Lorn stayed there in the dirt a moment too long, stunned, as the imprint of her weight faded from his chest and the jungle breeze cooled the spot where her voice had been.
Let go of my wrist, please.
The words replayed in his mind like a mantra, soft and sharp all at once. He'd released her immediately, of course he had, but it was the way she'd
said it. Like he'd crossed a line he didn't know was there.
And then she'd walked away.
Forfeit, she'd told the official, voice like unraveling silk. And then she was gone, slipping between the vines and sunbeams like smoke. Lorn sat up slowly, hand still hovering in the air as if unsure whether to reach for something that wasn't there anymore.
His chest felt hollow. Not aching,
stunned. Like something had been there one moment and yanked out the next, and now all that remained was the echo of pressure. He got to his feet stiffly, boots scuffing the edge of the ring as he brushed at the dust clinging to his sides. His hair stuck to the sweat along his neck, and he suddenly felt
very aware of how many people were staring. The crowd around the ring had gone quiet. A few Covie officials exchanged uncertain glances. A handful of onlookers whispered to one another.
He hated it.
Every instinct told him to disappear, fade into the trees, go lick his wounds somewhere quiet. But another part, a louder part, surged forward in the space Ala had just vacated.
What had he
done?
He turned, cutting through the gathered onlookers with his jaw tight and fists clenched. He could feel heat rising in his face again, but this time it wasn't embarrassment - it was confusion, frustration, worry. He didn't care if people stared. He didn't care what rumors they were spinning. He just needed to know if she was okay.
He broke into a jog, pushing past a group of padawans and brushing shoulders with a startled warrior as he ducked beneath a moss-draped archway. The sounds of the sparring ground faded behind him, replaced by the steady hum of the jungle and the distant chatter of temple life. He spotted her finally, halfway down the outer path, near where the sunlight turned gold on stone. She was walking fast, like if she kept moving, her emotions wouldn't catch her.
"Hey!" he called out, voice rough, loud enough to carry.
He caught up to her in a few quick strides, breath tight in his lungs, not from exertion but from everything else that boiled beneath the surface. The look in her eyes earlier had rattled him more than any strike could. He didn't even know what emotion he'd seen in her. Fear? Sadness? Guilt?
"I-" He hesitated. Stopped in front of her.
"Did I… do something?"
His voice wasn't sharp, wasn't defensive. It was low, cautious. Vulnerable.
"I mean, if you want space, if you want me to leave you alone, I will. But I just… I need to know. What did I do? Why do I keep making you upset?"
He tried to hold her gaze, but it wasn't easy. Something behind his eyes flickered, pain, but deeper than that.
"I'm not… the easiest person. I know that." he added softly.
"But I don't try to make you uncomfortable. I never wanted that."
The silence between them hung heavy in the thick jungle air, louder than any crowd could ever be.
And all he could do now was wait.