#verse 004.

" oh. so you just lied to me instead. " despite what may seem like harsh words, trilla instead wore a knowing, but tired smile on her face. although, it was hard to have any other expression from her place of victory in the spar. her saber was off now, but moments ago it had been at cal's neck, pinning him on his back with her all but sitting atop him. in fact, that's how she caught the injury he'd clearly been hiding -- she didn't weigh enough to cause such a yelp when she landed on his chest, " and then you stole a victory from me. it hardly counts now. "

shifting, she still maintained her position atop him -- mostly to be sure she could keep him still while she prodded for his injuries. gentle fingers felt along his side, assuming she was about to find a tender spot of broken ribs.

"you should know better by now, commander. i'm very perceptive. "

TRILLA BELIEVES BODE -- in fact, she does so without second thought. in any other circumstance she might have made a comment on that. on the progress that brought them here. but the stress written on both of their faces holds her tongue. their fear is based on rumors alone -- but both trilla and bode know how the empire moves. by the time you've heard the rumor, the empire was already on the move.

to think that tanalorr could be compromised had her blood running cold.

still, as terrifying as it all might be -- trilla knew they had to be practical. if there was ever time to get off planet, it was now. . . and the children should leave, at least out of precaution. and of course kata had been training -- trilla was immensely proud of her progress -- but she wasn't ready for the empire. no child was. not again.

" you might not have a choice. " she doesn't look at him yet, instead favoring the datapad in front of her. she does believe him -- and whether he wants her to come along or for himself to stay she isn't sure. . . but she knows neither is a possibility, " if we get any confirmation of this, we're evacuating the children. that includes kata. she isn't ready. "

for a moment, trilla feels like cere -- and she feels a pang of guilt, loss and even longing drip into her heart at the memory -- as she speaks of kata. she's been mentoring the young girl for some time, and she could see much potential in her. she wondered if this was how cere felt every time trilla insisted she was ready for something she wasn't. . . the heartache of knowing better.

" my place is here. " finally, trilla looks at bode, a look of determination on her face. for the first time in possibly her entire life, trilla suduri knows where she belongs -- defending tanalorr if it came to it. trilla had known for quite some time that she was probably fated to die fighting at cal kestis's side, " and yours is with kata. you've been through too much to let her go. "

gently, trilla laid her hand on bode's shoulder. though she may wish this weren't the case, she refused to let bode give up what he's been fighting for for so long.

" she needs her father, bode. "