Ask Part Of Your World

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani never thought about the weight her opinion carried, but it began to slowly make sense. She had padawans constantly make fun of her, but it could only ever hurt when it came from Shaw or anyone else she genuinely cared about. She began to put more effort into her appearance for him, wondering what he liked or didn’t like. Nevertheless, hearing him brush off what other girls said about him gave her far more relief than she would admit. Prani had her insecurities about girls she thought were far prettier, but the way Shaw felt made her feel like the only girl out there made her feel like a trillion credits.

She felt that familiar rush when he wrapped his arms around her waist, wanting that sensation over and over again. Prani gazed at him as he spoke, recalling back to when he called her beautiful. There was no denying that - he always made her feel beautiful and like she mattered. He made her feel valued even when they were just friends. However, as he began to talk about how he found her sexy, her eyes widened.

Her heart fluttered, a rapid rhythm that mirrored the tumult of emotions swirling in her. She felt exposed, vulnerable, empowered, weak, powerful, and everything else all at once. Beneath the flush of heated nervousness, she couldn’t help the thrill of being desired. He didn’t simply find her pretty, but someone he found appealing. Someone he wanted. Prani was new to all this, but she wasn’t oblivious to the rush of having the boy she liked feeling various ways about her.

When he started to talk about the dress, Prani buried her face into the back of Crumbs’ head, her face completely flustered, “Golly, Shaw,” She mumbled, though she emerged again with a shy smile. Prani’s brain was mush and she couldn’t even come up with something to say. She never had a boy tell her all these things, and she thought she was going to pass out.

By the time they reached the temple, Prani was still in her own head. Her mind was racing and she began to realize that their relationship was definitely shifting away from just friendship. They had made it official, but to actually experience that transition was something else entirely. Looking at him, feeling his touch, being close to him, all of it invoked entirely new emotions and desires and she couldn’t make sense of it all.

“Uh yeah! I’ll be waitin’ so don’t take too long,” Prani said, shaking herself out of her mental spiral. She leaned up for a kiss before they parted ways, even if it was for just a bit. Prani smirked at Shaw, “We got joint custody of Crumbs so he’s yours for now,” She said with a chuckle.

Vibe Theme
​

Once back in her room, Prani dove into her bed, screamed into a pillow, and kicked her legs in girlish excitement. She blasted the cheesiest romance songs and belted out the chorus using a shoe for a mic. She jumped around on her bed, almost falling off at one point. She practiced flirty lines in front of the mirror, complete with trying to perfect some eyebrow wiggling (spoiler - most of it looked demented so she opted not to use them). She adjusted her top to gauge how much chest was appropriate to reveal, dropping down to what she saw some of the other girls wear. She was mentally slapped by her parents, so she quickly moved the top up again. She paced around in circles, replaying every moment of their date over and over again. She lay down on the ground, daydreaming about the day. Intrusive thoughts began to cloud her mind and slowly drifted towards imagining Shaw in nothing but a towel around his hips and stepping out of the shower. She slapped herself on the face, bolting to sit up, “GOLLY, PRANI!” Prani screeched, mortified at herself. Checking the watch, she realized she was wasting too much time and quickly hopped into the shower (re: ice cold) herself.

By the time Shaw arrived again, she was her usual calm and collected self, not a single evidence of her earlier theatrics present. Prani smiled at him, dressed in a modest tank top and some comfortable sweatpants. Her hair was up in a messy bun, though nothing could tame the few errant strands that framed her face.

“Okay I get the feelin’ you watch way more scary movies than I do, so you wanna pick one?” Prani asked as she plopped down on the futon. It wasn’t much better than his, but her room was immaculate. There were several potted plants, the room smelled like essential oils and there were several rows of organizers for all her crafting materials.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Shaw couldn't stop himself from throwing a glance over his shoulder to get one last look of Prani in that dress, watching her walk in the opposite direction toward the girl's dormitories. He hoped tonight wouldn't be the last time he would get to see her in the dress and squeezed Crumbs a little bit tighter, smiling to himself as she rounded a corner and disappeared from view.

There was a growing pile of clothes sitting on a chair in the corner of Shaw's dorm room that with every passing day looked more and more like the monster hiding in your closest. Usually it startled the teenager whenever he first walked in, up until the moment he flipped the switch and the lights would come on. Then he would laugh at himself and look back over his shoulder, just to make sure no one had seen him jump.

This time he didn't even notice it, much less give it a second thought as he walked in. He wasn't afraid of the shadows tonight, not when all he could think about was Prani. Shaw traversed the pigsty that was his room, avoiding old takeout boxes and dirty clothes and open school books like it was a maze, never even looking down to see where he was going. He just kinda knew the path, drifting through and plopping down on the old futon at the end of his bed.

He placed and positioned Crumbs in the far corner of the seat and smiled. There. That was where Crumbs would stay, waiting for Prani to come over and play video games while Shaw was away. It would be a little something to keep her company, which reminded Shaw... he really had to get this place cleaned up. He looked around and scratched his head, at a loss as to where to begin. That was always the hardest part. Where to begin?

The teenager chewed on his lip before pulling his dataphone out of his pocket and opening up the family group chat. He hadn't talked to his parents a lot lately. They had been really busy, and Shaw was pointedly avoiding telling them what he had been up to. He hadn't broken the news to them yet, that he had actually decided to become a Jedi. And not just for the room and board and roof over his head but because it was the right thing to do. Because it was his calling. Because, as Master Valtiere had put it, it was what he was always meant to be. Shaw gave his parents the bare minimum of info and kept it all very generic, which they just assumed was him being a moody teenager or whatever, still sore that they had offloaded him with the Jedi. He knew he would have to come clean with them some day, just... not yet. He wanted to break the news to them in person. Then maybe he could convince them that they were all wrong about the Jedi and that this was for the best.

But Prani. Prani he didn't want to hide. He wanted everyone to know about Prani, but especially those closest to him. He shot his parents a picture he had taken of her a couple weeks ago between classes, out in the courtyard when she had effortlessly gotten a butterfly to land in the palm of her hand because she was Miss Nature herself. Met a girl! he would type for the caption with a bunch of grinning and fire emojis. He remembered this was his parents and backspaced on the fire emojis. She's incredible. You guys would love her!

Then he would look over at Crumbs and remember that he needed to shower. He deposited the credits he had won on his dresser next to Prani's nearly finished boo bracelet, rummaged through that growing pile of clothes for something that didn't smell half bad, and hit the showers. Shaw would show up at Prani's in a tshirt and sweatpants smelling and feeling like a fresh man.

"I haven't seen just a whole lotta horror movies if I'm being real with you," Shaw would admit, scrolling through the columns and columns of movies on the streaming service. "With my little sister and all." His mother had banned horror movies altogether after he and some of his friends had started one and his mom had been up the rest of the night trying to put Maliah to bed. "Let's roll with a classic. Don't wanna scare you too bad this being your first foray and all," he teased, grinning over at her. Foray really wasn't a word Shaw would ever use. He had picked it up from Master Valtiere at some point. @Sreeya

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

“Really?” Prani asked, “You at least struck me as the type to watch them zombie flicks,” She said with a grin. She rolled her eyes at his concern about her first foray, “Please, I watch scary movies all the time!” She quipped back, gesturing for him to take a seat on her futon. There were pillows and a cozy blanket she knitted herself.

Prani brought over a bowl of veggie snacks and chips if he wanted, sliding into the seat next to him. She wasn’t afraid to scoot close, and it helped that he smelled nice now. Did he actually opt not to use hatchet spray? Prani almost thanked him for it but didn’t want to hurt his feelings. So she tried a different strategy, nuzzling against his shoulder, “You smell great,” She said with a smile. Hopefully, that was enough to discourage him from using the awful sprays that made her eyes water.

She watched the movie start, already judging the main character because she was a dirty thief. Prani grimaced when Borman Nates came on screen, “Gosh, he gives me the heebie jeebies,” She muttered with an involuntary shudder.

“What would ya do if you found that much money?” Prani asked during a quieter part of the movie. She had always grown up poor, so she couldn’t imagine coming into a hefty amount of cash all at once.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

"I get that a lot," Shaw grinned, running with it and shooting her a playful look that would let her know he was just joking around. He wasn't fishing for compliments. At least not this time. "Must be that brain dead look I get in my eyes sometimes."

The teenager's grin only grew when Prani didn't hesitate to scoot close to him, and he reciprocated by wrapping his arm around her shoulders. It was a very couple-y thing to do, wasn't it? To sit on the couch (in this case a cheap futon) and cuddle up and watch a movie together. It was some word beyond just relaxing, to be this close to Prani just for the sake of being close. Her warmth and the steady, calm beating of his own heart were lulling. Just not lulling enough to put him to sleep. He was still sitting next to the most beautiful girl in the galaxy after all!

"Do I?" he asked when she said that he smelled great. He was a little confused about that because in his haste to get back to Prani he had forgotten to apply his signature Hatchet body spray. Still, it was nice to hear it coming from her. "Your whole place smells great," he said, sniffing the air. "You got a candle going or something?" Shaw didn't know about essential oils.

Motel keeper on screen, Shaw sampled the chips Prani had brought out. "What? You don't find taxidermy an attractive quality?" He pretended to be offended before breaking into a grin. "Remind me to take that off my list of ways to impress you." Prani, animal lover that she was, was just about the last person Shaw ever expected to be into taxidermy.

It didn't take Shaw long to come up with an answer to her question. Invest it or put it in the bank would have been a good answer, but his was, "Hmmm first thing I'd do is take you to see the ocean!" Prani had told him that she had never seen the ocean before and desperately wanted to. Shaw had only seen it once, at night and under threat of being squished by a giant ape, so not under the best circumstances. "You could lay on the beach all day soaking up the sun and reading while you listened to the waves roll in. Meanwhile I'd be out making a fool of myself on a surf board." He gave her a look. "Or totally killing it." Shaw had already told her that he would take her to see the ocean some day, provided she didn't make it there first. It was just a matter of when and how.

"What about you?" he asked. He imagined her answer would be nothing like his. She would donate it or give it away or something really noble like that. She was, after all, the most selfless person he had ever met. @Sreeya

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

“They’re oils!” Prani said excitedly, “My family makes them from all the plants and flowers we got all around us,” She smiled brightly, “It soothes me and reminds me of home,” She admitted. Her smile faded just a bit as she remembered she hadn’t heard from them still, “I think I’m gonna go visit home while you’re off trainin’,” Prani declared, “Might temporarily distract me from missin’ you so much,” She said as she lightly nudged him.

When he mentioned the ocean, Prani stared at him. Did he remember that detail? With how quickly he answered, it was clear he had been thinking about going to the beach with her for some time. Prani smiled as she leaned her head against his shoulder, “I ain’t goin’ to the beach unless it’s with you,” She stated flatly. The image he painted sounded perfect - even though she was likely to get burned to a crisp, the thought of relaxing on vacation with Shaw sounded magical.

Prani had to think about what she would do with money, “I’d prolly try to convince my parents to move into a house,” She said with a sheepish smile. The caravan life was nice, but she knew her mother was growing tired of it. Feroz left the family years ago and her little sister wasn’t thrilled about the constant moving. More and more people began to leave that life behind, “They’d do so much better if they just settled down somewhere and farmed instead of always takin’ up odd jobs,” Prani sighed. She cleared her throat, realizing she was getting into too much of her family drama, “Maybe I’ll buy more of them dresses you like,” Prani teased with a knowing grin.

She was momentarily distracted, yelping when the shower scene happened. From then on, the movie was a rollercoaster and had her hooked and trying to guess what would happen next. The entire time, she was curled up close against Shaw, tensing or relaxing as the movie progressed. She was stunned by the end of it, eager to watch another movie. After all, neither of them had classes the next day.

Prani's gaze panned to spot her hallikset in the corner and it gave her pause, “You know, I’m hopin’ most of the stuff I wanna give you doesn’t cost much because I ain’t got much money at all,” She said with a giggle. Prani rose to stand, walking over to grab the hallikset. She returned and sat on the futon across from him, propping the hallikset up, “I been workin’ on a little somethin’ for ya,” Prani said with a nervous smile.

With that, she began to strum a song that was from the sheet music he had given her. Shortly afterward, she began to sing, but he would notice right away that she completely changed up the lyrics to keep the same rhyme scheme but with her own words.

"Oh, there once was a Jedi from Coruscant's light,
Named Shaw the Bold, a beacon in night.
Under Master Valtiere, he honed his skill,
With the Force as his guide, he faced every thrill.

And he fought with valor, his courage renowned,
In the heart of battles, he stood his ground.
With a hum and a crackle, his blade cut through air,
Shaw the Jedi, with danger to dare!

Through stars he did journey, on missions untold,
Defending the weak, with a heart made of gold.
Against Sith and abominations, he'd never back down,
A symbol of hope, in the galaxy's frown.

And he fought with valor, his courage renowned,
In the heart of battles, he stood his ground.
With a hum and a crackle, his blade cut through air,
Shaw the Jedi, with danger to dare!"
​

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

"That's a good idea," Shaw nodded when she mentioned that she would like to go visit her parents soon. It was the second time she had floated the idea out there, albeit a lot more directly this time. Last time she had just said that she hadn't heard from them in a couples weeks, that they had missed their last two weekly scheduled calls. He could tell it really bothered her, and she was probably coming up with new worst case scenarios every day.

Better to prove those fears wrong sooner rather than later. Her parents had probably just been really busy or had forgotten to pay their dataphone bill or something like that. If they were as averse to electronics as Prani was, they had probably forgotten their dataphones in the last town where they had set up shop. "I know they're gonna be excited to see you." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and smiled. "Just be careful and make sure to send me lots of pictures, okay?" Shaw wanted to see Genassa for himself one day, to see exactly where Prani had grown up and discover why she was so fond of it, but in the meantime pictures would have to do.

Shaw listened to Prani explain what she would do if she suddenly came into that much money, and her answer made him smile. He knew it would be something like that. He didn't know the specifics, hadn't realized that she wanted her family to give up the gypsy life and swap it out for the quiet, stationary country life. He just knew that it would be something selfless, something for someone else rather than for herself, and it was. "That sounds nice," he smiled, imagining Prani's parents—whatever they looked like—living in a nice little house with a white picket fence and immaculate herb gardens on every side. Okay, so he was imagining Prani going to visit them in one of those dresses too, but he was still imagining it so it counted, right? "Then we could swing by and visit them anytime we wanted."

He chuckled when Prani mentioned that she didn't have a lot of credits, reaching for her hallikset. "You don't need to worry about that. I don't either." What he had won tonight at the fair nerf riding were the first credits he had come into in a long time. Then Prani proceeded to give him a gift that credits could never buy, not in a million years. And in typical Prani fashion she dropped it into his lap like it was no big deal. Like it was just any old gift instead of the kind of gift that rooted him to the spot, arresting not only his gaze but his heart, his mind, and his whole body. Possibly not just for a moment but for forever.

By the time she had reached the chorus his lips had parted in unabashed wonder, and goosebumps ran the length of his arms. Shaw's body was pointed toward her, from the tips of his toes to his unblinking brown eyes, giving her his undivided attention. He was holding his breath, savoring every word and soaking up every sweet note as if just a single inhale or exhale from him might interfere with her performance and ruin the moment.

Simply put? Shaw was mooning over Prani. He was mooning over her hard. Had she called him her wolf earlier? The description had never been more accurate than at this moment because he looked at her as if she had just hung the moon and simultaneously was the moon, and if he could have howled for her he would have. His friends would probably tell him that he was simping, but he didn't care. The teenager stared at her, gaze more intense than it ever had been before. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her, and he didn't even care how embarrassed it might make her feel or how stupid it might make him look. He just wanted to go on staring at her forever. To memorize every freckle and every line of her face. To seal this exact moment in time in a bottle that he could pull out anytime he wanted and relive.

"You... you really wrote that for me?" he finally asked, voice thick with emotion. One hand reached out and clasped her knee since her hands hovered over the instrument, the gesture far more desperate than he would normally have allowed. Of course when he finally did speak it was something stupid. She had already told him that, and his name was in the song, but Shaw felt lightheaded and couldn't collect his thoughts. It would be obvious to Prani that he was still reeling, that his full reaction was still in the works. @Sreeya

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani had been focused on singing and getting the lyrics and chords just right. She didn’t notice Shaw’s reaction, her nerves slowly easing away as she got lost in the music. Her fingers worked of their own accord, easily gliding over the strings. Her fingertips may have been calloused, but they produced beautiful melodies at the slightest brush. By the end of her song, she caught Shaw staring at her in wonder.

Prani was about to giggle and answer him when she felt him grasp her knee. Her eyes widened at that, her face burning hot. That heat expanded from her face, flooding through her body to every last extremity. She felt as if hot magma ran through her veins, a rush of emotions and sensations all surging just from the focal point of that touch alone.

“Y-Yeah I did…” She mumbled in response, suddenly not wanting him to pull his hand away. Prani gingerly set the hallikset aside, her heart racing as she gazed at him. It was just the two of them here, no crowds, no Regina, no Simon, no Stacy. Not even Crumbs. It was just them and the fact that she was very acutely aware of his touch. She couldn’t look away from his gaze even if she tried, “I-I’m crazy about you..” Prani added quietly. As if that wasn’t obvious. She didn’t write serenades for just anyone. And yet it felt like something else entirely to say the words aloud.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

That was one of the many wonderful things about Prani. She never made Shaw feel silly or stupid, even when he was being silly or stupid. There he was sitting there and staring at her like an idiot, eyes as wide as saucers and mouth parted like he was trying to catch flies, and she made him feel just as valued and cared for as the hero she sang about in those lyrics.

Shaw realized that he wasn't that hero she had written, a beacon in the night with a heart made of gold that defended the weak and stood his ground in the heart of battle. Not yet anyway. Someday, perhaps, because he was never going to stop striving to be everything that she already thought he was. He wouldn't stop until those rose colored glasses she liked to wear whenever she looked at him was simply a reality. Shaw knew right then and there that he would do anything for Prani. There was no lengths he wouldn't go to. No sacrifice he wouldn't make. No risk he wouldn't take.

That calm, steady heartbeat was gone. His pulse was racing, his beating heart erratic. The emotions washing over him were amongst the most intense that he had ever experienced, made all the more overwhelming because they were all new. He wasn't sure how to label them, and he certainly didn't know how to properly process them. So he just squeezed Prani's knee tighter and leaned forward, hot breath tickling her skin as he began to kiss along her forehead, working his way down her temple before resting his face against hers and muttering into her ear, "You have no idea how much that means to me." Then, taking a deep breath, "I'm crazy about you too." @Sreeya

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani half expected him to suggest a new movie or switch topics or something. But he just kept gazing back at her. Her heart was rattling in the cage of her ribs, thundering hard enough to where she was sure he could hear it. That heat throughout her body burned so hot, that she was certain she would sear his skin if he touched her. He squeezed her knee tighter and those sensations exploded within her all over again.

She didn’t pull back as he leaned in towards her, always marveling at those brown eyes that burned with new emotions she hadn’t seen in them before. Prani wished she could read his thoughts right then, but she was certainly glad he couldn’t read hers. She felt his lips against her forehead, a tender gesture of fondness and adoration. However, there was no denying the way his warm breath brushed her skin, or the goosebumps that lined her when he murmured softly against her ear.

“Golly, Shaw..” Prani said barely above a whisper, turning to look at him. He was so close, he was so warm, and she couldn’t help herself. She leaned in to kiss him, realizing that she had nothing she wanted to say with words. It was all automatic, her desires taking hold as their lips met. Except there was no one watching, no random interruption, nothing but a blissful moment between the two. Prani found herself giving into it, getting lost in the way his breath mixed with hers, the warmth of his body so close to hers, the rush of emotions she felt for him. She craved his touch, she wanted to be cocooned in his arms, and she never wanted to let him go.

The tacky and dramatic menu display of the Psycho movie played in a loop but she hardly noticed. They had kissed enough to where it wasn’t awkward anymore, and they worked in perfect harmony. Prani didn’t even notice when she held him tighter, one of her hands sliding down towards his hip to pull him closer. Everything felt seamless, everything felt perfect, and just right. New and confusing desires burned in her, but she didn’t want to stop kissing him.

She knew she wasn’t alone. She knew he was just as crazy about her. Prani didn’t feel silly or ridiculous for any of this, and as always, he made a safe space for her. She melted against him, getting lost in the moment. At some point, her fingers brushed up along his hip and she felt his warm skin instead of his shirt and she gasped, pulling back. She hadn’t even realized when her fingertips just barely began to slip under his shirt, overwhelmed by the desire to feel more of him.

“Oh gosh, I- just..wow,” She hastily drew back, mortified at herself. Prani thought she was going to faint. Her face was tomato red and she couldn’t even look at him, “I’m..this is all new and real…real different.. I haven’t..done anythin’ with anyone and..” Shut up shut up shut up! She knew she completely ruined whatever was going on here, but there was no denying the internal panic and terror.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Their eyes met, and then their lips met. Instinct kicked in before inhibitions did, and Shaw erased what distance remained by pressing his chest to hers and easing her back, against the chair on her side of the futon and into the throw pillow and handmade blanket she had crafted. Every movement was slow and careful at first, a deliberate attempt on Shaw's part to put Prani at ease and not scare her off. Just as much as he wanted her to know how desperately he had longed for this moment, he wanted her to feel safe and comfortable.

For the briefest of seconds he was torn between keeping his eyes open so he wouldn't miss a thing or closing them so he could focus on every intensifying sensation that took control. The second option won out, and his heart pounded within his chest like his own private, celebratory fireworks display. Shaw slipped one arm under her back, fingers tangling and then carding through her hair. Still unsatisfied, fingers aching with the need to touch and explore, the palm of his other hand brushed against her arm.

Every hair on the back of his neck was standing straight up, and every nerve ending felt more alive than ever. Even if Shaw couldn't process it all at once, his body was aware of every sensation. The old and the new. The familiar, stimulating taste of Prani's lips and the new impatience he found there. The warmth that spread throughout his entire body and threatened to consume him. The fluttering in his stomach, like a thousand caged butterflies had just been set loose. More than anything he was aware of her hands. Every time she touched him it elicited a genuine and uncontrollable response.

Prani had a scent about her, and it wasn't just the essential oils. Shaw wanted to stay here forever and drink it in. When her hand brushed against his skin for the first time he shivered. That was when she drew back, and the kiss was broken. Dazed eyes stared at Prani, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Had he done something wrong? Gone too far? Made her uncomfortable? "It's okay," he assured her right away when she explained, short of breath as his chest rose and fell with every inhale and exhale. It was impossible not to notice how red her face had become and the look in her eyes. Shaw had seen that look before, just... never quite like this. Prani was scared.

Shaw sat up, putting some distance between them and repeating, "It's okay. I—I haven't either," he admitted, swallowing. "We'll take this real slow, okay?" Shaw had made a lot of mistakes in his short life, and most of the time he could forgive himself for those. One thing he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for? Hurting Prani again. He just wasn't going to do it. Shaw had messed a lot of things up. This was one thing he was not going to mess up. No matter what it took, he was going to make this work with Prani. Shaw would reach over and squeeze her hand gently.

"I wanna take this real slow with you okay, Prani?" he tried to put her mind at ease with a soft smile. "I wanna do this right. Every step of the way." The teenager tore his eyes away from her, which was just about the hardest thing to do, and stared at the bowl of veggies. He picked up a vegetable at random, the first one his fingers brushed against. "These carrots sure are great!" He was eating broccoli. "Pick them yourself?" He didn't even realize just what a stupid question that was. @Sreeya