[Lyseil Panteer]

Her nose wrinkled a little in distaste at the thought of a noble woman reducing herself to being a dancer on Nar Shaddaa. Of all the things to pursue for a freer lifestyle, that just seemed degrading and wasteful to her.

"I don't know if that's what I would do if I wanted to strike out on my own... if she'd happy though, I suppose it's all good..." she murmured softly.

Niall's words made her blush warmly. "Aw..." there was a brief embarrassed chuckle. "You really make this war a lot more tolerable by being here, Niall. I feel better having you here with me."

[Niall Organa]

"Nor I." Niall agreed. His lips quirked. "Well, at least not until I've had a few drinks, apparently. I can only say that trying on that swimsuit seemed like a good idea at the time.

Lyseil's words made Niall blush a bit, too. He grinned at her. "You know, I think that you're especially pretty when you blush. I find myself wanting to see it again." His expression turned deliberately thoughtful, although the corners of his lips twitched teasingly. "Now, I wonder how else I might be able to win a blush from you..." Actually, he rather suspected that talking like that might do it.

[Lyseil Panteer]

"Now you're just teasing me, Niall," Lyseil laughed with a quiet tone, resisting the urge to nudge Niall as he might fall off his vusa if she did.

"You've gotten better at talking to girls at least."

[Niall Organa]

"Mmm. Maybe." Niall gave her an innocent look. The playful twitch of his lips made it not very effective at conveying innocence, anyway.

"Oh? Are you thinking of when I asked you to dance, back at the school meet?" He smiled. "As I recall, I used about three times as many words as was necessary." One eyebrow went up. "You did say yes, though."

"Or..." He gave her a sudden look. "Was my sister telling you stories?"

[Lyseil Panteer]

"I did say yes," she admitted, chuckling with fondness at the memories. "I mean, it seemed like a safer option to dance with Rayne Organa's dorky brother than perhaps a Thul or Rist." Judging by the angle of her smirk, she was both teasing and serious.

"She did tell some stories. The kind of stories sisters tell about their brothers, if that gives you some ideas."

[Niall Organa]

"Mmm." Niall smiled back at her. The memory of dancing with her was surprisingly fond, now. He hadn't thought about it in some time. Perhaps the new way he was thinking about her now cast previous times in a different light?

"I see." Niall's lips twisted wryly. "I imagine the name 'Cassia Cortess' may have come up once or twice, then?" Back when Niall was fifteen, the sixteen year-old Cassia was well on her way to becoming an elegant beauty. He'd spent most of the year mooning over her, sometimes trying to muster the courage to ask her out, never succeeding. Rayne had teased him about it, generally good-naturedly. Except there was that time she found the poetry that he'd written about her. He remembered Rayne laughing about that, especially the 'hair spun of golden sun' line. To be fair, it was pretty bad.

Niall shot Lyseil a sudden suspicious look. Had Rayne mentioned that...? If it weren't for the cold, Niall imagined that sweat would probably visibly form on his brow.

[Lyseil Panteer]

Lyseil made a soft hmm-sound. "Yes-yes, I remember Cassia. She was the pretty one, I recall. Pretty popular too, I think," she mused before glancing to Niall with what looked like a knowing smile?

[Niall Organa]

The smile on Niall's lips didn't quite fade, but it did grow a bit strained. "Oh, yes. Quite. Not that I was unpopular. But Cassia was a year above me. I think even at my most manic moments, I rather suspected that I was out of her league."

His grey eyes narrowed, watching her lips. "I, ah, trust that's all you remember?" Niall said, his tone playful. He gently nudged her with his elbow, although he almost unbalanced himself in the process.

[Lyseil Panteer]

"Oops! Careful there, captain! Wouldn't look so good on the posters with a busted elbow!" she helped him steady himself while giggling.

"Hmm... I think I'd say Cassia was out of everyone's league, yes-yes. I remember she got a lot of notes and letters from boys - including some awful attempts at poetry." Lyseil grinned at Niall before turning to a more thoughtful expression.

"Wonder what happened to her after school..."

[Niall Organa]

Niall laughed, both at their shared playful antics, and at her grin. "Oh, no!" Grinning, Niall shook his head. "She did tell you, didn't she." He turned that grin on Lyseil. "In my defense, I never actually sent her any of my poetry. Or any notes. I'm sure the puppy eyes I gave her from time to time were quite enough."

Seeing her thoughtful expression return, Niall looked at her, tilting his head to the side. "I'm not sure. I changed schools next year, farther away from home. I don't remember the last time I saw her, and haven't heard anything sense."

His lips quirked. "Another credit for your thoughts? That would make two." Actually, he rather suspected he knew what she was thinking.

[Lyseil Panteer]

"Rayne did like to tell us what her brother was up to," she admitted with a girlish chuckle.

Lyseil blinked a few times as Niall poked her about her thoughts again. "Hm? Oh! Oh, it's nothing... I was kind of just wondering where everyone has gone off to after-school. Who stayed on Alderaan to continue being dull and boring, and who got off planet to go elsewhere for some reason or another. Don't you wonder where your classmates of old are?"

[Niall Organa]

Niall chuckled softly at Lyseil's particular word choice, but his expression turned thoughtful. "Sometimes. More often my academy classmates, since I know a lot of those would have been off to war."

His expression turned a bit wistful. "I do wonder about before that, but..." He sighed. "It's hard to imagine. Sometimes Alderaan just seems so far away." Actually, it seemed like it was less so since Lyseil was around. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

The full circuit was completed; the vusa eagerly rushed back towards their feeding spot. "Well, here we are." Niall murmured.

[Lyseil Panteer]

A part of her wondered how many of those who had gone off to war were still around or would be able to return home to Alderaan.

"Ah... yes-yes, here we are," she said, snapping out of her thoughts of home and people from their younger years. "I enjoyed this greatly, Niall! Both spending time with you, and the vusas!"

[Niall Organa]

"Indeed." Niall said, smiling warmly. "It was a wonderfully pleasant way to spend the evening. Thank you, Lyseil."

He dismounted, managing to remain upright, although he wobbled noticeably when his feet hit the ground. Regaining his stride, Niall moved over to beside Lyseil's vusa, ready to assist her if needed. He rather suspected he needed the help more than she would.

[Lyseil Panteer]

While it was true that Niall probably could've used the assistance more than her, Lyseil waited for him to have the chance to do it. Mostly a part of it being how both of them had been raised, and the other because it was kind of nice and fun to indulge in Alderaanian etiquette out here in a desert on a distant planet.

"Why, thank you, lord Organa," she said, increasing the Alderaanian tone a notch, as she accepted his help with a coy smile. "Such chivalry, as can be expected from a scion of such a noble house."

[Niall Organa]

As he eased her down from the vusa, Niall gave her his most charming smile. The glint in his eyes showed the genuine emotion behind that practiced charm. And, of course, amusement at hour thoroughly Alderaanian she was being.

"Of course, Lady Panteer." He said as he helped to ease her down from the vusa. "I could not do any less than would befit a young lady of your station." He said, matching her beat for beat, tone for tone.

He straightened, smiling, to offer her his arm once more. "Come on. I'll take you back." He said, his voice reverting to its more usual tones.

[Lyseil Panteer]

There was at least one giggle over the whole situation. How they both could seamlessly slip back into the manners expected of them back home that others probably considered old-fashioned or stupid... but for them both now, it seemed to be a good reminder of home.

"Yes-yes... let's head back," Lyseil nodded, smiling warmly as she accepted his arm again.

[Niall Organa]

Once more, Niall flashed a grin as he lead the way back to the speeder. He'd been through a lot, and the war was taking its toll on him, same as everyone else. But with her, it was easy to forget.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The ride back was just as quick as the ride there, Niall guiding the speeder back to Lyseil's barracks, and turning off the engine. With the same traditional courtesy he'd been displaying, he walked around the front, offering her his arm one last time.

[Lyseil Panteer]

A shame that the evening was over already, Lyseil reflected as she stepped out of the speeder with Niall's assistance. It had been a nice date... though it had given her some things to think about too. Like Niall's complicated relationship with a Jedi. Sure, it was his complication and not hers, but... well, it just seemed like bad taste to make things even more difficult for Niall.

Not like they were in a rush with these dates or doing certain things couples did.

"Again, thank you for a nice evening. I'm pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it was to ride a vusa after nightfall in the desert," she grinned, hugging his arm a little tighter. "I hope we can do something like this again...?"

[Niall Organa]

"Oh really?" Niall said, turning his head to grin back at her. "In that case, it sounds as though I managed to surprise you. Just as promised. An Organa does keep his promises, after all.

They reached the door. He could feel her arm tighten on his, hugging him. He turned to face her, close, but except for where their arms linked, not quite touching. "I had a wonderful time tonight, Lyseil." Niall said, smiling but serious. "And while I don't know if we can quite match nightime vusa riding, I'd very much like to spend more time with you."

His eyes briefly flickered down, tracing the lines of her smile, her lips, before going back to her eyes.

[Lyseil Panteer]

"The Organa rarely disappoint," she said with an amused, aristocratic tone.

Facing eachother, Lyseil looked up at Niall. He did have some height on her, after all. "... I'd like that too, Niall. I had a good time, and... I'd love to spend more time with you." Her lips curved in a sincere smile. "Doesn't have to be more than just more time outdoors, or maybe see a movie or something." Her arm shifted from his so she could hold his hand instead. "You have this it's complicated-thing. So, let's not rush, ok?"

[Niall Organa]

Niall took in a deep breath. On the one hand, it drew in more of that wonderful scent she wore, or perhaps was natural to her. But it also steadied him. His emotions were raw, made vulnerable by the news about his sister's killer, and the general atmosphere of the war.

Slowly, he nodded, his lips twisting. "I quite agree, Lyseil. We'll take it slowly. One step at a time. Thank you."

He eased back, just a little, creating more space between them. "Have a pleasant night, Lyseil Panteer." He said, his grip on her hand loosening.

[Lyseil Panteer]

"You're a friend first, Niall," she assured him warmly. "I wouldn't do anything that would hurt you or cause you grief. At least not intentionally!"

Lyseil squeesed his hand one more time before he eased away. "You too, Niall Organa." Their hands parted, but she hoped he understood that she was willing to let him sort things out, and be the support he needed!

/scene?

[Niall Organa]

With a last smile, Niall turned away, his cape swirling dramatically behind him.

It was, after all, a very nice cape.

/scene!