Hearts on Fire

[Hazel Zanteres]

Hazel raised an eyebrow as she watched the Corellian. She had paused briefly, looking around for something she couldn't apparently see or find. A confused look appeared, and it was one the Hapan had come to understand meant Allyson was thinking about Kaili.

Why though? She was unsure, but right now Hazel was more concerned about the Corellian's lungs.

She listened to what she had to say, a look of sympathy crossing her expression as she saw Allyson fall back towards her confusion and self-doubt. With her seated on the edge of the bed, Hazel leaned down and gave the Corellian a brief hug.

"It's always best to make sure, you'll only be doing yourself more harm by just thinking it'll go away." She pulled away, placing her hand on Allyson's shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. "And you're not dying, I'll be making damn sure of that." Hazel gave a small nod to Allyson's request that followed.

"Of course she can, I'll get one of the guards to let her know. But for now, could you lay down on the bed? I'm going to need to scan you."

With that, the Hapan moved over to the door and opened it enough that she could poke her head out. She looked at both guards thinking, until it occured to her which one to ask. The one who had originally meant to be stationed in the room itself. It made the most sense to send him, given he would've been the closest, if he had been doing his job.

"Miss Locke has requested for Miss Talith's presence, could you go and inform her?"

Once the guard had agreed, Hazel slipped back into the room closing the door behind her. Now that Allyson was laid out on her bed, the Hapan moved over to the table and picked up her datapad and scanner. After spending about a minute on calibrating the two, Hazel returned to the bedside and began to scan the Corellian's body.

[member="Kaili Talith"] | [member="Allyson Locke"]​

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Allyson Locke"] // [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

They were quiet sobs like satin on sand. Wind swept against its surface, caused errant sighs to give her away to anyone who could hear it. Pitiful eyes looked around and saw no one, just like they had expected. Kaili was alone in her room again and it just hurt all over. Her shoulders shivered from the cold like a reminder of how she had spent her night. The balcony hadn’t offered much in the way of comfort and the soreness it had left behind was still ever present. Eyes set on the door before the knock had even reverberated around her room. The guard she had told to watch the doctor was here. Kaili tried to glare but her nerves wouldn’t let her. A defeated sigh burst through her nose as she stood up at his approach.

“My lord,” He bowed and Kaili held back a groan. “Your mistress Locke has requested that you are present.”

Kaili blinked and tried to shake herself off. “O- oh?” Her voice shook. “She did?”

The man nodded.

“Go- will be-...” Deep shaky breath. “I will be right there.”

“Something wrong, my lord?” The man inquired and Kaili winced. She couldn’t show weakness like this. It was unbecoming of her in front of those who worshipped her. “Is there anything we can do for you?”

“No.” Kaili shook her head. “It’s just been a long couple of days.”

“As you wish.” He said and bowed once more and stepped out of the room. Kaili followed behind and soon stepped into the room with the Doc and the Patient. Teeth visibly gritted for a second at the sight of the doctor, but Kaili closed her eyes and sighed it off. She was better than that.

“Doctor.” She said, albeit as cold as ever. “I was told to come here, is something wrong?”

 

[Allyson Locke]

Listening to the doctor, Allyson felt slightly calmer for this visit. There was something terribly wrong with her, but with the doctor here things should get better soon. Laying down, the Corellian had wished the doctor had waited to do this sort of stuff until Kaili had arrived. Having the blonde near would bring a sense of comfort or Allyson had hoped it would. She remembered how she felt during the dream sequences, she always felt at ease and comfortable. It was possible those emotions would soon come again with Kaili – hopefully soon.

The scanner moved across her body and Allyson remained tense. Something familiar came about as she looked towards the door and Kaili stood. It felt like a lifetime since Allyson had seen Kaili. In an odd way, she regretted not seeing the woman after the complicated morning they had shared. Allyson studied the blonde as she was curt with the doctor. The tone was harsh and Allyson sighed softly knowing exactly now why Kaili seemed to dislike the doctor so much. The moment didn’t occur to her until this minute. It seemed like such a small moment in her life, but Allyson remembered what Kaili had seen when she had arrived to pick her up. At the time, Allyson knew she was lost and the Doctor shouldn’t have done what she did, but it was justifiable by how Allyson was acting.

She would have apologized a lot sooner, but she didn’t realize anything until now. A small brief memory reminded Allyson of Kaili’s short and explosive temper – along with how long the girl could hold onto a grudge. Inviting the doctor to dinner was most likely out of the question. Thinking back on all of this, Allyson felt a tightness in her chest. Something made her stand, moving her towards Kaili’s direction. Feet moved swiftly and she wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde – desperate to make sure she wasn’t going anywhere. Resting her head near Kaili’s ear, she whispered softly. ‘Don’t be so curt to the doctor…she’s only here to help…to help me.’ Another tight squeeze and Allyson pulled away and coughed into the t-shirt she was wearing.

White wasn’t the best choice as it showed the dark almost black, crimson specks that had come up as she coughed into the fabric. “It’s not as bad as it looks…” A nervous chuckle as she stepped back slightly. Her head starting to get light as she looked around and once more became confused. “Where am I?”

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

The silence was filled with the soft beeping of the scanner, moving with careful precision across Allyson's body.

Hazel's expression remained neutral throughout, eyes fixed on her datapad as the data came through. There was no way of gleaming what exactly the Hapan was seeing from looking at her.

Gradually the scanner was held primarily around Allyson's chest, examining her lungs.

It was at that moment the door slid open, and Kaili walked in. Hazel spared her glance, noticing the anger that was still lingering towards her, but made no reaction towards it. She merely returned her attention to the datapad as the scan finished.

"From the results I just got, I believe so." Hazel gave a small nod to the other blonde, before looking over at Allyson. "You can sit up now."

The Hapan walked back over to the table, leaving the two to silently converse for the moment. Hazel disconnected the scanner from the datapad and began re-going over the information that was now displayed on the screen. She held back a sigh, massaging her temples slightly before turning back around and moving towards the bed.

“It’s not as bad as it looks…”

"It's as bad as it looks." Hazel spoke with a stern voice, attention fixed on Allyson then to where the shirt was now bloodied. She was about to elaborate further, but she instead paused at the Corellian's question, frowning slightly at why she was suddenly forgetting where she was.

"You're at your home, Miss Locke."

[member="Kaili Talith"] | [member="Allyson Locke"]​

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Allyson Locke"] // [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

Justifiable? The last shred of an increasingly narrowed down string of happiness had been torn only to be reconstructed a day prior and then get torn at again. They embraced, Kaili found comfort in that, but there was none of it to be found in the words that was whispered into her ear. Yet she couldn’t tell Allyson that. The stress she was under was already too much and in Kaili’s mind she was the one responsible for it. She had gone too far and too fast. Allyson found a seat on her bed again and Kaili did the same.

Not as bad as it seems.

Yes it was, according to the doctor.

Kaili frowned, and Allyson had forgotten where she was. Everything in her life was just in a downwards spiral. All of it, but she had to keep her head up. Air was hard to come by but it was there. She was in control of her own emotions for as long as she let herself, and in times like these that was all that mattered. So there she sat, stone-faced with her elbows propped up against her knees to give her chin support. Gone, yet not really. It was better not to feel any emotion at all than feel the wrong ones. Around the doctor, and the seat she had placed Allyson in, there was nothing but the wrong ones.

Guilt, anger, regret, a whole slew of things she knew not to think too much of. An impassive stare set fire to the wall by Allyson with a glance that was as brittle as they got. Like a porcelain dam bursting at its seams her eyes were bloodshot to provide the haunting image of cracks on its surface. She might have washed off the smell of the dried up wine on her skin but the rest of her exhausted, self-pitying plea for attention on her own balcony still lingered. She was pale, her hair a wet mess from the refresher.

“Kiara.” Kaili added to the doctor’s remark with a flat voice. “We are on Kiara. If you remember that.”

Her eyes closed. She shouldn’t be here, but Allyson wanted her around. Kaili obliged.

“I…” Kaili swallowed her own pride. “Want her to feel better, Doctor.”

“If not for my sake, then hers.” She had to break this. Break the overbearing feeling of guilt. Mouth opened to make a joke. It hung open, jittered as she struggled for words, yet before long it closed again and she merely sighed and looked at the ground.

“I don’t want to lose her-” Again. “-too.”

 

[Allyson Locke]

[SIZE=10pt]The doctor didn’t like what she had seen and she had quickly corrected Allyson when she mentioned it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Allyson knew it was quite terrible, feth she was living daily with the feeling. She knew she was pushing herself too much and that if she pushed hard enough she could kill herself. Though, that was the plan of course, before last night that is. If Allyson could go back in time she would. She would stop herself from doing everything that lead up to this point. In the end, the Corellian was getting what she wanted…she was probably going to die. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Eyes set on Kaili. She looked at the girl, she looked nothing like the woman she had been with the evening prior. Something seemed to have been lost and Allyson knew it was her doing. Sighing softly, she scolded herself. Her scolding was somewhere between ‘last night shouldn’t have happened and you shouldn’t have pushed her away’. Either way, there was no avoiding the situation they were in. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]“I’m not going anywhere Kaili…if you need to leave you can. Get some rest…” Pushing her away again, but Allyson couldn’t bear the sight of her caretaker and obvious lover falling apart because of this. Part of her hoped Kaili would go sleep, but something in the back of her mind knew that Kaili was better off here with the doctor and her. Attention set on the doctor, “What’s going on? How do I fix this?” [/SIZE]

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

She watched for a moment as the two women interacted, seeing the obvious pain both were in. Emotions were running rampant, and both women were trying to push each other way in one respect or another. Out of love for each other no doubt, but wanting to push away the other for their own sake, even though it would end up hurting them.

Tugging back and forth, in some twisted form of the game.

Hazel was tempted to hug them, say would be all right. But she was fairly certain Kaili would haul her arse out of the building if she hugged Allyson. And there was a better chance of her becoming Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, than the other blond letting the Hapan hug her.

Instead she bottled that up, after all she was meant to be here on a professional capacity.

"Well firstly, have you done anything particularly strenuous since leaving the medical facility?" Her eyes were on Allyson, leaving the words lingering in the air. What exactly she was aluding to left to interpretation. Until she spoke again. "Such as exercise? I did advise you not to go too hard on that. Rest was essential for the first few weeks after."

The Hapan stepped back a bit, so she was openly talking to both Allyson and Kaili with what she had to say next.

"From what the scans have shown, it does appear you might be suffering from lung disease. What exactly it is, I don't know yet. I'll need to get a fresh sample of the mucus you've been coughing up to test."

It looked as like they weren't going to be rid of Hazel just yet.

[member="Kaili Talith"] | [member="Allyson Locke"]​

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Allyson Locke"] // [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

There was nothing Kaili could do but stare. As tempting as the offer to leave was she would remain and stare at the ground. Allyson had asked for her to come here and now Kaili was here. She couldn’t just leave, but she most certainly could stare at the floor as her mind struggled to catch up like a man being swept under the water’s surface by the tide. Part of her knew this was all her fault, but whether it was the part of her that told her she should have done this earlier, or the part that wished she never had done it in the first place, was up for debate. She could have kept Allyson closer if she had done it earlier, maybe helped her avoid this altogether. Yet, if she hadn’t done it in the first place she wouldn’t have felt this unfathomable loneliness even when Allyson was around.

This was new. This was frightening. Lung disease, Kaili’s eyes set on the doctor as fires began to spread within the confines of her mind. This was her fault, the doctor’s fault, all of it. She was the one who had torn the shred when Kaili had come to see Allyson, she was the one who had overstepped her boundaries by a mile.

Images flashed before Kaili’s mind. The images from the cave of herself and the flames. The pain and misery she would cause. Sharp, glowing amber eyes smirked at her, knowing exactly where Kaili’s line of thought would take her. A shaky gasp forced the girl back to reality again. A hand ran itself across her face but the stare still lingered on the floor. The blonde girl rose from her seat and suddenly the world spun.

I should rest. Kaili tried to speak but nothing but a small inaudible whisper, a mumble, parted her lips ever so slightly as she tried to force herself back into the world of the living again. It was like watching your body go on auto-pilot without you having asked it to do so. The lights grew brighter and the sounds of the world got pushed to the side. The already pale girl was growing even more pale as the lights began to overtake everything she could see.

Her lips remained separated from her mumble. She had to move. Her leg shifted — or rather, stumbled — over the other. Something rushed past her cheek, but she would not know what it was. By the time her arm had tried to catch her body against the corner of the dresser she’d have found her cheek hitting its edge, and by the time the back of her head hit the ground she was already out cold and covered in whatever items had been brought down with her.

Did it smell like fire in here?

Kaili felt the fires like she had on Ilum again.

Oh no.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Lung disease.

One hell of a way to go out, right? Allyson choked back a laugh as she was asked the question of her activities. Was she supposed to lay in bed this whole time and let life pass her? There were things to do and people to meet. Still the shock of it all made her laugh, which was probably something she shouldn’t have done. Why would someone laugh in this matter? Allyson thought about it and figured after everything that has happened to her, why would she assume she’d grow old with someone she loved? It didn’t play out right in her story. She was someone that was going to die violently and painfully – yet lung disease felt so lame.

Sighing softly, she pulled herself back together. “I’m sorry, it’s just…I guess the icing on the cake of my life Doc. Either way, to answer your question…I’ve been taking it easy for the most part. I – “Allyson trailed off for a moment, her eyes glanced towards Kaili who was near her. The girl was acting strange and something in the back of her mind flared to life. A memory emerged, they were in a dark room and Allyson felt herself running. The face that Kaili made now was in her mind and memory.

Nightmares.

Allyson shook her head free of the memory and returned her attention to the doctor. She should be completely honest, for the most part she had been resting, but then there was last night. Coughing to clear her throat, Allyson locked eyes on the doctor and raised an eyebrow slightly. Her lips curled into a smirk as she felt the tips of her ears become warm with a slight blush. “Well let’s just say last night…last night I was fully reminded of the extent of mine and Kaili’s relati-“

As she spoke she watched Kaili, instinct kicked in as she stood and watched Kaili. Despite the doctor wanting no exertion of her body to happen. Allyson moved quickly and grabbed Kaili’s arm before she cracked her head open on the hard floor of the room. The weight of the blonde, took Allyson down with her and she began to breath heavy, out of strain of her body and panic.

“Kaili?!” Looking back at the Doctor, confusion spread across Allyson’s face. She held onto Kaili and shook her slightly, it seemed she was unconscious and Allyson figured it was because she was exhausted from everything that had happened. Doing her best, she stood up with Kaili and carried the girl back to the bed and put her down. “I think she hit her head…we can worry about me later – just make sure she’s okay. If I remember right, she’s not only stubborn but thick headed…” Despite the joke, she was fully concerned with what just happened. Allyson’ felt something, it was something terrible in the pit of her stomach. It was as if she had felt this before with Kaili – but exactly what it was remained a mystery.

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Hazel wondered if she had somehow jinxed herself earlier in the day. Things were getting worse and worse as the time ticked on, as seemed to be a common trend when dealing with Locke and Talith.

Frustration bubbled to the surface, but the Hapan pushed it back down.

Now was not the time and place for that.

She looked over at Allyson as she laughed. Hazel raised an eyebrow, wondering what was so amusing about the situation right now. Although that wasn't entirely false, it did cross her mind that it was out of exasperation, reflecting on the crappy deck life had dealt her as of late. The Hapan couldn't fault her for that. She also in a way wished this could be solved a lot easier and simpler than it was already turning out not to be.

But she knew that wasn't impossible, miracles like that didn't just happen. Things just generally got worse, before it ever began to get better.

The Hapan kept her focus on Allyson, watching as the Corellian's eyes lingered over to Kaili. She opened her mouth to speak, quickly catching on to what Allyson was saying. The Hapan had advised Kaili to not rush things, and whether she had done this out of spite of her advice or because of the messy situation that was her relationship with the Corellian right now. She didn't know.

What she did know however, was the situation just got a worse. She saw Allyson suddenly move into action, the Hapan's eyes following as the woman grabbed Kaili before her head could strike the ground. Hazel slipped into action, immediately crouching down to and examining the blonde woman.

Soft fingers pressing against her cheek, checking for anything broken while being careful not to irritate the cut that had opened up from the impact. Hazel looked at Allyson, seeing the woman was in panic.

"Breathe Allyson, breathe." Whether the Corellian was able to was another thing, with the current state of things, everything was getting worse. "Do you know why she blacked out like that?" Hazel's first assumption was exhaustion, but experience had taught her that it could easily go deeper than that.

[member="Kaili Talith"] | [member="Allyson Locke"]​

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Allyson Locke"] // [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

Unfeeling, yet perfectly aware of what was going on. Kaili remained fleeting between the real world and what was not as her mind decided to shut down yet keep her body under tense control. It was like being blind, mute and deaf all at once, yet perfectly aware of everything that was going on around you. Her mind stopped buzzing with the information from her datapad, yet she felt everything as fingers tapped against her cheek. These weren’t her own, they certainly weren’t Allyson’s. Her jaw tensed almost as if on instinct, teeth exposed to scare off whatever predator was touching her before easing up again a second later as her mind told her to stop.

Tears poured, images of her own failures remaining ever so brilliantly shining as they did even when she was awake, her failures feeling complete save for the last step down the road. She had been unable to protect Allyson and then subsequently lost Allyson as a result, and now she had failed to deliver the galaxy to the world of Kiara. The Boolon Foundation had done everything whereas Kaili hadn’t done a single thing, not really. How long was it until the people here would realize that she was nothing but a big hoax? A lie, that they had put too much faith in against her wish? When would Kaili die? Burn at the stake or get hung in a tree for the treason she had committed against those who had worshipped the ground she walked on? But the biggest question that burned without answer was how long she had it in her to keep going at all. She had lost so much, and now she was losing Allyson too. Where was Kaili’s chance to finally get something from the world without it having to take?

Why was she so self-centered and focused on herself?

A lot of people lost their lives every day, Allyson was just one of many.

But it was Allyson! It wasn’t fair!

Many people died. It was unavoidable in the end.

BUT. IT. WAS. ALLYSON.

It was all there when the doctor checked her. Intense rapid eye movement, a pulse that only grew more and more rapid for each moment that passed with a breathing that was as equally unstable. A deep sense of fear would seep through the girl, noticeable only to those who had the ability to sense it. Allyson shared a direct bond to the Talith girl, but would the doctor feel it too? The air lingered with a thick miasma that seemed to be almost a fear of life itself mixed with an almost greater fear of loss. There was a battered floodgate that had begun to burst at its seams with no telling when it would explode into a tidal wave of bottled up emotion and at its very center stood the Corellian woman cradling Kaili in her arms.

Eyes tensed up for a second before they opened wide again and stared at nothing once more.

“I am so sorry, this is all my fault.” Kaili moved her stare towards the doctor, not meeting her with eye contact or even raising her eyes from the floor, seemingly staring at something off in the distance behind her. A thousand yard stare. “I killed her.”

“I-... I killed everyone.”

“They- they’re all dead.”

The message began to repeat, the same words being uttered without a single feeling behind them other than stale fear in a message that repeated over and over again as Kaili tried to find comfort. Hulls roared with pain as they were torn open within the confines of Kaili’s mind. Allyson’s room was no longer her room, and Kaili was no longer on Kiara.

Kaili was back again.

Back where she should have died.

“This is my fault, I killed her, I killed everyone. They are all dead.”

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson held Kaili and tried to think back to whatever faded memory she had of this situation before. Shaking her head, she listened to what the doctor was saying, she needed to breath and to stay calm for the most part. Taking a deep breath, Allyson tried to focus everything on her breathing. It hurt when she thought about it, but the Corellian did her best to push it out of her mind. Kaili had just passed out from exhaustion.

“Nightmares. I remember nightmares.” Doing her best Allyson tried to treat Kaili with the upmost care. A hand gently ran against the blonde’s hair as she looked down at her. Was everything her fault? Did Allyson cause this to happen repeatedly? Brows furrowed as she tried to think of what was to be done. It was then Kaili opened her eyes, but something was very wrong with the way she looked at them. Allyson listened at the ramblings of the girl and then she looked at the doctor. “She’s – its an old memory, if I remember correctly it was an accident when she was younger…”

She couldn’t just hold Kaili and let her think she was back in that dark place. Giving the other girl a shake, Allyson tried to make her focus on her. “It wasn’t your fault Kaili. None of it was your fault. You did your best. Stop beating yourself up about it!” Allyson couldn’t remember how to make this stop, she didn’t know how to make Kaili return to herself again. Cursing under her breath, she looked to the doctor. “There was a drug she used to use…I personally don’t like it. I remember it made her so empty to the world around her. Do you…do you have anything that could help her? We can deal with me later – once she’s okay…” Allyson did her best to hold Kaili and keep the girl close. The last thing that Kaili needed was to feel alone.

“Kaili. Stop this please…it’s not your fault.” [member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

The Hapan sighed as she brought her hand up, fingers threading through her blonde hair as she tried to think of what to do. Nothing about this situation was simple, or easy.

If it wasn't Allyson with her amnesia and now lung problems, then it was Kaili reacting to them with her own issues worsening things. When one was hurt, the other felt it. Usually resulting in the latter being hurt, which then returned back to the first who ended up feeling the same from that.

A vicious cycle that would probably not end for a long while, if ever. A test to the bond the two shared, tugging at it from all directions to see if it would just snap apart.

Hazel nodded at the mention of nightmares. She fairly experienced with their effects to, whether it was memories of her brief time as a slave or the years on battlefields. It had taken the Hapan a long time to find a way of ignoring them, eventually involving herself getting buried in work. If she exhausted herself to a point, then the nightmares had no way of settling in her tired mind.

"Keep trying to think Allyson, anything that could help her..." Hazel spoke softly, eyes shifting between both women as she tried to think fo a solution.

She did not like the idea of giving Kaili drugs, specifically something like Allyson had described. The Hapan knew very well what they do to a person, especially to someone who had managed to distance themselves only to relapse later on.

Kaili did not need any further complications than there already were in her life.

"She's being pulled back into her past, and I don't think the nightmares are willing to let her go. She needs...." Hazel paused, looking around the room. "She needs..." Her eyes fell on the bed, and an idea struck. But she paused, looking at the Borleian in thought. Kaili needed something to bring her back to the present, to think of the future. And what else would be better for that than Allyson?

But at the same time, it was the Corellian who was the source of so much pain and heartache for the blonde. It was another either/or situation. Either Kaili's memories of Allyson would overwrite the ones currently haunting her, or it would worsen the situation as she was reminded of their current predicament.

There was only one way of finding out.

"Help me get her into the bed." Hazel stood up, rushing over to Allyson's bed and pulling the covers over. Maybe having the Corellian; or rather her scent close by - a reminder of nights in bed holding one another, would help ease Kaili's troubling thoughts. Either way, it was clear the Borleian needed sleep.

[member="Kaili Talith"] | [member="Allyson Locke"]​

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Allyson Locke"] // [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

Eyes grew wide as Allyson shook Kaili, her heart starting to beat firmer and even faster against the blonde’s chest seeking to escape. The ship shook around the blonde as the smoking wreck continued its descent towards the ground at an alarming rate. Eyes set on the mandibles of the monster that held her within its grasp, long carapace covered legs keeping Kaili in a petrified embrace. It whistled and snarled at her as tears continued to pour down the girl’s cheeks like an uncontrollable river.

It brought her up, carried her out of the room.

Kaili blinked as she was lowered to the floor of the bridge. Quiet resignation tensing her body up as her body hit the unusually soft metal floors. She could see the ground coming closer, ever closer until finally the ship hit the ground. Kaili closed her eyes, let in a deep inhale to prepare herself, but…

It never came…

Death wasn’t-

A shriek and an inhale caused Kaili to sit upright in the Corellian’s bed. Her breath circulating between deep, short, rapid, slow inhales in an unstable rhythm of sheer panic. She choked as the world began to fade from her nightmare and…

Back to home.

Back to Allyson.

This place, it-... It smelled of her.

Exhausted glance fired at the people in the room, not really taking them in before Kaili collapsed back into her mattress again. Her heart stabilizing, her breathing returning to normal. She was out, she was back again, but she was not able to stay awake.

The doctor and Allyson would have a few moments to themselves. Kaili needed five to recover.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson nodded hearing Hazel’s idea and request. Carrying Kaili was a struggle, the girl was heavy in this state and Allyson was already weak from her own ordeal. Grunting she did her best not to plop Kaili onto the bed she had slept in. Covering her with the blankets and sitting beside her making sure that she protected her the best she could from the nightmares, Allyson waited and caught her breath. “Force she’s heavy…” Eyes widened as she felt Kaili stir and hoped that she had not heard Allyson comment on how heavy she was.

It seemed like an eternity as the waited for Kaili to stabilize. Allyson reached down and grasped the hand of the blonde and stared at her intently for a moment. “Remember how I had doubt that she was the girl I continued to see in those dreams? I think after this, after how I felt everything she was feeling to an extent. How I reacted and how right now this instant I could care less about how I’m doing or how we’re going to fix me…I just want her to be okay.” Allyson continued to look at the unconscious blonde and try and figure out how she got to this point in her life. Where did she go right? Knowing the question was one of those ‘unanswerable’, Allyson looked towards the doctor with a playful smile. “As much as I enjoyed our little make out session…I think I’m off the market doc.” The Corellian knew there was nothing in that ballpark between her and the doctor, but it was still fun to make fun.

Allyson cleared her throat the best she could, her free hand pulled at the neck lining of her thin t-shirt and she stretched it a bit. Everything felt tight, but she assumed it was because of everything that had just happened. Taking a deep breath, she winced slightly and then gave the doctor her full attention. “So, possible lung cancer, anything we can do? If not, how long do you think I have?” Pausing, she smiled softly, “If there’s nothing we can do – we will pretend I’m getting better. I don’t want Kaili to think I have a time limit – she would try to pack a life time into the short amount of time. Sound good?”

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Hazel had to bite back her laugh at Allyson's comment, it was a bit of humour amongst everything that was going on. Although the Hapan almost broke from her restrained laugh when she saw the Corellian's eyes widen with Kaili's movements.

Once the blonde had been placed on the bed, Hazel had helped Allyson pull the covers back over so Kaili was completely wrapped within it.

The Hapan's breathing hitched when Kaili suddenly sat up, her eyes still blank to the world around her until they seemed to return and glance around to the other two occupants. Exhaustion clear in her expression and body language, until she fell back down once again and closed her eyes.

It had been a gamble, but one that had paid off.

Hazel glanced over at Allyson, a small rather joking glare at her bringing up the kissing thing. But it soon shifted into a smile, and a shake of the head.

"It would seem so, besides you're not quite my type." Well, that wasn't entirely true, but that hardy mattered at this point in time. A more serious look appeared on the Hapan's face as she looked back at the slumbering Kaili. "Never let her go Allyson, no matter how rough the road ahead might be, never let her go."

They both needed one another, that was blatant to see.

That mood followed on as Allyson brought up her condition, and Hazel shook her head at her.

"Always immediately going to the extremes, don't you Miss Locke?" She smirked slightly, though the serious tone quickly replaced it. "Cancer is a possibility, the worst case scenario. I'll need to test an sample to be sure, but even right now I'd say there's a better chance it's nothing more than just an infection."

[member="Kaili Talith"] | [member="Allyson Locke"]​

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Allyson Locke"] // [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

The blonde girl’s chest slowly rose and sunk in peace as her mind took in the smell of Allyson from her pillow. She was fast asleep, unaware of the conversation the other two were having as she fell deeper and deeper into the slumber she had wanted for so long in a place of safety, and warmth, and comfort. Her body shifted her over to her side facing Allyson with a soft smile on her lips. Every now and then they seemed to move as if to speak, but it would be all the more obvious that she was in a dream again.

“I really don’t want to leave here.”......................​

​

......................“Then don’t. I’m not making you.”​

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——​

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“Kaili I… I told you I’m durable, takes a lot to get rid of me.”​

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——​

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“SIX. WEEKS.”​

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——​

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“Cooking is on you. Too tired. Your fault, you fix. Thanks.”​

The memories came back and they were all good ones.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson smiled as she watched Kaili sleep, the girl looked so peaceful especially after the incident earlier. She wondered quietly what she was dreaming about and if it was like her own dreams, filled with memories and moments that they had shared. A hand ran through the soft blonde hair as Kaili slept, Allyson nodded acknowledging Hazel’s suggestion. “I’ll do my best. She held on for me – it’s the least I can do, right?” Remembering that Kaili had played along, pretending to just be a good friend – when all the while they were so much more than that. Allyson wondered if nights were just as painful for Kaili as they were for her.

The doctor made a comment about Allyson’s knack for assuming the worst. It forced a smile across the Corellian’s face as she snorted slightly. “My dad was like that too, he said its better to assume the worst so when the best case happens – you can be surprised and never disappointed.” A painful ache in her chest reminded her that her father was gone as well. Shaking that pain away Allyson nodded and looked towards the Doctor.

“Sample? How are you going to do that? Do I just open my mouth and you look inside?” Allyson raised an eyebrow, there had to be another way. She needed to find out though. “I know you say it’s a long shot and the worst-case scenario – you still didn’t promise. You’re not getting a sample until you promise [member="Hazel Zanteres"]” [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

The Hapan watched quietly, her eyes bouncing between Kaili and Allyson as some measure of peace settled down in the room, the lingering tension evaporating away. It was plainly obvious that when one was a peace, the other one would quickly follow. And vice versa was just as true too, both women shared a type of bond Hazel as admittedly envious of. Although that was quickly out of her mind as Allyson brought up her father.

Hazel placed a hand on the Corellian's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. She had been informed about Allyson's family back at the facility, and with her amnesia all those painful memories were bound to hit a bit more harder.

"You're father sounds like he was a wise man." Although Hazel was quite the opposite, her own father instilled a different notion when she was younger. "But it can easily be a slippery slope, as you can end up always thinking about the worst and never returning from it." The Hapan always hoped for the best, as it kept her going whenever things got rough.

She chuckled at Allyson's comment, shaking her head in response.
"Not quite like that no, I'll need you to cough up some of the mucus and take some of that to test. But I will need to examine your throat, see if I need to prescribe you something stronger." At the mention of promises, Hazel fully turned to face Allyson. "And what exactly do you want me to promise? There's no absolutes or guarantees, I can-" She paused for a moment, thinking before she resumed. "Actually no, I can promise you whether the worst case happens or not, I'll keep looking after you; and Kaili if need be."

[member="Kaili Talith"] | [member="Allyson Locke"]​

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Allyson Locke"] // [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

Painful? Try misery. Kaili had hated lying to Allyson and watch her break her heart apart without even trying or knowing. Every comment on the beauty of others, not recognizing the blonde that refused to leave her side. Every night spent in a bed that was too big for comfort. It was a phantom pain unlike any other, Kaili’s body trying to touch a part of herself that wasn’t there anymore. She had gotten it back for a night, and now she was back and so close to it again.

The dreams in the blonde girl’s mind turned sour for a second at the drop of Allyson’s memory of her father. An agitated expression spreading across her face as her nose and eyebrows tensed up with pain. It was over as quick as it came, but the effect was lingering. The memories continued to trace their time together, one particularly bright one coming to mind as Allyson’s fears began to fade away again. A finger had traced along Kaili’s chin with its tickle and burn as hard to resist as ever. An arm reached out to try and wrap itself around the Corellian’s chest and waist to no avail. It caused the blonde to recoil for a second as her eyes slowly opened again.

There she was sitting. On the corner of the bed.

This memory was something she remembered quite fondly. She wouldn’t stop herself. What was the point? She finally felt safe again. Kaili shuffled towards the Corellian with her arms wrapping firmly around her waist as he raised herself up towards her neck. A quiet murmur, a purr of affection parted the girl’s lips.

“The Rogues can wait.” Kaili kissed the soft skin of her lover’s exposed neck. “Stay. Just for a while.”

“They’ll be fine, you have-...” Her vision grew less blurry. Eyes closing with a firm pressure before opening wide again with a far too sharp image of...

… Of Hazel Zanteres.

Immediately she began to blink before her eyes slowly started to shift around the room.

“This… Is not a memory. And this is not my room.” Kaili sounded quite surprised. Unsure where she even was for a second. “This is Allyson’s room.”

And that was exactly when she felt it. A feeling inside of her. Something she had grown used to, yet not really. The blonde girl’s eye shut as she winced in separation from Allyson. Her cheek hurt. Why did her cheek hurt? A hand reached up to touch it only to let in a sharp inhale as soft fingertips brushed against broken and bruised skin.

What the hell had she been doing before-

The girl shut up. She had experienced another episode.

But how had she come back?

Her confusion seemed palpable.