#jediprompts

prompts

finished prompts

There was a light, floral aroma that wafted through the air. Akrona sniffed the pleasant smell, humming while she slept. Her eyes were shut and she might as well have been dead to the galaxy. But calm stillness of her surroundings were being disturbed just ever so slightly.

Light tapping on some sort of device, someone was sipping from a cup, and the low buzzing from the ship’s engines—that were rooms away—was getting louder and louder in her mind.

Akrona huffed, blinking her eyes open.

“Are you alright?” Quinn asked, his voice calm and quiet from behind her.

“Hmm?” She pushed herself up, stretching and yawning. “Oh yes. I’m fine.” Rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, Akrona turned to look at Quinn. “I just couldn’t sleep anymore.”

He sat at the computer terminal in her—no, their room. There were several datapads on top of the flat surface along with a steamy cup of caf. On the nightstand next to the bed was a warm cup of tea with the same smell that had stirred her from sleep earlier.

“I hope I didn’t disturb you,” he said, moving from the computer console and sitting down next to her in bed.

Akrona took a sip of the warm tea and set it down. “Not at all. Besides, this is a good time as any to get up.” She smiled as Quinn leaned forward to give a light kiss.

Only after he pulled away did Akrona notice she was still completely nude from the night before.

Akrona grasped at the blanket, trying to cover herself only to let go of the blanket with a giggle. “I suppose it doesn’t really matter than I’m under dressed in front you.”

Quinn chuckled, “No it does not... In your defense it was a rather… busy night.”

Akrona nodded, biting at her lower lip. “It was indeed.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t have a more proper ceremony,” Quinn replied quietly. “It’s just that—”

“Oh Force, Quinn.” Akrona shook her head and kissed him. “It’s alright. I don’t care about an elaborate, fancy ceremony.” She pulled him closer for another, deeper kiss. “I have you.”

“I—”

“And that’s all that matters,” she assured, combing through his dark hair with her fingers.

Quinn paused for a moment, cupping her face with a warm hand. “Of course… my love.”

Akrona nuzzled into his touch, placing a kiss on his palm. “So then, anything I should know about this morning?”

“Actually…” Quinn rose from the bed and sat back down at the computer console, taking a datapad in his hand while Akrona fetched one of her shawls from across the room with the Force.

“I have discovered an unexpected surprise,” he said, “Per Imperial Ordinance 33-618, paragraph c, the Ministry of War issues incentives to married personnel in active service.”

Adjusting the long, ornate fabric around her frame, Akrona bit down a smile as she watched her new husband continue.

“The reward just came through, along with a personal message from the Minister himself.” Quinn looked up from the datapad and down at Akrona on the bed. “He sends his respectful congratulations to my lord.”

“Well that’s, uh… nice of him.” The shawl draped around her shoulders cascaded down to the floor as she stood. “Do you think we should… reply? You know… Tell him thank you?”

Quinn shrugged. “If you’d like.”

Akrona came up to him and kissed his cheek. “You’re always so diligent, Quinn.”

“Heh, you know,” Quinn whispered in her ear, “in light of our new commitment, perhaps you should start calling me ‘Malavai’.”

With a bright smile Akrona giggled in response. “I’ll just call you ‘husband’. How’s that?”

“Please do not.”

“Oh-oh! Or maybe ‘hubby’.” Akrona’s frame shook slightly from suppressed laughter while a playful grin was plastered on her face.

In the interest of continuing to break past my writer’s paralysis, I’ve decided to take on the Star Wars OTP 30 Day Challenge for writers posted by @jediprompts. 

The aim with this is basically to get myself to just write without overthinking things, which I think has been part of my problem lately. See? I think. Too much thinking. Not enough doing.

So anyway here it is, the first installment. I’ll try to update every day, though with my current schedule throughout November, that may not always be possible but I’ll do what I can.

From this list here, days 7 and 8. Or 8 and 7, actually. 

For the Sith Warrior spy AU. 

Sharing Traditions

After we were all released by Sith Intelligence and decided to set up an independent security firm, it was late in the year. About three weeks to Life Day. Temperatures in the Central City were cooler and the air drier, itself a blessed gift. Quinn decided it would be good for team building if we celebrated Life Day together, and since none of us had family elsewhere to speak of, or that we could visit safely, we all agreed. 

No sooner had he mentioned it then Vette declared herself Chairman of Life Day. She decreed that how we would celebrate it would depend on what each of us expected. Because by this time she had spent entirely too much time around Quinn, she made us all fill out a survey, with multiple choice questions and a short essay, so she could find some common ground for a celebration for our motley group. 

So this is what I sent as my response to the essay question “What’s your favorite Life Day memory?”: 

There’s one thing I remember from Hosnian Prime about Life Day. It was always warm in the capital at that time of year, and there were always local or even regional outdoor festivals to attend. So most people didn’t celebrate as one single family. I remember going with my parents – my birth parents – and being given whatever food I wanted. I’d point at something, and my father or my mother would let me have it. 

That’s how I learned how terrible gorek meat was. After cramming all these delicious treats, I took one bite and promptly got sick. They took me to a med tent and when I was feeling better, we went back out and watched the performers and the shows and they bought me a doll with a veil on her face just like mine. I didn’t eat anything else that day. Two months later, I was sent to Tython and six weeks after that, they were dead. 

Vette read the reply and came out into the commons area, a confused look on her face. “But Xhareen,” she said, “you ate gorek just last week. Did you decide you like it now?” 

“No. It’s still terrible. Still makes me queasy. But I eat it to remind myself of them.” 

We ended up with a rather subdued celebration, still lovely though. Quinn and Pierce both pretended not to cry at the gifts Vette bought for them, but I had no such option. 

I opened the package, wrapped in silk. It was a handsewn doll, with skin that matched mine, and a veil on its face. 

Vette had a smile plastered on her face for a week. I think that was the best gift of all.

Deja Vu

I’ve got writer’s block again. Fortunately, I found a list of prompts for a 30-day writing challenge put together by @fluffynexu to help get me back on my feet. 

1. Home Planet

Nilana felt her pulse quicken as the shuttle approached the surface of Csilla. 

Home, she thought. She was finally returning to her people. 

30 day prompts (and I’m finally caught up). This one actually includes a Jedi. Prompts are here. 

It was difficult to mark mornings on Odessen sometimes, when one's room was underground and lacked an external window. But Lyorek had an internal timer that he'd always considered his get out of relationships free card, and it woke him early on the morning after and told him to get out of the strange bed he'd slept in all night. The blonde man sleeping next to him was enticingly warm, and his arm was wrapped around Lyo's stomach, and some part of the Inquisitor's mind whispered that maybe this time... he should stay.

And that was a -terrible- idea, for so many reasons.

Getting a late start on these but better late than never....

It wasn’t so much a door as an archway cluttered with fallen stones and half collapsed piles of sand and pebbles. The groundshake had opened up a long abandoned crevice in the rock, something that had obviously been carved out deliberately in the distant past. So distant that the sandstorms of centuries or even millennia had covered it all over in sand.

Luke crouched on his heels and rested his elbows on his knees, peering into the darkness with an uneasy feeling crawling up his spine.

“C’mon I dare you,” Windy said, nudging him in the back with a dusty boot, “you said you wasn’t scared back at the Station.”

The boy was nearly fourteen, five years older than Luke was. There weren’t many kids in the area, not enough for them to section off into what would be called appropriate age groups. Luke was the youngest of all of them and tended to get picked on more often than not, causing him to boast of his ability to do anything they could do and keep up with anyone.

Luke sighed, “I did say that, yeah.”

“Aww the little worm’s too scared, just a little baby wormie,” Fixer drawled, spitting out the chewed end of his tabac stick.

“Let’s see you do it!” Luke said, jumping up and glaring at the young man, “If you weren’t scared you’d have done it already.”

“I’m not the one as promised he could do it, you gotta go in there and stay till you count to five hunnerd!”

He shivered, although it was sizzling hot even in the deep shade of the canyon. But he’d said he could do it and if he didn’t it would be weeks before he’d hear the end of it.

He strode into the darkness before they could rag on him even more, snapping the little glow stick and shaking it. The chemicals mixed and began to glow a dull orange-red and brightened as he went further in. Under his breath he began to count, the numbers coming quick and stumbling as he tried to get to five hundred as quickly as possible.

prompt list - finished prompts

“Looks like this is the end of the line for me. But I’m not going out without a fight. Ovech out!”

The hologram flickered out. A low, idle hum came from the holoterminal as Quinn and Akrona stood in silence. Everything about this disastrous situation ran through Quinn’s mind. He went through all the mental checks of this operation and turned to the Sith.

“My lord,” he said with urgency, “Major Ovech would be a terrible loss. I served on his ship, know it like the back of my hand. I can infiltrate and try to restore command to his men. Then they would be free to join the fight.”

Akrona didn’t even hesitate. “Then we can’t afford to waste a moment. Let’s set a course for Cato Neimoidia.”

“Right away, my lord!” Quinn nearly ran to the flight deck, set the calculations into the navicomputer and the ship jumped into hyperspace. He began to pace around, going over everything in his mind again.

But it’s as he said. He could do it. For now he would have to wait until they reached their destination.

“How long until we arrive?” Akrona asked, entering the flight deck.

“Five hours and thirty-two minutes. I only hope that—”

“Quinn…” She came up to him and reached out for his hand.

There was just a slight hesitation before he allowed their fingers to entwine together.

“It’ll be alright,” Akrona said softly. “Have faith in the Force—”

“Hmm… yes, well I’m unsure if—”

Akrona giggled and shook her head. “If not the Force, have faith in yourself.” They held their gaze for a moment before she spoke again. “Five and a half hours you said?”

“Yes, my lord,” he replied with a slight bow.

“That should be enough time…” Akrona rubbed the back of Quinn’s hand with her thumb and walked toward the doorway of the flight deck.

“Enough time for… what?”

“Come to my room in… let’s say ten minutes?” she replied with a wink before dashing off.

Quinn stood with mouth open and wide eyes. “Your… room?” he nearly squeaked.

His heart pounded in his ears as certain thoughts began to race across his mind.

Her room. She wanted him in her room. But so far, she didn’t strike Quinn as the type of Sith to string along a group of lovers and admirers. Or perhaps she was and he was simply beneath her usual partners… but then, would that mean facing a sexually frustrated Sith?

Quinn blushed at the mere thought.

No, his lord wasn’t like that… or was she?

Ten minutes have come and gone before Quinn could speculate anymore. Sweating slightly with a warm face, Quinn headed to Akrona’s room. The door was open but he knocked for the sake of courtesy.

Akrona rose from the bed and headed over to him. “You’re here.”

“Y-yes. I am here as instructed.”

“Good!” She took his hand and led him to… a desk?

The two of them sat side by side in front of a wide array of brushes, a small container of water, several pieces of cloth, a slice of sitrine, and two bowls, one with a grainy powder and the other with a black liquid.

She looked at him innocently with a bright smile. “So then, let me see your dominant hand.”

“My hand?” Quinn asked.

Still smiling she nodded and Quinn offered her his right hand.

“Excellent. I’ll get started then.”

“Get started on—?” She pulled the glove off of his hand, pushed his sleeve up, and began to rub one of the powders all over his hand and a bit onto his forearm. “My lord, what… what are we doing exactly?”

Akrona wiped away at the residue with a cloth that was dampened by some water. “Huh?” She pulled the bowl of black liquid closer and grabbed one of the brushes. “Oh!” she giggled, “Isn’t it obvious, Captain? I’m painting your hand.”

Quinn sighed and a great tension seemed to be lifted off of him. “Painting. Of course.”

She nodded slightly and focused on his hand. Her left hand gently rested upon his forearm while the right hand maneuvered the thin brush in and out of the black liquid. The strokes on his skin were cool and smooth, creating wavy lines that slowly came together to form the basis for the Imperial symbol.

Quinn had seen and heard of pureblood Sith adorning their arms and legs with ornate designs, but this was the first time he had been so personally involved. Which made him wonder…

“Is there a… reason for this?”

Akrona was still concentrating on painting his hand. “Hmm?” She changed brushes and began to mark his forearm. “For luck.”

“Luck?”

She shrugged. “Luck, good fortune, happiness… for fun.” Finishing up the last bits of design Akrona traded the paintbrush for the slice of sitrine, squeezing the juice and pulp all over. “Let that sit for a while.” Leaning back in her chair Akrona looked at him with an expectant smile.

“It’s… lovely.” Quinn held out his arm, hovering it over the cloth stretched out on the table as his eyes traced the stylized Imperial logo and the series of stripes and floral patterns. “How long should I—?”

“It’ll be done shortly before we arrive.”

He wanted to protest but swallowed any grievance he had. After all, she had just spent a good amount of time adorning his hand and arm with the marks of her people. Upon that realization Quinn felt humbled.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “You didn’t—”

“I wanted to.” Akrona took his other hand into hers. “We’ll be going into a rather disorderly situation.”

“Of course. It’s hard to tell exactly what kind of resistance we might face, I suggest that we remain on high alert.”

She looked down and Quinn adjusted his painted arm so it could dry a bit more comfortably. “I trust your judgement, Captain. I’ll follow your lead.”

Quinn’s eyes softened as he looked at her.

The next few hours were spent with small talk over the different designs painted on his hands, what the process of making the dye was, how long it stained the skin, which plants it came from, for what occasions the markings were painted for, and so on. It was an enjoyable conversation that enlightened Quinn on aspects of Sith culture he previously had little to no knowledge of. Granted he never had any great desire to research such matters before, and if he did the Imperial databases were so technical, but hearing her talk and seeing her do these things was something else entirely.

The chrono in the room signified that they would be coming out of hyperspace shortly. Akrona took another damp cloth, wiping away at the dried paint and pulp bits from his skin.

“There,” she said. “It’s finished.”

Quinn looked at the back of his hand, his forearm, and then turned to his palm. “It’s wonderful and I’m deeply honored.”

Akrona took his hand and gave a small peck upon the Imperial symbol. “May your aim be true, Captain.”

“I’m confident, that with your blessing and our combined skills, this mission will be 100% successful.” Quinn pulled down his sleeve and put his glove back on. He was a bit sad to see the designs hidden away beneath his uniform, but still felt the comfort of knowing they were there.

There was a sudden jerk as the ship came out of hyperspace.

“Well? Why are we still standing here?” Akrona retrieved her lightsabers from across the room with the Force and giggled, “Let’s go!”