El-Keshtanktil

Working through feelings was well and fine but Anakin preferred to cling to them, claw them back to himself, and refuse to let go. But he wasn't a child any longer. He was almost a man now, almost a knight, and he was expected to behave in a certain way, which meant when it was suggested to him that he partake in a new kind of meditation with T'Pring, it wasn't actually a suggestion. He liked her well enough, which made it less of a hassle. If he had to sit in a dark room with someone, it might as well be her.

"No, it's sweet." She reached for her cup, cradling it gently as she blew across the steam. The tea was fresh, still scalding, no need to burn her tongue. Anakin was sweet too, but deeply troubled. T'Pring had spent enough time among humans to understand that their emotions were woven into their very biology. Their minds and hearts were one, inseparable. Those who managed to rise above their feelings and rely solely on intellect were held in especially high regard.

Jedi, in particular, valued the regulation of emotion. Unlike Vulcans, they did not suppress their feelings, but like them, they sought to keep emotions from dictating their actions. Though composed of many different species, this discipline made the Jedi refreshingly easy for a Vulcan to understand. And to the counselor’s dark, observant eyes, it was glaringly clear that Anakin did not belong. And yet..he desperately wanted to. Despite his unhappiness?

She took a slow sip of her tea, letting the soothing warmth spread through her as the sweet, floral, and mildly spicy notes played across her tongue. It was not her place to determine whether Anakin was suited to be a Jedi. Her task was to guide his meditation, nothing more. She had no jurisdiction over such matters, and it would be illogical to pass judgment. Besides, it was obvious that Master Kenobi was deeply attached to him. If Anakin were to leave, Kenobi would be devastated. So, T’Pring silenced the mutinous thoughts and buried them in the deepest corners of her mind.

"You don't have to finish it all. It's potent. Too much could put you in a trance, and since you have no experience with it, that might be unsettling." But T'Pring was well-versed in its effects. With practiced ease, she finished her cup.

A couple of T’Pring sketches I never posted, from when I was coming up with my version of her for the Kelvin timeline. My main reference for her was Anya Taylor Joy, but I also kept some of Arlene Martel. I think Anya has the proper ethereal alien vibes, whenever I read an AOS fic featuring T’Pring, I could only picture her face. So I had to draw her and make it a but more real lol

Chris had been off duty in his kitchen, deciding to spend his day off trying new recipes and experimenting with old ones. He was in the process of tending to his herbs when the door chime went off, setting down his clippers, he walked over to the door and opened it to see T'Pring. Wiping his hands on his apron he gave her a warm smile, "T'Pring! What a pleasant surprise. Spock had told me you would be coming aboard but I hadn't been sure on when."

She returned his smile, almost involuntarily. His smiles were simply infectious. "I wasn’t sure myself," she admitted. "The shuttle that picked me up was delayed, and now the Moal, the ship I am scheduled to take, has yet to even begin its journey to the meeting point."

It was concerning, since Vulcans were not prone to unannounced deviations from a schedule. However, as long as there were no signals of distress, it was likely something benign, such as a technical issue.

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✱ ⸻ 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐘𝐄𝐓 ? he cast a look towards bd-1, who only lowered his antennas, shaking his head. with the buddy droid ruled out, he sighed and brought his attention back to t'pring, only to be surprised by the growl of his stomach. he gave her an embarrassed smile as he continued to listen.

with her signal for him to sit, he gladly took it, lowering himself onto the cushion and sitting on the chair ( what a relief it was to finally sit again, after such a long day ) . his gaze was fixated on the candles until she admitted something so vulnerable, causing him to freeze. he looked into her eyes, his own softening. after a moment of hesitation, cal reached out with his gloved hand, carefully lifting her fingers and letting it 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 on his own.

“ i'm sorry to hear. there was a lot that happened today ― ” perhaps excuses were the last thing t'pring wanted to hear. cal cleared his throat, continuing. “ i don't have a lot of friends, ” he admitted, gently shaking his head. “ people... don't usually seek to be my friend. but my family is kind. perhaps i'll introduce you to them. ” vader was busy, so were luke and leia. but there has to be something he could work out. sure, people tend to be afraid of vader, yet with the way he loved cal, it shows that he was more than an emperor, but a father and someone he can confide in. there's also obi-wan, who cal came to resemble even more as he got older, who was always gentle with him. riyo wasn't family, but she was one of cal's most trusted friends who made cal feel safe.

with a gentle squeeze of her hand, cal went on. “ conferences tend to be boring, but if you'd like me to show you around the galaxy after one's adjourned, i can do that, too. you have my contact information, please don't ever hesitate to reach out. ” thinking of how long he spent in hyperspace, he wouldn't mind staying on the line with her. listening to the drone in ships in hyperspace was a 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 of how lonely life could get.

he glanced away for a moment as he gathered his thoughts, deciding to continue being open with her. “ i don't mind staying up for a little while longer. ” the grand inquisitor met her gaze. “ i'd much rather spend time getting to know you. ”

She was glad to see that her attempt to engage him was met with approval. Between the two of them, Cal was the busier one. Naturally, it had been up to her to plan their little date and adjust to his schedule. It would be an adjustment, as until now, T'Pring had been entirely independent, only obligated to schedule according to her work, but she found she didn't mind shaping her routine around his.

"Meeting your family would be my pleasure." On Vulcan, a marriage without the two families meeting each other was unheard of. It were the parents who decided about engagements and bondings. This marriage was obviously very different and she suspected it wasn't according to Cal's tradition either. He seemed just as clueless about how to gracefully reconcile all of this as T'Pring was. The way he looked at her, with surprised appreciation, assured her that things will be okay. They could make this work.

When he squeezed her hand, T'Pring returned the gesture. Hand-holding was intimate for a Vulcan, so it helped that he wore gloves. It would be too early to build a telepathic connection. He may be shocked by the sudden shared vulnerability.

"I will definitely make use of your offer. Hearing your voice is soothing and I enjoy talking to you." It was easy for her to be candid. Some may consider her way to direct, but T'Pring never understood why other species tiptoed around direct, clear communication.

Her lips pulled into a smile as she gently pulled her hand out of his grasp and gestured for a droid to bring in a few trays of food. "I believe exploring both our cultures would help in getting to know each other. What better way than to begin with food?" The droid served them several Vulcan dishes. Notably, there was no meat. "This is a lentil soup. We call it Savash. And this is fried Tok root. It is usually consumed with this dip, comparable to yoghurt."

earlier, while putting together a fine selection of equipment on the vanity dresser of the bedroom, the senator had chosen a wooden comb with soft, sparse teeth to aid her project that'd ideally have an aesthetically pleasing result. padmé's fingertips brushed the back of t'pring's neck as she gathered and ran the comb through a thick section of hair, tilting her head as a datapad left on the drawer pinged. as the gazes of two met through the mirror, the question rolling from the long awaited visitor's tongue made her chuckle and give the comb another journey through the dark hair. ❝ i think he would, yes ❞, she replied before setting the comb 𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞, dividing some of t'pring's hair into five sections, ❝ i can take a bunch for you to choose from. the afternoon light on the balcony could give the gown a nice glow, don't you think ? ❞

admittedly, padmé had been tempted to say that if stonn wouldn't appreciate receiving a picture of t'pring in an evening gown, that'd make him fool. sometimes it was wiser to know when to 𝐧𝐨𝐭 speak rather than immediately voice the first thought coming to mind. ❝ speaking of stonn ❞, she mused, one braid halfway done, ❝ how have things been between you two ? ❞

The motion of Padmé's nimble fingers and the wooden comb going through her long hair was very relaxing. T'Pring fround herself at ease, despite the fact that that it were feelings they were talking about. She admired how Padmé spoke about them so easily, revealing that she had missed T'Pring, without having to fear that she might come off as inadequate or illogical. "Thank you, I would greatly appreciate you taking pictures of me."

Missing someone made no sense. If they were not present, wishing they were was only a hindrance and it would change nothing about the current situation. And yet T'Pring knew that feeling very well. "I missed you too," she revealed, knowing that Padmé wouldn't judge her.

"I followed every speech of yours on the holonet that I could catch." Ever since the Republic and the Federation had begun to interact more regularly, the first few broadcasts that showed Republic content had popped up in Federation space. The quality was atrocious, but the building of more subspace relays already underway. "I agree with your suggestions regarding the Pantoran-Trandoshian dispute. It's logical and equally beneficial for both parties."

But Padmé wanted to know more about Stonn, which made T'Pring clear her throat, suddenly anxious. "He is very accomodating." She wasn't used to it. "He is hard to read though. As my colleague, perhaps this is simply his way of being a good co-worker? I fear if I interpret too much into it, I could make a fool of myself."