Kira knew that Ghereth hadn't had time for his evening meditation since they'd landed on Alderaan. She could sense that House Organa had good intentions, and she certainly didn't want the Empire's pet House Thul to take the throne. Still, it was starting to feel like Duke Organa expected them to win the whole damn war by themselves. So when they finally found a few moments of peace, Kira quickly figured out where to find him: kneeling in the floor of an unused receiving room in Castle Organa, head bowed.
She stood in the doorway, watching him, paralyzed by anxiety for a few moments. Maybe she'd been misinterpreting the signals. Well, okay, maybe a kiss was a little hard to misinterpret. There was also the occasional flirtatious exchange, and the way he stood up for her to the Jedi Council. Besides, since when did men have a monopoly on romantic gestures? Do'lenn assured her that he'd love it, but she wasn't really - for crying out loud, Kira, get your head out of your ass and just do it!
Ghereth suddenly cocked his head to the left, as if hearing something. He pulled down his hood and turned to look at Kira. "Hey, Kira. How are you?"
Oh, hell. You'd never expect a blind guy to see and hear EVERYTHING. Kira took a deep breath and entered the room, doing her best to project a confidence she didn't have. Double-bladed lightsabers and angry Gamorrean gangsters felt less dangerous than this. "Hey...can I ask you something?"
Ghereth smiled at her. "I believe you just did, but you can go again if you want."
His idea of a joke. It was cute, if not exactly funny. Nevertheless, it made her giggle. "I was just thinking...we've been running around so much lately. When was the last time you just laid back and looked at the stars?"
Ghereth stood, then turned to face her and shrugged. "Never? I don't have eyes, remember?"
Kira laughed and gave him a playful shove. As usual, he didn't budge an inch. Damn, he was solid. "Oh, you know what I mean. Seriously, how many times are you going to play that card?"
Ghereth crossed his arms, leaning toward her a little. "Until it stops being funny."
He seemed receptive. Interested, even. Hotdamn, she might actually pull this off. That gave her the kick in the ass she needed to grab his hand. "Come on, I want to show you something."
Silently hoping she wouldn't get them lost in this ridiculous castle, she led him through a few hallways and up a few staircases until they emerged out onto a terrace on the top floor. It had an ostentatious marble railing and a series of wrought-iron tables and chairs, but a simple blanket was spread out over the marble flagstones near the railing.
The terrace offered a startling view of the Alderaan countryside at night. Thick forests of coniferous trees gave way to a rolling green meadow, ringed on all sides by tall-snowcapped mountains.
"Wow," Ghereth said quietly, going over to lean on the railing. "Alderaan truly is beautiful, isn't it?"
Kira nodded. "As warzones go, it's not half bad, huh?" She smiled and settled to a seated position on the blanket. She patted the empty space next to her. "Sit with me?"
Ghereth came over and sat next to her on the blanket. Holy hell, this was actually working. Now she owed Do'lenn twenty credits and - shit, Kira, stay focused!
They sat in peaceful silence for a few minutes before Kira dared to glance over at Ghereth. To her surprise, he wasn't looking up at the night sky. He was looking at her.
Kira quickly smothered a nervous cough with the back of her hand. She leaned back on the blanket and looked quizzically at Ghereth. "So...I've been kind of wondering. If you don't have eyes, how exactly do you see everything? All the ass-kicking you do seems to imply that you can see."
Ghereth chuckled, and mirrored the way she leaned back. Wait. Wasn't that one of the things that Do'lenn said meant he liked her? She couldn't remember. "I was wondering when we'd get to that," Ghereth allowed. "Long story short, Miraluka perceive everything through the Force. We sort of…'see' everything through a combination of sight, sound, emotional impression. Basically it means we put less stock in appearances." Then he coughed, and scratched the back of his neck. "Not that, er, I don't...notice when something is...you know, beautiful, I just…"
Sweet three-toed sloth of ice planet Hoth! He was just as nervous and bumbling as she was! "So, you see just as well as any other species? Just in a different way?" she asked.
"Exactly," Ghereth nodded. "For example, I know exactly what you look like. I know you've got red hair and blue eyes. I noticed when you started using that crystal I gave you. And...I know you've got a little scar right...here." He reached out and gently cradled her cheek with his hand, brushing his thumb over the scar on her face. "What happened, Kira?"
Kira suddenly felt her face get very, very warm in spite of the chilly night air. "Oh, it's...it's nothing. You pick the wrong pocket on Nar Shaddaa, you're lucky if all they do is mark you."
"I see," Ghereth replied quietly. But she couldn't sense judgment in his voice. After all, compared to her, his face was a railroad map. But Kira liked that. It gave him character. It showed how tough he was. As if the confident stride and the rippling muscles didn't do that already - Kira, you're getting distracted again!
Ghereth took his hand away from her face. Maybe Kira was just getting flustered, but she fancied he hesitated before doing it. Kira laid back down on the blanket, and gestured up at the night sky. "So what do you see when you look at the stars, then?"
A smile grew on Ghereth's face as he laid down next to her. "Well, it's...it's beautiful, Kira. I see an endless web of energy and motion. If I concentrate hard enough, I can almost smell ozone on the hyperspace lanes, and hear the endless whispers on the HoloNet."
"Wow…" Kira whispered. She wasn't sure whether her sudden breathlessness was due to his speech or his proximity.
"Yeah…" Ghereth said softly. He settled a little on the blanket, sliding slightly closer to her. "I think I could stare up at it all night."
The moment wasn't going to get any more perfect than this. It was time to take the plunge. "I couldn't," Kira said simply.
Ghereth cocked an eyebrow and looked over at her. "No?"
"Nah. I've got better things to do." With that, she rolled over on top of Ghereth, until they were nose to nose.
The rapidly-dwindling anxiety center of Kira's brain was sure that he would reject her. Mumble something about the Jedi Code and push her away. But he didn't. Instead he returned Kira's embrace, pulling her so tightly against him that it felt like there was nothing between them. His hands slid up her back, fingers threading through her hair. Then their lips met, and sparks exploded behind Kira's eyes.
Alderaan and the war and the Empire and the Republic fell away, leaving the two of them floating alone. For the first time in her life, Kira felt safe and warm. The Emperor and his Children could never get to her, not in Ghereth's arms. They didn't need breathy exultations of love or sonnets shouted from the rooftops. They just needed this one, perfect moment. If only Kira could freeze it just a little bit longer. Make each touch and kiss a little bit stronger.
Then their moment was crushed by the most excruciating series of beeps and whistles that Kira had ever heard.
Kira loved that droid to death, but T7 had the most abysmal sense of timing in the galaxy. The astromech rolled up next to the blanket. "T7 = Sorry to interrupt / General Var Suthra = priority alert for Jedi / T7 = Put him through?"
Ghereth sighed against Kira's lips. "I'll be right in, T7. Warm up the holoprojector?"
T7 burbled his assent, and rolled back toward the stairs.
Ghereth tried to sit up. Kira held tightly to the front of his robes. Desperation choked any remaining confidence from her voice. "Ghereth, please…" She closed her eyes sadly, then relaxed her grip. "Can't we just...stop being Jedi? For just a few minutes?"
"I'm sorry, Kira." Ghereth gently pushed her off of him, then stood. "We can't. You know that."
"Yeah, I know." Kira sat up, hugging her knees close to her chest. Why was it suddenly so cold out here?
Ghereth turned to leave, then stopped. He looked over his shoulder at her, blinded face enigmatic. "Kira, I...I wish it were different."
"No, you don't," Kira huffed. Then she smiled. "Get going, tough guy."
Ghereth nodded, and followed T7 back inside.
"My. Fucking. Hero," muttered Kira bitterly as she watched him leave.