V'ryss lay on her side, trying to remember the last time she felt so content. Naked in bed, her body covered with a thin layer of sweat, her hair an absolute mess and Felix right across from her.
"How much longer do we have?" she asked. His surprise of forced privacy had been one of his better ideas.
"Just over two hours," Felix said, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "Sort of wish we had longer."
V'ryss took a breath, realizing the gravity of what she was about to offer. With so many diplomats on the ship, word would no doubt make it back to the Jedi Council. Perhaps those same diplomats would find her less worthy as an ambassador. No matter. So much had happened, she wanted Felix by her side through the brunt of it.
"If you want, you're free to spend your nights here," V'ryss said softly, reaching out for his hand. "I'd like the company."
"Yeah?" Felix asked. V'ryss felt a gentle pressure as he squeezed her hand. "People will talk. You know how ship scuttlebutt goes."
"They can talk all they like," V'ryss said, hearing the defiance in her voice. "Everything is so mixed up right now. I just want to spend as much time as possible with you."
"I'd like that," Felix said, a smile on his lips. "I'd like that a lot." He leaned forward and kissed her. V'ryss breathed in deeply, trying to take him all in. She loved the way he smelled out of armor. Reminded her of the woods of Tython.
"So how shall we occupy ourselves for the next two hours?" V'ryss asked slyly, sliding her palm up Felix's thigh.
Letting out a bark of a laugh, Felix said, "Oh believe me, we will. I just need a little more time to recover first."
She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Fair enough," she said, settling her head back on the pillow.
"That a Chiss thing?" Felix asked curiously. "Being able to go again right away?"
"I wouldn't know, actually," V'ryss said. "I've never had sex with a Chiss."
"Really?"
"Well, it's not like there are a lot of Chiss in Republic space," V'ryss said, shrugging a shoulder. "So I never bothered to look anything up on the holonet when I was young."
"Fair enough," Felix said. His next words sounded too casual to be a spur of a moment suggestion. She heard a rehearsed quality to his voice. "Maybe we could just talk to waste some time. There has to be something you're curious about. How bout you ask me a question and I'll ask you one?"
"Thought you don't want me giving up all my secrets," V'ryss said, teasing him a bit.
"You won't be. Just one or two until I'm recovered enough to ravish you again," Felix said, kissing her shoulder. "You first."
"Your tattoos," V'ryss blurted out at once. Until this afternoon, she assumed he only had the facial tattoo. But then as they slowly undressed each other, she was pleasantly surprised to discover they went down the entire right side of his body. His shoulder, his torso, hip, thigh, calf and even ankle.
"Think of them as an Iresso history lesson," Felix said. "It's a home world thing. Went out of favor for a while, but after the Empire came, lots of us started up again."
"How does it work?" V'ryss asked, tracing the tattoo on his hip with the tip of her finger.
Felix shuddered before saying, "At 18, I get the same tattoo as my father. A daughter would take her mother's. Then every time something big happens, say I get married or someone close to me dies, I'll add to the tattoo."
"So your life story is etched into your skin," V'ryss said softly. "That's a beautiful idea. Have you added to the tattoo at all?"
Pointing to a small circle on his shoulder, he said, "This is for my mother." V'ryss leaned forward and kissed the spot, thinking of the type of woman who would have raised a son like Felix. "She was a good woman. She would have liked you."
"I'm sure it would have been mutual," V'ryss said. "Thank you for telling me about your tattoos."
"That mean it's my turn?"
V'ryss took a breath, wondering what her blank wanted to know. "Yes."
"I'm going to start this by admitting I tried to find the answer myself," Felix said, running his finger through her hair. "But personal information about Jedi is almost impossible to find."
"For good reason," V'ryss said, kissing his nose.
"You're right, of course, but that doesn't help poor Republic lieutenants trying to get the dirt on their girlfriends," Felix said.
With a chuckle, V'ryss turned to lie on her back. "Ask what you wish," she said. "I am an open book."
"I'm gonna hold you to that," Felix said. "So… Just how old are you?"
Letting out a sigh, V'ryss closed her eyes. "I hoped you would never ask that question."
"Why?" Felix said. "Are you a lot older than you look? I'm thirty-one if that matters at all." He nuzzled her neck and V'ryss felt herself responding to his touch. "Nothing wrong with an attractive older woman."
"How old do you think I am?" V'ryss asked, turning the question around.
"Mid twenties, though when you act the diplomat you seem much older," Felix said.
V'ryss turned to look at him. "You need to understand something," she said. "Chiss and Humans age differently."
"Yeah?" Felix asked, and she could see the curiosity in his eyes. "How so?"
"Chiss have a much shorter childhood than Human children. Physically and mentally, Chiss reach adulthood by age thirteen," V'ryss said. "So a thirteen year old Chiss is the equivalent of an eighteen year old Human."
"Which makes you…" Felix trailed off.
"I turned seventeen not long ago."
Felix turned over onto his back and let out a deep breath. "And you're an adult. Even though you're only seventeen years old."
"Exactly. I'm an adult. I have been for some time," V'ryss repeated. She sensed that he was slightly uncomfortable with the idea. "I should have told you sooner. I'm sorry, Felix."
"No, no, it's okay," Felix said at once. "You have nothing to apologize for. I never thought to look up anything about Chiss biology." His hand found hers and V'ryss gave it a squeeze. "And you're okay with me being twice your age?"
"What's a few years between friends?" V'ryss asked with a laugh.
With a smooth movement, she sat up and straddled his hips. She let her hands follow the path of his tattoo down from his shoulder. Someday, she'd ask him about all the marking, each circle and square and learn all his history. And she wondered, if she would ever be important enough in his life to warrant adding to the story.
By the way he looked up at her, love in his eyes, somehow she thought she just might.