#yzalir

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Today Yza-lir, Vadil, and Paterin ran some flashpoints. Look how attractive this group is!

(Special thanks to @oleandersone who gifted me the dye for the sexy new coat Yza-lir is wearing!)

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A few more shots of Yza-lir.

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Yza-lir is a handsome man. You can see why Dakhri married him. And where his son got his good looks.

(He’s my entry into the Sad Dads club.)

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The morning light is rosy and soft outside, a sharp contrast with the darkened studio. Yza-lir unlocks the door and flicks on the light, moving to the wall to watch from safety. Without a word Dakhri ignites her sabers, the familiar snap-crackle and buzzing sound filling the air and echoing around the empty room.

The copper blades glow bright and pure, slicing through the air effortlessly. She twists and turns far faster than she should be able to, guided by the Force running through her, empowering her to great feats no one without it could hope to reach. Her movements are fluid and graceful as she dances through the space.

The Force changes her from the woman he knows every inch of so well into something he doesn't understand.  Dakhri is transcendent when her sabers are in her hand. Watching her blades draw trails of light across the room is like staring into the light that overwhelms with its purity and sustains you, making you forget there is anything else to the world. The movement of her body is a glimpse into the radiance of the universe itself.

Just like that, the momentary spell breaks as she shifts from the warmup patterns to actual combat moves against invisible foes.  He recalls how he's seen those sabers slice through the bodies of Sith and Imperials on the battlefield. He watches her now, training for the inevitable next battle, the moment when she will call on the Force to cause destruction, sundering tiny bits of the universe from itself as she ends life after life.

If her play is the light of the sun, a glimpse into unity and purity, then her war is the fire that burns fast and bright, devastating what is in its path before it extinguishes and leaves only darkness and ash behind. The imagery makes Yza-lir shudder, goosebumps rushing over his skin.

She stutters in her moves, her sabers coming far too close to her face before extinguishing and leaving a hush falling over the space. Within a second she is by his side, reaching for his hand. “What is it?” , she asks, curling his fingers into hers.

He is gratified that there is concern in her tone, not anger. He's seen her be furious before when interrupted. “Do you have to actually practice today? I like what you were doing before… one of the light-dances, wasn't it?”

“The opening to one I've wanted to perform for years,” she confirmed. “I want to keep working on it when there's time. Today, though, I have exercises.”

“Just for today, take a break. Work on the light-dance,” he says, his tone almost pleading.

“I really need to master this before we go to Ord Radama.”

“I need to watch my wife dance,” he counters, squeezing her hand and ignoring the way her claws scratch his palm. “And let me take some holos.”

“Why the holos?” she asks.

“Because I want a record of how beautiful you are,” he says. He doesn't know why it's so important that he have one, but he knows deep in his bones that he needs it.

“A holo of me being clumsy?” she says with a laugh.

“Trust me, you weren't clumsy. You were radiant,” he tells her. “I just want to see if I can capture some of that.”

She sighs, but he knows he has her. “All right. Today is off. Because my lovely husband asked so nicely.”

His lips twitch in a smile. “And for your gracious agreement, you can have anything you want from me later.”

Her brow lifts. “Anything? You might regret that, love.”

“I will regret nothing you ask of me, my wife,” he says solemnly.

“Start your holo then,” Dakhri says, stepping back and igniting her lightsabers again.

(In the times to come, when they don't speak for years and the gulf between them is immeasurably wide and dark, the images of her bringing light and movement to the still studio will be an anchor to sustain him through his dark nights.)

[catpella]

3, 9, 20 for Dakhri, 8, 13, 22 for Yza-lir?

Dakhri:

3.) Something they’re proud of

She’s proud of her ability to train her students. When she teaches someone who’s particularly gifted with their lightsaber(s), when she sees someone who’s in one of her advanced classes not because they’ve been sent to, but because the genuinely want to learn, and they have genuine skill at learning. When she sees them struggling to master something, and it clicks. Those moments give her pride.

9.) A memory of their lover

His patience and tenderness will always astound her. The sex has always been good, and she has more than enough pleasant memories of that. But she also remembers the tender moments when he curls up against her chest and their hearts beat as one, when he rubs her back and braids her hair, loosens her muscles. She misses all the times they touched just for the joy of remembering that they had bodies and were together.

20.) Something comforting

When Dakhri gets stressed out, she finds comfort in the physical, in pushing her body so that she’s focusing on that and not her worries. Moving through sequences of saber moves, defeating a sequence of training droids, doing an intensive physical workout routine, sleeping with Yza-lir back when they were in a relationship. But mostly beating up tons of training droids, if there are any available.

Yza-lir:

8.) A memory of their family

It’s been two decades since he introduced Dakhri to his family on Corellia. But the memory still brings a smile to his face. He’d told her that his mother was an Inspector in Corellian Security, and that his father taught computer security at a University. But he’d left out the fact that his grandmother was a Master of the Green Jedi. Just because he wanted to see how she’d react to it.

Spoiler alert: she was very startled to find a Force sensitive in his family, as she’d been interested in the idea of a family gathering without any Force-users.

(It was a great trick.)

13.) Their lowest point

The days after the attack on Ord Radema. He’d been captured by top-tier Imperial commandos and beaten very badly. Then he’d seen his wife brutally slaughter said Imperial commandos, and now she was being taken back to Iridonia to receive treatment for what looked a lot like a fall to the Dark Side. And partly that last part was his fault, since he and Thyrea had been responsible for covering up Dakhri’s condition.

If it wasn’t for having to take care of the children - and he did want to be allowed to take the children with him to Corellia - he might have given up entirely.

22.) When they were content

He was always happy during the periods of downtime during the war. Especially when he and Dakhri got simultaneous leave, either back to Iridonia or to Corellia. Spending time with his wife and their children never failed to lift his spirits and make him happy. Whether they were adventuring to the Zoo, or just sitting around in an apartment eating dinner and watching bad HoloNet films, it was all good.

[catpella]

Thrasis 1, 3, 8, 14, 19

1.) A happy memory

Thrasis is 5 and visiting the Corellian Zoo for the very first time. He chases Sis around with the rambunctious energy of youth, shrieking and waving his hands. He catches her and starts yanking on her hair, but suddenly he’s lifted into the air and dangling upside-down. He twists himself to see Ma’s uplifted hand and a smile on her face, while Da is tapping his nose and looking slightly resigned.

"Be good," Yza-lir calls to his son.

Then something tugs sharply at his hand and he wails.

"Both of you be good, or we’re not going to see the jaggalors," Dakhri amends.

3.) Something they’re proud of

Being able to get over his anti-Imperial (and particularly anti-Sith) prejudices. When he was younger, he’d internalized a lot of his mother’s virulent hatred. He’d lost some of that before he was tasked to infiltrate the Revanites - must havem or they wouldn’t have sent him because of his feelings being a liability. But he didn’t truly get over his prejudices until he started making friends like Auriva. And eventually, of course, he gets over it enough to fall in love with a defector (Gentian).

8.) A memory of their family

Maybe his parents still weren’t talking to each other, but they’d graduated to the point where they could be in the same gathering without blistering the walls. He’d prepared to spend this celebration drifting back and forth between the groups where they were socializing so that he was able to spend time with both of them over the course of the night. But that was the best he thought he and Moya would get.

Imagine his surprise just before the dawn. It was after a lot of food and alcohol and even more dancing, at the point where most people’s voices were hoarse from overuse. He was groggy and barely awake, lying in the middle of a pile of other teenagers. Someone called for two people of each vocal range to volunteer to sing one of the light-calling songs for the dawn. They both stood up at the same time, and you could just see the moment where they froze as they realized it. He prepared for yelling - but instead, they both walked over to the drums and took their place in line.

This was the best holiday in the last 8 years, he decided.

14.) Their greatest moment

As of the current in-game timeline, it’s arranging for Auriva to come over. Over the course of their friendship he’d learned how desperately unhappy she was, and being able to slice that transmission, flag it resolved, and then send Ellekai to the Manaan center to go give her a chance. He thinks it was pretty cool.

19.) Experiencing something new

"You have to try this."

He looked at the pastry on her hand as though it was going to bite him. “Are you sure I can even eat this?”

The red-haired human looked offended. “Would I be offering you this if I didn’t check to make sure you could have it?”

"I guess not." But he didn’t make a move to accept it. It was this big square with a flaky outside and chocolate and nuts all over it. It looked sticky. And sweet. It looked like the kind of thing you’d be finding little pieces of all over yourself for days. He hated that kind of snack.

She broke off a piece and slowly aimed her hand towards his mouth. “Come on. You’re gonna love it. Just take a bite.”

He briefly considered biting her finger to see how she’d react, but decided it wasn’t worth the fight. Instead he opened his mouth and let her poke the pastry in.

It was sweet and sticky. And also…pretty good. He tried to school his expression into  neutrality, but it was too late. She knew.

"Want the rest?"

The damn thing was still in his mouth, but he nodded.

[catpella]

DAKHRI AND YZA-LIR FOR THE THING

Behind a cut for length. Also, pain ahead, you have been warned.

1.) Rate how well they get along on a scale 1-10.

 While in a relationship: 8. There was a lot of happiness and love and vibrancy, but were rocky parts here and there. At the time they could cover it up by going back to affectionate.

 A few years after the breakup: 2. There was a lot of rage and bitterness and talking to each other felt like walking on glass.

 Modern day: 8. They’ve matured into different people than the ones that fell in love, they have sharp disagreements, but there’s a core of respect and rebuilt trust that is rock-solid.

 2.) What do they disagree about the most?

 The appropriate way to deal with your enemies. Yza-lir is not afraid to fight, but he believes that for a lasting peace to happen, it needs to be achieved through non-violence. Dakhri favors total eradication of anyone who doesn’t renounce an unjust system.

 3.) How much personal space do they keep with each other?

 Both while they were dating, and now that they’re friends again, they have no personal space. They’ll take a large chair and sit on it together. They’ll hold hands and rest on each other’s shoulders. She’ll sit on the floor while he braids her hair.

When they were broken up, if they had to be at the same event, they’d be conspicuously far apart and not looking at each other.

 4.) How good/awful would they be at going undercover as family members or a couple?

 Given that they were a couple for years and years, they’d be excellent at pretending to do it again in the modern day. There might be some dreadfully awkward parts if they fell too far back into old habits and possibly something might happen that someone could regret.

 (Thrasis wants someone to assign them to an undercover mission where they have to be fake!married, because he thinks they’d get back together again if they had to be intimate. Sneaky bastard.)

 5.) What do they trust each other with?

 The glib answer is “Everything.” Dakhri was bitterly betrayed by Yza-lir’s actions when he had her taken out of the war, but she knows now that he made the correct call. He’s the one who can bring her back from the edge, the one who knew her better than she knew herself.

 6.) How would each react if the other died?

 If Yza-lir was murdered, the perpetrator should jump naked into a rancor pit. It would hurt less than what Dakhri would do.

 If he died of natural causes, she’d be devastated for months, but she’d heal up eventually with the support of the aliit.

 Whether it was murder or natural, Yza-lir would turn into a haunted wraith of himself, possibly never entirely recovering. He would need to be around family and close friends to find pleasure in anything.

 7.) What’s the biggest thing they have in common?

 They both think that there are principles and people important enough to die for.

 8.) Do they routinely compete over anything?

 Only simple stuff, like in sports or games.

 9.) Who’s physically stronger and how does it influence how they interact?

 Dakhri. It’s a positive for them both; he finds it a turn-on, she enjoys being able to be the big protective one.

 10.) Who wins at chess?

 Change chess to dejarik, and I think it’s about 50/50. She plays aggressive and reckless, which can steamroller him, but also backfire. He plays conservative of his pieces and troops, but with an eye to the longer view of strategy.

 11.) Who wins at video games?

 Yza-lir. It’s not even close. He’s learned to suggest two player co-op games.

 12.) Would they be able to succeed at some intensely cooperative task together?

 Absolutely. Their ability to combine his ingenuity and her fighting skills helped turn the tide of some conflicts.

 13.) What happens if you abandon the pair in the wilderness together?

 She has all the survival skills and focuses on keeping them both alive while Yza-lir pokes any technology they have in order to get out a distress call. If it was during their relationship, they come home a few days late because they’re too distracted by each other.

 14.) If they are on opposite sides of a conflict, how would they interact if they were on the same side? If they’re on the same side, how would they interact if they were on opposite sides?

 SIT IN A CORNER AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.

 …

 If Dakhri had fallen to the dark side while captured on Korriban, I imagine that they might have met on a battlefield somewhere like Balmorra. If Dakhri captured him, she’d interrogate him for information and then kill him, since he wouldn’t be corruptible. If Yza-lir had captured a wounded Dakhri, he’d try to turn her back to the Republic and get a blade in his gut as a reward. SO BASICALLY AWFUL ALL WAYS.

 If we’re talking about a less extreme than the galactic war conflict, then I can think of one likely to happen: if the Jedi capture the Sith who captured her so long ago, Dakhri would want to kill him. Yza-lir would oppose it because he would know what it would turn her into. If he tried to actually physically block her, it could get messy.

 15.) What’s the worst thing one could say to the other? What’s the best thing?

 They’ve already said the worst possible things to each other. Dakhri called him a faithless coward, and Yza-lir called her a no-better-than-the-Sith monster. Both accusations had kernels of truth, but were delivered far harsher than they needed to be.

[catpella]

a quick snippet

snippet of train-fic from yesterday, because it was cute:

Yza-lir Doth leaned his head against the wall of the Carrick shuttle. His fingers twitched anxiously against his leg, nails clicking against the standard-issue armored pants. The sound echoed louder than it really should, he thought when he saw others look over to see the source of the sound.

His CO had also looked over, and the burly Twi'lek tsked when he saw Yza-lir's expression. "Stop being so nervous. You're meeting your girlfriend, not charging alone into a battalion of Imperials."