Ask Sitting on the Dock

[Renfry]

It was impressive. He was blind, but when he was annoyed with her somehow, someway, he still managed to look directly at her with that stare. It defied possibility.

Yes, how dare I want you to be comfortable. I truly am a monster, she said, rolling her eyes. She came back several moments later with his jacket, handing it over to him. She knew well that it still had the smell of his cologne on it, and she just regretted that he didn't still smell like that. It was a nice smell that brought back, shall we say, favorable memories.

She didn't know where his mind had wandered off to, but that wasn't anything new.

Yeah, the main console has music, she said, referencing the projector and console in the main "hub" area of the freighter just off of the entrance.

I'm going to make some food, you want something? she asked, heading in the direction of the main hub. If he went to "look" through the music, he would find himself playing a comical game of roulette. He would find a large portion of music that was specifically things she had heard aboard his ship and therefore things that were to his taste. Alternatively, he would also find old style music with mixtures of strings, wind instruments, and even occasionally singing. No doubt these were picked because they were more in line with what she had grown up with on Dathomir.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was still focused on the smell of his cologne when Renfry mentioned cooking. There was a look of suspicion on his face as he questioned what kind of cooking skills she may have had. Despite all their time together, he couldn’t recall her ever making food that he ate. Emryc vaguely rubbed his beard, “As long as it’s not insects or something,” He muttered. Who knew what some of these uncivilized tribes ate sometimes.

He would pointedly ignore whatever rebuke she had for him, easing back into the bed to relax. It felt strange to be back on a ship. He smelled the familiar scent of a ship, that consistent chill that hung in the air, and even Renfry’s own smells that were oddly comforting and a sense of his past.

Emryc heard the music, pausing for a moment to listen. While it was not his usual style, he found it oddly soothing. It was similar to what some of the villagers played, and he found himself listening very closely. In his thoughts he could picture days on Tatooine when he heard similar instruments and when Tiamat had asked to dance. It was a poor village back then and he had just suffered through some chicken wings before they joined into a high energy dance. A faint grin graced his face, his thoughts traveling back to times that he hadn’t even realized he had been content and...happy?

He decided to relax in the room. He would step out if Renfry called for him or arrived again.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry rolled her eyes at his insect comment. Sometimes she was amazed at how barbaric he thought she was. She knew that Dathomir had a lot of customs that weren't typical, but she'd never really forgiven him for implying that she couldn't read.

Yeah, it's steak. Can you handle that? she said sarcastically before turning to leave. She had absolutely no expectation that he was going to reply.

She headed out to the kitchenette and got started. It was true that cooking wasn't typically her specialty except when it came to a variety of meats. Grilled, rotisserie, baked, fried, or just about anything else you could think of. Part of it was her history of hunting and part of it was the fact that Dathomirians were actually primarily carnivorous. This certainly beat out the time that she'd made Morgan eat those giant insectoids on Dathomir. In fairness, that was out of necessity not because she liked it. She wasn't going to tell Emryc about that.

As the grill - an addition she had specifically had added to the ship - fired up, she got out a wide assortment of seasonings to put on the nerf steaks. The smell would begin to permeate the entire ship and the sizzling of the grill would be heard as well as she cooked. Hopefully he liked his steak rare because that was pretty much the only way that she made them.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Within moments, he could smell the delicious scent of the food cooking. He swung his legs over and used Force Sight to make out shapes. He adjusted enough to make his way over to her, though he did bump into things here and there. He followed his nose, eventually making his way to the kitchen area as he stood at the doorway.

“I’m impressed,” He stated, something he wasn’t known for declaring. Emryc felt around till he found a seat and took it, running his fingers through his longer hair. He was quiet for a moment as he considered the strange arrangement, silver eyes vacantly gazing off without any coordination. The pupils never retracted when light shined on them, the gaze always dead.

“You’re doing all this….just because?” Emryc asked, not entirely satisfied with her answer earlier. It was a concept he didn’t understand. Things that he didn’t understand often nagged at the back of his mind.

“What of your kingdom?”

 

[Renfry]

The wonderful smells filling the air only made her hungrier, and she was already salivating at the thought of the meal. With the sizzling sounds of the grill, she almost didn't notice him coming into the room until he spoke.

Oh-ho-ho, she said, smiling when he said he was impressed. Well, hopefully the food lives up to your expectations, she said. She knew it wasn't common for him to give such compliments, but she enjoyed it.

And she paused for a moment to just look at him. He had changed much since he had left and perhaps not only on the outside.

His question caught her a bit off guard and she didn't say anything for a moment. Why was she here? Their relationship had always been bizarre and strange. She'd very slowly accepted that it would forever be what it was now. So why was she here?

Originally, I came to convince you to come back, she said, turning back to prepare some tubers as well. She peeled pieces away with her knife and stopped looking at him as she did so.

Now, I'm just here to help, she said. I guess you could say it's because I care, she said with a shrug that she didn't know if he would be able to perceive.

You can reprimand me for that later, she said with a chuckle. She expected him to think that such sentimentality was weakness, but then, she never could predict what he was going to think or say.

If my kingdom collapses because I'm absent for a few days, then I have bigger problems. But it also means that I won't be able to stay with you in the village for a prolonged period of time. Please try to hide your relief, she said with a smirk.

She pulled the steaks free from the grill and brought them over to the table a few moments later.

Just about ready, she said, going back to fetch the remainder of the food.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc heard her out as she spoke, using Force Sight to make out where she was. He could only see vague outlines, no real fine details. He had been adjusting to this new way of sight for a while, and it had a constant drain on him. Every now and then he stopped using it and his world went back to being pitch black.

“I never reprimand honesty, Renfry,” He said quietly, looking vaguely in her direction. Tiamat also expected him to chastise for things, but it was usually not in his nature. His thoughts drifted vaguely away to everything else he had left behind.

Emryc paused for a moment before he spoke again, “I..am pleased you came,” He said after a while, running his hand through his hair as he often did when he wasn’t his usual confident self, “And not simply because you’re assisting me.”

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

It wasn't really the answer she was expecting, but that didn't mean it was an unwelcome answer. She grabbed the remainder of the food. Still relatively simple: meat, tubers, and some wine, but it suited Renfry's typical tastes well.

She was also surprised to hear his final comment, but she couldn't stop the smile that lit up her face. It was stupid of her, but it made her happy.

I'm glad you're glad, she said. It might have been a tiny bit awkward, but she could tell he was perhaps a bit uncomfortable as well, but it was nice, and she didn't want to make it uncomfortable for either of them.

She cleared her throat after a moment. Food's ready, she said.

She took a seat and waited for him to do the same before starting to place food on her plate. The steak was seasoned with a particularly spicy mix of flavors that was quite Dathomirian. Most of the plants on world were in the extremes of sour or spicy, and it had seeped into most aspects of their cuisine.

She paused after a moment and frowned. What is your favorite food? she asked. She realized that for all the time she had known him, she didn't really know. Sure, she knew about his veggie snacks and his propensity to snack on chips while playing qwent, but she didn't actually know what his favorite thing to eat was.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc took a bite of the steak and began to cough and sputter at once. His eyes began to water and his nose ran a bit as he had to flag Renfry to get him some tissues. He sneezed a few times, his entire face turning red from trying a single bite of the food.

“I...don’t do spicy,” He clarified in between sneezing. Emryc wiped off his face after a while, drinking several glasses of water before his mouth felt as if it weren’t burning anymore. The rest of the steak remained untouched and he hoped she had some sides he could pick at instead.

“I like...steamed vegetables and occasionally some very lightly seasoned meats,” Emryc muttered, well aware of his exceptionally boring eating habits. He was still hungry, but he couldn’t eat the steak unless it involved washing off all the spices.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry immediately felt bad when he took a bite of the steak and practically started to choke on it. He started to lamely poke at the rest of his food like a limp noodle, and she simply wasn't going to be having any of that.

I'm making you another one, she declared in a tone he would well know meant there was no reasoning with her. She picked up the plate from in front of him and marched over to the kitchenette. They were in luck that the grill was still hot from having been used only moments earlier, and she started making another steak for him without any of the seasoning.

Well, I don't eat many vegetables, she said, a universal statement across the board with her people and by extension meaning that she didn't have much by the way of vegetables to serve him.

She brought him over a glass of juice to drink and help wash away the spice that was no doubt still lingering in his mouth.

Here, drink this. How done do you like your steak? she asked, setting the juice down right in front of him before heading back to the kitchenette. It was one of the sweeter fruit juices available on Dathomir, and would do to help cleanse his pallet.

After only a few more minutes she returned.

Oookay, let's try this again. Without the seasoning, she said, setting it down on the table and sitting down with her own plate as well.

She started munching at her own food in silence. Normally she had a slew of questions to ask when filling her time or when she was uncomfortable, but now there was only silence for a moment. That was until she remembered what he'd said about her voice. Was that actually true? Maybe she should say something then.

I've been fortifying Dathomir, she said. Because of course if she was going to make conversation that was what it would be about. Making sure that it's secure but still covert. There was an unwanted visitor a while back: a Sector Ranger that I had to convince to leave. Very unwelcome, she said. She had no idea if he actually wanted to hear about any of this.

If you'd rather talk about something else, I don't have to talk about this, she added almost abruptly.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was about to let her know that she didn’t have to make another one, but the words died on his lips as she moved away. He sat there quietly, listening to the music that was still going. He drank the provided juice, though he did sniff it to make sure it wasn’t going to burn his mouth as well. Surprisingly, it was very refreshing and soothing. Normally not a fan of juices at all, Emryc forgot how they tasted.

“Medium rare,” He stated, “I’m not completely hopeless,” He said with a grin. Emryc sat until she returned with the new steak and dove in right away. She would see how hungry he had been with how quickly he ate it, barely taking a pause at all.

The half Sephi heard everything she said, followed by her backtracking. Renfry appeared oddly flustered. Emryc finished his meal and washed it down with some more of the juice.

“Get used to visitors,” He stated flatly, “Dathomir has an intrigue about it that draws idiots from all corners of the galaxy,” Emryc grinned at that, “Remember the one you spotted marching straight into a sacred temple?” The day they had met felt as if it were centuries ago. He had only been 18 at the time.

Emryc listened to the music that switched to something more upbeat. He rose to stand and randomly extended a hand to her, “Come here, I’m going to show you how to dance.”

 

[Renfry]

Renfry laughed slightly and said We'll see when told that he wasn't completely hopeless. It was good that medium rare was what he wanted because that was about all she could do anyway. Variants of cooking that were on the rare end.

As she watched him dive into the meal, she was glad she had opted to make a fresh steak after all. It was clear he was hungry, and the steak was the main event. Everything else was just the sides and wouldn't cut it for genuine sustenance.

"Get used to visitors" wasn't really what she wanted to hear. Not because she thought it was wrong, but because she didn't want visitors. They weren't welcome.

Oh yes, I remember, she said, and he would be able to tell just by the tone of her voice that she was smiling. Absolutely insufferable, that one. I decided to chase him around the galaxy and bug him to death as punishment, she said teasingly.

He extended his hand, and for a moment she looked at it as he spoke. But it was only a moment before she reached out and took it, standing from her seat. His hands were rougher than usual, clearly altered by his time fishing and boat building.

She followed him over to the open space of the common area. While there wasn't an abundance of space, it should be enough for the pair. As he led, he would find that she was actually not terrible when it came to following a lead, and yet she made no objection to being held close by him as he taught. No objection at all.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Theme
​

Emryc was thankful she didn’t protest as he didn’t have the energy to argue. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, tapping his foot on the floor a few times to catch the rhythm. Once he had it, he stepped forth into a dance and led her through a jig. To his surprise, Renfry wasn’t terrible and only stepped on his foot a few times. As Emryc never needed to look at his feet while dancing, the lack of sight didn’t impede him.

The half Sephi decided to spice things up by abruptly twirling her out and then back in. The music kicked up again and he pulled her in, hands on her hips, and abruptly lifted her into the air to the beat before lowering her again. The beat picked up even more and so did he, easily guiding her through the space he had to work with.

Of all the things he had given up, dancing hadn’t been one of them. The village had little festivals here and there and he became quickly known as someone that knew his way around the music. Emryc tossed Renfry up into the air and spun her around again, twirling her all around and switching her from one hand to another.

He finished a spin and tugged her in so her back pressed into his chest. His arms were still around her, much larger and powerful than before. He also stood taller above her than before. Emryc had a grin on his face as the song came to an end.

“You have no reason to be a wallflower at parties, you know,” He murmured quietly near her ear.

 

[Renfry]

The song was upbeat and quick with its tempo and unlike Emryc, she did have to watch her feet as they moved. She had seen him dance before, but was still surprised at the grace with which he moved to the song. His feet moved almost of their own accord.

An unfortunate plop of her foot onto his was nearly followed by an apology, but there simply wasn't time as he twirled her out and away from him only to pull her back in once again. She felt his hands drop to her hips before lifting her up into the air. She leapt in time with him, almost sensing his movements before they happened. It was a duel in its own way and she found herself quickly lost in it. She was in sync with him in a way that surprised her as she transitioned from one of his hands to the other, a display of surprising grace as she found the rhythm along with him.

He pulled her back in toward himself and the song came to an end with her against his chest, his arms wrapped around her. Her heart was pounding and her breath came with a bit more difficulty, neither of which were exclusively brought on by the exertion of dancing.

This truth was highlighted by the way he would be able to feel her heart speed up when she spoke, his breath against her ear.

I... want you were two of the words competing to finish that sentence, but they weren't the only ones. Don't know were two more and there were others further down the list. She'd never felt much as though she belonged at parties, but he had her almost believing it.

...I will need to practice with you more, then, she said, spinning in his arms so that she could face him. She made no attempt to free herself from his grip. For a moment she looked up into those silver eyes. She knew that he couldn't see her in the same way he used to anymore, but he didn't need to be able to see her to be able to see through her.

She reached a hand up for a moment to brush against the side of his face before running down his neck, along his arm, and eventually settling so that her hands were in his.

Lead on, she said as the next song began to play.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc felt her shift around in his arms. He had been around her enough to know when she was a bit flustered. His gaze didn’t meet hers as they once did, the silvers not piercing into her. They stared off vacantly at nothing, but they were no less vibrant.

He felt her touch against his face, though it was against the beard that was there now instead of his smooth clean shaven skin. Emryc grasped her hand, the other sliding around her waist. The song was slightly slower now and he led her through that instead. There were gentle twirls, but most of it involved her being close against his chest while they both swayed.

For a moment no words were exchanged. It was just the two of them as it had been before Emryc ever met the others. Before he took all his grander steps in the galaxy. Before ISC. Before Raze. Before any of that. He had just been a lanky boy with long hair that showed up at a Dathomir temple.

Emryc had a grin on his face at the memory and he pulled her close. He simply dwelled in his thoughts as he moved to the music with her, his body relaxed and his mind at ease.

 

[Renfry]

Her hand came into his and the music was now slower. She leaned up against him, flowing through the handful of twirls along with the music. He was far taller than her and as the song came into a slow pace she rested her head against his chest as he pulled her closer. The scent of his cologne was mostly gone, but faints scents clung to the hoodie he now wore.

She let the moment linger, drinking it in. Rather than focus on what she couldn't have or what she dreamed of, she simply enjoyed the here and now. Perhaps he'd been right when he'd told her she would take whatever her gave. Even if it was only to give her a feeling of being loved, it was a kindness in its own way.

She was silent throughout the song and the next, which was also slow. It was almost unheard of for her to go so long without saying something, but she simply enjoyed the moments as they came, letting them imprint on her mind.

Where did you learn to dance? she murmured after some time, not pulling her head from his chest. There was still so much about him she didn't know, and she hoped the question wouldn't bother him, but this wasn't a self-explanatory question this time at least.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was generally quiet and patient by nature. Complete silence while soft music played was exactly how he liked things best. Renfry had never been the type to enjoy that, and he found himself pleasantly surprised. Her weight against him was comfortable and familiar, and he could still smell the earthy tones from her hair.

He held her close and continued to move and sway, his movements subtle to go with the gentle theme. Emryc had no idea what he was doing to her. He had no idea how truly cruel he was being, because he was just that simple. He focused only on the now and the music, oblivious to the fact that he was digging deeper into a wound that attempted so many times to scab over.

“I taught myself,” He stated after a while, answering her question with something other than silence. Emryc didn’t push her away and didn’t stop what he was doing, his larger frame enveloping her.

“Helps me with saber routines,” Emryc continued, “...And impressing others,” He finished with a grin.

 

[Renfry]

She hadn't particularly expected that answer, but she supposed in hindsight it didn't surprise her. Who else would have taught him? Something about the Sith life told her "dancing" wasn't part of most training regimens despite its overlap with dueling.

She laughed slightly at what he said and while pressed up against him he would feel it more than hear it.

Very practical, she commented about his saber routines. On both accounts, she added. No doubt his position as president of the ISC involved impressing people often. She wondered what the ISC thought of the sudden disappearance of their representative. Politics was hardly her strong suit, but she imagined it was impossible that people hadn't noticed.

She didn't ask.

So much had changed since they'd first met each other. It was odd how far they had both come and how they had each changed from the initial confrontation where they almost killed one another. She let her mind wander through it all and continued dancing for several more songs, letting it stretch on for... well, she wasn't even sure how long but quite some time before gently pulling back from his arms.

I should probably clean up, she said. The food and dishes were still piled up at the far side of the room. Despite Emryc's lack of awareness, Renfry was slowly but surely coming to terms with reality. It was why she hadn't gone to bed with him back in the village and why she pulled herself away from an otherwise perfect moment now.