Private Waiting Here For You

[Rhia Kesyk]

"Can't say I know where he was meant to be" she retorted as swiftly as she could, finally glancing up at Cotan though still not meeting his gaze entirely. His tone had become almost accusatory, certainly he was thinking more than he was letting on, and that left Rhia feeling all the more sheepish.

Then he was musing over the name. Drawing out the moment for far longer than was necessary. Was he teasing her? She met his gaze, narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

And then turned bright red at the mention of ages.

"Cotan!" she groaned, burying her face in her hands, "Force, it's nothing like that!"

Why would he even? Why did he even? She screamed internally, even the tips of her ears were reddening at this stage.

"Ahhhh, why would you say that?"

Business as usual, it would seem... Even after ten years apart.

Cotan Sar'andor

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

As she became rapidly more flustered, as well as much brighter red than he'd ever seen before, Cotan knew he had hit the jackpot. Evidently she at least seemed to like this Marus character, and probably quite a bit more than she'd wanted to let on or thought about.

Or maybe she was just confused about how she thought about him, given everything else that had happened as she met him. That was certainly possible. Cotan, however, had a decade of time to make up for.

"Well, I hope you were at least smart about it," he stated archly, leaving whatever it was nebulous for the moment.

Just the one moment.

"I don't think I'm ready to be a pseudo-grandfather, after all." Asha would probably chide him for torturing the poor girl, and she'd probably be right, but he couldn't let up so soon.

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

Rhia choked on little more than the air she was actively breathing.

Flustered, flushed, she stared at him as though he'd just claimed to be some sort of immortal god sent from another realm of existence. Mouth opened, closed, opened, then closed again.

A few pathetic sounds whined from her lips, and then she just shook her head.

"I... Whaa--..."

She gawped.

"Oh my Force, kill me now..."

Cotan Sar'andor

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"How long did you say you travelled with him? At least a month? Goodness, Rhia, should I get you to a medbay?"

He was having far too much fun messing with her.

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

"Oh. My. Force."

She dropped her head into her hands and groaned. Her face was practically burning at this point, and she pressed her palms into her eyes to try and keep her brain from falling apart.

"I never, we never, it wouldn't even work like that, ah, what, why..."

Another groan, she sounded like she was trying to keep from crying. But laughter shook her all the same. Force, Rhia wasn't very good when it came to sticking to one emotion at a time.

"I hate you, you know that?"

She lifted her head, and stuck him with a glare.

"I wish you were my Dad, then at least I could blame everything bad on you."

Rhia pouted, then shook her head.

"You're the worst..." Then, in an even quieter voice, she whispered, "Force, I missed you."

Cotan Sar'andor

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"I've missed you too, Rhia, don't worry," Cotan replied, ruffling her hair with one hand. "And, I'm feeling generous, being the worst, getting blamed for things. Go ahead." He was still smiling mischievously. "But first, you'll have to tell me where you learned to pout like that. Marus teach you?"

By the Force, he wouldn't let that one go easily.

"Have you had anything to eat yet yourself today, kid? Or did you just make a beeline straight to me once you got on the station?"

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

He had?

Rhia's heart swelled to hear it, though she did her best not to let it show. Try as she might she couldn't fully shake away the tenderness she was feeling from years of poorly perceived abandonment, as though she couldn't get her hopes up despite knowing it was stupid of her to press it all down. He was Cotan, the same Cotan he'd been back then, and circumstances were different now...

He ruffled her hair, and then stated that she could blame things on him regardless. "Doesn't work if you're not my dad" she retorted with a roll of her eyes. At least, that's what she'd heard. Wasn't as though she'd ever actually had parents. She could thank the Jedi for that too. One of these days, though, she'd have to stop blaming them for absolutely everything and take charge of her own life.

One step at a time. She was getting there, slowly.

"Thanks though. Appreciate it, old man."

Of course Cotan couldn't help but make another jab. She stuck her tongue out and shook her head. "I don't pout!" she proclaimed.

And then the subject matter shifted. It was a question, but was it really a question if he already knew the answer? She swallowed, then shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"I didn't want you to hear from somebody else that I was here" she muttered, chewing on the inside of her cheek between words. Was that a good explanation? Probably not. Didn't even reaaaally answer his question, save for in a round about way. But it was the answer she gave.

Cotan Sar'andor

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Old man?

No, no, that wouldn't do at all. "Old Man" was what he called Coren, or Julius, or Jorus, or—

Well, he didn't call Quill that. That would be too rude for him.

His eyes narrowed somewhat. Teenagers. Hmmph. And she even denied pouting, when she had done it so obviously in front of him moments before. Such a bold-faced lie. "Alright, then," he said after she answered his question about how quickly she'd gotten to him, letting the 'old man' and the pouting go for the moment. He quickly stood up, pulling her up beside him. "Let's get some lunch and get you situated, let Asha know you're here. Then all three of us—" He paused, and shook his head.

"All four of us can have dinner together later, and spend some time catching up. Sound good to you?"

Rhia Kesyk

 

[Rhia Kesyk]

Was it Rhia or were his eyes... narrowing?

She bit back a smirk and met his gaze with her own as though daring him to... Well, she didn't know what. Either way Cotan didn't address whatever it was that had him staring at her like that, and instead hoisted her up to her feet. It felt weird to be back at her full height, it took her a moment to reorient herself.

"Sounds good to me" she replied, smiling slightly when he corrected himself and remembered Ideon. Yeah that was probably going to take some getting used to for them, wasn't it? Still he was Rhia's ward so for the most part that'd be for her to handle. She'd get used to it too.

In many ways she already had.

As they made their way out of the training room though a new set of nerves wormed their way into her stomach. Force... It had been just as long since she'd last seen Asha...

Cotan Sar'andor