"...I know far more than I suspect you'll ever want to, much to my detriment."

"Mm. Well, I made it through, that's the important part. That thing Forceblind people say about living well being the best revenge isn't totally wrong."

"Doesn't stop me from wishing I could drag the people responsible out of the Force's merciful embrace to stab to death again, but...I'm glad you have that."

"Mm." She snuggles up closer and begins to recite.

"We have traveled through the darkness,
   She and I, for many days;
Till we wondered at the sunshine,
   When at length we felt its rays.

Chill and lonely was the pathway,
   Only lighted by the snow,
With the cutting east wind only
   To declare how we should go.

On our right, the frozen river,
   Where the drowned lay asleep;
On our left, the rocky mountain,
   So precipitously steep;

All around the gloomy shadows
   Of the failures gone before;
While the leafless branches whispered,
   We should do no less, no more.

We should falter and should stumble,
   And should fail to reach the end;
And should die in the beginning—
   Die together, O my friend!

Die together?—'twas a jewel
   Which they threw us, for a stone:
Come what might, we could remember
   That we should not be alone;

So, with hands entwined the closer,
   We pressed on against the blast;
And we bided for the daylight,
   And the daylight came at last.

First, the darkness grew to blackness,
   And we shivered in the cold;
And we trembled, lest our fingers
   Should not keep their faithful hold;

Then a strange grey veil fell on us,—
   Was it darkness? was it light?
And we questioned each, "What is it?
   Coming day, or coming night?"

Then upon the far horizon
   Came the faintest tint of gold;
Then the cloud became a glory,
   And the mystery was told;

Richer, deeper, grew the radiance,
   Till our eyes could hold no more.
We had traveled to the eastward,
   And our journeying was o'er.

Now the light is round about us,
   And the sun to guide our feet;
And along the mountain pathway
   Shine the flowers, pale and sweet;

And we pluck us each a blossom
   To remind us as we go,
How we went, we two together,
   Through the darkness and the snow;

And, whate'er may be the friendships
   We may gain in after years,
None can come between the compact
   Which has been annealed by tears.

That's our poem, from then."

[source]

She carefully dabs a tear from her own eyes.

"It's good to be around someone who can understand. I hadn't been holding out much hope for that." Cheek-kiss.

...apparently Falleen do blush, if Pradnakt has never had the opportunity to notice before now.

Once she's gotten her involuntary responses back under control, she murmurs her reply - "Likewise.  I had...not been holding out much hope that anyone else given power in this Empire would still choose to be kind, still choose to care.  ...And as much as I love my people, it's different when it's not your power they have.  To see kindness arise independently in even this hell..."

She pauses.

"...In other words, thank you.  Because I was desperately hoping I wasn't alone in this too."

She rests her forehead on Kalbetis' again and gives her another squeeze. "You're not. And you're not going to be - it's important to me that I could leave, after Pritruth, but I'm not planning to."

"...It's important to me that you not feel pressured to stay either, so...that should hopefully work out, then.  But...I'm glad you don't want to go."

"I know a good thing when I see one." Nosekiss.

Aww, thank you.  Hug.  Once her brain has rebooted.  A fierce and terrible Darth, defeated by kisses.

"...Goodness.  I don't want to find out if Elcie's meticulously-assembled social library includes, ah, shovel talks, and the way we're carrying on - and the way I'm inclined to let it - suggest we might."

Pradnakt giggles. "You can assure her I'll be careful with you."

Oh no, the giggles are contagious.

"I think I would spontaneously implode," if she tried to have that particular conversation!

Pradnakt holds her while she giggles, waiting until she's done.

"I should probably say more about that, actually, I don't want any miscommunications - I'm about as interested in women as men but not very interested in either, I've never really understood what all the fuss is about. Which isn't to say I mind, but - it seems like you might want to hold out for more enthusiasm than that. Even if I'm not actually that inclined to."

"I'm given to understand that the general appeal of it is that it feels nice and something something biological imperative.  That said, really, the kisses are what has unmade me, more than the prospect of inserting tab A into slot B, as was.  I wouldn't mind if whatever this might be just stuck to what you have a desire to do, so long as nothing precluded my sating the biological imperatives elsewhere should I feel the need."

"Plenty of things feel nice and people don't get weird about them. Anyway," cheekkiss, "it sounds like we're agreed that this is just fine."

"More than just fine, if I might say so."

"You really have been suffering for being alone, huh."

"...More than I knew."

"It's easy to underestimate, yeah. Here, roll over," she backs up, keeping a hand on Kalbetis' arm, "I want to rub your back."

Mhm, she can do that.  "Mm...Sounds nice.  There's always this tense spot that's just too annoying to get to."

"Yeah, I can see it." Firm kneading and a gentle touch with the pain blocking technique have it sorted out in short order, and then she begins making her way through the rest of the tension in Kalbetis' back.

Oooh...  That's really nice.

"...Would it help if I wasn't wearing my robes?"

"A little. Whichever way you're more comfortable, really."

"Mm.  Let me get them off, then."

She does, however, intend to retain her underclothes.