Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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[member="Asmus Janes"]

“Damnit.”

That made Kaile drop her datapad into her lap and throw herself back. The bed gave a slight bounce as the woman lay on her back, hair strewn in an artful display across her pillow.

Uggghh!” her groan echoed in her cabin, muffled by the rub of her hands over her face. Now someone else knew. At least, were able to connect the navpoints to Asmus’ tale and Kaile. It didn’t help that the quarrel with Lucy had been so public. Odds were the crew would spread the tale like wildfire, and more often than not, question if there had been validity in Janes’ tale.

“Damnit Kaile…” the curse went ripping from her lips. Now what were they going to do? But that wasn’t really the issue was it?
No, what really was at the root of her feeling on edge is that Asmus was reinforcing what he felt for her. That he cared for her, still, after all these years. Why would he do that?

Why?

Time is said to fade memories and made things easier, so why didn’t he simply forget her?

The same voice that had so desperately wanted to see Asmus simply said,’Pot to the kettle, Kaile girl’.

I have never been able to forget him.
 
Asmus threw his head back and filled his room with an exasperated sigh. He swore under his breath. Gorramit she was always so fragile. But last time had been ‘Kurt’ what the hell put her so on edge in the med bay this time?

Was she so indoctrinated by her division that she was terrified of forming attachments. The way she had slowly leaned into him in the corridor, heedless of anyone who might spot them.

He read back over his history. Why had he even brought that up?

[No one else saw me look at you. But if she gives you an angry look, I'm sorry. :)]

A smiley face. A damned smiley face. Might as well check the data pad in an airlock and call it a night.
 
[member="Asmus Janes"]


A small buzz came from her datapad. Another message. Turning her head, Kaile slowly pushed herself half up off the bed, using her forearm to brace her weight. Her dark hair fell forward as she carefully slid the datapad over to her. It was from Asmus. Likely her delay in responding had him wondering what was --

It began with a small twitch of her lips. Right at the corner of it. It was a ridiculous thing to find amusing, but the Lorrdian did.

An emote. A smiley face. Right after staying that if the junior officer gave her a dirty look, he was sorry for it. That he could joke at such moment was just so out there that it made Kaile laugh. His simplistic way of trying to fix things amazed her.

So perhaps this was much to Asmus’ surprise when indeed his datapad gave an answering beep.

[ Should I fear the sudden brandishing of a hydrospanner as well then? ]
 
[For all you special ops training… I saw the way that she threatened one of my pilots when they came down to land at an unsafe speed. Should have seen his next landing. Soft as silk, couldn't even hear the struts touch down. Redhead I suppose. Watch your back ;) ]

Okay change the subject from the girl who had made a scene.

[The way you can fix up a ship you could probably run the flight deck here. That or help me with some of the niggles on Thunderstruck]

A tentative smile on his lips. She was still typing. That was all he needed.
 
[member="Asmus Janes"]

Flopping onto her back again, Kaile brought up the datapad close to her face. It was odd, honestly. The idea that she was actually texting Asmus. The times in the past she’d imagined it would be so were a bit like this, but more joyful. Less bittersweet. Things never seem to happen as one might imagine, so the Lorrdian figured that was just how the cards fell.

A part of her wanted to reply back with ‘I know how to take care of myself.’ or maybe ‘Well I have a specific set of skills I could use…’ as a joke. However, that didn’t quite seem right. Everything was a hesitant step forward. A complete opposite to what had followed through right here on her bed not two days prior.

Kaile. His voice had floated in her ear, the recollection prompting a spike in her heartbeat and a most uncomfortable shift on the bed.

[ I already have duties assigned. ] she replied, which was the truth. As an Agent, there were a particular set of duties she was responsible for. However, the thought of working alongside Asmus again like they had done last… Things always seemed to become less working and more distraction.
Not to mention Kaile didn’t trust herself when it came to being around Asmus. Simply looking into his eyes made her feel lost.
 
Damnit but she was being difficult this evening. With a shake of his head he decided to press on. It couldn't be helped, not easily. It would take time. Not everything was solved easily.

[I understand.]

The temptation was there to prod further to find out where she might be going and when. That wouldn't help.

[You actually have much to do now? Surely after that ordeal you can some R and R?]

His lips twitched. Couldn't help but think of a way to spend that time. He thought back fondly to the night before last.
 
[member="Asmus Janes"]

Blinking, Kaile read and reread Asmus’ last message.

No, she really didn’t have that much to do. Yes, this was basically having some rest and relaxation, especially after having her head knocked around a bit. The trouble was that Kaile did not trust herself around Asmus. It was an emotional rollercoaster facing him, knowing that he had questions. Questions that he wanted answers to that the espion knew would only end up in a sea of hurt.

Biting her lip hard enough that it bled, the Lorrdian made the attempt to think of a valid diplomatic reply. Swallowing, her throat bobbed nervously. That anxiety was returning again.

[ I can. ] came the first few hesitant taps. [ Which is why I have a sick chit. ]

Perhaps a reminder that she was still recovering would be a good deterrent. Although part of her was already chiding her for being a coward.
While it may have been a rather vague reply, that she hadn’t stopped replying back was telling.
 
Growling at himself in frustration he typed and deleted several messages. It was hard to contain just how much he wanted to see her. It had been years, yet his mind was able to bridge the gap between then and now with an ease it had no right to.

“Wait, when did I last sit looking at a message nervous about how to reply? Fething twelve? Eugh.”

[Rest up. If you do want to meet at some point when you feel like being out and around let me know. We've got another flight tomorrow midday and I've probably got some paperwork to do. Shouldn't meet any real trouble for a while now. Could do with a few more TIEs on the nose.]

He reread the message. Then he actually facepalmed himself.

“Is this how I come off? Yeah. Probably.”

[Wow that seems awful. Been with fighter jocks too long. They did try and burn Eriadu to the ground though.]
 
[member="Asmus Janes"]

[ I get it. ] the message began, if a bit hesitantly. Kaile wasn’t the sort to go for lethal methods. Her assignments had never really placed her in a position where she’d have to increase to deadly force. That Asmus dealt with that on a daily basis was a bit surreal. Thinking back to the Quinn, the Lorrdian recalled how that one brief shoot out with the Kanjiklub. How silly I must have seemed to the crew, unable to actually kill those who were willing to do just that to us.

[ Besides… I guess one can’t really consider that there is another person in that other starfighter. ] Kaile gave a grimace at that. Now I sound preachy. As if she were a bit judgemental. It wasn’t the case.

[ We all have our ways of dealing with the job, I guess. ]
Like that sounded any better.
 
[Feels a bit different shooting at a dot on the screen you can't even see through the canopy. Still scares me every time. A lot. Don't tell the others!

They haven't got me yet though. Well obviously. Had a rough scrape at the Battle of Coruscant. Got shot down by some kind of EM warhead. Ended up in the darker levels getting chased by bucket heads. Also nearly eaten by a tentacle monster. True story.

Been in any scrapes you can actually tell me about?]

That seemed innocuous enough. It had naturally flowed into a question he knew would make her uncomfortable, so he'd reworded it to give her the option of skipping by.
 
[member="Asmus Janes"]

[ What do you mean a tentacle monster?? ] was the first question that came to Kaile’s mind. She knew that the Battle of Coruscant had been a tremendous logistical nightmare for the Alliance, but that they had come out triumphant in the end. That Asmus had been a part of that was a bit of news to her. While she might have checked in on him now and then, it didn’t mean she knew or had access to his entire service record.

That would have been a bit too weird.

As for the second part… Kaile slowly began rubbing her thumb along the edge of her forefinger. She was considering just how much to tell. How much information to give out. It was difficult for her to. It was the same sort of concern she had when the espion had first told Kurt what she really did.

Granted, this was a little bit different. Instead of Kaile telling Asmus… he had sort of caught her redhanded. In the rear of her mind, it should have dawned on her that Kurt and Asmus were two different individuals. How they handled the news would be different. They weren’t the same. Yes they both cared for her, but just because how one reacted didn’t mean that the other would mirror the same.

Where Kurt had become livid and felt betrayed, Asmus had simply expressed surprise and joy at finding her. Then the confusion and dawning realization.

Although that in it of itself wasn’t the full disclosure. There was so much more than just that.
 
[Well…I mean… It had tentacles and an eye on a tentacle. I'm almost entirely sure it tried to eat me. Some people tried to force me into its lair.

Found some more crashed Rogues before it got me and we escaped on foot. Just got rid of weapons and Alliance gear and blended in with the trillion citizens.

I'll be back in by 1600. Will be working on the ship then if you want to help]

Lucy would also be asleep, or at least well away from the hangars by then. He'd checked the rota just to be sure. On the off chance Kaile took the proposal he didn't want the young redhead lingering, watching them carefully. Would probably accidentally drop a few fuel containers on them both. Then apologise sweetly.
 
[member="Asmus Janes"]

[ I'm glad you're okay. ]

It was an awkward thing to say considering the Battle of Coruscant had been years ago. A mental groan turned audible hum, “of course he is now!” If it were otherwise, then he wouldn't have been here to begin with. That thought brought with it another wave of concern.

Aware she was being silly, Kaile took a deep breath. That was about the time the Lorrdian read over Asmus’ offer for her to come help with the ship. A thought back at the junior officer and her extreme swings in emotions made Kaile believe just just avoiding the hanger would be in the best interest for both.

[ it's likely not a good idea. People talk on a small ship. ]

A perfectly reasonable explanation on why she couldn't come visit.
“Coward.” She told herself then.
 
[Yeah they do, which is all we'd be doing! We probably should have thought of that in the corridor off the flight deck. Talk over a caf in the mess? No one would think a great deal of that. It would be nice to just talk]

“Come on Kaile. Not like you can’t spend time with anyone in the Alliance when you're not on a mission for fear of ‘talking’.”

Asmus hadn't even met the Kaile of old. The way she'd been before everything came to a head with Kurt. Before the fallout of their last encounter.

He opened another windows on his data pad to check if they had a connection to the holonet. It seemed not. Too far into dark space. There were just some cached news pages so he went to them for now. It was silly, but he'd had the odd thought of buying something for her. He assumed she'd be on ship til they rendezvoused with Station Kresh Three at least and it was easy to pick up a delivery there. Not like she was going to abandon ship in the middle of empty space right?
 
[member="Asmus Janes"]


Kaile's lips gave another half twist, a small snort escaping at how smooth his response was. Well, certainly better than back at the cantina. But that is what happens with time. People change, become more experienced. What were all the differences with Asnus now. Even with all of her attempts at deniability, Kaile couldn't ignore how curious she was avoid that.

“Not so easy,” her voice was but a half whisper, the brunette giving a subtle shake of her head. Taking a deep breath, Ksile held it. It wasn't as if she wasn't social; she was. In the past she'd flutter from one place to another just chatting, having fun and meeting with new people. To be honest, she'd been the ‘Asmus’ of the base in terms of being an affable agent.

Just that if she went on over to see him, work beside Asmus, it would be so much harder to get away. To keep her distance.

Kaile bit her lip. Remembering back to the corridor of the flight deck made her cheeks redden. She'd been so shocked then, seeing him there. The immediate response had been to leave; until he caught up with her and trapped her against the bulkhead. To say that it hadn't given her a slight rush on top of everything would be a lie.

But a chat in the mess?

Well… He couldn't ask her too many questions there right? Maybe if she did this… He could perhaps feel better on it all? A rather naive thought but Kaile was grasping at straws.

Asmus by now would have been waiting at the very least a few minutes with no response, datapad almost burning his fingers in the frustration. At least until it gave a small alert. A message. Simple, but meant more than any word should have the right to.

[ Okay. ]
 
In the space of time between messages Asmus had managed to convince himself, at least three times, that she must have disconnected before bringing himself around to just wait patiently. A great big grin split his face when he finally got the message back. A little flutter grew as he read that one word over again.

[Good! Shall we say before the shift change in the morning? Nice and empty then. Or after!]

After wouldn’t be as quiet, but they also wouldn’t be pressured to leave by an impending rush of foot traffic through the mess. He regretted suggesting before. He had no right to be quite as excited at the prospect of sharing a few words of a caf. He thought back to seeing her in the mess not long ago. A memory hidden behind the whole Lucy debacle. That had been more than an exciting buzz. He’d been downright paralysed by fear.
 
Ah, the time. That was important wasn’t it?

Truth be told, considering the crazy chaos and the small crowd Asmus had picked up with the ‘Lucy’ incident, it probably served them both best to go early.

But… if they were all alone, it would likely make it harder to sit there with Asmus alone.

It was a conundrum.

Kaile vacillated back and forth with the time. Well, there was a small bit of security with numbers…

[ After. ] she finally tapped out in reply. A heavy whoosh of air fell from her lips then, chest sinking as the Lorrdian realized that she had been holding her breath.

“Kaile girl, what are you doing?” she asked herself, shaking her head.

[member="Asmus Janes"]
 
[See you then! In the meantime, no more disembodied heads in my screens please. Look forward to seeing you]

Asmus replied simply. At this point he didn’t want to risk setting her off any further. His hands seemed to have a habit of typing things he could well regret. When they were apart it wasn’t as if he could soothe anything with touch and voice.

There was a small victory pump of a fist. One he wasn’t proud of. No one was there to witness it. If they went after the shift change there might be a few more souls around, but they could spend most of the early morning chatting away. At least, that was his hope.
 
[member="Asmus Janes"]


For a moment, Kaile read, and reread Asmus’ last message. Her lips gave another twitch.

[ But it’s a pretty neat trick, right? ]

That would be her last. Setting down her datapad, Kaile gave a deep sigh. Both arms went swinging back, flopping over her head on the pillow. Eyes would stare up at the ceiling and she let her mind wander.

So this was it.

I’m really doing this?

A flutter in her belly twisted in nervousness and anxiety. Was it a good idea? Should she have said no?

Time would tell.
 
Asmus had eaten during the busy shift. Prone to distraction, he'd made the executive decision to go in early and get some hot food to avoid the chance of being late. After a while of deeply contemplating her first night on the ship he'd solid awake trying not to go over everything in his head.

No one knocked him off kilter quite like this and he still didn't understand why. All he wanted was the time for find out. Hopefully she would give him a chance at that, but he wasn't entirely convinced she would follow through on her promise.

There were just a handful in the mess now. A couple of guards who'd finished their duty shift. A few night owls from the late shift who were clearly doing paperwork beyond the end of their shifts. They had big mugs of caf. But no kaile, not yet.

The fact that they hadn't chosen a specific time was making him increasingly agitated. He had to chastise his own hands for drumming on the table. There was a data pad in front of him that he was pretending to be paying attention to, instead of the doorway.
 

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