On the Way Back

On the Way Back
Date of Scene:	14 June 2025
Location:
Synopsis:
Cast of Characters:	159, Navi

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Athena (159) has posed:
When Navi arrives in front of Xera's private luxury yacht, she may or may not be surprised that the woman herself doesn't come to greet her immediately.

Instead, shes escorted aboard by a very shiny and polite protocol droid, who offers to take her bag and serve her any drinks or snacks.

Navi has posed:
"I could go for something to drink, please. Something without alcohol?" Navi replies softly, following the polite (and very shiny!) droid aboard. "Thank you. I'll keep my medical bag, just in case," she adds gratefully, passing over her backpack. It's not a large pack, but it's still roughly half-empty. "Is Lady Graf aboard at the moment?"

Athena (159) has posed:
The droid answers in the affirmative, and tells her that Lady Xera will be by shortly once the vessel takes off. It tells her to make herself comfortable - Lady Xera was in her private quarters currently, cleaning up.

The young Sephi girl might take a seat on the velvet futon, or she might wander the private yacht. Either way, the droid will return with a carbonated fruit beverage shortly after she makes her request.

Navi has posed:
Navi takes a seat on the futon for the moment. "Thank you," she says to the droid when it returns with the requested drink. "Do you know when we'll be taking off? I really could stand to clean up, too," she adds, well aware of her now-dirty dress and the condition of her tights, which are not only dirty, but holed in several places, including the feet; the soles are practically worn out of them from being shoeless for so long. She doubts she looks much better than her dress.

Athena (159) has posed:
The droid nods, and says they'll be taking off in about ten minutes. It then directs her to another refreshers - it's at the end of the hallway across from the lounge area she's seated in.

If she makes her way over there, she will pass one of the private rooms. The door to the room is open slightly, and she'll be able to see Thaarin completely passed out on the bed in there...

Navi has posed:
"Oh, Force help him..." Navi murmurs, taking a long look at Thaarin. Remembering how she'd been able to purge her own system of the alcohol back at the club, she tries the cabin door, to see if it will open.

Athena (159) has posed:
She might be a little surprised to find the cabin door slides open very easily. In fact, as soon as she touches it, it slides all the way open and clatters loudly in its slot when it hits the opposite end of the track.

This causes the tall blue alien to wake, and stir, propping himself up a little. He looks quite unwell. He murmurs something in a language she won't understand or recognize.

Navi has posed:
"Lie down and hold still," Navi directs gently, placing her hands on the sides of his neck. She reaches into the Force, tweaking its flow between herself and him, and within his body, breaking down the alcohol by degrees and flushing it out of his system.

"You need to rest. You /way/ overdid it," she advises gently, lifting her hands away as she finishes her work.

Athena (159) has posed:
"...Navi?" he mumbles, still barely cognizant of his of surroundings. When she touches his neck, he relaxes visibly and obeys. He smiles faintly. "...did you...like kissing me..."

But then she finishes using the Force to flush the toxins from his system, leaving him with the worst hangover he's had in ... years. He grunts, and places a hand on his forehead. "...yes, unfortunately. Thank you." He closes his eyes.

Outside in the hallway, she'll be able to hear soft footsteps approaching. Lady Xera must have finished in the refreshers.

Navi has posed:
Navi makes sure Thaarin isn't likely to fall off the bed, then quietly leaves the cabin, closing the door behind her.

She looks for the source of the footsteps once she's back in the corridor, taking a sip of her drink to refresh herself. She can feel a hint of a headache, and tries to ignore it.

Athena (159) has posed:
She'll find Lady Graf quite quickly. The woman is dressed in a shimmersilk lounge robe, and looks cleaned up and quite comfortable.

Her brows furrow slightly when she sees that Navi has come from the room where Thaarin had been, but doesn't comment. "There you are," she says with a smile. "Join me in the lounge area?"

Navi has posed:
"His door was open, and he was unconscious. Given how much he'd been drinking, I thought I should check on him," Navi says, unbidden. "I don't think he knew just how strong those drinks he was ordering actually were, but I've just spared him from a horrible hangover. He should sleep quietly now."

"Thank you. I'd love to," she adds, with a hint of a smile. "Are you feeling all right? You looked like you had quite a terrible ordeal."

Athena (159) has posed:
Xera smiles, "I'm alright, thank you for asking," she says. She then turns and beckons for Navi to follow her back to the lounge area.

"I thought we could revisit our conversation about seeing one another," she says as they walk.

Navi has posed:
Navi follows. "I'm glad you're safe and sound," she says warmly. At the mention of revisiting that prior conversation, her smile turns briefly wry, then is sincere once again. "As you wish. What would you like to discuss?"

Athena (159) has posed:
Xera smiles faintly and sits down on the loveseat, gesturing for Navi to sit across from her.

"Well, first of all, I wanted to apologize for how I'd behaved prior. Perhaps the demands I'd made of you were a little... unfair."

She pauses. "I suppose you can do whatever you like," she huffs slightly, as if it's hard for her to admit. "I can't stop you, after all. However, I would like for you to be exclusive with me as far as partnership goes," she continues, "as you might imagine, I'd like to not have to share your attention with someone else. Mot that kind of attention anyway," she adds softly. "The other kinds, well I suppose I don't mind that."

Navi has posed:
Navi takes the offered seat, nodding. "Thank you for understanding," she replies softly. "With absolutely all due respect, if I had asked the same things of you that you asked of me, I very much doubt you would have agreed to them."

"But I'm not here to lecture you, and I'll do my very best not to bring it up again. It's in the past now, and I'm sure we'd both just rather forget about it." She smiles gently at Xera. "I'd rather talk about you. Or perhaps us."

Athena (159) has posed:
Xera doesn't comment about not having agreed to her own terms, if their roles had been switched. Instead, she smiles, perhaps almost sweetly.

"Thank you, Navi. I do appreciate your willingness to forgive and forget," she says. "And yes, we will do plenty of that," she says. She stands, and reaches for Navi's hands, and if the young Sephi girl allows her, she'll pull her to her feet. "I'm going to ask my attache to bring up some of the Corellian wine," she says, "this warrants celebration don't you think? Then, we can enjoy a holodrama until we reach Tenoo."

Navi has posed:
"I'd like that very much," Navi replies, returning Xera's smile more sweetly as she lets herself be drawn to her feet. "Do you mind if I clean up a bit first? I'm sure I look and smell at least as bad as I think I do. I wouldn't want to sit next to me right now."

Athena (159) has posed:
"Not at all," Xera says, "I was going to suggest that you clean up, actually." She then leans forward and kisses the young Sephi girl very briefly before letting go of her hands and heading down the hallway towards the refreshers she'd been shown prior.

"I'm not sure if the droid showed you earlier, but the refreshers are here. I'll have my attache bring you a fresh set of robes and a towel."

Navi has posed:
Navi returns the brief kiss, blushing faintly. She hadn't seen the kiss coming, and it surprises her. "Thanks again for understanding, and your most generous hospitality. I won't be long," she replies, stepping into one of the refreshers.

She can't help being relieved to slip out of the once-beautiful dress and into a relaxing hydroshower. But even if her tights are a write-off, she hopes the dress can be salvaged. Dirt is a lot easier to deal with than tears and holes.

Athena (159) has posed:
However, when Navi steps out of the hydroshower, she will find that there aren't any clothes for her set out. And she'll have a bit of trouble finding a towel - the only thing she'll find is a sheet - adequate for covering nakedness, but not really ideal for drying her hair or her body.

The attache must not have come... but that's odd. There's an intercom in the refreshers, though, so she might call for Lady Xera or the droid.

Navi has posed:
Navi toggles the intercom on. "Um, Lady Xera? There's no towels or robe in the refresher?" she says politely. "Just a sheet. It won't begin to get me dried off, and I'd really rather not drip all over the floors of your beautiful yacht."

Athena (159) has posed:
"The attache didn't come?" Xera says, sounding slightly annoyed. "Well, that won't do. I'll have the droid go looking for her."

But Navi will notice that the refreshers adjoins to one of the private quarters, and while the door to that room is closed, she'll hear muffled sobbing.

Navi has posed:
Navi presses her ear against the door, wrapping herself in the sheet. It helps with the damp, but not half enough.

Someone is weeping on the other side of the door. She doesn't know if the door is locked, but she is sure she wouldn't want anyone to walk in on her if she was crying like that.

Studying the intercom panel, she finds a series of channel buttons, each labeled for specific rooms aboard the ship. Touching the button for that room, she keys up the intercom.

"Hello? Why are you crying? Is there any way I can help you?" she asks gently.

Athena (159) has posed:
No answer. The crying stops. There's some shuffling.

Then there's a knock on the door. "I have the towels and robe," a young female voice on the other side says blandly. "I can bring them in if you want."

Navi has posed:
"I would be very grateful," Navi replies gently. "Thank you." She steps back from the door to allow the young woman, probably the attache, to enter freely.

Athena (159) has posed:
The door opens, and the attache comes in. Her eyes are puffy and red, and it's very obvious that she'd been the one crying just now.

She dumps the towel and the robe on the counter. They're not even folded.

"Here," she says petulantly, wiping her eyes, her tone on the verge of sobs again.

Navi has posed:
"Thank you," Navi replies, even more gently, but she can't help staring at the poor young lady's face, especially her eyes.

"Did Lady Graf upset you?" she asks, just as gently. "Your poor eyes are so red."

Athena (159) has posed:
The girl trembles, and doesn't say anything for a moment.

Then she finally explodes with, "Did he know?" Her hands ball into fists, shaking. "Did he know you used him, to get Lady Xera's attention..."

Navi has posed:
"If you mean Thaarin? Yes, he knew," Navi replies, still gently. "Actually, it was his idea. Though I don't think he was aware of just how strong the drinks were, but I've taken care of the worst of that," she continues. "He might not feel well when he wakes up, but it won't be nearly as bad as it would've been."

She tucks the end of the sheet in at the top, just below her shoulders, to keep her arms free. Gently resting her hands over the girl's trembling fists, she adds, "You care about him a great deal, don't you?"

Athena (159) has posed:
The girl jerks her hands away. "I-I don't believe you," she snaps. " I don't believe you at all! Did you even ask him?" She shouts.

"How do you feel," she says, still trembling. "knowing that you've stepped on other people to get what you want?" She turns away. "He could never notice me whenever she was around," she whispers angrily. "It's like I wasn't even there. But that's the role an attache is supposed to play, isn't it? Invisible until they're needed."

Navi has posed:
"I won't lie to you... that's just not how I'm made," Navi says softly, and sadly, resting her hand gently on the side of the girl's neck. Through that contact she channels the Force, tweaking its flow to show her the crucial moments of Thaarin's plan, from the conversation when he'd suggested it to her to the evening in which he put it into practice. She leaves nothing out, not even her worry and the beginnings of fear when he'd almost forced her to kiss him. Especially not the drinks they'd had, and her emotions as she realized just how strong they were.

Athena (159) has posed:
The girl reddens. And after a moment, she steps back, and raises a hand about to slap Navi across the face. "You stupid, selfish... ignorant...!"

But then her hand clenches into a fist and she drops her arm, spiraling into angry sobs.

"You lie to yourself," she seethes. "But even so, you wouldn't be with him. It's so unfair, you couldn't be more undeserving!"

Then she flees, leaving Navi alone in the refreshers.

The intercom blinks, and Xera calls Navi, "Navi? Is everything alright? Did you get the towel and robes?"

Navi has posed:
"It's all true. Neither Thaarin or I wanted to be entangled with one another romantically. But for reasons he never made plain to me, he wanted to show Xera that she couldn't control me. Maybe he just wanted her to know she couldn't control him, either. But he drank too much, and he lost control for a moment. Please, don't judge him for that. If he had known the drinks were so strong, he never would have done it," Navi says softly.

She shakes her head as the girl flees, toggling the door of the refresher closed again. Switching the channel on the intercom back to Xera, she replies, "I've just received them. I'll be along in just a few minutes, as soon as I'm dry again." Toggling the intercom off, she removes the sheet and goes to work drying herself.

A few minutes later, wrapped in the provided robe and as dry as she can make herself, she leaves the refresher and returns to the lounge.

Athena (159) has posed:
Xera is sitting there waiting for her, with the holodrama queued up. "I'm sorry about the delay in getting you a towel and a fresh robe," she tells Navi. "My attache has been acting a bit off tonight." Then she shrugs and pours Navi half a glass of the Corellian wine. "No matter," she says, "we won't need her for the rest of the night," she says.

Then she starts playing the holodrama, reaching gently for Navi's hand.

Navi has posed:
"It's nothing," Navi replies, taking the offered seat beside Xera, accepting both the half-glass of wine and Xera's handclasp with a small smile. "Thank you."

She turns half her attention to the holo and the other half to Xera. "I don't think I've seen anything on the holo since before we left for Tenoo. This should be very relaxing," she observes softly.

Athena (159) has posed:
"I certainly hope so," she says.

After a moment, Xera finally says, "Tell me something, Navi. Why did you kiss Thaarin? Do you really like him so much?"

Now, Navi may realize her predicament. If she tells the truth, Xera might realize she's still in control after all and once again start making demands.

Navi has posed:
"Thaarin? He's what some people would call a fine catch... exotic, dreamy, and always the smartest person in the room. But also brave, selfless, and surprisingly gentle. I'm sure you've noticed all of that," Navi replies, with a little shrug. "I would've been lying to myself if I /hadn't/ kissed him."

Inwardly she calls herself a liar, and means it. But she also tells herself it will be worth it if she can prevent Xera from being murdered...

Athena (159) has posed:
Xera's mouth twitches downward for a moment, almost imperceptibly. She sighs. "Perhaps," she says, leaning on Navi a little, "but he's not rich. Remember that."

Then she turns up the volume on the holodrama, and fixes her eyes on the screen.

Navi has posed:
Navi stifles a chuckle. "You're so cute when you're frustrated," she whispers into the taller woman's ear.

Athena (159) has posed:
She smiles faintly, and rests her head on Navi's shoulder, making no further comments.

She lets the holodrama play, and for the time being, seems quite satisfied.