Futuristic A Desperate Alliance (DergTheDergon and The Velveteen Rabbit)

Girard had been on a bench in front of the large observation window in an empty room of the ship for quite a few hours now, gazing out into the void. One hand idly played with the grip on his rifle as he waited patiently for the moment he would be called to action. Well, perhaps patiently wasn't the most correct word to use, as he was tense and worried about the coming mission. Firstly, humans hadn't made much contact with the enemy and Commander Girard Ferris himself hadn't made any... it was mostly the other race that had seen the horrors they can inflict. Girard had heard that the aliens aboard had reddish skin and that they were certainly prettier than most aliens one would see in the movies. but just like the enemy, he'd never seen one of the ally race either. He had boarded the human side of the ship from earth, and while there were a few of the aliens on board, he was advised not to make contact with them yet, not until their royal family was rescued and they had more of a reason to trust him and his kind.

That's what this impending mission was: a ploy to rescue the ruling family of their planet from their currently besieged capital. Girard leaned forward in his seat a little as he took in the planet from the ship's position in space, mesmerized at the aesthetics of it. It looked nothing like earth, though apparently, the air was still breathable to humans, which was a relief. Fighting in a breather helmet was never fun.

Lost in his thoughts, Girard was suddenly brought out of said stupor by the sound of the door to the observation deck sliding open. He turned his head to see one of his lieutenants saluting him. "Commander Ferris, we were ordered to prepare for deployment." Girard nodded and stood, hoisting his laser rifle which he'd been holding over his shoulder before looking the lieutenant in the eyes intensely. "Then move, Lieutenant. I'll be right behind you. The men are on their way too, I assume?" "Yes sir." "Great." The commander clapped his second in command on the shoulder before the two men began briskly walking down to the human airlock. Everything on this ship was divided to keep both races from getting in each other's comfort zones too much, everything from personal quarters to airlocks, to small spacecraft hangars were duplicated for each of the two races, all except the commons of the ship, a large room with many tables that both races were allowed to congregate in. At the moment, however, the commons was relatively empty as tensions were high, especially for the non-humans aboard as they were worried about their leaders. The only other room both races shared was the meeting hall, built so that officials of both races could collaborate. It was expected that the royal family would participate in these collaborations once they were rescued.

It wasn't long before a voice sounded out on the intercom. "Spec Ops Unit B, prepare for ground deployment." Girard and his men were already poised at the ship's airlock, and once the ship had passed through the planet's atmosphere and they were close to the ground, it opened. The men jumped out in an oft-practiced motion, activating their jetpacks to safely hover down to the ground, weapons raised. There were enemies everywhere. Girard and his men had been dropped off near the home of the royal family, so they shot their way through to it and began looking around for any important-looking friendlies, taking out enemies left and right along the way.

The Velveteen Rabbit (Enjoy! :3)

It had been a peaceful morning.

The sun had risen over the horizon, its pink rays glinting off of the leaves shivering in the warm breeze. It was the calm before the storm.

Their ships appeared in the sky like a swarm of flies. Explosions went off left and right, annihilating forests, villages, and anything in it's path with a surging purple fire. Screams from women, children, and men echoed through the air. They dropped from their ships in hordes, snarling and snapping their jaws together like wild animals; drool dripping down hungrily. They attacked immediately, ripping through the lives of innocent Elassians and killing them without a second thought.

It was a blood bath.

Nima had awoken from her meditation at the sound of the first bomb detonating in the distance. Her sapphire eyes snapped up to the sky, fear instantly glazing over as black, monstrous ships loomed above her. She leaped from her position frantically and burst into a sprint towards her home surrounded by beautiful blossoming trees.

By the time she had appeared over the hill, sounds of battle cries and gunshots had reached her ears. At the sight of the first alien, Nima's hand settled on the sword sheathed at her side. She yanked it out and lunged forward, slicing through the alien in a swift movement. It screamed in agony, its skin immediately blistering from the edge of her blade which burned with an intense unknown energy.

It collapsed dead before her.

Her family was fighting off to the side, desperately trying to hold them off. But they were outnumbered, and they were losing. If this continued, their deaths would be inevitable.

A woman screamed to her right, and Nima whipped around just in time to see a fellow colleague get cut down right before her eyes. Anger boiled inside her and the princess sprung forward, killing the hostile as quickly as possible with one deadly swing. Unfortunately, the princess was only bringing more attention to herself, and several more aliens approached her, guns aimed and at the ready.

But she was a force to be reckoned with.

She fought them all off single-handedly, deflecting their bullets and cutting through as many of them as she could.

A bullet grazed her shoulder and she let out a hiss of pain, but she didn't stop.

Her father tried to call out to her in the distance, but the princess would not stop. This was her home, and she would do anything to protect it.

"NIMA! Stand down now or they will kill you! NOW!" (Speaking in an alien language) Her father yelled again, his voice frantic and stern.

Nima took a brief moment to pause her frenzied fighting, but one little moment was all it took for another alien to attempt to attack her, and suddenly she was pushed to the ground, a sword at her throat and an alien pinning her down, growling viciously.

She let out a grunt before gathering all of her strength to push it off. The moment it was shoved away, Nima leaped to her feet, and with a swift twirl on the back of her heel, her sword cut straight through its thick neck, a trail of white light following closely behind the blade. Its head bounced by her feet, rolling away with a terrified expression. Nima's eyes were dangerous and squinted; her heart racing.

A hard yank on her shoulder seemed to bring the princess back to her senses. Her father stood before her, blood speckling his silk attire.

"Listen to me. We must leave with the humans now or we are all going to die, do you understand? There is nothing we can do." He explained angrily, his hand still gripping her shoulder tightly.

Nima took in her surroundings for the first time, and she felt the swell of hot tears fill her gaze at the sight.

There was nothing but chaos all around them.

Blood and bodies littered the ground, villagers and warriors alike fought for their lives. The screams of those around her filled her ears. A pang of fear hit her and she shook her head in disbelief.

"But our people... we can't just leave them here to die." She whispered softly.

"Nima... I'm sorry."

Her father's grip loosened and he carefully began to guide her towards the humans waiting by the path leading into their home.

"We can't save them. It's too late. Your mother is waiting on the ship. We need to leave." He said to her, watching the princess take all of this in. She was silent, gripping the katana at her side. He finally looked towards the group of humans who had helped defeat the remaining hostiles, nodding.

"Let us depart. If we stay much longer, we won't survive." He said with a stern tone, now speaking their tongue. Nima would not look up at the humans. Her gaze drifted elsewhere, watching black ash fall around them silently.

The palace ground were a bloodbath, awash with feuding Elassians and Vorcha. The Elassians were losing, surrounding their royal family ad attempting to keep them safe, the Vorcha slaughtering them mercilessly, a flash of claws, teeth and weapon fire cutting swaths in the Elassians like a knife through butter.

Then, Spec Ops Squadron B arrived. A group of five heavily armed human soldiers, men that had fought many alien threats before, but the Vorcha were still something very new to them. Girard, leading the charge, had a fury in his eyes seeing the destruction that the merciless creatures were wreaking upon this beautiful planet, and its beautiful people. The Elassians and their civilization were so breathtaking, and it was all being destroyed before he could get to know the intriguing people, enjoy the sights of their planet. He was thrown into a focused rage, barking an order for his solider to give him covering fire before spraying a precise stream of assault rifle rounds into a group of Vorcha, hitting them all in the heads and/or chests and killing them instantly. This revealed a path to the royal family, in the middle of all this ruckus. Giving his men the order to move, Girard and his crew doubled down on the position of the king, waving them down for help. Girard's comms expert radioed a shuttle from the joint vessel to come pick them up, and Girard simultaneously ordered his men to surround and guard the royals with their lives. But there was a problem: apparently, the princess was missing.

Just as Girard was let know of this, he caught a lone woman fighting a short distance away, the king calling out to her. That had to be the princess, so Girard acted as fast as he could. He opened fire on the Vorcha surrounding her, giving her safe and precise covering fire. As he did so, one eye watched her movements as the other looked down his rifle's sight: her skill, her grace, her speed... it was breathtaking. As her father convinced her to come to him, Girard focused the entirety of his attention. Once she had finally reached her family, Girard couldn't help but look her over and be taken aback by her beauty, and the sadness that seemed to permeate her entire being due to her having to leave her people behind. His gaze softened, tears threatening to spill from his eyes but being held back by his desire not to let her or anyone see that he was sad. He had to be strong for the princess' sake, and the sake of all the Elassians that had died and will die on this war-torn, formerly beautiful planet..

Finally, the escape shuttle landed just as the royal family had been corralled into the safety of the squadron's formation. "This way, into the aircraft, quickly!" Girard called, him and his men giving more covering fire and sending a few more Vorcha to their deaths. Everyone hurriedly boarded the vessel, all four of Girard's men raining hell down upon the Vorcha as the piloted gunned it up into the skies, hitting the royal family with g froce they likely haven;t experienced, sending everyone back in their seats. The shuttle was tiny, and there wasn't enough room for Girard to sit with his troops. The only empty seat was next to the princess. "May I sit here, your highness?" Girard asked, his tone of voice one of respect mixed with sadness over the pain he had witnessed the princess go through.

The Velveteen Rabbit

Such a beautiful planet had turned into ash in just a matter of minutes.

In the distance, fires could be seen spewing from villages and forests, a thick stream of black smoke drifting through the sky. Gunshots and screams could still be heard as the last of the Elassians fought for their lives. As the royal family followed the humans back to their escape shuttle, Nima stepped over bodies strewn across the ground, blood painting the grass. She felt her shoulders briefly shake with emotion. A tear slipped down her cheek, dripping to her chin and falling. It unsettled her, knowing that she was leaving so many of her people behind to die. They were supposed to be their protectors, and instead... they were abandoning them here.

This moment would haunt her forever.

Nima's blue eyes looked up towards her father who walked a few paces ahead of her. She knew this was taking a toll on him as well. He was just better at not showing it.

Once they had boarded the shuttle, the princess took a seat next to her father, who began comforting her mother. She was sobbing softly into his shoulder, tears spilling down her face. The aircraft took off with a jolt of speed, causing Nima's head to be yanked back forcefully. Her gaze looked out from where they had entered, watching the ground and her beautiful home begin to fade into the distance as the shuttle took off further into the sky. The princess said her silent goodbyes, briefly closing her eyes and bowing her head. She felt tears well in her gaze again, but she held them back.

She needed to be strong.

When the princess reopened her eyes, a certain human caught her attention. He spoke to her softly, motioning towards the empty seat beside her. She met his gaze with her own. Nima realized this was the first time she had actually took the time to fully notice the humans. She recognized him as one of the soldiers that had helped her earlier.

Nima managed a small smile and nodded.

"Of course you may." She murmured in response to him, her voice soft and lovely, though equally as respectful at the same time.

The princess had not interacted with a human for some time. She was very young when she first met one for the first time. Even now, they still are more curious than ever. A few of the soldiers across from her were staring intently towards the alien woman before them, either mesmerized by her beauty or by her interesting appearance.

Nima couldn't tell which.

DergTheDergon

Girard managed a small smile back, before carefully taking his seat next to her, folding his arms in his lap. It was amazing to him that she was able to smile despite what was happening to her people, to her planet, even if the smile was forced. Looking across over to his men, Girard saw them gawking and narrowed his eyes. "Have some respect for the lady, men! You're acting like hormonal adolescents!" "Y-yes, sir," "Sorry sir," "won't do it again sir," Girard's men hastily apologized while prying their eyes away. Shaking his head and sighing, she then looked over to Nima, in the eyes and not scanning her boy like his men were openly doing before. "I apoligize for my squad's behavior, your highness. I'll keep 'em in line. Name's Girard by the way, pleased to meet you." He smiled back at her, then looked out the window for a while, giving the princess some likely needed time to collect herself.

The shuttle was well underway to getting back to the ship, but it would still be a good few minutes. Girard occupied his time at first by cleaning his gun, sending in a report of mission succsess on his comms, and simply looking out into the empty void of space, but something compelled him to talk to Nima some more. He turned towards her again, and spoke up softly. "If it's no trouble, your highness, I'd like a moment of your time. As your official escort for this mission, I and my men have been assigned to be more or less bodyguards for you and your family, since Elassian soldiers are sparse aboard the ship. If I'm going to be around you so often, I may as well get to know you, Princess Nima. I have heard that your family are trained warriors, and I saw you fighting out there. Quite impressive. Were you trained fro man early age?" He was clearly interested in her, though he would attempt to keep this short so as not to keep her talking too much about the place she had to leave behind.

The Velveteen Rabbit

As he took his seat next to her, Nima felt his shoulder brush gently against hers and a jolt of pain shot through her arm at an instant. She winced slightly, but not enough to the point where it was visibly obvious. Her mind briefly flashed back to the point in time where one of the hostile aliens had managed to get a shot at her, the bullet grazing her shoulder but not puncturing through the skin. The princess casted her gaze to the side for a short moment to inspect the wound, finding that the fabric on her shoulder had been torn through, revealing a bloody wound underneath.

Nima hoped the human sitting next to her hadn't noticed. He had enough to worry about at the moment. There was no point in stressing him further.

She kept quiet about it for now... until he somehow noticed beforehand.

The soldiers across from her muttered their apologies to him for staring so openly. She found it amusing, but couldn't find it in her heart to genuinely laugh at the moment. The pain she felt was still too raw.

The princess met his gaze once more. She shook her head in response, dismissing his words.

"It's no trouble at all, I assure you." Nima told him.

"My name is Nima, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She bowed her head slightly after the introduction, the smile no longer evident on her face. The princess appeared to be too exhausted to appear happy, so her expression became solemn and neutral.

Some silence passed between them, and Nima took the time to gaze out into the darkness of space around them. It was haunting, yet beautiful at the same time.

Nima turned back towards the human, no longer staring outside of the shuttle. She nodded slightly.

Humans were always so curious.

"Yes, all of my people are trained to fight from the moment they are of age to walk. It has been a tradition in our society for generations. Some are more impressive than others, but all of us know how to fight regardless." She explained softly. Her mother and father were listening in now, noticing the interest the human had in their daughter. They didn't speak, however, and eventually went back to sitting quietly with one another.

"Are humans the same way? Or is it only a select few who know how to fight?" The princess asked with a slight tilt of her head, genuinely curious now.

DergTheDergon

Girard wondered what the princess had looked to the side about, but didn't notice the wound himself just yet, still recollecting himself after the intense mission he just finished. Truth be told, Girard also had a nasty wound himself, on his leg, just below his knee, from one of the Vorchas' stray bullets. He had his left leg turned to the side in order to hide it from his men, so they didn't hound him about going to the infirmary. He'd go when he was good and ready. It seemed that he and the Elassian princess had a little morfe in common than he would think.

"And it is a pleasure you meet you as well, Princess Nima. Please, if my men do make you uncomfortable in the future, let me know." He shot a warning glance at his men on the other side of the room, before beginning to stare out the window once more.

"I see... very intruiging culture, and a good idea I say," Girard replied passionately to Nima's answer. He noticed her parents'gazes out of the corner of his eye, but paid it no mind, as he could understand them perhaps being aprehensive about a human male taking interest in their daughter. They seemed to look away after a while regardless, so Girard simply refocused all of his attention on the princess before him . "No, though sometimes I wish we did teach all our people to fight. Earth is becoming more and more violent and dangerous by the day, hell, it always has done. Usually, military famillies will send their children for combat training when they come of age to follow in the family tradition, and many people enlist to earn a living or learn to fight through other means. It's by no means the human norm." There was another short silence after Nima acknoledged his answer, and before another intruiging tidbit came to Girard's mind.

"Actually, now that I think about it," Girard said, looking Nima over a bit closer, "I've seen how you fight and considering how thin and delicate you look, it surprised me. I wonder if that's a Elassian physioligy thing. Normally, a human woman learning to fight with a Melee weapon would look a little more athletic than you. Interesting."

As he looked her over, he finally noticed the wound on her shoulder and her eyes widened. "Ouch, that looks bad," he said, pointing to the wound. "I'll have to show you to the infirmary after this, that'll need to be taken care of to ensure you're in good health."

One of Girard's men then suddenly spoke up. "With all due respect Sir, you don't have much room to lecture her about wounds. I see your leg." Girard's face went a little red, and his men laughed and giggled amongst each other. Girard had turned his body and exposed the wound on his leg in the process of getting a closer look at Nima. 'Honestly, you have a point, solider," Girard admitted. It was clear that he and his men were rather close; fighting together has a way of strengthening bonds.

It was not very much longer before the shuttle docked with the Human-Elassian flagship. Girard stood, and his men did as well. "Your highnesses, we've been tasked with escorting you three to the quarters we've secured for you for now. You are advised to stay here for the next few hours and rest as we distance ourselves from the planet, then tomorrow morning a meeting will be called that we would be honored if you attended. Before all that, though, we need to get you, Nima, to the infirmary to patch up that wound. It is best if we head there first." He met Nima's eyes with a serious look. It was clear that he considered her well-being a top priority. "Yeah, it'd also be best if you went in with her instead of trying to hide your wound from the nurses again," one of his men chimed in. Girard sighed. "I promise I will get treated myself and trust standing guard over our charges to you." His men now satisifed, Girard led the the Elassian royals and his men out of the shuttle, through the docking bay and finally towards the infirmary. The infirmary mostly had human personell, but a few Elassian medics as well for treatment of Elassian conditions unique to the species."Come on your highness, let's get that wound patched up," Girard told her in a gentle, caring tone.

While this was going on, one of Girard's men whispered in the ear of another. "Hey, you think the XO has a thing for the princess?" "Yeah, seems like it to me," the other whispered back. "He never acts this way around people we bodyguard usually." There was some truth to thier words, to be fair. Girard was enamored by Nima's beauty as well as deeply sympathetic for her plight and in awe of her combat skills. To say he wasn't in the least bit interested in her would be a very blatant lie.

The Velveteen Rabbit

Girard was perhaps the first human to take such an interest in her culture.

Well, Nima assumed there were many more who were curious, but never had a human interacted with her so openly about it before. Usually they stayed cautious or were too intimidated to speak to them, which she never understood. So far, she found humans to be quite nice, although she had a feeling that not all of them were as friendly as Girard was.

Nima listened intently as he spoke, tilting her head slightly out of curiosity and causing a strand of pure white hair to fall forward.

"How interesting. I assumed humans had a similar tradition to us where all are trained to be warriors no matter what. I had no idea Earth was so violent as well. I pictured it to be quite peaceful." She responded softly, obviously curious to know more. Her sapphire blue gaze looked down towards her hands clasped in her lap for a moment, chuckling quietly.

"Truth be told, I've always wanted to visit Earth. I've heard many stories about it, but it is usually forbidden for a princess or prince to travel outside of her homeland until she or he is of age," the princess admitted, glancing back towards him with a slight half smile on her face.

"So I never was able to visit unfortunately." She shrugged a bit.

Nima's attention was brought back towards Girard the instant he mentioned the way she fought. The princess seemed to be quite confused, though she did understand slightly. She barely had time to respond before he finally seemed to notice the open wound on her shoulder. Nima glanced down at it, pretending as it she'd forgotten it was there in the first place.

After all, she didn't want to stress her parents out anymore.

"O-Oh my, you're right. I must have forgotten about it." She laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. Nima heard her father stir beside her, chuckling after one of the human soldiers spoke up about Girard's wound as well.

"It seems you two have a lot in common. Nima does the same thing when she's injured." He commented, his wife laughing quietly beside him. Nima widened her eyes out of embarrassment and suddenly crossed her arms over her chest, letting out a small huff.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The princess responded a bit stubbornly while avoiding their gazes, her parents chuckling a bit at their daughter's sudden change in behavior.

Finally, it seemed the shuttle had arrived, docking itself onto the huge ship. The three royals rose from their positions the moment Girard and his men did, listening as he spoke about the important meeting that would happened the next day. Nima's father, Kozan, acknowledged Girard's words with a slight nod, his wife at his side.

"Thank you for all that you have done for us. Our people are in your debt," the king said with an appreciative look on his face. The three of them bowed politely before Girard as a sign of gratitude. Returning to a normal stance, Nima's mother, Zabvra, smiled warmly towards him.

"Please, take good care of our daughter while we rest. And Nima, make sure to get some rest as well, we could all use it." Her mother told her daughter, who nodded.

"Yes, mother." Nima said obediently.

The three of them quietly followed the soldiers out of the shuttle, all eyes immediately turning towards them as they were escorted. Nima and her parents eventually went their separate ways, the princess following Girard towards the infirmary. She made sure to admire the ship as she did so. Any Elassian who passed her seemed to bow instantly, saying something in her tongue and smiling. She returned the smile and the bow immediately, making sure to greet any Elassian she saw before finally stopping behind Girard in the infirmary.

Nima took a glance around, noticing that quite a few of the medics in the area seemed to be very busy, running around and tending to new patients. She wondered how long she'd have to wait until one of them could finally treat her.

"It seems rather busy around here. Is it usually like this?" The princess asked while turning towards Girard.

DergTheDergon

Girard listened to Nima's response attentively, looking her in the eyes. He tilted his head sideways for a moment as she said she had not been allowed to leave until she came of age. "Well... you've come of age now, right? Maybe after we wipe the Vorcha out, I'll show you around earth. You could certainly handle the unsavory types around there, believe me. It is a rather beautiful planet, but it used to have more natural beauty, like your homeworld, which we will save by the way. Just you watch. Now, Earth's mostly covered with well-kempt metropolises. Still pretty, but, it isn't the same."

Girard had a feeling that she was acting when she said that she hadn't noticed her wound, but it wasn't like he had any room to speak about that. He blushed a bit and chuckled at Kozan's comment. it was honestly nice to hear that he had something in common with her, even if it was a rather negative thing. He laughed a little more freely at her response to said fatherly quip. Girard smiled at her and said, "yes, we really are quite alike it seems." His eyes lingered over her for a moment, before he regained his composure. At Kozan and Zabvra's heartfelt words to him, he bowed back and smiled. "Of course, your highness. Just doing my job, really. I will take very good care of her, don't worry. That's part of my job as well." He chuckled, before leading the royal family to the infirmary.

Once there, it was just him and Nima, and his soldiers had all walked away, escorting the king and queen to their room. Girard could have sworn one of his men turned and winked at him before he caught up with the others, but he didn't know what that was about. Girard sighed, looking at the slew of busy nurses. He turned to Nima as she spoke, and shook his head at her question. "No, but many of our people were injured down there... and it looks like the other squads were able to rescue some more of your people, but just in time." Tilting his head in thought for a second, Girard then nodded to himself. "Hmm... that wound doesn't look too bad... I'll patch it up. You need that treated as soon as possible," he said as he deftly took his backpack from his back, laying it down on the ground. "Sit down over there, please," he said as he pointed towards a nearby bench.

As she sat, Girard pulled out his first aid kit. He knelt down in front of her, smiling. "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit. Just stay still." He then began to gently treat her wound, first carefully wiping the blood away. Then, he carefully applied a bluish gel that, once applied, began to regenerate the torn skin on the spot, slowly but noticeably. "This is medi-gel, if you haven't heard of it. Pretty much every human owns some nowadays. You can probably see why." The gel would tingle and generally feel strange to her, but it didn't sting, and it even dulled her pain. "That wound'll close up in a couple hours or so. It'll be like it was never there," he said as he carefully applied a bandage. "You can peel that off then, but leave it on for now. Don't want the wound being exposed to this mixed-species air. There's some science that suggests that Elassians are more susceptible to a few Human viruses. Can't be too careful." He stood up as he smiled at her, but let out a cry of pain, wincing and kneeling back down on reflex, catching himself from falling with his hands.. "Ah!" He'd been so focused on tending to Nima's wound that he'd forgotten about his leg.

An Elassian nurse, the only nurse available at the moment as she'd just finished tending to one of her people, rushed over to Girard. "Let's treat that leg, sir." Girard nodded. "F-follow me, Nima," he said through his pain, "I gotta keep watch over you." The nurse sat him down and immidiately went to work on his leg, while speaking to him. "You're the one that rescued our leaders, yes? Thank you so much." "Oh, my men did most of the work," he said humbly. The nurse looked over at Nima for a moment. "We are all very glad you are safe, your highness." She said in Elassian, smiling kindly, and looked over Nima's patched-up wound for a moment, nodding approvingly. She looked back to Girard's wound and said, "perhaps you should volunteer at the infirmary some time. With the number of injured humans, your skills could be invaluable, as I see you've patched that wound quite nicely." "I'd certainly love to help, when I'm not busy with other matters." "Yes, of course."


Girard looked over to Nima. "Your highness, forgive my forwardness, but would you like to try some human cuisine before you head to your family's quarters? You must be starving... and I certainly am." His stomach growled as if to confirm his words, and Girard blushed.

The Velveteen Rabbit

The princess did as he instructed and carefully sat down on one of the medical chairs.

Nima looked a little surprised when Girard began to patch up her wound. She hadn't realized that human soldiers would have medical training as well as knowing how to fight. The princess found herself staring at him intriguingly, watching him with her stunning blue eyes as he continued to work. When he pulled out the blue gel and gently began to apply it, her eyes widened slightly, watching the skin slowly begin to rejuvenate itself. She had never seen such a thing before.

"That's amazing. I've never seen anything like it." Nima murmured, her eyes slightly sparkling with delight. The gel caused her skin to tingle just a bit, but it wasn't painful in the least.

Once he applied the bandage, Nima smiled warmly towards him, gratitude evident on her face.

"Thank you for helping me, Girard." The human name felt strange on her tongue, and she gazed up at him as she said it. She wondered why he was taking care of her so much...

The princess' eyes widened the moment Girard let out a cry of pain, practically falling to his knees. She looked very worried.

"A-Are you okay?" She asked quickly, her hand on his shoulder. A look of relief instantly crossed her face as an Elassian nurse began to approach them. Nima followed after them, watching as Girard was tended to in front of her. She respected the way he treated those around him, especially her people. Girard seemed to be a very kind person, and honestly he intrigued her in a strange way, although she couldn't figure out why.

The Elassian princess was immediately snapped from her thoughts once the nurse began to speak to her. Nima bowed her head warmly towards the nurse and smiled.

"Thank you, we are glad all of you are safe as well." She said in her native tongue, the smile never leaving her face.

After the nurse had left, Nima turned towards Girard, tilting her head.

"I had no idea human soldiers had medical training as well. That's very impressive. I'm glad you're okay." She murmured softly with a slight smile. The moment he mentioned food, the princess had finally realized how hungry she was. Nima nodded gratefully and laughed.

"I would love to. I'm a bit hungry myself. I've never tried human cuisine before. What is it like?"

DergTheDergon

Grinning at Nima's bewildered reaction to the medi-gel, he continued tending to her as gently and carefully as he could. "Yeah, it's pretty amazing stuff.... there's a lot of really cool technlogical advances my people have made that I'm excited to show you."

When he was done treating her wound, he smiled kindly. "You are very welcome, Nima." The Elassian name felt strange to him but rolled off the tongue nicely. It seemed to fit the woman before him perfectly. He looked into her eyes with a deep kindness. He hada fleeting thought in this moment: 'I'm falling for her... god, I only met her a few hours ago... but she's so... amazing...'

Girard's thoughts were interrupted by his body's reminder that he had a wound on his leg. Nima's concerned words caused Girard to force a smile and look her in the eyes. "I'll be okay Nima, don't worry" he managed to say, softly, her hand upon his shoulder almost seeming to dull the pain for a moment as he find himself focusing on the warmth and feeling of her hand. Her concern only served to endear her further to him.

The nurse simply smiled from ear to ear and nodded at Nima's response to her, choosing to focus on her task now. She soon bowed respectfully to both her leige Nima and Girard, and rushed off to check how another Elassian she'd just patched up a near-fatal wound on was faring.

Girard's chest warmed a little as Nima told him she was glad he's okay. "Thank you, Nima. Yeah, all spec ops are taught field first aid, and I have a bit more training than that. Comes with being the commander."

Girard smiled and stood up slowly as Nima agreed to his little proposal. He had just essentially asked her out on a date, and she accepted, which made him happy. He felt that there was no need to explain human courtship practices to her right now, as this was just friends going out to lunch, nothing more. But if things progressed, which Girard honestly doubted greatly would happen, he'd have to sit her down and explain most lkely. But, he highly doubted he'd have to worry about that.

"Well... it features a lot of meat, vegetables, bread, that sort of thing. It's rather hard to explain, I'm no chef honestly. I'll just let you taste whatever takes your fancy and have you see for yourself." Girard then led her to the cafeteria, by now bustling with hungry members of both onboard races unwinding after that intense battle. He led her to the human side, a few humans staring at the Elassian as she walked by, whispering amongst themselves. "Hey, show some respect! She's royalty." Girard snapped at conversing soldiers who straighteneed up. 'Yes, commander! Sorry commander!" Apoligize to her, not me," Girard quipped back, sahking his head as he looked over the menu. Clearly, respect was one of the things he valued the highest.

Laid out before them was every popular food from all the most prominent cultures, including America, China, japan, England, Mexico, and many more. There was a large spread of various serving dishes, free for anyonme to grab a plate and take from. "I'll let you pick, Nima. Anything that looks or smells particularly good to you." Girard began taking a nice juicy steak and some vegetables for himself, needing the protein and nutrients. As good as the pizzaand fried stuff looked, after a battle one needed to eat healthy or they wouldn't recover as well. His health was also a rather high priority of his. He patiently waited for Nima to pick out what she wanted, curious. "Anything here resemble your people's own food?" He asked curiously, filling up his plate and politely standing by while Nima chose her dinner.

The Velveteen Rabbit

After Girard's wound had been successfully tended to, the two set out towards the cafeteria to get something to eat. The smell of food hit her in a wave as soon as she entered the dining hall, and the princess inhaled deeply, breathing in the new and delicious scents. It seemed many humans and Elassians were already here enjoying their meals, and she was happy to see that her people were beginning to fit in among the others. It seemed all eyes turned to her as she followed Girard past the dining tables and towards the food. The Elassians seemed elated to see her, and a few even called out to her in greeting. She waved to them and smiled happily.

The humans, however, were observing quietly. Men and women both whispered to each other, their eyes scanning the alien princess walking by.

"Is that the princess?" She heard one human whisper to another, catching her attention.

"Wow, she really is beautiful."

Girard must have heard their whispering too, because he snapped at them angrily and they jolted with surprise. Nima stifled a laugh and tried to tear her attention elsewhere, glancing over at Girard with an arched eyebrow.

"You seem awfully protective over me, commander." The princess teased with a playful smile on her face. She giggled quietly before approaching the food selection, admiring it with shimmering blue eyes.

"Wow. Human cuisine looks wonderful." She gasped, feeling her stomach begin to growl at the sight of it. The princess grabbed her own plate and carefully began to fill it with fruits that fancied her, along with a bowl of soup and some bread. She looked towards Girard while she did this, hearing him ask about Elassian cuisine.

"Well, we do have fruits and meat on our planet, but they're very different. We get most of our meat from a creature called Yumai, which we use as farm animals usually. They resemble cows, but they're much larger and have armored hides," she explained to him. She held an apple in her hand, admiring it.

"The fruit is different as well. The most popular fruit on my planet is called a Pitaya. It's very sweet and has a lovely taste. It's eaten in almost every meal. However in the time of Kilar, or spring as humans call it, it's actually very dangerous to harvest because the plant it comes from becomes violent. A few Elassians have actually been eaten by it before. So it's usually harvested in the summer because the sun makes the plant lazy." She laughed softly and turned towards him.

"All of this probably sounds so foreign to you. I wish I could have brought some with me before we were attacked." Nima chuckled, however her eyes looked sad, and she looked down for a moment. She shook her head and looked back up at him, smiling again.

"Shall we find somewhere to sit?" She asked, looking around the room for a table.

DergTheDergon

Girard blushed a deep red as the princess giggled and then teased him to boot, rubbing the back of his head. "Just doing my job, your highness," he said nervously and humbly. It was pretty clear it was something more than that, though, and he knew deep down that he was making it obvious.

Girard smiled warmly as he looked her wonderfully happy face over, her eye's like a child's as she saw so much delicious-looking food for the first time. It somehow made her look even more beautiful. Girard chuckled at her enthusiasm, it being quite refreshing indeed. As she excitedly grabbed one food item after another from the food-packed counter, Girard named them to her.

He then listened closely and excitedly as Nima spoke about her homeland's cuisine. He wondered how both Yumai and Pitara tasted, and he felt his mouth watering a bit as he thought about the interesting alien foods. Though, the Pitara especially sounded rather dangerous. "It must be very delicious then, if people try to pick it during spring at all," he observed. His gaze saddened in unison with hers as he put his hand upon her shoulder for a moment. Losing her planet like that must have been so utterly traumatic that Girard could not imagine how it felt whatsoever.

He nodded at her question, then jerked his head to the side to point her towards an empty table near the window, staring out into the voi.d the pair sat down, and Girard looking into Nima's eyes. "Enjoy the food... and remember, we will save your planet someday, and then, you can show me all you want about it." Smiling with hope in his eyes, he then began to chow down like he meant it, enjoying the food greatly, while also ensuring he was polite about it. He also found himself looking over to Nima rather often, curious as to how she liked his people's food. "How is it?" He asked after a while.

Once the pair were finished eating, Girard spoke up. "Well, Nima, it's getting rather late. I'll show you to your room, then I should be heading to my own quarters. I could show you a little more of the ship as well. What would you like to see?" Tomorrow, Nima would have to be in talks with the leaders all day, so this was her chance to see whatever she wanted of the ship. It was also Girard's chance to spend a little more time with her before they both would have to fight in the coming battles with the Vorcha.

Right now, the ship was on course to another nearby planet, formerly uninhabited but recently showing signs of Vorcha habitation. That's what would be discussed tomorrow. Girard exaplained all of this to her as best he could as they walked through the ship, giving her a tour of whatever she wanted to see before he stopped by her room. "I will see you in the morning, your highness," Girard said with a smile, bowing respectfully towards her.

Once she was safely inside, Girard headed back to his quarters, set about his nightly routine, then hopped into bed without any detours. He fell asleep quickly, and found himself dreaming of Nima. Dreams of fighting alongside her, sharing more moments together... he ha never dreamed of a woman like this before, which felt very odd to him.

The next morning, Girard reported straight to the meeting room to stand guard over the royal family again, smiling at Nima when he saw her.

The Velveteen Rabbit

Once they had found an empty table, Nima sat down across from Girard, placing her trey of food in front of her. She smiled warmly, her expression lighting up after he spoke of saving her planet so passionately. He was such an interesting human, and she had to admit his presence gave her a glimmer of hope. The princess had never felt that feeling around someone before.

"You give me hope, Girard. Thank you." Nima murmured, the smile never leaving her face. She began eating shortly after, finding that she loved all of it equally.

"Everything tastes amazing!" The princess exclaimed while taking a bite out of an apple, looking very pleased with her dinner. She felt the need to stop by the buffet again and try more human cuisine, but it appeared to be getting quite late. Nima would have to save it for another time.

She nodded excitedly and smiled at his offer.

"I would love to see more of the ship, if you don't mind."

As the princess began her tour with the commander, humans and elassians alike watched them curiously and rumors seemed to spread like wildfire. It wouldn't be long before the whole ship assumed what was going on between them.

After Girard had explained the meeting and was done giving her a tour, they finally stopped by her room. She stopped in front of the door leading into her quarters and turned towards the commander. Nima smiled towards him, her pale eyes sparkling slightly.

"Thank you for all that you've done for me today. I really do appreciate it." She told him with a gentle warmth in her voice. Just before she entered her room, Nima glanced behind her and smiled once more.

"Goodnight, Girard." She whispered, the door sliding shut and concealing her figure.

The princess made her way further inside her quarters, finding herself gazing out the window overlooking the dark void of space. Stars twinkled in the distance. Nima's thoughts drifted towards Girard and what they had experienced together so far. The thought of him caused the white shape in the middle of her forehead to begin to glow, and suddenly the princess felt an overwhelming feeling of warmth. It surprised her. She had never experienced a feeling like that before.

Eventually, Nima climbed into bed and fell into a deep sleep, awaking the next morning feeling refreshed and ready for the day. She walked towards the meeting room and entered, noticing her father and mother conversing with each other. Her gaze drifted towards a familiar figure standing nearby, and her eyes settled on Girard, returning his smile with her own. Her mother caught the exchange between them, looking a bit curious.

Kozan saw his daughter walk in and waved her over, the royal family beginning to talk among themselves before the meeting officially began.

DergTheDergon

Girard greatly enjoyed the time he spent with Nima that evening. Everything from her heartfelt thanks for his determination to save her people, to how excited she was to simply eat human food, to the way she marveled at the ship afterward endeared her greatly to Girard, as if further endearment was even needed. Girard noticed that he was getting stares from both his own species and other Elassians, for good reason he admitted. Seeing the princess of one race and a high-ranking military officer of the other having such a good time together was sure to raise some eyebrows and turn a few heads. Girard was quite worried that a few of them, or perhaps many fo them, did not approve of the possibility of himself and Nima growing close. Pushing these thoughts aside, Girard simply enjoyed his time with the intriguing Elassian woman. He felt that he was seeing sides of her that most did not see, parts of her repressed because she likely felt she had to act regal and mature among others. Around Girard, however, she almost seemed comfortable.

"Goodnight, Nima," Girard replied happily just before Nima's door shut. He found himself standing there in front of her chambers, simply smiling and remembering particularly happy memories of the night for quite a few moments before he shook his head and continued on with getting back to his own chambers for the night.

The next morning, when Nima came in, Girard smiled a little wider when he saw Jasmine smile back at him. Her smile was nearly breathtaking, and he realized after a few moments that he was staring for that short time. He averted his gaze with the slightest blush, and he swore that one of his men, standing beside him, sent him a bit of a glare. As soon as he looked towards the perpetrator, he had looked away, but... Girard knew that Clyde, the man who he'd felt staring him down from behind, was a bit of a xenophobe. He probably thought it disgusting that Girard was clearly eyeing up an alien in a sexually interested way. Girard hoped that Nima nor her parent's had seen the man's glare, and of course that they didn't think ill of him for the stare themselves . Girard took a deep breath, as the meetiing was about to begin. All he had to do was stand guard and not stare at Nima... was that so hard?

Yes. It was excruciatingly difficult not to steal glances at the princess during the meeting, and despite himself he snuck quite a few. And many of those times, he felt Clyde (and more of his men, sometimes) staring at him. He also swore that a few of the Elassians in the room were taking his glances as offensive. He hoped that her parents didn't frown upon his behavior, or Nima herself of course.

The meeting went a bit like everyone expected it to: the heads of the human military and the Elassian king and queen discussed strategies, intel on the Vorcha, places to fight back, planets to save, and the like. At several points, Nima was asked by the officials to provide input on a certain issue. They clearly respected her just as much as her parents. To his great surprise, Girard was also asked about squad formations, points of entry on certain planets, and the like. The meeting lasted most of the day, with several breaks in between, as the two factions slowly pieced together their joint plan. Most of the meeting went over Girard's head, because he was so distracted by Nima.

After it was finally over that evening, Girard and his guard approached the royal family. "Shall we escort you back, your highnesses? Or would any of you like to go anywhere else? To the mess hall to grab a bite, perhaps?" Clyde, the soldier that had been staring daggers at his Girard for most of the meeting, scoffed. "Seriously? You're even asking her out?" Girard turned around and looked confusedly at his comrade. "I wasn't speaking directly to-" "Yeah yeah, you were asking all three of them just so it was more subtle that you're hitting on her. On a fucking alien. I'm going back to my quarters. Start thinking with your head instead of your dick and then we'll talk." With that, Clyde walked right off. Girard stared after him, his expression a mix of utter disbelief and anger as he clenched his fists. he didn't say anything however, knowing that he'd just keep walking and that calling after him would just make an unnecessary scene.

Girard sighed and turned back towards the royal family, now short one guard. "I apoligize profusely for my comrade's behavior... and my own." Clyde had made Girard hyper-aware that he was coming onto Nima without realizing, so he found himself not meeting her eyes at all out of embarrassment. "Let us go," Girard said, putting on a stoic face and beginning to lead them through the ship. They passed the cafeteria and he spoke up again. "If either of you want to try some more human food you are welcome to. I'll... just stand guard." Truthfully, he was hungry, but being seen with Nima again would likely only escalate the prejudice humans and Elassians alike were starting to feel towards the pair.

The Velveteen Rabbit

Eventually, the meeting had finally began.

While her mother and father spoke to the humans leaders sitting around the table, speaking of future plans and ideas, the Elassian princess couldn't help but steal a few glances at the commander standing nearby now and then. Nima couldn't quite explain why, but she held a certain fondness for him that she'd never experienced before. Girard had grown increasingly important to her the more time they spent together. The princess had a feeling both her race and his were beginning to notice their closeness, but in all honesty, the princess didn't really care. It wasn't unheard of for two different races to be together.

An Elassian royal and a human however... that was a different story. She couldn't help but worry about how her parents might feel about it.

At one point, in the midst of Nima stealing a glance towards Girard during the meeting, their eyes happened to meet at the same time, and the princess suddenly felt a strange warmth, the same feeling she had felt the night before. The white shape in the middle of her forehead began to glow subtly. When Nima noticed her reflection in the window behind Girard, she instantly became flustered and slapped a hand over her forehead, immediately averting her gaze and trying her best to hide what was going on. Her eyes widened out of embarrassment. Both her parents and the other human leaders saw the princess' sudden movement out of the corner of their eyes and slowly ended their conversation to bring attention to the princess. Her mother already had an idea of what was going on, but this just confirmed it.

"Princess Nima? Is everything alright?" One of the humans asked her, looking a bit concerned. Nima suddenly laughed sheepishly and nodded her head, lowering her hand from her forehead. She was relieved to find that it was no longer glowing.

"Yes, thank you. Excuse my intrusion." The princess laughed again, trying to hide how flustered she really was.

"Please, go on."

The meeting continued on for an hour or so before it finally came to a close. Nima and her parents rose from their seats when Girard and his men approached. One of them in particular seemed to be glaring at the commander, obviously upset about something. When he lashed out at him in front of the royals, Nima could only stand there confused, not quite understanding why the soldier was so angry at Girard. She looked over to the commander to see his reaction, but when he avoided her gaze, it only confused her more.

"It's quite alright, commander. I think we'd like to stop by the dining hall, if that's okay. I think we're all hungry after that long meeting." Kozan told him with a slight smile, trying to forget what he had just witnessed.

They all began to follow him towards the cafeteria after that little incident, the angry soldier still nowhere to be seen. Nima couldn't help but notice that Girard was acting a little funny. Instead of joining them, he offered to stand guard, looking a bit standoffish. She wondered if it was what his comrade had said earlier that was bothering him.

Nima slowed her pace behind her parents as they headed towards the buffet, looking behind her at the commander and beginning to approach him with a look of concern. She stopped in front of him, frowning worriedly.

"Is everything alright, Girard? You look a bit upset." The princess murmured quietly, tilting her head to the side.

DergTheDergon

It was clear to Nima that Girard had been acting strange, but his words just confirmed it. She blinked rapidly and felt another warm sensation, and almost immediately, the shape in the middle of her forehead began to glow subtly once again.

"You're fond of me?" The princess repeated his words softly, her eyes widening. She suddenly grew flustered after realizing her forehead was glowing, and she slapped a hand over it in an instant, averting her gaze from his quickly. The princess seemed utterly embarrassed, and even though she tried to hide it, it was still completely obvious. Nima glanced back towards him, laughing quietly with a sheepish look on her face.

"I...I'm sorry. I'm not used to this." She admitted with a small sigh, lowering her hand back to her side. The princess smiled warmly, clasping her hands behind her back before taking a small step towards the commander, no longer flustered.

"I understand your concern, but in all honesty, it would be best if you just ignored them. It's none of their business anyways. If it makes you feel any better, I don't really care how people view us." She told him, inching a little bit closer, a smile still on her face. Her hand suddenly outstretched in front of him, offering it for him to take.

"Please come eat with me, Girard. I would hate to see you standing here by yourself."

She suddenly giggled playfully.

"Besides, I could hear your stomach growling earlier so I know you're hungry."

DergTheDergon

Girard's eyes widened as he saw the symbol upon her forehead begin to glow once more. He blushed as she repeated his words, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Yes," he confessed softly. As she slapped a hand upon her forehead, he smiled at her calmingly as if to say it was alright. He had to admit, her embarrassment was a little cute to him.

"It's alright... I'm not used to it either..." he confessed. These sympathetic words seemed to calm her a little, as she gained composure and neared closer to him, finding a warmth spreading through his chest. Her words caused him great anxiety at first, but he met her eyes and slowly began to take her words to heart. She was right. Even if growing closer to her distanced many of the others from them, what could they do? They knew that both races had to remain cooperative. Besides, some might see An Elassian Princess and a Human Commander falling in love to be a sign that the races could pull through this bleak-looking war together. They'd only met a day ago, however, so Girard couldn't say for sure how close the two would come.

His heart beat a little faster as Nima stepped closer, holding her hand out for him. She looked so strikingly beautiful up-close like this. The gesture combined with her heartfelt words caused him to smile and take her hand gently. "Alright, let's eat." He led her to the counter like a gentleman, the two remaining guards giving him incredulous looks. "With all due respect sir," one of them said, "Your behavior might disrupt the peace between our peoples." Girard sighed, locking eyes with the man for a moment. "I promise that if anyone above my rank tells me directly that I should not be interacting with her in this way, I will have to obey. However, part of our job, if you remember, is to make them feel comfortable and welcome here. She looks rather comfortable, doesn't she?" He said no more, and neither did the now rather disgruntled soldier, continuing to stand guard with his comrade and refusing to eat with the Elassians. "I apologize for the behavior of my men, your highness," Girard quietly told Nima as the pair picked out their food. "Hopefully, we'll have a nice, uninterrupted dinner."

Sitting down with her, plate full of some Asian cuisine this time, including orange chicken, hot and sour soup, fried rice and the like, he began to dig in. Between Nima likely greatly enjoying her food, he talked to her quietly. The first question he asked was, "If it's not too embarrassing to talk about, what does it mean when that symbol on your temple glows? I'm just curious." He had a feeling what it meant, as the symbol seemed to glow most when they met eyes, exchanged heartfelt words and the like, but he wanted to confirm it.

A few minutes later, he took a deep breath as he found his eyes wandering over to Nima's parents. He had to ask. "Nima... what do you think your parents would think if we... became very close?"

The Velveteen Rabbit

The Elassian princess smiled happily after Girard finally seemed to understand what she was trying to say. The warmth and gentleness of his hand calmed her immensely, and Nima felt her heart quicken in pace. She nodded when he suggested they go and eat, softly giving his hand a squeeze before following him towards the food waiting for them. She could feel the eyes of those around them watching, including her parents, who had found a table and were eating with a few others. The princess didn't seem to mind though, looking over at Girard and flashing him a reassuring smile. She let go of his hand once they began choosing their meals.

When one of Girard's comrades spoke up, Nima glanced towards the soldier, listening carefully to the exchange between the two men. She felt a warmth in her heart as Girard told him off, and the soldier seemed to quiet down. Nima couldn't help but enjoy how protective the commander was over her. She smiled towards him, her eyes glowing tenderly.

"It's okay, Girard. There's no need to apologize." She murmured to him, standing a bit closer to him than usual. They found a table to sit at shortly after, though instead of sitting across from him, the princess chose to sit right beside him. Nima had grabbed a mixture of food for dinner that night, including Mexican, some Asian cuisine, and Hawaiian. As she ate, she found that she enjoyed everything, especially the thing called a "burrito".

The princess giggled quietly at his question, looking slightly sheepish.

"Well, from what I've been told, the symbol only glows when you feel strongly for someone, or if you're experiencing an extreme state of bliss. It also glows when one meditates or enters a relaxed state of mind. It's very odd. My parents haven't told me much about it to be honest." She explained with a shrug. Her sapphire-colored gaze looked over to her parents just as Girard did, noticing they were talking quietly among themselves. Her father didn't look too happy.

"My parents are kind people, so I believe they won't be too bothered by it. I don't think my mother would mind, but my father... I guess you can say he likes to follow tradition. He isn't too strict about it, but he likes to keep things well maintained. I can't guarantee what his reaction would be." Nima spoke softly, glancing away from her parents and looking down at her empty plate. She looked a little hopeful for a moment, facing the commander beside her with a smile.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm sure it'll be fine, okay?" The princess tilted her head to the side, a strand of pure white hair falling front of her eyes.

As much as she'd like to be closer to him, Nima wanted to respect his space. However the longer he was near her, the more she desired his touch and affection. She had never felt so greedy before. The princess hoped this wouldn't end up becoming a problem. The last thing she wanted was for Girard to push her away or distance himself. A frown appeared on her face after a brief moment, and she glanced down to the side.

"Girard?" She asked quietly. Nima flicked her pale gaze back to his, a serious expression on her face.

"Do you think you'll ever end up hating me at some point?"

Once the words left her mouth, the princess just realized how ridiculous her question sounded. She grew flustered in a matter of seconds, her eyes glancing from side to side as she shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"I-I mean..." She stammered softly, looking utterly embarrassed.

Oh no. What's gotten into me? I'm acting so impulsively. Love is such a strange emotion. It makes you say and do strange things...

Girard's chest warmed once more as the princess reassured him that it was alright. Her proximity to him was quite distracting, but he somehow managed to pick out his dinner and sit down across from her regardless. He smiled at her tenderly between bites as he watched her eat, the act so adorable to watch that he barely ate himself. "Ah, burritos are one of my favorites," he mused while seeng she was particularly enjoying devouring her Mexican food.

Girard met her eyes with a genuinely very interested gaze as he listened to her explanation, his heart beating a little faster as she mentioned the first cause of the symbol glowing. "I see... so you feel strongly about me.." he smiled at her. "I'm quite curious, so I might ask other Elassians about it, maybe the Elassian nurse if she ends up patching me up again. I assume she'd know a great deal about your people's physiology."

As she explained that her father liked to follow tradition, he nodded in understanding, looking a little downtrodden at that, but having expected it nonetheless. It was relieving to hear that her mother would be fine with it though. Her next words causing him to smile, the hopeful look in her eyes contagious. "Alright, I believe you," he said, smiling a little more at her cute tilted-head expression.

When she suddenly looked down with a frown, he was moments away from asking what was wrong before she asked a question that startled him, his eyes widening. he was shocked that she would think such a thing would ever happen.

Her stammering and embarrassed reaction snapped him out of his stupor, and he met her eyes. "Nima..." he began softly, his gaze soft and sympathetic, the world seeming to fade and blur around them as he focused on consoling her, on communicating just how unwarranted her fear of him hating her was. "I've felt only positive emotions towards you every second I've interacted with you so far. Also... I've never been so fond of anyone else a day after I met them. Needless to say... I think the last thing you have to worry about is me hating you... or anything short of adoring you, I dare to say." He smiled at her, and found himself leaning closer to her in the heat of the moment. He nearly surprised himself with his next actions, but it just felt right.

He gently put both his arms around her and whispered in her ear. "Please... don't think for one more moment that I'd ever hate you, Nima." He didn't know what possessed him to do this, but he did have an idea. It had to be love, that thing that had alluded him all of his life. No woman he had known in the past made him feel like Nima did, a day after meeting her. He just held her for a few moments, oblivious to the stares the pair was getting from humans and Elassians alike.

His men sighed and rolled their eyes, not believing their commander was acting this way, and towards an alien to boot. Girard had coldly shot down the advances of other women, then all the sudden he was all over this princess in public. It was like she was taking their commander and turning him into a different man, a softer man... a man that was losing their respect. But they knew that he was still thier comanding officer and they couldn't really do anything. But if his relations with Nima caused him to be distracted in battle, they felt that they would have to try and do something.

Girard reluctantly seperated from her after a few moments of closeness, smiling at her. "Don't worry, okay? I have only fondness for you and I don't see anything ever being able to change that. Enjoy your food, Nima." Thinking the conversation over, he continued eating after a few moments, watching her forehead every now adn then to see if it was glowing. If it was, he felt that he had done a good job of comforting her.

Girard found himself glancing over at thier parents after the hug, to try and guage if they had seen what he had just done, and what they thought about it. He had a feeling that one of them, likely her father, may have something to say about it, and mentally prepared himslf for that eventuality.

Soon, the pair was finished eating. "How was dinner, Nima?" He asked, smiling at her surely very positive answer. "Let's gather up your folks and get you back to your quarters. It's getting rather late, and we're going to need as much rest as possible before landing on the next planet." His gaze was serious, showing that he clearly cared very much that she take good care of herself before having to throw herself into the fire. Being so skilled with a blade, Nima herself was slated to take part in the battle on the frontlines, Girard and his men fighting with her. They were slated to arrive on the planet tomorrow. "Do you want to meet me on the recreation deck tomorrow? We'll be landing later that night, and I think having a bit of fun before hand with good company might do us some good." The recreation deck had dance clubs, simulation booths with all sorts of experiences in store, and a plethora of other entertainment from both human and Elassian culture to provide ways to destress between operations. Once he received her answer, Girard gathered up Nima nd her parents and began to lead them to thier chambers, walking a little closer than he was before, not longer afraid. His men were silent and clearly annoy, but they saluted the royals as they went into thier chambers all the same. Girard smiled warmly at Nima as she was about to enter her room. "See you tomorrow?" He asked, eager to spend some time having fun with her tomorrow before the danger and stress that would follow.

The Velveteen Rabbit

The princess looked up and met his eyes with her own, feeling the hot wave of tears starting to well up almost instantly after seeing his warm smile, threatening to fall. But they weren't sad tears. No, if anything, they were tears of joy. She had been longing for someone to look at her in that way for such a long time, to talk to her in that caring tone of his. It felt like it was just the two of them, sitting in their own little world together. The symbol on her forehead began to glow just as it had done before, but something was different. It was brighter than usual.

Was she really this afraid of losing him? They had known each other for such a short span of time, and yet they were already this important to one another.

Nima's eyes widened the very moment Girard leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. It felt so comforting... so warm. She remained frozen there for a moment, but she eventually snapped out of it, the princess' arms wrapping around him and pulling him closer. Nima buried her face into his shoulder, tears falling from her eyes and soaking into his shirt.

"Thank you... Girard. You don't know how happy you make me." She whispered softly into his ear, smiling. The princess didn't care how many people were staring, all that mattered to her in this moment was Girard and enjoying this moment with him. She wished they could have stayed like that forever.

When the two finally pulled away, the princess gazed towards him and smiled, her face still stained with tears.

"Okay... I won't worry." She murmured, laughing softly.

The two continued eating after that, eventually finishing up their meals. Nima knew her parents had seen what had happened. She expected that her father would most likely point it out to her at some point, however she had no idea when that would be. The princess just hoped he wasn't upset with her... or Girard especially. The last thing she wanted was to create tension between her father and Girard.

After they'd put their treys away, Nima sighed happily and smiled towards the commander.

"It was delicious. I really like those burritos." She responded with a giggle.

Her expression became serious the moment Girard's did. They would be visiting a Vorcha invaded planet the next day, and they definitely needed the strength and the rest to prepare for it. He mentioned the 'recreation deck', which she hadn't visited before. Nima nodded excitedly and smiled.

"I'd love to! That sounds like a lot of fun." She told him, following after the commander as they led the royals to their chambers. Once her parents were settled in their room, they headed towards Nima's quarters, stopping in front of the doors. She turned towards Girard and smiled lovingly.

"Of course you'll see me tomorrow." She giggled playfully, beginning to turn her back towards him. Nima gazed at him with a soft look in her eyes.

"Goodnight, Girard..." Nima whispered, flashing him one last smile before she fully turned towards the door and took a few steps inside of her room. But than she stopped in the middle of her tracks, hearing the sliding door automatically close behind her and the sound of Girard's footsteps beginning to walk away.

Nima didn't know what came over her.

As Girard made his way down the hallway, he would hear the sound of Nima's door opening once more, and than the soft pitter patter of footsteps approaching him quickly from behind. Her hand outstretched and gently latched onto his wrist, stopping him in his place.

"Girard..." Nima spoke from behind him, her voice small and child-like. She glanced rapidly back and forth between him and the floor, unable to fully meet his gaze, her hand still grasping his wrist gently. She almost looked like she had just been caught and was in trouble for it.

"I don't want you to leave yet." She admitted softly to him. Nima glanced back towards him to see his reaction, beginning to laugh sheepishly.

"...I-I'm getting kind of greedy, aren't I?"

DergTheDergon

Girard smiled at her warmly as she said she'd love to visit the recreation deck with him. "It's decided then. I can't wait to show you what humans do for fun... and I'd like to see what Elassians do as well, of course." As he walked her back, his heart warmed remembering the many touching moments they shared overthat dinner table. At this moment, he truly didn't care what others thought of him and Nima. If they thought the two were going to fall in love so be it, as that seemed to be where they were heading anyway.... and fast.

As Girard and Nima arrived her chambers, Girard had half a mind to ask if he could come inside for a little while, before realizing how forward that would probably sound and thinking better of it. He didn't want to give Nima or her parents the wrong idea. His heart warmed as she confirmed that the pair would indeed be seeing each other the next day. This was enough for him, and so the pair said their goodbyes and he walked away with his heart soaring, wishing desperately that it was tomorrow already so he could see her again.

But, unbeknownst to him, Nima was even more eager to see him than he was to see her, to a degree that greatly surprised him as he heard her door open and her footsteps quickly advancing towards him. He began to turn towards her, but she had already grabbed his wrist once he had a good view of her face. He blinked confusedly at her, and listened to her words intently. He found his heart beating faster as she confessed that she didn't want him to leave. His eyes widened, and he blushed a little, unable to find words for a few moments, Nima breaking the silence. He found himself shaking his head at her words, before surprising himself by gently putting his hand underneath her chin and lifting her head up in order for him to meet eyes with her. He could hardly believe his words as he spoke, but they just felt so natural coming out of his mouth.

"Honestly, no I don't think you are... if only because you're reading my mind. I... don't really want to leave either. I kind of want to take a look at your chambers.... maybe we can relax and chat for a while, before I have to go. Come." It almost felt surreal as he began to lead her back to her room, hand in hand. He was a little nervous, if only because if someone saw them disappearing into Nima's room, they'd assume things that might be quite scandalous. He also found himself wondering if something would happen, perhaps a kiss, but told himself he must be dreaming. Nonetheless, he stepped into her room with her, the door closing behind him. He only got a little more nervous. "Y'know... I guess I'm being greedy now..." he said, rubbing the back of his head as he looked around her room.

The Velveteen Rabbit

Nima couldn't tell if what she had just done was right or wrong, but judging by the look on Girard's face, he didn't seem displeased by her actions. Not at all. If anything, she noticed his face was beginning to turn slightly red in color. A brief look of concern crossed over her expression, and the princess opened her mouth, preparing to ask if he felt okay or was getting sick.

But those words never left her mouth.

As soon as Girard placed his hand gently underneath her chin, all she could do was gaze into his eyes. She'd completely forgotten what she was going to ask him at that point. Hearing him say that he didn't want to leave yet as well made Nima smile happily, her hand outstretching and gently caressing the side of his face. She had that soft look in her eyes again.

"You should have told me that sooner instead of making me run out here to get you." Nima teased with a playful smile. She lowered her hand the moment he lowered his.The princess followed after him closely, their hands entwined together as Girard led her inside her quarters. The sliding door automatically shut behind them, a small light flickering on in Nima's room.

Little did the two of them know that a certain pair of eyes had been observing them during that interaction.

Even though she wanted to keep holding it, Nima let go of his hand to walk further inside of her room, turning towards him curiously.

"Greedy? How so?" She asked softly, walking towards a button beside her window. Pressing it lightly with her fingertip, the metal plates acting as window shutters began to fold away into the wall, revealing the dark void of space. Stars twinkled in the distance, hundreds and thousands of them. Even though she'd seen the sight many times, it always seemed to amaze her how beautiful space could be.

"Ever since I was young, I've always enjoyed looking up at the night sky and watching the stars. I used to think they were little blinking eyes watching over me. But being up here for real... it never fails to amaze me how beautiful they are. They're so far away, yet they shine so brightly." Nima whispered, her soft voice full of nostalgia and awe as she watched the bright lights in the distance twinkle, the stars reflecting in her gaze. She was silent for a few moments longer before suddenly snapping out of her daze, smiling sheepishly and motioning towards the white couch sitting near the window.

"I-I'm sorry, I seem to be rambling. Here, have a seat." She smiled and took a seat beside Girard once he sat down. Even though they weren't necessarily touching directly, Nima could still feel the warmth radiating from his skin. She wanted to just curl up next to him and enjoy his company, but she felt hesitant. Was doing something like that too bold?

Maybe it'd be better if I let it happen naturally. Who knows, maybe he'd be too uncomfortable if I did something like that...

"Have you ever fallen in love with someone before, Girard?" Nima glanced towards him and smiled, genuinely curious to hear his answer.

DergTheDergon

Girard met her eyes just as fondly as she looked into his, then laughed softly at Nima's little quip as the two walked back to her room together, shaking his head. "Maybe I should've, yeah..." he admitted.He was all smiles, his heart beating faster than before as the door shut behind them, despite his nervousness.

"W-well," he nervously began as Nima asked him how he was the one being greedy. "W-well.... you simply said you didn't want me to go back there in the hallway and I invited myself into your quarters..." he explained sheepishly. Girard's mind was then promptly taken away from his embarrassment as Nima revealed the vast emptiness of space that could be seen from her window. Staring off into space, literally, had always been calming to him and served to calm his nerves a little in this quiet moment with a woman he had grown so fond of in such a short time.

He listened to her speech about stars with a smile on his face the whole time, her passion and nostalgia for those little white specs of light contagious.

He shook his head, his smile still plastered upon his face, as Nima apologized for rambling. "No need to be sorry," he replied softly and reassuringly as he gladly sat down next to her. Girard also felt quite tempted to scoot closer to her and hold her like he had done during the pair's meal together, but felt as though it simply was not the right moment for such a thing.

Nima's question left him blushing, and made it difficult to meet her eyes, although he somehow brought himself to do so before he opened his mouth to speak. "Honestly? No... a few women I dated wanted a long-term relationship and one even wanted to marry me, but I just... never loved any of them. I felt like something was wrong with me..." his expression was filled with the guilt of quite a few broken hearts throughout his lifetime. "But..." he began, fighting with himself mentally about whether or not to continue. In the end, he couldn't resist. "I think... I've finally fallen in love..." he met Nima's eyes passionately, wordlessly letting her know he meant that he'd fallen for her. He found himself finally scooting right next to her on the couch and draping an arm around her, waiting for her reaction nervously.

He met her eyes after a few moments, smiling and beaming down at her with a loving gaze. Then... something took hold of him. He began to lean in ever so slowly, tilting his head and closing his eyes. He simply felt that he needed to kiss her.

The Velveteen Rabbit