*— ᴅᴇᴀᴅᴇʏᴇ .

{ cis woman, she/her }  ❝ it is not the people who should be afraid of their government but rather the government that should be afraid of its people . ❞  huh, who’s NAOMI SCOTT ?  no , you’re mistaken ,  that’s actually   SAFIRA   ❝   𝑆  ❞   ELSAID . she is a 21 year old HALF-ELF who is a WARLOCK  .  she is known for being  COLD , CRITICAL ,  VAIN , SANCTIMONIOUS , and VINDICTIVE but also BENEVOLENT , CONSCIENTIOUS , ELOQUENT , PROTEAN , and VIBRANT , so that must be why she always reminds me of the song  WILLOW BY TAYLOR SWIFT , and POLISHED MARBLE , CONCEALED JEWELRY,  FALSE SMILES , SUBTLE BLUSH , and CRIMSON LIPSTICK.  i hear that she’s made a PACT WITH THE GENIE, so be sure to keep an eye on her.

!  what do the ivory castles and rat-infested slums of kara-tur have in common ?  why , that’s simple .  the answer has always been vipers .  at least in the latter ,  it was easier to discern who your enemy was ,  and most betrayals you could see coming from a mile away .  but those that thrived in the former environment were a different beast altogether .  they laced poisonous words behind faux smiles and forced niceties ;  waiting for the most opportune moment to cripple their victim and render them essentially ,  well ,  dead .

!  safira never thought of herself as a victim .  she’d been too naive and trusting in a place where she needed to be the exact opposite ,  and for that a price was exacted from her .  in fact ,  if you stripped away her title as a lesser noble ,  her status as a lady-in-waiting ,  and her dangerous childhood romance with the crown prince ,  safira would have been a normal girl .  it was the latter that would pose a problem for the kingdom ,  or at least that was how the sultan had phrased it .  when safira turned twenty ,  the sultan had arranged for his son to marry a foreign princess to secure a diplomatic and defensive alliance .  much to her chagrin and the prince’s protest ,  the marriage happened anyway .  and when it did ,  safira became nothing but a loose end .   after all ,  the alliance would only work in the prince was devoted to his new wife .   and so safira was framed ,  and the prince in the course of his duties ,  was forced to throw her into the darkest hole they could find . 

!  they threw safira in the dungeon for months .  in fact ,  she’d lost track of exactly how much time she had spent in that dreadful fortress .  during that time ,  safira prayed to every god she knew of ,  hoping that there would be some sort of sign or answer .  if there were gods and goddesses out there ,  they had forsaken her .   when she asked for food ,  she was starved .  when she asked for water ,  she was spit on .   for all intents and purposes ,  she was dead inside .  

!  perhaps it was that introspection that triggered the divine meeting with her savior .  much to her surprise ,  salvation came in the form of a genie .  perhaps the person who had previously wielded the genie’s power had run out of wishes and finally passed from the mortal realm .  perhaps the genie sought her out because it knew that she had nothing left to lose .  either way ,  it knew her desires ;  her want to destroy the establishment that had betrayed and left her to rot ,  and the vengeance that she wished upon the sultan and his followers .   lastly ,  she wanted to give the power back to the people .  but this power would not come without a price ,  and in the case of the genie’s desires ,  it would defer its requirements until a later date .  for now ,  due to the nature of its new wielder’s wish ,  it would agree to act as safira’s font of magic .  and with that ,  the pact was made . 

“it’s perfectly functional. the battle scars are reminders.” he answers shortly, feeling a little defensive. it’s stupid, and she’s likely just trying to distract him from the matter at hand, but he doesn’t care. he’s not going to let some rebel insult his armour when it’s a part of what he does every day. and she has no place to comment, whoever she is. which is the mystery he’s here to solve, despite his mission to deal with her.

what a mess.

her confusion is understandable, though. this doesn’t make sense. the knights aren’t prone to this kind of approach to their missions, their targets. he shouldn’t be doing this. he should’ve taken his shot when he had it, back in his nest. but this pull, this.. this something he can’t describe, he needs to know what it is. he needs to understand. and he can’t do so if she’s dead. so here he is.

“you truly believe you’re in a position to bargain with me? i could give the order to storm this ridiculous little base here and now if i so chose to.” he grumbles stubbornly. it’s a lie, but she doesn’t need to know that. he’s not stupid enough to reveal that he’s alone, but kuruk never brings back-up. “no, you’re going to explain to me who you are. now.” explain how i know you.

“          oh   ,   is   that   so   ?          ”           kaytee  remarked  sarcastically   ,   tone   dripping   with   cynicism   as   she   gripped   the   handle   of   her   blaster   even   tighter   .   “     —    and   how   many   𝒓𝒆𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒔   did   you   have   to   kill   to   get   those   ?         ”       the   captain   continued     ,   posing   a   follow-up   question   that   she   was   not   entirely       sure   she   wanted   the   answer   to   .      

kaytee    wasn’t    stupid    .    the    only    reason    that    she    wasn’t    riddled    with    blaster  holes    right    now    was    because    he    wanted    something    from    her    .    something    that    he    could    only    get    if    she    was    alive    .    in    essence    ,    she    wasn’t    dying    anytime    soon    .     simply     put,  he    would    be    playing    the    game    by    her    terms    now    .     “          yes      ,     you     could     .     but     you     won’t   .          ”    she    called    his    bluff    ,    smirking    as    she    retreated    inside    and    left    the    door    open    .    kaytee     had    always    resented    how    much    of    a    gambler    she    was    .

he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little crestfallen to hear her deny him so out-rightly after scanning him from head to toe as though he were a piece of meat on a food market slab, but he inhales carefully and keeps his stance, pinning his hands behind his back, boots rooted, muscles alert and tensed. his blue eyes blink a few times with the blow, but he knows he can’t let this stop him, he can’t let anything stop him. he purses his lips for a moment, thinking of the best way to proceed. “no, you’re not taking applicants, or no, you won’t let me volunteer?”

if the former, there’s not much he can do, but if the latter, he at least has some measure of experience that ought to help change her mind. “ma’am, with all do respect, i’ve flown in red squadrons before, i have experience in flight assaults both in space and at ground level. i’ve succeeded in a dozen or more undercover operations through enemy territory, alone and with an assigned team, scouted through hyperspace, commanded a squad of my own during the first galactic war, and helped lead an insurgency on endor.” he does his best to list these accomplishments as dispassionately as possible, naming them as simple facts instead of veering towards bragging. he knows what she saw when she looked at him and rejected him out of turn; he still bares sandscars from the dust storms on tattooine.

“i want to be helpful.” he glances at the drink she seems so much more interested in. “at least give me the opportunity to impress you.”

**                  ❛     HM  ...   ❜     kaytee  hums  to  herself  introspectively ,   taking  another  sip  of  her  drink  as  the  other  spoke .   if  anything ,  the  kid  had  spunk  ;  though  she’d  never  admit  it  ,  kaytee  held  that  value  in  very  high  regard  .   

 ❛   well  ,  i’m  afraid  you’re  mistaken  .  ❜     she  allows  a  slight  pause  to  fill  the  air  with  tension  before  breaking  the  silence  .    ❛   i  don’t  have  a  team  ,  or  whatever  it  is  that  you  think  i’m  involved  with  .  ❜  she  continues ,  lips  now  curling  with  sort  of  unspoken  smugness  and  a  slight  twinkle  of  interest  in  her  eyes  .   ❛  but  if  i  did  ,   i’d  say  that  you’ve  succeeded  in  grabbing  my  attention  ,  skywalker  .  ❜   kaytee  finished  both  her  sentence  and  her  beverage  at  roughly  the  same  amount  of  time .  

while  it  was  true  that  the  other  had  an  impressive  track  record  ,   kaytee  simply  couldn’t  risk  exposure  .   sabre  squadron  was  meant  to  be inconspicuous ;  a  team  that  no  one  would  bother  looking  at  twice  in  any  given  situation  .   if  luke  skywalker  was  going  to  convince  her  that  he’d  be  a  great  fit  on  the  team  ,  he’d  have  to  list  out  a  more  compelling  reason  than  past  successes  .   still ,  with  all  things  considered  ,  kaytee  couldn’t  deny  the  potential  helpfulness  of  a  force  user  of  his  renown  at  her  disposal .

**                  ❛     CIENNA   !    ❜     the     other     woman’s     name     rolls     off     kaytee’s     tongue     perhaps     too     easily     ,     and     for     a     moment     the     captain     finds     herself     smiling     sheepishly     .     in     all     honesty     ,     she’d     only     interacted     with     the     mechanic     a     few     times     prior     to     this     encounter     ,     and     most     of     the     time     it     was     either    to     put     out     a     fire     on     her     x-wing     or     replace     her     astromech     droid     .     but     kaytee     would     have     liked     to     think     that     she’d     had     an     epiphany     not     too     long     ago     .     if     the     mechanic     was     skilled     at     repairing     droids     ,     wouldn’t     she     have     the     knowledge     to     build     new     ones     as     well     ?     and     even     better     ,     what     if     cienna     could     build     droids     for     specialized     purposes     ?     

❛     how’s     my     favorite     mechanic     doing     ?   ❜     kaytee     gingerly    retains     her     sheepish     smile     ,     hoping     to     give     the     other     the     impression     that     she     wasn’t     just     complimenting     her     for     the     sake     of     complimenting     her     .     and     it     was     true     ,     all     the     mechanics     that     kaytee     had     previously     worked     with     were     either     off-planet     or     unreachable     .     which     meant     that     cienna     bur’rin     was     her     de     facto     favorite     mechanic     .     

contrary to popular belief, luke is well aware of his shortcomings, the trials and difficulties he enhances by merely existing and being the way that he is, the long road he must travel down in order to be more help than hindrance; his youth, his impulsivity, that burning drive to just keep going and going until something breaks, to fly directly into the heart of a star if he thinks there’s even a .0001% chance of succeeding at whatever his goal is. he’s failed enough times to know his place in the universe, despite his strong force sensitivity, despite his training. he’s lost enough to keep him humble.

but he’s also gained quite a bit in the years since leaving his desert homeworld– knowledge and potency, patience and intuition, a certain amount of sway with people who have heard of him, and reputation for virtue. he wants to do the right thing, he wants to be a useful arrow in the universe’s armory, he wants to matter. that’s the only thing on his mind when he comes to kaytee sayul, leader of a resistance team, a covert squadron meant for infiltrators. luke knows he’s not much of a spy yet, but he also knows he wasn’t much of a jedi once either. people can change. “captain sayul? my name is luke skywalker, i’d like to volunteer for your team, if you’re taking applicants at all.”

**                  ❛     INTERESTING   .  .  .    ❜     the     words     found     their    own    way    out    of    kaytee’s    mouth    as    she    brought    her    lips    in    for    another    dip    of    her    drink    .    she     knew      who    he    was    .    in    fact    ,    kaytee    was    sure    that    there    wasn’t    a    rebel    ,    no    ,    rather    ,    a    person    alive    that    didn’t    know    who    he    was    .    the    champion    of    hoth    .    the    hero    of    endor    .    the    savior    (    or    destroyer    for    some    )    of    the    galaxy    .    needless    to    say    ,    luke    skywalker    was    somewhat    of    a    galactic    CELEBRITY    .    

the    better    question    here    was    how    he’d    come    to    hear    of    her    .    she    wasn’t    a    well-known    name    within    the    rebellion    ,    and    that    machination    was    entirely    of    her    own    design    .    the    less    information    that    people    knew    about    her    ,    the    less    there    was    to    leaked    to    the    first    order    .    but    even    more    importantly    ,    her    team    ?    sabre    squadron    ,    a    project    that    had    been    dismissed    by    three    new    republic    administrations    as    a    preposterous    rumor    ,    and    a    squadron    that    kaytee    was    almost    certainly    not    the    leader    of    .    there    should    have    been    no    reason    for    anybody    to    dredge    that    story    up    now    .    especially    ,    with    how    weak    the    resistance’s   standing   with   the   public   was    right    now    .    but    all    things    considered    ,    the    jedi    had    managed    to    grab    kaytee’s    interest    .    

she’d    give    him    a    once-over    ,    taking    note    of    his    physical    traits    .    had    his    fame    not    preceded    him    ,    one    might    have    assumed    that    he    was    nothing    but    a    simple    farm    boy    from    tatooine    .    but    as    it    stood    ,    that    simply    wasn’t    the    case    .    with    a    simple    smile    ,    and    another    sip    of    her    drink    before    turning    away    from    the    jedi    ,    kaytee    would    offer    a    simple    response    .        

here’s the problem. for all of his vigour in coming down here, in knocking on her door to demand information, kuruk hasn’t actually thought about what to say. it’s not as if he can just be like ‘hello, i have a weird feeling from something i can’t really usr that i know you somehow. can you explain that?’. he’s not an idiot, he knows how insane that sounds. no, the problem is that he fixated so much on that sensation that he didn’t think about exactly how he’s going to handle this.

he barely notices the people rushing away from him, people who clearly want nothing to do with a knight of ren. it was stupid to come down here without his helmet, as though it’s not obvious who he is purely from his attire, but - well, apparently today is the day for stupid mistakes. it doesn’t happen often, but when kuruk gets emotional about something, all forms of rationality cease to exist really. “my armour’s fine - why would you think it needs repairing?” he asks, a little surprised by the statement. he knows it’s a ploy, a way to gain time. no doubt her rebel friends are escaping as they speak, but he doesn’t care. not today.

“who are you?” he asks simply, narrowing his eyes. “and don’t give me some farce about it. i know you’re a rebel spy. i know your rebel friends are in there. that’s not what i’m asking.”

‪❛‬  WELL     ,      IT’S     GOT      A     COUPLE     OF     OBVIOUS     BATTLE     SCARS     ON     IT .  ❜  kaytee    began    to    joke     ,     hoping     to     defuse     the situation     light-heartedly     before      the     other    speaks     again .     and    in    that instant     ,     kaytee     FROZE .   in     her    line of    work     ,      not    many     things    managed    to    catch    her     off-guard     .     her     palms     began     to     sweat     as     she     gripped     the     hilt     of     her     blaster     even     more     tightly     .     should     she     start     blasting     ?     no     ,     the     resistance     couldn’t     afford     an     all-out     shooting     gallery     in     the     streets     of     coruscant     right     now     .     not     when     public     opinion     had     been     turned     against     them     .     should     she     turn     and     run     like     the     rest     of     the     rebels     ?     no     ,     that     would     be     an     act     of     unnecessary     cowardice     .     a     million     different     scenarios     ran     themselves     across     her     mind     before     the     other     spoke     once     again     .     

‪❛‬ what ?  ❜    kaytee    replies    in    a    confused    manner    .    it    wasn’t    the    kind    of    confused    that    kaytee    put    on    for    show    just    so    the    others    had    more    time    to    escape    .    it    was    the    kind    where    an    impending    feeling    of    dread    began    to    settle    in    .    if    a    knight    of    ren    had    sought    her    out    knowing    that    she    was    a    rebel    spy    ,    and    if    she    hadn’t    received    a    blaster    bolt    to    the    chest    yet    ,    then    he    must    have    wanted    something    out    of    her    .    she    figured    that    the    best    way    to    help    her    friends    would    have    been    to    play    his    game    .    

the mission was easy enough. the target as well. a so-called high profile rebel spy who has been getting in their way. for kuruk, it should’ve been easy. no need to get close, or even make eye contact, once he pinpoints her location. he set up a sniper’s nest, prepared his weapon, and he waited. patient as ever, simply watching until she shows her face.

so why is he at her door instead? why is he here, his helmet left behind in his nest, walking into what could very well be a close-quarter fight with a woman he’s been sent to kill? a target, someone who has the potential to cause the first order endless frustration?

the pull is stronger here than it had been in the nest. a sensation, a - a something he doesn’t know how to interpret. he knows enough to know it’s coming from the force, but he was never trained well enough to know what to do with it. all he knows is he feels it when he focuses on her, and he’s felt it before. a fleeting, strange feeling, he remembers. passing through a crowd in the street, when someone had bumped into him. simple enough, but.. that feeling had been there. for the briefest of moments.

and now.. now, it’s back. strong, thrumming away in his mind. but he doesn’t know why. so he does something every instinct in his body and every moment of training he’s had in his life tells him not to do.

he raises a hand, and he knocks on her door. whoever this woman is, whatever it is that’s causing this feeling, it’s enough for kuruk to know he needs to look her in the eye when he does the job, this time. he - he needs to know.

      ‪❛‬  I NEED A DRINK  .  ❜  a loud sigh escapes from between kaytee’s lips ,  followed by a brief chuckle as her compatriot handed her a bottle of swirling white liquid .  if there was ever anything to be thankful for ,  it was that the rebellion was able to stock their safehouses with a respectable amount of liquor .  and while she enjoyed the company of her current companions ,  she would have much preferred to be nestled within the her high rise apartment in the federal district .  of all the things that she’d saved her credits for ,  her apartment was the best investment yet .  after all ,  who could blame a girl for wanting a bit of luxury in her life ? 

     her thoughts are interrupted by an incessant tapping on her shoulder ,  her rebel compatriots pointing towards the security cameras to indicate an armored stranger approaching .  the markings on the armor ,  the color scheme ,  the fear on the face of the crowds as he passed by ;  there was no mistake that it was a  KNIGHT OF REN .  she watched a bit longer ,  biting her lip as she prayed for him to change direction .  but no ,  the knight was headed straight for them .  kaytee wastes no time with her directions ,  immediately instructing the others to wipe their data disks and to rid the house of anything that could be used against them .  but it was too late ,  and the knight had already arrived at the door .  at this point ,  the best kaytee could do was to buy the rebels a few minutes to vacate the premises . 

“You sounds like a walking poster child for teenage rebellion.” The comment couldn’t be helped, lips lifting in a smirk. Kids were amusing. They thought they knew the world around them and yet held no inkling of imagination. Instead their version of rules were the laws, written and enacted, and thought they were some sort of badass for breaking them. It was cute to say the least. For the assassin did not even exist to most in this world that held such standards. Her world were shades of gray and red, all blending together to create something that couldn’t be pinpointed as good or bad. Just was and therefore rules weren’t a thing.

 Lives meant nothing to the assassin so why would rules hold value? 

“And what rules are you breaking currently?” 

『  ❝ I'D SAY I’M THE WALKING POSTER CHILD FOR JUST ABOUT ANY KIND OF REBELLION .  ❞ 』–––––– artemis replied .  she’d seen the other a couple of times before ;  and had even worked with her on more than one occasion .  as it turned out ,  both the justice league and shield had unsurprisingly common interests .  but artemis wasn’t a fool ;  the other was a paid assassin ( a particularly notorious one at that ) ,  and from her personal experience ,  their kind couldn’t be trusted .  well ,  not completely .  

still ,  the archer’s father ,  sportsmaster ,  had trained and raised her to be precisely that : an assassin with no regard for human life ;  placing the mission above all else .   so even if she chose not to follow her sister path ,  artemis still held some respect ,  and perhaps even adoration ,  for it from a professional standpoint .  

『  SERIOUSLY ?  CLICHE MUCH ?  』

          clint chuckled “so are bones but it hurts like a bitch when you break one. although, since they get stronger after you break them you could make yourself invincible after a while.” he looked up from his phone, head tilting to the side in thought “maybe that’s why i haven’t died yet…”

『  ❝ I GUESS YOU CAN CALL IT AN ARCHER’S LUCK . ❞ 』–––––– artemis quipped ,  three fingers guiding the bowstring back as she nocks an arrow into her weapon .  though she basically had the freedom to do whatever she wanted as artemis ,  she did not enjoy the same privileges as tigress .  with the city still reeling from the effects of the madness that had enveloped it ,  the team’s orders were to keep a low profile and to stay out of sight .  but surely a friendly competition and target practice couldn’t hurt right ? 

She’s had a few days to recover from the end of the world. with her magic restored and her emotions in check, she put on her armor and braced herself for the world again. she didn’t want to go to her usual haunts: the shop, the theater, the church. no, she needed a change. so, she went into the lux instead. she was pleasantly surprised lucifer hadn’t put a parameter spell to block her entry. he was honoring the promise he’d made to gadreel that the magician would be left alone. zatanna took a seat at the bar, ordered a drink, and watched the dancers perform. there was no doubt about it, everything about this place screamed lucifer. she smiled as the bartender set her drink down. “can i have another for my friend here?” she asks as she gestures to the person beside her. “they look like they could use it.” ( @thephoenixstart· )

『  ❝ YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN .  ❞ 』–––––– artemis chuckled ,  finishing her drink with a gulp before scooting closer to the zatanna .  ❝ it’s been too long !  i hear you’re responsible for cleaning up last week’s mess . ❞  she continued ,  this time turning to face the other .  she spoke nothing but the truth ;  artemis hadn’t seen her mentor in a few months .  between zatanna’s irregular schedule with the justice league and her own convoluted studying schedule at empire state university ,  artemis wasn’t exactly pulling her weight on the team either .  but when chaos erupted out of nowhere and it seemed as if the city had gone mad ,  artemis couldn’t not do nothing .  it was in her nature to fight .  and now that it was over ,  the first thing that the archer needed was a drink and alone time .  but zatanna’s company was more than welcome .