When in Mon Cala...
Somewhere on Mon Cala
The inside of the building was surprising and impressive. Unlike its unassuming exterior, the interior was massive and grandiose. Soaring columns arched gracefully toward the open air ceiling to meet one another in intimate points. They were made of the same stone as the building, but here they were smoothed and polished to a high, elegant shine. The floor was a decadent marbled tile with a flowing pattern that mimicked the running water of the river that could be seen and heard through ornate gratings spaced artfully throughout.
Looking further into the expansive space, Leia thought that she understood what this building was. "I think this is a bathhouse," she whispered to Han.
"I think you're right," he agreed. "I still hope they serve food, I'm not above being fed fresh fruit while I bathe."
His words produced a mental image that had her feeling the heat from outside on her cheeks again. "Just….," she struggled for the right word that she wanted to say, something that would convey everything she wanted him to do and not do at this very moment. She finally settled on one when she said, "cooperate."
It hadn't passed Leia's notice that the entire innards of this building, as extravagant and luxurious as it might be, didn't seem to appreciate or recognize the necessity of walls or doors for things like privacy and discretion. So it was that Han and Leia now stood across from one another in a large alcove with hooks and small benches flanking a rounded wall. In the center there was a large stone table with carafes filled with multi-colored liquids and trays of beautifully arranged local delicacies.
Han had already begun to sniff at the assorted carafes and, seeming to find one scent that met his liking, had poured a generous portion into a fluted glass. He took a long, deep draw and finished with a satisfied: "ahhhh". She watched as he popped small pieces of meat and fruit into his mouth.
"Aren't you hungry?" he asked, looking over to her as he chewed on whatever long, tentacled steamed cephalopod he had just shoved into his mouth.
"I think we're supposed to change here," she said, blushing again at the thought.
"Can't I eat first?" he asked, exasperated and totally missing her point.
"Yes, but…," she hesitated.
Looking around as she walked closer to him, she stopped when she drew near. The room was open, and thus random quarrens were walking by at any given moment. All were in a distressing state of undress. Several female quarrens had walked by talking animatedly. Apparently nothing above the waist was considered worth concealment among the species as they were all bare-breasted.
She whispered to Han, trying to clarify, "I think we're supposed to change right here, in this room...together." And then looking at the small benches against the wall, she saw even smaller, miniscule even, almost not even there, pieces of material that could not in any civilized world qualify as clothing. "Into…." She pointed toward the offending garments, unable to complete the sentence.
Han had listened to her, even following her finger to where she was pointing at the material on the benches. Turning back to the food on the table, he prodded around a large platter and dug for something in particular as he replied, "Okay," with a shrug before he popped something purple and bloated into his mouth.
She rolled her eyes. Grabbing the same pitcher that Han had drunk from, she poured herself some of the liquid and took a sip. It was like nothing she had ever tasted before, pleasant to her palate yet with a strong, earthy flavor that made it taste almost musky. She could feel the cool liquid as it traveled down her throat and into her stomach. Shutting her eyes she allowed herself to enjoy the refreshing beverage as it cooled her entire body down from the inside out.
"Try one of these," Han said, and when she opened her eyes he was holding out one of the large berries that he had just eaten.
She took it from him, eyeing him warily as if somewhere inside there would be a hook.
"Trust me?" he asked in an exasperated tone.
She did trust him, with most things anyway. And she was starved. So she popped the large berry into her mouth.
"So," he began talking as soon as she had a mouth full of berry. "We have to get naked together and wear a little scrap of clothing that probably won't cover much," he continued, glancing down at her chest before turning to pick at a few smaller pieces of food as he spoke.
Leia couldn't stop him or reply since her mouth was full with the delightful tasting berry, which now that she thought about it, was probably by Han's design. Why had she trusted him?!
"Aren't you the one always telling me that we don't want to offend anyone and we shouldn't question other cultures just because they're different than our own? In fact," he said, letting his eyes roam around the room and inhaling the sights of the scantily clad quarren, "weren't you just telling me to cooperate?"
He then wiped his fingers against the material of his pants and began to unbutton his shirt.
Leia chewed madly, briefly considering spitting everything in her mouth out before she struggled to swallow a large chunk of fruit and asked, "What're you doing?"
"Undressing," Han said with a cocky grin. He had worn a loose linen shirt with only three or four buttons that had been fastened, half of his chest was already exposed with just undoing the one button.
She had been so preoccupied with worrying about having to undress in front of Han that she hadn't considered that he would be undressing in front of her as well. With just the minimal amount of chest hair she could currently see, Leia already felt entirely out of her depth should he take this declothing any further.
"Wait," she said, swallowing the rest of the fruit and holding up her hand. "Just...wait, stop."
Han obediently stopped what he had been doing. Leia took a deep breath. She was thankful that he was still wearing his clothes but she could've done without the amused grin he had painted on his face. Another set of scantily clad locals walked by them. The very thought of being similarly...exposed with Han Solo swamped Leia with an overwhelming sense of vulnerability.
She looked around for their host, but he was nowhere to be found. "I'm going to try and talk to someone."
"Okay," Han said, shrugging his shoulders and picking up another carafe.
She watched as he put it to his nose for a long sniff. He pulled back and made a face before placing it back down on the table. Could he be more impossible?
She looked at him then, so distracted by the food and drink as to not even fully appreciate their predicament. She watched the length of his arm stretch across the table as he reached for another small canapé of some kind, noticing the way that his muscles slid over bone as he flexed.
She blinked, suddenly realizing something. It was not that the thought of a nearly naked Han Solo was so very abhorrent to her that bothered the last Princess of Alderaan. It was just how much that it was not so very abhorrent.
Leia shook her head. "I'll be right back."