Torian leaned against the hull of the ship, the durable metal feeling cool against his back. He barely noticed, however, as his nerves kept him slightly on edge. He was surprised by them, they had never affected him like this before. True, he had gotten some jitters prior to a big hunt or after the announcement of a tournament, but those had helped him. He was able to channel those nerves, was able to utilize them to fight more efficiently and with more strength.

But this? This totally threw him for a loop. From the time he had reunited with Kybrina on Taris -when he learned that the champion of the Great Hunt was actually a woman- she had occupied some corner of his thoughts. True, Mako had flirted with him a bit initially, but he just couldn't bring himself to return her interest. It wasn't anything against Mako, really. His mind was set on Kybrina, and short of her outright rejecting him, there was no changing it. And ever since then, he hadn't been the same. He found he was a bit shakier when fighting, maybe missing two or three hits where before he was only missing once. It wasn't enough to put him in any danger, but it was a bit surreal to feel himself affected in that way.

Gault, who had been standing a few feet from him in the shade of the ship, suddenly looked up. "There they are," he said. Torian looked in the same direction, and saw Mako approaching. A few feet behind her was...

His eyes widened. Any thoughts he had at that moment were in frenzied Mando'a, and were likely unsuitable for mixed company. She was...she was...

"Hey, kid." Gault's voice shook him out of his stunned state. "Walking works better when your legs are actually moving. For someone who was so worried, I would have expected you to be running to meet her." Gault turned away before Torian could reply, walking toward the pair. Taking a few moments to shake of his hesitance, Torian eventually followed, his nerves starting to resurface with every step.

He was close enough to hear Gault praise Kybrina, and he felt a prick of envy. It was clear the Devaronian had a way with flattery in Basic, one that he couldn't hope to match. If it were in Mando'a, sure, he know more than his fair share of flattering words and phrases. But he knew that praising Kybrina in his native tongue would get him confused looks at best, an argument about what he was saying at worst.

He only caught the tail end of what Gault said to Mako, something about a holovid. At first, she appeared to be confused, then she quickly changed her tune, agreeing to go with Gault. While he was initially confused, Torian then realled Gault's promise to let him have alone time with Kybrina. He smiled, silently thanking the Devaronian a second time for the kindness.

Evidently, Kybrina had not been given the same promise; even as Gault and Mako walked away, she was still visibly confused as to what was happening. She had turned away from him, calling out questions that Mako easily deflected. When their two companions had vanished from sight, Kybrina stood quietly with her back to him, clearly not sure what to do next. This allowed him to analyze the lines and contours of her back, normally obscured by the bulky armor she wore. He stood like that for a few moments before realizing that, as nice as her back was, he still had yet to really see her face.

When he cleared his throat, he noted by the slight stiffening of her spine that she must have forgotten he was standing there. He slowly watched her turn to face him, which allowed him to admire her figure in the green gown she wore. When she raised her chin and locked eyes with him, he noticed the slight widening of her eyes as she took him in for the first time. Hastily, she dropped her chin, but not before he thought he saw the tinge of a blush on her cheeks.

Or maybe it was all the cosmetics she wore. He almost didn't recognize her like this, everything he thought the most beautiful about her had been covered up or minimized in some fashion. The only familiar things were her eyes, and even they looked slightly alien to him with the vivid pigments surrounding them. Her hair was slicked back and posed in a way he wasn't used to seeing, she moved in a fashion far stiffer than her usual easy gait...everything seemed off about her.

But then, was he any different? There he was, in clothing that was neither his armor nor his own civilian garb, hair arranged in a way he didn't normally wear it, walking a bit stiffly in both borrowed garb and new boots. Was he really any different from her, any less self-conscious?

Gently, he reached out and lifted her chin so they were looking into each others eyes again. "Kybrina..." he whispered. "Look...lovely. Different, but lovely. Hardly recognized you." He spoke the truth, she did look very different from what he was used to, but she was still the same beautiful woman he knew and followed.

She smiled. "Thank you," she said softly. "I admit, I barely recognized you, either. I mean, I recognize the boots, but where did the rest of this come from?" She suppressed a giggle as she took a step back, giving him a more thorough once-over. It was clear the clothes were borrowed, the shirt was slightly loose around the shoulders and the pants were a bit baggy where they tucked into the boots. Still, having barely seen him out of armor, it was a pleasing change.

"Gault," he said simply. "Offered to lend me these. Said they might impress you."

"Oh, is that right?" she asked. "Well, you more than impressed me way back on Taris, so I would say you've already got that covered. Besides, since when has Gault started being a matchmaker? A smooth talker and con man I get, but a matchmaker? That came out of nowhere."

"Mako, too. Never thought she'd be so eager to leave us alone."

"Me neither. Guess we don't know them as well as we thought," Ky replied, shrugging.

"Guess not. So, are you ready for that dinner I promised you? It's been waiting for you to get back."

She gave him another smile. "I've been waiting since you made that promise," she answered. "Standing out here in the sun is getting tiresome, anyway. Lead the way."