Star Wars CLOSED Interludes - The Clones' War

"Lord Sidious, is it time?"

 

"Now it is, General Grievous."

 

OOC: The following is a combo with Lady_B and Sinrebirth. It's been a pleasure - thank you so much, guys!

IC: Sybelle, Aryan Graul, and Ashaiya Graul
The Graul Estate, Nubia

Everything had changed.

They were best friends who escaped by taking late-night walks and adventures. The two shared everything from their dreams to treats filched from the kitchen that they ate while stargazing. Their friendship changed last night when they shared their bodies.

It was just before daybreak when the birds were stirring in the foliage.

Sybelle’s eyes opened slowly, then quickly widened.

Their clothing was in a neat pile that cushioned both of their heads, and Aryan’s jacket covered her from the night air.

She felt his breath against the back of her neck, and the warmth of his arms that held her close against his chest.

Sighing softly, Sybelle whispered, "Aryan, are we okay?" For a moment she was afraid of losing her best friend, really her only friend besides Ashaiya. She rolled over to face him, her eyes searching for any sign of reassurance that everything was all right between them.

The lilt of her voice, coupled with her movement, roused him from his slumber. Aryan couldn’t recall the last time he had slept so soundly. He knew it was a bit sappy and cliché to think this way, but it was the only way to describe how he felt. It was as if the stars had finally aligned; he had no reason to fear. He had found peace. It was just him, the garden… and the woman resting easily in his embrace.

He exhaled softly and glanced down at Sybelle, burying his face in her dark tresses. He needed to breathe in her scent to verify that she was truly at his side; that this was real. It was hard to imagine a scenario where they could co-exist and share their affection for each other, especially when they hailed from two very different social backgrounds. In that regard, the galaxy was such a cruel place.

But that didn’t matter now.

They were together.

It was hard to say how it happened; it was more of a natural progression of what they had both been feeling for so long. By consummating their love, they were finally able to share it physically.

Aryan was content to relish the silence that reigned between them—until he realized that he had neglected to answer her question. Perhaps he simply didn’t want to shatter a perfect moment by saying the wrong thing. Afterall, it was always hard to determine who was truly safe with his father around.

A slight frown crossed his countenance at that notion, though he quickly pushed it from his mind. "We’re okay," he finally murmured with conviction. To fully emphasize his words, he tightened his hold and pulled her closer. "This—us, it’s not wrong, alright? No matter what anyone says. They'll never understand. I believe this happened for a reason. We can’t deny what comes naturally, right?"

He placed his opposite hand on her chest and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"It’s okay," she said softly, "I know how your father would react. He would love any excuse to be rid of me, but we’ll be very careful."

Sybelle immediately regretted the words. It sounded like she was saying this would be an ongoing thing.

"I mean… ugh, nevermind." She tucked her head under his chin where he couldn’t see her struggle. Sybelle didn’t have friends, other than Aryan, so she was terribly inexperienced when it came to relationships. She had read about them, which wasn’t adequate.

Aryan had been gentle, and loving. Sybelle worried that she had been awkward. She knew the mechanics, but the rest had been beyond her wildest dreams, nothing could’ve prepared her for the experience.

A short chuckle reverberated from deep in his throat at her stammering. "I appreciate the honesty," Aryan whispered into her hair, allowing her to nestle closer against his bare chest. He wanted Sybelle to feel secure in his embrace; it didn’t matter how long it took. He was willing to wait as long as necessary. This was their time.

"I’m not going to pressure you if you’re not ready," he continued after a brief reprieve, angling his chin to regard the distant stars. They were beginning to fade into the soft twilight of the coming dawn. The darkness would soon ebb, leaving them to rely solely on the green canopy above to conceal their position from the morning sun. That should’ve invoked a sense of urgency, but Aryan didn’t care. He was content to stay here in Sybelle’s presence.

He glanced down once more, tracing the outline of her jawline with his finger. "We’ll take it slow, whatever you prefer... but I would very much like for this to continue. I think you spoiled me, Belle." He scoffed lightly and leaned close again to kiss the top of her head. "And whatever happens, I want you to remember that we’re in this together. I have as much experience as you do. We’ll figure it out as we go. It’ll get easier, I promise."

Sybelle smiled up at him and nodded, Aryan could’ve been saying that there were banthas in the trees and she would’ve simply nodded in agreement.

The truth was that she was in love. Sybelle had fallen in love with Aryan from the stories Ashaiya told her while proudly showing off holos of her son. The older woman had not exaggerated one bit, in fact, he was even better than she had described.

After getting to know him, Sybelle couldn’t imagine her life without Aryan in it.

She studied his face in the predawn light, admiring the shape of his eyes, and the curve of his lips. "Thank you, Aryan," she whispered, "I trust you. Only I’m not sure about taking things too slow," she said, staring at his lips. "We should probably practice a bit more."

The light from above seemed to break through the canopy at that moment, reaffirming Sybelle’s words by providing clarity on how they should proceed. Nevertheless, that did not offer Aryan much relief from the apprehension he still felt inside. It was as if a pack of live char rats was squirming around in his stomach—or maybe it was more akin to a swarm of winged insects. Either way, it was a complicated matter. It fueled both his anxiety… and gave him a rise of exhilaration. While it was difficult to describe, he found it oddly satisfying; he enjoyed the sensation.

"I’m open for more practice," Aryan agreed effusively, the words slipping from his lips before he had a moment to sort through his emotions. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he felt powerless to stop it.

And really, he didn’t care. He was eager to ride the tidal wave to wherever it led them.

"That’s the only way we reach perfection," he continued with a small smile, his voice dropping to a low murmur. He then rolled over and captured her lips in a passionate kiss, whisking her away all over again.


* * *


She couldn’t stop smiling.

Everything was different, did what happened mean that she was officially a woman? Sybelle was sure that she looked different when she studied her reflection while she dressed for lunch.

She took extra care with her hair and even put on a tiny bit of some exotic perfume that Ashaiya had given her as a gift.

There was just enough time to race down the back stairs to help set the table. The moment she walked through the kitchen door the cook chastised her for missing breakfast. Sybelle murmured the story she and Aryan had decided on, she’d overslept and then went for a long walk to check on the gardens.

The cook had rolled her eyes and turned back to filling bowls with her aromatic soup.

Lunch was usually a casual affair if there weren’t guests at the estate, which meant they would sit at the big kitchen table together. Aryan and Ashaiya would join them and the meal generally ended with stories of Aryan’s antics when he was growing up.

Once the cook told Sybelle how many places to set, she hurried to get the table prepared before the Grauls came down. She hadn’t seen Aryan since they’d parted earlier, and she was anxious to see him.

As Aryan hurried down the grand staircase toward the dining room, he was extremely grateful to note his father’s absence. It was never a pleasurable experience to have Norin Graul present for a family meal, but on this particular occasion, it was even more crucial. He didn’t want the old man to ruin what had, so far, been a perfect day.

What had transpired between Sybelle and himself in the garden was both intimate and… special. His father would never understand the full extent of the bond they shared. In truth, he didn’t want him to know about their relationship at all. He would view their union as sacrilege, and he didn’t want to deal with—

Clenching his jaw, Aryan thrust those negative thoughts from his mind to focus on the moment. With a deep breath, he inadvertently reached up to tidy his tousled hair, brushing his unruly locks away from his forehead as his eyes met Sybelle across the room. She looked stunning in the warm glow of the afternoon sun filtering through the windows. The rays caught the sapphire highlights in her hair at the perfect angle, causing them to sparkle and dance with each movement of her head. It gave her the impression of an angel.

A goofy grin swept over his features at that thought. He soon found himself sauntering forward, his feet moving of their own accord as he approached the table. As he passed the far side, he afforded his mother a slight nod in greeting, before taking Sybelle’s hand and sitting down beside her.

"I missed you," Aryan said quietly. While only a few short hours had passed, the sincerity was evident in his tone. He didn’t mind that it probably sounded sappy or sentimental. He might’ve even found it embarrassing under different circumstances, but at this moment, he only cared about being in her presence.

Sybelle was afraid to look over at Ashaiya, she was genuinely shocked that Aryan held her hand so boldly… but she loved it. Still, Sybelle was afraid that the Grauls would forbid their son to have a relationship with someone who should be a servant.

She leaned over and whispered hoarsely, "I missed you too."

They should be eating, but she didn’t want Aryan to let go of her hand. Sybelle didn’t try to pull her hand back, she was content to wait until he released her.

"It’s a lovely day out," she said while looking into her soup, "I- uh, would you have time to go check on the new fish we added to the ornamental pond last week?" Sybelle asked. "I want to be sure they have enough food available."

The fish were fine and thriving, they were just the only excuse she could think of to get some time out of the house with Aryan.

Ashaiya smiled, a smile that did not quite reach her eyes, but she nonetheless drew up a brief shopping list and shooed them to go out. Norin wouldn't pay attention to a food run, and it gave them all plausible deniability. It warmed Ashaiya to see her son happy, let alone Sybelle.

"Go on, I'll be fine. Shoo, shoo."

Everything happened so quickly. Aryan hadn’t expected Sybelle to suggest they skip lunch to attend to the fishpond, nor had he foreseen his mother agreeing with her idea. He was shocked when she reinforced the notion by scrawling a hasty list of supplies onto a piece of flimsi and handing it to them.

Aryan stared down at the note with a frown before ultimately folding it into the palm of his hand. "You worry about the fish not having enough to eat," he grumbled under his breath, his tone reminiscent of a surly teenager, "but we didn’t even have an opportunity to finish our lunch."

He then glanced at his mother, hoping to appeal to her first. "What about Milla? I thought that’s what we hired the servants for—"

But he never finished his sentence.

His words suddenly trailed off, prompting him to awkwardly clear his throat. His original appraisal of the situation was far from accurate; it was more transparent than he realized. Why hadn’t he seen it before? Fortunately, he recognized his mistake before he could further condemn himself. This wasn’t about the fish; hell, it wasn’t even related to procuring the items on the apparent shopping list. It was part of a feint to allow Sybelle and himself to—

Wait, was his mother endorsing their relationship?!

With a sheepish grin, Aryan diverted his eyes from his mother and turned to regard Sybelle. "I guess, uh… we better take care of this?" he said stiffly, lifting his hand to brandish the handwritten flimsi. "Especially if we want to make it into town before evening."

He pushed back from the table and rose swiftly to his feet, suddenly self-conscious under his mother’s watchful gaze.

Sybelle’s eyes were wide over Ashaiya’s made-up errand, and she had to stifle a giggle over the time it took to dawn on Aryan that his mother was actually helping them.

"Would you mind grabbing my cloak?" She asked Aryan.

She deftly grabbed a couple of sandwiches and some fruit, Milla approached her smiling and handed Sybelle a tote bag to hold the food. "Thank you," the younger woman whispered.

It was hard not to question Ashaiya, but she didn’t. Instead, she smiled meekly at the woman who had taken care of her for years and mouthed the words, "I love you." Sybelle’s eyes welled with tears that she quickly wiped away with the back of her hand. She had been with Ashaiya longer than the time she had been with her own mother, which had made Mrs. Graul a surrogate mother to her.

Sybelle quickly turned away and asked Milla for some of the cookies that Aryan was particularly fond of.

Milla supplied plenty, and then added a whole picnic basket too!

Aryan stood in a daze for several moments, trying to comprehend the series of events that had led to this outcome. His mother had always been accommodating and kind, but he also understood that she had taken a serious risk by assisting them. Her actions would lead to backlash if his father discovered his tryst with Sybelle. In that sense, he wanted to protect her from suffering any further harm from his father's wrath…

… and yet, if they had reached this point, hadn’t she already accepted the potential consequences? By preparing a false shopping list and chasing them from the room, she had resigned herself to whatever fate awaited her. It would be foolish for him to refuse; he could not stay behind and betray her sacrifice. This was an act of love.

With a wistful grin, Aryan sought his mother’s gaze and nodded to convey his gratitude. He hesitated a moment longer, lingering at the edge of the table before crossing the room to retrieve Sybelle’s cloak. The soft garment slid easily through his fingers, producing an almost cathartic release in anticipation of their upcoming rendezvous. It served as motivation to dispel any nagging doubts from his mind.

Coming up behind Sybelle, he placed the cloak gently around her shoulders and dared to close the distance between them, planting a gentle kiss on the nape of her neck. "I’m ready when you are," he uttered in a husky baritone.

TAG: @Lady_Belligerent; @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Norin Graul

Time had indeed passed.

Norin knew he had to back off from his son and Sybelle. For a sweet handful of months, they grew closer, and he left them be. Ashaiya had run of the Estate, and there was even talk of the others coming home for summer from university… or wherever they were.

They had their own room setup, with separate beds and then they were pushed together, but Ashaiya blamed them for it. The medical droid, 11-4D had no idea what they were talking about. Indeed, he was struggling to find excuses to stay, and Norin was campaigning for their friend to leave and go look after another family.

After a firm communique from Coruscant - one Norin hadn’t allowed them to see - he dropped the topic. Their distant friend, Palpatine, or, as Norin mocked ‘Friendpatine’, seemed to have their backs. Aryan even heard from Pellaeon, who had been demoted but nonetheless remained alive and fighting the good fight.

The Clone Wars were, for the moment, a distant event. Reports flowed in on the news of Jedi heroism and clone bravery - more of the latter than former, but no surprises, there were 10,000 Jedi and 3,000,000 clones, and the Jedi news had to be offset by the actions of Count Dooku, Asajj Ventress and other fallen Jedi.

The Battle of Drongar was continuing unabated, and defeats at the Battles of Jabiim and Aargonar had been televised, mainly because Dooku kept hacking the HoloNet with his shadowfeed communications. But that was in the Mid Rim at very most - since the Battle of Merson in the Inner Rim, the Separatists had been stymied in the Colonies. Worlds such as Balmorra and the Neimodian systems were under heavy blockade, ditto the Techno Union Deep Core shipyards at Feorest.

Corellia still stood independent, Nubia the only loyalist system in the sector. The decision by Norin to remain in the Republic camp had risen the profile of the planet immeasurably, and there was even talk of renaming the Corellian Sector in Republic in starcharts. At very least, the Nubia Sector, but Norin was convinced he could leverage the Senate to rename it the Graul Sector.

Systems such as Loronar, Rendili, Tinnel, Humbarine, Commenor, Exodeen, Quellor and Denon all looked up to Nubia, considering it a bulwark against the Separatist ocean reaching the Core and their worlds falling in the tide of defeat.

At distant Yag’Dhul, the Separatists hunkered down, unable to reach beyond the heavily contested systems of Devaron and Bestine, where Jedi and clones fought an expert back and forth that had seen notorious Jedi killer Aurra Sing captured. Duro stood as a fortress on the Corellian Trade Spine, reinforced by the brand new Victory-class Star Destroyer, the Valorum.

The inauguration of the warship was being televised as Norin worked in his office - as he isolated himself. He was on the line with the Iseno Sector Senator, whose jurisdiction included Denon in the Inner Rim. Down the Corellian Run from them, the very end of which was held by Jedi Generals Kenobi and Skywalker after victories at Christophsis, Ryloth, Bothawui and Rodia in the last year, as well as a series of successful diplomatic initiatives involving the Hutts, it was expected that the post-war period would make the Corellian Run worlds rich - and especially Nubia, as the new capital of the sector, if Norin had anything to say about it.

Norin often regaled them with his plans to become Chancellor, or for Aryan too, in those moments he was impressed by the boy. He envisioned a great Graul Dynasty, and he would bring the family to the Estate here to create true power and install his vision of peace.

Ashaiya was nonplussed, but she couldn’t speak for Aryan or Sybelle. Aryan was a hungry one, and she knew it would create friction between them one day. But it was their blossoming relationship, and so they would have to figure it out themselves. For the moment, the three of them were on the couch watching the government-mandated HoloNet feed, doing their civic duty.

The Valorum was the most modern warship in the Republic Navy, orbiting Duro with other vessels and defense platforms. It was said it could defeat a Trade Federation battleship thrice its size, and while not as utilitarian as the Venator-class, the primary workhorse of the Republic, it would win fleet battles. What with the Separatist ability to construct skinny capital ships with droid brains and crew by the thousand, it was there that the Republic would win the war, it was said. Naval superiority would allow them, the speaker was saying, to project power across the galaxy.

Another development in the family was Norin allowing them all to have comlinks. Palpatine was a call away if he lost his temper, and Armand Isard, who had personally delivered them, emphasised they were decrypt-proof, gifts from the Chancellor himself. Ashaiya was convinced that Palpatine was as invested in Sybelle as Aryan, and she was sure he knew of her parentage in full. But Ashaiya wouldn’t say a word to Aryan, anymore than he already knew.

The Grauls, the Chiss, the Corellian Sector - all were entwined in this household. Palpatine would be an idiot to ignore the potential of their coupling. Ashaiya would keep them here, safe, and away from it all, for as long as possible, until they wanted to embrace it.

No sooner.

As the news unfold, Aryan’s comlink buzzed. They were both on silent - Norin had insisted.

Aryan’s screen lit up with the start of the message only. Incoming call from Armand Isard. Please take privately.

Sybelle’s didn’t, for the moment.

Ashaiya didn’t notice.

TAG: @HanSolo29, @Lady_Belligerent (combo)