Words Hurt

[GhostOfProtocol]

It was so slow, so deliberate. Every single turn, every single movement of the ship was deliberate, the pilot wanted each to happen. The Ebon Hawk dropped throttle, slowly coming a stop in the space port. The ramp dropped slowly, a droid exiting first. T3-J8, friend to the "captain" of the Ebon Hawk. Kei followed slowly, sighing.

He hated everything about Voss. He was right on top of [member="Noriko Ike"], the only person he cared about. She was right there, but he couldn't go and talk to her. He'd put her in too much danger with him, he wasn't good for her. He wasn't good for anyone, plus there was bound to be some tension between the two. He straight up told her he loved her then kicked her off his ship.

He hated smuggling, it always took him places he was trying to avoid. A third man followed behind Kei, the passenger, the reason Kei was on Voss. He apparently had some important chip and needed transporting off a One Sith planet. The word One Sith was scary enough, the fact that meant Kei had to go back to Voss was terrifying.

He took his credits after thanks from the passenger. He couldn't leave, not yet. He didn't want to stick around, truthfully he didn't need reminding of Noriko, but he needed to refuel and run some basic repairs. Or have T3 run some basic repairs, either would do. He assumed a few fuses had blown and he'd lost full light and door control.

Oh the problems.

[member="Noriko Ike"]

 

[Noriko Ike]

[member="Kei Garnik"]

Voss was not her first choice of where to be but when she had heard the Ebon Hawk had returned there was some hope. The small atrisian stood there with her saber staff on her hip and was working on some of the pieces they had uncovered. Practicing her kata and movement with the meditation instead of just sitting still it was easier to do the moving meditation as she was going about it. The training shorts and tank top instead of her guardian robes that were on the sode or her armor she had. She could feel Kei was here and it had been a strange situation to say the least not aided on either side by how he had ended their traveling around the galaxy. That didn't help but she had left the droids know that she was available in the jungle if he wanted to find her. Moving through the vines and ropes they had set up as a little course.

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

He left T3 inside the Ebon, he left T3 to conduct the repairs, change the fuses and pretend to know what he was doing. Kei instead went wondering, he went exploring the village they'd landed in, exploring the village next to the forest. He was mostly looking for old scrap metal, random things he could add to his scrap collection for when things broke or when things needed repair on the Hawk, just random bits of stuff.

His fingers grazed over a small sheet of metal outside of a store, when he froze. Noriko was close, Noriko was too close. He couldn't make himself go and look though, not after how he left her. He was certain she didn't want to see him, he'd admitted everything then kicked her off, he'd got rid of her. He kept putting her in danger, he regretted it so much. He didn't want to see Noriko hurt. If she wanted him, she'd have to come and find him.

[member="Noriko Ike"]

 

[Noriko Ike]

[member="Kei Garnik"]

Noriko's clever plan wasn't working but no matter she would be able to make it work and get the information she needed while she was thinking it over with a few new ideas here and there. Some work in this, some work in that, some development here and she was done. Hair in a tight ponytail with carefully placed bangs in the front while she was moving to go and meet him stopping at the edge when she finally saw him and cocking her hip to the side carefully as the short atrisian prepared to go and kick his ass. Then she waited for him to see her before she charged and moved to dash faster and faster with the force letting the droid carryito grab and hug him. "Captain kei."

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

He was taken by surprise, no lie. He tried to ignore Noriko for a few moments, but she outmatched him in the force, her speed was amazing. The hug made him smile slightly, and when he backed off he frowned again. This was going to be an awkward conversation, the fact he was blushing would give that away. He'd left her on her own, how do you explain that to a person, he'd left her after admitting he loved her. How do you explain that to a person?

"Noriko, I wasn't expecting to see you here. I would of done something with my hair had I of known you were around" he was trying to change the subject, make sure she didn't bring up the past. He was red, he was tomato red and it was embarrassing for him. He'd left Noriko, he'd left her and now had to struggle to make it up.

[member="Noriko Ike"]

 

[Noriko Ike]

[member="Kei Garnik"]

She was looking at him as he backed away and there was a blush to his cheeks with a small grin before she was backing up a little with a smirk on her face. Her tongue in her mouth but grazing over her teeth to make sure they were white and shiny along with her pale skin in the training cloths when the droid was catching up to them. "Well you look better and cuter then I remember." She said it while hiding a blush with pale skin that rarely got the regular color before she was walking. "Come on, you can see Voss.. I guess there isn't much here on the planet that non jedi can go around and just visit."

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

"Cute, huh? Surprising. I've added a few new scars to the collection, scars ain't cute"

He smiled slightly, eyes scanning Noriko. He remembered why he liked Noriko so much, and he shook his head lightly. He hated keep putting her in danger, that's why he left. That's why he was no good for Noriko. He'd landed at the Voss temple and basically kicked her out, he hadn't even let her reply, he had no idea if she liked him back or not. He could take an educated guess she did though. Why else would she call him cute.

He began to follow her slowly.

"I missed you"

[member="Noriko Ike"]

 

[Noriko Ike]

[member="Kei Garnik"]

She looked at him offering a small grin that was on her face while she was going over some fo the things she spoke with a nod of her head. "Scars can be cute, you just got to find a way to enjoy them." She was walking and there was a lot of things here on Voss when she was leading the way tog o and get her things, all of the work that they had been doing when she was able to get her equipment and looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "So where are we headed to first cause there is a serious need to stretch my legs and head off of Voss. preferably somewhere warm that things can be done." Noriko was ready for just about anything and liking the amount of interest she could generate.

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kei shook his head. There was no we about it. There was him, that was it. No-one else, him and T3-J8. Noriko was in too much danger with Kei, and Kei cared about her. He wasn't down for putting her in that much danger, he wasn't down with putting her in any danger. He already knew he was going to be in a lot of that, he already knew he was going to be in trouble. His family was at war with each other, he'd been keeping up with it. He was going to get involved, he couldn't have Noriko in that.

"You don't get a hint, huh. I love you Noriko, I'm sick of seeing myself putting you in danger. There's gonna be a lot of that, I won't lie. My family is preparing to tear itself apart. I really don't want to see you go through that."

[member="Noriko Ike"]

 

[Noriko Ike]

[member="Kei Garnik"]

Noriko looked at him and stood there when he said it as she remained quiet... listening to the rest of what he had to say before she was letting her mind race. Glad to have the shorter stature and right now it was tanned but generally pale skin. Some better looks at him for a moment longer in silence until she moved to go over towards him and grabbed at his head. "I am in no more danger with you then I would be roaming around as a jedi. I might actually be in considerably less danger given most of the circumstances as things shoots blasters are not as dangerous as people with sabers firing off lightning." She looked up at him and nudged him a little though while wrapping an arm around his waist. "Besides I love being around my captain and there is not anyone I'd rather spend my time with if he is going to get torn apart by his family."

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Spoiler

Dropped Kei's age to 19, I write better as a younger dude so

Kei struggled, he struggled because she was right. He struggled because she was seriously right. He'd always put himself in the danger to protect her, it was what he did, naturally. He did it more so with Noriko, he did it more so because he cared about her. He really cared about Noriko, she was an amazing person. She really was an amazing person. Kei was torn, he was torn because she was right, again, she was right.

"I can't win with you, huh?"

He held her close, chuckling softly. He really liked her.

"I guess if you really want to come, we need to get moving. I have a dinner date with Stardust, my cousin and then I need to go and help Jack pack to go into hiding"

[member="Noriko Ike"]

 

[Noriko Ike]

[member="Kei Garnik"]

She was looking at him with a grin on her face while she was looking over the different things there and had her robe, her armor and her gear all ready to use on a number of the projects. They could go and do some of the cooler things they were wanting to work on while the pair could go off and handle the fun things. "No not really." She said it with a smile while walking and letting her pack go over her shoulder. "Now grab my bag and let get to the ship we can go and get some things." She was walking with him back towards the Ebon Hawk which would serve a good enough purpose for what she wanted to do in the plans department after all and could try out some of the new robes like the sentinel robes.

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Spoiler

Ending this here and moving onto the Jack thread?

[member="Noriko Ike"]