Chapter Seven
While to the casual observer it appeared he was simply enjoying cooking, this morning his mind raced, unable to shake free a funny feeling dancing through his gut. The smell of breakfast wafted through the ship. Smells of vor'ak cakes, considered a delicacy by many humanoid species. Baynuth was humming uncharacteristically, casually flipping each cake, one by one. It was out of habit, he mused. Soon, his mind wandered to Calira, and to everything they lived through together, to all the moments of shared joy and pain, but mostly belonging. He knew their destinies to be as constant as the pale green moon orbiting his birth world, Iridonia.
Drifting further along his memories, he came across the salty smell of blue waves and their cool mist crashing violently against tall jagged cliffs. Years had gone by since he last climbed the mountains of Ansu, ridden atop her great beasts galloping freely the plains of Henorra. Pain and regret flowed freely as he recalled his mother's indecipherable expression following his journey from her arms to the place where strange beings adorned in flowing robes held the promise of a better life. Jedi. Guardians whose mission was to promote peace and justice throughout the republic. Only now he was frustrated by how politically minded the order had become, by how many in the order had somehow forgotten what it really meant to be a jedi, and especially by their narrow-minded view of attachments.
When he was a padawan this was not the case. They were all truly a family. Though not perfect by any means there remained a concrete sense of togetherness, of belonging. Tragically, something must have occurred to change all that. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on yet but he was still determined to find out what. Even the tournaments, kata demonstrations, and dances, times where they would all assemble either as participants or observers were no more.
Lately, he was wishing he never left home in the first place to go with the jedi search team to the temple, but then it is possible he never would have met the woman breaking his train of thought wrapping two affectionate arms around his waist. Her warm touch quickly brought his focus to the present moment. Anxious for the distraction, vor'ak cakes now long forgotten, he lifted her over the counter-top and softly pressed his lips to hers. It was a chaste kiss that soon deepened into a passionate tongue-war fueled by lingering desires and feelings.
"Calira…" he breathed.
"Yes love?" she murmured.
"Would you like some breakfast?"
"Now why would I want breakfast when I've already had dessert? She grinned back, a teasing edge in her voice.
Blushing a darker shade of red, Baynuth began sputtering "well it's just that you-ah err never mind"
Her lips brushing against the area around the base of his neck had indeed done their job well. Before he knew it she was yanking him back to their quarters, and he couldn't help but smile.
