[Lyseil Panteer]

Lyseil felt weary after a long day. Perhaps even dead-tired. Or just tired of a lot of things. But still... there was one thing she was not tired of. She was dressed down from her uniform with something more relaxed now that she was off-duty, with a plain white shirt having replaced her tailored jacket, and a simple skirt. She was quiet as she stood outside Niall's door, feeling a bit more alive again as she gathered herself and knocked on the door.

"It's sergeant Panteer, captain."

[Niall Organa]

It only took a moment before the door slid open. Niall stood in the doorway, somewhat conspicuously blocking as much of it as he could. He, too, had dressed down somewhat, wearing tank-top and fatigue pants. But they were both clearly clean, and his hair had that exceptionally neat edge that spoke of recent adjustments.

Niall grinned, his grey eyes lighting up. "Sergeant." He said. Shifting, he looked down the hallway first one way, then the other, before leaning closer, one eyebrow going up. "Did you bring the bottle?" He gave an exaggerated conspiratorial whisper, a smile playing about his lips.

[Lyseil Panteer]

Her lips pressed together with amusement, and she placed her hands confidently on her hips. "Of course, I did!" she replied in the same manner, yet somehow managing to have an exclamation mark with her whisper.

Though the bottle was nowhere in sight.

[Niall Organa]

That took a moment of consideration. Niall leaned back, one of his his eyebrows going up. His gaze swept up, and down... and back up. "Goodness." He murmured. "You weren't kidding about being good at hiding things." His imagination began to work... grinning, he reached out, taking her hand to lead her into the room.

It was a fairly typical officer's dormitory, except one bed was so neatly made as to give the appearance of never having been slept in. The other... was just very neatly made. No scattered garments or food wrappers here.

There were some unusual things, though. The light was on, but some of the emergency lights had been covered up with tape. In the middle of the floor, a blanket was spread out picnic style, a pair of small drinking glasses at one end. And, a bit farther on from there, a holoprojector.

Niall led her over to the blanket. "The ship is crowded, so I did decide to apply some ingenuity." He said, still smiling. "Why don't you get comfortable?"

[Lyseil Panteer]

She managed to hold back her giggle until she was inside and the door was closed, and she could give his hand an affectionate squeeze. And then she saw just how much ingenuity Niall had applied! "My word... you've really outdone youself, Niall," Lyseil said with surprise, turning her head to take in the details.

It was completely different from when she had had tea here yesterday with Cole and Baesal. And so much cleaner than her room (because of Sabine!!!!) too.

"Ah, I will then!" And the first step to get comfortable was to get that bottle. Niall got a pretty good look at her bare legs as she hoisted the skirt up to her thigh on one side, revealing the bottle strapped to her thigh in what was supposed to be a gun-holster. With a few modifications, it held a bottle much easier. As the skirts dropped down again after freeing the bottle from her thigh-holster, Lyseil gave Niall a triumphant grin. "Now you see why it was easier for us girls to smuggle things into the dorms at the Academy, hm?"

[Niall Organa]

That, too, took a moment of consideration. Niall's eyes widened, taking in more than just the holster. If he only had a way to save that image... but of course, it wouldn't be appropriate to snap a picture of Lyseil scantily dressed, would it?

As the skirt came back down, Niall's eyes came back up, and he grinned. "My word. It seems I'm not the only clever one, here. The holster is really the crowning achievement." He sighed. "If only we had more girls to smuggle things in for us back at my academy days. Of course, sometimes girls were what we wanted to smuggle in."

He walked over to the light controls, even as he pulled a remote from his pocket. He looked at Lyseil, his eyebrows going up. "Are you ready?" He asked.

[Lyseil Panteer]

Lyseil wiggled her eyebrows a little at Niall as he complimented her 'smuggling'-skills. "Oho, it would've been quite a feat to smuggle in a girl underneath a skirt... I don't think any of the girls tried smuggling in boys that way. Usually the girls just tried to slip outside at night for a quick rendezvous somewhere with a sweetheart... hmm... I wonder if the teachers actually knew it was happening and just didn't say anything about it unless they got caught?"

She smoothed out her skirt again, and stepped closer to Niall. "Yes-yes?" her amber eyes were bright with excitement and curiosity for what he had in store.

[Niall Organa]

Niall paused a moment as Lyseil stepped forward, closer to him. He hadn't planned it this way, but perhaps it was even more perfect. He smiled, his arm with the remote gently coming around her waist, drawing her closer. "Okay." He said. "Look up." He looked up with her, their gaze going to the ceiling. He flipped both switches at once, the lights turning off as the holoprojector activated.

For an instant, it was totally dark. Then the image activated. A field of stars appeared over the backdrop of the ceiling, dimly illuminating the room. And not just any stars; Lyseil would see familiar constellations. It was the stars as seen from Alderaan.

"I couldn't quite arrange a night out under the Alderaanian sky." Niall said, his gaze still towards the simulated heavens. Slowly, he lowered his gaze to look at her, his eyes gentle. "But I think perhaps it will be enough."

[Lyseil Panteer]

Lyseil let herself be drawn in by Niall's arm around her waist, and she looked up expectantly as she placed her hand over his at her waist. Seeing the familiar night sky of home was not, however, something she had expected and Niall could feel her hand tighten around his in surprise. "Oh... my godness. Niall!"

Her head tilted side from side as she recognized. "It's... it's almost like home. There's the Celestial Crown, and the Paladin, and the Sun Spear." If given time, she probably would've been able to name them all, both the Alderaanian names of the constellations and the actual designations of the stars.

"... You've really outdone yourself," she looked up at him, surprise and cheerfulness obvious in her expression. "I never would've expected this here, of all places."

[Niall Organa]

As Lyseil named constellation after constellation, Niall found his gaze drawn back up. Once she said the names, he was able to recognize them too, smiling at her display of her intelligence. "You're really something, Lyseil Panteer." He murmured fondly.

Looking back, meeting her eyes as they looked up at him, Niall smiled again. "I'm glad you like it. I wanted to make it perfect." His lips quirked, even as his now free hand came to encircle her waist as well. "There's something... when I'm with you, it always feels a little bit like I'm home. I suppose I wanted to return the favor."

"So." He said. "Shall we sit under the stars? Share each other's company? And a bottle of who knows what?" His teeth flashed in a grin.

[Lyseil Panteer]

"And you did," she said warmly, wanting to just reach up and kiss that cheek of his for a job well done! "... I'm flattered. Really. Being told that I give you a sense of Alderaan when we're together... well, that's a pretty fine compliment, if I dare say so!"

Lyseil couldn't quite resist a hug though and squeezed Niall closer as she put her arm around him too.

"That sounds great. It's... probably no Alderaanian wine, but I'm sure it will be a memorable experience nonetheless to add to this moment," Niall's grin was met with a fond smile. "And it's a moment I'll never forget."

[Niall Organa]

Niall's grin softened, taking on a fondness to match Lyseil's. "I'm glad. I suspect I shall never forget it either." For a moment, Niall's eyes strayed to Lyseil's lips. But the night was young.

Releasing one arm, Niall guided Lyseil over to the blanket, seating her in proper gentlemanly fashion. He sat beside her, close, his knee brushing hers, warm through his fatigues.

Reaching out, he lifted the glasses, looking at her with raised eyebrows. "Would you do the honor of pouring?"

[Lyseil Panteer]

Nodding, Lyseil seated herself at the makeshift picnic blanket, making sure her skirt was smoothed out and proper. Despite having flashed her legs earlier. And, feeling Niall's knee against hers, she couldn't quite help herself from sitting close enough so that their legs at least touched.

"I am rather curious about this now," she chuckled as she undid the sealing on the bottle. Not long after opening it, it had a strong and somewhat sweet scent that they could both notice, and taking one glass at a time, Lyseil poured first for Niall and then for herself. "It smells interesting..." she noted as she had to take a sniff of the liquid. There was something about it she couldn't quite place.

"So... a toast then?" Lyseil raised her glass. "To the Republic... or... something else, maybe?"

[Niall Organa]

"Oh, I'm very curious." Niall murmured. He, too, felt compelled to take a sniff of the liquid, his eyebrows going up as the sweet scent of it hit his nostrils. Strangely sweet... that would probably mean that it wasn't too strong. And that Lyseil would like it. Perfect.

Slowly, his expression thoughtful, Niall shook his head. "No. Not the Republic." He turned to face her more fully.
She looked beautiful by starlight, he though, even simulated starlight, and the feeling of her leg against his was a very pleasant one. "I want tonight to be very much about us. Only us." He owed her that. Lifting his glass, he smiled. "To memories." He drank.

He drank. It had a strong taste. Undeniably sweet, there were other flavors in there as well. Was it fruity? Nutty? Perhaps a little of both. It slid down smoothly enough, at least.

"It's..." Niall cleared his throat; the first word had been a bit rough. "It's not bad, I'd say. A pleasant surprise. What do you think?

[Lyseil Panteer]

"To memories then," Lyseil echoed, feeling confident that this would be a memory she'd treasure for a long time. Being with Niall like this... she realised that he too gave her that sense of home, like how he somehow carried Alderaan with him. Which did amuse her, since he was, after all, Captain Alderaan.

Taking a sip of the mystery alcohol, Lyseil carefully tried to process the flavours building up in her mouth as she swallowed. "Mm, quite so. Much sweeter than I thought it would be. I expected it to be much more... harsh?" she nodded thoughtfully. "I do wonder what it's made of... they seemed to be nomadic desert people, after all."

"At least it tastes better than some of the stuff we would make on our own at the Academy, yes-yes?" she flashed Niall a bright grin.

[Niall Organa]

"I don't know. Cactus? Roots? The sweetness is a surprise." Niall took another generous sip, savoring it in his mouth. He gave her a look, smiling. "I imagine if you wanted to, you could perform a chemical analysis. But I suppose I don't need to tell you that some things are best simply experienced. To let them remain a mystery." No, he probably wouldn't need to tell an archaeologist that.

The grin made Niall's eyebrows go up. He shook his head with a soft laugh. "I'm not sure about 'we', there. The Service academy didn't have your smuggling methods, remember?" His eyes flickered briefly down to her now covered legs as he gave her a playful nudge with his elbow.

He looked down into his glass, swirling the liquid within before taking another sip. "It rather grows on one, doesn't it?" He was silent for a few moments. "Do you ever miss those days? Wish you could go back?"

[Lyseil Panteer]

Lyseil laughed softly. "I suppose so... besides, it would be a shame to not drink it now that it's been opened. Saving some for analysis would just lessen the fun right now." She sipped it once more as she kept her eyes on Niall. She liked watching his expressions change, as he seemed so expressive and open in his body language.

"True, but didn't you say that your fellow students occassionally did manage to bring something in? Or were they too busy trying to smuggle in girls under the cover of night?" she chuckled, and returned the gesture by nudging his side with her elbow as well.

"There's a lot I miss about the Academy... it seemed like such simpler times, but looking back... I couldn't wait to get out of there, either; I just knew I wanted to go somewhere else - see more of the galaxy than just Alderaan. Sure, our family had visited some places off-world when I was younger, but that was never quite the same, you know. So, no, I don't think I would've gone back, if I could." Her lips rolled together to catch some of the errant droplets of the drink as she looked to Niall. "What about you?"

[Niall Organa]

"I couldn't agree more." Niall said. His grey eyes flickered, watching the way her lips rolled together. He almost felt compelled as he leaned closer, putting his arm around her.

"Occasionally, yes. But not often. I'm afraid we just weren't that inventive." Niall's lips quirked. "I'd like to think I've gotten better since then. But I never really did much of that. And no girls, either. I... haven't often had a lot of time for dating." He covered a frown with a quick sip of mystery alcohol.

Niall cleared his throat. "I would say the same thing, although for slightly different reasons. When I was younger, I remember always having my eyes on the next step. On the future. Like you, I couldn't wait to get out of there, to get on to... I'm not entirely sure. Real life?" He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Truthfully, I'm not sure if I'm there yet, or if this is just the most recent stage."

He sighed. "Perhaps when I was really young..." He shrugged. "But no. Not even then."

[Lyseil Panteer]

"I guess we had that in common then..." she mused, leaning closer to him until she could feel their shoulders brushing against eachother. "Looking to the future, I mean. We both still do."

But Lyseil wasn't quite sure what she saw in the future yet. She only knew that she wanted to actively participate in the future - she knew she was no Revan or Exar Kun, the likes which shaped the galaxy and would be remembered for hundreds of years, but someone who left their mark somehow on the galaxy. Maybe with some discovery, or because of what she did for others.

"To be honest, I never had much time for dating either..." she had another sip of the strangely tasty mystery drink. "There was this other guy a couple of years ago, but... we were only together for a brief while because everyone else were couples? We got along fine, but there was never too much interest other than not wanting to stand out too much. Once summer was over and everything was going back to normal, it just faded away too like it kind of never happened."

[Niall Organa]

"Yes." Niall said softly. "I rather like that." He shifted, letting her lean against him. He leaned too, letting his lips brush her hair. It was something to savor, the closeness, the bit of intimacy. He sighed. It was going to be hard, doing what he had to do.

"Hmmm." Niall smiled, listening to the story. He let his eyes go up, looking at the sky, such as it was. It felt so real... "I had one of those once, myself. At the military academy. I was popular then." He nudged her shoulder. "Not so much of a dork at all by then. Anyway, I was popular and active, she was popular and active... everyone just seemed to expect that we should be dating. And so, we did, for a little while. But once classes got out, we had no external force keeping us together. The power of expectations, gone away." He chuckled softly.

Taking a deep breath Niall raised the glass to his lips, taking a generous sip. "Besides that..." Niall paused a moment, swallowing. "There's only been Alysele Cortess." He waited a beat, watching Lyseil's face carefully. "I told her about us, the night of the jizz party. Via message."

[Lyseil Panteer]

She could feel his breath against her hair, and the sensation made her giggle softly, as it felt a little ticklish.

Well... that name was a surprise. A Cortess? So this was the name of his Jedi girlfriend... kinda girlfriend.

"Hmm..." Lyseil had expected to feel more trepidation to the subject. She wasn't sure if she should be surprised that she was feeling so relaxed about the issue, but... in a way she was calmly waiting for what Niall had to say. So she shifted in her position, to face him more fully. "... I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again, Niall. You're first my friend, before anything else. And... I'll always be your friend."

Having said that, she was feeling a little bit nervous, though she wasn't certain if she was for the right reasons. Still, she reached out her hand for his, offering a little friendly comfort. "What did she say?"

[Niall Organa]

Niall smiled wanly, his thumb moving to brush against her palm. "Thank you." He said. "But... she didn't say anything. She's... very busy, working in a diplomatic function on Correlia. I haven't managed to actually talk to her in months."

He took a deep breath. "But... it was that time we spent together in your room, when you were recovering. That was when I decided that I needed to let her know. It made what we have, you and I, more real."

Turning his hand over, he gave hers a squeeze. "I'd been holding back with you, Lyseil. And that wasn't fair. I'm sorry." His lips twitched in a sad smile. "So... that's what I wanted to do tonight." He gestured around with his glass, glinting in the artificial starlight. "A date where I don't... keep part of me in reserve. If that makes sense."

[Lyseil Panteer]

Lyseil nodded, hoping Niall could see the understanding in her expression, even in the dimness of the room.

"Ah... Niall..." she hadn't felt like he had been holding back on her. "You don't have to apologise, really." Her fingers curled around his.

Her head tilted back as she looked up at the holoprojected night-sky. "I think I understand what you mean? That you want to have a romantic date, without feeling that you are only partially committed to having a date?"

[Niall Organa]

"Yes." Niall said, his voice soft. "I wasn't giving you everything. And you deserve that. You deserve everything, Lyseil Panteer."

He turned to face her more fully, even as he set down his glass. "And so, that's what I wanted to do. One night, where I hold nothing back." He leaned closer, his eyes on hers. And then closer still, his gaze dropping to her lips. "Where I don't let anything stop me from showing you how I feel about you."

When they'd kissed before, part of Niall had indeed been holding back. As though not fully giving in to the kiss would make a difference to Aly, as opposed to just making a difference for Lyseil.

His lips met hers, soft and warm, and sweet from the alcohol. But, as promised, he held nothing back. Niall's arm tightened around her shoulders as his lips moved against hers, gentle, but his desire was no less obvious for that. He let himself savor the feel of her, the taste of her, her nearness, her softness, her warmth.

[Lyseil Panteer]

"Niall..." when she said his name it was more like a tender whisper. And placing her glass down as well, their hands had no distractions as she felt his lips against hers. It was certainly different from before, and likewise, she felt she too could allow herself to melt into the kiss and enjoy the moment for once, just this once.

It was a moment of deep trust and affection, as Lyseil was certain of Niall's own feelings and that she could trust him not to push too far. It was, in a lot of ways, the first proper date?

Her lips were tinged with the sweetness of the alcohol, and Lyseil closed her eyes as she allowed herself to let Niall feel in return how she felt about him, from the passion of the kiss, to the feel of her hand pressed against his back, and her other hand affectionately squeezing his shoulder.