stealth_andsecrets | First date jitters

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.

"I was a victim of life on the streets..." Purple frowns slightly. It is nice that he doesn't judge her.

"But when I woke up, with the adjustments, it took me by surprise at first."

"They became my new family."

He smiles wryly. "It is hard, growing up on the streets, no matter which reality you're from," he agrees. His smile soon loses the wry quality to it. "But we both found new homes. People to call our families."

The waitress comes back with their water and wine. Some traditions carry across realities, apparently, because Niverian does a quick taste-test to make sure the wine's still good before the waitress pours glasses for both of them, and then retreats to give them more time to decide what they want to eat. Niverian lifts his wine glass up a bit. "Shall we drink a toast?" he asks Purple.

There is another soft smile, when he relates to the life on the street. It is nice to know that they have that in common too.

"Certainly. How about one in your native language?"

He smiles at that suggestion and nods. "Sure." He ponders for a moment, then lifts his glass a little higher, leaning forward a bit. "Ch'at nuz bazan. To new beginnings." Which is something else they both have in common. They were both given new beginnings. His came from Cipher Two, hers, from the Initiative. He clinks glasses with her, and takes a sip of the wine, closing his eyes and taking a moment to enjoy the gentle bite of the alcohol. It's not something he experiences often, after all.

She might not have the right vocal cords to say it properly, but she silently mouths the phrase to herself. She really wants to learn more about his culture and his language.

"To new beginnings."

She sips the wine too. Enjoying the taste and flavor. Every new taste, new drink, new food sensation is something to be enjoyed and savored now. Especially now that she has a new embrace on life.

He opens his eyes again, catching the tail end of her mouthing the words of the toast, and smiles a little, then takes a look at the menu. Which is, unfortunately, in Aurebesh, but until he gets a chance to teach her how to read it, he can translate for her. "At some point I should probably teach you how to read the writing system most people use here," he notes, looking back up at her. "The good thing is it'll be easy to learn. English and Basic are the same language; they just use different writing systems. Every symbol in Aurebesh, the writing system used here, equates with one in the Roman alphabet." Another brief pause, and he adds, "I could teach you to understand the Chiss trade language, Cheunh, as well, if you like. Though it'll be difficult for you to speak properly. It's hard for almost all non-Chiss to speak."

"I learn fast..." She taps the left side of her head, where the cybetic enhancements are visible. "I am not as good as Swan or Mouse, but they are more experienced than I, and were gifted with different abilities."

"I would be glad to be your student."

He smiles. "I would be glad to be your teacher," he replies. "Among other things." He scoots his chair around a little closer to help her with the menu. His frequent visits to Ed's version of Earth have left him with a decent understanding of the food there and which kinds of foods in his galaxy are similar. While he goes through the menu with her, he asks, hoping to use the information to make a few recommendations, "What kinds of food do you generally enjoy most back home? A particular kind of meat, or anything else...?"

"Maybe both..." She lightly teases him. Leaning close to him as he helps her understand the menu.

"Salmon. Chicken. Red meat... potatoes. Pasta. anything really."

He laughs gently. "I'd like that," he replies, leaning in close as well.

He nods and points out a few items on the menu that are similar. He's in a red meat mood himself, and one of the native bovine species on Alderaan is the humble nerf. (As in, 'Why you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking... nerf-herder!') And nerf steaks are on the menu, served with something akin to potatoes and salad. There are also poultry items and seafood on the menu as well, but Niverian will definitely be ordering a steak.

Purple decides to order a nerf steak as well, with potatoes and a soup. "If you have anything unique to suggest for dessert..."

Then she giggles, realizing that might sound a little naughty.

He laughs a little himself. "Not at the moment, but I'm sure I'll think of something," he replies, reaching over to brush a lock of her hair behind one ear. He decides not to move his chair back to its original position, even though they've ordered and don't need to peruse the menu together any more; he rather enjoys being this close to her.

Purple smiles gently as he brushes that lock of her hair behind her ear. And doesn't move his back back to its original position.

She enjoys being close to him too.

"What is the best place you had the chance to visit?"

He makes a thoughtful humming noise, leaning his head very gently against hers. "Tough call," he answers. "Nar Shaddaa was interesting, if only because of the lights and the sheer bustle of being on a moon completely covered in city. Visiting the ice planet Hoth several months ago agreed most with my biology, as my species evolved on a similar world. I got to see the place where Sith learn to use their powers once, but the one time was enough... Korriban isn't a pleasant place to be; the only reason I wanted to see it even the one time was because I'm a patriot. Dromund Kaas is the Imperial capital, so I spend a lot of time there, but it isn't exactly pleasant either... I don't really know." He pauses. "Or... wait, there is one planet that stands out, out of the way, picturesque, quiet. My fathers and I all have safehouses there. Places we can escape to if we make the wrong kind of enemies, where they won't find us, and we can lie low for a bit. It's called Aite."

She smiles when he makes that humming noise, finding it quite cute. And she listens intently to the descriptions of the places he has visited.

"I can't... I can't imagine how boring Los Angeles must be to you."

He smiles over at her. "It isn't boring," he answers, honestly. "It's... frankly, fascinating. I'm so used to how advanced everything is here, it's... a very different experience, to see someplace that isn't. To see the solutions people come up with to solve problems or aid them in accomplishing goals when they don't have the resources people here do. I admire their creativity, their ingenuity. And in some ways... it's like stepping back in time. Seeing how things might've been in my galaxy before the first sentient life forms reached the stars." The smile broadens a little. "My people enjoy studying other cultures. Understanding them. Part of it's a defence mechanism, in case we come under attack by those other cultures. But we still strive to learn about them. And in that regard, I'm no different from any other Chiss. Other societies, other realities, are fascinating to me."

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