The gym was mostly open planned. A large space with two floors, plenty of windows and even more air conditions. It was well lit with warm but bright overhead fixtures, highlighing all there.
The downstairs was split into two areas, the part beneath the second floor and the part that was not, as the second floor only took up about half the room, providing a balcony to look upon it from overhead. In that space was dojo mats. Four of them, all with padding around the edges and seats against the walls facing inwards towards them. Only one of them was in use this late in the evening, as a pair of Humans went through the motions together with grim expressions on their faces.
The other half was dedicated to strength training. Dumb bells, machines and various other equipment was in various spots. It was the busiest part of the building.
Upstairs was more leisurely activities. For those who didn’t push themselves to the limit at least. Kerissa certainly wasn’t as she walked rather casually on the treadmill. It was on a incline, though she had no intentions of pushing herself. Glancing around, other people definitely were. Using rowers, step machines and the yoga mats, medicine balls and whatever other named equipment she hadn’t learned the names of yet. They all looked rather intense about it. She guessed it made sense, considering that this was the Brotherhood. Many of them would be expected to fight against the various threats the group faced. Only a recent recruit, Kerissa wasn’t in a rush to risk her life for them although it wouldn’t be through physical exertion that she did if it came to it. The Force was her strength. It’d worked well enough thus far.
She was wearing a loose crop top and a pair of matching shorts that came just above her knees. With shorts being more awkward to hide her tail away in, they were altered to let her tail be out in the open. Anywhere else and Kerissa would have been hesistant but thankfully most people in gyms ignored eachother.
It wasn’t like in a club where there laid risk of some drunken idiots deciding to grab the shiny thing, though Kerissa had forgone the bow while she was exercising. The golden piece of ribbon was tucked away in a locker near the entrance along with her other things. It’d look silly and either way she wouldn’t be wearing it in combat by choice either.
Even during their youth long ago, Savran Has took their training seriously. Today was no different. Working alone at the bench press, Savran counted the reps in their head while they pressed the barbell above their chest. It wasn’t the heaviest weight they could handle, but it was enough for them to challenge themselves with a higher number of reps. By the time they completed about five more presses and felt the fatigue start to build in their arms and chest, they stopped.
Savi grabbed their water bottle and headed up the stairs. It was time to work on their cardiovascular health with a good treadmill session. It wasn’t until they’d stepped onto their own treadmill that they noticed a familiar Kessurian-Ryn woman next to them.
“Kerissa?” they asked, sounding a little too excited than they were used to hearing themselves call someone’s name. They leaned their head over the treadmill’s control panel to get a better look at her. It was her, no doubt. Though she wore different clothes than what they wore when out clubbing (of course), the pattern of dense mottling across her face and montrals, and her tail were dead giveaways.
Kerissa about tripped over at hearing her name so suddenly. She pulled out one of the earbuds she had in, a grin crossing her face at seeing Savran.
“Savi?”
What in the galaxy?! They’d met not so long ago, at a club of all things. Kriff, that had been a great night. But the Shani was part of the Brotherhood too?
“What are the karking odds! How are you?”
Savran’s lips curved into a smile once Kerissa acknowledged them. Few people had managed to make the Shani actually excited or happy to see them, but Kerissa had shown herself to be fun company in their short time knowing one another.
“I’m hanging in there,” they said, reaching out to offer a hand to their newest acquaintance. “What about you? Not still beating up touchy-feely boys are you?”
They glanced toward the Kessurian-Ryn’s tail before meeting her gaze again, offering a wink to convey to what they were referring.
Kerissa stepped off her treadmill. It was still in motion and she was not well balanced enough to twist, shake a hand while walking on a constant incline like that. Still, she shook it.
“People are a lot less touchy feely in a gym.” Kerissa laughed, her tail flicking slightly in amusement with it, “or i would have to. Never mind that itd be impossible to hide it in shorts without something else helping anyway. Too much effort. What about you? Any of your clientelle causing you problems? Especially if they’re ones set against this place.”
Savran nodded. “You shouldn’t have to hide it anyway, just like I shouldn’t have to hide these,” Savi said, gesturing toward their wild mane of multicolored feathers. “It’s a total invasion of boundaries and also ick, of course, but I can see why they want to touch it. It’s pretty. Most people see my hair and are afraid.”
Savi paused for a moment, only to speak again when they realized how sad that sounded. “Which is fine, of course. They should be afraid.” They placed their fists on their hips and puffed up their chest a bit, clearly poking fun of themselves.
“My clientele are fine. I’ve actually been taking more assignments from the Brotherhood, turns out. They pay well and give me access to equipment that I would have to steal or threaten people to give me otherwise,” they explained, “Though, I’ve run afoul of the Dogs of Mortis recently. Quite an annoying group of enemies you all have.”
Kerissa laughed at the display, shaking her head.
“Ah, fair enough. And hey, not my enemies yet. I haven’t hit my first month being a recruit here. I’m sure they will be, from what I’ve read of past… events, they’re a problem. But I’m still learning who’s who on our team, never mind the other.”
She rolled her eyes, before letting her shoulders drop, “There is a lot to read though. I took a trip a few days after we met to the Shadow Academy. I think you could get lost there for years and not learn it all.” The exasperation melted into awe at the idea of it. There was much to learn! Yet.. There was so much to learn, and it excited Kerissa. “I’m not scary on the battlefield, but the plan is to not need to be.”
Her eyes widened a bit upon hearing how green Kerissa was. “Oh, wow. Only a month, huh? Hopefully, everyone has been treating you well enough,” they said, leaning against the treadmill to ensure no one tried to swipe the machine they intended to use.
“It is pretty impressive,” Savran concurred, “I’ve only been there once so far but there really is a wealth of knowledge housed there.”
A grin appeared on the shani’s face when Kerissa mentioned her plan for herself. Although the woman had shown a bit of what she was capable of on the night they met, it made Savi curious what else she was capable of. “Work smarter, not harder. Right?” she said with a wink.
“Well, joining was a bit awkward. I met a few Arconans by chance at the Ryn gathering, but I’ve ended up here to it all worked out.” She shrugged.
And then grinned nodding, “Exactly. It’s a lot safer too. I’m not like you and able to kick ass at the drop of a hat. Not.. without drawing a lot of unwanted attention at least. A lot…”
Once when she’d been younger she’d done that and still hadn’t returned to that planet.
“Remind me to ask you to spar sometime,” Savran said, giving her a gentle nudge with their elbow. “I still don’t know what you’re fully capable of, but it’s clear you can handle yourself.”
Savi folded their arms in front of their chest before continuing. “If our drunken club brawls are any indication, though, we make a good team. You should stick around more … if you can hang, that is.”
“Well are you free now? I was getting bored just walking anyway.” Kerissa perked up slightly, “Not.. that I really do the whole hand to hand combat style, but we can use the Force openly here too. Team work works best if you know what people can do.”
She grinned slightly, one hand on her hip.
Savi looked around for a moment, spotting the distant rooms where Brotherhood members could spar with one another. Well, they hadn’t considered having a sparring session at this very moment, but they supposed that would be better cardio than running on a treadmill.
“That’s a good point,” Savran said, responding with a grin of their own. They grabbed their water bottle and stepped away from the treadmill, gesturing for Kerissa to follow. “Don’t be afraid to use your lightning, either. I can take it.”
Kerissa grabbed her own things, actually pressing the off button for the treadmill and following after Savi. They walked down the stairs together and over toward the dojo matts.
“Are you.. sure? The burns can be very intense, I can try to make sure it doesn’t do anything too bad of course but there’s always a risk. I’d much rather just throw you across the room than accidentally… Well.”
The Kessurian mix waved a hand, not particularly wanting to list out all the potential dangers of using that ability and either losing control or underestimating it. It was one she was quite good at, yes, but Kerissa wasn’t exactly confident in sparring with it. It wasn’t like a blaster that had a stun setting after all.
“I’m sure,” Savi said, seemingly unfazed by the severity of Kerissa’s warning. “If I sustain any injuries that are really bad, I can heal myself. And use a bacta tank, as well.” Working as a mercenary for so long had given the shani plenty of opportunities to learn how to recover from injuries, and how to heal with minimal scarring on their body as well.
It didn’t take them long to reach one of the private sparring rooms, a mostly nondescript room with floors made of spongy material that had enough resistance for them to move effectively but that would still absorb some of the force of impact should either of them fall or throw one another.
“If you don’t feel comfortable using it, then don’t,” they continued while doing a few stretches, “If not, then you can stick to trying to throw me across the room.”
Kerissa narrowed her eyes at the teasing, “I think I can try both, as you’re so confident.”
It had been a long time since she allowed herself to fully let go with the lightning. Little pulses here and there, when necessay but always under a severe amount of control. It wouldn’t be so difficult to continue that trend now, but the Kessurian mix was admittedly nervous to do it. Embracing one’s abilities meant knowing the full reprecussions of them. The world had made sure she was more than aware of the reprecusssions for a lot of her existence and while most she could flaunt in spite of it… this one wasn’t exactly wrong for them to judge her for.
But.. Savran wasn’t. They were encouraging it. She knew what she was doing enough to not let go.
Kerissa performed her own stretches, though quite plainly having no where near the same level of flexibility as she barely was able to reach her toes. Her knees might’ve bent a little.
Once done with that, the Arcanist stood straight and raised her hands, “Ready when you are.”
“I remember you being more limber,” Savran said with a wink while lowering herself into her own stance. “Ready.”
Savran dashed forward, leading with a whipping hook with her left fist to Kerissa’s face.
Kerissa felt the blow before it landed, a breeze in the world itself echoing and giving her a chance to side step it. She didn’t hesistate to continue, turning on her heel and swinging out her arm to have her hand face Savran in a sharp shoving gesture, palm flat as if she was actually shoving something.
The Force moved with her, and as if she had swung a punch Savran had an invisible force striking for their stomach.
Savran didn’t let their failed attack deter them. They were prepared to deliver another, but Kerissa moved faster than her this time. The Force was slow to alert her to the danger of her attack, and the pulse of telekinetic power hit the Shani’s stomach flush, knocking them backward.
“Good one,” they said with a smile. The blow hurt but they didn’t show it. Instead, Savi crouched low to the ground and sprang forward like a striking serpent. They had intended to boost their speed with the Force, but it didn’t heed their call. So, they opted for another straight punch toward her stomach.
The breeze passed her once again and she followed the flow of the Force, its guiding hand leading her correctly once again.
Sadly she failed to bolster it once again, drawing it together to try and gather it around Savran to push them to a stop. Or at least slow them down and give herself some space. But before it ever truly coaslesced it failed and the gathering of power dissipated like trying to grasp at sand to form it into a mold but finding out it was in fact and the grains falling free.
“Got you,” Savi said with a smirk when Kerissa faltered, shooting low to wrap her arms around the woman’s waist and tackle her to the ground. But she felt an aftershock from the Kessurian-Ryn’s previous Force attack, and grimaced while falling into an improperly executed takedown.
Kerissa stumbled back, a movement lacking any grace but it was enough that with the Force’s warning she avoided the grasp.
In the same motion she swung her arm, her hand grasping and then flinging outward, palm flat to the wind as they threw Savran away from her across the room.
She was nervous, but did let out a small laugh, “That was a good try I’d say!”
Savran hit the ground with a muffled grunt. What the hell was happening? They never had this much trouble in a fight. Then again, martial arts wasn’t their strong suit. And they couldn’t use their blades against Kerissa. Maybe they should take a page from her book and use the Force from a distance?
“Seems like someone has been working on their Force powers,” Savi said while standing up. Then, they extended a hand toward her, commanding the Force to act upon their will and throw the woman into the back wall.
Kerissa yelped as she was thrown, the noise cut off as she impacted the wall behind her.
Ouch.
But at the same time, the timing of that was quite hilarious and laughter escaped her once she got her breath back, returning to her feet and trying to dowse the room in darkness. The shadows thickened for a moment but didn’t expand outside of where they should be and quickly returned. She was out of breath. It made it difficult to bring the Force to grasp.
Savi failed to stifle a laugh of her own when Kerissa laughed. But that didn’t deter them from using the Force to pull her back across the room just far enough for her to land at her feet.
“Hey, look,” they began, placing a hand on their hip. “You’re looking up at me for a change.”
“You didn’t mind that in bed.” Kerissa said, after once again regaining her breath and reaching her hand up with a claw like grip.
Tendrils of lightning sparked to life from them, as the Force explosively was channeled through her, bounding out in arcs toward Savi with little distance to cover.
“I-I… well, of cou–” Kerissa’s comment made Savi falter, and that was enough for her to succeed. Savi was just too slow to avoid, and they cried out in pain when the Force lightning struck them. They hit the ground, though they managed to stay on one knee as the lightning coursed through her body.
With the same hand held on the floor, they smacked the palm of their hand against it to release a wave of telekinetic force across the floor to trip her.
Kerissa almost fell, she’d barely been stood from being yanked across the room but even despite the shaking of the floor the Kessurian mix managed to regain her feet.
Seeing them cry out like that discouraged Kerissa from using the lightning again, but instead used the Force to try and press a weight against them to force them to the ground.
And so, they did, though Savran managed to at least roll over onto their back when Kerissa pinned them to the ground. She wouldn’t hold the shani down for long, though. A surge of power washed over them. The Force gave them the strength to push through their invisible restraints and dive forward to tackle Kerissa to the floor. With one shin planted across her belly and her right hand pinning Kerissa’s left to the floor, they looked down at her with a smug grin. “I could get used to this.”
Kerissa lost her footing when the Shani broke her hold over them. She didn’t react in time to the call of the Force and was quickly underneath Savi.
Not that she minded the view, but not ideal for the specific situation.
She raised her hand in the same claw grip as before, sparks of electricity arcing from her fingers tips. A hint of black veins formed on the ends of her fingers.
The Force screamed a warning to them again, though this time they didn’t need it. At this range they had no trouble spotting the lightning jumping from finger to finger, and the veins resembling the blackest ichor appearing beneath the skin. Oh no. She wasn’t going to hit them with that again. They swatted Kerissa’s hand away before moving that same hand to loosely grip her neck.
“Do you yield?” they asked, eyeing her carefully while tightening their grip on her neck.
Kerissa leant her head back slightly but it didn’t provide much in the way of freedom. Her chest rose and fell quickly, both in antipaction of not being able to breathe in a few seconds as well as the strain of the fight. It was a lot all at once.
Still, her tone held a teasing lilt as she offered the Shani a slightl smile, “I think you’ve made me, unless you want to really make me.”
Savi narrowed their eyes at first, but eventually ended up pursing their lips in silence. Their eyes drifted to Kerissa’s own, and they smiled. “Not a bad idea…” they said before leaning down to place a kiss on the kessurian hybrid’s lips.
It was one way to end a fight. Kerissa couldn’t really lift her head all too much but she did her best to return the kiss, various emotions rushing through her. Adrenaline from now more than one source.
Once it broke, she laughed as best she could with the pressure on her neck, “If only all fights could end like that huh.”
Savi relaxed their grip and left their hand to rest on her collarbone. Though, she eventually found herself brushing the woman’s cheek with the back of her fingers while looking down at her.
“That wouldn’t be hard to arrange,” they said, their gaze as intense as ever, though it belied their budding desire. “You did very well. For a while, I was beginning to think it was going to be a clean sweep in your favor.”
“Me too.” Kerissa’s shoulders relaxed once the hand moved and though she did shift it was jsut to lean up on her elbows rather than actually attempt to get up.
“I should have stuck to throwing you. I did keep trying some other tricks I have under my sleeve but I can’t do them as well yet. I tired myself out karking around.”
A look of silent admiration appeared on Savi’s tattooed countenance while Kerissa spoke. “Had you used the Force lightning again after your first success, you likely would have been the one forcing me to yield.”
They moved their index finger to draw an invisible line down from the tip of her nose to her bottom lip, lingering there. “We’re going to have to work on your stamina, then.”
Kerissa wanted to argue the point that she’d hurt Savran to do that in the first place. Not badly, but.. she didn’t like hurting people when it wasn’t necessary. She didn’t mind losing like this.
She raised her free hand, resting it on Savi’s hip. The veins on her fingers had returned to normal by now.
“We? How exactly were you thinking of us working on that?” She smiled, planting a very small kiss to the tip of Savi’s finger. “Cause what I’m thinking probably could get us kicked out if we did it here. Nor is it really long term effective for.. well. For fighting at least.”
She felt like she was talking too much. Hm.
Savi leaned down to plant another kiss on her lips, lingering this time. “True, but the possibility of being discovered is exciting, is it not?”
They removed their knee from across Kerissa’s belly and turned briefly to the door. With a flick of their wrist, they switched the lock on the single door and tripped the switch that dimmed the lights of the room. It didn’t shut them off completely, but it did add a certain ambience to the room.
“I think you’d be surprised but how well that can translate … if you’re creative enough,” they added with a grin. “I’ll show you some creative ways to use the Force.”
“I think we’re still getting kicked out.” Kerissa spoke in a softer tone, not particularly worried about that. But it was true. “Though, can’t say I’ve ever had someone else with the Force. I know what I can do with it.”
With Savi moving off of her she did sit up properly, but wasn’t hesistant to make her intentions known as she leant over to kiss the Shani’s neck.
Later …
Savi could not and would not wipe their smug grin off their face as the two of them were escorted off the gym’s premises. They were barely given enough time to get their belongings in order, earning them both plenty of looks from other Brotherhood gym-goers as they were led to the front of the building.
“You were right,” Savi said when they finally made it outside, wrapping a hand loosely around Kerissa’s waist as they walked. “But it was definitely worth it.
Kerissa couldn’t help herself from giggling at the situation as they were walked out. She did her best to stifle it and as soon as they were outside she let out a proper laugh. Her face was a deeper shade of purple, admittedly a little embarrassed by so many eyes but it was far from the winning emotion. It took her a few seconds before the Kessurian mix responded.
“I didn’t say it wouldn’t be. Kriff, that was fun!”
“Better than last time?” Savran looped an arm around Kerissa’s and hummed while they walked. They didn’t seem to be flustered by any of it, but there was a notable tinge of deeper maroon that peeked from beneath their tattoos as they walked–likely a holdover from their … activities.
“Let’s go to the spa next.”
“Way better. We didn’t do any of the Force stuff the first time. It.. definitely improve the experience a lot.” She laughed lightly, leaning into the hold slightly and certainly making no effort to move away from the looped arm.
“If we are, we have to be good. If you just wanna do that again somewhere else, I’d rather go back to an apartment. I would much prefer being able to go to the spa again someday after today.”
A feeling of pride welled up within them as they listened to Kerissa’s appraisal. “I’m glad. Plenty more where that came from,” they paused for a second to consider the implication of their words. It did sound somewhat presumptuous, so they decided to clarify a bit. “If you would like to make our little trysts a regular occurrence, that is.”
As they walked, Savi didn’t notice that they’d instinctively moved so that they were standing closest to the busy street and all the landspeeders that zipped by. “That’s a good point,” Savran said with an aura of playful mischievousness in their words. “We can always circle back to one of our places later to scratch that itch.”
Kerissa didn’t pick up on the shift of Savi, how the Shani placed themselves between her and the street, but the mischievousness was impossible to miss.
“I certainly won’t argue against it. Do you know where a spa is? I’ve not really explored.”
A part of her wondered if Savi was going to be encouraging that itch.
And then, Savi had an idea. “Then, perhaps we should explore instead,” they said. It was true, after all, that they hadn’t explored the city at all. Or Selen, for that matter. Thus far, the extent of Savi’s time on the Arconan homeworld had been during missions. And that left little time to go sightseeing. Yes, that was a great idea. Just imagining what trouble the two of them could get into brought a smile to their face.
“Oh that is an option. I could see if I can pull up a map?”
Kerissa was already reaching for her backpack, she was fairly sure she had a map of the area on her datapad.
Savran shook their head and placed a hand over Kerissa’s. “Let’s wing it, instead,” they said with a wink. “Could be like an adventure.”
Savi didn’t mind a little uncertainty. Life was more exciting that way, after all. So, without missing a beat, the fire-skinned Shani used their looped arms to lead Kerissa down the street and toward the savory aroma of grilled food. It didn’t take them long to find a group of bystanders gathered around an older Iktotchi man and a b1 battle-droid. The man was dressed in a light brown tunic that hung low past his knees, and the droid had been modified to have four arms instead of the usual two.
“RB-5, grab more of those Begamor shrimps and start de-veining them,” the man said before turning to address the two new arrivals. Given their distance, he had to raise his voice a bit to be heard by them. “Welcome! Welcome to Teshkos’ Titillating Tastes–we’re still workshopping the name. Are you two hungry?”
He practically beamed at them while continuing to cook and serve the people waiting. Steam billowed up from the large flat grill centered in the middle of what looked like a large junker that had been refitted as a mobile restaurant.
Savi looked at the assortment of vegetables and meats that sizzled on the grilltop, then to Kerissa. “I could eat,” they said. The low grumble from their stomach attested to that fact.
Kerissa grinned at the display. Okay. That was pretty cool.
“Same. What are the options!” She gave Savi a small nudge before calling out over to to assumedly Teshkos himself.
She could see the great range, but assumedly there’d be certain ways to put things together. Asking for chef recommendations usually led to a much nicer meal then glancing over and hoping that you mdae a good combo. Kerissa could cook, sure, but it was only basic things.
Upon feeling the nudge, Savi made a playful face while patting her on the bum. Then, they approached the mobile restaurant.
“The special for today are bergamor shrimp skewers nut I also have flash-fried zuchii, roasted kajaka root, and grilled mynock. Also have blumfruit juice and namana nectar,” said Teshkos with a smile.
“A mix of vegetarian and meat dishes then,” Savi commented, looking at Kerissa. “What sounds good to you?”
“I’m feeling veggies. But I’ve not got any dietary requirements either way.” Kerissa mused, looking over the options as he pointed them out. Damn it all looked delicious.
“I’ll get some kajaka root with the fried zuchii and mynock. What do you want Savi?” The Kessurian grinned a little, aware that she had totally just taken over the order. Would she be allowed to? Well, not that Savi could reaaally stop her, but it was fun to see what’d happen.
Although the shani could eat vegetables, they were rarely their first choice. “The grilled mynock and shrimp skewers will do. Two servings of both, though,” they replied cooly while looking at Teshkos. The man nodded and gestured for the b1 droid to begin preparing. He didn’t even have to say anything this time. The droid gave a quick and enthusiastic, or as enthusiastic as the often monotonous b1 battle droid could sound, “roger roger.”
Savi noticed the grin and moved their hand up palm Kerissa’s waist, giving it a little squeeze while leaning over to whisper in her ear. “You’re cute when you try to take the lead,” they said, “But I’ll have to remind you later who’s in charge.”
They were starting to really enjoy the dynamic they’d bit with the kessurian-mix. It was easy, fun. “Or I could just take you around the corner while we wait and show you right now.”
Those last words, delivered with all the honey the shani could muster, also were laced with power from the Force. A near master with Mind Trick, Savi located that bud of growing desire in Kerissa’s mind and nurtured it, amplifying it until it blossomed to the surface.
Kerissa flushed, the dull purple of her face darkening and making the mottling stand out all the more. She knew mind trick, it was something she had experience on both ends of and it was something they’d used earlier too. Out in public was cheeky.
She shifted slightly on her feet, clearing her throat. “I think there’s some wise words about… About anticipation that would be applicable. I think I’m doing a good job either way unless this a complaint of my leadership?”
The Kessurian mix was desperately trying to not look blatantly flustered, holding onto her composure. It wasn’t that she minded, hell they just got kicked out of the gym for this, but she did want the food. Savi could wait that long, even they wanted to take over the transaction.
Though she liked the way that Savi felt the need to be in charge, or at least the way they went about it. They didn’t like being challenged which made it all the more amusing to do so.
As the blush spread across Kerissa’s face, Savi watched her with a look somewhere between expectant and self-satisfied. They loved seeing the rise they could get out of her, and her reaction left them wondering how much of the pretty dark indigo that spread across her cheeks and nose was the product of her mental suggestion and how much was from Kerissa’s own enjoyment of the shani’s need to take control. The uncertainty amused them.
“I think you did just fine, honey,” they said, bringing their lips close to place a kiss on her jawline just beneath her ear, leaving them to linger there, “you won’t find any complaints from me. Reprimands, though … that’s a different story, entirely.”
Honestly, they could put off eating to satisfy another desire building within them, but they knew that food such as what they ordered was best enjoyed hot and fresh. They’d have to show a little restraint, for now.
It didn’t take long for Teshkos and RB-5 to finish preparing the duo’s food. “And here we go,” the man announced with a cheerful tone, “fresh food for the beautiful couple.”
Savi had to stifle a snort when the man called them a couple and shot Kerissa a glance while they took their food, though they didn’t address it until they both had thanked him and walked out of earshot. “We do make a cute couple, you know,” they said, their tone betraying their desire to tease the woman more.
Kerissa did laugh lightly, taking her food and walking off with Savi, already taking a bite of her food and having to hurriedly munch her way through it to respond, a sheepish expression on her face.
“Feathers and fur go together, what can we say?” Her tail flicked, as if emphasising the point.
If her abilities with Mind trick were better, she’d be attempting the same trick back. But it was very obvious and really required her attention to actually achieve it. Best to leave that for when Savi would be able to openly stop her rather than being cheeky about it.
She paused, before grinning, “Is this you asking me to go on a date with you?”
The movement of Kerissa’s tail caught Savi’s attention, and for the briefest of moments, they wondered what it might be like if they had a tail. It was an amusing thought that caused a smile to flash across their face.
But it was soon replaced by a more curious expression when Kerissa inquired about a date. They hadn’t considered it until now. but a date would be nice. “It could be.” they said with a quick shrug of their shoulders, pausing to take a bite of the savory bergamor shrimp skewer. “What do you think?”
“I think we’ve already passed a few bases for you only just to be taking me to dinner.” Kerissa laughed, before shrugging, “I think it’d be fun. Just don’t turn out to be all sappy and romantic like in the holovids.”
Savi quirked an eyebrow at her before shaking her head. “Do I look like the sappy and romantic type to you?” they said with a chuckle, “You must not be the romantic type, either?”
“I mean. I don’t mind romance but there’s a limit right? Roses, sure. Poetry hell no. Though you definitely aren’t the poetry type.” Kerissa grinned, before taking another bite of her own meal.
Savi giggled. “Oh? ‘Rissa doesn’t like a good sonnet? There goes my plan to wax poetic about those pretty eyes of yours.”
After finishing their bergamor shrimp and discarding the wooden skewer in a nearby trash receptacle, Savi went to work on the grilled mynock. They were a fast eater.
“In all seriousness, if you behave today, I may just sing to you,” they said coolly, “I have a beautiful singing voice. Or so I’m told.”
Savi took a slight step closer and gave Kerissa a gentle nudge with their hips. “And what about you? How would you show your affection toward me?”
“I can enjoy poetry but there’s something way too over the top about writing a little poem- I don’t know.”
She laughed a little, eating through most of the rest of hers while Savi spoke.
“I’d like to hear that.” She considered the following question, shrugging after a few moment with a slight grin, “I’m not sure. I think I’ve been doing a good job so far, maybe more of that? My writing is a lot more technical than pretty and my singing is.. not the best. I’m good at picking out gifts, I guess? I don’t know.” Kerissa laughed again, genuinely not sure.
“Let’s go back to your place and I’ll sing for you all you want,” That was another tease but part of them sounded genuine. Romance wasn’t as foreign a concept to Savi as many would believe. That often feigned it to get a rise out of people, and they even genuinely felt it once. But these days, any display was devoid of anything truly sentimental. They got the sense that Kerissa was similar, in a way. They had never discussed what they were and that was perfectly fine with them.
“Gifts, huh? I may have to borrow you should I ever need to give someone a gift,” they said, “And what kind of gift would you get me?”
“Something practical.” Kerissa mused, shrugging, “Not sure exaclty. Maybe another weapon but I don’t know enough about you deeper to really hit any special buttons. But yeah, it’d definitely be something you can use rather than some little.. trinket thing you have to carry around.”
It was an easy response from her, and she bumped her hip with them after, almost finished with her food after taking another bite.
“I’ll have to get you know you better to figure out what gift I would get you,” Savi replied, folding their arms in across their chest, adding the subtlest of swings to their hips as they walked. “For now, I’ll have to serve as a suitable substitute. Now, let’s go back to my place so we can get to know each other better.” Savi winked to Kerissa before looping their arm around hers again, leading her away so they could spend the remainder of the evening together.
Kerissa laughed, “Thats plenty enough!”
There was no hesitation to the woman’s step as the pair wandered off into their next shenanigans.