No Man Is An Island (D6, EE)

[Petrus Karath]

Petrus laughed, his hand coming up to pat hers as it squeezed him. "I'm glad, Dove. Although even when I do Jedi heroics? I thought the ladies loved Jedi heroics!" He shot her a quick smile.

His smile turned more pleased, if a little sheepish, at the next question. "It's going well so far. Really well. We just... there's this connection, you know?" He took a deep breath. "We're taking it slow, though. I mean, we have to. Jedi, you know."

He took another deep breath, frowning thoughtfully. "Her twentieth birthday is in less than a week. I've never gotten a present for a girlfriend before."

[Dove Gray]

She grinned. "First time you're getting something for a girlfriend, huh? Well, there's the usual things; flowers, chocolates, promises you dont intend to keep." A pause before she laughed. "But I get the feeling you want something more special."

Ah, to be young and in love. At least she was glad his romance was a fairly simple one, without too much complications. Or as uncomplicated ex-Jedi romances could be.

"I'd say take her out to dinner, but... I don't think that will be a good idea now."

[Petrus Karath]

"Yeah, I... what?" Petrus sputtered a little, smiling. "Hey, I'm not gonna make any promises I don't intend to keep. That's what going slow means." He took a deep breath. "Although that part's a challenge sometimes... but we can handle it."

He sighed. "No, it's not." He pursed his lips. "I mean, I think I can still manage a date. Pick out the nicest food we brought with us, go for a walk on the beach..." He smiled. "She said that's romantic, so I'm definitely gonna make that happen."

Another sigh. "But chocolates, flowers... yeah, unless a rebellious florist grabbed all their stuff and came here..." He frowned thoughtfully. "But maybe I can find something. Or... I wonder if Veras could help me, actually."

[Dove Gray]

"Ah, she's a romantic gal?" Dove nodded seriously, treating the mission of Birthday Date With Xanna with all the care and attention it needed. It was important to be a supportive mother, after all.

"Well, that's a good idea. You could get someone to help you cook something, and then you pack a picnic basket - you can have your dinner-date as a picnic on the beach, away from everyone else. Light some candles, play some music in the background. What are you going to wear for the occassion?"

[Petrus Karath]

"Uh..." Petrus brushed his hand through his hair. "I didn't bring a lot with me. A few changes of clothes; my new ones, at least. My swimsuit; I didn't even know we'd be at the beach." He chuckled.

Petrus cleared his throat. "But I think I'd like to do something with all her closest friends. Just a little something, y'know, a fun get-together. Maybe the date can be after? Huh. Picnic basket and candles does sound pretty nice..."

[Dove Gray]

"Of course it sounds nice," Dove retorted with all the confidence of an experienced woman. "You got this lovely island paradise here now, take advantage of it. Besides, I've seen enough romantic holo-movies to know that's what romantic women want."

She rubbed her chin as she considered the plan. "Good thing you got your swimshorts at least, that will be handy here. And we'll have to make sure you save your nicest outfit for the date."

[Petrus Karath]

"Well, unless she wants the heart of a mega-raptor, I'm gonna have to trust your judgement on that, I guess." Petrus chuckled.

Petrus tilted his head, looking at Dove, an amused expression on his features. "We, huh? Has my romantic life suddenly become a two-person job?" He laughed, then raised his hands. "Remember, we've gotta take it slow. Or..." he considered for a moment "carefully, anyway. Those aren't quite the same, but they're very close."

[Dove Gray]

"Petrus," Dove turned to place a hand on both his shoulders, "as your parental guardian... person, it's my responsibility that your first date with Xanna goes well. Sure, Mia has got you covered on the healthy eatings, and good discipline and all, but it's my duty to make sure that you will be a proper gentleman and boyfriend."

And then she ruffled his hair. "Oh, and don't take things too slowly. You're only young once, and we all might die in a week against the Empire. Live a little! Take some chances!"

[Petrus Karath]

"Hey." Petrus laughed, rearranging his hair after she ruffled it. "Of course I'm gonna be a gentleman. I'm a nice young man, right? Whenever I go for a walk in the park, one older lady or another is telling me that." He paused a moment. "I guess this is my first time being a boyfriend, really."

He laughed, but shook his head. "Some chances, okay. But it's what she asked for. And she's right; Jedi... there's a reason we have to be careful with things like this. Back when the order was around, this would have been somewhere between frowned upon and forbidden."

[Dove Gray]

"I know you are," she chuckled. He had always been a Nice Young Man.

"But, there is no Order anymore, right? Who's to frown upon it now? Or stop you from having some sense of normalcy whith eachother." Dove was very insistent on this. "It's just no healthy to force you guys from a young age to live your lives in celibacy and loneliness."

[Petrus Karath]

"Well, yeah." Petrus said. "That's why we're trying it."

He took a deep breath. "But... it's the way Force Sensitive people are. If the relationship goes poorly, we need to avoid becoming jealous and resentful. If someone we love dies, we need to avoid falling into despair. Or else we can fall to the Dark Side."

He spread his hands. "So that's why we need to take it slow. Because in a way, what we're doing is dangerous. It's just..." He shrugged. "Well, we really like each other."

[Dove Gray]

"Ok..." she didn't really know what to think of it. How could normal feelings be any worse for Jedi than everyone else. "But what about sex? Is that bad too?"

[Petrus Karath]

"Is sex bad? I've heard otherwise." Petrus joked. After a moment, he cleared his throat.

"No, but for real..." Petrus frowned. "That's another grey area. So, as I understand it, some people can handle, uh, y'know, sex without getting attached. Others can't. And a lot of the latter think that they're the former." His lips quirked. "I tend to think that I'm probably one of the former."

He cleared his throat. "Anyway, instead of sort out who can and can't handle what, the Order would err on the side of caution. So, no sex, no relationships... generally speaking." He shrugged. "There were some allowed cases. And, well, sometimes they happened without permission."

[Dove Gray]

"Probably happened a lot more than they would care to admit," she scoffed a little.

Dove remained serious on her task as helpful 'mom'. "Ok, so you probably know, uh, biology. At least if Vaya got that part right, but what do you actually know about women, Petrus? Because you better not disappoint a nice girl like Xanna if you guys decide to go beyond holding hands and kissing."

[Petrus Karath]

"Um..." Petrus scratched his head. "Yeah, I mean, we did get biology and xenobiology courses. So I definitely know the basics."

His blue eyes opened a little. "Uh... I was sorta hoping that, y'know, we could figure it out if it came to that." He brushed a hand across his face. His lips shifted and twisted as he tried to decide whether to ask her to stop... or to ask for more information. The struggle was obvious on his honest features.

[Dove Gray]

At least now that she could focus on something as easy as educating Petrus, Dove could at least for the moment forget about her own woes.

"Just figure it out?" She gave Petrus a very sceptical look. It said everything, and she did not approve. "Just knowing the basics is fine, but... it's so much more, Petrus. It's... about making eachother feel good, and to treat your partner well. Xanna or whoever else."

Once again she placed her hands on his shoulders, but with a more gentle touch this time. "Whoever you decide to do it with, it's an intimate moment that you share with someone you like. Not only do you need to do so responsibly," Dove trusted they covered that in their classes, "but also with care and consideration to make it a good time for you both." Or all, who am I to kink-shame if he wants to invite over all his girlfriends.

[Petrus Karath]

Petrus grimaced. "Well, yeah, sure, I mean, I care about her, and I want to treat her well... make her feel good..." He trailed off.

"Mblergh." Petrus said, burying his face in his hands. "Maybe... just..." He cleared his throat, lifting his head up a little. "I guess if you had a few, uh, general sort of suggestions..." He cleared his throat again, "well, maybe I should hear them."

[Dove Gray]

Dove straightened her back, adopting an expression as close to Vaya as she could manage... for a brief moment. "Ok..." Then it was back to a more relaxed Dove-expression.

"I guess I can start with what you can do without going... too far, which is also a good warmup if you wanna go all the way..." What Dove had to share probably violated some Parental Unit's Guidance-Rating, so it couldn't be expressed into explicit dialogue, but Petrus got to learn a few things he didn't know. And some things that were useful to know. And some things he did not expect to ever hear about. And by the Maker, how did she know all this?!

It was a good educational moment for a young man.

"But most importantly - have fun." Dove figured she didn't need to tell Petrus to not inappropriately touch another sentient against their will. "You're a good guy, Petrus. I trust you to be sensible about this. As sensible as two young folks in love can be."

[Petrus Karath]

As Dove spoke, Petrus' blue eyes kept getting wider and wider. Sometimes almost afraid, sometimes wondering. "I didn't know you could even do that..." He murmured at one point. He suddenly wished he'd brought his sketchbook; some parts of this would clearly be better with diagrams.

Regardless, he was definitely paying attention.

"Well. Uh. Thanks, Dove." Petrus shook his head, still looking a little stunned. "You've given me a lot to think about. And a need to take a really cold shower." He flashed her a quick smile, even as he shifted a little.

Looking out over the water, Petrus sighed. "This is all really new stuff. Maybe the Jedi were a little... whatever you've said about us before." He looked back at her. "How'd you learn... all the things you know? Did you have an academy, or what?"

[Dove Gray]

"Hey, as Mom #1, it's my responsibility that you treat a lady right," she said as she patted Petrus on the head.

But him asking her where she learned it, Dove actually was... surprised. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Well... not exactly an Academy. They don't put people like me into academies. Spies, I mean. At least I don't know about any Spy Academy."

She shook her head and brushed some of her thick bangs back. "Started with xenobiology, and then more... hands on approaches. Most of what I learned I learned from getting experience in the field - you'd be surprised over how many sentients are driven by lewd forces, Petrus," Dove smirked at the kid.

[Petrus Karath]

Petrus gave her a sidelong glance. "You know, I'm actually not as surprised as you think. I mean, I have those sorts of feelings too, y'know. Just... we kinda learned to not do anything about them."

He waved a hand. "But... what about before that? What was your childhood like? I mean, you know about mine, right? I don't know anything about yours." He looked at her curiously.

[Dove Gray]

Her expression sobered. Hardened, even. "... I spent my so-called childhood learning how to kill, Petrus. Like those clone soldiers of yours, there was not really a childhood. There's no playing or games. Like them, I too have had accelerated growth. In the time period from when I was decanted upon reaching maturity, I was undergoing rigorous training, both mental and physical, conditioning, simulations, and testing."

It was almost a bitter irony. She'd been lambasting the Jedi Order to Petrus the entire time for not allowing kids to be kids. Whereas she had never had the opportunity to be a kid herself. "You don't get super-soldiers or genetically engineered spies the easy way."

[Petrus Karath]

Slowly, Petrus nodded. "Yeah. I sorta wondered if that was the case." He sighed, a melancholy sound.

He shook his head. "I remember thinking that using the clones seemed strange. But then... I don't know." He chewed his lip a moment. "They just seemed a lot like us, y'know? I guess none of us had proper childhoods, huh?"

Smiling wryly, he shook his head again. "I sorta feel like maybe the Order worried about the wrong stuff. If we'd worried about the right stuff. Huh. Are the people who..." his lips twisted uncertainly, "-made you still around?"

[Dove Gray]

"As far as I know, yeah. He's one of the top scientist of Arkania - and as far as I know, Arkania is still relatively safe from too much oversight from the Empire." She shrugged, seemingly not having any hard feelings of her Maker.

"What do you think is the wrong stuff, and what's the right stuff, in your opinion?"

[Petrus Karath]

"Whew!" Petrus said, smiling ruefully. "You don't ask the easy questions, do you? Maybe we should go back to you telling me how to... well, you know." He cleared his throat, reddening just a little.

But he considered it, frowning thoughtfully. "But, well, less concerned with making sure we didn't feel stuff, or, y'know, have sex. More concerned with breeding soldiers to fight. I don't know. I feel like maybe with the clones, I just can't think straight. But maybe... if we'd done better with them somehow, they wouldn't have turned on us." His shoulders hunched a little, and he drew his other knee up to his chest.