New Year
AO3
The streets were packed as Luke and Mara tried to make their way through the throng to their ship. They had been on Olvopra to meet with Ban Katsure to finalize a trade deal for Karrde and stayed a day extra not realizing there was a local festival going.
From what little Mara could gather from the various banners, souvenirs, and snippets of conversation they were trying to leave during locals New Year’s celebrations.
Bouncing between Yavin IV, Coruscant’s Galactic Calendar, and hyperspace left Mara with only the vaguest sense of the passage of one year to the next. Coruscant’s new year had been 2 months ago by galactic time and each planet in the galaxy conformed to it in the most basic of applications. Namely when the Senate was in session, making interstellar calls, and as the standard in shipping times throughout the known galaxy.
Naturally, individual planets had their own systems of the day, month, and year to accommodate their unique paths around their sun. And on Olvopra, today was the Festival of the New Moon or the first full moon of the planet’s year. But unlike many new year’s festivals, Mara had heard of this one did not precipitate the changing of the season from winter to spring, what many cultures traditionally see as the birth of a new growing season and new year. Through an arbitrary set of conditions, this seemed to be set mid-spring.
That was all fine for them, Mara groused. But it made it decidedly difficult to travel through the revelries as she tried to gently shoulder aside a feathered Olvoprain.
Eventually, they came up against a wall of beings watching a parade made up of musical groups, acrobats, and creatures performed by beings underneath its ‘body’ controlling it in twists and turns that made it seem like it was curious about those watching. Even going so far as to ‘sniff’ children, making them giggle. Overhead fireworks exploded in front of an average-sized full moon, in various bright shades highlighting everyone in flashes of color.
Luke, however, was not following as closely as he should as he tried to take everything.
Stopping to let him catch up, she had to shake her head in fond exasperation as he was distracted by a group of performers on stilt that made their legs 3 times longer than usual.
You’re such a farmboy, she said via their bond.
And you need to learn to slow down and enjoy the moment, Luke teased back as he held up some kind of sweet on a stick, giving it a lick. When had he snagged that?
Finally reaching her side he held up his prize for her to taste. Mara glared at him and said, “You’ll ruin your dinner,” as if he was five.
Luke just grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “What’s the point of being an adult if you can’t ruin your dinner with treats?”
Giving an overly dramatic sigh in good-natured resignation, she asked, “What does it taste like?”
“Try it and find out,” Luke grinned wider.
She took the stick from him and gave a cautious lick. A sweet, fruity flavor burst across her tongue before being replaced with the sensation of tingles where her tongue touched the candy.
She jerked the stick back in surprise and looked to Luke to ask if this was human safe. He had a big grin on his face and said, “You should see the look on your face.” Then he laughed. She always liked it when he laughed, seeing the cares he normally shouldered, fall away. This time she didn’t even mind that it was at her expense.
Mara took another lick. Longer and less innocent this time. As the sensation ran across her tongue, she told Luke via the bond, I wonder if this comes in a liquid form? I can think of several more creative was to use this.
Taking the candy back, Luke took an equally long lick before pulling her in for a kiss. The residual of the candy on his tongue wasn’t as powerful as when she’d tasted it but still tingled as they kissed. I’ll make sure to find some.
