>>5537536Briefly, the thought of Arotta wearing one of the more risqué numbers flashes through your mind. It takes a moment for you to clear your throat to reply to Ceyla. “…is that a request for me to Sever Force so you’re no longer burdened by such a horrific sight?”
Your padawan shudders. “Hah…no. Just…culture shock after Temple life and my people’s own clothing.”
“Miraluka don’t have swimsuits?”
Her face turns red. “…erm, we do? Just like everyone else. But we just really, <span class="mu-i">really</span> prefer to cover up unless the situation really calls for it.”
Not an entirely unreasonable response. But for the sake of her mental health, you steer her away from the women’s section. “Why don’t you pick something from the girls’ section? There’s sundresses, one-pieces, two-pieces…infinitely more conservative than the string, methinks.”
Ceyla sighs, rubbing her forehead. “…may as well, huh?”
“May as well.” You start counting credits as she grabs a few items to try on. Her wardrobe leans more towards practicality than fashion. “…actually, hold on. You can swim, right?”
She shrugs before disappearing behind the curtain. “I can tread water and do laps in a pool. Why?”
You’ve had to swim more than your fair share of water – dirty sewers, swampy rivers, and all manner of unlikely waterways. “Never know where a mission might take you.”
“Fair enough…actually, hold on.” Her head peers out from between the curtains. “Can you get me a hat? I don’t want any tan lines of the goggles on my face.”
There’s a selection of hats nearby. Some are decorated, some aren’t. Most are flaxen, woven together out of some local reed or plant. But as your eyes glance over a wide-brimmed sun hat, adorned with a frilly black ribbon…
<span class="mu-i">“There is nothing left for us to say,” Alleana intones, cupping your face. Leaning in, she plants a tender kiss on your forehead. “It is time for us both to return to your respective realms of the living and the dead. Go now, my son. I only ask that you think of me from time to time.”</span>
>>One purchase later…Thankfully, Ceyla doesn’t go with the sundress-sunhat combination, opting instead for a sleeveless shirt and loose-fitting shorts. And if she felt the emotional lurch between the burgeoning Force Bond that you’re forming, she doesn’t make any mention of it.
As it is, all she’s busy doing is taking in all that Rion has to offer. There’s hardly a moment where her head isn’t turning from side-to-side as something new piques her interest. Even without conventional eyesight, Lapa Spaceport still offers a sensory experience – a melody of alien languages, the scent of sea-spray and jungle soil, and the smells of the bazars and hawkers’ merchandise. It cuts a stark contrast to the urban sprawl of Coruscant, the cold and desolation of Ilumn and Dweem, and the near-lifeless dustball of Kessel.
(cont.)
