Open Log [4]

[kallig]

WHO: Altair Kallig & You
WHERE: Space IKEA, Greenhouse, the Beach
WHAT: Shenanigans
WHEN: 1/11 for Space IKEA, up until the start of the event for the greenhouse & beach
WARNINGS: None, will update if this changes

Space IKEA

Perhaps it was his desire for exploration showing itself. Perhaps a desire to kindle a few fond memories of trekking through tombs filled with traps and getting into all sorts of trouble. Perhaps it was the desire to find something useful, or something to help the project he was planning, or just something other than tending to the greenhouse or going to and from things and likely overstaying his welcome here and there.

Regardless he found himself going where there was confirmed things to pick through to search for something useful.

He did not venture entirely too far from the entrance though, digging through what he could see from beneath his veil, placing anything that seemed like it might be useful aside for later. It had been so long since he'd had to scavenge like this, but he supposed desperation could drive a person to do the strangest of things.

Greenhouse

Most days, Altair could be found working on his pet project, coming and going, tending to plants, and making stops to the farm to tend to the glownies every now and again, to ensure their continued survival.

Some days, he ventured further, to seek out plants he was not yet familiar with, making their location off on the map he'd drawn in the notebook he'd been gifted by the Agrii.

Regardless of what he was up to, however, he would certainly welcome company- and conversation.

Beach

It was peaceful, out by the ocean. Listening to the waves, feeling the lives of the fish swimming around out there, a mix of tranquility in the Force with moments of chaos- fish being chased by predators of some sort, he was sure. Such was the way of the world, after all. There was always something bigger and nastier out there, breaking the peace, before things settled once more.

At times, he wandered through the sand- picking up shells as they washed up, sometimes idly tossing rocks out into the water.

Most of the time, his visits to the beach were only to sit there, listening, meditating.

They didn't exactly lack for peace, at the moment. But it was nice, anyway, mostly being away from everything and anyone else.

Though a conversational partner certainly would not be turned away, either.



(He can also be ran into going to and from these places for those who would prefer that!)

Comments

[kallig]

Altair often worried, when he went to visit Hux, that he might be imposing on him. Wearing out his welcome. Even with the still new and evolving thing between them, there was always that little voice in the back of his head, suggesting that this good thing would crumble and turn to dust, as the good things in his life so often did. It was not a concern he had mentioned, not wishing to burden Hux with his own insecurities, but these surprise visits? They did wonders to soothe Altair's fears away.

Sensing no one else anywhere near them, he reached to pull his veil off, turning to look at the other man with a smile, "Have I ever given any indication that I find your company a bother, Hux? Quite the opposite- your presence brightens my day."

And his mood, really. Hux's thoughts and emotions were guarded, but not in the same way a Chiss mind was, and where a Chiss's guarded thoughts made him uneasy, the way the other man was closed off was unique to him- and a comfort.

Noticing the way the other man was standing, as though he was hiding something, he tilted his head, "What have you got there?"

[tiedonastring]

Getting to see Altair's face brightened Hux's day. He smiled freely in response. Usually he only got to see his face back at the Power Plant, due to other people always being around. He felt a strange warm feeling inside him at Altair's comments.

However, at the question, Hux found himself blushing. Ducking his head he hesitantly revealed the blue flowers he was hiding. "For you...I remembered your stories and thought....they might remind you of your home."

[kallig]

Romantic interest in other people was always such a curious thing. He'd watched people in love before, unimpressed with their comings and goings, only ever having crushes on others himself, none that ever went anywhere, and none that felt like they could go anywhere should they be given the chance to grow, either.

This was different though. A rather tense first meeting had become friendship, and then it had turned to this. And then he had turned into a moron.

Truth be told, Altair didn't know how to respond to such a genuine show of affection, that normally sharp mind feeling as though it had short-circuited. There was no Sith attitude he could hide behind here, the intellectual bit of his brain deciding that they needed some distance, and he could feel his face heat up- fairly certain he'd gone a brilliant shade of purple, with the blush spreading to the tips of his ears and down his neck.

"I- Thank you, Hux. That's very thoughtful," He said, once his brain decided to kick back into gear, and though he was still flushed, he smiled, leaning into confidence rather than allowing himself to flounder any longer, "I think they will remind me of home. But they'll also be a reminder of you when we're not together."

He could find a pot for them- keep them with him, rather than raise them in the greenhouse.

[tiedonastring]

His blush deepened even more so turning into a brilliant shade of red. Although he did find Altair's blush adorable. At least, he wasn't the only one that was blushing which made the situation less awkward.

He had never gone out of his way to please anyone like this. It felt strange to act on such thoughts and wanting to see someone he cared about be happy. He had no real reference to go off on having seen none of it back home or been on the receiving end.

"I'm glad you liked them," Hux responded in a cheerful manner. The praise and compliments went a long way for him since he rarely received them. However, he was unsure what else to say or do at this point and felt like a fool.

[kallig]

Altair's face already held somewhat of a flush to it- a faint hint of purple across blue cheeks. That was just his complexion though, and this was something else entirely. Still, he liked that Hux was blushing quite a brilliant shade too, though perhaps Altair thought Hux's shade had to be deeper than his own due to seeing his face light up with heat as well.

Poor example of a Chiss or no, he was still Chiss, his eyesight going slightly into the infrared range. Not a part of himself he often found himself contemplating, given that his eyes were nearly constantly hidden away behind his veil or behind a blindfold. Even when they weren't, the situations weren't like this. After all, this was different to the mere friendship he had with other people.

"I love them. I won't raise them here though. I'm a bit too selfish to really wish to share such a beautiful gift with everyone else who passes through."

They weren't the same as his beloved flowers from home, but. It was Hux's thoughtful gift to him- of course he'd value them, and wish to keep them closer than merely planting them in the greenhouse.

[tiedonastring]

He tugged at the cuff of his sleeve a bit feeling a mixture of embarrassment and pride. "Let's get them into a pot first. I thought maybe we could sit down and eat afterwards." He awkwardly suggested.

Hux hated the fact that this was such new territory for him. He wasn't exactly graceful or fluent in his words as he normally would like to be. He felt extremely open and vulnerable instead. Yet, he wanted this to work. He enjoyed Altair's company too much and didn't want to loose him.

[kallig]

"Oh, you had a second motive in coming to see me, did you? Ensuring that I actually eat something today?" Altair asked, arching a brow, though it quickly turned to an amused smile. He was only teasing, after all. The amused smile turned to an easy but still soft laugh, as he gestured for him to follow him.

"There should be a pot around here somewhere."

He should probably put the veil back on before they moved, but he still couldn't sense anyone- which meant it was fine. It was just him and Hux and he felt at ease.

[tiedonastring]

Hux went to go retrieve the meals he had picked up on along the way. He had stashed them with in the greenhouse before giving Altair the flowers wanting that to be the main focus. The meals had been an idea along the way. It would have been more awkward trying to present Altair the flowers while holding the trays of food as well.

He had the trays set up while Altair attended to the flowers. "I think your friend is on to us. He was asking a lot of questions. I wouldn't say he was nosy, but more supportive." Hux commented. Despite asking for a small portion of food, Eli had added extra claiming they needed to eat more. He didn't bother to fight him with it. Millie would always eat the rest if she liked it.

[kallig]

"Eli?" Altair asked, putting the flowers into a pot, "He's... Observant."

It was one of the things Altair liked about Eli- observant, and smart, both qualities that Altair tended to admire. Asking questions was something he tended to admire, too, given that he was much the same when there was something he was interested in. He'd always been the curious, answer-seeking sort.

"I can tell him to stop, if it made you uncomfortable."

Supportive or not, he and Hux were still figuring out of things, and while he himself didn't really mind questions, it could be that Hux was not as comfortable with it.

The amount of food made him smile a little though, "I'm also not sure whether I should be touched that he wants to give us this much food, or if I should tell him to stick to a small portion for me at least. I probably don't even eat this much in a week."

[tiedonastring]

Hux shook his head no. "It's quite alright. He's harmless and he's not being too personal about it. But the food.....he might want to back off on. I don't want him to waste it.

Your friend reminds me of someone back home. He was a Lieutenant as well and probably one of the few people I trusted in my group. Unfortunately, the war took him. I missed his presence a lot."

[kallig]

"Well, if I was the judge, I'd say everyone here is wasting food. Of course, I'm a resource hoarder by nature."

While changing his ways was difficult, he did at least admit that his tendency to conserve food was unusual, and perhaps a little detrimental to his overall health. After all, he was short and thin, and the reason was that he refused to eat even when food was freely available. Even here, he knew that they had enough to sustain everyone.

It was just uncertainty that it would always be so that made it difficult to eat as much as he should.

"I'm sorry you lost him. From what you've told me, the loss of a rational person that you could place your trust in must've been difficult."

Altair supposed he and Hux were alike there- Few allies, few people they could truly trust, and both trying to run a madhouse to the best of their abilities. Hux with Ren, Altair with the many Sith on the Council thinking they could do what they wanted without consequence.

[tiedonastring]

"While I am not one to indulge, I suppose we can enjoy such a feast today. It is nice to reward ourselves on occasion." Hux stated. He was glad that this time of the day there weren't a lot of people working in the Green House. Usually there was always a couple of people, but this time it was just Altair. He didn't see a point in leaving the place to eat elsewhere.

"Indeed...I found that I couldn't really trust those that have been with the old Empire. Many opposed the fact I was a higher rank then they. The younger generation had looked up to me from what I was told. They weren't too happy about that either. They had wanted to stick to their old ways...instead of embracing new ideas that could help them instead of hinder."

[kallig]

"Second motive indeed," Altair said, with a bit of dry humor to his voice, "I don't particularly consider food to be a way to reward myself. Eating is just going through the motions, if you ask me. It's necessary, that's all."

Of course he understood that very few people thought that way. Even less preferred ration bars over regular food like he did. He liked that they were nutritionally balanced. Even if they tasted sort of like dust with a bit of salt mixed in.

"Well, the older generations do tend to be rather set in their ways. It was like that in my time, too. You can imagine the shock and horror the Sith Empire experienced when I ascended to the Dark Council and they realized that they'd have to bow down to alien filth and look happy about it."

There were a few who had voiced their displeasure right to his face, but most knew better. The older generations would always try to resist inevitable change.

"We'll have to merely be happy with the fact that we are the future, and they will perish as time marches on and leaves their antiquated ideas behind."