they have been through everything together. the two of them, always by each others side. the general & her commander. aayla is sitting on a fallen tree trunk, tending to her own wounds, alone. when they finally have a moment to rest, she allows her troopers some privacy. that was until bly had approached her -- she doesn’t know what came over her, but she winced a little as he knelt down before her. hazel hues observed him as he inspected her wounds. ❝ i’m fine, commander. ❞ snarled ! it’s spoken through gritted teeth, & came out a lot harsher than she had intended. cue a deep sigh, & a gentle shake on her head. ❝ --i’m sorry, i. ... i didn’t-- ❞ the otherwise so confident young jedi master, now finds herself speechless. as younger she tended to be impulsive, something she thought she’d outgrown. but what everyone has a habit of forgetting is----- aayla is still young. albeit it had been moments since she was granted the rank of master & even knighted, everyone including herself, seemed to forget she was not yet that old. feelings, emotions -- had always driven her. aayla wasn’t gonna mention what happened on the battlefield earlier. they’d been fighting for what seemed like days now. the battle droids just kept coming, and coming--- now was the first spare moment they’d had since they had arrived on felucia. and even now, there was no way of knowing if they were safe. felucia was a dangerous planet --- dangerous beasts and flesh - eating diseases were only a few of their concerns. the bacta patch is pressed firmly to her side as she finishes up, offering him a weakened attempt at a smile. she made sure they were alone first before aayla gently let her hand fall atop of his on her knee. it’s those few, fleeting moments. that’s all they ever seem to have. & even after everything, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍.