances. Thankfully, Ailel was quick to point out their hesitance to get wrapped up in the politics that became one of the biggest contributing factors to the Jedi's overall reduction in power and subsequent destruction.
"I would hope that instruction is implemented into the treaty in the clearest terms."
"Well, instead of talking out here, why don't I show you what I and the cabinet members came up with? We can discuss more sensitive matters in private, which I think would be preferable." The two former Masters exchanged approving looks before Matt cast a glance at the Champions that accompanied them as Saresh made her way into the Alliance tower and told them:
"It's not the most thrilling thing in the world to sit in on political treaty debates, but you both need to see what the process is like." His mouth remained slightly ajar, but then closed, silencing whatever thoughts were to follow and continued with Ailel. As the Elders drew a bit farther away from the duo, he mumbled:
"They're not going to find out for a while, will they? What we eventually want to do with them?" He chuckled, adding:
"And to think I was about to bust the whole thing wide open."

Trailing slightly behind, Yerbol quietly told his companion:
"Once we're done with this, we can finally follow those coordinates Neta has on that holocube." He withdrew the miniature, translucent object from his pocket along with the note Neta had left with the object:
"Terminal outside the Tower. Plug it in. Think you'll like what you find." He read the note aloud again, a smirk forming as he could almost hear the red-head's sultry yet commanding voice saying the words with her signature teasing half-smirk.

Goodness he missed her.

"I'm a bit hurt that she would only holocall you and not me, though. Think I'll have to tease her about that in some way." He quickly added:
"When we see her. We've got to make that a priority. Besides, I think Alderaan is nice this time of year...or practically at any other time when there isn't civil war."

______

Six. Hours.

The sun was just beginning to set, bright orange beams of sun attempting to infiltrate the blinds that were only opened to where one could see the slowly healing city-scape if they looked between the gaps. Seemingly unaware of the time that had passed were those debating the treaty, their objections, agreements and other forms of politicking only gathering steam as the day wore on. Yerbol made some contributions to the discussion when prompted, but other than those minute opportunities, he was silent. He had chewed on cashews, went to the bathroom multiple times(he walked around the floor to ensure his blood was circulating) and checked his datapad every so often while trying not to look disengaged. It was tiresome to go through this, but then again, the Council had made them go with the duo of Elders in order to comprehend the complexity of politics and maybe, just maybe, emphasize how desperately the galaxy needed an order of stable, harmonious Force users to help balance out governments.
"Are we concluded that Ord Mantell can be included as one of the potential settlement worlds?" Matt asked, leaning forward and rubbing his temples at the same time.
"That is correct. And..." Saresh's second in command, a stately looking gentleman by the name of Tanner Zinka, looked through the last few pages and nodded.
"I believe that concludes it all. We'll issue you a formal copy that can be brought back to Zinuthra for posterity's sake and have the signing ceremony tomorrow evening?"
"That sounds wonderful."
"Indeed it does." Saresh's eyes took in the entire room as she spoke:
"This marks the beginning of a new era. For all of us. In order to make sure we do not repeat the mistakes of the past, we'll need to band together, to fight as hard as we can not for our personal good, but for the betterment of the galaxy." Approving nods and smiles swept through the room.
"We'll have the ceremony in the atrium, I presume?" Tanner asked his superior, who agreed and summarily dismissed the room. Matt leaned over to the duo and told them:
"Just meet us at the ceremony tomorrow. I'm sure you can find things to do to occupy your time until then."

Indeed they would.

____

"Now what bloody terminal was she talking about?" Outside the tower there were a handful of informational terminals, but none of them featured a small enough crevice for the device to fit inside. The Champion then spotted a ramp that lead downward to the Tower Market(as it was now called). Motioning for Ari to follow him, they descended into a hallway that wrapped around the central support for the walkway above, each side of the square featuring large square rooms with all sorts of shops and merchant stalls and..
"Terminals. Everywhere." It was one in particular, however, that drew Yerbol's attention. Smaller than the others, inactive and next to a store that sold imported wines and cheeses from-
"Alderaan." After inserting the square into a slot on the base of the terminal, the once dark screen flashed a bright blue, then went black again, but not before a card popped out of a hidden opening at the very top of the terminal. It was smooth, amber colored with an engraving on one side that read:
"205. Ebony Circle."

"An address?" He looked to his companion quizzically, deciding to head to a nearby directory and plugging in "ebony circle". The very first result was a residential tower located a few blocks away from their current location.

When they arrived at the base of said tower, there was a simple card reader next to a set of ornately patterned glass doors. Once inserted, a soft chime prompted the doors to open, card returning.
"Wow." Was all the Champion could muster when they stepped into the lobby. Everything was so...
"Shiny." Tasteful artistic compositions hung on the walls with hefty wooden tables and chairs gleamed with polish. Dead ahead was a set of elevators that, to their "shock", had a keycard reader inside with no other way to direct the elevator. With the card in place, the elevator whooshed upwards for a few seconds before they stepped onto cherry colored wood floors and examining the space.
"What-" A chirping noise came from a datapad embedded in the wall to their right, the Champion pressing the screen to hear a welcomed voice come over speakers which he assumed were also in the walls(hidden?):
"FINALLY! It took you long enough."
"Neta?!"
"What, have you already forgotten what I sound like? Come on sweet cheeks, you're hurting my feelings and we haven't spoken in almost four months. That's gotta be a record." He let out a chuckle, eyes cast at the floor to ceiling windows ahead that put on a majestic display of the Upper City.
"I've missed you, too."
"And that's why you have to see me! But not before I explain why I left you a keycard to this swanky little retreat." It was indeed "swanky": marble and granite countertops in the kitchen off the right of the living area, which featured a flat screen monitor mounted on the left wall with both couch and loveseat at optimal viewing angles.
"This, my dears, was one of my safehouses on Coruscant. Well, not exactly a 'safehouse'...more of like a luxury I afforded myself when I was doing really well with business. Obviously I don't need it anymore, so as your wedding present, I 'bequeath' this fine establishment to you both."
"Wedding?"
"Knock it off, will you? It may not be coming up anytime soon, but you can't say I didn't get you two anything special when you do tie the knot." His cheeks flushed almost purple as he looked away from Aria, walking past the living area into a smaller hallway. A bathroom was on the right hand side of the hallway with the doorway straight ahead revealing an impressive sized bed with plush coverings.
"This is...unexpected. And nice. Very nice."
"I know how to class it up when I need to, kiddo." She laughed cheerfully as she continued:
"This is all yours, ok? Only stipulation I have is for you guys to come find me as soon as you can. I know the signing ceremony is tomorrow, but after that I-"
"How did you know about that?!"
"I've got sources, sweet cheeks, you know that." A tinny voice in the background asked when dinner was, which prompted the pilot to contentedly sigh, telling the duo:
"Just let me know what you're on your way and I'll get you the coordinates you need. See you soon!"

"Well...I don't think we need to search for an apartment anymore, right?"

[The Elvenqueen]

“Maybe she was hoping we were still ‘joint at the hip’ so she'd get to speak to both of us when she got through.” Aria shrugged and returned his smile as they fondly thought of the red-headed former mercenary who had been their companion for a short time during Bracknell and Soto’s insurgence, but whom they had not seen for some months since she had returned to Alderaan in order to spend more time with her children. Glancing briefly at the pair of Elders who walked just in front of them, she nodded her agreement at his suggestion.
“Definitely. We're long overdue catching up with Neta, and it'd be nice to go somewhere different.”

Investigation of Neta’s gift to them, however, would have to wait for another six hours. Since Roan had removed her to the Academy on Korriban, Aria had little contact with such lengthy and boring political exchanges. Now she remembered why she hated them. There were only so many times one could excuse themselves to go to the bathroom (and indeed only so long one could stall by making said trips at a slower-than-normal pace) before the other people in the room would get suspicious of the avoidance tactics, thus they were forced to look as interested as possible whilst trying not to fall asleep in their chairs. It was easy to see how a lot of diplomats (her mother included) ended up sipping more than too much wine during these meetings in order to dull the monotony of the whole thing. Unfortunately, no such wine was available in this case and instead the duo had to be content munching on the cashew nuts in the middle of the table. By the end of it, she was wishing there HAD been wine, and was more than glad to hear all they had to do was attend the signing ceremony in the morning.
__________

Neta’s gift was puzzling enough to FIND in the first place, but once they had found the correct terminal and travelled to the address in question, Aria found herself even more speechless. Turning around in a slow circle to admire everything around them, Aria responded to Yerbol's statement with a similar observation of her own:
“Jeez...you could practically eat off the floor.” which she quickly amended with a sheepish grin so as not to appear to be a slob. “Not...not that I'd recommend that, of course.” the datapad on the wall chirruped loudly to announce an incoming voice call, the familiarly sultry, cheerful voice that greeted them instantly occupying the duo's attention.
“Neta!” the Champion chuckled as she drifted further in, her face also reddening deeply at the former pilot's insinuations. “Nobody said anything about a wedding!” she protested quickly, glad that Yerbol was preoccupied going in the opposite direction towards the hallway so he wouldnt notice the chsnge in her complexion, while Aria instead made her way through to the kitchen area, finished with glistening black and white marble countertops and streamlined cabinets in a matching colour scheme framed around one of the walls, the front-most one that she currently faced also sporting a set of medium sized rectangular windows that gave a rather fantastic view of the skyline. Just off from the kitchen and living area was another set of glass doors that led onto a quaint little balcony that allowed an even better view of the city vista, the Champion taking a moment to admire it from the doorway before she headed back inside to better converse with Neta.
“...You really do enjoy dropping unexpected surprises like this on us, don't you?” Aria smirked good-naturedly. “I don't know how you're going to top this one, Neta….” she blew out a breath, shaking her head as she tried to put her gratefulness into proper words. “But, thank you. Really. I don't know what else to say.” Neta’s insistence that they should visit made the Champion smile even further. “We'll make Alderaan our next stop as soon as the signing is over, and Neta…” Yerbol was preoccupied momentarily by checking out the bedroom which allowed Aria to quietly mumble, still red-faced, “If there ever IS a wedding, I promise you'll be the first to know.”
That seemed to please the former spec ops merc, who cheerily signed off after a quick farewell in order to get started on dinner.

Prompted to join him in the other part of the house by his question, Aria sighed contentedly, wrapping her arms around his waist gently.
“No, I guess we don't...have you seen the view from the balcony? Leave it to Neta to give us a place that looks like it's kitted out for a Senator to live in, remind me to forbid her to give us anything else after this or else we might end up with a private wing of Alderaan’s palace as a holiday home!” the Champion shook her head fondly, still a little in shock from the generosity of their friend’s gift to them.

“We should have saved some of that wine from the ship.”
____________

Whether they did indeed procure more wine to accompany that evening’s meal certainly didn't put a damper on the duo’s spirits as they lounged in the (very comfortable) semi-recliner chairs which were positioned slightly to one corner of the balcony to allow the best angle of the vista before them, simply enjoying the peace and quiet (or at least, in comparison to the constant explosions and screams of terror that had been the soundtrack to their endeavours the last four months) and the option to actually engage in idle chatter for once before turning in for the night and getting a much-deserved and peaceful rest on a bed that was actually REALLY comfortable for once; not that their sleeping quarters at the academy had been UNCOMFORTABLE, but they were certainly designed to be economical (as they had to be, with so many rooms to outfit) and certainly wouldn't hold a candle to the comfort offered here.

Aria was almost disappointed to have to get up in the morning in order to attend the signing ceremony, but of course they had promised and they could hardly let the Elders down. It was difficult to judge how smartly to dress, given how momentous an occasion it was, but in the end they settled for something smart and relatively simple. The thought of being in an outfit drenched head to toe in sequins, complicated stitching and tight bodices that made it hard to even BREATHE made Aria flinch internally. She was thankful that the dark navy calf length dress she had managed to find amongst her possessions was none of those things. Twisting her hair up into as much of a braid as she could manage due to its shorter length, she pinned it in place with an ornate pin that depicted various native Onderonion flora, something else Cheriss had told her once belonged to her mother.
Turning to face her partner, who looked surprisingly dashing all dressed up in a suit, she was happy to note, the Champion smiled brightly and resolved to make the most of the situation as she linked her arm through his.
“I haven't had to wear this in years...not since my mother made me learn to waltz when I was sixteen.” she chuckled fondly at the memory of the last visit she had with her mother before she had died, the duo catching the next taxi from the nearby pad back to the the Alliance tower. “Before you ask, yes, apparently that's what ladies of mid to high class stature do on Onderon. They also do not yawn, sneeze or slouch, EVER (in public), nor may they step on their dancing partner's toes.” by the end of the sentence, all Aria's attempts at keeping a serenely straight face had failed and they were both laughing until they arrived.

The ceremony was thankfully a short one, comprised of Saresh and her aides giving a brief summary of the treaty’s agreements, and then asking the Qyaari to give a brief statement to address the people who had gathered to watch. Thankfully, her mother’s lessons in public speaking (“stand up straight, keep smiling and never look anyone in the crowd directly in the eye” were particular techniques she imparted to Yerbol beforehand. They helped lessen the anxiety a lot.) were good for something and Aria managed to apply some of her advice in order to successfully make it through the short public speaking stint (Ailel and Matt did most of the talking of course, but it was only appropriate for the younger pair to make a minor contribution to congratulating the people of Coruscant for surviving and successfully working together with both Saresh and the newly established Qyaari in order to make the treaty possible in the first place. Then of course the Elders had to actually sign the written document, and after the cheering had died down Saresh made another brief (as far as a Chancellor’s speeches could be concerned) closing statement and the ceremony was dismissed.
“Well, that wasn't so bad. Not something I'd like to make a habit out of, though.” Aria sighed as they returned to the tranquility of their newly acquired residence, where the Tuk'ata had been left to wait patiently. This, she had to give them credit where it was due, Chwuq and Taral had actually done without destroying anything.

[freedomliveson]

"A balcony, you say? That sounds promising. I've always wanted to look down at all the commoners while drinking alcoholic beverages." When she mentioned saving some of the wine Neta had left them, he nodded with a chuckle, responding:
"Well, I suppose we can just get some of our own, eh? Start making this a home?" When the words came out, a slightly pleasant jolt of nervousness flicked across his mind. Home was a concept that he had wanted to share with her for a few months now, but he realized now, with her head on his chest, bodies close together in embrace, that home wasn't ever going to be narrowed to a place. It was wherever she was.

He drew her closer, kissing her on the forehead before he suggested:
"I say we watch the sunset...and then afterward ensure that the dogs haven't gotten into too much trouble without us."

______

It wasn't the dogs that he had to worry about, as he soon realized the following day.

It was clothing "stylists" located in the higher end shopping district of Coruscant that had been recommended to them by one of Saresh's aides upon Yerbol soliciting some advice on where to purchase attire for the evening's ceremonies. He had faced down some of the toughest threats that the galaxy had ever seen, been tortured, wounded, stabbed, shot at and almost frozen to death...and yet these stylists would be the death of him. He knew it the moment they walked into the shop the aide told them about("Galactic Style"), the duo separated quickly so that Aria could try to be convinced to purchase clothing while he would be fitted with vestments. The stylist he received could've been a Sith Lord:

"Try this on! No, not that close to the chest, let's remeasure!"
"Your back is just too big to pull that off! Try this!"
"Ugh! Your style is atrocious! Come, undress and try this on instead!"

After the barrage of outfit choices, Yerbol managed to find a simple three piece suit with aqua blue shirt and tie that complimented his eye color almost perfectly, prompting the Champion to begrudgingly acknowledge the "skill" of the stylist. Thankfully they were able to get out of the shop with enough time to casually stroll around this wealthier part of Coruscant arm in arm, the duo managing to blend in rather well with the other couples that occupied the shopping district.
"This is so...normal." He quietly remarked, looking down at his partner with a smirk.
"I could get used to normal."

Their streak of normalcy continued well into the evening as they got ready for the signing ceremony, Yerbol almost forgetting the magnitude of the event until he overheard the Galactic News Network proclaim that there would be a "private signing event that will herald a new era for relations between government and Force users." He adjusted his tie as he walked into the living room and turned the monitor off that he had left on for some reason that didn't come to mind, gulping back some anxiety that formed in his throat. That anxiety quickly melted away when he saw his lover appear in the doorway, her ensemble making her...
"You're practically glowing." Taking her arm, they found a taxi to the tower and chuckled at political customs, Yerbol saying after a brief interlude in their laughter filled conversation:
"Let's hope I too can live up to those standards. Your mother may not have approved of you falling in love with a guy raised on a rebuilding planet with little to no political customs or decorum...although I think I could've won her over."

___

The atrium had been crammed with politicians, reporters, media personalities and others who Yerbol assumed were powerful enough to attend a closed signing ceremony where the Chancellor would make a personal appearance, but thankfully he and Aria were seated just far enough away from the podium and table in front of it that the Elders and Saresh sat at to sign the treaty. As the evening began, Saresh commented on the gravity of the agreement, the new chapter that was being written in galactic history that would herald new and welcomed changes benefiting all peoples. Both Matt and Aliel echoed those sentiments along with the Champions, who spoke in similar terms(although much shorter in length) before the treaty was signed and clapping thundered through the atrium, the tower itself seeming to rumble in approval. After one of the aides announced the closure of the evening, Matt and Aliel approached the Champions, the former telling them:
"We'll hope to see you both on Zinuthra as soon as you're ready." He then added with a teasing smile:
"Which will hopefully be soon. The younglings could use role models to look up to that aren't...well, my age, anyway."

___

"Oh come on, you didn't like getting your picture taken after every five words that came out of your mouth?" He jested, patting the hounds on the head as he walked to their bedroom and began to shed his apparel, asking as he did so:
"So why don't we head out to Alderaan tomorrow? We got put on mandatory vacation and I can't think of a better place to go to than Alderaan. I don't think the place ever has a bad day climate-wise. Even when house Ulgo was trying to rip the planet apart, it was still so bloody gorgeous...well, minus the bodies. And the killiks." He glanced at Aria as she came in, clearing his throat a bit before he said with a small smirk:
"There are a few places on the planet where we can actually get away, where no one can hear us do...things. Of a noisy nature."

_____

Alderaan was just a few short hours away, which was good, considering that when they called Neta on their way there, she excitedly told them that she would meet them at the newly minted Organa Spaceport the MOMENT they landed. It was amusing to the Champion how at one point she had tried to get rid of them and desired nothing more than to wash her hands of their existences, but now she was EAGER to see them. That eagerness was visualized upon their docking into the spaceport and walking down the ramp to find a red-headed woman just a few feet away, clad in a simple green short sleeved shirt and beige shorts, smile beaming with excitement.
"It took you THIS long?!" She nearly shouted as she threw her arms around Aria, squeezing her tightly before applying the same gesture to Yerbol.
"Man alive I've missed you two...and I know you've missed me. Obviously."
"Well..."
"Just say yes. Don't start with me right now, sweet cheeks. I'm not afraid of you, Mister Champion." He chuckled, placing a hand on her arm.
"We've missed you far more than I think you realize. Really. It's good to see you." She wedged herself between the two and linked one arm with Aria and the other with Yerbol.
"I think it's high time we caught up. And we'll do it at my place. Got great views of the mountains, nice trails to walk on and not a neighbor in sight for at least half a mile...paradise manifested into reality, kiddos."

The angular passenger vehicle that Neta brought was much wider than a speeder, able to accommodate up to four people rather easily. Although there wasn't a roof, the sides were just high enough to where one didn't feel like they would be jolted out upon the slightest bump, which was nice considering that Neta drove off the main path after a few minutes and up through a winding trail that cut through dense thickets of trees. To Yerbol's relief, they made it out("Oh come on, honey, that was nothing!") to the other side and found themselves on a soft slope that led upwards. On their left the slope extended into the distance and downward again, putting a snow-capped mountain range on display. At the top of the slope was a two story home made of solid brick, windows allowing a glimpse into the warmly colored interior. At the doorway stood a boy and girl, their hair color betraying them as Neta's children.
"Vivi, Iris, come here and say hi!" The boy came forward as they got out of the vehicle, his face cracking into a smile as he pointed at Yerbol:
"You're way bigger than on tv!"
"Well...hello?"
"Vivi, introduce yourself like a normal human being please." He coughed a moment before extending a small hand outward.
"My name is Vivi Orso! What's yours?" He then whispered to Neta: "I know his name already!", prompting a shushing from his mother.
"I'm Yerbol. It's nice to meet you, Vivi." Iris trailed along hesitantly, looking at the male Champion with caution before spotting Aria and smiling.
"You're Aria, aren't you?" She skipped ahead, looking up at the female Champion.
"Mommy says you're wicked awesome. That you can...use the Force?"

[The Elvenqueen]

A soft smile came to her features at his remark, the Champion nodding her head as she glanced up at him.
“She would have liked you a lot, I think. More than my dad did at least.” she patted his hand gently, her gaze shifting to the approaching Alliance tower. “Though even he was more fond of you than he wanted to admit, by the end. I don't think either of them would be unhappy about us, if they were still alive.”
_____________

“No actually,” Aria teased back from the little bathroom as she worked to let her hair down and change out of the glitzy attire into something more comfortable for sleeping in, “they always get the wrong side and make my nose look horrendously large.” she couldn't stifle her chuckle as she joined him in the bedroom. “I don't see a reason to put it off, Neta will be ecstatic I'm sure.” smirking playfully, she kissed him on the nose before adding:
“Hm, but if you think I'm going to partake in said activities in the middle of the wilderness on a planet full of nasty bugs, you've got another thing coming, baby. I've still got standards.”
_________

Aria had sorely underestimated Neta's excitement at seeing the duo again, which was abundantly clear as soon as they arrived at the spaceport and the former spec ops soldier hugged her so tightly the Champion worried she wouldn't be able to breathe again when she was finally released.
“Missed you...too Neta…” she coughed out, grinning back at the redhead who had moved to give Yerbol a hug of his own.
“It's really, really good to see you again.” she affirmed Yerbol's reassurance. “We meant to come sooner, but….things got out of hand pretty quick and we got caught in the middle of it.” With another smile, she patted Neta's elbow and promised: “We'll fill you in on everything once we get there, okay?”
The Tuk'ata didn't much like the look of Neta's speeder, trailing behind the duo with wary grumbles and distrustful looks cast in Neta's direction. They remembered the pilot of course, but as the human who Roan had made an ally of circumstance because of her skillset, a person whom they had learnt not to bring harm to because Roan had commanded it as such and not because they had any kind of trust in her whatsoever. Sighing, Aria dropped to one knee and patted each hound on the flank. “Chwuq, Taral, Neta's a friend, remember?” the question was met with grunts of understanding though the hounds were clearly uncomfortable. They did seem eager however, at the promise that they could wander freely for a while and return to the duo at their own leisure.
As Aria put it: “plenty of kiliks or other things out there for them to chase, it's not like they'd be at risk of attacking any people” In response to Neta's quizzical look as they settled into the speeder and headed off, Aria shook her head and chuckled.
“Yes, he gave them names. Don't laugh. We tried to chase them off and they kept coming back so I guess we're stuck with them now.”
The beasts in question kept pace with the speeder at a reasonable enough distance, though as they reached the forest they peeled off to do some exploring off their own. They could of course, find their own way back and certainly could handle a few hives of kiliks if they came across them so Aria thought very little of it.

As they reached Neta's abode, the Champions were set upon by a pair of exuberant “mini-Neta’s” (for they did indeed look very much like their mother, bar a few differing features which Aria deduced they got from their father). The young boy was more outgoing than his sister, who peered at Yerbol and Vivi hesitantly before approaching Aria. Smiling back, the Champion dropped onto one knee so as to appear less threatening and nodded.
“That's me. And you must be Iris.” the girl nodded and proceeded to ask questions about her abilities with the Force which prompted the Champion to chuckle.
“ ‘wicked awesome’, huh?” she shot Neta a look as the former pilot returned from putting away the speeder to promptly shoo the little group inside. There was much more chatter involved as they gathered around a small dining room table to drink beverages (mostly tea, or blue milk if they were so inclined) while the duo filled Neta in on the events that had occurred with the Xiis-omitting the gory details for the sake of Iris and Vivi, of course.
“So you got all the bad blue people?” Iris squeaked, tiny hands clutching her cup as she looked at the Champions with round eyes. “We saw them on the TV too, ages ago.”
“We got them.” Aria promised, tapping the young girl on the nose which caused her to giggle. “They aren't gonna come after anybody.” the signing ceremony had been televised of course, so naturally they talked about the academy on Zinuthra as well. This was a topic of great interest to Neta's offspring, who proceeded to bounce excitedly around the table with jubilant choruses of: “can we go, can we go pleaseeeeeee?!” after which the Champions had some difficulty explaining that using the Force wasn't something you could just read out of a book and learn to do.
To quell their disappointment, Aria had smiled and told the kids that there was nothing stopping them from taking a trip out to Zinuthra to visit the academy for a look around or even to watch some of the training sessions (except of course, their mother, who would have to agree to it and accompany them first!). Some time after that Chwuq and Taral had wandered back in and almost instantly wanted to disappear again after Vivi chased them around the dining area proclaiming that they were “soooo cool!”
Neta had scolded the kids and shooed them off to play amongst themselves, Yerbol conjuring up a few whisps of blue Force energy which they took great delight in chasing about the ground floor, Taral even feeling playful enough to join them while Neta and the Champions talked further without any more interruptions from the children.
“We're taking a bit of a ‘sabbatical’ from everything, before we go back into teaching lessons again.” they explained, to which Neta simply shot them a knowing look and smiled. It had come as no surprise, she had told them, to hear that the pair had ended up in a relationship and insisted that it was no trouble at all when they thanked her for the mysterious gift she had left them on Coruscant.
Leaning back in her chair, the former pilot sighed softly and listed off a few places of interest: “If you're up for sight-seeing there's a fair bit around here: House Organa of course, and the Cloudshape Falls of course, everybody loves that area, very romantic.” (this was met with flushed faces and protests of “Neta, please!”)

“Alright, alright!” Neta flashed a grin and waved them off. “Then there's always Manaan I suppose, a lot of people say it's always relaxing over there. Plenty to do, the Selkath do like their visitors after all as long as you're not there to start fights.” this the Champions thought they would consider, if for nothing else but to get a chance to appreciate the planet’s atmosphere without being preoccupied with political matters or stopping power hungry Sith Lords.
Aria hadn't considered returning to her home world until Neta mentioned Onderon as a possible stopping point on their travels too.
“There used to be a nice market in the square, and the view from the Skyramp is quite nice, especially if you haven't been there before.” the Champion shrugged. “We could go check it out, if you like.”
Neta insisted however, that they should at least stay for lunch before they went wandering off. After all the trouble she had gone to in order to include them, the duo could hardly refuse. Vivi and Iris of course, were more than pleased to keep the duo for another hour or so, chattering excitedly about “how cool using the Force was” and persuading the duo to levitate various items of their crockery (much to Neta's dismay).
"Don't be a pair of strangers, okay?" Neta urged them as they were on their way out. "I don't want to be waiting four months to hear from you again!"

[freedomliveson]

Playing with the children, eating some of the best steak sandwiches he had ever consumed(rapidly) and catching up with an old friend. It all just felt so...well, the words wouldn't come to describe the nearly overwhelming warmth and comfort that came from their hilariously fun excursion. When it came to the subject of excursions, Neta had some fantastic ideas that she floated for them before and during their meal, most of which sounded much more appealing than crawling through dark tombs in Wild Space. However, in Yerbol's mind, the gentle cascade of tides bubbling up against the shore and a small cabin replete with a luxurious interior sounded too wonderful to pass up. He was sure that the Selkath could forgive the duo for causing such a ruckus the first time they came to the planet; after all, Manaan was now a proud Alliance world. It was interesting that the Selkath would pledge themselves to the Alliance now that there was no conflict to speak of between Republic and Empire, but the political ramifications of their decision would be fodder for thought another time. At the moment, Yervobl was having too much fun watching Taral attempt to not accidentally hit the poor children with his sweeping tail. Chwuq seemed to be a bit more cautious with the children, but Taral was playing with a bit more...enthusiasm, which prompted the Champion to dismiss him outside.
"Getting restless. We should probably get going ourselves so we can hit the falls. Sounds like a nice jaunt through the wilderness without fearing for my life."
"Oh come on! It wasn't THAT bad! There was a wide enough berth so that your head would stay attached to those shoulders of yours."
"You can't pilot a speeder the same way you do a ship, Neta."
"Wimp."

It was good to see her.

___

They enjoyed their trek up through the forested area behind Neta's home, the path naturally snaking back down towards a more populated path that, when explored further, led to a trail that allowed a perfect view of the cascading falls that poured into a bubbling pool below flanked by more wilderness. While taking in the sights, the duo managed to blend in once again to their surroundings. A few onlookers managed to peg them for who they were, but for the most part, they just looked like a very happy couple that seemed to be levitating in each other's presence. To think that the Jedi would have wanted their relationship to be broken apart on the grounds of "forming attachments", to even contemplate that the deep love they shared for each other would be an obstacle was...well, for lack of a better term, moronic. He could not have felt more in harmony with the Force than right now.

After returning to Neta's place for some more food("I want another sandwich!" to which Neta rolled her eyes), the pilot suggested that they stay the night, which they complied with to the children's approval and subsequent whining, seeing as their bedtime was soon after dinner. The children were issued upstairs before Neta showed them to a modestly appointed bedroom on the first floor.
"Didn't think I'd ever get to use this...not after Vivi died anyhow. Consider this a home away from home if you ever need it." It was comforting to know that they did indeed have a haven on Alderaan that was away from the more populous areas.

Early the next morning, Yerbol awoke to find his partner still asleep, sheets tangled up all around her.
"Goodness gracious you're adorable." He mumbled, kissing her still cheek before getting dressed and emerging into the living area to find Neta sitting on one of the two couches, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke at the device:
"I don't know if I'm gonna be able to keep waiting." A deeper voice came from the datapad, Yerbol able to see from where he was standing that there was a face on the other end of this exchange:
"I'm almost done out here. Just a few more days."
"The kids...they haven't seen you in weeks."
"I know. But this is going to turn out fine. I promise you."
"Don't..." She sniffled.
"Don't make a girl a promise you know you can't keep." The voice sighed deeply.
"I love you. This is for you. It always has been." Another sniffle.
"I know, I know...just..." Her normal bravado returned.
"Just come back to me in one piece, ok? I know what it's like to have someone not come back home."
"One piece and a few boxes of candy."
"Deal." She paused, then added:
"I love you so much, Dun."
"And I love you. Always." The voice signed off, leaving Yerbol to tiptoe past the couch only for Neta to tell him:
"He's a good man, you know."
"I don't doubt it." With his presence exposed, Yerbol decided to plant himself on the opposite end of the couch, noting her reddened eyes and even more flushed nose and cheeks.
"I can't help falling in love with the military types, I guess." She chuckled, prompting Yerbol to move a bit closer.
"Who is he?"
"Dun Mansal. I met him my second week here while at the spaceport for supplies. used to be a Republic trooper stationed at the port, but got picked by his Lieutenant for a newly formed squadron of Alliance troopers that were sent the very next day to Nar Shaddaa to deal with the 'blue people'."
"But things have calmed down since then, haven't they?"
"Not from what he's told me. Gangs have been trying to fight off Alliance troopers, attempting to gain back territory. Three of the people he was sent out with were killed and I...I can't lose someone else in the field." She wiped her eyes with a nearby tissue as she continued:
"But he's stubbornly confident. Like me." She laughed a bit, eyes beginning to clear up.
"And he'll be home before you know it. Because if he's anything like you, he's not going to let himself die until he's good and ready to." Another laugh, the former pilot blowing her nose before telling her adopted sibling:
"Just made me realize how much we need to value being around the people we love, you know? To not take for granted when they're around because this galaxy can be an unforgiving place."
"Yeah...yeah that makes sense." Yerbol gulped down a painful recollection as Neta continued:
"Don't let this go to waste, kid."
"What?"
"What you have with her."
"Neta..."
"No, just shut up and let me make my point without you cutting me off." The normal playfulness in her tone was absent, leading Yerbol to comply with the directive.
"It's rare to find someone you just 'click' with. Someone that understands you on a level that you can't even...understand." She took a sharp breath in, brushing away a couple of tears that had formed at the corner of her eyelids.
"When that person comes into your life, you hang on, honey. You hang on with every ounce of strength you've got. Because when they're gone, you can at least know that you did all you could to be with them." Silence passed between the two of them, which was broken by Yerbol quietly asking:
"You think I should ask, then, huh?"
"You bet your big head I do. I wouldn't be this insistent if I didn't believe I was right." He nodded, clearing his throat.
"I haven't been able to stop thinking about the question since we got back from the falls, to be honest."
"Told you it was a romantic." A shared chuckle.
"Thank you, Neta."
"Someone has to be around to set you straight."
"I think Ari does a good enough job of that."
"Bah. She needs all the help she can get."
"You are SO supportive sometimes, you know that?" She rose, kissing him on the head as he told him with a twinkle in her eye:
"For you? Always."

____

The sun was just now setting, rays cascading onto the pearl white sands stretching out into seeming infinity. He reached for the drink beside him on the wooden table, taking a sip and sighing contentedly from the second story balcony of their rented beachfront property.
"I hate it when you're right all the time." He mumbled to the non-existent Neta, smiling as he set the beverage down and crossed his arms over his chest, eyes closing. When they had settled on Manaan for the first leg of their trip and made reservations on a site provided by their bubbly host, he had no idea they would be renting an elaborate two story home that featured every possible amenity and feature one could ask for from a vacation spot. The alabaster white building was one of the few homes on this part of the beach that had such a great view, most of the other dwellings farther back towards the path up to Ahto City, contributing to a sense of isolation from the rest of the world, yet allowing the duo to explore the vast gardens, aquariums and surprisingly bustling markets that peddled wares from all corners of the galaxy. Their exploration was complimented by lazy periods of laying around, talking and making sure the hounds got their exercise on the beach, which didn't attract too much attention considering there were few beach combers. They had spent a week in this state of bliss, enjoying each other and what the galaxy had to offer. It was, in a word, marvelous.

Something else that was more than marvelous came to him their sixth day on the planet, before they went to bed. They were laying there, eyes cast up at the ceiling, her head on his chest, breathing gently synced and a confirmation of something that had been floating through his mind came to him:

He wanted her to be his wife.

Yerbol didn't breath a word of this to her, suppressing the feeling as much as he could in order to ensure that their bond didn't give anything away. The next day he did talk to someone, however. Multiple someones to be exact. While Aria was in the shower, his parents exuded the best kind of joy upon his confession, Yerbol urging them to keep the sentiment to themselves while he figured out a way to propose. After the call, he had felt a slight nagging that he had to tell someone else, but it passed, allowing him to focus on their planned journey to the Ahto City Market. They had spent most of the day there and returned about an hour ago, Yerbol slipping out onto their balcony and mixing a drink before contemplating ways to surprise his partner with his proposal. He had an idea of where to go, but he would need to see if she would be favorable to the idea. Speaking of...

"No matter how hard you try, I'll still be able to hear you sneaking up on me. Your tiny feet are still audible."

[The Elvenqueen]

Manaan, of course, had not been a destination that had immediately come to Aria's mind, given the chaos that had ensued the last time they touched down on the planet she had been concerned that the Selkath would flag the duo down and deny them entry to the planet. The young woman's suspicions proved to be entirely wrong as soon as they arrived, evidently Aria had forgotten that the last time they had arrived on Manaan had been on a hot-wired shuttle after barely escaping the clutches of Soto and her-

They weren't supposed to be thinking about work. The Champion mentally scolded herself and filed the thought away for another time. Right now, no tyrannical overlords were threatening the newly established political body, no planets were blowing up and all they had to be concerned about was the order in which they would visit the tourist attractions on the planet. At least they could both agree that they should find their holiday accommodation and settle in before they did anything else. This proved to be easier said than done, however, as there was more than one pathway leading out from Ahto City and down to the beach and this led to somewhat of a disagreement (it wasn't fair to call it an argument really, any name calling was done entirely in jest and they both knew it)
“Ari, just admit it. We're lost.”
“We're NOT lost!” she insisted, brow furrowed as the Champion squinted at the map on her datapad for about the fourth time since leaving the spaceport, then spun in a circle trying to look for the pathway. “The beach should be juussttt around...here...somewhere….”
“Lost?” Chwuq snorted in agreement with Yerbol, earning a playful glare from Aria.
“Honey, if we had stopped and asked for directions an hour ago like I said, we'd be there by now.”
She was forced to admit, cheeks bright pink, that he was right as usual.
“Well, if we have to stop and ask for directions then we really WILL look like a pair of dumb tourists that can't read road signs.” (most of said signs were written in the Selkath native tongue too, which didn't help!)

They didn't do much that first night by the time they arrived at the beachfront property, instead choosing to simply lounge on the balcony and enjoy the sunset before bed. The rest of the week they had spent on Manaan however was filled with pleasantly “normal” activities: long walks along the beach while the Tuk'ata frolicked through the waves and stuck their snouts into rock pools, laying about on the beach and enjoying the sun while they tried to spot shapes in the clouds during the day or find familiar constellations at night, enjoying drinks on the second story balcony and even spending the fifth day building sandcastles (until the dogs had thought it was a fantastic game to charge right through the duo’s meticulous handiwork and stomp it to bits...it was hard to stay angry at them too when they simply barked and wagged their tails as if they had no idea why the duo could possibly be upset)
They seemed to be enjoying the relative solitude just as much as Aria was, it was refreshing to be able to walk around in public and not have to worry about being approached by people who fawned over them as ‘saviours of the galaxy’ (some people recognised them, no doubt, but they were far less exuberant about pointing it out than those on the more heavily populated planets like Coruscant.)

On the sixth day they made an entire morning’s trip of exploring the Ahto City Market (there was so much to see that there was no other way to get through it all...it was an enjoyable if tiring trip and they were all too glad to return in the late afternoon and rest)
While Aria had settled the dogs down on the ground floor, her partner slipped out onto the balcony. Their bond allowed Aria to tell something was occupying his thoughts, though whatever it was he was doing a very good job of keeping it from her. Shrugging, she tiptoed onto the second floor to join him, her master plan to launch a sneaky tickle attack ruined as she rounded the corner to the balcony doorway. With a playfully dramatic sigh, Aria paused to lean over the back of his chair and plant a kiss on his lips.
“Damn. And I thought I had you that time.” plopping herself down in a seat next to his, she leaned back, resting a hand gently on his knee. "This is nice...almost makes me not want to go back, you know, to all that teaching and other scary stuff." She waved a hand absently to indicate the sheer volume of all the "other stuff" with a lighthearted chuckle. Yerbol had smiled and nodded along with her, but he still seemed distracted by something which prompted her to ask gently:
“Is something up?” after a few moments of silence had passed between them. “You've been chewing the inside of your cheek all day and you only do that when you're thinking too much.” she tried not to worry about anything being amiss, but she could have sworn she had heard Tabitha and Volgorl’s voices speaking when she'd been in the shower that morning, only to find Yerbol had disconnected the call by the time she had finished.
“Is something going on back on Taris?”
She was relieved when her partner quickly smiled and shook his head, his parents were both fine, although he did have something else he wanted to suggest about their next stop off on their vacation….

[freedomliveson]

Bloody bantha, she heard the call.

He gave her a smile, shaking his head and telling her:
"No, not at all. My parents just wanted to check in. You know, seeing as we were on the news again." A chuckle followed by:
"Mom thinks I lost too much weight." He pointed to his cheeks as she mimicked his mother's "concerned" tone:
" 'Honey, it looks like you forgot how to eat!' I quickly informed her that we were, indeed, eating; however, fighting off threats to the galaxy burns off a LOT of calories. Speaking of calories, I dare say that we order dinner." Yerbol rose somewhat before plopping back down, his mind resolving to float the idea to her now rather than attempting to procrastinate and tell her when it might have been too late.
"But I HAVE been thinking, as my cheek can attest to." He turned to face her as he continued;
"Thinking about a lot of things, actually. The other 'stuff' you mentioned have been floating through my head, but more importantly, I think I know where our next stop should be." His chair scooted a bit closer to Aria.
"You talked about your mother, the memories you guys shared and I think...I think it might be kinda cool to go back to Onderon. See the planet through the eyes of someone who has been through a whole lot since she was last there. I'm not suggesting that we relive all the bad memories, but I wouldn't mind you showing me around where you spent some of your childhood. Besides, there are also some really awesome sights that I've heard about, including a newly built capital building that apparently walks you through the ENTIRE history of the planet in some kind of virtual reality simulator." Pausing, he took one of her hands in his.
"Of course, all those sights would pale in comparison to you walking me through some of your more cherished memories...and embarrassing moments. Because it would NOT be fair for my parents to show you those vids of me digging through mud with my dogs as a kid and not getting some insight into some of your more...intriguing moments." He laughed slightly, running a thumb over her knuckles.
"So what do you think? We've got the house for a couple of more days, but we can head out tomorrow if you want. The dogs might object to leaving the shore behind, but I'm sure Onderon would feature wide open plains for them to frolic...and chase things."

______

Biting down on the cloth, she managed to tighten the wrap around her bleeding upper arm with enough force to secure it in place. Cursing at another wave of pain that shot down her arm and into her fingers, she scanned the dimly lit corridor with satisfaction. Whatever resistance had been placed there was gone, the word of those communicated with her only a week earlier coming to fruition. There had been two guards posted at the exit of the first hallway that she hadn't expected, but that appeared to be an anomaly. That sentiment was only confirmed even more when she walked ahead through another set of automatic double doors into a drab, square shaped room that featured a few scattered chairs and doors that led to other parts of the complex. Chuckling loudly, she walked forward through the exit, taking a sharp inhale of the sewage tinged air.

Freedom never smelled so good.

Brushing away a stray lock of golden blonde hair, she reached into the pocket of her prison uniform, retrieving a pocket sized datapad that, upon activation, displayed a compass that would lead her to the benefactors that sprung her free. A small part of her wanted to abandon the datapad and forge her own course, but something nagged at her to pursue the identities of those who were willing to risk themselves for her sake. With datapad in hand, she ascended up a nearby metal staircase, kicking open a steel door that led onto an abandoned street.

[The Elvenqueen]

Aria chuckled along with him at his impression of his mother, shaking her head. “You told her those packet rations we'd had to eat for the past few weeks are nowhere near as good as her cooking, right?”
The Champion was quiet a moment as she considered the suggestion, placing her other hand over his gently. “Sure, we could go to Onderon.” of course, she was a bit apprehensive about returning there after being gone for so long, but it would be nice to see what had (or hadn't) changed since she had last visited the planet six or so years ago.
_____________

The landing pads were certainly as bustling as Aria remembered it when the duo landed on Onderon some two days later, it was almost as if the chaos hadn't touched Onderon at all. It made a nice change to not get stared at incredulously for having a pair of Tuk'ata padding at their heels, given that half the bustling population in the square consisted of beast riders and their tamed charges, many of which would be shipped off world to places like Taris or Telos IV in order to help with re-establishing a natural ecosystem on the recovering planets. Thankfully it was a lot easier to find their booked accommodation this time, since the roads were more clearly marked (in plain old Galactic Basic) and branched off in a roughly hexagonal manner from the center of the settlement. Like most of the buildings on the outermost edge, it backed right onto the towering sixty foot wall that surrounded the city, with a flat roof at the perfect height to admire the views of the vast plains that stretched out over the horizon on the other side of the wall.
“That's the Skyramp. The early settlers built it to keep all the predators out of the settlement. Of course that was before the beast riders became a thing and they started learning to tame them.” Aria pointed towards the wall that looped around the entire settlement, connecting on both ends to the large palacial-looking building they deduced must be the “capital building” Yerbol had read about.
After settling in and getting something to eat, the duo agreed that visiting the building seemed like a logical first step to their visit. It certainly didn't disappoint, the holographic replicas were so detailed it was easy to believe that they were ACTUALLY walking through the dense jungles that had stretched far across the plains before the Iziz settlement had been erected, watching in fascination as some kind of sensor in the walls triggered the images to shift to a representation of the two civil wars that had torn through the planet since it had been colonized, though the sudden explosion to their left as a Basilisk war droid came crashing down into the middle of the market square was perhaps a bit TOO immersive.
“I always wondered where that giant crater in the middle of the plaza came from.” Aria chuckled as they emerged out on the other side of the building. The large fissure created by the apparent crash had been evened out since Aria last remembered it, creating a kind of lower level of the market slightly below the other stalls, which some savvy business owner had taken the initiative to set up as a “tourist hub” of sorts: a large, interactive map projected out of a statue in the center showing the various attractions different sectors of the city, as well as the walking trails that led out of the main gate and onto the plains that surrounded the city (although strict warnings claimed that tourists should take care “NOT to venture beyond the treeline without a proper guide” as those areas were heavily populated by the aggressive native fauna!), not that the duo had to worry about the native fauna of any kind given their past experiences with ravenous beasts of many varieties.
“So…” Aria exhaled softly as they paused to examine the map. “Where do you wanna go first? We’re not going to get through everything in one day, so I guess we just pick a place to go and leave the rest for another time.”
She stretched up to point towards the section on the map marked as the “Mandalorian Enclave” (which the history tour had explained was set up after Clan Ordo’s Mandalore in the last civil war helped the people of Iziz defeat General Vaklu’s forces...the Mandalorians had been more welcome throughout Onderon from that point onwards, so much so that some of them chose to settle permanently in an area of the city close to the main gate, the Mandalorians were well-known for their adventurous spirits and many of them had set up shop either as impromptu “tour guides” of sorts for the more daring tourists, or as weaponsmiths and mechanics.) “We head up through there we could nip out onto one of the shorter trails before the sun goes down, let the dogs loose for a bit so they don’t go stir crazy.”

Aria had not been expecting to run into a familiar face while browsing through the stores in the Mandalorian’s area, so the Champion was simultaneously startled and pleased to hear a loud voice crowing:
“Well, if it isn’t little Ari!” the duo spun around to discover that the voice belonged to a five foot nine young woman with a dimpled smile that almost rivaled Neta’s (but not quite) and a shock of indigo-and-blue hair on top of her head that stuck up in way too many different directions. “I TOLD them I knew that little baby-face when I saw it on the news!” though she was dressed in civilian clothes that implied she was currently working as a mechanic of some kind, the Clan Ordo symbol tattooed on her forearm proudly displayed her Mandalorian heritage.
The Champion was dragged into a one-armed hug before she could protest otherwise, Aria clearing her throat and dusting herself off as she was finally set down.
“It’s nice to see you too, Sho.” Aria grinned. “Though I have to admit, I thought you’d be in lock up by now.”
“Hey! Just because we got into trouble a lot as kids doesn’t mean I was gonna turn out a criminal.” turning to Yerbol, the Mandalorian beamed and shifted the package she was carrying under her arm to stuck out a hand. “Sho Ordo, you must be Yerbol?” Sho chuckled after they had shaken hands, following up with another question: “So has Saresh got you guys doing some kind of ‘tour of duty’ or something? Everyone was making a big thing outta that signing ceremony the other week.”

The duo were of course quick to correct her assumptions by informing her that they were here to relax and enjoy themselves.
After checking the time, Aria frowned warily.
“Though I think we’ll skip the longer path through the plains for today, it’s getting late.”
Sho grinned sheepishly.
“Still traumatised, huh?”
“You got us lost in the jungle!” Aria shot the Mandalorian a scathing look. “We had to sleep in a TREE to avoid being eaten by cannocks!” with a sideward glance at Yerbol, she added: “for the record, if a Mandalorian ever tells you “this is perfectly safe” or “I know what I’m doing”, it isn’t, and they don’t.”
“Hey, my Pa found us in the morning didn’t he?” Sho protested, standing up straighter. “I wasn’t scared. Ari cried.”
“I did NOT!” Aria protested, red-faced.
“Did too, like a baby. She was such a little lady she didn’t even know anything about surviving in the wilderness. You woulda died out there without me.”
Aria’s arms were now crossed over her chest, the Champion’s features knitted into a sulky frown.
“I wouldn’t have ended up out there if it wasn’t for you. My parents were furious, by the way.”
“Bah, you still disappeared off two years later without saying goodbye.” Sho grumbled, punching Aria in the shoulder. “They can’t have been that mad at you if you got off-world right?” a man’s voice called out something impatiently from across the street, Sho quickly responding with.
“Yeah, I got it! Jeez!” before she turned to the duo and apologised. “I better get back with this before his head pops off or something. Nice to see you, Ari!”
Aria couldn’t help but sigh in relief once Sho had disappeared into the store across the street, relieved there would be no more embarrassing childhood stories revealed.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, she glanced at her partner and mumbled. “We can take a quick walk now if you want, but we should try make it back before sundown. The cannocks do wander closer once the city noise dies down and it’d be less safe even with those two around.” she nodded towards Chwuq and Taral, who had trotted out of the gate to use the bathroom while the Champions were talking. “Cannocks travel in big packs and I don’t think the four of us could fight off twelve all at once, especially at night when you can’t see them coming..”

[freedomliveson]

The interactions between Sho and Ari begged to be expounded upon, but unfortunately Sho was called away, leaving a very flustered Champion to mutter a suggestion about their further course of action. Yerbol chuckled at his partner's reaction, patting her on the back.
"Come on, honey, I think anybody would be scared in a situation like that." He uttered a follow-up as he slid away:
"Especially someone as delicately raised as you." Expecting a public display of tickling, he raised his arms up, professing:
"I DO have a surprise for you that'll make up for the comment!" He jumped backwards a few feet with a chortle, telling her:
"Which I won't tell you about until I'm good and ready...and I'm not. So, here's what we're going to do: you and the dogs go back to our hotel room and get changed into...well, there's that dress I saw in your pack and I think it looks positively smashing, so maybe that? I'll pick you up in...an hour and a half? Yeah? Sound good? See you in a bit!" Without any further explanation, the Champion bolted away, fully aware that she would be frustrated with his lack of detail. Hopefully the question and the subsequent piece of jewelry he planned on giving her(again, hopefully) would persuade her that his sudden disappearance was worthwhile.

Dodging into the central market they visited earlier that day, he strolled past a few of the storefronts before settling on one he had ducked into for a few minutes while Aria was occupied with another store. A Twi'lek behind the "L" shaped counter wearing a distinguished monocle smiled knowingly, reaching into the opaque glass case and withdrawing a small black box, pushing it across the counter.
"It's all ready for you, young man."
"Perfect...can I look at it again? Just to...you know, confirm what I'm about to do." The Twi'lek laughed, opening the box to reveal a breathtaking piece of diamond swirled with emerald and aqua colored flecks that produced a serene effect on the viewers, said diamond in a silver setting.
"I can't believe this."
"Most people can't. Would it make you feel better to know that most of us were in your shoes once and made it out to the other side alright?" Breathing out sharply, the Champion took the box and nodded with a nervous smile.
"You have the luxury of already being there...I need to make sure she says yes first."
"This ring would make the most royal of princesses acquiesce."
"Let's hope."

______

"I assure you, sir, one of our private balconies is on hold for you."
"Absolutely sure? As in, if we come up there our bloody names will be on the table sure?"
"Yes, yes, of course! We look forward to your visit and will ensure your instructions will be followed to the letter."
"Good...good." The sleek ebony-colored transport pulled up to their hotel, Yerbol instructing the driver:
"Give me a sec." Emerging from the transport in a white jacket with green shirt, tie and black pants that complimented the the lightly colored upper half(another purchase that he made, this time claiming to "have really bad stomach issues". Thankfully it didn't take too long to pick out the ensemble and have the shop owner keep it on site until he could arrive there).
"Ok. Ok here we go." He thumbed the ring box in his pocket, closing his eyes for a quick second.
"Time to change our lives forever...for better or worse."

_____

He was of course extremely complimentary about his lover's appearance, issuing her into the transport that cut through the central markets and up towards some of the upper class residential homes.
"Don't worry, we're not lost, I promise." After a few turns, they arrived at a manor with a sweeping half circle driveway with trimmed edges gently flanking the front of the stone building. The transport doors were opened for them by the staff of The Cliffside Manor, a revered eating establishment that proudly claimed it once was the residential quarters for three Republic senators. They were issued through a black and white checkered marble entranceway and through a main dining area that was intimately lit, brushing past the tables before being led through a set of double doors with ornately etched glass panes onto a circular balcony with a small cherry-oak table in the middle with two chairs seated next to one another. A candelabra sat in the middle of the table, dishes and cutlery placed in line with the seats. In front of them lay the sweeping hills of the countryside dotted with trees and fauna, mountaintops visible in the distance.
"So...what do you think?" He withdrew a chair for her as he added:
"I think it's befitting a senator's daughter, don't you?"

[The Elvenqueen]

“I’ll have you know, cannocks are VERY terrifying when you’re only three feet tall and you’ve never been out in the wilderness before!” she scowled, lunging for him and missing as he leapt backwards to avoid the attack. Raising an eyebrow at him, she responded teasingly: “Okay, sure...but what for?” he was, however, already waving her off and hurrying away before she could get another word in edgewise and so the Champion had no choice but to call back their beastly companions and do as her lover had instructed, all the while trying to deduce what exactly he had in mind as a ‘surprise’. The hounds were just as perplexed as Aria was to find Yerbol missing when they returned. She tried to usher them back towards their accomodation but Chwuq and Taral insisted upon scouting the area for five minutes first as they attempted to discover where their missing pack member had disappeared to (thankfully, the Champion’s scent was easily lost in the muddle of various other smells in the area and they lost any ability to track him just as quickly).
“Yerbol?” Taral gave a flummoxed snort and headbutted Aria in the ribs, his tail drooping to show his distress.
“Bol’s busy with...something, buddy.” Aria told him, patting the hound on the head as they walked back.
“Alone?”
“Yeah, I know. Weird isn’t it?” Aria mumbled in agreement as she nudged the door shut behind them and headed into the bedroom to rummage in the backpack she had packed to find the dress in question. She would go along with Yerbol’s suggestion of course, but she couldn’t help but feel he was acting somewhat suspicious...although one conclusion she could draw from this was that they were definitely NOT going to be somewhere out in the middle of the jungle plains (if he thought she was going out there in this dress, then he WAS mad!)
_____________

As Yerbol arrived to collect her an hour and a half later, Aria’s suspicions were only heightened further as she took in his chosen attire. “...You’re awfully smartly dressed for somebody who was complaining of a stomach ache earlier.” she teased as she slipped past him into the transport (which was definitely more swish than usual...he was up to something or she was a Wampa). Yerbol made no comment, simply smiling at her and complimenting her own outfit. She shrugged it off and followed along with his directions, settling into the chair he drew out for her after they arrived at their table.
“It’s beautiful.” Aria smiled, the corners of her mouth curling upwards into a playful smirk. “Is this what you’ve been trying to hide from me all day?” Yerbol flashed her that adorably dorky smile as he took a seat opposite her. “What’s the occasion, or is this just because we didn’t get a chance to do the whole ‘dinner date’ thing on account of lots of people trying to kill us?”

At least, that’s what her best guess was. It wasn’t like they hadn’t earned the chance to go a little overboard, and The Cliffside Manor was certainly one of the best places on Onderon for doing just that. She’d never been up to this part of the city before when she was younger, although her mother had attended more than a few meetings here since she had been what the people on the HoloNet liked to call “the most talented senatorial representative Onderon has seen in a long time” (but of course, reporters always exaggerated. At least, that’s what her mother always told her, she had always been modest...or tried to be, as much as the rest of her colleagues would allow her to be), although her mother had talked about bringing her here when she was older, before everything had happened. It was nice to finally have the experience nonetheless. They talked, laughed and ate some of the best food they'd had in a long time; Aria shared a few more stories such as how she'd met Sho while her mother had been having some sort of diplomatic meeting with Clan Ordo’s leader, and the two had hit it off like a house on fire.Aria had been easily persuaded by the wayward Mandalorian to venture out of the city and explore while “the grown ups did boring stuff”. This had been a great idea until Sho had taken a wrong turn on one of the pathways and led them deeper into the jungle (“My mother was furious. She swore blind that was “the last time she'd let me hang around with that Mandalorian hooligan!”). From the balcony they were on they had a fantastic view of the entire plains, Aria pointing out an area a mile or so out from the settlement where the more adventurous kids had built a “den” of sorts, which they used to have mock reenactments of the civil war battles they learned about at school.
“Sho insisted that they showed me “how to play properly because I'd clearly never had fun in my life”.” she chuckled softly, shaking her head. “I'd never horsed around like that till then and most of them laughed at me. Only Sho and a boy named Nils. The other kids wandered off and they helped me practice till I was good enough to join in with everyone else.” a soft blush coloured her cheeks as she went on to explain how she'd developed a schoolgirl crush on the older boy, although it hadn't lasted long; because apparently once you started pulling pebbles out of the cliffside or deflecting oncoming projectiles without even touching them the other kids thought you were a “freak”. It was oddly therapeutic to share some of her fonder memories with him, just laughing together and enjoying life for what it was.
“Thank you. This was unexpected, but very nice.” she smiled, placing a hand gently over his. “Definitely a good surprise.”

[freedomliveson]

When she asked the occasion, he only smiled and told her:
"I just like spoiling you sometimes, that's all." His hand once again thumbed the small box in his pants pocket, then quickly withdrawing it and placing his hand back on the table, chiding himself for the anxious habit he had developed ever since the box had occupied the spot it was in. All he had to do was make it through dinner...and probably dessert. Then he could ask and it would all be over. One way or another...but of course she'd say yes. Right? She hadn't given any indication she would shoot him down, that suspicion only being confirmed as they spent the evening relaying childhood stories, personal aspirations like Yerbol's desire to own a signed copy of Jedi Warriors, an infamous virtual reality game made by an elusive game designer that cashed in on the game before disappearing("I know, I know, I'm a nerd. But you kinda knew that already, didn't you?"). He relished this time together, away from the troubles of the galaxy that would more than likely rear their atrociously ugly heads in the very near future...which was why he couldn't wait any longer to ask her.

"Yeah...a surprise." He cleared his throat, heart beginning to race uncontrollably.
"Uh..." He stammered a bit as his eyes scanned the countryside in hopes of being inspired to relay some kind of massively romantic speech, but when he returned his gaze to her glowing dark irises, her tender smile, he just blurted out words that he would later remember as stinking good considering how nervous he was:
"Remember that time we left for Bracknell's ship?" He held out a hand before issuing an admonishment:
"I know, I know, we're not supposed to talk about work, but that was a pretty historic moment. We were at the brink of issuing in an entirely new and uncertain chapter of history in the galaxy and..." He chuckled.
"All I could think about was how awful it would be if I were to lose you. Of course, we were just 'friends' at the time, so I dismissed any kind of romantic feelings(which was stupid of me I suppose), but even then, EVEN THEN I knew that you were special to me." He sighed gently, a hand gently caressing her cheek before resting on one of her outstretched hands.
"And every single day after that, it's only gotten bigger. The feeling, mind you...that didn't come out right. You know what I mean." Another nervous chuckle.
"All the time I served in the Academy, I was taught to never invest too much in emotional attachments. That they made us weak, not able to be the objective judges that the Jedi wanted. But I think...no, screw it, I KNOW that's wrong. Because my love for you has only made me stronger, made me want to preserve that harmony Renso talked about in order for others to have a shot at the kind of happiness we have...and I hope we'll always have." Here it comes.
"I never want to live a day without you. Ever. I don't even know if I physically could, seeing as you help me find where I keep my socks in the morning." One more laugh before he turned to fully face her, both hands intertwined with hers.
"And I know that we share everything now, but...but I want it to last. Forever." He sank to one knee, hands letting go of hers in order to produce the box.
"Aria Saal, the most beautiful, wonderful woman in the world..." He opened the box, revealing the ring.
"Will you marry me?"

[The Elvenqueen]

She had chuckled at his revelation of being a nerd, shaking her head in confirmation as she reassured him:
“Maybe, but I still love you regardless. There are worse hobbies to have, right?” they fell into a mutual silence, admiring the vista in front of them before Yerbol spoke up and drew her attention again. Aria raised an eyebrow warily at him as he mentioned Bracknell again, mumbling “I thought this was supposed to be a vacation…” Before he waved the comment off and continued on to explain that was the moment when he knew they were going to be important to one another. She should have seen it coming after that, but it wasn't until he dropped onto one knee that Aria's brain seemed to register where this was going. This topped everything else by a long stretch.
“You really had to ask?” she teased, her eyes twinkling. “Of course. I couldn’t imagine it any other way, really.” scooting forward in her chair, she leaned forward to kiss him. “You were the first person to be interested in me for ME and not because of who my parents were or any other reason, guess deep down I knew that would make you more important to me than anybody else...So it would be silly to think of ever spending the rest of my life with anybody else.Though other people might find it somewhat questionable if you still can’t find your socks on your own in thirty years time.” with another laugh, she held out her hand and let him slip the ring onto her finger, smiling warmly. “It’s beautiful. Not that it would have made a difference of course, you could have given me anything and I would still say yes.” Yerbol exhaled loudly and shook his head again, pulling her into a warm embrace which they shared for a few moments before he returned to his seat so they could finish a light dessert. With their meal finished they enjoyed a short wander through the manor’s grounds filled with more tender words and embraces until the transport arrived to return them to the hotel for the night.

Strangely, things felt entirely different (but in a good way) from that moment on, even if they hadn’t changed much at all. As they were lying together getting ready to drift off for the night, Aria shifted to glance sideways at him and mumble.
“So...what happens now? I mean, I know it doesn’t really change much with...us, but I suppose we’ve got to tell everyone.” sighing contentedly, she tucked her head against his chest once again. “And there’ll be all sorts of “official” planning to do. Unless you wanted to just wait a while.” she didn’t want to seem like she was rushing into it, but they didn't have the luxury of waiting TOO long (since they never knew what might come their way next). "Either way, I promised Neta she'd be the first one to know when it happened, so...there's that too."

[freedomliveson]

The moment she agreed lifted a GIGANTIC weight off his shoulders, the duo sharing a tender embrace on the balcony after her poking fun at his inability to choose socks and telling him quite frankly that he could've picked anything.
"Well, it was between that ring and a hollowed out credit chip. I figured you would've liked the former rather than the latter." He shot her a mirth filled smile as he got back into his seat. Yerbol hadn't even tasted the dessert, so focused instead on his now bride to be(chills) that all of his senses were directed at enjoying her company. They strolled through the grounds, arm in arm, quietly sharing their thoughts while savoring the momentary divide from the bleak realities of the galaxy that they knew would hit them in the face sooner or later. For now, though, nothing mattered except her. No, not just her. Them. Together.

Chills.

___

"When did you promise that?! I don't remember making any kind of...oh. Oh this wasn't made when I was around, was it?" He sighed melodramatically, bringing her closer as he told her in the most resigned tone he could muster:
"I suppose we can tell her first...although the smug sense of satisfaction that she'll be wearing on her face might be too much for me to bear." There was a moment of quiet between the duo, prompting a realization in the Champion's mind.
"We're going to have a wedding ceremony, aren't we?" He looked down at her with amusement.
"Where are we going to have it? Coruscant isn't exactly the prettiest spot. Maybe here? It'd be pretty significant. We can't exactly have it on MY home planet...unless we want Rakghouls to show up as the flower girls." Suddenly the thought of Rakghouls prancing down an aisle strewing orchid petals from wooden baskets flitted through his mind, a chuckle escaping his throat.
"We can figure that out in the morning, though, huh?" He closed his eyes, left arm cradling Aria's form, words falling out:
"I could get used to this for the rest of my life."

____
“That can’t be right.”
“But that is the order we received, sir!”
“Yes, but…” Yerbol sighed, shaking his head in resigned disapproval.
“Just set them up wherever you need to.” The Zabrack lifted her nose in haughty disapproval, strolling back to her cargo van filled with autumn blossoms and daffodils before pointing at them to gain the attention of her mixed species crew. The squadron of decorators began their work of arranging flowers, dotting the hedges that created the square shaped enclosure normally used for group meditation with the incorrect plants. They had ordered different flowers entirely…and yet, they still would enhance the day. A smile creased his face as he scanned the area in approval, noting the arch covered in white lotus blossoms set at the opposite end of the garden, said arch having a background of vibrant flora from both the decorative flowers and the already present foliage that the Academy students were growing on their own in conjunction with the gardeners hired on before they opened their doors to students. In front of the arch were white padded chairs in rows of ten horizontally and vertically, allowing for seating of around one hundred people. Originally their ceremony was intended to be small in nature, but the list of invitees grew as they planned, the duo deciding finally on capping the number at one hundred. He vividly recalled exclaiming that they probably hadn’t befriended a hundred people between the two of them, yet it seemed like ever since they announced their engagement, more and more individuals crawled out of the figurative woodwork to offer their congratulations and not so subtly hint at their desire to attend. Not only was the growing number of people an issue, but also deciding on who would be in his grooms party. He eventually decided on Abbeth and Manso, seeing as those are the two men he interacted with the most and actually kept in touch with(other than Bex of course). His original selection for best man was his father, but after telling him his plan, Vol shook his head and proclaimed that it would be good enough for him to sit in the audience and watch this “momentous occasion happen right before my eyes”.

It had been great to have the kind of support his parents and…well, everyone else close to them offered. Neta, after cackling gleefully on their holocall the day after the proposal, swore that she would get the best caterers in the galaxy, no questions asked. The Elders offered the meditation garden as an optimal place for the ceremony, going so far as to cancel all classes that day and encourage the students to witness a public endorsement of marriage as a healthy part of the Qyaari philosophy(done right of course). As presiding tie-breaker, Voldon was given the right to officiate the ceremony and aided in the logistical planning along with those in the newly minted Alliance Information Service(a play on the old SIS acronym) base just down the way from the Academy. Many of the students volunteered to help set things up, mail invitations and aid wherever they could, which was gigantic help. This was extremely comforting to the couple, who had spent the three months attempting to cram in a year’s worth of wedding planning into a short span of time. They managed to carve out time for themselves when they could, but SO much of their days were spent planning that they could only look at each other with exhausted eyes before crawling into each other’s arms at night and falling asleep.
During the course of this planning, it became evidence that there were a number of people that were more concerned about attending for the sake of “being important” rather than any sentimental attachment to the couple. Yerbol had received a message from a supposed second cousin and his family begging for an invite along with a few other “uncles” and “cousins removed”. Where was all this coming from? Was it because of their renown status? Was it the notion that people could “rub shoulders” with “important” figures? Was their wedding indicative of the “freeloaders” that would continually hound them as long as they stayed in the public spotlight?
This line of questioning was cut short(thankfully!) by a massive hand clapping him on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of his chest.
“Big day is finally here, huh?” Bex stood next to him, three piece suit and all.
“No one ever tells you that the best part of the day is knowing you’ll never have to plan another one of these.” A shared chuckle as Yerbol looked past the entrance to the meditation garden up towards the stone steps to the back entrance.
“How are things inside?”

“Just walking through made me antsy. Catering people are fussing at anyone that goes near the dining hall, the students are all buzzing around asking anyone around if ‘the wedding started yet’ and the guests are all chumming it up in the atrium.”

“Anyone seen Ari?”

“Nope…well, scratch that, I saw her this morning running past me with Neta in the command center for reasons I do not know nor was I interested in knowing judging on the way they were shooting laser beams out of their eyes.”

“Stressful times.”

“Man, it’s a WEDDING. Should be a joyful occasion, not a time for people to get jazzed up.”

“Fair point.” He shifted in his jacket uncomfortably, loosening his tie as the sun bore it’s full strength on the garden.

“Joyful, man.” Bex patted his arm, noting the strained look on his friend’s face.

“I know. Believe me, if it wasn’t for the planning and…well, everything AROUND the ceremony, I’d be much more enthusiastic.”

“You’d better be more than enthusiastic when she shows up.” A genuine smile crossed the young Champion’s face.

“Oh I will be.”

______

The guests had filtered in, Yerbol chatting with a few guests here and there, but staying at the arch for the most part in position for when the ceremony actually began. It was strange to see the intermingling of people: his mother laughing with a few of the younger students, Janika and Neta making hand motions towards some of the foliage, Elara and Matt conversing in a corner with mutually stern expressions among the highlights that he was able to process while in the most nervous condition of his life.
“Stop worrying.” Voldon chided, the Battlemaster’s tone more playful than normal, which may have coincided with his clothing. Instead of his normal beige robe and armored leggings, he was wearing an aqua colored tunic with dark pants, making him seem more…well, approachable.

“I’m not worried.”

“Don’t argue with your Elders.” A momentary pause.

“It’s just…” He cast a wary eye at the officiating Elder as he elaborated:

“I don’t want to screw this up. She’s so great and I…I can’t imagine living without her. What if I do something to drive her away?” This elicited a guffaw from the Elder, one so powerful that some of the guests who were beginning to find their seats looked up in alarm.

“Yerbol, something I’ve learned is that when a woman loves you, TRULY loves you, she will love you unconditionally. There were times that I made some terrible decisions, ones that I regret because they caused Kira harm. But she would tell you the same thing in regard to some of her decisions. We’re human. Fallible. We WILL make mistakes, but the beauty of marriage is that even through all the stupid mistakes, our love for each other will never be extinguished.” Yerbol sighed in regret.

“I wish that you were my Master when I was training.”

“No you don’t. Ask Kira about what it’s like.”

“Kira was your Padawan?” A grin.

“A story for another time.” Music gently floated in from speakers cleverly hidden in the hedge walls, guests taking the cue and seating themselves. After a few minutes of getting sorted out, the entrance music for the groom and bridal party began, Yerbol silently hoping that “the bestest man ever” Bex had gotten Manso and Abbeth sorted out in their roles as groomsmen. Otherwise, the processional would be off to a rocky start.

[The Elvenqueen]

Yerbol continued her train of thought regarding the ceremony, in particular the location, prompting Aria to frown thoughtfully. “I guess here would work.” she mumbled, fingertips absently tracing patterns over the back of his hand. “It’d be a long trip for your parents though, all the way from Taris.”
Her partner followed up with the statement that Taris would NOT be an appropriate wedding spot due to the risk of Rakghouls gatecrashing the procession. Chuckling, Aria retorted with:
“I don't know, Chwuq and Taral might get jealous if we let the Rakghouls have a more important job than them. Maybe you're right.”
She didn't know which thought was more entertaining: Rakghouls with flower baskets or the two Tuk'ata smartly dressed in bowties or some other kind of formal attire, both prancing down the aisle with the rest of the procession. Such thoughts were probably an indication that sleep was required. Nodding, she mumbled her agreement as she settled against his side and let her eyes drift closed, mumbling.
“Mhm, so could I.”
_________

While the duo had predicted Neta's ecstatic reaction and subsequent eagerness to help with many of the planning aspects, they could not have predicted the kind of attention that the wedding ceremony itself would require, or attract. Aria could not recall precisely how the guest list had inflated from Yerbol's immediate family, their friends and a few others here and there, to one hundred (!) people. They had hastily refused to add any more, claiming that there simply wasn't enough room in the courtyard to accommodate any more seating. The excuse thankfully seemed to keep the media happy, much to Aria's relief. The Champion had vehemently insisted upon “NO CAMERAS!”, her stress levels already nearing breaking point before she could consider the thought of the entire thing being broadcast all over the HoloNet. So much for “small and quiet”. She HATED the attention, much to the amusement of many individuals who claimed her attitude was entirely opposing to those of both her parents, who had been indifferent to every kind of scrutiny the paparazzi could have thrown their way.
The topic was somewhat of a sore spot for Aria, serving to remind her that neither was able to attend what was certainly the most important part of her life….ever. Not that she lacked other support in their stead of course, there was a veritable contingent of other women who fawned over her enough for several mothers and sisters combined: Tabitha, Neta, Kira and Vano of course, as well as Sho who had shot through on the next freighter almost as soon as Aria had said the word “wedding”, and (much to her surprise, due to the Elder always being so serious and Aria putting it down to the fact that she lacked interest in such matters of the heart) even Cheriss showed a marked interest in helping Aria cope with the stressful pre-ceremony time period. It was as close to “organised chaos” as the concept could be, as far as Aria was concerned she couldn't wait for it to be over.
“That's what they meant by ‘wedded bliss’ right?” she had joked with Kira early on in the morning in the command center as they watched people whirling chaotically past them carrying chairs, flower arrangements and food platters, “The relief after all this is finally over? I've never known anybody to make so much fuss over something as simple as us putting our names on a piece of paper!”
She'd caught a brief glimpse of Bex and tried to approach him to ask about Yerbol, who she hadn't seen since they had woken up that morning and been whisked away by various persons to attend to this, that and the other, before Cheriss and Neta swooped in and ushered her away shaking their heads the entire while.
“Come now, Aria. It's bad luck for him to see you before the ceremony starts.”
The Champion had tried not to roll her eyes.
“You know that's just a silly superstition, right?”
_______

Although, as the time drew nearer, Aria began to wonder whether there was some kind of merit to the idea at all, given the misgivings that seemed to all be occurring at once. Neta had left her in one of the guest quarters just off one of the meditation rooms (the only room big enough to cram so many women into it all at once and STILL have enough room to breathe) in the company of Cheriss, Sho and Vano in order to help Kira and some of the men re-organise the confused flower shipment.
“At least we’ve still GOT flowers, right?” Aria laughed nervously as she tried to brush it off and not get too stressed. “I mean, it could be worse...they could have not got here at all.”
“Don’t jinx it, kiddo.” Neta warned her with a broad, dimpled smile before disappearing off again. After getting cleaned up and drying her hair, Aria wished she had taken Neta’s advice and kept her mouth shut. She had been confused about why Sho was grinning so suspiciously, until she actually noticed the problem herself.
“Are you sure you weren’t wearing heels at the fitting, Ari? Cause I dunno about you but it looks like there’s WAY too much skirt there for your little legs.” the Mandalorian jested.
“Oh, you’re kidding.”
“It’s not THAT bad.” Vano laughed nervously as she tried to keep the would-be bride from launching into a full-out panic.
“How tall do they think I am?!” the Champion’s voice went up an octave as she flapped her hands in a distressed manner. “I’m NEVER going to be able to walk in that!”
“I’m sure they can take it up.” Vano argued.
“IN AN HOUR?!”
“Ari, honey, just sit down.” Cheriss coerced her into a chair, the Champion flopping into the seat with an audible “WHUMP”, still dressed in just the slip she was to wear underneath.
“Forget everything else, this is the WORST thing that could have gone wrong today!”
“We’ll think of something, just try not to panic.”
“Worst comes to it, you could always just go in your birthday suit.” the deathly silence and disapproving scowls that were shot in Sho’s direction implied that nobody else in the room shared the Mandalorian’s crude sense of humour.
“I was KIDDING, jeez! I don’t see the rest of you doing anything else to try and make her feel better.”

The two younger women whisked out of the room with the out-of-proportion dress in tow to attempt to get the errors fixed, leaving Aria alone with the Qyaari Elder who set to work on calming her down and sorting out her hair.
“So, what’s the matter?” Aria responded to the question with an exaggerated groan of protest.
“Cheriss, just because you’re my Godmother doesn’t mean you get to psycho-analyse me on my wedding day.”
The Dathomirian clucked her tongue softly, shaking her head as she pinned back an unruly section of the young woman’s fringe.
“My dear, I’ve known you since you were a little girl. I think I’m more than qualified to know when you’re trying to put on a brave face.” the smirk disappeared, Cheriss’ tone softening as she continued in a quieter tone: “So, what is it? Getting cold feet?”
“N-No!” Aria was quick to protest with a shake of her head that earned her a chiding tap on the shoulder and a “keep still!” from Cheriss. “No, I know this is what I want, I just...worry that other people might not agree.”
“You really think he’d change his mind? You two have been practically inseparable since you met.” A pause. “Or is this about your parents?”
“I hate it when you’re right all the time.” Aria huffed, her snappiness dissipating as she mumbled. “...I wish they were here.”
Cheriss ‘hnn’d sympathetically, squeezing the Champion’s shoulder as she finished putting the last pin in place. “Sometimes I still worry they’d be disappointed.”
“Don’t start crying now, you’ll ruin that makeup Vano worked so hard on.” Cheriss chuckled, finishing up with: “They’d both be very proud of you, Aria. And don’t rule it out, you and I both know your father’s been keeping an eye on the two of you.”
“So I wasn’t imagining his voice in that cave?”
Cheriss shook her head in confirmation. “Honestly, I don’t doubt for a second that your mother’s the one dragging him back by his ears or he’d never leave.”
Aria wasn’t entirely sure whether her godmother was being serious, but the image it created prompted the Champion to finally smile again as she snorted.
“Does it really work like that?”
The Dathomirian grinned and shrugged.
“We’ll never know I suppose.”
The rest of the bridal party returned shortly afterwards, dress suitably altered, and they were soon scrambling to ensure Aria was properly dressed before the music began and announced the start of the ceremony.
______

Aria swore her heart was pounding so violently in her ears that she couldn’t even HEAR the music as she followed the procession down the aisle. She didn’t know what made her more nervous, meeting gazes with Yerbol or the sideward glimpses she caught of the vast audience on either side. Stopping beside him, she was immensely relieved to finally be able to stand still (much of her thoughts during the walk down had been occupied by “don’t trip, don’t trip, don’t trip for the love of Force”) and turn to face Voldon while the music died down to allow the former Battlemaster to begin speaking. Aria hoped the speech wouldn’t last TOO long, in fact she was more than eager to get this over with and get back to the state of relative normality they had been enjoying three months prior to their decision to tie the knot.
Boy, am I glad to see you. She risked a sideward glance at her partner while Voldon spoke a short paragraph about what a “momentous occasion this was for the Qyaari as well as Aria and Yerbol themselves”, chewing her lip. Don’t change your mind when I forget what I was going to say in a moment, okay? I didn’t practise. I was too busy panicking.

[freedomliveson]

The procession came down the aisle seemingly in the slowest possible manner, Yerbol silently wishing he could use the Force to speed their movements. If only Renso had taught him time manipulation! Then, in this most dire of circumstances, he could bend time and space to ensure that he could get on with the bloody thing and actually get-

"Oh." He managed to squeak out under his breath as Aria made her appearance at the entrance to the garden, heads all swiveled in her direction as she approached the arch. All throughout the day he had forced himself to not tap into their bond and be nosy about how she was feeling, but at this particular moment, any kind of restraint he exhibited melted away at the sight of her. Nervous anxiety flooded his system along with bursts of unadulterated joy and happiness which then subsided into worrying about tripping or saying the wrong thing during the proceedings. It was honestly getting hard to tell what bits of thought and emotions belonged to who, but the Champion could only assume that they were both feeling the same things, so ownership didn't matter at this particular moment. What DID stick out as his own thought was how radiant she was, how every step she took seemed to emanate grace and beauty. To think that he would be married to HER for the rest of his life? That she, the daughter of one of the most powerful(he assumed) Sith Lords in recent history and a revered senator from Onderon, would willingly marry a guy from Taris...who also wanted to have her killed.

Boy was life funny.

When she arrived next to him, he took her right hand in his left, shooting her a gentle smile as Voldon began a short(hopefully) speech:
"As presiding Elder over this ceremony, I welcome all of you on behalf of not only the couple to be wed, but all Qyaari." The Battlemaster cleared his throat before continuing:
"This is a momentous occasion, one that I hope will set the example for all those in our Order and-" Yerbol stopped listening once Aria reached out to him, telling him not to change his mind. He chuckled internally, telling her:

Believe me, the only thing I might change my mind about is whether or not to interrupt Voldon so he could get on with the thing. Yerbol ran a thumb over the top of her hand, smile broadening as he told her;

You look beautiful, baby. So very beautiful. I wish I could look that good. A covert wink was managed by the Champion before Voldon turned his attention the couple, telling them both:

"What you will both be entering is a covenant, a binding together that will unite you for the rest of time. Whatever situation or condition you find yourselves in, your dedication must be unwavering, your respect enduring and your love constant throughout your lifetime together. You will share all that life has to offer and must allow those experiences to strengthen your bond." Voldon withdrew the wedding bands the couple had selected about a month ago from the interior lining of his robe, handing them to their opposite owners.
"Now, before these witnesses, before your Qyaari brethren, before the Force itself, you will have the opportunity to swear your devotion to each other." The Elder motioned to Yerbol, who coughed, attempting to clear the anxiety swelling in his throat.
"Ari..." Clearing his throat, he tried again:
"When we began this...well, whatever you call it, together, I didn't realize that the spunky little Sith that the Council assigned me would actually become a friend, let alone someone I deeply cared about." Chuckles from some of the audience members punctuated the light-hearted introduction, giving Yerbol a second to further collect his thoughts before he continued:
"You helped me realize through our relationship that any allegiance to an institution, a philosophy or a government didn't define a person's core, who they are underneath. You started off as a 'Sith', but then you became my best friend. Funny, charming, sweet, kind, compassionate, thoughtful...and most importantly, genuine. Even through all your training as a 'Sith', you allowed your true identity to shine through. And that's the Aria who I fell in love with, the one who I proudly will share my life with. I love you, Aria, and I promise my entire being to you. Forever." He slid the band on her ring finger, his own fingers shaking as his hands intertwined with hers.
"Now for you, Aria." Voldon prompted.

[The Elvenqueen]

So far, so good. One foot in front of the other and she hadn’t fallen over, although the sudden rush of emotions that flooded her mind through their bond as both of them abandoned trying to block each other out at the same time was nearly enough to make her lose concentration and stumble. Thankfully at that same moment she reached the arch and her partner slipped his hand into hers as they both faced Voldon while the Elder spoke, though Aria tuned most of it out and devoted her attention to Yerbol as he answered her. Giving another chuckle of her own, she caught his eye with another sneaky sideways glance to add.
Hey, don't count yourself out. The Champion squeezed his hand gently in hers, eyes twinkling playfully. Maybe not beautiful, but you definitely look very handsome in a proper suit and tie. Before they had to turn back to Voldon as he prompted them to swear their vows.

The earlier feeling of panic resumed. She'd had some idea of what she wanted to say, of course, but now that it was actually time to say it, with EVERYONE staring at them, her wits deserted her. When Voldon turned to her and told her it was her turn to speak, all she could squeak out initially was:
“Uh...well, this was unexpected. Not by NOW obviously, I think everybody saw this coming before we really did...” (Another ripple of laughter from the audience) huffing out a quiet breath, Aria collected herself and resumed the train of thought. “But what I mean is that when we first met, we were two people with very different outlooks on the world and each other, and I never would have thought that the Jedi my father sent me to kill would end up becoming the most important person in my life. You stuck by me and defended me, forgave me for the bad things I'd done even if I maybe didn't deserve it, and proved to me that letting people into my life, and my heart, didn't make me weak.” a brief pause, during which she had to blink away a few tears that threatened to spill over. “And I will always be grateful for that. You're not just my partner, you're also my best friend and a part of me I never knew I needed before. I love you with every part of me, and I promise you that no matter what this galaxy has to throw at us that love will never stop. Anything that wants to get to you has to go through me first. And the dogs. They'd never let anything get between us either, I don't think.”
The loud, approving “HUUURMMM” from Chwuq and Taral (who sat surprisingly patiently in the front row with Tabitha and Volgorl) bought Aria the brief moment to cover up the fact that she almost dropped the ring as she tried to slide it onto Yerbol’s finger. A faint flush of colour appeared in her cheeks, a warm smile spreading over her features as their fingers interlocked and the attention moved to Voldon once again so the Elder could close the ceremony.
Please don't make another four-paragraph speech. Aria pleaded silently, looking forward to the formalities and all the stress and panic that came with it finally being over....Thankfully, Voldon concluded the union with only a few more words.
“On behalf of all the Qyaari and everyone else gathered, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Aria may have been a little over-exuberant in her response, her happiness overriding any self-consciousness she might have felt about the duo sharing a passionate kiss while the members of the audience all clapped (and barked!) in celebration.
“I thought he was never going to say that.” she grinned apologetically as they broke apart again, sharing a quiet moment of appreciation for one another before stepping further apart to face the audience again.
“So, now’s the time to say something if you don't know how to dance, because they're probably going to expect us to.” a teasing wink accompanied the reassurance. “I promise not to get mad if you step on my toes.”
For all her teasing, she had to admit Yerbol was better at dancing than she had been expecting, though of course it was more about having a good time than actually being any good at the activity itself. Aria wasn't sure how long the festivities afterwards lasted, but they involved a lot more laughter, hand shaking and congratulations from family and strangers alike, drinking and generally having a good time. Nonetheless she was glad when things began to wind down and suggested that they might be able to excuse themselves for the rest of the evening; after the exhausting day sleep seemed a very appealing idea.

[freedomliveson]

Aria's enthusiastic kiss upon the announcement was matched only by Yerbol's, who picked her up off her feet for a few moments while they shared their first kiss as man and wife, eyes glinting with joy that words couldn't even begin to express as they withdrew. The duo faced the applauding crowd as Yerbol muttered through their bond about dancing:
Oh baby, I know how to dance. Don't you worry.

What Yerbol had neglected to mention was that Tabitha had learned classical dance in her early years from her parents, both of which were avid dance instructors and amateur gymnasts who instilled the love of physical fitness that fueled Tabitha to choose the career of fitness instructor/trainer. When the Champion was young, she taught him the basics, telling him that one day he would thank her profusely for the instruction he didn't like at the time. During he and Aria's first dance together, they gracefully moved across the center of the converted dining hall, prompting a knowing smile from his mother which was returned by the groom with heaping amounts of thankfulness bestowed her a few minutes afterward when the couple was making their rounds to different tables to thank their guests for attending. They managed to find a way to get seated at their own table before a few small toasts were made by Volgorl, Yerbol himself, Bex, Neta and Cheriss(of all people!) and dinner was served. The meal and subsequent dancing was probably Yerbol's favorite part of the entire reception, seeing as they weren't bound to any one particular guest, floating among the crowd and talking to whoever they wished. After a few hours, however, Yerbol's feet were beginning to pulse with throbbing pain and he could sense Aria's exhaust as well. With the sun beginning to descend past the tree line, guests began to filter out, saying their goodbyes to the young couple as they left. Their closest circle of friends and family hung behind due to either living on Zinuthra or choosing to not make the long journey back home after such a long day, which gave one last opportunity for good nights and other affiliated well wishes.
"I think I'll hang around if Elara will have me." Neta told the couple, shooting a wink across the room at the Havoc commander, who shook her head and chuckled in resigned acceptance.
"Of course, I won't get to see you both again for a few weeks, but..." She chewed her lip in thought.
"I think I might be seeing more of you when you get back." Giving them one last hug, she left on that cryptic note.
"What did..." Yerbol shrugged, looking down at his new bride.
"Guess we can find out after we've had plenty of time laying around as mister and MRS Massani." He couldn't help but slip an arm around her waist and a loving kiss on her forehead, telling her quietly:
"And hopefully we can lay around for a LOT longer without the galaxy falling apart. I think we as newly weds deserve that much."

Another half hour or so passed before they finally made their way back up their quarters, Yerbol stripping himself of the tie and unbuttoned shirt with a grunt of relief.
"No one ever warned me..." He then threw off his other formal attire, leaving him in dark blue shorts as he collapsed onto the bed face first.
"How tiring getting married was." His wife(!) mentioned something about changing, to which Yerbol grunted in approval and turned over just as their bathroom door shut, eyes closing for just a moment...

Then he heard a whisper. It was slight, but he thought he could hear...

Someone?
"You say something, honey?" When Ari responded with a muffled "No!", his brows scrunched.

Who...?