Private Noble Pursuits

[Makko Vyres]

Makko tried to style out of her accusation. He grinned and shook his head and turned the terminal off. They shouldn't have been able to trace him, but he saw no reason to take a risk.

"I know you can," he muttered.

The truth was that it hurt to have her assume he would take up the bounty. It was enough credits to set him up for life, but he knew how the system worked. If he tried to turn Cora in he would get a choice of a nominal finders fee or a blaster bolt between the eyes.

He pursed his lips, the expression breaking. Through the cracks was how much her reaction hurt.

"We need to get some cheap kolto from next door to stop me bleeding on stuff and go somewhere to keep our heads down for a few hours. Could dye your hair while we're at it..."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

As closely as she'd been listening, Cora caught his mumbled words and responded by flushing into silence.

Jerk, she would have called him if she wasn't so anxious.

Something shifted in his expression, less teasing and more disappointed. She chose not to call attention to it, not now at least. Still, she was hit by a pang of guilt for doubting Makko’s intentions.

As they slipped out to the bodega next door, Cora's nose wrinkled. "Dye my hair? That could take hours, and I don't see a professional salon around here. Besides," She huffed. "That can be expensive and I can't use my credit stick. I doubt you’ll have enough hard credits to cover that kind of service.”

Honestly, was he even thinking?

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

"Or we could just use cheap..."

Another glance and Makko realised that this line of thinking was going absolutely nowhere. He decided to drop it entirely. She would probably be more amenable to having it shaved off that getting a quick and dirty dye job.

He grabbed the cheapest kokto spray. It wasn't bacta, but it would stop the bleeding, bring down the swelling and start the healing process.

"Let's get out of here," he said. He turned them out of the shop and into the main street just long enough to find an elevator to take them down a few levels. He'd found a few motels on the terminal quickly. There were hundreds nearby and he had memories just one. On the off chance they tracked them to the terminal, it wouldn't narrow down their search.

Her attitude struck him harder than he might have thought it would. They didn't exactly get on, but to have her decide that he might sell her to mercenaries hurt. He knew she was frightened. Even her well-bred exterior couldn't hide it this time.

The motel was not disgusting. It was cheap, but clean. There was a clinical scent from the droid workers cleaning down the harsh white walls. Instead of a reception desk, a machine dispensed a token that opened the designated room.

"No receptionist means no one to ask question," he said as they took the lift. "The room will be tiny, but we could do worse."

It wasn't a graffiti laden spice den. In a way, that leant it its own charm.

"Bet you've never stayed in anything this small," he muttered as he opened the door. Instead of a window, there was a screen displaying a view of Coruscant on the surface. He could comfortable touch both walls at the same time. He sat down and started to take the kolto spray out of its plastic wrap.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Makko was right; she'd never stayed in a closet before. When traveling with her family, they'd stayed in only the most upscale, luxurious accommodations.

She lingered near the door, trepidation evident on her face. The room was neat, but spartan. One bed. Cora grimaced. The harsh smell of antiseptic that drifted from beneath the door was at least an assurance that things had been cleaned properly.

Gingerly seating herself at the far edge of the bed, she kept her focus on the monitor as it panned over various planetary highlights. Still, from the corner of her eye, she was watching him.

A lot had gone unspoken between them, and Cora felt compelled to say something. Awkwardly, she cleared her throat.

"Sorry for…reacting as harshly as I did, back there." She frowned, reminding herself that without Makko's help, things could have turned out far worse. "I didn't know how involved you are in…underworld dealings."

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

Makko stood up once he had the spray free. There was a small basin and mirror in the corner of the room. If there was a refresher room it was shared by the corridor.

He heard her admission, but didn't answer at first. Makko tilted his head back, closed his eyes and sprayed himself with the kolto. It wasn't as numbing as bacta. In fact it actually made his cuts sting.

He breathed out and looked at himself in the mirror. He was a state. He looked at Cora's reflection over his shoulder. She was trying and she had actually apologised.

When he looked back at himself he had already stopped bleeding. The swelling was coming down. He gave his face a quick wash down.

"Left you a bit, in case you got hurt," he said. He lifted off his blood stained shirt and deposited in the sink, filling the basin with water as he tried to scrub out the worst of it.

"And I'm leaving that all behind," he said. "I think I am."

He sighed. He grabbed the towel and dried his face and hands, turning to look at her.

"I know we're different, but that did hurt a bit. When you looked...like you were scared of me. I didn't really find it funny.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

When he removed his shirt, Cora pointedly looked away.

"Th-thanks." She murmured, eyes glued to the monitor.

The admission that her reaction had hurt him came as a surprise. Cora wasn't sure how to respond, and by now she'd drawn her knees to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. She let his words hang in the air for a solid minute.

"I was scared of you." She admitted. "For a moment, at least. I've had to trust you blindly all this time and—and it made me wonder if I should have." Rubbing her hand with her face, she sighed and turned, reaching for the kolto spray. She caught his gaze for a moment, swallowed thickly, then retreated.

"You…haven't given me a reason to distrust you, though." She said quietly, rolling the bottle between her hands. The point where the taser had made contact with her ribs burned, but she wasn't quite ready to treat it.

Cora sighed heavily, shoulders slumping as she rested her chin on her knees. "I just feel…out of my depth, here."

Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

Makko sat on the bed. Pushing himself back so that he could sit with his head and back against the wall. It put him sitting beside her, though a little further back.

He watched and he listened. He was still young and full of anger and didn't process her comments properly.

"I'm not gonna betray you," he said tersely. "Wouldn't get the money anyway. They'd kill me too."

His expression softened, though she could only see it out of the corner of her eyes, as did his tone.

"We'll be alright. Promise I'll do what I can to keep you safe."

He fell silent for a few seconds.

"I know what it's like to feel out of my depth. I'm terrible at being a padawan. The one person who seems to have their shit together made it real clear they wanted nothin' to do with me."