Chapter 9: Date Night in Aldera

In an auspicious turn of events, they were actually given several weeks of downtime, though Nadia had her suspicions that Kayora had something to do with that. However it came to be, it meant that Nadia could actually take Kayora on the date she had promised her, without fear of it getting interrupted by a call from the holoterminal. She’d spent far too long looking at different planets; after all, when you had a ship at your command, it would be a shame to not take full use of it, right? As well as making sure it was somewhere that the rest of the team could find something to do, and not just be stuck in their quarters for the entirety.

Unfortunately, Nadia hadn’t been to that many places. And most of the places she had been were not really somewhere she wanted to take Kayora for their first date. She grinned, still giddy that this was even happening. For a spell, she’d thought about going back to Ilum, getting to actually find a crystal, but with their recent Ilum excursion so fresh on their minds, as well as the fact that the Jedi were still cleaning up there, that idea was vetoed. After spending an extensive amount of time pouring over countless datapads, Nadia finally decided on Alderaan. Although there were still remnants of the civil war going on, many areas of the planet had somewhat returned to normalcy, and she knew that there would be something for everybody onboard to do.

—

As they approached the city of Aldera, Nadia stood in the common area, nervously wringing her hands as Kayora brought them in for a landing. The hologram of Holiday suddenly popped up on the holocommunication table in the middle of the room.

“Somebody needs to relax,” the pink woman observed, resting a hand on her hip. “You’re going on a date, not fighting a Sith lord.” Holiday put a finger on her chin. “Oh wait, you’ve already done that, and you still weren’t as nervous as you are now.”

“I can’t help it,” Nadia whined, running her hands through her hair. “I just really want this to go well. I’ve been infatuated with her for so long, and now I finally have a chance, and what happens if I screw it up? That’ll be worse than if she didn’t even like me back in the first place!”

Holiday held up her hands as Nadia started to spiral. “Woah there girl. First off, let’s remember that she said she likes you too, so it’s not like a one-shot to impress kinda situation. If she’s been suppressing this attraction as long as you have, I don’t think one bad date is gonna tank it.” Crossing her arms, she waited until Nadia stopped pacing and looked at her. “Also, she’s probably so much more nervous than you, so you need to be the one to calm her nerves. Also, that can easily lead to some cuddling.” Holiday waggled her eyebrows as Nadia took a deep breath.

“You’re right. Of course. This doesn’t have to be scary. And it’s not going to be. It’s going to be great!”

“What’s going to be great?” asked Tharan, who had just come up from the lower decks.

“This date!” Nadia said with confidence, ready to prove herself right.

“Oh, don’t forget to-”

“Tharan!” Holiday cut him off before he could get his sentence out. “What did I say about providing advice on anything romantic?” Sheepishly, Tharan closed his mouth and quickly made his way toward the cockpit. Holiday threw up a hand against her head. “That man, I swear he wouldn’t know romance if a super-intelligent AI explained it to him personally.” She winked, then flickered out of existence.

Nadia felt the telltale rumble that signified they’d landed. Okay, it was go time, and damn it, it was going to be great!

—

Once they had gotten out of the spaceport, everyone had gone their separate ways. Qyzen headed off to the forests outside of town, while Felix and Zenith made their way to the security offices, certain they could find some sort of trouble that needed to be solved with blasters. Tharan beelined immediately toward a large shopping center, though it was a toss up whether his destination was one of the tech shops or a clothing gallery, which Holiday insisted on visiting even though she didn’t actually ever change her clothes. She claimed it was because she hadn’t found something that spoke to her, but Nadia wondered if she just did it to bother Tharan.

Now that it was just the two of them, Nadia took a moment to admire Kayora’s outfit. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a set of robes in a pale grey color, but they were slightly more form fitting than her usual attire and the color made her skin tone pop nicely. Her lightsaber still hung at her waist, but without any of her other armor, her toned figure was readily apparent. Obviously she wasn’t showing as much skin as when they dueled, but the way the garment clung to some of her curves was making up for it.

Nadia had picked out a light blue long-sleeved blouse paired with a tan skirt that hung just below her knees. A wide belt allowed her to carry her own lightsaber without it being too obvious. It was already exciting being able to go out in clothes that weren’t picked specifically to be either diplomatic or battle-ready.

“I thought we could look at some of the museums, then find something to eat, and then maybe take a walk around the edge of the lake?” Nadia proposed, actively telling herself not to overanalyze Kayora’s reaction. 

“That sounds lovely,” replied Kayora, looking at Nadia in a way that felt very foreign, but not at all unwelcome. It was as if she was finally looking at Nadia in a way that wasn’t just seeing her student, but seeing a companion.

Looking back toward the city to hide her blush, Nadia gestured toward one of the larger buildings in view. “Let’s start there. It’s a history museum that is supposed to have the largest collection of artifacts from Alderaan’s past.” As they began walking, they fell into a companionable silence, their arms swaying next to each other, often getting close enough that Nadia could feel the energy radiating from her master. She debated whether it was too forward to hold hands, or whether that was something that Kayora even wanted, but the decision was made for her as Kayora caught Nadia’s pinky in her fingers. Looking over in surprise, she saw Kayora glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, an eyebrow slightly raised in question. Nadia quickly intertwined their fingers and gave a light squeeze, receiving one in return.

Wandering into the museum, they dropped their hands and slowly meandered through the exhibits. Nadia noticed how intently Kayora read the descriptions next to each piece, watching her brow crinkle slightly when she was concentrating. It made her smile, seeing Kayora so relaxed. While her master was not one to get overly emotional or anxious during tense situations (that they constantly seemed to find themselves in), those who spent time around her were able to notice how affected she was by it. Kayora was one of those people who was constantly on, always prepared to be the guiding voice of reason, the rock that other people could cling to in a crisis. Nadia realized just how much Kayora needed some time off, and was ecstatic that she was the one able to help give it to her.

Winding through various pedestals and display cases, they talked sparingly, usually just commenting on a particularly interesting piece. As they reached a large mural in one of the side wings, both of them sucked in an awed breath. The art took up the better part of the wall, and was a beautiful depiction of the first human settlers arriving on Alderaan, managing to capture the mystery and beauty of starting fresh on a new world. 

“This must be thousands of years old,” breathed Nadia. “And yet it’s still so vibrant.” Kayora nodded wordlessly, and they spent a good while just standing and admiring the art, their hands finding each other again in the silence. Nadia’s gaze was eventually drawn back to Kayora, who she found was already looking in her direction, a look of serenity on her face.

“Thank you,” Kayora said softly, taking Nadia’s other hand and squeezing them gently. “It has been far too long since I’ve been able to just … be.”

Nadia gave a small smile in return. “I hope you’re not done yet, because we’ve still got a few stops left on our date.” At the mention of the word date, Kayora blushed lightly, looking down for a moment. 

“Lead the way,” she said, and Nadia gladly directed them toward the museum’s exit.

—

After walking for a while down various streets, they had found a restaurant that looked appealing. Nadia found out that Kayora was a vegetarian just like her, which was surprising that she hadn’t known that, given how long they’d been traveling together. It made her ponder what else she still had to learn about her friend, and it gave her a wonderful sensation of anticipation. They chatted about nothing in particular through their meal, though Nadia did learn Kayora’s selflessness extended to social situations as well, considering how much Nadia had to fight her to pay the bill. Finally Kayora relented, though as they left Nadia caught her dropping a few extra credits down for the tip. She rolled her eyes fondly; while their server certainly wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, she wasn’t sure they deserved a 60% tip.

Taking the lead again after they left the restaurant, Nadia led them down a path that led away from the buildings and toward the large lake that the city was surrounded by. The path turned into more of a well-kept dirt trail as they got closer to the lake, with small benches and light posts appearing at various intervals. The sun was still up, though getting lower in the sky, so none of the lights were on, but Nadia couldn’t help but imagine what it would look like at twilight. She hoped that they’d stay long enough to see it.

Listening to the sounds of nature around them, they strolled in silence, neither in any hurry. Their hands occasionally brushed against each other, but for now they kept them detached, allowing for either of them to veer off to the edge of the path when they saw something interesting. The area they were passing through must have been maintained by a fastidious groundskeeper, for all of the flora was trimmed beautifully, in a way that obviously required outside intervention, but still had an air of natural magic to it. Nadia delicately lifted the petals of a pink and gold flower, inhaling their aroma; it brought back memories of playing in the fields near her childhood home. 

Their easy silence was broken by Kayora’s soft voice. “Thank you again for asking me on this date.” Her lips were upturned into a light smile. “I can almost assure you I would not have been strong enough to do it myself.” Her smile flickered, and Nadia could see myriad emotions swimming in those purple eyes. She closed the distance between them and grasped Kayora’s hand, intertwining their fingers.

“I believe you were the one that told me we all have different strengths,” Nadia said teasingly, pleased when she brought the smile back to the Twi’lek’s face. “I can’t let you be the best at everything.”

Kayora scoffed. “I am far from the best at everything. I still have much to learn and always will.” She stilled as Nadia ran a delicate finger down her cheek, tracing the curve of her jaw. She leaned ever so slightly into the touch before Nadia withdrew her hand. “Should we find a bench to watch the sunset? It won’t be long now.”

Humming her agreement, Nadia let Kayora lead them a bit farther down the path before they found the perfect spot. Right at a curve in the path, one of the benches was set a little farther back into the flora, providing just a little more intimate concealment than the others. It was facing the setting sun, as well as angled to provide a breathtaking view of the lake, which was currently reflecting the sunbeams in mesmerizing patterns, lazy ripples moving to and fro. They sat, and Kayora surprised Nadia by immediately stretching her arm up over the back of the bench and wrapping it around Nadia’s shoulders. Given that Kayora was a little bit taller, this was the preferable arrangement, but Nadia was still taken aback that Kayora had taken the initiative.

“I’m not very good at any of this, so you’ll have to tell me if I’m doing anything wrong,” Kayora admitted bashfully, as if picking up at Nadia’s astonishment.

“You know there isn’t a definitive wrong and right, yes?” Nadia inquired, leaning into her master and feeling her aura envelop her. She sensed a rebuttal coming and jumped in before it could be voiced. “But yes, I will tell you if there is anything I don’t like, as long as you do the same for me. Otherwise, just do what feels natural.” Nadia moved her hand to rest lightly on Kayora’s thigh, her thumb rubbing small circles across the fabric.

The sun drooped ever lower in the sky, its light starting to refract through the atmosphere into a beautiful array of colors, like a tray of inks spilled across a canvas. As the light began to recede and the dark stretched out to take its place, the light posts that dotted the pathway started flicking on at disparate intervals, some popping on bright and strong, others fluttering hesitantly as their sensors were caught between day and dusk. Nadia let out a content sigh, pleased that the lights were as magical as she had been hoping. She let her head fall onto Kayora’s shoulder, breathing in her scent.

“Do you remember what I told you about my lekku?” Kayora asked suddenly.

Taken by surprise, Nadia lifted her head up and frowned. “Yes?” She examined Kayora’s face, which appeared to show signs of embarrassment as she avoided Nadia’s scrutiny.

“I wasn’t entirely being truthful.” Immediately, Nadia thought back to the conversation in question and her eyes widened in alarm.

“Oh no, I did hurt you?” Luckily, before she could start into a waterfall of apologies Kayora looked her in the eyes and shook her head emphatically.

“No, no, you did not hurt me. But my lekku don’t get sensitive when I am relaxed. They get sensitive when I am …” she trailed off, seemingly hesitant to finish her sentence. She swallowed heavily, then spoke again. “When I am aroused.” Nadia’s eyes widened again, though this time it was more in disbelief mixed with glee. As she grappled with this realization, the prolonged silence caused Kayora to start her own spiral. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” She removed her arm from Nadia and began to shrink into herself. “That was too much and I don’t want to make-”

Nadia cut her off with an insistent kiss, trying to convey all the feelings she hadn’t yet been able to assign words to. She leaned heavily into Kayora, feeling her small breasts pressing into Kayora’s side as she wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Almost instantaneously Kayora returned the kiss, her eyes fluttering closed as she let her hands slide to Nadia’s waist, pulling her close. Flicking her tongue out, Nadia ran it along the seam of Kayora’s lips, teasing, before pressing in again. Once again Kayora surprised her, pulling Nadia’s bottom lip between her own, nipping it gently with her teeth. Feeling emboldened, Nadia ran her hands along her master’s back and up to her neck, then ever so briefly let one of those hands drift up and brush against a lekku. The moan that Kayora let out as she let Nadia’s lip go with a pop was a sound that Nadia couldn’t wait to hear again. It sent a shiver through her entire body, forcing her to smash their lips together again briefly, before pulling away, both of them breathing a little heavier.

“I’m going to regret telling you that, aren't I?” Kayora asked mischievously, her eyes slowly opening. 

Pressing a kiss to Kayora’s cheek, Nadia winked. “I don’t think you’ll regret what I do with that information.” She settled back into her master’s side, returning her head to Kayora’s shoulder. Feeling a hand come up to run through her hair, Nadia turned her head slightly to kiss the shoulder currently being used as a pillow. She let her lips linger, before turning back to watch the last light of day fade with the sun below the horizon.