A Sorrowful Promise (Benedali Serrus)

[Maka Sumoto]

Maka smirked at Mallory, and picked Bennie's bag back up as the duchess walked towards the elevators. He could judge easily from the way the wheelchair-bound woman was talking that it had something to do with Orron. Of course, he didn't really care what happened to the guy, except for Bennie's reaction to it. It wasn't exactly like they'd been friends, and Bennie hadn't understood why her archer wanted to Force Choke the guy and throw him out a convenient airlock...

So, with the satisfaction of having his answer, Maka stepped after Bennie and Mallory into the elevator, wondering vaguely whether or not the walls and doors between the rooms were thin enough for him to listen in.

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Mouse"]

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Once the duchess was ready Mallory moved in with them to the elevator. Oc fourse she neeed to go first, given the extra room, and was squeezed in the back before the other two were in. Once they were and the evelator went up Mallory kept glancing towards Benedali. She was worried about her reaction as much as Maka was. It only hurt more because was the one who had to tell it. She sighed trying to think of something to talk about while riding up before saying "Man, this elevator music sucks...

[member="Maka Sumoto"] [member="Benedali Serrus"]

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Mouse"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

As they filed into the elevator, Benedali reached over and pulled her bag out of Maka's hands. "Here, I can carry it the rest of the way." Truth be told, she was still worried about Maka's cybernetic arm breaking or something, and usually made an attempt to lighten his load.

The doors closed, and the elevator began to go up. Mallory's comment was met with a faint look of confusion. "I guess so, I hadn't really paid much attention to it." Why elevator music, of all things? Maybe she doesn't like sitting in silence. Elevators do tend to do that to people. Another reason crossed her mind, and Benedali bit her lip to stop it from quivering. What if it's a cushion for the information? Could it really be that bad?! Before she could ask, though, the elevator dinged.

 

[Nimue Stormson]

During the rest of the ride up Mallory tried to avoid direct eye contact with either [member="Benedali Serrus"] or [member="Maka Sumoto"] out of her own regreting nature. The ride was already awkward enough. When they exited she followed them to the room while saying "I hear good things about this place. I'm sure you'll both do okay here for a few days. If you ever want I can show you around town. I know some neat places to visit."

 

[Maka Sumoto]

Maka smiled at Mallory, and then glanced around the hallway quickly, checking for any cameras that might be visible, keeping a hand on his knife just in case somebody stopped them. When nobody did, he just swiped them into the suite. It was nice enough, and there was a door between the archer's suite and Bennie's. Good.

"Well, I'll be next door, obviously. Have fun with your girl talk or whatever."

He stepped through the door, into his suite, and set to cleaning all his gear up. He took his jacket off, leaving him with the sleeveless shirt under it, and hung it on the wall. When he pulled his knife case out of his luggage, he was happy to find that it only took him one try to clasp all his blades into the little metal box.

[member="Mouse"] [member="Benedali Serrus"]

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Mouse"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

"That would be lovely, Mallory," Benedali said softly. Her anxiety, despite her efforts, was making it difficult to remain upbeat about the reason behind the meeting.

The Duchess allowed Maka to pretty much drag her into the suite. For a moment, she forgot her worries as she wrinkled her nose in slight disapproval. The room, in her opinion, was just so drab.

Shaking her head at Maka's words, Benedali shut the door between their rooms (though she made sure it was unlocked) and sat on the edge of the bed, her blue eyes on Mallory. The redhead's face held a bleak expression. "Mouse found out something awful, didn't he?"

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Looking pver the suit Mallory couldn't help but say "Makes my apartment look like a closet." After that she turned her chair around to see [member="Maka Sumoto"] off as he went into the other room. "Nice guy." she commented. "Though I think he's a bit overprotective. But hey, if a guy likes someone that much it must be for love." She'd hoped her joke would break off [member="Benedali Serrus"] from remembering what she had to tell her but, to her dismay, Mallory heard her mention the 'Mouse' situation. With a deep sigh she whelled over to her and said "He...he did." she reached out to hold her hands while saying "I'm so sorry you have to hear this from me, Benedali. But....your Jedi friend, Orron Thrask, he's...he's gone. He died saving your life without you even knowing it and....well Mouse feels he was responsible..."

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Mouse"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

Her eyes widened in horror and disbelief. Gripping the other woman's hands, the Duchess's mouth moved, but no noise came out. Finally, though, she managed to whisper hoarsely, "Wh-what? Orron...He's gone? That...no...."

She couldn't believe it. No, wouldn't believe it. Orron being dead...it was impossible for her to wrap her mind around. He was supposed to become a Knight so they could spend more time together!

And, the time they'd had together had been short, so short. How could the galaxy do this to her? Hadn't she lost enough? Her mother, her father, both dead; her planet, overrun by their worst nightmares; Arick, now, off at who knew where; and Maka, one arm shorter because she'd made him upset.

Swallowing the cries that threatened to consume her, Benedali choked out, "How...how did he die? What...who...did it?" Perhaps it was all a joke, a cruel cruel joke the Sith had wanted to play. And maybe I can deny that it's true.

 

[Nimue Stormson]

All Mallory could do was hold her hands tighter and try not to break down crying with Bendali as she tried to let it all out. She knew how she felt, losing someone she cared about, but she needed to hear it or worry about Orron for the rest of her life never knowing. She bit her lip, holding back her own tears as she watched the young noble girl cry.

When asked about Orron Mallory said "Mouse knew about you and the underground rebellion you've been running to take back Alderaan. He wanted to come to you but wasn't sure how. So he found someone else.Orron. The two of them tried to work things out but Mouse found out a Sith knew about you. He was going to tell the others and have you killed. Mouse helped Orron find him before he could try to blackmail you. After that Orronwent after him and....there wasn't any word from either of them. Police reports say they found the Sith dead....strangled to death. But Orron he....I'm sorry, Benedali." Mallory's eyes started to leak at this point.

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Mouse"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

Benedali lowered her head, her body trembling. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but still the tears came.

At the beginning, she had hoped that there would be a loophole, a tiny space for doubt. But listening to Mallory's recount... There was no doubt. And there was no hope. No way for her to refuse to acknowledge the facts, because they were bigger than life -- they were death. Orron was gone. Dead, protecting her, and she never knew. Not until now, anyway.

Many people think that, the longer a person was around death, the easier it was to bear. To handle. To get on with life. And for some, it was true. But for the vast majority of people, loss is constantly sharpening its blade.

Orron and Benedali had not known each other for a long amount of time, but they knew enough to be close. They'd hovered in the Grey zone, kept there by their lives. One day, they could have gone further. Now, however, she would never know.

The Duchess squeezed Mallory's hands again, clinging to them as if they were her life boat in an intimidating ocean. And she cried.

The tears fell, one by one. Slow at first -- a simple drip...drip...drip. As the full realization of everything sunk in though, the tears were joined by many more at an increased pace. Benedali began to shake, too. The first moments were silent, but they were soon accompanied by a wail filled with disbelief, with sorrow.

But even as she cried, the Duchess couldn't help but think, If nothing else, he died a hero -- my hero. I didn't even get to tell him goodbye.

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Mallory was crying as well but not as hard as the duchess. She brought her in close and let her lean on her or embrace her while letting it all out. Mallory could only hold her hand and rub her back to try and calm her. The whole time she had a horrible sensation in her gut. She wanted to tell her the truth. She wanted to tell Benedali it was her fault, that she was Mouse and that she was parlty responsible for this. It was like a horrible black spot on her mind she couldn't rub away.

"Benedali I....there's something you should know..." she began to say.

[member="Benedali Serrus"][member="Maka Sumoto"]

 

[Maka Sumoto]

Maka felt the wave of emotion come from Bennie, as if the wall was not between them. Mallory - no, the Mouse... He was sure of it, now - didn't feel any less emotionally tortured as far as the archer could feel with his limited Force senses. So, this woman had probably only told them out of a mutual friendship with Orron. Funny how the Jedi seemed to attract all that attention. Maka wondered vaguely how exactly the man had died. The guy'd been almost seven feet tall, and built like a Ronto.

Whatever the situation had been, Maka realized that he probably couldn't deal with the waves of emotion alone. With a small sigh, he looked around the room until he found an alcohol cabinet. He pulled out something acidic, and smirked at it.

"I suppose... In this situation, it's dangerous to go alone."

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Mouse"]

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Mouse"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

Though the Duchess continued to cry, she soon managed to get a grip of herself. Well, mostly. I need to keep it together, she thought, her mental tone miserable. This isn't the place to completely lose it...no matter how badly she wanted to.

Wiping her nose on her sleeve, Benedali tried to take deep breaths to calm herself down some. Even so, her grief was such that the strain of keeping her sobs swallowed initiated a bout of hiccups.

Sniffling some, she looked up at Mallory, her blue eyes looking at the other woman in askance. What else could there possibly be? she wondered. "Wh-what *hic* else i-is th-*hic*-ere?"

 

[Nimue Stormson]

When asked Mallory felt a knot in her throat. She wanted to say it. She wanted to tell her she was Mouse. This was such a hard truth to realize and yet she knew it was something Bendali deserved to know. She deserved that much didn't she? But now she couldn't bring herself to say it. It was stuck in her throat. She wasn't sure if she had the strength to actually say it now. Could she? Would that make anything better?

"I...." she began, holding back tears. "I...was told by Mouse to give you a m-message. From...from Orron. He said even if he died from this....he still loved you. And he....he wants you to be happy. For the rest of your life....just be happy."

She'd lied. She'd lied right to a greiveing girl's face. But would it have been better if she'd told the truth? That was something that Mallory would let haunt her. True it was a lie, but was it not for the better? Was it not a happier message to hear than none at all? Who could say.

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

 

[Maka Sumoto]

Maka was sopping drunk. Drinking half a bottle of six hundred year old wine would probably do that to most people. He'd definitely read the label wrong, here. At least he couldn't feel Bennie crying anymore, just hear it, but he still couldn't comfort her. Orron hadn't been his friend at all. Even before his duchess started liking him, Orron had been a Jedi. Had the Jedi been called for assistance, the day his mother died? Yes. They didn't come until a week later. The town was burned to the ground, and the only living thing in it had been the angry kid with the energy bow.

He remembered killing one of them. A shot that'd made the Jedi's chest explode behind him. The others had gotten away by running while their comrade was cut down. One had thrown his lightsaber, and it'd luckily been deflected by the energy of the bow. A cowardly blow, and one that might have killed the archer, if the man hadn't been running as he made it.

The mental connection between the death of Bennie's boyfriend, and Maka's mother suddenly seemed absurd, and Maka had the sudden urge to laugh, which he did. Loudly enough to be heard through the door. What the hell had he been thinking? The man had probably outdone him, even in death. Fething Jedi.

[member="Mouse"] [member="Benedali Serrus"]

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Mouse"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

As Benedali listened to the message, she managed to smile some. It wasn't a big smile, and it was more of a sad smile than anything else, but it was a smile nonetheless.

She gently squeezed Mallory's hands again, sniffling slightly though the hiccups were still there. "Thank *hic* you," she whispered. "Thank you *hic* for telling *hic* me, and thank *hic* Mouse for me, *hic* too."

The Duchess would have said more, were it not for a sudden burst of laughter from Maka's room. She gave the other woman a look of confusion, and quietly got up. "Ex-*hic*-cuse me."

Almost fearfully, the Duchess walked to the door that divided the rooms. She'd guessed that Maka was eavesdropping (not that she wouldn't have told him what happened) but...his laugh...it hurt her. It was highly unlikely that the placement was merely coincidental, which meant only one thing: Maka was laughing at Orron's death.

Oh, she knew that Maka never liked Orron. She knew it, just like she knew there was nothing she could do about it. But for her archer to be so insensitive as to laugh? Perhaps it was just bad timing on his part, she thought hopefully. Perhaps he's watching a holofilm, and it was a comedy.

But when she opened the door, Benedali saw no movie. It wasn't even on.

What she did see was, in her mind, worse. She saw her archer, a bottle of wine in his hand, sopping drunk. She saw the metal box with his weapons laying out. She saw, from a quick glance in a mirror across from her, how much of a mess she looked -- red nose, puffy eyes, and her mascara streaming down her cheeks. Worst of all, though, she saw the hateful smirk on his face, and knew the laugh was deliberate.

All at once, Benedali felt numb. Her tears stopped, her hiccups ceased, and her eyes became dull. Without a word, the Duchess walked over to Maka, wrenched the bottle from his hands, and moved to pour the rest of the wine down the drain.

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Mallory nodded when Benedali asked that the message be sent to "Mouse". It was a good thing she was distracted by the sudden laughing coming from the other room. It gave Mallory time to lament what she'd done. She knew she was going to hate herself for this, likey for the rest of her life. But in the end she knew it was for the best. Best for Benedali, that's what she constantly had to remind herself. Still it didn't stop the somber look on her face.

Hearing more laughter coming from the room Mallory was obviously curious to know why Maka was like that. Maybe he was watching a comedy holovid or something. Still from the sound of it his laughter was more...inebriated. That couldn't have been good. Mallory only brought her chair to the very opening of the doorway into the other room where she listned into whatever was going on. If Maka was laughing about what she thought then he was in a world of trouble; even from Mallory if she had any say in it.

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

 

[Maka Sumoto]

Maka's fingers were numb, and he let go of the bottle easily when Bennie came to take it. Why did she look at him like that? What had she gotten out of the laugh, that would cause her to look so upset at him? The archer looked at his duchess with a raised eyebrow, and wondered vaguely whether her tear-reddened eyes were actually in their proper place above her nose, or if they were where he could see them, about two inches to the right of that spot. He tilted his head, and wiggled his fingers at Bennie.

"Hello, m'lady. Just contemplating life, with the help of a misread label and lots of bubbly stuff. Pointless exercise. You'd understand if you knew what I meant. But you don't. Now, how did your Jedi die? Most likely better than my mother, or the men I killed in the forest that night. Probably better than I could hope to."

He meant to get up, and instead cracked his head on the counter where Bennie was pouring the wine into the drain. His glasses slipped off his face, and one of the lenses cracked on the floor. Now, the world was not only wavy, but actually fuzzy.

"Oh, joy."

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Mouse"]

 

[Benedali Serrus]

[member="Mouse"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]

Benedali did not speak. If she did, who knew what would happen? And she didn't even want to think about Maka's behaviour. So, instead, she remained quiet whilst several hundred dollars were poured down the drain.

The way she was acting wasn't like the calm before the storm. No, that particular spaceship had sailed. Instead, it was more like the eye of a tornado -- calm, but not in a comforting way. More like an eerie calm, with the viewer biting their nails in anxiety, just waiting for something to happen.

The sound of Maka cracking his forehead on the counter caused the Duchess to jump, and she stooped down to pick up his glasses. As she stood back up, she remembered Mallory, who waited in the doorway.

"Oh, hello again," she said in a distant voice. "My apologies for you having to see this."

 

[Nimue Stormson]

Given the reaction Maka had, and seeing Benedali's calm look, obviously hiding a flood of anger, Mallory was quiet. When Maka broke the glass she shook her head. And hear Mallory thought the way he acted meant he was a little more respectable, perhaps even kinder. But from what she could tell he was actually laughing at the death of Orron the jedi. Did he have some sort of feud with him or something? She didn't know. And her train of thought was broken when Bendali had spoken to her.

Feeling awkward she said "Uh....do you need me to go? I can if you'd like." speaking to Bendali more clealry.

[member="Benedali Serrus"] [member="Maka Sumoto"]