stealth_andsecrets | First date jitters

Purple will come out in the main hold of Niverian's ship, the Nightshrike. The ship has been designed to look like the space-age version of a luxury yacht, while also being fully equipped for space combat and any task a spy might need to perform. And while Niverian's team would usually be lurking in various part of the ship, he's sent them all off on assignments of one kind or another—all tasks that are important and necessary, of course, but also serving the purpose of giving him some quality alone time with Purple, even if they won't be on the ship for the whole time.

He probably would've been jittery too, when he was younger and not as confident in himself as he is now. As it is, he's mostly excited, and looking forward to their first date, and to getting to know her better.

When she first PINs in, Niverian is in his cabin, still getting ready himself, though he's nearly done, only needing to run a comb through his hair a couple of times. Since today is about pleasure rather than business, he's resisted the urge to dress in his uniform, and is instead wearing a formal outfit that's mostly in white, gray, and gold.

A quiet chime in his cabin alerts him to Purple's arrival, and he smiles a little, setting his comb down and coming out to greet her. He stops for a moment when he first sees her, apparently rendered speechless for a few moments. But definitely in a good way, if the smile on his face is any indication. When he manages to collect himself again, he says, "Wow. You look absolutely beautiful, Anastasia."

((Niverian's outfit doesn't have a cape, but otherwise it's the same as the one in the screenshot.))

It takes her a moment, but when she realizes that she is on a ship, Purple is awed by her surroundings. She is further awed, and a bit speechless herself, when she sees Niverian in his formal outfit.

She blushes softly, and jingles her bracelets nervously.

"Thank you. You look handsome, yourself."

He smiles, definitely pleased by the compliment, "Thank you," he replies, stepping up to her, reaching out a hand to cup the side of her face. After a moment, he leans down to place a soft, gentle kiss on her mouth, starting slow, for the moment. He pulls away only a little, and murmurs, "Welcome aboard the Nightshrike. Shall I give you the tour?"

The soft kiss takes her breath away. And she wants to protest softly when he pulls away. "That would be nice. Thank you."

He smiles a little, slipping an arm around her waist, picking up a little on that reluctance. "There'll be more where that came from," he assures her quietly, smiling. He starts walking, guiding her towards the back of the ship first, showing her the crew cabin, the engine room, the cargo hold, telling her what each is for. The med bay and conference room are after that, followed by a brief peek into his cabin... where he hopes they'll get to spend some more time together, somewhere a little further down the line.

He saves the bridge, with its view of the space around them, for last. They're currently in orbit around the planet Alderaan, which, from space, is a blue and green orb with whispy white clouds, not dissimilar to Earth. A bright band of thick dust and stars cuts across the black of space, all they can currently see of the rest of Niverian's home galaxy. He gives her several moments to take in the view, then says, "That's the planet we're going to. It's called Alderaan. I thought you might like to see the view from space first, though, so I haven't landed yet."

She is amazed by each part of the ship. It is almost like someone had fit the entire dorm into this ship. And she pays careful attention to the information on each room.

There is an awed expression when they reach the bridge. And she stares down at the planet Alderaan, and the view of space around them.

"I have never been in space before..."

He smiles, turning his head towards her, leaning forward a little so his cheek brushes briefly against her hair. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asks quietly. "I was awed the first time I saw it too." He laughs a little. "That was ten years ago now... Time flies."

She doesn't hesitate to place her hand on his cheek. "You must get to travel anywhere you desire..."

"When I have the free time, yes," he answers, lifting his hand to lay over hers. "My employers gave me this ship so I'd have the freedom to go wherever I was needed. Or wherever I wanted to go while on leave." He falls silent for a moment. "I'll try to take you as many places in this galaxy as I can manage. Assuming you're up for the travel."

"I would love to explore more, and find new adventure." Purple can't believe this opportunity. As a human, she had always wanted to explore more place.

He smiles. "Good. In the meantime..." he gestures to Alderaan. "Let's show you this world. I've been here once before, on an assignment. Didn't really get a chance to truly enjoy the scenery." He moves towards the pilot's chair, a little reluctant to step away from her. He needs to bring them into the spaceport, though.

She watches him pilot the ship, amazed by another of his talents. "Is there anything I should know, before we land?"

"The last time I was here, the planet was in the middle of a succession war. Two of the noble houses of Alderaan, House Organa and House Thul, were fighting over the throne. But that was two years ago, and I'm not sure if the conflict is still active. If it is, we should be far removed from the actual fighting. We'll be staying inside the Thul castle grounds, and you don't fight a war by keeping your soldiers gathered around your home territory." He notices how she's watching him pilot the ship, and smiles a little. "I could teach you to fly the ship as well, if you like."

She enjoys learning more about this universe, since there is so little she does know about it.

"Really?" She beams at the offer. "That would be neat!"

He smiles over at her for a moment. "Then I guess we'll start lessons when we leave Alderaan." Then he turns his attention back to flying the ship. As they hit atmosphere, he navigates towards the largest continent, taking them down over an especially mountainous region, currently dusted over with a thick coating of snow. Several futuristic castles dot these mountains, and Niverian is currently flying towards one in the north. He's been here before, but in many ways, he's still awed by Alderaan's beauty. (And, of course, he has no idea what's going to happen to this beautiful world in another 3600 years.)

He brings them into the Rhu Caenus spaceport, just outside of the Thul castle grounds. The flight has been perfectly smooth all the way; the Nightshrike's inertial dampeners are of very good quality. Once they've landed, he switches off the engines and lowers the boarding ramp, then rises and takes her hand. "Shall we?"

((I think that's probably Castle Organa in the image, not Castle Thul, but Castle Thul is of similar design, and this is one of the best shots I could find of Alderaan from the game :). It's from the intro cinematic for the Republic.))

She is awed and amazed all over again, when she sees the landscape of where they are going. It is like a picture in a fantasy book. But it is real.

Nothing in Los Angeles could ever compare to it.

"Lead the way," She smiles softly.

He smiles, laces their fingers and leads her out of the ship. He pauses in the hangar to let her get a good look at the ship's exterior as well. Black paint against the silvery-gray metal hull spells out the ship's name in Aurebesh, towards the edge of the top of the ship. The hangar has several banners scattered around it, covered in intricate designs in various shades of violet, purple, red, and gold, the emblem of House Thul.

"It must be so amazing... to live in this ship. To travel..." Purple notes the banners. She is a little nervous. She has no idea what to expect from this world... from it's people.

But she knows he won't let her get lost.

"I do spend a lot of time on it," Niverian admits. "It's basically my home." He gives her hand a reassuring squeeze and heads out into the main spaceport. There are Thul guardsmen scattered here and there, but they don't really seem to notice either Purple or Niverian, or if they do, they clearly don't register either of them as a threat. House Thul is allied with the Sith Empire, just as the Chiss are, so they're assuming Niverian is an ally. And cyborgs are not at all unusual in this reality, so they don't even bat an eyelash at Purple.

He leads the way out of the space port, walking at a leisurely pace to give both of them some time to take in the scenery. The air is chilly, to go with the snow on the ground, a gentle breeze blowing through every now and then, rustling the branches of the evergreens scattered around the castle grounds and in the forests beyond. Overhead, large, avian creatures called thrantas drift serenely past, some with large saddles strapped to their backs and bearing passengers, others without any riders or saddles.

Thul nobles and servants mill around, going about their daily business, some walking with Imperial officers in gray uniforms that lack the red markings Niverian's uniform has, speaking to each other in low tones. Some other officers have purple markings instead of red. Some of them wear all gray uniforms with tan trousers.

Niverian takes her to a small restaurant on the Castle Thul grounds, one that has a spectacular view of the castle itself. The hostess greets them both politely, welcoming them to Alderaan and Castle Thul, and shows them to their table, leaving them with a pair of menus. Niverian pulls out her chair for her. "After you, madam," he says, smiling.

It is a nice change to not be stared at. And Purple relaxes slightly. The leisurely pace allows her to enjoy every aspect of the scenery. She doesn't notice the chilly air, since her cybernetic enhancements don't register temperature changes like others might.

She gives a slight gasp of shock when one of the thrantas drift past, since that is something she has never seen before. It is amazing seeing the creatures bearing passengers too. And she feels speechless again.

It is strange... everyone around her are technically the 'aliens', but it is Purple who feels so foreign. And she gives a soft blush again when Niverian pulls out her chair for her.

"I feel like this can't possibily be real..."

Most Alderaanians are human, as are most Imperial officers, and though there are a few alien officers as well, they're few and far between. The Empire has a bit of a problem with xenophobia, which Niverian has previously mentioned to her.

Once she's seated, he sits down at the chair opposite her, still smiling. "I know the feeling," he replies, reaching across the small table to lightly grasp one of her hands. "I felt that way after my adoptive father found me." He pauses. "Well, one of them, anyway. I didn't meet the other until a few weeks after. One day I'm just an orphan living on the streets of an Imperial colony, and then suddenly... I had a home. Someone to look up to, to watch out for me. And I'd found a purpose in life. It felt surreal at first." He glances off to the side for a moment, spotting one of the waitresses heading their way, then turns back to Purple. "Do you like wine at all?" he asks. "Alderaan's known for its vineyards, among other things. I don't usually drink, but... this is a special occasion."

Edited 2014-04-06 02:37 (UTC)

"You are an orphan too..." Purple gently squeezes his hands.

"I am so glad you found someone to give you a home. I never had that chance... until the Iniative gave me a new life."

"I would be willing to try some wine..."

He nods. "My parents died in a shuttle crash when I was two." He pauses for a moment. "Scaled to the rate humans mature at, I would've been roughly four, physiologically. My species matures about twice as quickly as humans do, though once we reach adulthood we age at roughly the same rate."

The waitress stops by the table to ask them what they'd like to drink. She's human, with dark golden hair tied into a loose tail at her back and brown eyes. Niverian orders glasses of ice water for both of them and a bottle of red wine for them to share. Once the waitress leaves to get the drinks, he turns back to Purple. "So, how did you come to be part of the Initiative?" he asks, genuinely curious.

This is always hard to speak about, since it has disturbed others before. So Purple pauses to reflect for a moment.

"They found my body... under the bridge. I had just... died, so they considered me a good candidate for the procedure."

"We were all once human... at one time."

His lips part for a moment, a little empathetic pain jolting his heart for a moment. "They saved your life..." He squeezes her hand for a moment. "It must have been a difficult adjustment to make." He isn't in the least disturbed by this news. A little saddened, maybe, that she lost her life at all, and at the idea that, if the Initiative hadn't intervened, he would've missed out on meeting her altogether. But not disturbed.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject