Savran looked to their datapad to review the message they’d sent.
“` These are the coordinates to my ship. Celipa will be coming along. Good pilot and navigator. Good company, as well.
Pack light. ”`
A gentle sigh escaped the shani’s lips as they leaned against the smooth acrylic counters of their ship’s kitchen. They didn’t look to Celipa but they did address her. “Today is either going to go very well or very poorly,” they said. “Just a heads up, Sagitta has been through a lot recently. If she seems abrasive today, try not to hold it against her.”
Celipa was in the midst of cutting up some sort of space vegetable to add to the bowl of what was to become a salad when Savi spoke up. She hummed to acknowledge their words, taking a quick moment to lift the cutting board up and deposit the sliced veggie into its new home amongst the other vegetables and dressings.
“Sagitta…” Celipa thought for a moment. “I think you’ve mentioned her before.” She started to put some stuff away and finished preparing the last part of the group’s lunch for later on. “Isn’t she the one who got hurt?”
Sagitta was tired.
Really krifin’ tired. How the kriff can she sleep in a hospital anyways?
Who the kriff can sleep in a hospital?
She had dark bags under her eyes. The lack of sleep and constant waking up from the nurses daily. She just wanted to go home on the Voidbreaker and get some sleep. It’s all she wanted.
But no.
She made some kriffin’ stupid promise. Speaking of that bloody promise, her tired pink hues glanced over to the message.
‘Pack light.’
“Yea. With what-” snarled Sagitta. She stopped her movements and paused for a moment. This… wasn’t like her to be angry. Okay. Deep breaths. One. Two.
Ah. Kriff. She couldn’t go home yet because she had a feeling she would broke the promise to Savi. Would just be easier to rip off the band-aid and go on this stupid kyber crystal hunting for her new lightsaber.
Freshly showered from her hospital room, she wore the pants and hoodie that Savi was able to get for her and it actually fit a bit nicely. How did she-
Then a memory flashed. Oh. That’ll do it.
☀️ Okay. Fine. I’ll be there in 15.
She didn’t like the idea of a company. Or doing this even. Made sure she had everything, she was finally leaving this kriffin’ hospital.
At the coordinates, Sagitta waited.
Savran nodded. “Yeah, on our last mission together,” they said, maintaining a casual tone despite the tinge of pity they felt in the pit of their stomach. “Her lightsaber was destroyed in the battle, so I offered to take her to find a new kyber crystal.”
To Celipa, the comment likely came as a surprise. Savi, although clearly a Force-wielder, had never expressed any interest in kyber crystals or lightsabers, for that matter. That they claimed to know where to find them suggested they had more familiarity with the fabled weapons than they ever made evident.
Without missing a beat, Savi announced Sagitta’s arrival after sensing her presence in the Force. “She’s here,” they said before stepping through the kitchen’s doorless arch and toward the ship’s landing ramp. Once there, they pressed a button to deploy said ramp, letting the light of the Selenian sun in to illuminate the ship’s interior.
“Glad you made it,” Savi announced, gesturing for her to come aboard after the ramp was fully deployed.
Celipa had been in situations like this before with the shani. They would say something unexpected or interesting, something that would immediately grab the zelosian’s curiosity and never elaborate further. Savran was a mystery to Celipa that she would never solve, and it killed her inside. Before Celipa could offer a question that would surely be ignored, Savi declared that their visitor had arrived. She frowned as she put her query into the filing cabinet in her mind dedicated to the enigma that was Savran Has.
Instead of following Savi to the ship’s ramp, she used what little time she had left to do one last inspection of the ship’s more frequented areas, ensuring everything was in its proper place and that she hadn’t left any cleaning supplies anywhere. The ship’s condition was her responsibility, and a clean ship was the first step to a positive first impression. At least it was to her.
The ramp lowered down to the ground. Her tired pink hues glanced over to Savi when she spoke and waited for her. Sagitta gave a small tired smile.
“I don’t break promises. Can’t really back out, hmm?” She sighed as she entered into the ship. She placed the bag out of the way and off to the side for now. This was a bad idea. She should’ve told Savi to kriff off and-
Her eyelids closed for a moment. She inhaled deeply and let out a slow and long exhale.
Savran led the way into the ship and, upon hearing how Sagitta reacted, turned around to stop her in her tracks. “As much as I believe in keeping my word after I say I’ll do something, I think an exception can be made in your case,” Savi said coolly, “If you don’t want to be here, I’m not going to hold you hostage.”
Sagitta exhaled sharply. “I don’t want to be here but I do want to get this over with. Look. It’s fine. I’m just tired. Who the kriff can sleep at a hospital that long anyways with-”
She stopped. This wasnt like her to complain or whine like this. She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired. I’ll be fine. Thank you, it means a lot that we’re doing this.”
Celipa, now sure that the ship was presentable, walked through the ship towards both Savi and Sagitta. Before she arrived, she hesitated. Savi had said that their guest would be in a lousy mood, and from the sounds of it, she definitely was. She stopped and began to brainstorm just out of view.
A smile appeared on Savran’s face when Sagitta finally acquiesced. “Good,” they said, turning on their heels and gesturing for her to follow. “Now, come along. There’s someone you need to meet.”
Continuing into the ship, Savi briefly scanned its interior with the Force to find Celipa. When they realized that the zelosian youth was far closer than they expected them to be, they rounded the corner to catch her standing there, listening to them. Savi narrowed their eyes at her for a moment as if to convey their displeasure with Celipa’s eavesdropping, though the mischievous grin that appeared on the shani’s face immediately afterward convey their coltish intentions.
They stepped aside and turned to face Sagitta again and lifted a hand in a welcoming gesture. “Welcome to my ship,” they said lackadaisically. “And meet my pilot, mechanic, and occasional cook, Celipa. Celipa, meet Sagitta. She’s a work friend, I suppose you could call her.”
Sagitta paused for a moment. She wasn’t in the mood to socialize but Savi did give her heads up earlier. Despite everything, she was going do all she can to be friendly.
“Hi Celipa! I’m Sagitta, it’s really nice to meet you!” She smiled, for Savi, it wasn’t her usual bright one that she always gave. It was a real smile but with fatigue behind it. Her pink hues glanced around for a moment, “Kerissa isn’t here?”
The zelosian took a good look at Sagitta, assessing them as soon as they were within view. A spark of pity came and went as she noticed the bags under the mirialan’s eyes. Her usual happy-go-lucky and mildly cocky smile faded away when the stab victim mentioned the only friend of Savi’s Celipa had met. “Kerissa isn’t here right now,” the plant lady said with a defeated tone.
She shook her head and silently laughed at herself while pushing the intrusive thoughts away. Celipa cocked out her hip and put a hand on it. “The pleasure is mine,” the mechanic said, donning her smile once again. However, it seemed a bit forced. “If you’re tired, I’ve made sure to clean up the bedrooms and the couch, and if you’re hungry, I can whip you something up.”
Savran shook their head. “No, Kerissa isn’t here. Figured it’d be better for her to lay low for a bit,” they said, shrugging their shoulders. “She can join on the next one.”
They noticed the deflated tone with which Celipa spoke when she mentioned Kerissa but they said nothing of it.
Sagitta noticed the slight change of tone and wasn’t sure what just happened.
“No, thank you.” She doesn’t feel hungry. And yes, she was tired but she always had problem sleeping in places that wasn’t her home. Or her room rather.
“I sleep better when I’m … at a familiar place.”
“Well… at least let me show you to somewhere comfy to sit, yeah?” Celipa wanted, no, she needed to make a good impression here. The last thing she needed was to be on the bad side of one of Savi’s friends. “And if you’re thirsty, I can get you some tea. Or whiskey. Whatever it is you drink.” She chuckled softly at her own lil quip.
“Understandable,” Savi said tersely in response to Sagitta’s comment. As sensible as it was, it was a hang up that she would eventually have to get over if she was to continue in her line of work. What would when given a mission that forced her to be away from home for days, weeks at a time? Not sleep? But now wasn’t the time for such discussions. They had far more important things to intend to.
“Tea would be nice, Celipa, thank you.”
She didn’t give her time to answer. Maybe that would help calm Sagitta’s nerves a bit. “In the meantime, I’ll begin prepping the ship for departure.” Savi looked to Sagitta and gestured toward the kitchen before heading toward the ship’s controls.
“Prepping…?” Celipa mumbled as she watched Savi walk away from the pair. She looked to Sagitta and then back to the corner Savi had just turned in mild confusion. “Less work for me I guess” she shrugged her shoulders
“Well I’m gonna go get started on tea it seems.” She said to Sagitta “Come on, I’ll let you pick what kind you want. Unless you just want boiled water in a cup.” Celipa smirked
Sagitta headed to the kitchen as she sat down and watched Savi leave. Her eyebrow rose towards Celipa. Didn’t Savi mentioned that Celipa was her pilot and mechanic? Well. This was none of her business. Whatever was going on between them was their busi- She shoved that thought away. This wasn’t like her. She cared for others and she did not want to lose that sight.
“Are you alright?” Sagitta genuinely asked towards Celipa, her brows slightly furrowed in concern.