First Reply Uptown Funk

[Skyler]

Skyler held up a hand as Drifter asked.

"Please don't ask...that," she swallowed as her belly rolled. Gully remained at the table, his back to the counter and sink area so he had full view of Sky leaning against the bulkhead and holding the plate of her half-finished empanada. And Drifter's reaction. The twik'lek looked back and forth between them like watching a Bocce ball match.

He didn't know what was more fascinating. The shade of green Sky's face was quickly turning or the look of rael fear that was quickly eclipsing their passenger's face.

Sky noticied Drifter shuffle backwards. A dark brow arched along her sickly face.

"Are you..." she gagged suddenly, "scared?" She managed to get out before she gagged again and ran toward the sink.

That empanada never had a chance as it came upward.

Gully swore but didn't move. He took another bite of his own food.

 

[Drifter]

​

Hyperspace

Skyler and Gully didn't have a chance to fire back with their usual banter. The moment the violet-maned brunette gave another gag, Drifter spun on his heel and bolted out of there faster than a ship making the Kessel Run. The scoundrel's usual swagger was replaced by the urgent strides of someone fleeing from the Rathers of the Nine Hells.

Nope, nope, nope.

If there was one thing Drifter was more than willing to lose credits or a job over, it was someone hurling their guts out. A notorious sympathy puker, he had to clamp his hand over his mouth with the towel he'd just used to dry his hair. He didn't stop until he put a good distance between himself and the potential disaster, doing his best to block out any sound that might push him over the edge.

At this point, he'd rather face the Rathers again than risk losing the contents of his own stomach. He'd check back in when the coast was clear.

 

[Skyler]

After a moment of loud retching and rather unpleasant bodily-betraying sounds, Sky fumbled a hand forward and turned on the sink's cleaner system. A tremble ran through her body and she lifted her head, grabbing a cup of water to rinse her mouth out.

After a longer moment to make sure her stomach was done betraying her, she turned slowly to Gully who was still happily munching on his sandwich.

"I guess...we found out he's not invincible." She flashed her partner a weak smile in a face that had seen far better days.

Gully rolled his eyes and stood, bringing his plate to the sink. "I'll clean the rest of this up, Sky. Why don't you sit down for a bit. Maybe start with something a little blander? Hmm?"

"I'm checking on the rathtars," Sky pushed herself off from the lean on the counter she'd been taking. She didn't need to sit and let her mind wander. She needed a distraction. Fingers instinctively went to circle around the leather cord of the pendant Drifter had worked on.

"Just don't touch 'em." Gully called, the tendrils on his head twitching but he didn't bother to turn around. Sky thought about going to check on Drifter but well, she wanted to make sure she wasn't about to throw-up more. Better to give herself and him a moment - considering how fast he'd tailed it outta there.

 

[Drifter]

​

Hyperspace
Skyler

It was by Inari's grace that Drifter managed not to embarrass himself. In the end, the man had tossed the damp towel into the sonic cleanser and took a breather before heading off to the cargo hold to check on the Rathers. So far, they were doing well -- big sucking mouths full of razor sharp rows of sharp teeth plastered against the wall, their wiggling mass of tentacles with powerful claspers writhing trying to find an exit.

He wandered over towards the cage that held the cluster of Nunas. He opened the cage, grabbing a writhing one in his arms before shutting it close. With the Force, he lulled the creature until it dozed off.

Once it did, Drifter gave it a hard rap at the back of the neck. Just a quick cervical dislocation that would kill it as painlessly as possible. Sure, he had to feed the Rathers, but he didn't want the Nuna to suffer.

Without further ado or pomp and circumstance, Drifter carefully navigated the small entry door that would allow him to drop the Nuna inside.

"Alright boys; don't spit this one out like an empanada, you hear? " he'd joke, sliding the dead Nuna in for the Rathers to fight over.

This was exactly how Skyler would find him.

 

[Skyler]

"That's not funny," her low Vahla drawl would come from the corridor as she stepped fully into the holding area. Her face was no longer that shade of green and back to her normal, darker tones. Her fingers continued to clutch that leather cord as she stepped beside him. The rathtars screeched and snapped their teeth. The limp body of the nuna was quickly snatched up and devoured.

She squatted down, to get a better look at the enclosure and the beasts inside. A sideways glance at Drifter.

"When we first met, you were wearing that same get-up. You hidin' from someone?"

 

[Drifter]

​

Hyperspace
Skyler

"Oh, trust me, Princess, I ain't laughing." Drifter would quip back, although there was no missing the twitch of humor at the corner of his mouth. Okay so he was teasing her a little, but it was also a hefty amount of seriousness that he meant that he didn't want the Rathers also tossing up their cookies.

Granted, he wasn't as sensitive to critters yaking their entrails as much as humanoids. There was just something about the acrid smell that -- Oh, no, no no no. Not even thinking about it.

The musings turned his tanned face a little olive, and he decided to focus on Skyler's subsequent question regarding his gear.

He gave a snort, securing the Rather's feeding bin before grabbing a cloth to wipe his hands clean. "No. Just my uniform of choice. Makes sure I get less holes in my hide and my lungs clean from anything that might kill me."

Okay a little bit of a lie; he had been keeping a low profile so his parents wouldn't be able to narrow down where he was. He had taken quite a bit of effort to change the transponder codes from his ship. Not that it mattered in all seriousness; his father had used alchemized blood ink to tattoo the house emblam on his shoulder and upper chest. If he really wanted to, his father could just track him down with that.

"Plus also makes sure if things go south, makes it hard to put this mug on a wanted holo poster," He flashed her a grin, twin eyes flaring like the Tatooine suns.

 

[Skyler]

That twitch in the corner of her mouth only widened though true concern flared in her blue-green eyes outlined in shades of violet. For a second there, he looked like he was going to be the one sick. And for a moment, she wanted to smooth back the stray locks of dark hair that fell across his brow with her cool palm. Fingers flexed at her side as she forced herself not to follow that idea of movement down the path it wanted to go.

Even as she looked into his citrine eyes.

Even as the sounds of the rathtars shredding their dinner filled the space between them. Ravenous beasts macking on their food. So romantic.

"So things try to kill you often?" That same brow ticked upward as she studied him. A hint of her own devilry sparking in her eyes. Not just remembering their first encounter where he claimed she tried to shoot at him. She imagined if he was anything like her, trouble had a way of finding him like an old friend. Or like a loth cat wanderin' the streets of Coruscant smelling out the bags of half-eaten fried nuna.

Sky gave the rathtars one more look and then stood. Her hand finally dropping away from their grip around her necklace. A hand rubbed at the back of her shoulder. She forced herself to look back at Drifter even though she felt like the heat of his gaze might actually burn her.

"So, this force stuff. Where do we start? We've got a bit of time before we need to stop and refuel. Then make another jump."

 

[Drifter]

Hyperspace
Skyler

Drifter's mouth curled into a roguish grin, one that seemed to dance with secrets he'd never fully share.

"More than a few with four legs, sometimes just two," he said, referring to the assortment of creatures — and people — he hunted down. There was a glint in his eye, a mixture of mischief and something a little harder to place, as if he'd seen it all and was still waiting for the universe to surprise him.

"Not much different than any other hunter," he continued, shrugging in that casual way of his that made everything sound easier than it was. "I take the jobs that pay. Some folks stick around for the ride, others? Not so much. A little alchemized leather here and there helps, especially when you're tracking something meaner than your average lost pet."

He turned to her, raising a thick eyebrow when she brought up the Force. Drifter paused, wiping his hands on a greasy rag before tossing it onto the top of a Nuna cage. His expression shifted, just slightly, like he was considering how much to say.

"Depends on how you're feeling," he said, his voice dropping into a more serious tone.

"I can show you how to get a sense of the Force. Problem is, you've been shutting it out for so long, the first step's gonna be just getting familiar with it again — without tripping any visions." He ran a tanned hand through the shaggy mop of dark hair, pushing it back from his swarthy, rugged face, the kind that had seen more than a few cantinas and close calls.

"Trust me," he added, flashing that scoundrel's grin once more. "The Force has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it."

 

[Skyler]

She took a small, nervous breath as the word he'd been saying finally registered.

Hunter.

Sky liked to think she knew a few layers that made up Drifter by now. He was the kind of man who saw her at her lowest and decided to help. The kind of man that took care and time to imbue one of the most precious objects in her life with something that helped take away that sharp edge of the force visions. That same object that rested around her slender neck.

And besides, she looked different than that old bounty that was still out there. The odds that Drifter would put everything together was slimmer than mynnock not wanting to suckle the outside of a ship. And Skyler was hoping the odds of Drifter acting on something...to drag her back to some messy family line after everything she, Drifter, and Gully had been through. Well, she was hoping that was non-existent.

Especially, with the visions she kept getting around him.

"I feel...,"

She forced herself to breathe.

"...a little tired," she admitted. "But I want to try." A small, timid smile. She couldn't help feeling that same sense of vulnerability. Of being exposed around him. "Can't promise no visions will be tripped. There's something about you." Eyes narrowed as she studied him.

"I've never felt visions come on so suddenly and strongly until you came along. Definitely seems like the force is trying to tell you something." Tell her something.

A low huff and shake of the smuggler's head. Hand lifted to tug at the silver piercing at the shell of her ear. "You say the force has a way of sneaking up on you. I say it's more like a full-on wampa attack."

 

[Drifter]

​

Hyperspace
Skyler

Drifter gave Skyler a long, measured look, his citrine eyes sharp and keen, like he was seeing right through her. He wasn't just reading her expression; he was reading her entirely — every tremor, every flicker of exhaustion in her eyes, the pallor of her skin, the subtle twitch of her mouth as if nausea was just waiting to pounce. But beneath all that, there was still a stubborn set to her jaw, a spark of determination that told him she wasn't backing down, no matter what he said. She was ready to push forward, even if it took everything she had

"Alright," Drifter said, his voice laced with a kind of gruff amusement that matched the smirk tugging at his lips. "But if we say we're stopping, I don't want you mouthing off." The grin lingered, but there was a serious edge to his tone.

He strolled over with that casual saunter of his, the kind that made it look like he owned the whole galaxy, or at least didn't care if he did.

"Alright, let's find a quiet spot to settle down. Got any recommendations? Your room, perhaps?" Mischief danced in his eyes, a glimmer that said he was half-joking, half-serious. But there was truth to it — finding a place far from the gnashing teeth and bone-crunching feasts of the Rathers was top priority. You couldn't focus on the Force with that kind of racket in the background, and Drifter, for all his charm and swagger, knew when to get serious.

 

[Skyler]

"Y'know," a scoundrel's smile though worn on the edges with real fatigue. "That is the second time you've mentioned my 'mouthing off.' I'm starting to think you have an obsession with these lips." She puckered them up for him before sending a fake kiss through the air toward him.

A small, breathy chuckle, then a tip of her head for him to come hither. As if they'd known each other for a very long time. "C'mon."

And as much as she hated to admit it. He was right. About her room being the quietest spot. The lounge area was still a little too close to these beasts. The sounds of nuna bones cracking was enough for her to turn quickly and lead the way. Thumbs loosely hooked into the pockets of her pants. Casual on the outside. A tired bundle of nerves on the inside.

"We've got to try and keep it down, though. Gully is sleeping," Sky paused as her door swished open for the pair.

"No I ain't!" Gully called with a small amount of annoyance from his tone back from the direction of the lounge.

"Well, he ought to be!" Sky called back and stepped inside her room. Things were still strewn about haphazardly from the maelstrom that had been previously. The only spot to sit was the bed tucked against the far bulkhead. Her sketchbook was still tucked firmly beneath her pillow. Nightstand held some sticks of charcoal and colored sticks. Most folk stuck to tablets for their art. All digital. Skyler preferred the feel of paints and colored sticks. Charcoal on parchment.

The floor had a few overturned storage bins, crashed down from earlier. A few pairs of shoes and some clothes. A bookshelf with various odds and ends and a small, forlorn looking plant in the corner.

The smuggler turned and sat on one corner of her bed, leaving room for Drifter to join her. It was either that or he sat on the floor. Either way, the space was tucked back away enough that once that door swooshed closed behind them, it would be a quiet sanctuary.

"You prepared for this?" She looked up at him - hoping he knew what she meant. If the visions came to her again. She didn't want him to think she was prying but knew he'd felt that way from earlier.

 

[Drifter]

​

Hyperspace
Skyler

Drifter leaned against the bulkhead, a rogue's grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh I've got no problem with lips in general, quite fond of them in fact -- just ain't so keen on the ones that won't stop nagging," he quipped, the hint of humor dancing in his voice as he tossed the line out, fully expecting a comeback. When none came, he watched her retreat to her cabin, her silence saying more than words. Not that he blamed her. The quiet was probably better, anyway. Her cabin was cluttered with odd trinkets and quirks that made it uniquely hers, not unlike his own ship if he was honest.

As she perched on the edge of her bunk, Drifter couldn't help but arch a brow, a smirk of knowing amusement lighting up his face. "Is this the part where I say you're moving too fast, and I need some commitment before you take me to bed?"

He couldn't resist; the scoundrel's grin that followed had that boyish charm that said he was more about the joke than the jab. Maybe.

"Eh, you can never be too ready with how the Force plays," he shrugged, broad shoulders rolling like he was brushing off the weight of the galaxy.

"Sometimes it sucker punches you, other times it's like an old friend showing up at the cantina. Just gotta see where it goes." He gestured with his cybernetic hand, the subtle whir of mechanics barely audible.

"We'll take it slow, stop if we need to. Last thing I need is you burning out and going full witch on me again." He raised an eyebrow, clearly referencing her last episode -- glowing eyes, levitating objects, the whole Nightsister of Dathomir vibe.

But instead of lounging on the bed, Drifter moved with a quiet, predatory grace, dropping to his haunches in front of her. His hand, rough and sun-kissed from years of hunting, reached out, steady and sure.

"I'll be your rock for now," he said, voice softer but no less steady. "This is your first dip in the pool, but all we're aiming for is a little meditation. I know, sounds like a load of bantha fodder, but trust me, it's about grounding yourself in the stillness, feeling the Force around you. So tell me, other than hitting the bottle, what usually gets you to relax?"

 

[Skyler]

Even with Drifter's roguish smirk and swagger she'd come to know a little too well, she was more nervous than a Jawa facing a tuskan raider for a salvage part. She and the force had never seen eye-to-eye. Sky had gotten sucker punched by it more times than a friendly face. It's why she'd gone to mute it out since, well, since she could nigh remember.

"Nagging?" A small smile as her brows launched upward. "When have I ever done that bucket-head?" Lips twitched as real mirth laced her words not meant to be taken seriously.

A breathy laugh as he made the 'bed comment.'

"Already gave you a ring," the mirth only rose in her gaze as she referred to what now lay around her neck.

Still, she found her mouth going dry as he strode toward her like a nexu stalking its prey. Her eyes snagged on that one hand of his, head tilting to the side for a moment before refocusing back on his face as he dropped down in front of her. Her nerves flip-flopped again.

But luckily for them both, she was in no danger of throwing up.

"Holding hands already?" This time the mirth didn't shine as brightly. The idea of surrendering to the force? Well, it terrified her. She didn't want to go full-witch mode on him again, either. And what if touching his skin triggered another vision?

Even as she reached her hand out to his own, she hesitated.

There was a pull there. Like the other end of a magnet. Something strong that just yearned to be snapped in place. Her tone grew soft. Serious. Concerned. Nervous. A silent look crossed her hazel eyes.

'You got me?'

It seemed to ask.

"Art," she answered his question. Then thought some more. "Flying." There was something about that. Especially when running from authority that just had a way of focusing her mind. She took a breath, then closed her eyes lest she get distracted by those eyes of ichor staring at her. A rise and fall of her chest as she took another breath, even as she saw a vision wanting to come to her like a peek of the first rays of sun inching over the cityscape of Coruscant.

"There's something the force wants to show me." A smaller voice, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared."

 

[Drifter]

Hyperspace
Skyler

"Oh, it'll take more than a ring." the Hunter quipped back, chuckling. He continued his casual crouch in front of her, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he watched Skyler hesitate. Her hand hovered inches from his, fingers twitching like she was reaching out to something more than just his rough, calloused palm. There was a pull there, something invisible but real -- like two sides of a magnet drawn together, just waiting to snap into place. He could read those subtle nuances, how her hazel eyes flickered with something deeper, softer. Concern. Maybe even a hint of fear.

She didn't need to say the words, but Drifter caught the silent question anyway.

'You got me?'

His grin deepened, the corners of his eyes crinkling with a mixture of humor and something gentler -- something he'd shown to those who needed a softer touch, like Vexen .

"Don't worry," he said, his voice low, steady, with a lazy drawl, like it was the simplest thing in the galaxy. "I've got you."

He watched her take another breath, her chest rising and falling with the weight of something more than just words. There was a flicker of something in her expression, like she was seeing beyond the moment -- maybe even beyond him. Drifter could tell when someone was tuning into the Force. He'd seen it enough times. Felt it enough times too.

"There's something the force wants to show me." A smaller voice, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared."

Drifter's grin didn't fade, though his voice softened, laced with that easy, scoundrel charm.

"Well, here comes the trust fall," he quipped, his tone just wry enough to ease the tension. "Thing is, trying something new after you've been blocking out those visions and the Force -- that's the scary part. The Force itself?" He gave a light shrug. "It's just there. Ain't there to hurt or harm. Just is."

He stretched out his hand again, palm up, patient. The kind of patience that didn't come naturally to him but seemed to surface when it mattered. He wasn't in a rush, and he wasn't gonna push her.

"We'll go slow," he added, his voice dropping to something more serious now, more grounded. "I'll be the dam, let a little trickle of the Force in at a time. You take your time."

He'd already put up his mental shields, making sure his own gift of psychometry wouldn't kick in. Last thing he needed was to get caught up in his own visions while trying to guide her through hers. This was about her, not him.

"But hey," he said, giving her an easy grin again, "think of it like the Force is painting a picture for you -- since you're into art and all. Or maybe it's like flying. You're the pilot, the Force is just guiding you where you need to go."

 

[Skyler]

It'll take more than a ring?

Her mouth twitched but she re-focused her thoughts. Keeping her eyes firmly closed, showing a good amount of trust in the man who sat in front of her, she let her hand close the rest of the distance between them, her fingers sliding over his palm and hanging on like he was the crash webbing on her eject seat. She tried not to think about how warm and familiar his hand felt.

How that gentle nudge of the force was becoming more than a nudge.

Something stronger.

He got her.

She didn't have to worry about getting lost in these visions. Drowning. Going full witch-mode.

Her breathing began to lengthen as she felt herself begin to relax. Slowly, one tightly wound coil at a time. She stood in a dark-void and slowly the darkness began to fade away. Into a different scene. Forcing herself to keep breathing, she stepped closer to what the force was trying to show her.

There was a young woman. The same one she'd seen earlier. Brown hair. Brown eyes. There was something about the jaw that reminded her of Drifter.

"Do you...have any siblings?" She peered closer. There was someone else there. But they kept flashing in and out of focus. Perhaps an...Ithorian? Then she shivered...feeling a deep coldness around her vision. Those clear images began to turn dark. The frigid air seeping up the hand and arm that clung to Drifter on the other side. A humming, throaty laugh that only made her shiver further before a snap of vibrant, green eyes.

Her grip tightened on Drifter's hand and it took her a moment longer to realize the cold was coming from him.

 

[Drifter]

​

Hyperspace
Skyler

Drifter should have known this wasn't going to be easy. Nothing ever was with the way his life worked. A wry, aggravated grin tugged at his lips as the familiar press of a headache started behind his eyes, right where his uncle Cameron's Dark Side essence liked to make itself known. Icy tendrils of the Force slithered through him, amused, eager to stir up trouble if Drifter let his guard down for even a second.

Great, he thought, the irony not lost on him. Not only was he trying to help Skyler center herself in the Force, but he also had to keep uncle Cameron on a short leash. It was like juggling thermal detonators. The air around him dropped a few degrees, the cold radiating from him as Cameron's presence grew, teasing the edges of Drifter's control. His normally vibrant citrine eyes flickered to a cool viridian green as the Dark Side flirted with the surface.

Not today, old man. Drifter forced his eyes shut, drawing in a slow breath, focusing on keeping his emotions in check. If he let Cameron get even a little foothold, it'd be bad news for both him and Skyler. He couldn't afford that. Not now.

His lips pressed into a tight line as Skyler's voice cut through the tension.

"Do you...have any siblings?"

She asked, her voice soft, innocent in a way that made Drifter flinch internally. She had no idea what kind of storm was brewing inside him right now.

His chest tightened. He'd been desprate in searching for Kai for years. Not to mention Aela or Maleah, who he hadn't seen in person in years. He swallowed hard, trying to shove the memories back down where they belonged. That was a wound better left untouched.

"Yeah," he replied, his voice taut, controlled. "Yeah, I do." The words came out like they'd been dragged through a minefield, each one a potential trigger for the darker side of himself he kept locked away.

Cameron's laughter echoed in the back of his mind, a mocking, tempting murmur. You could get what you need from her, his uncle whispered, no need to play nice. There are faster ways...

Drifter clenched his jaw, shutting Cameron's voice out as best he could. He wasn't about to let the old man take the helm. Not today. Not ever if he could help it.

"Keep going," he said, his voice a little rougher than he meant it to be. He didn't look at Skyler, couldn't afford to. Not with Cameron lurking at the edges of his mind, waiting for the slightest crack to slip through. Instead, he focused on keeping steady, on holding back the dark tide threatening to break loose.

He wasn't about to let his past -- or his uncle -- drag him down. Not now.

 

[Skyler]

"I'm not scared of you," she whispered to those emerald glowing eyes in her vision. Her thumb brushed along the back of Drifter's hand. Her grip not wavering. If he tried to get beyond where...whatever he-it-was, they would find a wall of adamant in place. A mind as strong as an epicanthrix.

Looking to her right, she saw the flow of the force moving like a steady river. Giving that odd presence a one-fingered salute, she stepped into that river and let it take her to where it wanted to go. She saw several things at once.

A dagger that seemed to suck in all the light around it dripping with a dark ichor.

That female with brown hair talking to someone else. Someone she couldn't see.

A dark wood of twisted branches and a flash of a very familiar ring.

Gully grimacing and holding his shoulder as a blaster leveled in his face.

Her eyes snapped open, that violet-glowing halo around her irises. But she didn't feel out of control like all the other times. Not this time. Her hand firmly entwined with Drifter's. And then she noticed she clench of his jaw. That tension coiled in his shoulders. Dark locs falling over his face - head bent slightly with eyes closed.

Leaning forward, she put her free hand gently on his shoulder.

She had a feeling this had to do with those glowing green eyes. That other presence she sensed...still sensed. Like a wraith at the edge of the shadows.

"You okay? This...too much?"

 

[Drifter]

Hyperspace
Skyler

"Yeah, nothing I can't handle," Drifter muttered through gritted teeth, though anyone paying attention could see the strain in his eyes. He'd been wrestling with the icy grip of Cameron's presence in his mind for what felt like hours, but slowly -- painfully -- he managed to push it back. The chill in the air began to fade, the temperature rising as he regained control.

Finally, he opened his eyes. Twin embers of citrine flickered up at Skyler, the Force still humming in him as he wrapped it around himself like a shield, using it to hold the darkness at bay. He could feel Skyler's hand on his shoulder, but the touch barely registered. He was still too keyed into the struggle, the constant battle to keep his uncle out of his head.

"Alright," Drifter exhaled, a tight grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, trying to play it cool. "I said we'd take it slow, didn't I?" He gave her a nod, the warmth returning to his voice, if only just. "How about this -- why don't you paint or jot down what you saw? We can talk about it later. No need to go diving deep again right now."

It was as much for himself as it was for her. The last thing he needed was another surge from Cameron, not while he was already on edge. He'd have to grab a few things from his ship once they landed at their destination to drop off the Rathers -- something to keep his uncle's influence at bay and protect Skyler from getting caught in the crossfire.

As much as he wanted to probe deeper into what Skyler had seen, especially after she'd brought up siblings, Drifter knew better than to push it. The Force had its own way of revealing things in its own time. He'd learned that lesson the hard way -- over and over.

He could feel the weight of that knowledge settling in his chest. Finding Kaili Talith wasn't going to happen on his schedule, no matter how much he wanted it to. The Force had its own plans, and he was just along for the ride.

 

[Skyler]

"Yeah, nothing I can't handle,"

It almost sounded like a line she would've flippantly said to Drifter not too long ago. Before she'd been forced to admit she had a problem. Before he'd seen her at her most vulnerable.

"You've got nothing to prove to me," she said quietly and gave his shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "And you don't have to be alone in this."

Whatever 'this' was. She swore she could see a faint ring of emerald around his orbs of fire. But perhaps it was just a trick of the lighting in her room. She wasn't going to pry or press him further but she wanted him to know that he had...at least a friend.

Even as she saw that tight-lipped smile.

Hazel eyes that looked more like a deeper blue of a dark ocean locked with his own for a long moment. Letting a stretch of silence linger between them. Her hand still holding his. Her other still on his shoulder as she leaned forward.

It was her turn to silently say: I've got you.

Then a slow nod. "We'll go over the drawings. Later. Why don't you get some rest?" With one last gentle squeeze on his shoulder and hand, she'd pull away. A hint of a scoundrel's smirk working its way back on her lips. "You can even have my bed if you want. I need to go check-in with Gully on ETA."

 

[Drifter]

Hyperspace
Skyler

It was strange, the way Skyler tried to offer him comfort. Drifter wasn't used to it -- not from someone who wasn't family or a close friend. Felt a little... off. Then again, he hadn't exactly made a lot of friends in the last few years. Not since Ava. Keeping a low profile did that to a man.

Deciding to break the awkward tension with a joke, Drifter's lips curved into a signature rakish grin. He looked up at her with that mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Already inviting me to your bed on the first night, huh? I told you I was really pretty,. he quipped, his tone teasing but light.

Drifter pushed himself to his feet, stretching a bit before dusting off his jacket. "But hey, I gotta make sure the kids don't tear each other apart. I'll crash on that acceleration couch. With any luck, we'll make it to the drop-off point soon enough." He gave her a quick nod, his expression softening a little. "Get some rest. Drink more of that tea if it helps settle your nerves."

With that, unless she had another question, he turned to leave. Back to the cargo hold, back to reality. He had to check in on Alex, make sure things weren't falling apart. And then there was the matter of Skyler.

As good-natured as Drifter could be, his time wasn't free. He had to figure out just how long he was willing to invest in showing her the ropes -- and what it might cost him.

Then again, if this was a legit way of getting information on Kaili Talith might be worth it after all.