open the pandorica

tough here, but unlikely to be any tougher than the empire had been. the rigid perfectionism that was required was not a cut that many people could make –– many of the rebels here likely would not have made it. the warmth, the friendliness… it was almost abstract. good, but abstract. “i’m used to tough. i’m sure you were too.” shoulders lift and fall in a shrug, downplaying the oddity of it all.

“as well as anyone can be.” not a liar, but not one to talk about how she actually felt. “i didn’t realize that people were going to be…” well, there was really only one word for it. “nice.”

Vyna couldn’t help the huff of a laugh that came in response, it was too natural a response. It was true, especially after years spent as an imperial, the downright friendliness of the rebels could be startling, and could take an awfully long time to get used to.

“I’ll let you in on something, something that took me years to truly figure out,” they offered quieter, not particularly wanting to be overheard by any passersby. “It’s real. I don’t know about you, but when I first joined- let’s just say I was skeptical to say the least... but these people, they just- they care.”

as his disposition tips upwards and a sense of teasing washes over her, hers moves opposite and head tips backwards slightly. she’s observing him up and down, searching for the places that he might have a weapon hidden though she has never known the empire to be shy about the firepower they utilize. she has never heard an imperial officer with a tone close to amusement, always stoic and reserved.   “ no better than the scum under your boot, ”   she responds to his question, not at all giving the answer he desired. she had so many names, she wondered which one he knew or if he knew any at all.   “ why are you here? ”

A scoff, not quite as derisive as it ought to be, was all the response he gave, shaking his head at the question. “You seem to think I’m just going to give away all my information with nothing in return,” his smile was somewhat colder now, amusement melding with something more dangerous, a readiness that had been instilled within him over years of training. “A name, I’m sure even the scum under my boot must go by something.”

Merrin’s lips curled upwards into a sinister grin, cold, deadly, a silent reminder of just who the nightsisters truly were. She met the woman’s gaze with ease, slipping into who she had once been without a seconds thought. Energy, fire, the force it all melded together into a bright green flame in her hands as she tilted her head towards the other, curious to see whether or not she had been joking.

“Are you not afraid I will kill you?”

they had suspected that the words might have toyed at an emotional place, a smirk cracking away at the corner of their lips. it didn’t matter that aiya knew nothing about the nightsister in front of her –– that would not stop her from looking for buttons to push, ways to irritate. that was the one and only way that they interacted with those outside the knights that they weren’t actively trying to kill. socializing hadn’t exactly been an important skill for them to learn. “they have survived worse than the empire. worse than any republic. is the empire even that bad? perhaps not.”

She knew her knowledge on the empire was too small, and perhaps too tinted from those she had once travelled with. She knew that this was a chance to truly learn and discover, to give into the curiosities that filled her. And she knew that getting into fights without the backup she once had on Dathomir was a bad idea. Yet her jaw clenched in response, her restraint beginning to wear thin.

“Does it matter who the good guys are? The war spreads and causes chaos further than any battle will reach. Poverty, weapons, people looking for somewhere to hide... these things will come as a result, no? What then?”

beru   chuckled,   glad   to   see   a   friendly   face.   “that’s   a   fair   observation,”   she   said,   her   smile   warmly   amused,   though   still   tired.   “oh,   stars,   i   think   i’m   finishing   off   hour   ten,   maybe   eleven   ?   there   was   a   firefight   in   a   nearby   sector,   it   has   been   …   a   long   day.”   she   was   adaptable,   hardworking,   never   one   to   give   up   once   the   going   got   tough,   but   being   a   rebellion   medic   was   a   whole   new   kind   of   work.   moisture   farming   or   mechanic   support   did   not   exact   this   kind   of   emotional   toll,   that   was   for   certain.

"Well, I promise not to keep you too long,” they insisted, even going so far as to offer a slight laugh with their words. It was so easy to see the stress in the fighters, in those risking their lives day after day, but they’d never really considered just how hard it was on every member of the rebellion, even with so many years fighting alongside them. But times were tough on all members, and that was suddenly becoming all too clear. “In fact, I’ll make you a deal. I was instructed to get a bacta spray on this cut,” they paused, glancing down at what they considered to be a piss poor excuse for an injury from a run in with a less than friendly trandoshan. “You help me out, I will personally make sure you get out of here without any more stragglers like me coming to you for help.”

There was a smile on Vyna’s lips in an instant; small and barely there, but determined nonetheless. This was something they could understand, could respond to. As often as they tried to find a new way with the rebellion, it was still fighting that felt most natural to them. That thought, however, was enough to almost wipe the happiness from their features. Almost.

Conditioned for war, it wasn’t a pleasant thought, nor was the fact that, no matter how much time passed, it still felt like the most natural thing in the galaxy.

Their hand drifted towards the blaster concealed at their side, slow and subtle, but ready to move in an instant. “I’m sure there are smarter things you could be doing than that.”