Heartbreak and Handgrenades

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Only a few more weeks until the wedding. Honestly, Rawnie was tired of thinking about it already. She'd told him she wanted a small affair. Maybe one or two people invited to the ceremony to witness the marriage, then they could have a small feast in Tal'verda village. Small. Intimate. Simple. Mandalorian marriages were not especially intricate affairs. The vows were simple, quick. They could honestly say them in the middle of a forest, and as long as they both truly meant it, they would be considered husband and wife in the eyes of Mandalore.

But that sister of his.... She really wanted her brother to have something special. She... supposed compromises had to be made in a marriage, so she agreed to have the wedding on Csilla. It was a world of ice and snow. It was as close to her village as she was likely to get. At least she'd feel comfortable in the cold. She could wear her favorite wolf pelt over her armor. Maybe she could weave carved bits of Uxi horn and vormur flowers into her hair? And her armor would be re-painted, polished, perfect. She did, after all, want to look every bit the perfect warrior bride. She would insist on hunting the meat for the wedding feast herself too. Show her new husband exactly what he would be getting. Strength, skill, and above all, honor. She would give him companionship, and he would give her the strength to protect him. And children. He would give her children too.

We will raise warriors.

She pulled her blonde hair back away from her eyes, then went back to sharpening her knife. She was training today. Group training, she heard. She was told it was useful to know how to work as a team on the battle field. She would one day bring honor back to her clan. Her father would no longer be the greatest warrior in Clan Tal'verda. She would surpass him. Take his war record and shatter it around him. Then she would hunt him down... and kill him herself.

"I am coming for you, Dar'buir..." she muttered to herself as she sheathed her blade, then went to the practice dummy to punch that for a little while. Sweet stars above, it felt nice to hit something.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

It wasn't to be very long before Malcom was going to tie the proverbial knot as it were himself. His significant other had decided on a small wedding at his cabin in the northern mountains of Mandalore. Just a small gathering with only a few friends and a couple relatives. It made things easy when the only people attending were all Mandalorian, either by birth or adoption.

His bride was marrying into his culture sure, but she impressed him by how she was learning so much about his way of life and making it hers. He honestly hadn't expected her to so wholely absorb the Mandalorians ways as she had. But then, she was full of surprises. He found himself looking forward to the quiet event with great anticipation.

He had plans himself. Malcom to soon be able to take over the clan as the Aliit' Buir. It would allow him to focus more so on his family and making his Clan strong as well. Who knows, maybe at that point, they'd be able to consider having children. One thing he knew for sure, it was going to be a long road with many changes.

For the time being, events now found him down at a training course where he had been practicing some hand to hand tactics. His specialization was the long sniper rifle. But he trained in many areas to help himself become a more well rounded warrior. Better to be at least a little prepared for all scenarios if your primary form of attack became ineffective as it were.

Taking a quick break, he grabbed his training battle rifle and switched it up again, heading to the close quarters combat training ground. From what he heard they were to be paired at random to get practice in working with others. And not simply people you were used to fighting alongside, but those you weren't. The point being to get used to the idea of fighting alongside unknown warriors if in the chaos of battle you got separated from your unit.

Waiting in line, he was just curious now who his partner would be for the exercise.

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

"Rawnie Tal'verda!"

The half Echani gave one more punch to the training dummy, leaving a small fist print in the material. At least she didn't break it this time. She took a cloth from her pouch and wiped her forehead. Her armor had it's own cooling system built in for when she had to work on unpleasantly warm planets. Even with that, it was warm in here after all that physical exercise. She walked over to one of the training officials.

"Aye? You called?"

"We'll be partnering up for group training. You partner has been randomly selected."

She nodded. This was nothing new. So, that meant she and her partner were up next at the training course. She reached back to touch the top of her practice rifle waiting on her back. Not at all like her fathers old sniper rifle that she had taken for herself. This held way more shots, and wasn't exactly designed for sniping. Which was a shame. That really was what she was best at. She entered the arena and waited for her partner to arrive too.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

After being called up, Malcom turned the corner to see his partner was none other than [member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]. His eyes widened a bit under his helmet. After their recent interaction, he didn't imagine this meeting would go any better. And what was worse, they actually had to work together. Cocking his rifle, he let out a small sigh before walking up to her. "Ready to go?" He said plainly, not betraying an emotion one way or another.

It was true they had been lovers in another time. And with a single mistake, she turned on him quicker than you could say Sith spit. Then only thought ill of him from that point on. Hell, she seemed to hate him no matter what he managed to change. And yet then she would so signs of the old camaraderie they used to share. She was confusing as anything, and he could simply not get his head wrapped around what it was she even wanted anymore.

Not that Malcom had to worry about this anymore. Her former lover had long since given up hope of ever changing her opinion of him. Who cares? He convinced himself. She's got her blue dude, and he had his woman. The time for trying to get her to see the light about him was over, now it was just time to get through the fight. Hopefully she wouldn't bring up the past. Because he wouldn't be able to stop himself from going off on her if she started a fight.

Standing up to the starting line, he looked straight ahead. "Let's get this over with, yeah?"

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Rawnie was not an easy person to get along with and she knew it. Not that she wanted to hate everyone. She didn't wake up each morning thinking, 'hmm, who can I hate today?' Honestly, she may have been a bit rough when she was younger, but the years had smoothed her edges. Lorane had mellowed her, kept her happy enough that she didn't clam up and close herself off every single time she went outside.

...but there were still those times when she lost her calm.

Something about the way [member="Malcom Renolds"] spoke to her, like she was a bomb ready to go off, made her want to take her hunting knife and-

"Feth, Mal, get a grip,," she said in mandalorian, "you act like I'm going to punch you again."

She snarled at him from behind her visor.

"Afraid i'll muss up your makeup like last time?"

....the thing that angered her the most was that her efforts to forgive him amd make friends had been ignored. What the hell else did he think a punch to the face meant!?

 

[Malcom Renolds]

Malcom raised an eyebrow under his helmet at her comments. "Couldn't care less about the punch. And that's rich. I recall nearly knocking you on your backside just the same way." He said a little more light heartedly recalling the "payback" for her throwing the first punch. He didn't bother to respond to the makeup jest. He and she both knew it wasn't a true comment. "Besides, why are you acting like I am just being a hard ass on you? Even you never broke a finger punching me before." The warrior said gesturing toward her swollen finger. "So don't act like you were just walking up to say hello. You made that obvious when you defended your walking out on us."

A bell rung out, causing him to snap his attention front to the course. Raising his rifle he ran into the course, rattling off a couple rounds at the first targets to appear before diving into cover. "Or are you saying you are ACTUALLY trying to apologize!? Because I'm not going to lie, THAT would be stupendous! Would make my day really." He gave her a glance to see if she was going to help, or just stand there like a pin-up barbie. The man didn't actually think she'd ever apologize either. She probably still blamed him for their relationship falling apart.

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Rawnie didn't answer. She refused to answer. Any idiot could see she was sorry! Did she really have to say it? Besides, she was too busy to talk. Unlike him who had decided to shoot first, find cover later, Rawnies instincts told her to find cover, then shoot. It really was the most sensible thing to do. She was already shooting when he looked at her again.

"Oh come on!" she yelled over the sound of rifle fire, "That was two years ago! We were kids! You can't really still be bitter!"

She thought for a moment, before adding-
"Besides, you're the one who lied to me about it in the first place! You should be apologizing to me, Vod."

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

"Well feth! If you weren't such a B-" 'CRACK' came the sound of his battle rifle as he fired another shot at a target before leap frogging over her to the next position. "...about everything. Maybe I would apologize!" He said as he slid into the next patch of cover, taking the heat of her to allow for her sniping. "Except I never lied to you! Just because I didn't tell you I smuggled on occasion, didn't mean I lied to you." Suddenly running out of ammo from his cover fire tactics, he discharged the empty power pack and replaced it with a fresh one.

"Please don't tell me I have to remind you that you didn't even give a guy a chance. Never bothered to see if I could change." A repeater nest not far ahead had Malcom pinned down. So instead he opted for a grenade. Boom! Came the report of the grenade before the weapons fire went silent. He still had yet to ever tell her about his not actually having performed another smuggling mission since she left him. It was something his own pride had not wanted to let go of for some time. He had figured if she actually cared, she would have given him another chance.

But she never did. Rawnie never bothered to ask. Never bothered to check to see how he was doing. Nothing. Just done with you and gone for years. Yet now she expected them to just go back to the way things were before all the poodoo like nothing ever happened. Kark, that.

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

"Well-" she shouted, then waited until the grenade exploded, "Have you? Have you changed?"

She should have asked sooner. She should have given him a chance to explain. But then things happened. Her brother was promoted to clan chieftain, her mother lost her hand in battle then fell ill, then there was all the work she'd had to do just to keep the clan going. All the hunting, the travel. She'd meant to message him so many times. But life just... got in the way. Then after enough time passed, she assumed she'd waited too long.

4, 3, 2... she counted down her shots until she'd fired the last one, then she pressed her back against the wall again for cover while she took care of that.

Now it really was too late. Even if he still had feelings for her, even if he'd changed, they'd both moved on.
...Right?

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

Hearing the rat tat tat of blaster fire still coming from the nest in front of him, he pulled his knife from his leg sheath when he heard her actually ask the question. Malcom stalled for just a moment as he looked into her eyes from his position. He didn't care. At least that is what he had been telling himself for most this time. Why the kriff did she have to act like she did now!? And like it would really make a difference either way. A frown appearing on his face, he turned away from her and army crawled to the poor bastard still firing on her position from the safety of his nest. The second there was a pause he lunged forward, plunging the knife into the practice animated targets throat before quickly retracting it and stabbing him through the heart more than enough times to kill him.

Taking refuge in the now "empty" foxhole, he stopped to catch his breath. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Curse her for coming now. Always did have to complicate things, she did. "If you really must know.....I've never actually smuggled another thing since you left me." His feelings were a mix of both old time familiarity and frienship, with that of anger and frustration. There had been a time that he probably would have proposed to the woman. But she had been to god dang stubborn to listen to anything but her own opinion.

While he hated himself for still caring. He never liked the concept of anyone he had even in the past cared for, still walking the stars and thinking ill of him. And while he most definitely loved another as she obviously did for herself. His desire to have the slate finally cleaned had in fact made him a bit bitter as she said. Though he'd never admit it. Popping up from the fox hole, he opened fire on the next target. Grateful for something else still their for him to unleash his frustration on.

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

The way he looked right at her. She felt her cheeks go red. Thank goodness for the privacy of her helmet to hide her face. She'd never live it down. She bit her lip, leaned out again, firing once.
"12-"

His voice made her pause. Caught her off guard.

He... did? He stopped? Was it because of her? Because he wanted to do right for her? Or was it simply out of principal? Did he grow a conscious after she left him?

"....Then why didn't you ever try to contact me? To tell me that?"

Her heart raced. Things... could have been quite different. It was too late now of course, and there was no point in thinking of the what ifs, but...

She snapped out of it in an instant. He;d gone ahead. Rawnie had stayed behind. She was better at long range than most, and she had a great spot back here. For now, until he moved in further, she would provide cover fire.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

"What the kriff for!?" He snapped back angrily. His true feelings on the old topic clearly coming to the fore. "You made it very clear that day what you felt!?" Malcom's anger was palpable by this point. Maybe it was true that only now at the end, would she finally understand he wasn't the monster she once thought him to be. But the chance of reconciliation at this point was long gone unless she somehow managed to say something that could actually change his now hardened mindset about her.

Perhaps it was also now, she was finally understanding why he wasn't quite behaving in a manner that made it seem like he remembered the old ways. The man had simply grown to despise her opinion. And yet, despite it all, he wouldn't have been able to honestly say he despised her. The way he fought now to protect her position during the training exercise did manage to betray that much. No matter what, when it came down to his vode, he would always protect them....

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

She watched a simulated enemy pop up, aiming at her training partner.

"9-" a shot went straight through it's eye. Another. "8."

He was angry at her. She tried to remember what she'd said to him before she left. Something about... bashing his face if he followed her. Yeah, she supposed that would do it, but she never said not to talk to her.She just wanted to get away to think. Give them space. She could be a little aggressive sometimes, but it was only because she cared. She was afraid for him back then, afraid he might end up like her mother. With a giant bounty on his head, close to losing everything at every moment. She'd just...

"I'm... sorry, alright?" she shouted, "I was young and I was rash. I didn't think."

....Yup. That was it. Hell had frozen over. Rawnie Tal'verda, the proud snow Angel, The Wolf of the north, had apologized.

 

[Malcom Renolds]

There was a long silence amongst the sounds of blaster fire and bolts of plasma darting through the air. Had she really just apologized!? The ice queen herself actually admitting she was wrong!? Hell had indeed frozen over for that moment. Malcom suddenly didn't know what to feel. His hatred had been deep rooted for so long now, the thought of simply letting it all go almost seemed ridiculous. But here it was at long last the moment he had actually wished for so long. And ironically, it didn't really matter anymore. He let out the smallest of frustrated chuckles while shaking his head.

Having gone to far ahead to speak without shouting at the top of their lungs, he finally chimed in over the comm. "Snow Angel....?" He finally said in an almost endearing way like he used to. "Apology accepted. I'm still sorry as well. I never wanted to hurt you." Frowning in his forward position, he cut the comm channel off before standing up and letting loose a fury of blaster fire at the next position. At this point, he didn't particularly care if he won the challenge or not.

Charging forward, he'd rely solely on her protective cover fire to see him through. Jumping up and over the short wall that marked the edge of the next fox hole, Malcom opened up with the remaining blaster rounds he had left in the power pack. When the rifle clicked the familiar sound of an empty ammo pack, he used the precision instrument of death as a simple bludgeoning instrument of chaos. Crushing the nearest enemies face by sheer brute force of impact with the butt of the rifle, he lobbed the rifle at a farther target as he struck out with his long knife across the throat of a fourth person.

He could almost feel the rounds of her sniper rifle whizzing past him, taking out targets to far for him to reach. At that particular moment, he fought like a man without a thing to lose. As the final target dropped from their fury, he stood there in silence. Breathing heavily, he looked up toward the sky looking for answers as to how he should truly feel now. But then it occurred to him that one feeling she always seemed to have applied to to him as well. It was a good fight.

And with nothing left of them to salvage it seemed, the simple act of demolishing everything in their path just seemed to make the world seem right. Turning on his heal to look back at her, he slowly pulled his helmet off. Allowing her to see for the first time during this exercise his face, he gave a small smile. The kind that she might remember when they were still together. With the slightest of nods, he turned away from her and picked up his rifle before heading for the exit.

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Snow Angel. The nickname caught her by surprise. She squeezed her trigger, watching the plasma blast through the face of another hologram. She hadn't missed a shot yet. Her score was perfect. Beyond perfect. His apology made her feel... lighter. Like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. They were not friends. Not really. Not like they had been as kids, sneaking out of their villages, to set traps for small animals, and shoot things with her bow. But perhaps now they could.... try? Maybe? And even if not, simply not hating each other was enough.

She covered him as he charged ahead, protecting him from stray fire, moving forward to the next spot of cover when he got out of her sight, but always protecting him. And then, it was over. She lowered her weapon, removed her helmet as well. She'd been keeping track of her own score. Zero shots missed, zero injuries. And her partner was uninjured as well. She knew what their score would be here. They had not failed. As they had so long ago, they had worked together in perfect harmony, like two parts of one song.
For an instant, she felt like the past had come back. Like nothing had changed.
He gave her that familiar smile. She returned it.

Then he walked out. She shouldered her sniper rifle and followed wordlessly.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]