#✧･ﾟ ——— ❛ the last of the nightsisters among the stars . ❪ 004. | ii. ❫

[ofmagiick]

✧･ﾟ ——— ❛ @tapalslegacy | continued from here !

✧･ﾟ ——— ❛   merrin struggled to not smile at cal   ,   at his confusion   .   his actions were endearing   ,   the concern   ,   and puzzling over the meaning of her words   .   maybe they had been a bit confusing   ,   after all   ,   explosions never meant anything good was coming their way   .   she refused to take them back   ,   though   .   not after she ' d put her feelings out there   ,   one way or another   .   now   ,   cal just had to find the meaning   .   and given his problem - solving skills that had gotten them this far   ,   he should figure it out   ,   sooner or later   .

❝   i ' m fine   .   no pain   .   ❞   merrin moved to stand next to him   ,   dark eyes glancing over the horizon in front of them   .   ❝   i think it might be a good idea to make camp   ,   though   .   sunset looks close   ,   and the wilderness hasn ' t been the nicest in the daylight   .   ❞   nodding towards a nearby outcropping of rock   ,   the nightsister hitched her pack higher   ,   before stepping off   .   ❝   that should provide us some nice cover while we sleep   .   no imperial patrols   ,    no skritons   .   just the stars and all this sand   .    ❞   her nose wrinkled as she once more brushed fine grains from the folds of her clothing   ,   callused hands chaffing against the particulates   .   it truly did get everywhere   .

the witch turned her head back to look at him   ,   chin brushing her shoulder as she did   .   ❝   i don ' t think i ever properly thanked you for pulling me from the wreckage of dathomir   .   ❞   she turned her head back towards her destination   ,   intent on not slipping on the shifting sand   .   what a mood - killer that would be   ,   opening her heart to him only to tumble to the ground   .   ❝   i would have rotted with the corpses of my sisters if you hadn ' t stumbled along and showed me how my desire for revenge was eating me from the inside out   ,   like drinking bane back acid   .   so   ,   thank you   ,   cal kestis   ,   for saving me from my ghosts   .   ❞

upon reaching the rocky outcropping   ,   merrin shrugged off her pack   ,   resting for just a moment   .   they ' d need a fire soon   ,   but lingering daylight lit the desert around them well enough   ,   even with the long shadows being cast across it ' s surface   .

[ofmagiick]

✧･ﾟ ——— ❛ @tapalslegacy . ❪ random asks ! ❫ "Why do you love me? Even if I'm flawed?"

✧･ﾟ ——— ❛   the question made her pause for a moment   ,   mind working for the best way to phrase her answer   .   brows furrowed as she chewed on her lip   ,   concerned equally with getting the right wording as she was what prompted the query   .   ❝   i do not love you because you are perfect   ,   nor do i love you because you are imperfect   .   i love you because you are cal   .   ❞   the words felt insufficient as she turned to face him   ,   one hand reaching out for his own   .   ❝   i   ,   too   ,   am flawed   ,   so why would i hold you to a standard i myself cannot reach   ?   ❞   she moved their joined hands to rest over her heart   ,   her other hand lifting to cup his jaw   .   ❝   i love you for your bravery as much as i love you for your temper   .   your resolve and your fear   ,   your passion and wilfulness   .   i love all that you are   ,   all that makes cal kestis   ❛   cal kestis   ❜   .   if i could look at you and only love parts   ,   then i could not truly love you   .   ❞   deep brown eyes lock with his vibrant green   ,   searching for what insecurity dwelt deep within   .   ❝   i love you because you have taught me how to live again   .   i love you because you inspire me   .   ❞

merrin lifted herself up onto her toes to press a kiss to his nose   .   ❝   i could list reasons why i love you   ,   and this galaxy will burn itself out before i am a tenth of the way through   .   i do not need perfection   ,   cal   ,   i need you   .   i love you   .   ❞   moving her hand to his neck   ,   she gently pulled his head down to her   ,   pressing soft kisses to his cheek and forehead in turn   .   ❝   what brought this on   ,   my love   ?   why would you think your flaws make you less worthy of love   ?   ❞

[ofmagiick]

✧･ﾟ ——— ❛   dark  eyes  drift  down  the  line  of  his  torso  once  more  as  he  leans  towards  the  fire  .  merrin  watches  ,  entranced  by  the  play  of  firelight  over  tanned  skin  and  pale  scars  .  it  really  was  unfair  ,  the  things  his  attractiveness  did  to  her  heart  .  skipping  so  many  beats  consecutively  couldn ' t  be  very  good  for  her  health  .  once  more  ,  she  can  hear  him  speaking  ,  but  the  words  roll  over  her  like  soft  thunder  ,  a  gentle  rumble  in  the  background  .  her  focus  is  instead  on  his  hands  ,  arms  ,  chest  ,  bathed  in  golds  from  the  fire  .  the  witch  shifted  closer  to  the  fire  as  a  shiver  runs  down  her  spine  ,  though  it  was  more  from  the  idea  of  running  her  hands  across  his  skin  than  any  chill  in  the  air  .

   

 as  the  warmth  of  the  fire  washes  over  her  face  ,  merrin  shrugged  her  jacket  off  ,  the  leather  resting  beside  her  for  the  moment  .  stretching  her  own  hands  out  towards  the  fire  ,  her  gaze  drifted  back  to  cal  ,  and  his  words  start  to  filter  into  her  brain  properly  once  more  .  ❝  how  sweet  of  you  ,  cal  .  ❞  her  words  are  soft  ,  accompanied  by  a  softer  smile  .  ❝  you  could  never  become  mundane  to  me  ,  either  .  ❞  her  eyes  trace  another  lazy  path  across  his  skin  ,  before  drifting  up  to  the  stars  above  them  .

❝  hopefully  you  only  ever  have  to  save  me  from  my  ghosts  once  .  feeling  their  grip  on  my  heart  was  more  than  enough  while  i  grew  up  with  them  ,  but  i  am  my  own  person  .  i  need  to  grow  beyond  them  ,  now  .  ❞  she  sighed  softly  ,  hands  moving  to  suport  her  weight  against  the  rock  beneath  her  .  ❝  my  sisters  helped  me  ,  but  they  could  only  help  so  much  .  now  ,  i  need  to  remember  them  with  their  teachings  ,  but  by  living  my  own  life  .  ❞ 

  

 she  lowered  her  head  to  look  at  cal  —  his  shoulders  ,  really  —  once  more  ,  before  speaking  again  .  ❝  the  firelight  makes  your  hair  the  most  beautiful  shades  of  gold  and  red  .  ❞  well  ,  that  wasn ' t  what  merrin  had  intended  to  say  ,  and  a  light  green  flush  bloomed  on  her  cheeks  as  a  result  .  she  didn ' t  take  the  words  back  ,  though  .  she  refused  to  dance  around  it  with  cal  anymore  .  she  wanted  him  to  know  how  she  cared  for  him  .  she  wanted  him  to  know  that  her  affection  for  him  ran  deeper  than  just  friendship  .

The sun has sunk lower behind the canyons, and the temperature drop followed. Cal was naturally acclimated to the cold climate, so long as it isn't such an extreme as it was on Ilum. He raised his fingertips up over the fire. The warmth brushed against his skin, the crackle of the makeshift firewood and his now burnt shirt provided some white noise amongst her voice.

He scoffed, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "You? Mundane?" He glanced at her. The Jedi shook his head gently. "No... You are..." Maker, he could have said so many things at this moment.

The reason I looked forward to the day when you were back on the Mantis. I can never get tired of admiring you. You make all my burdens bearable.

The words got caught in his throat. He can't say that, right? It goes against the Code. And besides... All of this can't be anything more than innocent... Amicable... Non-sexual conversation.

...Sex?

The Jedi balled his fists. Fuck. Don't, Cal. She's a friend. You can't just undress her with your eyes.

He drew in a deep breath through his nostrils and out through his mouth. "...You will never be mundane to me, Merrin." BD-1 draws nearer and gently nudges Cal with one of his little durasteel feet. His eyes narrow at BD-1. What could the droid possibly want at this moment?

Cal, through his irritation, rolled his eyes. But he continued. "There's never a boring day when you're around," he says, his voice dropping in volume as his eyes remained trained on the fire. He scoffed, now completely forgetting his droid's attempts at attention as his lips pulled back to reveal a toothy grin. "...And I'd happily take your hand again and save you from your ghosts, again and again."

[ofmagiick]

✧･ﾟ ——— ❛   somewhere in the back of her mind   ,   merrin knew that cal was talking   .   answering a question she ' d asked him   .   what was it about   ?   travelling   ,   maybe   ?   not like it mattered all that much  ,   given that all logical thought had fled her mind upon seeing the scarred   ,   muscled expanse of his back   .   each inch that his shirt rose higher chipped away at her self - control a little more   ,   leaving her with the overwhelming desire to trace her fingers across the revealed skin   .   so caught in her admiration of him   ,   she almost didn ' t notice his glance back towards her figure   . watching the shifting of his muscles under his skin as he tore the shirt   —   right   ,   fires need kindling   —   in the last vestiges of sunlight created an image she wished to sear into her memory   .   it was cosmically unfair for a jedi with their code of   ❛   no attachments   ❜   to look that good   .

the resistance fighter ' s movement   ,   leaning down to blow on the fire   ,   shook the nightsister from her trance   .   merrin lifted a hand to her cheek as she glanced away   ,   ostensibly to provide a rest for her chin   .   in reality   ,   she hoped to mask whatever blush might be highlighting the tattoos across her cheeks   .   when the red - head cleared his throat   ,   she turned to look at him once more   ,   watching the growing firelight dance across his chest   .   ❛   stars align i see   .   ❜   oh   ,   this man couldn ' t be more endearing if he tried   .   to trip over his words like that made her heart melt   .

❝   i make you see stars   ?   ❞   the confession brings a smile to her face   ,   lifting her heart with fondness   .   ❝   normally   ,   that would be quite romantic   ,   i think   .   but   —   ❞    merrin leaned towards him   ,   her eyes drifting down to his collarbones for a full second before lazily dragging back up to meet his own   ❝   —   by your own admission   ,   you only look at the stars to navigate   .   does that mean you see me as mundane   ?   ❞   her tone was mischevious   ,   looking to tease more heartfelt words from the jedi seated near her   .

❝   your arrival on dathomir opened my eyes to more of the galaxy than i ever thought i ' d see   .   ❞   the witch ' s gaze drifts to the fire   ,   dark brown gilded by orange to become liquid amber as she stares deep into the coals   .   ❝   i ' ll never regret taking your hand and leaving behind my home full of ghosts   .   ❞   ducking her head in embarrassment of the weight of her last statement   ,   merrin turned away to collect herself   .   using the excuse of reaching for the rations of food she ' d pulled out earlier   ,   the witch centered herself before turning back towards cal   ,   one hand extended to offer him the food with a small smile   .

His form stiffened when her fingers made contact with his skin. Though it lasted only a moment, he felt like her hand stayed on his skin for eons. Kark. His emerald eyes followed her palm as she withdrew it. The Jedi compressed his lips slightly and his gaze shifted back down to the pile of sticks laid out. Cal wanted nothing more than to feel her touch again... But that goes against everything the Order taught him. And it was at times such as these that his resentment for the ways of the Jedi grew even more. It's outrageous. It's unfair. How could one's attachment be so controversial? Could it actually lead a Jedi down the path to the Dark Side? The resentment turned into rage as his brows furrowed, fists clenched-- Yet Cal's travel companion calling his face pretty brought him back to his senses. His expression softened and he let his fists unfurl. The compliment went completely over his head, with the man chalking it up to nothing but playful banter, and earned a small, melodic laugh from his lips. "I don't think my appearance had anything to do with the latero letting me on his ship," he admitted. Cal nudged the sand a little bit forward with his right boot and created a small crater in its wake. "I think it was Cere who convinced him that I hold some value." Do you have a favorite? The Jedi Knight and resistance fighter mulled it over in his head as he shed his blue vest from his shoulders. The scout droid consequently took this as a sign that it was time to hop off and rest on the sand. "Hmm," came a hum from his throat. "Don't think I have one. I just use them to navigate the Galaxy," the Force user admitted. He crossed one arm over the another and, with his fingers, tugged the hem of his white long-sleeve shirt up. As he dragged it up his torso, it revealed his lean, toned upper body, forged from years of intense training and intense combat. The defined grooves that outline the muscle groups highlight the tension underlying the skin. With his shirt now just covering his forearms, he tilted his head slightly at the Nightsister. "Do you have a favorite?" He stole a quick glance at her hips before he looked away. Oops. Cal then grabbed a part of the white shirt and pulled it off his arms. He utilized his strength to rip tear the fabric apart and tossed it into the pile. The man knelt in front of the pile of wood and revealed a lighter from the pocket of his cargo pants, using that to ignite the remnants of the top. Leaning over, Cal blew on the fire and watched it consume the tinder. The orange hue reflected in his eyes, the mirror image dancing in them as it did in front of him. He had an opportunity to flirt with the Nightsister that presented itself to him. Perhaps he should take it. Cal cleared his throat. "...There is always time to explore the Galaxy more and create our own constellation. Every time I look at you, Stars--" God he felt so awkward. He heard the sound of BD-1's head unit tilt with a gentle whir. "...Stars align I see." He fucked that up, didn't he? BD-1 let out a small concerned beep. It translated to Aw, Cal... It was one of empathy at how terribly he stumbled over his words. "Every time I look at you, I see the stars align," he corrected. And he cleared his throat again as he shifted his weight back to sit on the sand behind him. He felt so embarrassed he couldn't even get himself to look at her. Surely she's encountered others that he can't even hold a candle to, and perhaps they were better versed in the art of flirtation than he was.

[ofmagiick]

✧･ﾟ ——— ❛   the sudden sound of skin striking skin had merrin whipping her head around   ,   bd - 1 ' s frantic chirping no balm to her worries    .   dark eyes shone with worry as she stepped towards him   ,   tracing across the faint flush on pale skin   .   her gaze flit across the sharp line of his jaw   ,   before she shook her head and turned back towards her pack   ,   digging out some rations for dinner   .   ❝   you should be careful   ,   jedi   .   it wouldn ' t do to destroy one of your best tools   .   that pretty face of yours is likely the only reason you even managed to befriend greez in the first place   .   ❞   humor masked the concern in her voice   ,   gently teasing cal   ,   even as the witch ' s eyes tracked his movements for any other oddities   .   setting the food next to her   ,   merrin sat back   ,   waiting on the firewood   .

her attention on her jedi companion allowed her to admire the long lines of his form   ,   and how those pants clung nicely to his legs   ,   when he froze at her mention of the stars   .   ❝   for someone who has travelled them quite a lot   ,   why is it the mention of the stars give you pause   ?   i thought you enjoyed your wanderings   ?   ❞   merrin had an idea of why he ' d frozen   ,   elder sisters had mentioned enjoying sitting out with those special to them   ,   tracing patterns and identifying planets   .   the feelings that often came with   .   perhaps he ' d even sit next to her to stargaze   ,   and she could lean against him under the guise of needing a better angle to admire the far off points of light   .

stars are nice   .   his words pulled a soft laugh from her throat   .   what did that temple teach him   ?   it certainly taught him very little social skills   ,   and how to swing that glowing sword with no abandon   ,   woe be to anything in his way   .   ❝   they are nice   .   nice to look at   ,   and travel to   .   do you have a favorite   ?   ❞

Honestly, he had been trying so hard to listen to her words. But he was juggling between listening and thinking in his own head. And also realizing how GOOD she looked at golden hour. The sun had cast an orange glow over her skin and highlighted her light hair. If he hadn't realized that he was stepping on sand that now transitioned into rock, he would have slipped. Probably hit his head. Cal paused, stopped in his tracks... Kark, did he really think that? That she looked good? When he thought she had her back turned to him, he quickly raised a palm and slapped himself across the face. His sudden choice of violence had made his scout droid emit a low beep. It translated to CAL!!! Get yourself together, Kestis! His inner voice screamed. You're a Jedi for Maker's sake. "Um," he began. "Yeah." He slowly nodded as he followed her. "...Of course." Cal cleared his throat. His intrusive thoughts had a chokehold on him. Did I really think she was physically attractive? Cal's eyes raised back towards the female Dathomirian... Straight at her lips. ...What would her lips feel like against mine? Ashamed at his own thoughts, yet again, he averted his gaze and began to scavenge for tinder, kindling, and... He doubts there would be any firewood. Maybe he can rip off a part of his shirt. It's old, anyway. His boots gently scrapped against the rocks and small patches of sand. He froze halfway down as he bent over to pick up some sticks--probably left behind by someone, maybe a Hidden Path member, from Force knows when. ...Stars? "Stars?" He repeated out loud. Sounds... Romantic. But... This can be totally platonic, right? The Jedi pressed his lips into a thin line, shrugged, got what he needed from the floor, and stood straight up. "Yeah. Stars are... Nice." This man's brain is literally short-circuiting as he speaks. He goes to the center of the area and tosses the sticks onto the sand.