On Top of The World

[Kaili Talith]

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick. The clock kept on clicking. There had been days, weeks when Kaili had considered having the damn thing torn down in the hopes that it would make things more bearable during the wait. It had been two-hundred and thirty-nine days since last she had met her. Two-hundred and thirty-nine days since they had last spoken to each other in person. Not all of it had been nice, in fact a lot of it wasn’t, but two-hundred and thirty days ago they had made up for it over a holocall. Even if the last time they had spoken was seven days ago, all of this still meant that for two-hundred and thirty-nine days Kaili had remained in her home and office all alone without anything worthwhile to do but work, and sleep, and repeat the cycle until her mind was numb.

The kid flipped the item in her hands and looked over at the sign behind her counter. Andromeda Electronics. She didn’t know why she had picked the name but something about it had just clicked. It sounded right, and that was good enough for her. Eyes wanded down to the item in her hand again. With the growth of her store and it turning into something bigger there was also room for something else. Part of Kaili worried for her newfound success while the other marveled at it. She knew she was overanalyzing it, of course, but she still found it hard to believe. Sometimes windfalls happened, sometimes you just had friends with an obscene amount of money to hand out. It was just a concept Kaili didn’t know how to handle. Perhaps it was because deep down Kaili would forever remain a worrywart, yet either way it all played out she was bound to feel it bite her in the ass one way of the other, that much she was certain of.

Not because more success was painful like that, but the potential inability to live up to a new standard was.

Footsteps called from outside. Kaili twitched, turned on her heel and looked over at the door. Something was inserted into the key slot. The hiss of the doors opening sounded off. Kaili ran towards it, jumped, and...

[member="Allyson Locke"] was welcomed home.

 

[Allyson Locke]

The days had been long and not as fun as she had hoped when it came to being in the Rogue Squadron. The life had been like a fairy tale when you read about it even when the other rogues talked about it - it was besides that. Allyson didn’t realize training could be so tedious, yet useful. Flight missions, dog fights and everything and above was more than she could handle right now. The woman sighed softly as she was let off the public shuttle, she had foregone the desire to buy herself a nice speeder with the checks she was receiving mostly to save up for something in the future.

Taking that extra tour was something she regretted, especially since it was done not because she loved what she was doing, it was because she was avoiding someone she loved. Their fights were explosive, guess one could say that it was because they were so passionately in love with each other...or something like that. It was obvious the honeymoon phase was over and now they were into the nitty gritty of a relationship. Allyson sighed again as she pushed up the aviators from her face and rubbed the strain from her face. By the time she would be where Kaili was it would be close to dark. Getting on another shuttle she headed towards Kaili’s shop. Allyson found a comfortable spot on the shuttle and pulled out her data pad. The address and how to get there was listed in holomail format, felt so formal for the girl, but that’s just how Kaili was.

Allyson thought fondly of the girl and their conversation that occurred a week prior to this. Apologies were exchanged and things were better. She made a note to make sure if this happens again she would contact her after a few weeks instead of going months without speaking to the girl. Every day ate Allyson alive, every day she fought the urge to call her and apologize, but something...something called Pride kept her from calling. Still, despite them both having an ego and a large amount of pride - Ms. Talith caved in first. The thought gave Allyson a smug little smirk as she finished the ride.

Climbing off the shuttle she slung her bag over her shoulder and stretched both arms over her head. Yawning slightly, she headed towards the door and flipped the key in her fingers. Kaili had made sure she had one as soon as they had made up, which meant that if Kaili was asleep, Allyson could still get in. The door wooshed open and as Allyson stepped into the door a blonde woman came flying at her. Reacting the way she would react if she had been ambushed, Allyson dropped her back and nearly caught Kaili. In the same motion, Allyson moved herself out of the line of fire and pinned the blonde against the now shut door. Bodies pressed against each other, Allyson blinked and stared into the fiery orange hues that belonged to her girlfriend, “Kaili…” It was all she could muster, before she kissed her with a ferocious passion. [member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

One moment in movement, the other pinned against the wall. One heaving sigh after another as two bodies conjoined into one. Kaili had missed Allyson like waves missed the shoreline. She loved her, feared her in that regard, yet wanted nothing but to be with her. Eight months was an unbearable time to spend apart no matter how bad the fight before it had been, nothing was as painful as the idea of not having Allyson around. It brought alarm bells at the back of her mind, screamed of an attachment that was a liability on her already explosive temper. Something that could be exploited to get to Kaili, but the girl didn’t listen to it. She was already lost, lost in a sea of emotion and comfort.

“Allyson,” Kaili stammered amidst the kisses. “Never again.”

It grew hard to see anything as a great blur spread itself across Kaili’s field of vision and she pushed herself once more into the Corellian woman’s face. Something was pouring out of the Borleian kid’s eyes, but she did little to stop it. Instead she opened the door and lead the soldier inside. A workbench was cleared by a sweeping arm, it was good enough, at least for the first round as Kaili gently lowered Allyson down upon the table. Their fingers interlocked as their lips separated. One kiss down Allyson’s cheek became another down her neck, before it turned into a dozen.

Was it the scent? The touch of Allyson’s skin against Kaili’s? She didn’t know. It was addictive, it was worrisome, it was the greatest feeling she had ever had.

“Just say the word.” Kaili urged Allyson. “Tonight is yours, and yours only.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson didn’t expect Kaili to be awake at this time, but she should have expected it. The girl was terrible about taking care of herself when it came to Allyson being away. Though on the flip side, Allyson was the same. She felt the blonde guide her to the work table and then the clattering of objects falling to the ground made Allyson cringe a little knowing that somewhere in that mess was probably a project that Kaili was working on and she wasn’t going to be to happy afterwards. The overly careful girl wasn’t so careful anymore a part of Allyson enjoyed it, but then another part of Allyson worried about it. Careful Kaili meant not hurt Kaili, but the girl’s already thrown herself into the middle of an invasion and another time found herself shot in the shoulder. Allyson worried and thinking about it made her pull her lover closer.

“I just want you, I’ve waited eight months to see you again…” Her voice was hushed as she smiled. There had never been anything in this lifetime that pulled her like this. Never anything that made her want to make sure that she always came back home. Even the thought of having a home that was outside of a ship or an engine room surprised her. Sighing softly, she leaned back onto the work table and chuckled softly. “ [member="Kaili Talith"] never change.” There was just something about the explosive temper and the worrying that made Kaili who she was and that was what Allyson let herself fall for.

Grabbing the fabric of the blonde’s clothing, she pulled her into another kiss and refused to let her go.

 

[Kaili Talith]

The night came to pass and the night after it followed in tow until eventually what had been pent up inside was let out in full. There had been so many ways that the fight from eight months ago could have ended and for a very long while Kaili was more than certain that what they had once had was at a risk of being lost. That one phone call had put it all under ice. The reunion saw it melted away. Her tears had been of joy and her mood one of ecstatic relief. They were safe, what they had was safe and that was all that mattered. The blonde would wake up the next morning feeling the warmth of someone else touch against her skin and the silent inhales and exhales of a partner that was still asleep. The kid remained where she was. Lying perfectly still so that she didn’t accidentally knock Allyson over her nose.

Her chest rose and sunk ever so slow as Kaili began to stretch out. A hand landed on top of Allyson’s shoulder and almost as if on instinct Kaili would find herself stroking her fingers up and down along the Corellian’s soft skin.

“I missed this more than anything,” Kaili sighed, or rather, yawned. “Just you and me and the silence of droids charging their batteries in the background.”

Not exactly what some would call the most romantic setting.

“Henry downloading his hard drive onto his back up and Bait doing… Bait stuff.” Kaili snickered. “Skipping breakfast, making horrible jokes about eating out… All those things that everyone else also do.”

“Just a... Pretty normal relationship, I guess.” Kaili found herself laughing through her nose. “I was so certain that after that fight we had you’d be done with me..” The kid poked turned on her side and poked at the brunette’s arm. “But you came back.”

“Just like you said you would.” And to that, Kaili smiled.

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

The evening had passed and Allyson had forgotten how tired she was from traveling. Seeing Kaili again after all of that time energized her. The girl had an aura about her that brought Allyson back to life when she was close by. For now though, after their reconnecting, Allyson found herself in dream land and very comfortable next to Kaili Talith. She had forgotten what it was like to have someone beside you in bed. There was an added warmth and a sense of security. If the monsters under the bed decided to rear their ugly heads, Kaili’s drool and snoring would scare them off. She was, indeed the best anti-monster girlfriend.

Allyson adjusted herself on the bed, Kaili being typical Kaili had spread herself about the bed leaving only the smallest sliver of bedding for Allyson to cling on to. Blankets? Forget it. Being able to warm oneself up by natural body heat was important if you were going to sleep with [member="Kaili Talith"]. The soft sound of Kaili’s voice cracked through the sleepy fog that lingered over Allyson as she laid there. Kaili being awake meant that she could reclaim some of the blankets and some of the bed. Doing so, Allyson looked over at the blonde as she finished speaking.

Her honest moments were probably some of her most adorable. The way that she opened herself up completely made Allyson feel special, especially when she remembered how closed off from everyone Kaili had been when they first met. Sighing softly, she didn’t interrupt Kaili and allowed her to finish. A smile spread across the Corellian’s face as she nodded. “I always come back Kaili, no matter what.” Pausing she stared at the blonde for a minute allowing her mind to remember this moment for as long as she would live. Chuckling softly, Allyson spoke, “It would take a lot more than your stubbornness to get rid of me. Even when you make moronic comments to support your argument, I still love you.” A hand glinded its way towards the other girl’s backside. A look of surprise spread across Allyson’s face, “For not eating, you’re starting to get a little junk in that trunk finally.” Grinning Allyson spoke without thinking and just gave the girl a little pat on her bottom.

 

[Kaili Talith]

And just when things were going so smooth. The smile on Kaili’s face had grown for each moment that passed until it was quite simply not there anymore. An annoyed look filled Kaili’s features, her eyelids weighed heavy almost as if she was trying to drown Allyson in disapproval for her statement. The Talith kid’s head shook from side to side as she grabbed the edge of the bed and pulled herself out it and Allyson’s grip. Allyson would know she had messed up, Kaili didn’t have to say anything. Sometimes it’s just better not to say anything at all, to let the other person realize what they had done wrong by themselves. That was the advice Kaili had been given once, and that was the one she followed.

The worst part was, perhaps, the fact that it wasn’t the first time Kaili had heard it either. When Kaili had still been a child there was many a nose she had bloodied over lesser slights. Very much so to the point where her mother had once decided to keep the young blonde under very close observation for a whole month without any kind of electronical entertainment. A whole month. That was a fate almost worse than death to someone who relied on it as much as Kaili did and always had. Instead what she got was weeks of hard practice during which her mother and father alike would tell her about the dangers of an uncontrolled temper and what it could mean in the future.

It was by all these means this particular month that had caused the girl to swerve onto the track of her self-proclaimed quasi-pacifism.

And here she was, naked in a room that she shared with her girlfriend. Something that also had surprised many who had always thought the girl would settle for a droid in the end. But no, Kaili had found herself an actual organic, and a girl at that. It was funny how life played out sometimes.

Less funny when she had realized Allyson would die within a tenth of Kaili’s lifetime.

A hand dragged itself through a small assortment on the ground beside the bed to pick up something to wear. Something to cover herself with, really. Not because she expected visitors as much as, well, it was just the way to be. Butt covered, t-shirt for a top and off Kaili went to look for the rest of what she had worn in a moment of brief silence. The words of Allyson still stung, but she fought the urge to act on them. That was what she should have done last time as well, and last time had proven far more unbearable that Kaili would have liked.

“We should eat breakfast.” The girl finally whispered as she knelt down to pick up her pants. “Get more junk up in this trunk.”

She got herself up with a groan and proceeded to thrust her leg through the first pant leg. “Then, I had that thing I wanted to show you.”

Second pant leg thrust. “Not sure myself what it is, but… Well, it’s a long story.”

Socks. Kaili needed socks. She found a pair by the very edge of the room. One red, the other blue. “Great.” She muttered. She knew the red one was hers, where was the other?

“Seen my other sock around, Allyson?” She perked her brow and looked over at the Corellian hoping she’d actually have seen it.

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson sat up and watched as Kaili pulled away from her. It was obvious she had said something that offended teh girl, but instead of reacting in her typical fashion she remained silent. The silence is what bothered Allyson more than Kaili flying off the handle. Sitting in the silence she watched as Kaili dressed herself and then began to look for her socks. As she watched, every movement Kaili made was perfect, and in her mind Kaili herself was perfect. Seeing the errors of her ways, Allyson slipped out of bed and grabbed the little red sock that had been hanging on for dear life at the end of the bed.

“You don’t need it.” Allyson referred to the comment about gaining more junk in her trunk. Now that Kaili was standing she could see her comment was out of place. Either way, she needed to make things right with the girl especially since she had just come back after eight months. “I have you sock…” Allyson didn’t put anything on, she made a direct bee line towards the blonde who was determined to find her sock and probably leave the room as quickly as possible. Arms wrapped around Kaili’s waist and Allyson brought her forehead to rest in the girl’s back. Giving her a tight squeeze, she apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound the way it did…”

She paused and held onto the girl, moving her head to the side so that she can be heard better. “You’re perfect, you’re everything I want and need in this lifetime and then some.” The hug turned into Allyson holding onto Kaili for dear life as she sighed and tried to muster up the courage to be as open as the girl in her arms was. “I..” Allyson paused and sighed, then continued. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. These eight months where I wasn’t sure if you’d be here when I came back was heart breaking...nothing made sense if you weren’t here, if you weren’t with me.” Feeling tears well up in her eyes she fought them back and continued, “I want to be old and grey with you, still...still worrying when and if you’re going to throw me into a tree. I want to watch all the sun sets and all the sunrises with you and only you [member="Kaili Talith"]...till the end.”

 

[Kaili Talith]

“Thanks.” Kaili said, trying to take the sock back before finding herself in another embrace. The scent of Allyson’s hair filled her nostrils. It caused her heart to skip again just like it had the first time they had shared a bed together. Perpetual puppy love, was there such a thing? Kaili thought of her parents and the way they acted around each other and couldn’t help but smile as she burrowed deeper into the Corellian’s neck. The comment still stung but that was just part of being alive, part of spending time with anyone, the thing that made things all the more real. A relationship, a friendship, was not something that ended over petty insults and remarks. A relationship was what lasted after the dust had settled again, the crumbled ruins or the apologetic stares of a couple filled with regret.

This was a lesson Kaili had yet to learn, but it was a lesson that she would learn with time once Allyson and her had gotten through not just the one argument but several. Until then all she could really do was enjoy the ride wherever it went. Her cheek rested against Allyson’s shoulder as they started talking about growing old together. Kaili couldn’t help but sigh before she separated from her lover’s embrace. This wasn’t the time and place for this conversation, not when emotions were still running high and low after months of being apart. Maybe in another few months, years even, but not now. Kaili was far from ready for that kind of commitment.

“Well,” She said while leaning in for a kiss on Allyson’s cheek. “Good thing you have a long while to reconsider then.”

The kid separated in full and went on to put her sock back on before giving Allyson another look over.

Yep, still looked great. Still the beautiful woman that had stumbled into her shop that one morning.

A smile tugged at her lips again, “Get dressed.” She snickered. “We’ve already spent two days in bed, I’m not really planning on making it a third.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson caught the hint and started to gather her clothing as well. The spacer outfit she had worn along with her flight jacket was out of the question, she was tired of those clothing and just wanted something comfortable to wear. If it was her choice she’d remain naked, mostly because it took the least amount of effort to do anything. Dealing with a prude like Kaili meant, clothes all the time unless well you know…

Pulling something on from her bag, she went the comfort route with some shorts and a slightly oversized shirt, she had taken it the last time she had been over. Kaili for some reason enjoyed buying t-shirts 2 sizes too big. Shaking her head at the thought of Kaili hiding that adorable figure confused her and baffled every ounce of her mind. Yet, if she wasn’t such a prude, Allyson wouldn’t have been able to snag her up or probably wouldn’t have taken an interest in general. It was the general fact that Kaili wanted nothing to do with Allyson beyond the idea of taking her credits made Allyson want Kaili even more. Looking over her shoulder as she got dressed, Allyson started to think about what the blonde had said after she had basically spilled her guts to her. There was time for her to change her mind...the comment continued to repeat in her head as she pulled on a pair of mismatched blue and green socks. Why would she ever change her mind? It didn’t make sense and the Corellian wondered if the girl had other plans or if she was in the market of changing her mind. THe thought of losing Kaili after everything worried her and above all scared her. Kaili was the last that Allyson had, with Ember gone, there was no one else in this galaxy that cared about her.

Trying not to harp on the feelings too much, Allyson shoved her grief into another part of her mind and she forced a yawn and attempted to look unfazed at the comment that followed her confession of eternal and unconditional love. “Change my mind? Eh probably, give me a couple of weeks and I might come to my senses.” She poked back and she knew that Kaili hopefully realized that she was just joking. “So what's for breakfast...we really haven’t eaten in the past two days and I’m hungry enough to eat a whole bantha herd.” She continued to try and mask everything, from the disregard for her feelings to the hole she felt without having Ember around anymore.

Laughter was the best medicine...but it was also the best mask.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Sadly it all passed Kaili by like a flash. She could feel that something was wrong but didn’t really associate with what she had just said. Usually when the two of them talked there was an air of humor to it, at least when they were alone. Had Kaili known she would have apologized, perhaps admitted to feeling the same way, but in the end she would have been far too blind to recognize it truly. Five hundred years was a long time, eighty years was just barely a fifth of it. Kaili loved Allyson, there was no doubt about that, but she had her reasons not to let it show, the fear of losing her being the biggest issue.

Kaili snickered at her girlfriend’s remark. “Yeah, maybe we’ll fight again. Separate for almost a year.” The smile on her lips faded and she quickly shook her head. “Please don’t go away for another eight months.” She almost pleaded. The silence lingered, the girl tried to snicker before she raised her voice again. “I’ll, uh, cook up something for us to eat. Get some of that nutrition in us.”

“... Get some more of that ‘junk’ up in this flatcake.” The girl patted her butt and then stared down at her chest. “Bacon, egg, the usual deal.”
The smile returned as she looked over at Allyson. “That sound good to you?”


[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Adjusting the hem of her shirt, she nodded and tried to find some humor in the conversation which caused a fake laugh to escape between her lips. She didn’t understand the remark especially when Kaili nearly pleaded with her not to leave for another eight months. Allyson couldn't make any promises, the Alliance was gaining more and more steam and the rogues have become a main cog in their fighting force. Smiling was all she could do in this moment, promises were something that she couldn't break so she didn’t make them.

Continuing to smile, Allyson patted the Borleian in the bottom and gave her a soild squeeze. “It's not a flat cake so calm your bubs.” The playful smile never faded as she brushed her nose gently against Kaili’s. She couldn’t focus on her unconditional love not being returned. She figured Kaili was still in the puppy stages of her emotions and when she thought about it, there was nothing really wrong with it. From what she had mentioned, her past and relationship history was non existent and everything now was just taking leaps into the unknown. Allyson sighed softly and decided she would keep her emotions in tact, especially if Kaili ever decides to change her mind or realize that this wasn’t something she ever wanted.

Allyson did her best not to focus on the latter, there was a pain that burrowed into her heart and stomach the more she did think about Kaili waking up one morning and deciding that Allyson wasn’t the one she wanted anymore. She sighed again and then forced the smile back onto her face in hopes of not worrying the blonde. “You know, you said flat cakes...so can you make pancakes as well...pancake butt” A common mischievous grin replaced the fake smile, she needed to take everything in stride with Kaili - maybe one day the girl will realize how she really feels and hopefully it worked out for Allyson in the long run.

Unknown to her though, she didn’t realize she’d only be a blink in Kaili’s lifespan.


[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

There was a hint of heartache reverberating through their bond but it was quickly shifted into annoyance and then joy. A frown had flashed on Kaili’s lips at the touch of her butt. So maybe it wasn’t a flatcake, but it was most certainly more flat than round. Kaili looked to the ground for a second as she remembered the message Alec had sent Allyson, the one that Kaili had read and caused a fight over. Scrawny butt was that one thing she had heard before the comms — spoken in Mandalorian, of course — had gone off as fast as Kaili’s temper had. Alec Rekali was still a vilified name. Kaili hated it, but she tolerated it. She had to. It was for the better. She was in a very fethed up sense a relative now, Allyson’s cousin or something like that.

No. She told herself to stop thinking about it. That line of thought wouldn’t lead anywhere good.

The kid set her attention on her girlfriend again.

“Sure,” Kaili tried to chuckle. “I can make some pancakes.”

They stepped into the kitchen and Kaili knelt down to pick up the equipment necessary.

“Now, correct me if I am wrong, but you’re usually the one who does this, right?” Kaili was a great cook herself, but more often than not that particular ‘duty’ had fallen onto the Corellian for reasons that she wasn’t quite sure how it came to be. “You always had a way with bacon and eggs…”

“Oh!” Kaili exclaimed out of the blue and hastily made way towards the workshop. “Stay here, I got a surprise for you.”

The kid disappeared into the workshop. Loud noises of droid parts clanging on the ground, cursing and questions about where she had put it called out for a few good minutes. Eventually the girl entered the kitchen once more. She held a cylindrical item in her hands and she handed it over to Allyson and promptly went back to cooking.

It was rough around the edges, cracked and yet it sparked of mechanical life. No bigger than a credit chit, the item was quite a mystery to even Kaili, but it held a story.

“You will never guess how I found that.” Kaili tried to almost urge Allyson to ask her how she found it.

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson peered off into the distance as Kaili quickly disappeared. She tried to ignore the influx of emotions from the other girl through their connection, but there had been something that triggered the flash of rage. Of course Allyson knew only certain things would do so in moments like this, but the Corellian knew better than to poke at it especially if Kaili had decided not to speak on it. Some things were better left unsaid. The loud noises alerted Allyson, but she shouted and asked if the girl was okay and with the blonde bounding out of the room with something in her hand.

This mean that she was okay for the most part, but it wouldn’t have totally cleared her from having a concussion. Allyson would ask and check her out after the excitment of what she found. The cylindrical item rested in Allyson’s hand as she listened to Kaili. It seemed the origin and the concept for the item even escaped the Master Technomancer. Allyson watched it with intent as it crackled with life. “It responds to when we touch it…” She watched and then looked toward Kaili. “Does it do anything if its not touching someone? Wonder if it reacts because of our affinity to Technomancy...its interesting.”

Eyes struggled to stay on Kaili, as the novice Technomancer was in awe of the device the other woman had presented her. There were so many questions, but the main one that needed to be answered right away was the one that the blonde was begging for her to ask. “So how and where did you find it?”

 

[Kaili Talith]

“I don’t know!” The blonde exclaimed rather excited about the item in Allyson’s hand. “And that’s the thing with it, I don’t know!”

Kaili went on to describe the day that she had found it. From the overarching loneliness to the general uneasiness. Kaili had stumbled upon a man on the road who joined her by chance for her morning run. At first she had thought little of it, but as the two got to talking he had started to get more and more open about who he was. His name was Jinn Bekk and he was an explorer of sorts. He wouldn’t tell her anything about himself other than that he had known worlds of immense beauty, and that he hoped that one day Kaili would as well. The girl had chuckled at the comment, of course. She had turned away to look at the people that passed her by only to find the man gone without a trace. As she looked back to where he had been she had found this item instead. She didn’t know where it came from, what it did or what it meant, but it just lying there on the bench, buzzing with life.

There was no way she would just leave it there.

Kaili turned on the plates and got herself to work with preparing their breakfast.

“There was the few days that I had attempted to fix it myself, but uh…” Kaili shrugged, cracked an egg on the edge of the pan and poured it into the pan. “I couldn’t seem to crack it.”

Cream was added, Kaili turned towards Allyson and circled the spatula in the item’s general direction. “I figured two brains were better than one. Teamwork it.”

“... You down?”

 

[Allyson Locke]

“Couldn’t figure out how to fix it?” It was really the only thing she picked apart out of the story of the man that had mysteriously given it to the blonde. Allyson wrinkled her nose as she tried to pick up any story from the device itself. Usually and in most cases the device or ships in Allyson’s case had a story of their own to tell. She didn't pick up much beyond static - which she figured was due to the cracks. A frown spread across her face as she examined the metal.

“You think its something specific that is required to fix it?” She set the cylinder down and folded her arms in front of her chest. Stomach growls echoed and prevented her brain from moving. “Still, it seems to be maybe a data storage device I can’t think of anything else that it could or would possibly be. Have you tried to extract data from it, instead of trying to fix it? Might have some answers there?”

Allyson shrugged, she could be completely wrong on the concept of a storage device, but if she was right and they were able to extract something from it. The story behind why and how it came to be might reveal itself. A slender index finger rested against her cheek while her greenish eyes focused quite intently on the cylinder that sparked with life.

“It's quite interesting that someone would have just given this too you...suspicious too.”

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

Kaili’s head slowly shook. She had sure as hell tried, but ultimately given up. Her mind had tried to seep into the item, but it was as if something forced her out of it. The item was far more advanced than anything that the little Master had ever seen before, and that in itself was what intrigued her. Nothing had ever kept her out like this. When Kaili wanted to get into something it was always a question of when, but with this it was a question of how.

“I have tried everything I know, but it’s like…” She let out a quick exhale, part of her couldn’t believe what she was about to say. “It’s almost as if it’s alive.”

“I mean, that sound craz-” Kaili set her eyes on the pan and stopped. “This is not pancakes.” The supposed cook blinked and cleared her throat before raising her voice, “This is scrambled eggs.”

“You don’t mind… Eggs, right?” Kaili turned around and gave Allyson an apologetic smirk. “Anyway, the thing in your hand. Do you think it’s possible? The odds that this thing is actually alive somehow?” Kaili perked her brow. “I mean, I can come up with worse theories, but I just need to know if, you know, it’s crazy or not.”

“Actually, can I have that?” Kaili said and stretched her hand out to grab the item, hoping Allyson would hand it over to her.

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Through the ramblings of the Masterful Techomaster, Allyson had tried to explain to her or get her attention at the fact that she wasn’t making any pancakes, she was just scrambling eggs. Seeing that all was lost, Allyson gave up and just returned to attention to listening to Kaili. The realization soon came and Allyson nodded knowing that it was the best she was gonna get and at this moment and time she was starving - especially after skipping dinner that had nutritional value. Yet, if given the choice...Allyson would always choose to dine on Kaili over actual food.

“I’m fine with eggs, you’re lucky I enjoy your eggs burned or not” A mischievous grin spread across the Corellian’s face as she accepted her fate with the eggs. Waiting for them to be plated, Kaili’s attention moved from the eggs to the device. The girl obviously had a one track mind, which in most cases Allyson didn’t mind, but right now she wanted food. Obeying the request, Allyson grasped the cylinder carefully and handed it to Kaili.

“Don’t drop it into the eggs.” Another flash of her grin and then she returned to the serious part of the conversation. “What are your crazy and outlandish ideas, because you know its possibly one of them right? I mean you’ve gone over the most obvious possibilities…”

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

“Now that was all your fault.” Kaili retaliated against the brunette’s remark on burnt eggs. Air burst through her nose and a smile spread on her lips. Maybe if Allyson hadn’t insisted on getting very close that particular moment they would have feasted on eggs that hadn’t burned. It was a valuable lesson in what was okay and what was not in relation to the kitchen, and flirting with the chef was most certainly not one of those things. Kaili turned around to stir through the eggs one last time before turning around to grasp at the item’s very edge.

Her fingertips brushed against the smooth metal, skin traced over the small cracks and holes. The item began to respond for the first time since picking it up. A barely audible whine started to call out from the very center of the cylinder as a faint blue light warmed up at its very middle. Kaili stood and stared at it in surprise as yet another noise, a very brief clicking noise stung from each end of the cylinder as a needle pierced into both women’s index finger, but it didn’t stop there. Kaili froze in place as her stunned expression seemed to linger indefinitely.

Reality had slipped from her mind, images flashed before her eyes as if caught with her pants down from a mental intrusion.

Nothing made sense, the woman filled up with a palpable sense of panic. Her muscles tensed up much like the tears on her cheeks would start to pour.

“Do not be alarmed.” A voice softly murmured from the device contained within Kaili’s hand. A small hologram started to fade into existence, its eyes setting on Allyson. “I have no intentions of harming your friend.”

Kaili remained in position, stiff as ever.

“I would advise you not to touch her.” The soft voice offered no reason why.

“It’s for the best, you will just have to trust me.”

[member="Allyson Locke"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Allyson blinked as she watched as the pan and Kaili stopped interacting. The device was alive and Allyson quickly patted down her sides hoping there was a blaster so she could shoot whatever the device was and make it stop doing what it was doing to Kaili. There was no blaster, but before Allyson could react the small voice echoed and spoke to her about Kaili. Every muscle in her body froze as she listened, she had to trust whatever it was and if she didn’t something bad would happen to Kaili. Though, Allyson wasn’t completely positive that even if she listened, that Kaili would be okay.

Gritting her teeth, she raised her fists and stood near Kaili and the device, but remained far enough not to be as threatening as she wanted to be. Allyson didn’t know if she could converse with whatever was inside of the cylinder, but she was going to try. “Hurt her and I destroy you faster than you can rethink your actions here.”

Cool, calm and collected wasn’t always Allyson’s best points. She was only that way when she was doing a job and she needed to fool someone into being charmed by her. This was a different case, there was something that she cared for more than herself standing there frozen by some unknown device. Allyson’s face softened for a moment, the anger faded into concern as she saw the tears fall from Kaili’s eyes. “Are you hurting her?! Why should I trust you? What are you? WHY???”

Several questions that she assumed wouldn’t be answered, but for the sake of Kaili’s well-being...Allyson didn’t act. [member="Kaili Talith"]