Ask Silver Linings

[Prani Shalrazi]

OOC:Directly after this​

Prani was still reeling from her conversation with Shaw. She didn’t like how the evening ended and she felt like she was the source of a lot of problems. Regina’s words echoed in her thoughts over and over again. Shaw’s apology had been genuine and she knew he felt bad. But he still went back to that party. The bigger part of her knew he had to - he was the host. It was his party. Everyone arrived because he invited them. He couldn’t bail on his own party!

But then the selfish part of her longed for a guy that would just drop everything for her. Those guys only existed in her novels. They would give up everything they knew, entire kingdoms, and turn away from power, just for a girl they glimpsed a few times. It was unrealistic, of course, but Prani knew she was the romantic fool type.

The academy loomed ahead and the night grew cold. Prani hugged herself as they walked, enjoying the sound of crickets, frogs, and other critters that brought the night to life in a natural orchestra, “It’s real peaceful out here,” She mused, “I ain’t ever been out here after hours,” Prani said as she looked around. The temple courtyards and surrounding areas looked stunning when bathed in moonlight. Most importantly, there were no padawans around to make fun of her or hide her shoes.

“Thanks again for keepin’ company,” Prani said to Caul, “Ya didn’t have to.”

@Zay

 

[Caul]

Caul strolled along next to Prani with both hands behind his head. He couldn’t stop wondering why Shaw chose the party. It wasn’t his business and he needed to let it go, but he couldn’t. Then again he hated parties and was constantly looking for reasons to leave, so he was probably missing some social thing there. Either way, when a friend is down you pick them up, that’s just what you do. Ugh, he was confused.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Prani shiver, so he slipped out of his jacket and offered it to her. Caul loved Takadona temple at night. The silhouette of the temple was nearly pitch black against a blanket of stars. He agreed with Prani, “After hours are the best hours. I love how still it gets out here, I think this time of night is the only time my brain isn’t on overdrive.”

He chuckled when she thanked him, “I’ve never had anyone thank me for annoying them for a whole walk before, you really are a different kind of nice,” he laughed, “Kidding, I’m glad I got the chance to walk with you, besides,” he gestured upward, “It’d be shame to enjoy the sky alone.”

Caul let the world spin for a moment. The night had been a whirlwind and a moment of serenity was a welcomed change. Once they started walking again Caul asked, “So, did you get everything sorted back there?”

@Sreeya

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

“Oh gosh, ain’t you gonna be cold?” Prani began to protest, but ultimately took the proffered jacket. She smiled as she put it on, “First the poncho and now this. You’re quite the gentleman,” Prani remarked. She hadn’t considered coming out at night, but after this, she would make a point.

They came across the courtyard in front of the temple lined with flowers and a fountain. Prani walked over to sit near the edge of the fountain, her fingers wiggling in the air. If Caul looked, he would see vines and roots in nearby flowerbeds dancing to how she manipulated them as if she were tugging invisible puppet strings.

“Uh.. I don’t know..” She mumbled at his question, “I know it was awkward for ya to be there for that,” Prani said, her gaze still on the plants doing their dance, “I’m just in over my head with all the social life stuff here. Where I’m from things are real simple..everyone just speaks what’s on their mind. There are so many layers..and complications here. I feel outta my element and I don’t know who or what to trust,” She took a deep breath before looking at him, “Sorry, don’t mean to rant.”

@Zay

 

[Caul]

”Me cold? Never,” he lied. Then laughed when she mentioned the poncho, “Meh, it was an equal exchange, you brought me some of the best tasting cookies i’ve ever had,” then his eyes widened with fear and he added, “Please don’t tell Zessel I said that.”

As she sat by the fountain Caul cocked his head to the side first in confusion and then in amazement, “Consitor Sato…” For the briefest of moments a pang of sadness would wash over Caul, but just like a wave on the shore it was gone just as soon as it had arrived. He sat down next to her watching the puppet master and her puppets. A small smile tugging at his lips. “Wow, you’re really talented. I had a friend who was gifted like you. She’s the big reason I’ve denied every request to relocate to Starlight.”

Caul nodded understanding, “Yeah, I’m probably not the best person to ask about social things, but when it comes to what you should trust, you should always start with you,” he shrugged, “From what I saw in those massive caves, I’d say you're someone worth trusting, and if you apologize to me one more time I’m going to push you into the fountain,” he said with a laugh.

“Vulnerability is the most difficult state of being because it requires us to be strong enough to accept our faults and brave enough to let others the chance to accept them,” he let that linger a moment and then added, “For what it’s worth, I think giving Shaw a second chance was a good idea. He’s a ding dong, but he’s not a bad person. Don’t forget, he’s new here too. He came from Coruscant, and I’ve heard it’s like ten times worse than Corellia. I’ve got a feeling he’s pretty overwhelmed by the social stuff too, he’s just got way worse ADD,” he laughed.

He could feel that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he wasn’t sure why he was inserting himself into something that didn’t involve him, but here he was, trying to fix the galaxy while he couldn’t even go to a party without having a panic attack.

Then like a glutton for punishment he asked, “How excited are you for the date?”

@Sreeya

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani blushed furiously when Caul said her cookies were the best. She knew Zessel prided himself in that title, “Oh you’re just messin’,” She said with a light chuckle, though her face was burning hot. When he started talking after that, he had her full attention. Prani eyed him with surprise, Caul sounding more like an enlightened Jedi Knight than a Padawan teen.

“Wow.. that’s real wise of ya,” Prani said, mulling over his words, “You have people vent to you often?” She asked with a sheepish smile. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel like he was playing therapist. Prani pondered on the question about the date. Truthfully, she needed a day to get over the hurt before she could even think about it. She forgave Shaw and she meant it, but the wound was still raw.

“Ah, let’s move on from that topic,” She said with a wave of her hand, “So why’d you show up at the party if you didn’t wanna go?” Prani asked as she started to grin, “I figure someone with that much wisdom to share woulda just come up with a clever excuse,” She said, “And stayed home…playin’ vidya games?” Prani queried, wondering if he had similar hobbies to Shaw. They were friends after all.

@Zay

 

[Caul]

When she said he was just messing he shook his head, “I’m not, that's why you have to promise not to tell Zessel.”

“Only recently,” he admitted, “I’m like that galactic insurance company, I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two,” he looked from her to the dancing flora, his adopting a wistful quality as he watched the petals dance, “I kinda like it, makes me feel like what I’ve been through was worth it, ya know?”

Caul was visibly relieved when Prani decided to move the convo away from the events of the night.

He laughed, “I wish I didn’t sound like a broken record, but Shaw needed help getting everything set up, so I helped. Then I felt like I should stay, cause… Well I mean,” he was blushing, “Well, ya know, Zessel and Roanoke, you and Theia were coming,” he laughed, “You might be the only one I’ve actually spoken too, now that I think about it…”

He wasn’t really sure how to open up about what he went through in crowds. Caul didn’t think anyone would understand the way his body literally locked up and his mind went into full panic just because there were other people around. Then his stomach growled, “Quiet you,” he retorted off the cuff.

Then it hit him... He hadn’t just left his game… he’d left his burgers, too.

@Sreeya

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Caul both sounded like he didn’t want to be at the party but also regretted leaving. However, she wasn’t going to bring up him leaving the party again. His stomach grumbling loudly broke her train of thought and drew out a giggle before she could stop it, “Gosh, you shoulda stayed for the pizza at least,” She said with a smile.

“Well the kitchens are closed but…if we find a way in I can prolly fix somethin’ up for ya,” Prani said. She was always a rule follower, but it was too late at night to wander around aimlessly for food. Making some food in the kitchen didn’t seem like the worst thing to do.

Prani led the way back into the temple, giving his jacket back when she was warm, “Thanks again. Good to know chivalry ain’t dead,” She said with a kind smile as she walked towards the cafeteria.

@Zay

 

[Caul]

”There was pizza?!” he moaned. The thought of a cheesy slice made his mouth water and when Prani mentioned sneaking into the kitchen to make something he practically jumped up.

“Wait, you sure? That’s breaking the rules,” he teased, but she seemed serious. She got up and started heading toward the temple. Caul blinked, then shook his head in surprise and jogged after her. She returned his jacket, he could still feel her warmth in the liner. It took more restraint than he cared to admit not to just slip into it. He was freezing, but he

“You’re just saying that because of the jacket,” he smirked, “It’s made of boyfriend material.”

A few minutes later and they were just outside the cafeteria, “Last chance to back out,” he teased. Caul didn’t often make it a habit of breaking into places but desperate times call for desperate measures, the main doors were locked, cause duh, he nodded toward the back. As he started to round the corner he heard the sharp hiss of compressed air, and held a hand up for Prani to stop.

He peeked around the corner and the lunch lady from before was leaving. “I’ve got a really bad idea, wait for my signal,” he said before slipping around the corner.

Caul walked with his head up and chest out, the very picture of confidence, the lunch lady noticed him and frowned, cocking her head to the side like a confused monkey lizard, “Little late for an evening stoll, don’t you think?”

Caul smiled, he’d managed to catch her attention before he engaged the lock on the door, perfect! Unfortunately, he wasn’t gifted with raw natural charisma like Shaw and the longer he didn’t answer the more concerned the lunch lady got. “I just couldn’t stop… thinking about the last time we saw each other.”

Why WHY WHYYYYYYYYYYYY?!

The lunch lady blinked, “When I gave you those burgers?”
“Yup, it was just so nice of you and, uh, I just wanted to say thank you. In person,” he swallowed. He needed to get to her other side, that would give Prani the chance to slip inside then he could ditch the lunch lady and circle back around, of course, he hadn’t relayed any of this to Prani… Welp, he was here now.

“Alright, well… go ahead, I guess,” she said, shifting her weight from one leg to the other and crossing her arms. He walked past her, then spun around and hit a knee, “THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!” One hand was on his heart, the other reaching for hers.

The lunch lady shook her head and muttered, “What the hell is wrong with this batch of padawans…” then louder she said, “Alright, well that was very nice, are you, uh, you good?”
Caul stood up and brushed off his pants, “Uh, yeah.” His eyes flicked to Prani, then he tried to nonchalantly nod toward the door, that was the best the signal was gonna get.

The lunch lady saw this of course and started to turn around to see what he was doing so Caul shot forward wrapping her up in a hug. In his panic he blurted, “I never knew my mother!”

“Oh Okay, this is now above my paygrade…” she said while scraping him off, not unlike a spatula to a burger. “Yeah, I’m gonna have to report this now.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” replied Caul.

Dice: 9/20

@Sreeya

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

“Jedi wouldn’t want padawans goin’ hungry now would they?” Prani theorized, “Is it really rule breaking?” She pondered aloud, but Caul acting shifty made her realize this was probably a bad idea. As if on cue, he informed her that he actually had a bad idea and scampered off before she could say anything.

Before she knew it, he was…chatting up the lunch lady? Prani palmed her face, standing there in complete disbelief. Caul didn’t talk to her about any kind of plan so she simply stood there as he spiraled out of control on a conversation from hell. When he threw himself on the lunch lady, Prani sighed and simply walked over.

“Good evenin’ m’am,” She said, “My friend Caul and I are mighty hungry and we were wonderin’ if I could maybe whip up somethin’ to eat. We’ll clean up and won’t be any trouble!”

The woman scowled and then looked at Caul, “Is that what this is all about?” She growled, “What’s with all the theatrics?” The woman huffed, “I better not see a single thing out of place. There are ingredients for sandwiches in the pantry over there,” She said before she shuffled away.

Prani looked at Caul, shaking her head, “Ya know, sometimes folks let ya have things if you just ask,” She said with a giggle.

Once in the kitchen, she began to grab a pan and some ingredients, humming to herself as she worked. Sandwiches? Feh! Not when she knew what she was doing. Before long, there was a delicious aroma as she cooked up a patty. By the end of it, she gathered some regular bread in the absence of buns and formed a black bean burger. Prani held it up for Caul, “It ain’t meat, but I promise you it’ll be tasty!” She smiled, “Have a bite.”

@Zay