Midday. Savi was due to arrive soon. Was everything clean? Set out straight? It all was- kriff the apartment was tiny. Kerissa rubbed her face and sat on the couch. They’d be here soon, she couldn’t spend the whole time now tuttering around and stressing herself out. A few seconds ticked by.
“Kark.”
The Kessurian-mix rose, fixing the cushion beneath her and then continuing her circle of the apartment, tail twitching with agitation in her wake.
Savi had arrived a few minutes ago, yet they still lingered just outside the door to Kerissa’s apartment. Brief glimpses of Kerissa’s nerves echoed through the Force, exacerbating the burgeoning feeling of awkwardness that had taken root within their core. It had been far too long since they’d seen each other and even though it had been Savi’s decision to cut contact for nearly all of that time, they couldn’t help but wonder if they’d made a mistake in doing so. Reconciliations weren’t their strong suit.
“You’ve been through far worse than an awkward conversation, Savran,” they reassured themselves with a sigh.
Then, the clasped the door handle and let themselves in.
Kerissa quickly shifted to lean against the couch. A totally natural pose.
Completely.
Natural.
Despite the awkwardness her body spoke, Kerissa’s smile was genuine though as her gaze landed on Savran.
“You remembered the way then?”
Savi broke eye contact while lifting a hand to brush a stray head feather back into its proper place–an equally awkward display of the tension that hung in the air.
“Of course. Been here enough times to know the route.”
Surely it hadn’t been that long since she last visited. Had it?
“Thanks for letting me come over, Ker.”
“Hey anytime.” Kerissa answered on instinct, waving a hand and offering a smile despite the tension.
The tension was still there though and she’d had enough, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Savi.
They both needed it really.
Muscles tensed when Kerissa pulled Savran into her arms. It was an unexpected embrace, but one that they nonetheless melted into soon enough. Wrapping their arms around the taller woman’s midsection, Savi hugged her closer and just … stood there. A protracted inhale and a sharp, sigh of an exhale followed, expelling with it any discomfort that had nagged at the Shani’s mind and body.
“I’m sorry for ghosting you like that. Still not used to having people around … having people who care. I process difficult experiences like that better when I’m working.”
In truth, they hadn’t really processed it at all, at least not in a way that most would consider as qualifying. They’d mostly just … continued on with what they had always done, taking more dangerous missions as some sort of way of proving to themselves that they weren’t as vulnerable–as weak–as that moment made them feel.
“Out of all the things I expected to kill me, I did not expect it to be some kind of poison,” they mused allowed, a rare moment of vulnerability that carried a thread of scorn in their tone. “It’s kind of ironic, in a way.”
Kerissa held on, a pang of pain rolling through her at those words. The way they spoke. It was new and not the good kind but then it made sense. Savi was a force to be reckoned with, but the Shani had finally faced something they couldn’t beat.
“Hard to stab, bite or otherwise beat up something like that, yeah.” Kerissa noted, her voice but pulling away afterwards. Her brow was drawn together, watching their face carefully as she spoke again, “I’m glad you’re still here.”
“I’m sure there’s a way,” they joked, finding some amusement in the absurdity of someone managing to pull that off. But then Savi saw the emotion painted on Kerissa’s face–the frustration, the concern, the relief. It made them feel … wanted, meaningful in a way they had denied themselves from feeling for so long. But Savi also recognized the inherent danger in that.
They straightened up while clearing their throat and turned with a gentle shrug of the shoulders. “Wasn’t my time, I guess,” they replied, eager to change the subject. “What’s been up with you, anyway? You’re giving off weird vibes.”
Kerissa stepped back, toward the kitchen where the wine was. Itd give then something to do other than awkwardly stand in thr doorway-
Savi asked their question and she was.. dreading it. Kark, had she been that obvious about it? Panic swelled but was quickly shoved back down.
“I.. got some news.” She started, fumbling for the right words and going quiet in the following moments of trying to collect what ones wouldn’t be.. pitiful. Or something else.
Savi followed, folding their arms across their chest while stepping into the kitchen. If Kerissa turned to face them, she’d see the same intense look that Savi often wore with an added detail: a great deal of concern reflected in their eyes.
“What kind of news, Ker?” They fetched to wine glasses from the cupboard and placed them on the table.
Kerissa got the bottles of wine and placed them on the counter, seeing the expression as she looked to where Savi had placed the glasses.
Oh boy.
“Uh.. Well. In short?” Kerissa swallowed hard, before finally thinking kark it. Savi wasn’t going to want softly given news. “My family knows I’m in Dajorra. I don’t think they know my exact location yet but.. Well. An.. old friend showed up to tell me. He, well I don’t remember him at all but he knows me and he.. he came a long way to try and tell me. So I have to protect Rue now too, and I can’t find anything in detail.”
Savi’s lips tightened. A meticulously manicured nail, painted as black as pitch to match the tattoos that adorned their face and slender fingers, tapped the countertop.
“That … is terrible news, Kerissa,” they noted, shifting their gaze to the bottles of wine. That she’d elected to grab more than one bottle was a prescient decision if there ever was one.
“What are we going to do? And are you certain this Rue didn’t tip your family off to where you are? How do you know he wasn’t followed?”
“He only knows because he overheard them talking.” Kerissa said sharply, because simmering off, frowning. “He.. was an experiment. He would have had to escape to get out. If he was followed… Well I don’t karking know but he’s travelling with a Wookie who knows a lot better than he does.”
She sighed, filling the glasses up and recapping the bottle.
“I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to run away this time but it… kark.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “I don’t know.”
Surprise flashed across Savi’s face upon hearing the tone Kerissa took when addressing this old friend of hers. That kind of involuntary response suggested that he meant a lot to her.
“…Then don’t run. We’ll just hunt the bastards ourselves and make sure they can’t victimize you or anyone else.”
Savi lifted the wine glass to their lips and took a long swig. “We should air on the side of caution and assume they followed him. Do you have a way of contacting this Rue and his wookie escort?”
“You’re already hunting them. Thats.. our best bet still. Really.” Kerissa pointed out bleakly. “I can contact Hunyi, his friend. She doesn’t type well, only one arm and all but it’s good enough. He.. I.” She stopped, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. “I’m not sure they’d have had to follow him Savi. You remember when we went out, met Sagitta? Well, people were recording. I was worried then, if they’d find it. Though with both, you’d think they’d know I’m on Selen exact. Maybe they do.” She sighed, shaking her head. “I won’t run. I’m just.. there’s more to lose than my freedom.”
“I’m hunting Scimitar. Before, if they ended up dead in the process, so be it. But I wouldn’t necessarily be investing resources into finding and ending them,” they corrected, “But if they’re going to be coming after you, then they’re going to quickly learn what every enemy of mine has: that I don’t ever miss a mark.”
Kerissa tilted her head, accepting the point and shifting to lean her back against the counter.
“They will be. I.. they’re powerful in the Force Savi. I wouldn’t.. you shouldn’t go against them alone. They can kark with your mind, I wasn’t sure for a long time but since Rue showed up I.. If they catch you off guard you might not even know why you’re there anymore.” She sipped the wine again, not meeting Savi’s gaze anymore. It was hard to talk about it still, as if the wounds were still weeping.
They were powerful in the Force and so were they. But Savi knew a good point when they heard one. It was going to take more than just them to ensure Kerissa’s safety. Luckily, they had a few favors they could call in to help with the undertaking.
“I won’t. Promise. But if any of them think they’re just going to show up and take you away, they’re in for a rude karking awakening,” they said before pursing their lips against the glass’ brim to have another sip. A mischievous grin followed shortly afterward. “Been a while since I got to eat some heads.”
Kerissa feigned a gag, shaking her head and taking a sip from her glass. Still troubled but Savi’s confidence was infectious and she.. wasn’t a child anymore. Hadn’t been for a long time.
“They uhm… I’d suspected it for a while but Rue, he…” She exhaled. It felt awkward to just dump this but she had no one else to tell that she felt comfortable telling. Zuji and Kordath were good people but they had a life of their own. She didn’t want to burden them with kist that could bring trouble to their door. “They messed with my memories. When I was a kid. Rue remembers me being tiny and I can’t recall his face before I found him here on Selen. Just a song he was humming, that’s all that was left. I didn’t even know anything was missing, not for sure.”
She swirled the wine, staring down into it.
“I know you’ll be careful, but.. well. That’s the extent of that and its severe. It’s easier to face a threat you know in depth.”
A look caught somewhere between anger and pity crept onto Savi’s features when Kerissa explained what’d happened to her.
“I’m so sorry that they did that to you. Surely, there’s a way you can get those memories back … right?”
“I don’t know.” Kerissa spoke, shaking her head. “Maybe but it’d require someone with a lot of experience going through memories in the first place and I don’t know anyone like that that isn’t them.”
She sighed, sipping the wine again soon after. “I’m not sure if I’d even want them back, honestly. I have a feeling I know what some of it will be, from talking to Rue and… Well. They started training with lightning young and you need things to practise on. He avoids the topic, whenever it starts to come up but, well.” The Kessurian trailed off.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. It.. wasn’t an immediate issue and with what happened to you the last thing I wanted to do was to dump this kark on you. I still don’t but I’m not going to lie.”
“You’re right,” concurred Savi while running a hand through their feathered hair. “I don’t know of anyone who has such skills, anyway.”
And they they were sure that many of those memories would be unpleasant ones. They knew firsthand how difficult it could be when traumatic memories were trudged up before one was ready to deal with them.
“You don’t need to apologize, Kerissa. But I want you to know that we’re going to figure this out. Together.”
Kerissa smiled slightly, nodding.
“That’s.. yeah. It’s weird, hvaing someone to figure it out with but it’s a good weird.”
She raised her glass to Savi, “To kist being karked up?”
Savi chuckled and raised their glass to gently klink against Kerissa’s. “I can toast to that.”
They raised the glass to their lips and drank it all in one go and placed it on the table once they were finished.
“Now, then. Let’s actually enjoy ourselves. Like we used to before everything got so kriffed up.”
Leaning back against the counter, the fiery-skinned Shani waited until their gaze met to give Kerissa a wink.
Kerissa laughed, shaking her head but pushing off of the counter. She still held her own glass but closed the space between them.
“That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard in months.”