Ask With Your Own Eyes

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

The laugh that came out of her mouth was unbridled and full of mirth, and by the end of his tale she was wiping a stray tear or two from her eyes. The fact that he looked rather cute when he grimaced prompted another giggle out of her. It should disgust her to think about having to eat giant earthworms but the anecdote was too funny for her to acknowledge her own fear of worms, and subsequently the disgust she felt towards the creatures.

"I bet the locals loved the show... but I have a feeling that they knew you and your fellow Knight wouldn't fully understand their instructions, given the language barrier and all." The corners of her lips tilted upwards in a smile as she watched him finish preparing their meal. "Locals do that sometimes. Or maybe there's just this whole misunderstanding thing going on in that case."

The small Mandalorian stood beside him, wrapping her arms around his middle when he was done with his task. It was rather nice to be reminded that she could spend the day with him without having to constantly be aware of any trouble afoot. How good it felt to be assured that no one would come barging in on his ship with malicious intent, that no one except Carrick was the only living person in here who was free to look upon her bare face.

She felt... content. There was still a hint of nervousness in her system about being alone together with him, but it mostly stemmed from her own fears of saying or doing something that crossed a certain line and him being spooked or disappointed as a result. Reiel honestly had no idea what she was doing, mostly just following her feelings and gauging his reactions if what she was doing was still okay or not.

It sucked that no one had ever bothered to list down the do's and don't's for harboring romantic feelings towards another person.

All Reiel knew – all she was certain of – was that despite the short amount of time they shared, she really, REALLY, liked this wonderful sorcerer-slash-politician in front of her.

Her arms tightened a little around him as she pressed herself closer against him.

I like you so much. So damn much, it scares me sometimes.

Reiel let Carrick go and peered at their meal.

"Looks really good. Smells like it, too," she commented, pulling one of the plates to her and taking a whiff of the food. "Kriff, I bet this tastes divine."

The small Mandalorian then glanced up at him, one hand finding the back of his neck to pull him down to her so she could press her lips to his cheek. "C'mon, let's eat. I'm starving."[/cbox]
@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Oh he was certain that the locals had known exactly what they were doing but it made for a good story about how he had been a naïve young Knight. It helped remind him that he wasn’t that old either, that he was only a few years removed from such an amusing but, ultimately, stupid experience. Though he hadn’t ever told anyone the story, it was less about keeping it secret and more about not having anyone he was close enough to.

Reiel had snuck into that emotional area rather quickly and without him really noticing. It was… alarming in some ways that he had started to genuinely care about the small Mandalorian currently cooking beside him. He had started their courtship to benefit himself, to have a defender, and now to think of her as just that felt… wrong. It made his skin crawl a little bit so he had stopped thinking like that.

It took him by surprise that he hadn’t even needed to make a conscious decision; one moment she had been a means to an end and the next? The next she had been Reiel, his Mando.

“They knew what they were doing – just like you know what you’re doing.” He teased her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and pulling her close with his arm, “Worming your way into my good books… not that I mind at all.”

The pun had been entirely intentional because he was evil.

Plating up the meal was really easy because he cheated. His instructors at the Temple would likely scream at him for what he was doing but using the Force to plate up the food was just too convenient to NOT do. Was it a gross misuse of one of the fundamental powers of the Galaxy? Maybe but it made life so much easier.

His attention was taken off of the food however when Reiel pulled him down to meet her, kissing his cheek. The touch was soft and warm… that he didn’t let her escape with just a kiss to his cheek. Instead he turned to her, stooped as he was, and cupped her left cheek with his hand, running the tip of his thumb across her lips slowly. He looked her in the eyes as he slowly lowered himself down, giving her ample opportunity to move if she didn’t want this.

If she didn’t stop him, he would claim her lips with his own in a kiss that he kept deliberately light, wanting to savor the moment.

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

♪♪♪​

It would've been easy to feign ignorance but Reiel did not bother doing so, chuckling ever so lightly at his teasing and at the weight of Carrick's arm around her. It was something she always found she missed when they were apart – his warmth against her, his arms around her, his presence, his voice, his smile...

She would not lie for assuming, however briefly, that he had just been humoring her words and her actions, her show of interest towards him – that he was just doing all these because really, having a Mandalorian at your beck and call? He would've enjoyed her presence and services and use them for his own selfish needs, but could he really keep that charade up? To keep fooling her into thinking that she wasn't just a means to an end, not when she could detect a lie when it stared at her in the face?

She would have called herself blind and mock herself for her own stupidity for convincing herself that she never once thought that Carrick might only be planning to use her. Reiel had been warned by her buir about getting her hopes up in earning Carrick's affection when he found out that she was keenly interested on the politician. Wulfric cautioned her to always watch herself whenever she was in Carrick's presence, to see past whatever feelings she mighg have for him and to take great caution in guarding her heart. I know you have doubts about his intent towards you, ad'ika, he would remind her. You have to make sure that he wasn't simply using you. And if he was? Then prepare your weapons. Make him feel the pain he would someday cause you.

Reiel returned his gaze, honey brown eyes meeting pale blues. She looked, and only found sincerity, warmth, and – dare she say it? – affection directed at her. Something jolted painfully in her chest as her hand curled around his neck, the other finding his chest as he lowered his face to her level, gaze not leaving hers. The small Mandalorian's cheeks burned a bright red, her eyes darting from his lips then back up at those lovely pale blues.

She wanted this. Back when she first kissed him on that nightclub in Tinnel IV. That had been borne out of necessity, to pull him out of his growing anger – an action she never regretted. And now, in the safety of his own ship, in the cradle of the world she grew up in, Reiel slowly closed her eyes and welcomed Carrick's lips with her own.

Despite knowing already how his lips felt against hers, why did this still feel as if it was their first kiss? Why did she still feel so entranced by the soft press of his lips against hers, the gentleness and sincerity she could feel from this single touch alone?

Why... Why did she want more? More of him?

Carrick was a dangerous man – a danger Reiel was more than happy and willing to be faced against.

She hummed softly against his lips, all too pleased and content as the two of them savored the moment. Reiel pulled away, only to come back for a more insistent kiss. The hand on Carrick's chest would trail down his arm to take his hand in hers, and she would press his palm against her chest – directly where her heart pounded against her sternum, frantic like an animal trapped within the confines of a small cage.

"Can you feel that?" she muttered, her lips a hair's breadth from his. "You... You do this to me. No matter how hard I try to calm myself, it just won't stop beating frantically whenever you're near... and even when I merely think of you."

Reiel pressed another kiss to Carrick's lips. "I've been taught to control my feelings around people like you. Around sorcerers. Politicians. But with every smile, every teasing remark... those teachings–" another kiss "–just fly. Out. The window."

The next kiss would be a searing, open-mouthed one, and more insistent and passionate than the first few. She couldn't help herself; she needed to express herself – whether if it would be through words or in action – or else she would burst.

"I would tell you to stop... but I never want you to."

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

It felt more like this was their first kiss – though he imagined that showing her face was worth more than a first kiss to a Mandalorian anyway. To his mind it seemed as though almost all forms of attraction and relationship building meant so much more when the helmet was actually fully removed and someone saw the face. When someone outside the Clan was granted that same level of trust and calculated vulnerability.

She pulled away only after his first kiss and he let her go, let her retreat so she could make the next move. He wasn’t disappointed when she pulled herself back in for a kiss that had more hunger behind it than the last. His eyebrows raised when she took his hand in her own before moving to press it against the centre of her chest.

His hand against her chest, her heart beating against him.

He could feel it mirrored by his own as he felt her whisper against his lips, words like a stolen confession from someone who thought she shouldn’t think or feel that way. Leaning in closer, he met her lips as she pushed against him, breathing against her lips as they whispered to each other.

“Reiel… you already know what you do to me.” He whispered right back to her, his eyes staring right into her own from inches apart, “So we let it happen. We let down our armor to each other and be bare, raw, with each other.”

Meeting her open kiss, the hand against her chest moved from the centre to cup her through her thin tank top as their kiss grew more heated than before. His other hand reached lower to grab and hold Reiel by the hip, pulling her lower half flush against his own. She broke the kiss to speak again, to urge him not to stop, and he was already past that point. As she spoke he dipped his head to the side, leaning in to kiss at the sensitive side of her neck.

He made sure to leave a mark as she finished speaking, aiming to have her trail off into a gasp instead. As much as he loved hearing her talk, the former Jedi preferred she react to his attention more obviously.

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

The words he whispered to her hit deeper than Reiel had anticipated. It felt heartbreakingly unfair to think that she was the only one showing her trust and vulnerability by literally shedding her helmet and armor for Carrick, to have him see the soul behind the Mandalorian's iron skin. He always struck her as a man who knew what he wanted, who knew how to keep his cards close to his chest. Someone who would think twice – and maybe more than that – about letting people in and through the walls he built around himself.

She initially hadn't thought nor expected that he would readily let his guard down around her, in the privacy of his own ship and safe from the prying eyes of the galaxy, that he would shed his own armor as much as she did hers – and she adored him for it. Loved him for it.

Other people might say that it was still too soon to properly put a label on what she felt for him other than the word 'like', but in this day and age Mandalorians often died young. Bloody. Alone. And Reiel would not let the threat of death stop her from acknowledging what she felt. She would not let death stop her from experiencing these feelings she felt for her sorcerer. The fear of loss won't stop her from allowing herself to love him.

A sharp gasp slipped past her lips at the feeling of Carrick's hands on her body, and the small Mandalorian instinctively pushed herself closer and harder against him. Her hands found purchase on his arms, fingers digging painfully on the tense muscles there. She needed more of his touch, more of those impossibly warm hands that ignited something raw and needy inside her. She was burning, and yet she never wanted him to stop fanning the flames brighter and stronger than when he teased her – gave her a taste of what it felt to be truly touched – in her father's ship back on Tinnel IV.

"Carrick–"

Her whimpered pleas fell short when his lips found the side of her neck, and he was rewarded with a breathy giggle that swiftly turned into a hitched moan. The hands on his arms would slither down to his front, fisting at the fabric and tugging at it insistently. But she was too drunk off of his kisses and touch and warmth so when Carrick's top wouldn't come off, Reiel – driven by a sudden primal instinct – hooked her left leg on his hip so she could reach for the vibroknife tucked to her boot. With surprising care and precision, the blade cut a substantial line through the fabric and the weapon was quickly discarded in favor of the small Mandalorian just straight up ripping her sorcerer's shirt off.

Her lips then left a burning trail on his jawline, and down the column of his throat when he pulled away from her neck. She didn't know if she was doing this correctly, but it felt right and when did her instinct let her down? Her hands soon found the skin now exposed to her, tracing twin lines greedily from his chest down to his abdomen, nails softly digging on his skin when she gripped his hips in return. Reiel caught Carrick's lips in a heated kiss once again, her eyes dark and hooded when she briefly broke off to utter one word against his flushed skin.

"Bed?"

They were both past the point of no return, but she didn't care. All she wanted was him, and she would willingly offer herself to him – and to him alone – in return.

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

The time for conversation seemed to have passed them by and the time for food? Well it was terrible cold but he was willing to make that sacrifice because he didn't want to waste another second. Part of him had been yearning to do these kinds of things with Reiel since he'd had her sat on his lap in her jumpsuit.

And now that he finally had her? Wrapped up in his arms and eager for more? There was no way in the Sith-spawning hells he was just going to stop right there. There was a point of no return for self-control and when they got to this stage it was already somewhat of a back-seat issue at this point.

A giggle?

Hells that was both unexpected and hot as hells coming from such a strong, forceful, figure as his Mando. That he could do this to her, bring out the woman beneath all the armor, was a heady feeling. The knife was... not unexpected if he was honest with himself, though he would have voiced a complaint had he been overly bothered by the loss of his shirt.

He pulsed the Force, tearing the remains of his shirt from his body and sending them fluttering away. Bed? He could see that being the best idea, yes, though he got revenge for his shirt. He didn't use her knife or one of his own but rather the Force, using it to break the stitching of her tank top so that he could whisk it away with a though.

"Bed." he agreed with a smirk, picking her up half with the Force and half with his own strength in on hand on her waist so she would have to wrap her legs around his waist, "... I wonder if you're going to shout out in Mando'a..."

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

The fact that Carrick hadn't even brought up the topic of the food they prepared proved that he wanted what was happening, and was about to happen, between them as much as Reiel did. For quite a while now she never dwelled on feelings of being wanted but seeing the desire on her sorcerer's eyes was more than enough to make her mind go blank. He didn't even tease her about her pulling out a knife at him just so she could tear his shirt off – and when she came to her senses the realization only sent an embarrassed blush to her face.

More of him was revealed when he tore his shirt off of him without having to use his hands. Reiel swallowed the lump in her throat, pursing her lips so she could swipe the tip of her tongue at them. Her hands skimmed over his warm skin, making a trail from his hips to his abdomen, then up to his chest and shoulders, her eyes following her hands' movements.

A small hint of nervousness remained anchored in the small Mandalorian's mind, an obvious hint to her inexperience despite her eagerness to keep going and see this thing through. She pressed a small kiss to the center of Carrick's chest and broke off with a surprised squeak when she heard and felt her tank top being torn through its stitches. She reached out in an attempt to grab at her top before it fell but she was a little too late, with her sorcerer already whisking away the tattered remains of her clothing with a thought.

Using the Force to disrobe her? How utterly unfair!

Says the woman who pulls out a knife at her man.

The thought embarrassed her. It also made her skin flush, but for an entirely different reason.

Was... Was it alright to call Carrick that without coming across as possessive? She wasn't a possessive woman but just the thought of calling him hers only served to fuel her desire to let him do what he pleased with her. It was the same feeling she had back in Tinnel IV, and this time there was no drug to blame for the way she felt.

Reiel would have crossed her arms over her chest to cover her nakedness but Carrick beat her to it when he picked her up rather effortlessly. She wrapped her legs around his waist on instinct, her arms around his shoulders, and their chests flushed at the sudden movement. The small Mandalorian was grateful for the action because it somehow gave her the cover she needed. It was one thing to have her scars exposed, the evidences of the successes of her training and verd'goten that denoted her status as a full-fledged Mando warrior, but she hadn't actually gotten naked – well, half-naked in this case – in front of someone else.

Well, the clan's healer had already seen her, but the older Mando woman didn't really count, right?

Carrick's agreement and following remark prompted a bashful giggle out of the small Mandalorian and she buried her face on the junction between his neck and shoulder, pressing soft kisses on his skin. Her legs tightened around his waist in response as she pressed herself closer and harder against him, melting under his touch and warmth.

"You won't find out if you can make me if you don't take me there, ner cyarir," she whispered against his skin, one of her hands moving up to run her fingers through his soft hair, nails gently raking against his scalp. Reiel pulled away from his neck to capture his lips again in a searing kiss, then broke off with a breathy little giggle. "I'll hurry the hells up if I were you."

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

**Skip**​

And hurry the hells up her did.

He honestly lost some of the details of their time together, how they got to the bedroom being one of the things he had obviously classed as unimportant and not worthy of being remembered. Instead, he remembered every flash of pleasure and every touch given and received. Remembered every gasp of breath he stole from her in the heat of the moment and how she flushed and writhed beneath him or atop him.

No, Carrick didn't remember how he'd gotten her out of her leg armor because it didn't matter what compared to remembering what she tasted like.

Reclining lazily in the bed, broken in for a couple of occupants for the first time since he had bought the ship, Carrick rested easily with Reiel's head against his chest and her body half pressed against his own. Though he could feel her pressed against him, he found no immediate lust in his thoughts, having exhausted such instincts in the immediate future and being content to just idly play with her hair with his hand.

Just... lounging.

It was odd to him that they had done so much more past this point but it still felt so strange to be with her like this in the aftermath, to find himself just enjoying the sound of her breathing. Altogether rather pleasant but very much something he had not expected to find. He hummed lightly to himself as he played with her hair, not trying to wake her if she had managed to fall asleep.

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

—·—​

She had lost herself somewhere along the way, and only in the aftermath did she grasp rediscovery... and sleep.

It was the first time she had ever been with someone, and Reiel was honestly glad that she had experienced it with Carrick. With someone she trusted with her life and her identity. Someone she could easily be vulnerable with, and someone who had not lulled her into a sense of complacency only to stick a knife between her ribs. She was hardened both by who she was as a person and her experiences, that she could easily defend herself against anyone who wished her harm and yet with him she felt... safe. Protected. Reiel already knew that he had her back as much as she had his – and she was grateful that he had been her first.

She would've blushed fiercely and smiled like an idiot of she hadn't been too exhausted in the aftermath. She'd sung a symphony only meant for his ears – in breathy gasps and hushed moans, in hitched screams and bashful whimpers, and impatient pleas. When she couldn't find words in Basic she had switched to broken Mando'a, too blinded and drowned by the pleasure he had willingly given her. Every kiss and touch were something she knew she would remember for a long time, the sounds he made and the way he felt locked indefinitely in her mind.

Reiel found rest in Carrick's arms, her mind still awash in a haze of pleasure as she drifted in and out of sleep, her cheek pressed against his chest. Her breathing had long since evened out, and it was so easy to embrace sleep with him so near. She could feel his hands on her hair, and, trying to fight off her exhaustion, the small Mandalorian sluggishly lifted her head to look at him. Reiel slightly pulled herself up, smiling sleepily down at him as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Hey," she muttered softly, her gaze finding the marks she left on his skin. Red bloomed on her face and travelled further down her neck at her following question, "I didn't... scratch your back too hard when... um... you know..."

A soft, shy and breathy chuckle escaped her as she moved to lightly kiss the corner of his lips. Maker, she was so sleepy... and she didn't even know that this was supposed to be tiring.

Another piece of information filed in her brain for future use, then.


@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Carrick didn't notice her waking up until she spoke but just smiled a little bit and looked down at her for a moment before she lifted herself up slightly to look down at him. His hand still played with her hair for a moment before he let his fingers wander and he cupped her cheek gently in his hand. Idly his thumb brushed over her lips, ghosting over them as he took note of how they seemed almost bruised from their recent activities.

"Hey."

He didn't really feel like getting up or, well, even really moving much though so he didn't. Instead he just watched her as she blushed, her cheek heating up against the hand against her. Chuckling a little bit, Carrick shifted ever so slightly where he lay and felt some small, pinpricks, of pain along his back from what he assumed were the nail marks she had left along his upper back.

Not that he minded at all.

"Shh..." he whispered to her as he brushed his thumb against her lips again before moving his hand to cup the back of her head, "If I minded I would have said..."

Pulling her down as he pushed himself up to meet her, he would capture her lips in a soft kiss.

"I expected you might be a little rough..." he smirked against her lips, "Some stereotypes about Mandos must be truth after all..."

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

It was much easier to melt into the kiss now that they recently shared something more than that. Admittedly, the softness with which he kissed her ignited something within her again, the side of her that demanded to feel him and his touch again, but Reiel tamped down the desire before it could fully rear its head once more. Carrick's comment – although aimed at a much different context – reminded the small Mandalorian why she asked for his presence here on Sorgan in the first place. Why she decided to finally show him her face.

"I... couldn't help it," she admitted with a smile, her blush deepening as she shifted from her position and swung one leg over him to straddle his hips. Her hands settled on his chest, palms gently smoothing over the planes of his chest and she bit her lower lip before looking down at him. "N-Not when you're..."

Reiel allowed herself to indulge even just a little before breaking the news to her sorcerer, and she would press her lips to his with a little insistence before pulling away to press her forehead against his.

"Carrick, I... have to be honest with you," she began, closing her eyes as one of her hands moved up to cup his cheek. The small Mandalorian hesitated, her internal struggle visible on her face – brows knotted with apprehension, and her gaze settling on the pillow under his head instead of meeting his when she reopened her eyes. Reiel worried her bottom lip, wincing a little at the small sting of pain it elicited.

"Something is... about to take place on Mandalore, and my Creed demands for my presence there, beside my people. I don't–" she still found it hard to give out the full details of what had transpired days before she called him, but Reiel tried. Even if she would have to glaze over much of the details itself.

Reiel took a deep breath, thumb brushing softly – almost reverently – against his cheek.

"A battle is about to happen... no, not technically war – I'm not sure if I could really call it that. By Creed we are to take back our homeworld, even if we die trying. I don't plan on getting killed, I swear, but, well..."

No, she couldn't promise him that. Nor herself, for that matter.

Blinking rapidly to stop the sudden tears that welled up in her eyes, she mustered a grin in an attempt to reassure him – and herself, by extension. But it fell short, the grin turning weak and unsure as she focused her gaze on her hand splayed on his chest.

"If... If I came out of there alive, will you–" Reiel swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, a single, stubborn tear trailing down her left cheek. She didn't like asking for something, afraid that she might be seen as demanding... or something entirely worse, but she couldn't help herself. And besides, it would be something simple, right?

"Will you be here when I call? I don't want to sound demanding or something, really, I just want to–"

To be with him? To find comfort in his arms when the battle was over – if she survived, that is?

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

A lot of things could make a man sit up and pay attention when a beautiful woman sat down atop of him. Most of those were pleasant but said beautiful woman talking about needing to be honest? Well even if he hadn't experienced it himself, he knew enough to know that it tended to be a bit of a bad start. It wasn't as bad as "we need to talk" but it was still basically in the same kind of category as that most dreaded of phrases.

So when she did so, he sat up. Shuffling himself, with her along for the ride, backward until he was able to sit up against the wall with her still seated firmly in his lap. He frowned ever so slightly and nodded.

"What's the matter, Reiel?"

Because something was the matter and it didn't take a Jedi reading her feelings to work it out. She was both uncomfortable and nervous at the same time. Something about what she had to say was both important and, yet, something she didn't want to say while, at the same time, feeling compelled to anyway. So he didn't focus on that, instead he focused on what she was actually saying and listened as she spoke without saying a word.

His breath caught for a moment when she mentioned Mandalore... during his research into Mando'a and other aspects of her culture, he had come across this. The calling of Mandalorians to recover the homeworld was something of a trend throughout most writings on them. He looked her in the eyes and cupped her cheek with a hand.

She wanted some reassurance that he'd be there after it was all over?

"Reiel... I'd be there with you in a heartbeat." he told her honestly with a small smile, "But something tells me that this is something I can't be a part of..."

Mandos liked to keep things in house as it were.

"So instead I'll be waiting. You need anything? You call me. You and your friends need medical supplies? I'll do a drop-off of medical supplies and more weapons to make sure they're the ones who need medical aid next time. Just say the word."

His more politically active side was already thinking, crunching numbers, at the possibility of a Mandalore that belonged to the Mandalorians again. But it was far from the forefront of his mind for now.

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

She couldn't look at him even after she trailed off with her little rambling. The hand on her cheek did little to calm her down as she fought against the tears that were starting to form stubbornly in her eyes again, and despite her initial acceptance of being vulnerable in front of him her growing fears and apprehension of how Carrick would view her hung heavily in the forefront of her mind.

His concern and response quickly erased whatever worry and anxiety she felt, and it surprised her how much his words meant to her. Reiel lifted her gaze and found Carrick smiling at her. And she believed in him, that he would be there for her if only he would be allowed to take part in her people's quest. But he was also right that it was something he could not be a part of, being an outsider himself. And as much as Reiel wanted for him to be there with her, it would never happen unless–

The small Mandalorian mentally shook her head. She would stand by her promise to herself that she won't force Carrick to make that sacrifice for her, for him to take the Creed just so he could be with her. Despite her feelings for him, she wouldn't be selfish as to demand it from him. She wouldn't do that to him – never.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, lowering her gaze and biting her lip. "I'm sorry that you can't–"

His next words had her looking back at hin again, her tear-filled eyes growing wide with shock. She had asked for so little, and yet he was willing to give her so much more. Reiel once again wondered just what she might have done in the past to deserve Carrick. The small Mandalorian's gaze lingered on his face, and she would immediately wrap her arms around his neck and pull him towards her in a fierce but grateful hug. She would bury her face on his neck, hot tears spilling down his skin as she cried in earnest, an intense amount of gratitude and growing love making her chest physically hurt.

" Vor entye, ner bare Carrick," she sobbed against him, pressing herself as close to him as much as their positions would allow her. "Vor entye bid ketye...!"

When was the last time she had cried out of gratitude like this? It felt like years, and yet shame – as she had expected – did not come to taunt her as she poured out what she felt with her words and her tears. Reiel knew that she was too expressive for a Mandalorian, letting her own emotions mostly get the better of her even when it was something the job or a mission did not ask of her. She had been told countless of times that it could be used against her, but right now she knew she was in one of the safest places in the galaxy and that her heart could not be weaponized against her.

Carrick made her feel safe and secure, and so she allowed herself – like she had done when she showed him her face – to cry again, this time out of sheer appreciation for his understanding, his concern, and what he was willing to give to her, to do for her.

Reiel would pull herself a little away from her embrace to wipe away her tears, this time smiling gratefully and happily at him, her honey brown eyes still shining with tears.

"Thank you so much, ner cyarir," she told him, sincerity heavy in her voice as she reached forward and would cup his cheeks with her hands. "Y-You have no idea how much–" a watery chuckle escaped her as she would move to press her forehead to his "–j-just how much you mean... h-how much your support means to me."

One of her hands would trail down his chest, fingertips tracing words in Mando'a she was suddenly so shy and unsure to speak out loud. She wouldn't tell him– couldn't tell him, not when he had just witnessed her cry for the second time. And while her certainty was growing, she couldn't afford to have him feel forced to say the words in return just to mollify her.

"Thank you, my sorcerer. For everything."

Reiel would then lean towards Carrick and would capture his lips in a slow, soft kiss. If he would not move away, the hand on his cheek would trail ghost-like touches to his jaw before finding purchase on the back of his neck to pull him closer.

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

He understood why she didn't want him to get involved even if she actually, kind of, did want him to be involved. It wasn't something he had to deal with anymore but it had been for some parts of his life - juggling the personal and the goals of the collective. Did she want him involved for herself? Probably. But she couldn't involve him for the Mandalorians themselves and he could respect that at least.

Their entire culture was an intriguing mixture of exclusion and inclusion. Anyone could become a Mandalorian but they couldn't if they didn't agree that being a Mandalorian would become most of what they were. So he just smiled a little bit and patted her gently on the back of her head as she struggled with the duel aspects of her life. Being a person and being a part of a clan - how very different they could be.

"It's alright." he assured her quietly even as she slipped into Mando'a, able to follow along with some of what she said due to his self-study but not as much as he would have liked, "Hey... Reiel... it's alright, honestly. I'll help however I can because I want to, alright?"

He used the pad of his thumb to brush away some of her tears.

"Hey." he brushed his thumb along her lips as he looked her in the eyes, "No need to thank me for anything because I've got a job for you. It's the most serious and important job I've ever given you and you might actually refuse it."

Carrick resisted the kiss, looking her dead in the eyes instead. This was something he needed to say and he didn't need her trying to distract him with kisses. He wanted her to understand the severity of his words as he spoke them, rather than realizing he was serious when she was laying in some ditch somewhere on Mandalore after trying something stupidly heroic.

"Come back." he commanded her, firmly, "I know your code demands that you give everything to this fight but I have a demand of my own and it's for you to come back alive."

@Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

A job she might actually refuse?

Reiel did not hold it against Carrick when he resisted her kiss, instead she respectfully pulled herself away and met his surprisingly serious gaze. She pulled her hands off of him, resting them on her thighs. Wide honey brown eyes searched his pale blues earnestly, and she knew he would be able to tell what she was thinking about.

Would the job he was going to ask of her be compromising her Creed? Would he go as far as to forbid her from returning to Mandalore? Reiel mentally shook her head – no, Carrick respected her and her culture, and it was unfair of her to even think of him making those kinds of demands from her. He'd only allowed himself to gaze upon her when she gave him her full permission, and there was no way he would ask her the unthinkable.

His command came out differently than she had expected, however, and it made her blush all over. Well, since his supposed command almost turned out into a demand she couldn't be mad about – how could she when he had uttered the words with so much severity and seriousness, they would have surely made her knees buckle if only she were standing. It was a mercy she was practically sitting on his lap, and the fact that both of them were still naked served to make her face heat up all the more.

That the small Mandalorian was blushing like an awestruck schoolgirl would've been hilarious if she couldn't kill those who would laugh at her with her bare hands.

Reiel covered her red face with her hands, ducking her head shyly and would press herself closer to her sorcerer. Carrick was being serious and yet here she was, feeling stupidly happy that he would demand for her to come back alive.

Fecking stars, who knew he couldn't be any more attractive than he already was?

I have a demand of my own and it's for you to come back alive.

The words played in her head on repeat, and she did not have to struggle to let them sink, to understand that he meant it and that he expected her to comply to his demand. Maker, she wanted to kiss him again and more but she was suddenly so consumed by embarrassment and slight worry that he would resist her again.

So, shyly – and painfully so – Reiel settled for a tiny yet wholeheartedly sincere, "Ni malyasa'yr, ner bare turjilyr. I will come back alive, m-my... Carrick."


...he did call her My Reiel. It was only fair to return that call, wasn't it?

@Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Carrick didn’t think she would expect his demand and it seemed that he was right. Reiel seemed to catch onto what he meant slightly before he said it and he watched as her face twisted as she came to the realization. He wasn’t asking her to go against her Creed so much as he was asking her to make sure that she came back. To his mind that meant that retreat was an option but to a Mandalorian following their Creed? It probably sounded like he was demanding that she win so that she could come back.

He didn’t mind if she retreated but he knew that she would.

She folded up into their embrace as she blushed so red that he was certain she had used most of the blood in her body to do so. Instead of calling her on it like he usually did, to tease her, he instead just wrapped his arms around her and held her closer, tighter, so that she was pressed right up against him until she could hear his heartbeat in her ears. There were different levels of affection on display right now and Carrick wasn’t entirely sure he had names for all of them.

But he knew that he felt them so he held onto them.

Carrick lifted her head up by a gentle hand on his cheek until she was looking up into his eyes and he smiled down at her.

“Make it so, my Mando.”

/End Thread

@Forsythe Crowholde