Master Kiwiiks always told her "Be mindful of attachments." She said it over and over again, sometimes seemingly at random. Be mindful of attachments. Kira must've heard that phrase a thousand times over the course of her apprenticeship. Perhaps that was why Master Kiwiiks had always felt a little...distant. She was Kira's teacher, full stop. Kira respected her as a Jedi Master, but couldn't say she liked her very much.
Kira was proving to be especially mindful of her attachment to her new Master, though not in a way that Master Kiwiiks might have intended.
She blearily rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands. Details on this special permission for "right to attach" were scant, to say the least. Almost as if some overzealous librarian had censored all of it at some point. All these faintly buzzing datapad screens were starting to blend together.
Kira briefly wondered why she was working so hard. What was wrong with what they had? There was definitely something thrilling about going behind the Council's back. Now she regretted even bringing it up.
If there was even a chance we could have the same happiness as normal people, don't you want to try?
Ghereth's response had struck a chord with her in a way she didn't expect. She didn't necessarily relish the idea of being normal. But she watched him sacrifice, always sacrificing, day in and day out. Never a thought given to himself. For crying out loud, even when they made love he always put her first. Maybe he deserved a little normal. Damn the proton torpedoes, she was figuring this out.
"Boo," said a quiet male voice from behind her. Strong hands settled on her shoulders, gently kneading away the stress that had unknowingly collected there.
Kira sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back in her chair. "Doc, I told you that if you tried to touch me again, I'd chop it off."
"Try again," Ghereth said with a chuckle. "What are you doing up so late?"
Kira almost melted in her seat from the magic he was working on her shoulders. For such a strong type, Ghereth could be so curiously gentle. "Just...brushing up on a little boring Jedi lore."
"I don't believe you," Ghereth replied with a smile.
"Hey now," Kira said, cracking her eyes open slightly and smiling back at him. "Alright, alright...I'm trying to look into that attachment permission thing I mentioned. Not a lot to go on."
"We could always just make it up," Ghereth ventured.
Kira shook her head. If anything, this massage was making her more determined than ever. "I don't know about that. I kind of want it to be as...official as it can be. Don't you?"
"Of course." Ghereth bent down to kiss the top of her head. "Do you think we can write our own vows? There are some...things I'd like to say, if I can."
Kira closed her eyes to hide the sudden up-welling of tears. How in space did she get so lucky? "I'm sure we can figure something out." Once she was sure she'd swallowed the emotion, she cracked an eye open again. "You know I have to pay you back for this massage, right?"
Ghereth grinned at that. "Looking forward to it. My back is killing me."
Kira smiled and snaked her hand around the back of his neck. She pulled him gently down and craned her neck to kiss his lips. "Sorry to hear that. But what I have in mind probably won't help much."